Square Enix are the best at what they do, aren’t they? Mastering a genre and providing hit after hit takes years of experience, and Square Enix have that in abundance. Be it Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, or the Saga series, they continue to invent and reinvent whilst keeping the heart and soul of these games at the forefront of all they do. Bravely Default II, the sequel to the 3DS original from 2012, is the latest game by Square Enix to be given the same treatment.
Perched atop the Empire State observing the snow-covered streets of Manhattan, I put the controller down and take it all in. So, this is what next-gen gaming is all about. The streets are alive with the hustle and bustle of downtown Manhattan. The visuals offer a crispness and clarity I have never seen before. And, there’s an affinity with the story that took hold from the off. As I dive off to protect the citizens of my city from the next crime in progress, it dawns on me.
In the last month I have: renovated my house, developed a relationship with my new girlfriend, enjoyed meaningful walks out in the open air and spent some time quality time with the people that matter most. Oh, and I’ve been tending to crops and looking after the animals on my farm. That’s right; I’ve been playing STORY OF SEASONS: Friends of Mineral Town.
With Hotline Miami dominating the top-down, over-the-top, brutally violent genre in gaming since its introduction in 2012, it was high time a new game tried to get in on the action and take the steely crown. Having started out in 2014, Krakow based developers One More Level have added another game to their catalogue with God’s Trigger. Promising the opportunity to ‘slay enemies with speed and precision in an over-the-top show of blood and explosions’, I was keen to see just how well this one would hold up. Find out here at Rapid Reviews UK!
Developed by a one-man band hailing from Finland, Super Blood Hockey is a faithful nod to the games of the late 80’s and 90’s. Adding a touch of bloodthirsty violence to the sport of Hockey, Loren Lemcke has looked to remind us all of what made gaming so great way back when. Demonstrating that whilst graphical enhancements and complex storylines are always welcome, you can’t go wrong with a bit of simplistic, wholesome fun. With the backing of Digerati, renowned for their support of independent game developers, the once Steam only title is now available on the eShop.
We love a good shadow drop here at Rapid Reviews HQ. The idea of a brand-new title gracing the eShop on a random Thursday evening fills us with joy. It’s made all the better when it’s a hotly anticipated or long-rumoured release. In the case of Metroid Prime Remastered, it was both. Regarded with reverence as one of the greatest games of all time, the original Metroid Prime is a game that needs no introduction — unless, of course, you never owned a GameCube in the early 2000s. Or, in the case of this writer, owned a GameCube but somehow chose Donkey Konga and the accompanying Bongos as their game of choice when making a yearly subscription to the Official Nintendo Magazine. Yeah, me neither.
I’m going to start this review off in a manner befitting of Capcom’s latest behemoth offering on the Nintendo Switch, go and buy Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen NOW. If for some reason you are still here, then let me take five minutes of your time to divulge exactly why this expansive, detailed and beautifully crafted open world role-playing game is worthy of your attention.