Lee Mehr's Reviews
Past all of the cringe dialogue and turgid gameplay, perhaps Dustborn’s biggest sin is feeling more like vacuous agitprop than an actual story. Whatever fight against fascism Pax – and by extension Red Thread Games – had in mind, it's an unintentionally hilarious one since her words feel as plastic as her bat.
Even after several updates, Star Wars: Hunters can’t capture the verve nor engagement of other Hero shooter/brawler hybrids. The end result is a surplus of characters, modes, and cosmetics that’s swamped by lacklustre design, aesthetics, and mechanics. For this sub-genre, calling it mediocre feels too generous. For a new-ish Star Wars game, it ranks among the weakest efforts since Disney took over.
For a publisher so eager to revitalise its long-dormant franchise, it’s impressive how Konami’s first shot winds up being a miserable own goal. Even with considering its rare positives, The Short Message’s blunt-force sermonising feels anathema to the series’ core identity. Combine this with game design vacillating between bland or annoying and all that’s left is dingy world design. As a free title, it shares an interesting heritage with P.T.; unlike its precursor’s legacy, it's destined to be forgotten once credits roll.
Through its multi-layered combat tempo and sharp design, Wildgate soars among the best extraction shooters.
By interrogating and reincorporating some of its previous tricks without addressing the fundamental issues, this sequel's more likely to extinguish interest rather than revive it.
Many indie titles have a formal understanding of retro pixel-bit graphics, chiptune soundtracks, and Metroidvania design, but few of them successfully build a nuanced and complete template around said formula. Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo is one of those rare occasions. For whatever design quibbles may lightly diminish the end result, Pocket Trap has nevertheless crafted one of this year’s best games.
With a simple scoring system, Strange Scaffold turns a polished action template into an improvisational ballet of spent rounds, thrown knives, and exploding barrels at a breakneck pace.
Limited launch content aside, Sloclap's mechanical deviations from the status quo successfully distill the beautiful game's essence.
As the descent continues and outside negative pressure multiplies, Siren's Rest's initial intrigue quickly begins to crack and then subsequently crumples like a soda can.
Lumpy pacing and some odd puzzles aside, Daedalic's adventure can compel anyone to venture down this rabbit hole.
Simultaneously acting as a spiritual successor to Gone Home and a creative leap away from its past legacy (under the Fullbright name), Open Roads can’t avoid being a hodgepodge of conflicted identities. It’s a "walking sim" template with artificially-constrictive interactivity woven into a mother-daughter relationship that’s strapped of gripping drama. Improved production values can only paper over what is otherwise this team’s weakest outing to date.
Provocative and entertaining, American Arcadia's high-concept premise, inventive storytelling, and creative gameplay scenarios place it alongside its closest inspirations.
A Pirate's Fortune rests between two strange polarities: stretching Outlaws' flawed mechanics to their furthest extent while nonsensically resetting its previous narrative goals.
Bendy and the Ink Machine succeeds in capturing a specific personality and aesthetic, but falters in its gameplay craftsmanship.
Infuse Studio has a better grasp on incorporating storytelling & tone, but everything goes south once its worst open world impulses get in the way.
Apropos its soccer-themed subject matter, Despelote pulls off an impressive hat trick: successfully fusing unique aesthetic, narrative, & mechanical decisions with an assured vision.
For a narrative-driven game about the virtue of coexistence, it's a shame that's rarely felt emotionally or mechanically.
Between gameplay tempo, aesthetic, & characters, FragPunk's inherent chaos sets it apart from other hero shooters, but the cards aren't always in its favor.
While Storm in a Teacup's about-face from mechanical simplicity is audacious, Steel Seed is something I'm more compelled to admire than recommend.
With so few positives across both tapes, Bloom & Rage easily ranks as one of DON'T NOD's worst albums.