Neo Cab makes me wish that big-budget publishers did games of this nature.
It's Persona, but not quite as good. In the end, I cant help but compare the two games. Its not going to replace Persona in your heart, but its a good sweetheart of a distraction in the meantime.
The Sinking City doesn't quite hit any of the marks it tried for, but fans of the Eldritch might still find a lot to love here.
Despite not going as far as I feel it could have, Yuppie Psycho had me laughing and running scared in all the right places.
It’s written extremely well, but I’m sure some players will be frustrated when the game doesn’t answer some of the questions that it raises.
...interesting maps and epic military adventures from older titles, while building on the newer aspects we’ve come to expect from the 3DS games.
Arc of Alchemist could have been a fun tactical RPG. Trouble is, it’s squashed between outdated exploration, a half-formed battle system, and a general lack of polish that altogether makes the game’s flaws impossible to look past. Within the context of the many fantastic JRPGs that are out there, I can’t pretend Arc of Alchemist is worth your time.
World’s End Club wanted to be like Danganronpa or Zero Escape, but it doesn’t measure up to either. This game has a pretty cool story sandwiched between aggressively average platforming segments that wouldn’t stand up to snuff ten years ago. It has a cool art direction and likeable characters, but the writing itself is not masterful enough to make the unconvincing plot twists work, nor to make up for the boring and repetitive gameplay.
At the very least, Orwell’s Animal Farm made me want to read the original book after a decade of resenting its inclusion in my high school curriculum. I can see what the game was trying to do, and I had a passing amount of fun with it, but it’s just not engaging enough to play for more than a few hours. I can recommend Orwell’s Animal Farm only as a curiosity for fans of the novel.
As a bachelor project, [I] Doesn't Exist certainly demonstrates the technical competency of its developers, but as a game in its own right, it doesn't particularly offer anything unique or worthwhile. Using parser controls to tell an unconventional narrative is an interesting concept, but the actual conversations to be had are vague, unhelpful, and don't tell a decipherable narrative. Check it out if you're jonesing for a hit of retro parser gameplay, but there's otherwise not much here that makes it stand out.
Despite the promising combination of dating sim and resource management mechanics, Lakeburg Legacies doesn't lean hard enough in either direction, resulting in a wishy-washy game that's charming in looks but lacking in substance. The bones of a good game are here, but it just doesn't come together into something memorable.
Sonic Colours: Ultimate serves as a sad reminder that even the 3D Sonic games that are ‘one of the good ones’ don’t hold up very well. The updated visuals, soundtrack, and gameplay tweaks at least make it a better experience than the original, and some quality of life upgrades make the worst parts marginally less painful. Sonic fans nostalgic for this game will likely still value having this remaster in their collection, but the new customisable options and Rival Rush Mode are simply not enough to make up for what Sonic Colours lacks.
The great ideas within The Signifier make it all the more frustrating when the overall experience doesn’t leave you with anything memorable. If it were expanded upon, the sum of its parts could make an amazing experience. The game has some shining moments in the memory sequences, but its ending does nothing with the fascinating threads offered up by its middle.
Remaking an older series that never got much limelight is always a good thing, and Another Code: Recollection has gone above and beyond updating its look and feel for the modern day. The problem is that those updates have removed everything that made the original games unique, and have re-invented the story in a way that is not to its benefit. It might still be a nice time if you're in the mood for something simple and slow-paced, but it's certainly no replacement for the originals.
The Last Case of Benedict Fox takes a unique concept but doesn't quite manage to assemble something memorable out of the sum of its parts. A combination of unsatisfying combat and clunky controls makes for a poor metroidvania, and its narrative and puzzle elements are not enough to make up for it. There is some fun to be had here though, and its graphical style certainly makes it easy on the eyes.
Sonic Superstars is packed with classic sonic charm, gorgeous visuals, and fun, fast-paced levels that we love from all 2D Sonic games. But the two big ticket selling points, the chaos emerald abilities and battle mode, are sadly its weakest links. The story mode is still largely enjoyable, and some better implementations of the new abilities but make a sequel to this game legitimately great. If you're a fan of classic Sonic, you'll likely still enjoy this title.
Floodland has a lot of great ideas and an addicting gameplay loop, but its Clan mechanics quickly suck any fun out of a game as soon it rears its ugly head. With only one scenario to play and no customisation options for these clans, it's all too easy to suffer a slow decline for reasons that don't feel like your fault. With such a major mechanic feeling so flawed, it's hard not to feel like Floodland has taken a wrong turn at the last minute. For such a solid base, it's a real shame.
Monark has all of the dot points needed to be a great game, but it just doesn’t go far enough to stand out in any one area. It has a few great nuggets of ideas that would have been great to see expanded upon, but it barely scratches the surface. There are too many areas that were lacking either visual flare or gameplay substance for it to be memorable among titans like Persona and Megami Tensei. Despite that, it still might be worth playing for fans of the genre. It’s like popcorn — it’s not a masterpiece, but it’s easily consumable and will scratch that JRPG itch.
Operation: Tango gets the look and feel of being a secret agent team absolutely right, with a cool soundtrack to boot. But it’s held back by its hit-and-miss gameplay, which can range from super cool to frustrating. A longer campaign may have let the gameplay expand and deepen, but with only 6 short missions and little replay value, it ends up feeling a little shallow. The upside is, this makes the game a perfect candidate for some DLC.
Series fans will enjoy this game no matter what. But if you are a series fan, I’m assuming you’ve already played it on PS4. If you’re looking to buy it on another platform, the evidence stacks up in favour of the PC version because of the Switch’s downgraded graphics and lack of achievements unless you really want that handheld portability. If you’re not a series fan yet, then go back to page 1 and start at the beginning. This game will not make a lick of sense to you.