Near four years since its original release and Doki Doki Literature Club has still stood the test of time thanks to this ‘Plus!’ edition. Where there are some shortcomings in the fact that it takes a little while to get the ball rolling and will be even harder to enter unspoiled, it’s worth it when you consider what’s on offer. Doki Doki Literature Club Plus! is a delight. It’s horrific. It’s heartbreaking. But most of all, it’s a wonderful model of how to take the visual novel formula and absolutely turn it on its head. Just be aware, there’s some sadness behind those anime characters’ eyes.
NieR is a wonderful, intriguing franchise that a select number are dearly devoted to, and rightly so. The game’s not entirely for me, especially considering all the backtracking, but it’s a weird and wonderful ride nevertheless. Keep doing you Yoko Taro. And let’s embrace the weird that is NieR.
There’s plenty to love and adore out of the game’s design and it is a very good game. However, with its dare to experiment, it could leave fiercely loyal fans a bit disappointed.
Coming out of Marvel’s Avengers, I’ve surprisingly been won over. With a charming set of characters both familiar and new to me, loot to keep me going and a solid promise of its future, it’s a game I’ll absolutely be keen to return to. That does come with a caveat. There are some glaring and testing faults the game exhibits. If you plan at all on jumping in and donning that cape, then do so. Just maybe keep your non-superhero day job at the ready.
All in all, I’m glad I got to spend time with Maid of Sker. Aesthetics, themes and those haunting siren songs that the game explores will no doubt stay with me for a long time to come. If you’re a horror fan, looking for a fun scare, would you kindly visit Sker Hotel?
I was hoping Iron Man VR would be the quintessential, possible swan song for the peripheral device. It isn’t quite, but it’s still a solid, popcorn-like story romp.
...Iffy character designs and bizarre world lore aside, Trials of Mana is a competent remade journey I’m glad I experienced.
In short, Minecraft Dungeons is a basic, albeit competent addition to the dungeon-crawler genre. Yes, it’s a glorified new way to use the Minecraft skin but it works.
In short, Super Crush KO is a powerful and addictive brawler that makes you feel like you’re in a music video. There’s plenty going on for it and the clear influences never end. You’ll love the art style that looks like it’s straight out of a Cartoon Network show, the simple but effective pop soundtrack, or maybe even the surprising and delightful queer story. So why not settle in, have a blast and go pursuing your feline friend?
Though far from perfect, Eternights has a lot of good ideas that heavier hitters in the action dating sim genre should follow. Despite being a small team, Studio Sai provides a fun and enjoyable experience in the scene, offering charming and equally viable dating options to get to know, even adding a queer romance option. There's an engaging mystery to uncover in-game too, every so often taking the time to showcase this in gorgeous 2D animation. Though polish could've been greater in distracting HUD and menus, combat checkpoints and the like, what the studio has done for the genre is create an earnest and wholehearted positive step forward.
Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew is so close to being Mimimi's best. There are enjoyable diverse skills that make for some of the best stealth tactics gameplay we've ever seen. Enjoyable too is the colourful and often humorous side stories, along with plenty of feats to seek after for completionist obsessives. It may not have the most interesting main-story quest structure or be the most stable and bug-free at the moment but when Shadow Gambit gets moving it soars and sails, providing an addictive and fun tactics adventure.
The Tartarus Key is a good experimental indie horror venture. It never outstays its welcome and creates a thrilling, brooding experience that never cheapens itself with jump scares. Feeling a little existential in its atmosphere, this too is bolstered by the low poly PS1 era art style the game is going for. Though not every puzzle is the most fun to work through, they are at least all well thought out with plenty of fun quirks that work well with the escape room vibes. I enjoyed being in the heat of the moment, feeling something in my brain click when I solved a brain teaser and it resulted in rescuing another character's life. Rounding it out is a fun cast I'm needing to see more of, with Alex as a force of nature of a horror protagonist. Rest assured, The Tartarus Key is a secret little gem that should be high on indie horror fans' lists.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure is nothing short of an epic RPG story. It's not as good an onboarding point for the greater series as its predecessor Trails From Zero was, but that cost just means bigger ambition with the narrative beats and world explored. It's worth noting it's not as polished as it should be, showing its age with the lower visual fidelity and framerate dips. However, the priority with NIS America is clearly just getting the game out there. Frankly, what a game it is. Crossbell is as magical as ever and it was a heartfelt joy to experience the second and closing story for the SSS team. You're not getting many experiences as special as this one. I love and will miss you, Crossbell.
