Leonardo Faria's Reviews
It doesn’t try to hide the fact it’s basically a Space Harrier clone with kawaii enemies and a waifu for a protagonist. It is short but replayable. It is a sight for sore eyes. It’s not as challenging (or dare I say, unfair) as its sources of inspiration, since Idea Factory isn’t here to get your quarters, but it will test your skills on harder difficulties. What really matters is that it is a really fun little title, one I surely wasn’t expecting to like as much as I did.
Windjammers 2 is, at its core, a Neo Geo sports title for the year 2022. Take this as the best kind of compliment possible.
Even though I didn’t expect for Pupperazzi to wow me, it had enough features in its premise to make me, at the very least, look forward to it. What we ended up getting is a beyond mediocre photography game that might be the entertaining for the first ten minutes or so, until it becomes a tremendously uninteresting title devoid of challenge or charm to make you want to play it for much longer.
This game deserves the cult classic status it has held for the past two decades, and it’s a must for RPG enthusiasts and fans of both companies.
I like Summertime Madness in theory. I like its premise, its world, I even like the fact it’s a walking simulator with a stupidly fast running button. On the other hand, this is a puzzle-solving adventure where the act of solving puzzles feels cryptic and arbitrary, almost as if it was intentionally made for you to fail your first run. With some slightly better puzzle design, this could have been a cult hit among puzzle enthusiasts. As it stands, I respect its premise, but I can’t exactly recommend it.
It amazes me how the inclusion of a single feature can completely revamp a tried and true puzzle formula. Picross S7 is still more of the same, which isn’t exactly a bad thing for us nonogram addicts, but the long-awaited implementation of touch-based controls improves this particular sequel so much to the point of rendering its predecessors obsolete in comparison.
Dungeon Munchies has one really clever idea, which, sadly, doesn’t make up for how mundane the rest of its gameplay and presentation are. The novelty of cooking parts of your fallen enemies and acquiring their powers wears off quickly once you realize the rest of the game is still an ugly platformer with really simplistic combat.
The first Hollow was so bad that there was just no way a sequel could be worse. I will say that, somehow, Hollow 2 surpassed my expectations, but only because they were pretty low to begin with. Granted, it is not entirely bad, and can be enjoyed by space horror aficcionados, those craving for a Dead Space-esque experience on-the-go. Just bear in mind that this game is still severely flawed, suffering from a bad framerate and janky combat sections.
More than just a fantastic killer app for the Oculus Quest 2, Resident Evil 4 VR is a killer app for virtual reality in general. Unlike Half-Life Alyx, this is a phenomenal shooter available on the cheapest, most readily available, and most comfortable VR system in the market. It features everything you have always loved from Resident Evil 4, but in a brand new perspective that turns what was already fun and immersive into something even more intense and memorable.
Scarf is a good game, but not one that left an impression. I played it, enjoyed it while it lasted, but once I was done with it, all I could think about is that I would have enjoyed it a lot more three years ago, back when it was first announced, and back when 3D indie plaftormers were still a niche, a breath of fresh air in the market.
Sadly, as expected, this PS5 version of Serious Sam was a disappointment. There is a really fun shooter buried underneath this pile of glitches, framerate issues and boring story-driven sections, but it’s nigh impossible to overlook all of those setbacks.
The Rush Duel format is a welcome change of pace after having to deal with all that Synchro / Pendulum / XYZ nonsense, but it turns the overall Yu-Gi-Oh metagame into something way more simplistic than the fun strategic madness it once was. Think about that before considering buying Yu-Gi-Oh! Rush Duel: Dawn of the Battle Royale, as this format will not please everyone.
It’s yet another bite-sized Recharged version of an Atari classic, but one that actually looks good enough, has an okay soundtrack, and feels like the perfect balance between retro and modern, all thanks to its mixture of vector graphics and a ton of neon particle effects.
Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain is some of the most fun you can have with plain edutainment, as it cleverly hides its educational aspects under a layer of competitiveness and a cute but friendly presentation. It’s a bit expensive, and I think its amount of minigames is a bit subpar, but it’s a very enjoyable experience if you tackle it for around 10 minutes a day.
This is not going to make you stop playing Streets of Rage 4 or cancel your preorder for the upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game, but damn, am I glad this exists. Asterix & Obelix: Slap Them All is really easy and can be really repetitive at times, but it’s lovely to look at and listen to. The fact it’s so easy makes each combat section even funnier, all thanks to some of the best animations I’ve seen in a game in a while.
I still think that, with the Unlimited Pass, there is very little reason for you to buy more than one Just Dance every, say, three or four years. If so, I think Just Dance 2022 is the best one so far, and the one you should buy, not only because of its improved choreographies and inclusion of half a dozen songs I love, but because it does feel more visually impressive and polished than any other Just Dance I’ve played.
Corpse Party is very simple, and occasionally very janky, but it has a lot of personality and heart put into it. Despite its 16-bit visuals and basic gameplay, it manages to convey a somewhat tense survival horror experience based on the limitations of a very old engine. It is very repetitive and cryptic, though, so be ready to undergo through a lot of trial-and-error sections. If that doesn’t bother you, and if you’re looking for a different take on the survival horror genre, go for it. You could do a lot worse, especially on the Switch.
Calling Pro Basketball Manager 2022 “basically Football Manager, but with basketball” is not criticism. It’s possibly the best compliment a game like this can get. If you love the sport, love its intricacies, but don’t exactly like playing it, Umix Studios has the game for you.
If there was one thing I wasn’t expecting from Marsupilami: Hoobadventure, it was for it to become of one of my favorite platformers of the year. It’s not just competent, it’s actually surprisingly well-crafted. Well designed levels, great controls, pretty graphics, and a cute sense of humor results in an adorable title that, while far from reinventing the wheel, will easily please Rayman and Donkey Kong Country enthusiasts.
I don’t exactly know who BloodRayne: ReVamped is for, or who was clamoring for a revival of this particular game in this particular state, but oddly enough, I like that it exists. Don’t get me wrong, this is beyond dated, unreliable as hell, and as shallow as a puddle, but there’s some fun to be had with this game due to its odd, “mid-budget game from the 2000s” janky charm.