Leonardo Faria's Reviews
This is a tricky one. Technically speaking, yes, the PlayStation 5 version of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is the best one out there, purely and simply because you have access to a better framerate and slightly improved loading times. Then again, we have all bought and played the game two years ago, so double dipping on it makes very little sense right now.
This game might sound like a tremendous mess on paper, but it perfectly manages to mix arcade-like dodgeball matches with JRPG mechanics and cartoonish visuals to create something completely unique.
I have nothing against its acting or the fact there isn’t a lot of interactivity in here, but I was beyond annoyed with its clichéd Blumhouse-esque premise and its tiresome visuals. It’s not a very interesting story and I failed to connect with or care about any of its characters.
Super Squidlit is still far from being an amazing title, but considering how bland its predecessor was, I have to commend the developers for coming up with a vastly improved title that shows they have listened to fan feedback, introducing more collectibles, improving its overall presentation, and creating an overall more fun experience, with a lot more replayability.
Dariusburst: Another Chronicle EX+ is a good bullet hell shooter, but one that doesn’t reinvent the wheel nor justify its pretty steep price tag. It’s yet another remaster/make/boot/vision of a PSP game which might be entertaining for fans of the genre, but suffers from a few glaring issues such as tons of recycled enemies with a different color palette and really bizarre 32:9 aspect ratio.
It is completely devoid of action. You are the one who’ll have to look for an objective to complete in it. But there’s something about it that makes it addictive and irresistible. It’s such a relaxing game that asks very little from you. It literally gives the entire world for you to explore, with an astonishing degree of realism, with simple controls and a laid-back atmosphere.
I would be able to ignore Spectrewoods‘ existence if this game was either a tech demo, a free title, or your run-of-the-mill Steam shovelware, but this is a PlayStation 4 title being sold for actual money. It’s a commercial product, and a truly terrible one at that.
I am not at all surprised with how B.ARK ended up being. I expected it to be great, and it ended up being great. It has a few issues here and there, namely the uneven difficulty curve and the occasional framerate drop, but all in all this is a great bullet hell shooter that will please newcomers and veterans alike. Especially with its gameplay being a hodgepodge of the greatest titles in the genre, its visuals being so freaking adorable, and its replayability hitting the right spot.
NEO: The World Ends with You is the perfect combination of all style, all substance. It’s gorgeous to look, it’s one hell of a feast for your ears, but above all, it’s a fantastic JRPG-beat ’em up hybrid. It has a fantastic story, intriguing characters, and an excellent combat system that is easy to learn but very hard to master.
The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles is more of what you love, but with a different coat of paint. If you aren’t a fan of the franchise, or visual novels in general, I doubt this collection will be able to change your mind in any way. But if you’re a series veteran, you’ll be in for one hell of a ride. It’s the best looking title in the franchise so far, and it features some of the most memorable (and ridiculous) cases and characters Capcom has ever managed to come up with for the series.
Samurai Warriors 5 is proof that you shouldn’t fix what isn’t broken. Instead of trying to deviate from its predecessors like Dynasty Warriors 9 did, it reverted back to the franchise’s characteristic formula of mindless-but-cathartic button mashing coupled with a shocking amount of content and unlockables. Be advised, this is a shallow game, and it’s meant to please a very specific niche. But boy oh boy, does it know how to please said niche with its simple yet addictive gameplay loop.
It all boils down to how long you can actually put up with its puzzles, uneven framerate, and bad controls in order to actually enjoy its engaging story.
In short, even though Urban Trial Tricky was clearly meant to be enjoyed on a portable, I won’t deny I had quite a bit of fun playing it on an Xbox. Even if I don’t have access to the novelty of portability, I was more than satisfied with its improved performance and faster loading times. The game as a whole is a bit rough around the edges, but its presentation is strong and its gameplay, despite a bit janky at times, is simple to learn and fun to mess around with.
Akiba’s Trip: Hellbound & Debriefed will be reviled by many people for its dumb premise, but its perverted combat system isn’t even what’s most egregious about it. It’s an underwhelming remaster of a PSP game that doesn’t look nor perform much better than its 2011 counterpart, which was already an underwhelming technical achievement at the time.
There are excellent things about its plot, its level design, and its gameplay choices. But they are equally offset by some terrible design choices in the same segments. The same can be said about this remaster. For every welcoming improvement, such as the fantastic graphics, performance, and being able to ditch motion controls altogether, there is another annoying setback, such as the implementation of said non-motion controls and the bizarre camera movement.
This game is less about being challenging and more about being cathartic and completely crazy. It’s not about testing your skills, it’s all about throwing as many things for you to shoot at, reaching a point you can barely tell what’s happening onscreen. Thankfully, I love chaotic games like this, so I had a great time with Cotton Reboot!, especially with its brand new “Arranged” mode.
Out of Line is quite short, clocking at around three hours, and not exactly replayable, but I did enjoy this brief ride while it lasted. It wasn’t so much for its themes, as they can (and most certainly will) fly by everyone’s head as the storytelling isn’t this game’s forte, but I did enjoy its gorgeous art style, relaxing level of difficulty, and inventive puzzle design.
The borderline perfect usage of the AIM controller resulted in one of my favorite VR experiences so far, and weirdly enough, my favorite Sniper Elite game so far, even if it has very little to do with its mainline counterparts.
The reduced framerate on the Switch version of Boomerang X might be a bit of a downer, since the game feels perfect on a handheld, but I still had a great time with it. It’s fast-paced, arcadey, stylish as all hell and allows you to experiment a lot with its combat mechanics. Regardless of its technical shortcomings, it’s yet another banger from Devolver, a fun little title from the single best indie curator in the market.
I can sum up my experience with Crash Drive 3 in one word: “why”. Why was this released on next-gen consoles when this game is basically a port of a mobile game (which can be acquired for free, mind you)? Why did it not take advantage of improved hardware to boost its visuals or framerate? It’s not terrible, but it’s oh so boring and uninspired.