Radu Haulica
It's hard to get ten functioning buttons along with a pointing device emulated on a touchscreen and having it work seamlessly, while still being able to discern what's going on on a screen that's only a few inches big, and so the reign of limited interaction and low complexity games lives on.
There is no point in comparing Sacred 3 to either of the two previous games in the series, as it unfortunately shares nothing with them. It just feels like a scam meant to chip some money from careless nostalgic gamers, much like shoving dirt into a jar and labeling it "grandma's peach jam."
Back to Bed is yet another indie video game that comes off as refreshing and brilliant at first, only to succumb a short while later at the hands of poor execution and limited overall vision.
Elegy for a Dead World is a game so unique that there is no point of reference for it. Nothing like this has been done before, and it fills a niche that many gamers will appreciate.
Lifeless Planet seems to have a ton of potential beneath its lackluster surface, always seeming like a better game is lurking in there, just beyond your grasp.
If the hard path to mastering a completely irrelevant skill like speaking fluent Swahili when you live at the North Pole is something that appeals to you, then OlliOlli might be your perfect game.
Oblitus could have been a great game, but unfortunately it's not. It's hard to get into, what with the lack of story and context for your actions and the fact that you have to start all over when you die.
If you're looking for something similar to Sid Meier's Pirates, you will find Windward to be frustrating and boring, running in circles around the map and around enemy ships, with random gear upgrades and dull content.
The game is deceptively fun and captivating, in spite of its seemingly basic interactions. Every screen is a new puzzle tasking you with figuring out what the best way to deal with the enemies is, and after your plain is laid down, there is still the issue of mechanical execution, as some of the action sequences require you to move in time with your foes.
Not being a fan of Russian roulette, I like it when my saved states are neatly stacked on top of each other, to the point where I can always go back and alter recent events in a way that will help me finish the game faster so I can go on to the next one, instead of repeating the same unrewarding experience that teaches me nothing new.
Overall, Quest of Dungeons offers an enjoyable gameplay experience, but it fails to shine in any particular way. The classes don't feel different enough. There is little information regarding why your 50 damage weapon only inflicts 20 points of damage and how the number miraculously goes up when you level up. Plus, you're going to spend a lot of time going in circles, waiting for your health and mana to regen, time that would be much better spent actually playing the game.
Magic 2015 provides a neat and polished experience for those who are new to the entire concept, but unfortunately does not have enough of its big brother's allure to warrant attention from more serious Planeswalkers.
The puzzles are ok for the most part, especially once they get a bit more complicated with the inclusion of platforming, that requires precise timing, but the whole "death as a gameplay mechanic" bit wears off pretty soon, and you'll find yourself with another pretty generic game.
Runers offers a truly enjoyable experience, with a good marriage of standard roguelike mechanics expanded by the real-time top-down shooter gameplay dynamic and by the spell crafting system.
Fenix Rage knows that you're here for a challenge, and that's exactly what it serves. Through the highs and the lows, you don't really have any time to think about what's going on or to be bothered by the simplistic and overly saturated visuals and repetitive generic music.
Oscura: Lost Light is a very satisfying puzzle platformer, unfortunately brought down a notch by some troublesome controls and by the fact that it doesn't offer anything particularly new.
Although Betrayer brings many good ideas to the table, the mix fails to homogenize in a meaningful manner, and the game's shortcomings begin pestering you while you repeat the same patterns over and over.
Gods Will Be Watching is a very good example of a brilliant idea ruined by faulty implementation. It starts off with a fascinating idea that get slowly but steadily ruined by the tedious micromanagement it requires.
In addition to torches, you'll collect a vast assortment of items, from weapons and armor to seemingly useless trinkets, bones, and even magic spells, that you can then use on the few hotspots in each room trying to get further into the game.
Now, the best thing that Cloud Chamber has going for it is that there is nothing quite like it out there right now, and it can comfortably score points on novelty alone, without having to actually put any kind of effort into it.