Smoke and Sacrifice is certainly different from any other game I’ve ever played, but whether this worked out in its favor is questionable.
For all the things it does right, The Alliance Alive generally feels like a game that wasn’t quite ready to get pulled out of the oven, but was released anyway.
All told, one can do far worse than Oceanhorn for a shot of Zelda nostalgia. The basics are all present and accounted for, and the game offers good presentation values for a ten-hour-or-so stroll down memory lane. It may not quite nail the sense of charm we’ve seen in similar world design or exploration, but it certainly never goes so far in the other direction as to outright disappoint.
While it addresses many aspects lacking during the franchise’s first outing, the overall experience still misses the high-water mark it aims for, with a glut of gameplay systems and wonky mechanics rearing their ugly heads each time a measure of success is achieved elsewhere. It outpaces its predecessor in terms of quality, to be sure, but not enough to make for an emphatic recommendation.
Watcher Chronicles may scratch an itch for those in need, but ultimately fails to leave a lasting impression.
It’s a relatively short ride and well worth taking, as long as one’s expectations are dialed in correctly from the outset.
Voice of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roars is an entertaining and creative diversion while it lasts. It certainly sets itself apart with relative ease but it does suffer a bit from diminishing returns.
Gamedec presents a rich world that would be worth revisiting again, though perhaps with an extra layer of polish needed for its narrative.
Ghost of a Tale is and does a lot of things, some impressive but not all of them great triumphs.
Underneath it all lies an engaging combat system, though it’s a shame the story and writing under-serve what could have been an interesting world and cast of characters.
While it isn’t a flawless experience and absolutely refuses to hold the player’s hand, it does manage to set itself apart by virtue of its unrelenting difficulty, all while telling a story that comes closer to Lovecraftian fiction than many of its contemporaries.
Labyrinth of Refrain will not disappoint those looking for a thorough first-person dungeon grind.
The repetitive gameplay cycle, taken to its extreme by asking the player to clear the game a total of five times before the true ending is even unlocked, won’t win everybody over.
The game may not manage to surpass what has come before, but, if nothing else, it does manage to hold its own and provide series fans with another fun chapter in the series.
Born of Bread is a wildly inventive, charming, and laugh-out-loud funny game with a colorful cast and gorgeous world to explore. Unfortunately, its Paper Mario-inspired combat system quickly becomes such a repetitive chore that it markedly detracts from the overall experience.
While some elements didn’t come off as well as planned — world building and narrative fall flat despite obvious attempts to bring them more into the spotlight, for example — the overall package will still go down a treat for Metroidvania fans, and offers plenty to even bring new followers into the fold.
While exploration is fun enough, it’s the combat system that is the real standout here, simple enough to be quickly learned but intricate enough to provide plenty of variety, particularly during the fun boss fights.
Its relatively short runtime offers a tight and enjoyable experience that could do with a little bit more content and world-building to iron out the well-intentioned content provided. With a very solid presentation backing it up, it’s an easy recommendation for dark action RPG fans.
It may not immediately aspire to the same household-name status as some of its sources of inspiration, but fans of the [action RPG] genre would be hard-pressed to not find plenty to enjoy here.
While it may clock in a bit below its predecessor in terms of overall package, main gameplay staples like combat and exploration continue to be of enjoyably high quality, and make this series’ second outing a worthwhile entry.