Maid of Sker had a few jump scares here and there, but it was the tension and curiosity of the unknown that kept me invested in moving forward.
There's a lot to love about Ikenfell: its characters, charming narrative, and polished strategic combat all come together to create something truly unique and magical. While it calls on themes from other pop culture titles, the story within is all its own. Slow at first, Ikenfell's true narrative starts to unravel as you meet new friends and unlock clues behind Maritte's sister's disappearance. For $19.99, Ikenfell is well worth the price if you're a fan of pixel games with an inclusive storyline and a beautiful soundtrack.
All in all, I loved Heart of the Forest. I was frustrated by some of the choice mechanics, but it was never enough to make me stop playing. I wanted to push through to the end every time to see whether or not their stories could be saved. A game that keeps you coming back well after the first playthrough is a precious treat in my eyes, and Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Heart of the Forest had me eating right out of its paws.
Sarawak can be found on Steam right now for $9.99. I highly encourage anyone that's a fan of mysteries and interactive novels to give it a try, and support this wonderful new indie studio.
For newcomers to the series, it’s a fantastic option because, obviously, you’re not gated by a hundred different consoles just to experience the story for yourself. It’s incredibly easy just to boot up one of the collections and get started carving your way through armies of heartless. For veterans of the series, it’s a great way to relive your childhood for the exact same reasons.
Chivalry 2 is a fantastic multiplayer game that is consistently pumping out updates with a pretty thriving community of players. There is a fairly steep learning curve, but it has been out long enough at this point that if you feel yourself tilting, just do a quick Youtube search for “Chivalry 2 combat tips” and it will probably clear up a lot of that brain fog. What most of it boils down to, is practice. You’ll die-a lot. But, you’ll also learn from those deaths and you’ll eventually get better. Chivalry 2’s development path is healthy and thriving since its developers have their fingers on the pulse of the player base, so if you missed the hype train and are looking for a game that will give you the most bang for your buck without a huge time commitment, look no further than Chivalry 2.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed playing Blooming Business: Casino, and would suggest it to any of my friends looking for a cozy, casual time. It has its fair share of bugs, but I think makes up for it with fantastic theming, colorful characters, and overall fun gameplay. If I could suggest one improvement for this game, it would be to add an eyedropper tool similar to The Sims that lets you quickly copy and paste furniture as it can get a little tedious at times to go back and forth between decor when you’re making multiple changes. If you’re interested in trying out Blooming Business: Casino, you can snag a copy on Steam for $24.99!
All in all, Bookbound Brigade is a pretty fantastic and enjoyable platformer. Don't let its colorful exterior fool you, this little game has enough challenge to hang with other big boy Metroidvania titles.
Alder's Blood is a tactical-strategy RPG with an incredibly rich story that will have you hooked from the tutorial. Where it lacks a little excitement in combat, it definitely makes up for it with the narrative twists and turns that grab at your collar and refuse to let go.
While there are still clearly some stark improvements that can be made, I think that Medieval Dynasty succeeded in bringing something new to an already saturated and stale genre, and can be a lasting favorite, as long as they continue to make improvements and provide updates.
I would honestly suggest waiting for a sale before picking up the game if you're interested
DRAW CHILLY is an incredibly creative, self-aware indie side-scroller with some amazing assets and a great premise, but it felt like it could have been just a little more. With that being said, DRAW CHILLY is only $4.99 on Steam. For that price, I would absolutely recommend that you pick up DRAW CHILLY and give it a chance. You might discover that some of the things I disliked about the game are what give it some charm through your own playthrough.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed my time playing Effie.
The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance - Tactics is a fairly entertaining game, and if you’re a fan of the turn-based RPG genre or The Dark Crystal I think you would do well to give it a try.
While yes…there are still some performance problems, Saints Row the Third Remastered is a helluva fun game, especially with friends. The story missions will have you rolling with laughter, and there’s no setback if you find yourself in the middle of a shootout between all three gangs and the Steelport police. It’s just all good fun. And with all the craziness going on in the world, it’s nice to have a game to lose yourself in that makes you not take yourself quite as seriously and reminds you to be thankful for the time you have and tackle life one day at a time.
I genuinely loved playing through The Red Lantern, and bonding with my sled team. The art style for it is charming and beautiful at times, with a lovely soundtrack that effectively adds to the atmosphere of being lost in the frozen wilderness. My first completed run-through of the game took me about 2 hours and 30 minutes to reach. I didn’t fill out my journal or see every event, but if you’d like to, you can do just that after finishing the game. There are still plenty of adventures and scenarios to discover with your pups, and even more dangerous challenges to face.
Back 4 Blood is one of those games that you don’t have to particularly worry about grinding, which is incredibly refreshing. Between grinding for in-game currency for dungeon gear in FFXIV, and trying to level up my weapons in Dauntless, it’s nice to have a game I can jump back into with my friends at any point in time and just play. It’s fast-paced, creative, and just all-around good fun. What’s not to love? The game has been out for a while, but that just means that the developers have had more time to listen to feedback and start fixing some of those bugs that have been bothering players.
The combat combined with all of the features I mentioned earlier really come together to create something special-it still just needs a lot of work and polish. I especially love the concept of taking a large faction-based map and adding mmorpg elements to it, so I will absolutely be keeping my eyes on Gloria Victis over the next few months. If the developers keep making steady improvements like they are now, I’ll more than likely keep dipping my toes in every now and again to scratch that PvP itch.
Did I enjoy Someday You’ll Return and is it worth the money? Yes, understatement of the year. It has a few problems, but that doesn’t stop it from being a pretty great and enjoyable game.
ArcheAge Unchained is a thoroughly entertaining sandbox experience, but still needs a lot of work and polish before it can truly become something great.