If you’re a fan of SWERY’s previous output or have a lot of patience for fetch quests, there is reason enough to check out The Good Life, but it is a hard sell for pretty much anyone else.
The simplistic combat, lack of enemy variety and clunky platforming make it hard to recommend for anyone aside from nostalgic fans of the series.
Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous is certainly a worthy successor to Pathfinder: Kingmaker. With its highly varied moral choices, a tremendous number of race and class options, as well as the Mythic Path feature, players will have a ton to dig into. That said, the addition of turn-based crusade battles where you lead armies across the land doesn’t quite land as well, feeling sluggish and lacking many of the tactical nuances of the main combat mode. In all, however, despite the experience not being the most polished, Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous is a deep, challenging and highly enjoyable title that is an easy recommend for fans of RPGs.
Greak: Memories of Azur is a truly charming little title that fans of puzzle and action games will really enjoy. Its unique mechanics of controlling the three siblings at once paid off for the most part, even if it became more frustrating during boss fights. While the game’s restrictive inventory and lack of area maps wasn’t ideal, it didn’t prevent the gorgeous hand-drawn world and enchanting soundtrack from drawing me right into the experience. Greak: Memories of Azur is fun, very easy to like, and definitely worth checking out.
Orcs Must Die! 3 is definitely a case of “another verse, same as the first”, but fortunately the formula still holds up. The changes to gameplay balance mostly work, as does the implementation of the new Scramble game mode. However, the War mode shows that throwing more orcs into a stage doesn’t necessarily make it more fun, and the level design generally doesn’t feel quite as fresh as it once did. All that said, the visceral pleasure of slicing through a group of orcs with a buzzsaw launcher is as present as ever, and ultimately the experience is still a fun time. For tower defence fans, Orcs Must Die! 3 is worth checking out, particularly if you’re planning on playing co-op.
Even if it can feel like the deck-builder roguelike genre is getting a bit oversaturated, Banners of Ruin is definitely one to check out. With its generous and frequent unlocks, as well as its complex-yet-mostly-well-explained combat mechanics, it is easy to pick up and enjoyable to master. While it is not as challenging as some of its roguelike cousins, I personally found its user-friendliness a positive quality. If you are looking for another deck-builder roguelike to play, you should definitely add Banners of Ruin to your deck.
Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin is somewhat imperfect, but the flaws don’t quite eclipse its strengths. Despite the annoying party AI and grind, the combat has the right level of tactical depth I would expect from a turn-based Monster Hunter game. With its adorable Monsties and a wide-open world to explore, gamers looking for a new JRPG to dive into can certainly do a lot worse. As long as you are prepared for some irritating supporting cast members and a somewhat repetitive gameplay loop, fans of the monster-collecting genre will get a lot out of this game.
Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance isn’t a bad game, but it does feel insubstantial at the moment. The lack of character development, plot or world-building will probably turn away hardcore D&D fans. As for the fans of multiplayer action games, while the core of the experience is fairly solid, the lack of technical polish, repetitive structure and unexciting loot system will likely not satisfy for long. Hopefully over time, patches and additional content can flesh out the experience and make it the rollicking fantasy hack and slash multiplayer funfest it has the potential to be. Just make sure you don’t forget to bring a friend or three.
Backbone is full of potential for greatness and makes a terrific first impression. With its compelling lead and supporting cast, and a fascinating setting full of tantalising lore and mysteries to solve, I spent most of my experience excited to find out where it was all leading. Unfortunately, much of the detective gameplay and plot start to come apart by the end, leading to an oddly inconclusive and unsatisfying conclusion.
From its charming animations and characters, fun weapons and catchy soundtrack, it’s hard to not have a good experience during the game’s short runtime. However, it does start to drag a bit by the end, and it may have been more fun with the addition of co-op. That all said, Mighty Goose is a great little burst of shoot ’em up arcade goodness, and succeeds at bringing that old style of game into the modern era.
I have played many online multiplayer games in my time, but Knockout City has made a better first impression than most. With its easy-to-understand mechanics, along with the complex mind games involved in almost any interaction, it is very satisfying for quick play sessions. Despite some technical issues and a lack of single-player content and diverse game modes, what is there at launch is a lot of fun so far.
Judging the game by the experience as it is now, I certainly had a good time with it, particularly when I could find a party to play with. However, if you’re only intending to play solo and want a good sci-fi cover shooter, the experience will eventually wear out its welcome as you hit the endgame.
There were high expectations with Monster Hunter Rise, following World’s success and returning to a more portable console. Fortunately, Rise has taken note of the franchise’s most successful elements, and refined them into the best Monster Hunter yet. By continuing the streamlining that Generations and World started, Rise has focused on making the actual hunting the most engaging it has ever been.
Overall, Rogue Heroes: Ruins of Tasos may be a few more bug patches away from a solid recommendation. However, if you want an enjoyable Zelda-esque title to play with your friends, it is certainly one to keep an eye on.
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury is an excellent case for why Nintendo should be porting more Wii U games to the Switch. With its improved presentation and the convenience of the Switch, this is definitely the optimal way to play Super Mario 3D World, even without much in the way of new features. Bowser’s Fury is also an excellent open-world Mario mini-adventure, which is probably worth the price of admission on its own. Admittedly, the multiplayer features some camera issues, particularly in Bowser’s Fury. However, that should not stop Mario fans of all ages from checking out Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury, especially if they missed out on this much loved platformer the first time around.
It is kind of a tough sell to hardcore Worms fans, but it ultimately works quite well. Worms Rumble is a more fast-paced variety of Battle Royale, with a Deathmatch mode thrown in for those who want a more conventional multiplayer experience. The experience is quite a lot of fun, at least for a few hours until the repetition sets in.
Nearing the end of an undeniably stressful year, the sheer adorableness and relaxing charm of Sackboy: A Big Adventure is exactly what I needed.
I still feel like Immortal Realms: Vampire Wars has some potential behind its flaws. The idea of a more streamlined strategy game, with less of a resource management and empire-building focus, is something that could be appealing for newcomers to the strategy genre. However, its huge maps and clunky combat drag the experience down. Furthermore, without multiplayer or a map editor, there is not really much more to the experience than the campaign, which is only somewhat engaging. Immortal Realms: Vampire Wars certainly has enjoyable elements, but feels difficult to recommend to fans of the strategy genre.
Pathfinder: Kingmaker Definitive Edition, as a console port, works impressively well. Despite some cumbersome menus, it makes the transition from mouse and keyboard to controller without losing its complexity. Combined with the substantial amount of added content, Pathfinder: Kingmaker Definitive Edition is quite an easy recommend for any fan of Baldur’s Gate, Pillars of Eternity or similar RPGs. It won’t hold your hand, even on Easy, but if you’re looking for an adventure to become immersed in, Pathfinder: Kingmaker Definitive Edition could be the game you’ve been looking for.
Skully is certainly imperfect, but there is a strong core for Finish Line Games to build upon. The narrative and characters really had an emotional impact by the end, and the game’s setting is quite beautiful for the most part. While some of its platforming and puzzle-based challenges can annoy at times, overall, Skully is a fun ride if you’re looking for short, yet impactful, experience.