Project Zero: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse is a good remake. It paints an engaging and delightfully horrific world to delve into, with shocking twists and secrets to uncover at every turn. While players will very likely be left picking up the pieces of its narrative largely told through readables, it's rewarding when it all clicks into place, painting a harrowing picture set in Southern Japan. It may be a remake that is still very of its era, with finicky camera movement and some questionable female character skins that can only come from that of gaming in the 2000s. However, in every other aspect, Mask of the Lunar Eclipse revels in its origins. On offer is wicked, tense and tight combat performed creatively through the Camera Obscura. It's environmental design and scares are begging to be picked apart in true throwback fashion. Well worth the resurfacing indeed.
Tactics Ogre: Reborn is a very good remaster of an absolute classic. So many lines in-game are raw and palpable and feel like utter poetry, leaving me perplexed at how they could be written by another human. Re-recorded tracks add to the grim but boisterous realities of the universe's war. Plenty of granular investment and min-maxing is on offer to create a timeless and incredibly realised tactical combat experience. However, I can't help but sometimes want more from its vague storytelling and opportunities for more quality-of-life improvements. Concessions absolutely could've been made for more difficulty and saving options, doing away with the feeling of hitting roadblocks. Still, this is a genre experience that's as true as they come. Tactics Ogre has once more cemented itself as one of the tactics giants, and a bloody momentous one at that.
Three games down in quick succession, Voice of Cards: The Beasts of Burden manages to mostly avoid that infamous and known series fatigue. That's largely thanks to yet another compelling fantasy story and enchanting immersion of a tabletop campaign journey. It's in fact my favourite story of the trilogy, complete with a new and welcome mechanic that is monster collecting. It just is ever so slightly barred from being great due to more obvious padding and traipsing around until it reaches its wondrous conclusion. Regardless, we have another good entry in this weird little Square Enix series. That voice inviting you to play cards? Trust it. It's as enjoyable as ever.
Rollerdrome is an unbelievably fun single-player experience that hasn't quite reached its full potential. The explosive gunplay and rollerskating trickery are complemented by the picturesque yet bleak world all realised in a graphic novel art style. However, improvements can be made with some of the enemy types, bosses, and the inclusion of other competitors. Despite room for growth, this game is clearly being made by one hell of a talented team and Rollerdrome proves to be one hell of a shooter.
For every frustration I had for not having quite as many “Aha!” moments when opening a door or discovering some lore, it’s equalled with other ways the game is working to impress. On offer is a solid nightmarish journey from the darkest depths to the dreadfully eerie conclusion at the world’s own horrific ground zero. This is held up by clever combat implementations and a rewarding sense of experimentation and exploration.
I'm so glad Konami are in the business of publishing good video games again. Entrusting the Contra franchise to WayForward for Operation Galuga was an incredibly smart decision, resulting in a thoroughly replayable and enriching return to the grandfather of the run-'n'-gun franchise. There is so much fun to be had learning levels, dying and grinding it out as you become familiar with level design patterns and weapon skills. Challenge levels are also fantastic gauntlets that'll make any seasoned Contra player sweat. Though the story is neither here nor there and the HUD driving it is a bit barebones, none of that gets in the way of the romping and stomping good time you'll have fighting for liberty and taking it to the alien threat once more. Contra is back.
Death of a Wish is a great moody action game that's worth adding to your list of must-play 2024 indies. It's a narrative with textbook Catholic guilt, a heartfelt journey of self-discovery, and the exploration of queer acceptance. With its pulsating chalk-like line work that makes the images and action leap off the page, a diverse combat system, and an oh-so-satisfying parry to boot-style and substance are at the forefront of the game at all times. Though you can occasionally get lost in the weeds of the prose-like writing and confusing map design, it's hard to stay mad long at Death of a Wish. It's a damn cool video game.