Leonardo Faria's Reviews
Even if its emphasis on a boring story didn’t catch my attention, it’s hard not to fall for everything else The Rogue Prince of Persia had to offer. It’s a well-polished roguelike, developed by some of the most talented developers in the genre, featuring impeccable mobility, decent combat, and a pretty cool gameplay loop.
Dear Me I Was is a marvelous visual novel that manages to tell a lot without ever uttering a single line of dialogue. When it comes to its presentation and storytelling, I have no qualms, this is gold. But if the damn thing was released in a gaming storefront, I have to review it as a game, even if it barely qualifies as one. As such, it’s a one-and-done experience with the bare minimum of interactivity, often relegated to a handful of cutscenes. That being said, let me reiterate: it’s a beautiful little gem, one that will make the most cynical of human beings feel something for the first time in forever.
It feels heartbreaking to give Hop ‘n’ Marty such a low score because I actually had a bit of fun with it. There are worse ways to spend a couple of hours on your Switch. But I just cannot ignore how unpolished and janky this commercial product is. It’s definitely not a looker (hell, it’s the opposite of it), and its controls are simply not good enough. Maybe it was its obvious lack of a budget, or a tight deadline – who knows. All I know is that I cannot simply praise it for its good intentions and ignore its blatant flaws.
I won’t say that there aren’t some impressive features in Echoes of the End, namely the impressive visuals and the occasionally smart puzzle, but not a single thing in it felt original. It’s a clear case of a smaller team wanting to create an experience akin to a AAA title, but including all of the clichés and annoying technical trickeries that used to infest big-budgeted titles from the PS4 era.
Hexen and Heretic are a harder sell when compared to Doom and Quake, but they are still fun games worth checking out. They are different enough to feel novel even after 30 years, being less linear, medieval-themed, and even melee-focused, depending on the character you choose to play as. Thanks to Nightdive’s utterly masterful remastering efforts, both titles look, run and play better than ever before.
Oceanhorn: Chronos Dungeon is far from being considered a bad game, but this is also the first title in the franchise that felt devoid of an identity. Ironic, considering it’s the one that doesn’t try to be a carbon copy of an existing Zelda game. It’s just a halfway decent dungeon crawler / action RPG hybrid with average visuals, average controls, and an average gameplay loop. Even if it supports local co-op multiplayer, the fact it’s currently not available on consoles makes this feature feel somewhat pointless.
I don’t think it’s even a hyperbole or a controversy to state that Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is the best 2D Ninja Gaiden ever made. With the exception of the occasionally tough roadblock in the shape of a challenging boss battle, as well as very occasionally cheap custscenes, this is just fantastic. It’s a lot more balanced, more polished, more enjoyable than any of its side-scrolling predecessors. And the best part about it all, it’s not even the last Ninja Gaiden we’re getting this year.
When you add up all of the versions included in one single package, as well as quality of life enhancements, sound test mode, and a bunch of extras, there’s no other way to describe Gradius Origins other than a truly magnificent celebration of Konami’s flaship shooter franchise.
The interactivity tied to the conversations act more like you talking to a virtual shrink than anything else, but it doesn’t feel like an essential part of what makes the game unique. A Dream About Parking Lots would have been a much more interesting experience if it were a first-person short movie about the author’s dreams and perceptions of reality.
As an outsider looking in, the video game adaptation of Edens Zero confused the hell out of me due to its disjointed take on the manga’s plot. Its combat and overall mechanics could have been just a bit more polished. Still, with that said, I had a pretty good time with it. It’s dumbed down in terms of its gameplay, and its presentation is really freaking good. It won me over due to its simplicity. Now, did it make me want to actually watch the Edens Zero anime? No, it didn’t.
The usage of AI voicework shouldn’t outshine some of Spy Drops‘ main appealing features. I gotta give the developers credit where credit is due: they promised us a roguelike take on classic Metal Gear Solid, and that’s exactly what they’ve delivered, despite its many, many, MANY shortcomings. That said, I can’t say I wasn’t having a bit of fun with it. The idea is sound; it’s the execution that felt half-baked, though I understand a chunk of it was a consequence of the game’s minuscule budget.
Visually speaking, it’s dull. When it comes to its sound department, there isn’t one – all you’re going to hear is annoying flies buzzing around. The gameplay is as shallow as a puddle, and whether or not this was meant to be comedic or philosophical, it has failed either way. I wasn’t laughing or thinking about the futility of a small amount of time spent alive, even if this was supposed to be one of its (smuggish) intentions – I was just beyond bored.
Earthion is a pretty good horizontal shooter.. but that’s basically it. You’ve played dozens, maybe hundreds of similar games released since the early 90s. What might make it stand out a bit is the fact it’s got a TRULY FANTASTIC score by Yuzo Koshiro, and was developed by his own studio, but this is just another shooter in a genre where there’s little room for innovation or improvements, especially when you consider the fact it was developed with the limitations of the Mega Drive in mind.
If you want to ask me if this is the first true reason to own a Switch 2, then my answer is a resounding yes. This is the first game that made me cherish the brand new system as more than just a phone-esque upgrade. It’s the kind of game that showcases a system’s capabilities, and a company’s creative prowess still going strong after all these years. Not everything sticks the landing, but the pros overwhelmingly outweigh the cons, and that’s what really matters.
If all you’re looking for is a quick arcadey game based on Hunter x Hunter, then sure, I guess Hunter × Hunter: Nen × Impact is exactly what you’ve been waiting for. Technically speaking, it’s a sound game. It looks great, runs smoothly, it’s got some decent voice acting, and the controls are decent. What hurts is that the game is way too expensive for what little it offers in terms of modes and its current fighting roster.
Fretless: The Wrath of Riffson features an adorable premise, great presentation, and most importantly, an amazing combat system. The latter is a godsend, as the game will somewhat force you to grind a bit on goons and menial enemies before you’re actually able to defeat its bosses, which act like borderline unfair roadblocks. Still, there’s no way I cannot recommend this game. It’s fun, it’s original, and it’s about defeating evil record label executives with your instrument-shaped weapons. How would I even be able to not like it?
It’s not that Tron: Catalyst is a disastrous game plagued by bugs, poor design choices, and technical hindrances. Nah. Technically-speaking, it’s all sorted out, and the presentation is, at least, quite good. The cycle rewind system is also a fantastic idea, reverting me back to the good old Majora’s Mask days. But it’s just a painfully boring game, as PLAYING it isn’t very interesting. You can put the blame on the crappy combat system, and the fact this is probably the least exciting Light Cycle implementation in any Tron game – nay, product in general, period.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 is more of the same in a way, but is that exactly a bad thing? The previous remake collection showcased how to revive these games with a brand new presentation, and this sequel follows the same premise, whilst also trying to adapt Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4 into a gameplay loop it wasn’t originally designed for. The results are still good, don’t get me wrong, but you’ll need some time getting used to its new format. Nevertheless, there’s no way I can or should complain about this lovely nostalgia nuke.
Rematch can either be one of the most entertaining experiences of the year, or one of its biggest disappointments, depending on your skill level. If you master its mechanics, get used to its camera, and be lucky enough to end up in a synergetic team, then boy oh boy, this thing works like a beauty. If not, this will easily become an exercise in frustration.
In theory, I should have liked this. Music Drive: Chase the Beat has some really good ideas in terms of setting and theming, and I even liked how it constantly reminded me of games like old-school Driver, but its execution ended up being a massive disappointment. Its gameplay loop was way too simplistic and uninteresting to justify having to play levels over and over again in order to unlock more content. I had fun with it for about twenty minutes or so before becoming bored and fed up with what little it had to offer.