After years of being spoiled by so many stylish and creative takes on the genre, Cathedral has very little about it to stand out. Cathedral‘s lack of style or personality does not leave a lasting impact despite its rock solid foundation.
The simplistic gameplay could have carried the sloppy story if it was more polished. Animation breaks and the bugginess of the collision happen far too frequently in such a short game. If Sea of Solitude: The Director’s Cut was marketed as a satire of pretentious, arty, non-engagement style indie games, it would probably fool everyone.
There was never any doubt that Anodyne 2: Return to Dust would look and run exactly as the designer intended on Xbox Series S. It feels very tight and responsive at all times; the 2D action sequences especially have no noticeable input lag.
As time goes on, it is becoming less likely there will ever be a sequel to Metal Gear Rising: Revengenace. It does have some slight pacing issues towards the end, and useful abilities like the side-step shouldn’t be locked behind an ability store. As far as seventh gen action games go however; Metal Gear Rising: Revengenace was and still is one of the better options.
Dreams can be wonderful places to be in. Most people never want to wake from their drams. Little Nightmares II is a rare example of a horrible nightmare that draws you in deeper; and even though it is a terribly hostile place, you want stay because it is so fascinating.
Anyone who missed the original on Wii U, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury is a must own for their Nintendo Switch library. It may not make a whole lot of sense, but the platforming action is so focused and confidently designed. It is a constant stream of creative ideas and stimulating gameplay that is very hard to put down.
Disregarding the retro appeal of the stylish aesthetics; Cyber Shadow is focused and carefully designed action that transcends the fact that it is a throw-back. A lot of flashy pixel art driven indie games rely on their style to carry their lack of substance. Cyber Shadow is an example of an excellent balance of everything.
Anyone who can stomach the tired minimalistic 2D pixel art will find that Olija has quite a bit going for it. The low difficulty may turn off most hardcore players, and the violence may be too much for kids, but this would be a fine game for much older people who want to get into video games.
The Medium is a tightly designed horror-puzzle game. There may not be much survival at all, but presentation of the spirit plane is captivating and the driving mystery of the story will leave enough bread crumbs to allow players to piece the answer themselves.
For $14.99, this is a worthy diversion for fans of Donkey Kong Country. Jet Kave Adventure may not have the memorable David Wise music; or any memorable music at all, but the fundamentals of what made the gameplay is present. On its own, Jet Kave Adventure is a perfect gateway game for kids who are interested in 2D action platformers.
There are not too many action games with RTS elements out there. Other than Overlord or Little King’s Story, the only other options are the Pikmin games. While it may not have the benefit of the Wii remote anymore, Pikmin 3 Deluxe is still an excellent experience and is a fine port of an overlooked Wii U classic.
If you have a tolerance for spotty frame rates, patience for load times, and enjoy being an army of one against a horde of idiotic mooks; then Age of Calamity is for you. This is a guilty please that comes at a steep price, but it also serves as a potential appetizer of things to come in the Breath of the Wild sequel.
It may not be the perfect sequel, but Bayonetta 2 is a satisfying one nonetheless. Some steps were taken forward and a couple backwards; resulting in a very polished and good looking game with some design choices that might annoy hardcore fans of the original. Hopefully, Bayonetta 3 only takes steps forward.
Bayonetta exudes confidence in its design. Hideki Kamiya and his team knew exactly what kind of game they wanted to make, and the quality shines brightly thanks to being responsible with their priorities. Bayonetta has kept gamers playing it for a decade, and they are likely to continue to keep playing it for more decades to come.
When Cyberpunk 2077 works right, you can manage to have a fair bit of fun with it. Unfortunately, even on PC, the game is in a truly embarrassing state right now. The bait and switch CDPR has pulled on us is comparable to No Man’s Sky in many ways, and they absolutely should be held accountable for releasing a game in such a buggy and broken state.
Fans of Breath of the Wild who are patiently waiting for the sequel might find Immortals Fenyx Rising worth a look. It lacks Zelda‘s spirit of invention and creativity, but it is a densely packed open world action game that manages to refine some aspects that Nintendo overlooked.
Yakuza: Like A Dragon proves you can make a masterpiece by experimenting with the formula. It is more than just being the best Yakuza game yet, but also one of the best RPGs ever made. Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio did their homework, understand what makes a great JRPG, and combined it with their honed craftsmanship of decades of making some of the best crime dramas in video games.
Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age – Definitive Edition is a dying breed of turn-based JRPG. One day it may follow Final Fantasy and become another action game series. Commanding a party in this manner means strategically directing them at your own pace. Refusing to change is one of the last and great freedoms we can enjoy as a species and this is what Dragon Quest XI aspires for.
Hades is Supergiant Games’ magnum opus. The team finally crafted a brilliant gameplay system that can meet Jen Zee’s magnificent art. The constant flow of features and content keeps the game from ever getting stale or complacent. There is never a dull moment, and there is always something new to see.
Fans of No More Heroes will be disappointed by this elusive sequel. It was a game made out of obligation because people wanted more No More Heroes, and lacked the inspiration that fueled the first game. No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle often feels like a bargain bin action game, and the only parts that save it from being utterly repugnant is its soundtrack and amusing mini-games.