The value gamers get in the Castlevania Dominus Collection is unbeatable, and each title included offers something unique. Whether it is Dawn of Sorrow‘s touchscreen gimmicks, Portrait of Ruin‘s tag-teaming, or the savage difficulty of Order of Ecclesia, you can expect to have a grand time with any of them. They’re masterworks all, you can’t go wrong.
Anyone interested in a laid-back comedy adventure game with a soul will have a lot to chew on with Repella Fella. It is a surprisingly lengthy and epic game that is twice as long as you’d expect and feels like bingeing a short season’s worth of episodes or an exceptionally long animated film.
Shadow of the Ninja Reborn is another hit for Tengo Project and Natsume Atari. This feels like it is their best work yet given the scope of the game, added content, and gameplay enhancements. You won’t find a better 2D action ninja game than this and it is not for the faint of heart.
White Day 2: The Flower That Tells Lies – Complete Edition is a disappointing reiteration of the original. It removes features and streamlines the experience, while also telling a story incoherently. At the very least, some scary moments managed to make my blood run cold thanks to the impressive atmosphere and the puzzles were stimulating.
If you miss Goemon and the kind of off-beat Japanese humor that came with it, BAKERU delivers the fun while also being a gigantic platformer epic. This is the kind of game you used to see during the PlayStation 2 and Gamecube days but made with the dazzling veneer of modern technology and effects.
Nihon Falcom used to be a pioneer in the game industry. They revolutionized action RPGs and set the standard with awesome character art. Tokyo Xanadu eX+ feels like a fall from grace. Now Falcom copies whatever is trendy. They recycle concepts and assets and the art used in Tokyo Xanadu eX+ is utterly bland and generic. It is an unfortunate sign of the times that Falcom has resorted to these practices to keep going and stay afloat in an industry that is spiraling out of control.
CYGNI: All Guns Blazing is a heart-stopping, adrenaline-fueled shoot-em-up. Its steep learning curve may initially deter gamers, but mastering its intricacies leads to an incredibly rewarding and satisfying experience. The sheer intensity of the action is almost overwhelming, pushing the limits of human perception, yet it’s undeniably impressive in its fearless approach.
STAR WARS™: Bounty Hunter™ was never a great game and while this new port does address many of its issues, it still isn’t the best it could be. Despite its flaws, this is still a very enjoyable action game and a lot of that has to do with its sensibilities being tied to the early 2000s when games could let players indulge in their inner sadist and didn’t morally grandstand about their actions. STAR WARS™ might be lame and gay today, but Bounty Hunter™ will always be the cool edgy kid that smoked behind the school.
Cat Quest III is a very light and fun action-adventure game with pleasing visuals and an open world to explore with a friend. Kids or anyone who enjoys the Lego games will find that there is a lot to enjoy in Cat Quest III. Even with the awkward ship combat, the gameplay is breezy enough that it won’t hinder the experience.
Natsu-Mon! 20th Century Summer Kid is excellent despite its terrible frame rate. The West is very likely never going to get an official release of Boku’s games, but the truth is that Satoru has the better summer break.
This is the kind of game that attracts a certain kind of gamer who hungers for a hearty challenge and high skill ceiling. Eden Genesis will certainly deliver on that front, but it won’t satisfy players who want a compelling story with characters they care about, which is a shame because Eden Genesis does try to offer. If you like pointing at the screen at things you recognize, then you’re going to feel right at home.
There is a reason why used copies of Tomba! fetch prices past the $100 range in the second-hand market. It is a blissfully enjoyable experience that makes you feel like a hyper kid again with snot running down your nose as you hold in your pee because you don’t want to stop playing. Given how many remakes and remasters get things wrong, maybe it was for the best that Tomba! Special Edition is as safe as it is.
Bloodhound is such a massive failure that it gets nothing right. Everything a gamer looks for in a shooter is bungled and it creates new issues with its staggeringly bad design choices. Compounded with the technical failings that make it almost unplayable, there isn’t anything worthwhile here at all.
CLeM is an enjoyable mystery adventure game that incorporates some metroidvania elements with great success. It would have benefitted if the game was a bit longer to flesh out some of the late story components and maybe a redesign of that tiresome firefly puzzle. At the very least, it has the easiest platinum trophy I acquired and I never actively seek any trophies/achievements.
The developer understands what makes an enjoyable survival horror game and he made one that is very respectful of The Great War, while also showing just how terrifying the experience could be. It feels very authentic and the deftly executed story and atmosphere kept me drawn in every moment.
The Y2K sensibilities of the game design hold up and there is a quaintness to the French cartoony aesthetics that crystalizes the moment in time this game came out. Beyond Good and Evil aged well; even without visual updates, it would still be a good-looking and fun game. Maybe it is setting things up for the next game Ubisoft has been cooking up for over a decade, or perhaps it’s bringing new players up to speed; either way I am curious about what comes next.
Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD‘s target audience is kids who grew up playing Luigi’s Mansion 3 but were born late to enjoy the past games on 3DS. It is the only explanation why it is utterly barebones and bereft of new features. Any kid who enjoyed Luigi’s Mansion 3 will still like Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD, but god help the poor parent who pays full price for it.
For its price, Felvidek will get players their money’s worth, but RPG fans will feel how short it is and its lack of replay value. The story, writing, setting, and characters are so enjoyable that you’ll wish it kept going. Expect to complete Felvidek in about five and a half hours. In that time you’ll see all that it has to offer and feel the sting of having nothing left. It’s a good sign when a game leaves you wanting more and its price feels fair, and Felvidek is no exception.
The town of Orten is a character in itself. It has a thought-out history and everything in it feels like it has a purpose. The problems with Orten Was The Case is how it executes some of its 2D assets, the implementation of the 3D platforming, and the botched attempt at melee. The version on Switch is especially a little more rugged-looking than intended, but any adventure game fan who thinks they can deal with spotty playability will find there is a lot to appreciate with its deep Groundhog Day loop scenario.
Rauniot is also a short game. As far as point-and-click adventure games go, the length is brief even for the genre. Even when getting stuck a few times, I was able to negotiate this game in about five hours. For its price, Rauniot can feel a bit too lean, especially since the climax feels rushed and replay value is low. This is also not a fast-paced game, so the whiplash from the ending compounds on the brevity.