Leonardo Faria's Reviews
Phogs! might feature a confusing control scheme, whether you’re playing by yourself or with a friend, but it’s hard to get mad at it. Its puzzles are simple yet not exactly obvious, its stakes are so low to the point of making the entire experience very relaxing, and its presentation is so unbelievably adorable you can’t help but want to jump into the TV screen just to be able to actually pet that adorable protagonist.
I, AI is far from being one of the most innovative shooters in recent memory, and it clearly suffers a bit in its presentation department as a result of a pretty obvious microscopic budget. Still, what the developers managed to pull off with such limited resources is commendable.
I’m still impressed with Immortals Fenyx Rising, despite its fair share of issues. Ubisoft managed to craft its own homage to Breath of the Wild, with enough unique elements to make it stand out as its own thing. It’s vivid, colorful, full of puzzles to solve, with great combat and a surprisingly hilarious script.
Absolute Drift: Zen Edition is not the most welcoming game at first, since its drifting mechanics require some practice, but once you get a hold of them, you’ll be greeted to a very unique mix between a car simulator, a collectathon, and an old-school extreme sports arcade title.
I seriously doubt there are many differences between the next-gen and current-gen versions of the game, as this PS5 port doesn’t exactly look much better than Tesla vs Lovecraft, nor does it take advantage of the capabilities of the Dualsense. With that being said, it’s still a really fun twin-stick shooter with good controls and a freaking fantastic soundtrack, an easy recommendation for fans of the genre, even if the game didn’t feel like a huge leap over its predecessor.
I don’t exactly think Chronos: Before the Ashes was worth the hype, but even though its combat was lame and its visuals underwhelming, it featured enough interesting puzzles and well-designed dungeons to make me want to play it to the very end. It didn’t make me want to revisit its Oculus counterpart, nor do I understand why this and Remnant had to be connected, but hey, it wasn’t exactly THAT bad. It certainly is better than the sum of its parts…
Astro’s Playroom is more than just a well-crafted proof of concept, it’s a phenomenal 3D platformer in its own right that perfectly showcases the capabilities of the Dualsense and the visual prowess of the Playstation 5.
I loved what Bluepoint has managed to achieve with the Playstation 5 remake of Demon’s Souls. This is, without a doubt, the prettiest the series has ever been, featuring gorgeous graphics and a buttery smooth framerate to die for. With that being said, this is a very faithful recreation of the 2009 original, meaning that most shortcomings related to that game’s overall level design are also featured in here.
Kosmokrauts did not wow me at all with its shallow, repetitive, and intentionally clunky physics-based gameplay, but it oozed so much charm with its goofy visuals and superb voice acting, that I decided to keep on playing just to be greeted with some exaggerated Russian accents and dumb puns.
Cthulhu Saves Christmas is an odd case in which the complete package is actually way more enjoyable and entertaining than the sum of its parts. Its visuals, soundtrack, length and simple combat system aren’t exactly special or groundbreaking, but add them all together alongside its hilarious script, and you get a laidback JRPG experience that’s a phenomenal fit for a portable like the Switch.
Rebellion keeps impressing me with how well they’ve been able to port their more hardware demanding games for the Switch. Sniper Elite 4 is, without a doubt, their best title in the platform so far. It features great visuals, a surprisingly stable framerate, and the best level design in the series so far.
Handball 21 is not a good game in any sense of the word. Die-hard handball fans will probably be able to ignore this game’s myriad of issues and enjoy what’s basically the only available simulator in the market. Everyone else, be it a casual sports fan or someone who has never heard of handball before, will quickly become fed up with how lackluster this game’s presentation and gameplay are.
The obvious recommendation is to enjoy Planet Coaster on a PC, the way the game was meant to be played. Mod support and the easier usage of mouse and keyboard on PC make that version way more enjoyable and user-friendly than this PS5 port. But that doesn’t mean Planet Coaster: Console Edition is bad. Far from it. I had a blast with this version.
As it stands, this is a stupidly gorgeous PS4 game receiving a few new buffs due to the PS5’s hardware, but it’s still the same Devil May Cry 5 from 2019, through and through. It’s still one of the, if not the best hack ‘n’ slash games ever made, however. It’s still the same over-the-top madness I fell in love with last year, so it’s still well worth your time. A worthy launch title for the PS5, that’s for certain.
That being said, this is one of the best Tetris multiplayer experiences I’ve played in years. It’s not only catered towards those with a vague notion of how this game works, but also those beautiful lunatics like myself, those who follow the Classic Tetris World Championship to a borderline religious degree. I would love to see Tetris Effect: Connected become an esport staple in the near future.
The first two games might have aged a bit and Serious Sam 3 is nowhere near as entertaining as the other two. But all in all, the Serious Sam Collection is a worthy addition to your Switch library if you’re looking for some FPS action on-the-go. Their arcade-like mentality, insane action, decent performance (SS3 aside, of course) and short levels are actually a perfect fit for a portable system.
As a cynical adult, I obviously find Paw Patrol: Mighty Pups Save Adventure Bay to be one of the most basic gaming experiences I’ve had in years. But I am not its core audience. When you assess it through the eyes of a toddler, this is actually a pretty decent game.
Give it up to Sega and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio for actually making the impossible work like a charm. Yakuza: Like a Dragon is more than just a great transition to a brand new JRPG environment. It might as well be one of the best Yakuza games ever made, and one of the best JRPGs I’ve played in years. Once you get rid of an admittedly slow start, you’ll be greeted a fantastic story, great combat system, relatable characters, and a ludicrous, borderline insane amount of content.
The XIII remake is best described as absolutely incompetent. A game from 2020 shouldn’t look, play, sound, and perform worse than a 2003 title that wasn’t even that hardware demanding back in the day to begin with. I am baffled with how unfinished and unpolished this game is. I may have played worse games this year, but I seriously doubt any of them, be it Fast & Furious or Road Bustle, infuriated me as much as this remake. The more I play it, the more I loathe it.
Sackboy isn’t as big or complex as other Sony exclusives, and that’s great. After playing countless of serious and mature titles, a smaller, less serious, and more family friendly platformer is exactly what I wanted from them. A palate cleanser of sorts in order to get ready for the next generation of consoles.