ANNO: Mutationem is a grave disappointment. The initial premise, stylish ambiance and cool presentation promise a stellar indie action-adventure game. Sadly, it is a hopelessly sloppy game with terrible localization; often on-screen text does not match character dialogue.
Online or local split-screen; ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove is still one of the best co-op experiences a gamer can have. The boppin’ funk soundtrack, squiggly graffiti and amusing character designs still makes this feel like an authentic 90s throwback without any irony poisoning.
Mere hours after beating the game for the Gunborg: Dark Matters review, most of it went in one ear and out the other. In the grand ocean of brutally difficult indie action games, there is not a lot to distinguish this one from its contemporaries.
Part X Files and part Yu Yu Hakusho, GhostWire: Tokyo offers a completely fresh take on the sandbox RPG formula. It has action when it needs to and it never inundates the player with constant noise or obnoxious tasks to fool them into thinking that they are engaged.
Chocobo GP is a game made in a divided house; one one side there were passionate developers who really cared about what they were making. The other side was devised by callous high level executives who mandated terrible, anti-consumer mechanics that were implemented solely for “player retention”, in the sloppiest and most covetous manner possible.
The character designs can only be viewed at very specific angles and are not emotive. It is a major drawback to the style chosen. Even with the better aspects of the art supporting the game; The Cruel King and the Great Hero is ultimately a very hallow and bare bones RPG with severe pacing issues.
Babylon’s Fall should’ve been an 11-13 hour action game with a lot of replay value and over the top cutscenes. It should have been an outrageous and addictive action game. This is a free-to-play game but with the greedy audacity to charge people $59.99. If this was free-to-play, then most of its faults would sting slightly less, but they would still sting.
Young Souls is a solid and lengthy RPG/beatem-up hybrid. It is held back by some mildly annoying technical issues and load times, but offers plenty of customization for the heroes and is easy on the eyes. When playing on the developer recommended difficulty, expect a pitch perfect challenge that is intense enough to hold the attention of genre veterans.
The most disappointing aspect of Gunvalkyrie is its tiresome and repetitive gameplay. The unconventional controls can be adapted to, but nobody can adapt to boredom. At around five hours, gamers will see everything Gunvalkyrie has to offer and even then, it will feel like 15 hours.
With curved expectations, there is still no way getting around the fact that Death end re;Quest 2 is a much more tamer game than its predecessor. Fanservice-y imagery is rarer due to the lack of splash art and fewer panty shots. Violence is much more restrained and more vague than it was in the first game and crass or vulgar dialogue is nonexistent.
If Sloclap wanted to make Sifu hard, they could have done it without making players have to re-do most of the game from the beginning. Earning and keeping shortcuts should feel rewarding, but in Sifu it only seems like it is a solution to a problem the developers created.
Fighting waves of boogers could have been fun if the mechanics were refined. The ugly and garish visuals with unappealing characters also might have been tolerable if the gameplay loop wasn’t so repetitive. With some rebalancing and checkpoints before bosses, Popslinger could have been a decent guilty pleasure.
PowerSlave: Exhumed is a well preserved classic boomer shooter that still is a joy to play after all these years. Thanks to Nightdive Studios’ panache, it is easier to enjoy more than ever due to their careful QOL additions and improved stability and polish. It may not be as fondly remembered as other shooters, but it is absolutely worth a look for fans of the genre.
EGGLIA Rebirth is a game designed for the grind. There is always something to work towards and resources will always need harvesting. Fans of farming sims and Animal Crossing will surely find a lot to enjoy with this one.
Aeterna Noctis does deliver a satisfying metroidvania experience, but that is all it does. It won’t stay with you or leave a lasting impression other than fatigue. It might have been a better game if it were 25 hours instead of 60; that way it could condense its best aspects into a reasonable package.
While Dying Light 2 Stay Human does more than live up to its promises, it also still falls into the same traps that are found in every open-world game. It can be an exhausting grind to do everything that the game offers, but anyone who can let go of this compulsive urge and focus on the task at hand will see Dying Light 2 shine at its best.
Garage: Bad Dream Adventure is a very special and creative adventure game that was made for adults. It depicts some very uncomfortable imagery and explores some very abstract concepts that make more sense to anyone who may be spiritual.
It is too bad Binary Domain flew under the radar when it came out and bombed. It has found its audience like all good games eventually do, but the story is likely never to continue. There may never be a proper remaster that fixes the issue with new game plus and enhances the lighting or shaders, but the enhanced backwards compatibility is a worthy consolation.
Shadow Man Remastered today is a bit of an acquired taste. Some may not be able to make their way through such an intensely convoluted world with terrible threats. Others may relish this cryptic descent into the underworld. Regardless, Shadow Man Remastered is undeniably a very impressive remastering, no matter how one feels about the game.
Death’s Door is a very polished and lovingly crafted action adventure game. It is seemingly a very personal game from the developers and it is steeped with creative ideas in regards to characters and designs. The gameplay is somewhat vanilla, but the ambiance and style elevate the material.