The stories can be gruesome and horrific at times, but that also makes them intriguing puzzleboxes to sit down and solve. At times while playing I looked up at the clock and realized I had been squinting at the screen and was lost in thought solving a puzzle for nearly an hour. The year of narrative bangers just keeps on rolling and if you are even remotely interested in solving a good mystery, The Case of the Golden Idol should be at the top of your list!.
It's not about speedrunning, collecting hundreds of objects, or even fighting any enemies. Instead, Smushi finds joy in the moments where you can just explore this big world as a tiny little mushroom, making it just feel great to play. For those wanting to have a brief but cozy experience for an afternoon, or if you want to introduce a younger player to what a 3D-platformer is all about, this is one indie you don't want to miss.
If you're already familiar with this game, you won't be missing out on any meaningful extras by skipping this release, but if you are new to Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective it is a must play. It is one of those games that doesn't need a sequel or prequel but is a perfectly self-contained story that truly hasn't aged a day. I couldn't be happier that Ghost Trick has been brought back to life one more time.
Leaving the door open for future Mara adventures, I think that these characters really lend themselves to different genres and experiences. Even if I didn't pick up on many of the callbacks to Summer in Mara, I could tell that the developers really like these characters and this world they've created. Perhaps it's time to explore the RTS or RPG genre in Mara?.
The co-op, whether local or online is an absolute must and improves the experience by a mile. While you won't get too much out of the story and characters, the additional level packs add on top of the good serving of puzzles you'll encounter. I have to admit that after my time with Escape Academy, some actual escape rooms will have a hard time living up to this experience.
So we'll see where they take it from here. With all the winks and nods to Unova I'm holding my breath as they seem to be gearing up to remake my personal favorite titles. So here's to hoping they won't screw it up.
So we'll see where they take it from here. With all the winks and nods to Unova I'm holding my breath as they seem to be gearing up to remake my personal favorite titles. So here's to hoping they won't screw it up.
With its cheeky cutscenes, action-platforming gameplay and side-quests that see you exploring all nooks and crannies of the world, the culmination makes for a fun game to play over a weekend. While I don't expect it to have the lasting impact that its inspiration has had, I am optimistic that Dopply continues to be inspired by games that others have rejected. So, let's hope that Arzette 2 might take after Zelda's Adventure. I'm definitely excited to see where this series can go.
But it gets stuck in the mud of not being able to stand on its own. It feels too slow for a 3D platformer and there are too few collectibles to call it a collect-a-thon. Cavern of Dreams left me dreaming for a better game and that's just a real shame.
So rarely do we see this type of life portrayed in this particular way in games, let alone let a player walk their own path through it all. The twists and turns will keep you engaged and by the end Pentiment left me feeling with a sense of joy, purpose and appreciation. I am quite certain that if you enjoy adventure games, story driven games or roleplaying games, you will too.
One final note: At the time of writing I also experienced a de-sync of audio and video in the interviews. I was informed by a representative of Digital Eclipse that this is a bug in the Switch version and will be fixed in a patch soon after launch.
Even though it drops a few balls while juggling all these mechanics together, such as the boss battles. Still, ANIMAL WELL is a brilliantly put together game that I'd highly recommend to anyone who wants to get lost in a small but intricately designed game. I am quite convinced that both designers and players will be delving down deeper into this well over the coming years.