Lee Mehr's Reviews
Fitting for this studio’s name, Out of the Blue's puzzle-adventure debut resonates due to its mechanical challenge and atypical approach to Lovecraftian fiction.
An inspired & nuanced structure demonstrates where Giant Squid took the road less traveled, and it made all the difference.
FTQD Studio's first outing is a playful shooter/slasher hybrid that's far too finite to feel worth its retail price.
Bumpy design turbulence blunts The Falconeer's ambition.
There’s an expectation for next-gen remasters to be cash-grabs, but Bloober Team went beyond resolution upgrades. Observer: System Redux shares a similar release history with Blade Runner: a newer version releasing with extra content and impressive visual polishes. It doesn’t avoid all the pitfalls endemic of walking sims nor of this studio, but it deserves augmented respect like its closest inspiration eventually earned.
If Spider-Man was Insomniac's rebuttal to this titular hero's decaying status within games, Miles Morales is its claim that story opportunities beyond Peter Parker are also worthwhile.
Despite clinging to some underwhelming gimmicks, Astro’s Playroom is a cute-n-capable platformer and a respectable assemblage of PlayStation antiquity included in every PS5.
It'd be apropos to say Punch Punk Games' latest title botches its execution on this fascinating subject matter.
An offer you can’t refuse.
Between the writing that's too often puerile and gameplay too often unengaging, Larry's going to be spending many a lonely night lest he up his game.
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is the story of marketable talent crafting a competent-if flawed-RPG in 2012; Re-Reckoning is that same story hastily repackaged in 2020 and resold at an overinflated price point.
Control: AWE leverages Remedy's lineage to make one of the best expansions of the year.
Hello Games' modest ideals erode The Last Campfire's true potential, but there’s enough creative kindling to retain your attention.
Metronomik's first tour reveals the heart of an ambitious, stylish band that's consistently playing out of tune.
Dlala Studios' reboot/sequel of these antique amphibians deftly juggles its varied gameplay conceits and meta-humor, with only Rare missteps.
More enticing systemically than it is narratively, Windbound nevertheless succeeds as a sojourner's adventure of striving for survival and greater understanding.
A mechanically-archetypal strategy sim elevated by the potent historical context through which it's examined.
Insatiable Cycle's zeal in tackling dialogue choices is something to appreciate. But that can only go so far when the script is tacky, the game design is clumsy, and the retail price is terribly overvalued.
The Wake: Mourning Father, Mourning Mother is too uncoordinated in the game being made and the story being told. It hits a strange chord with me because I find Somi laudable and his previous work worth investigating. The visual/audio design’s toned-down, retro ethos marries well with the saccharine storytelling and yet, obstructive gameplay frequently flatlined my drive to turn the next page.
Final Strike Games' first title excels at short-lived fun, but monetization practices & current imbalances eventually cause engine burnout.