Oaken looked interesting from the get-go, but unfortunately falls flat with limited ability to change how each run feels. After one or two runs, you’ll have a very good idea of exactly what this game is. If you’re hoping for a new Slay The Spire, keep looking as this likely won’t hit the spot. It definitely didn’t for me, and I gave it a very fair chance, probably a few more runs than I needed to do to make sure I wasn’t missing something.
Burnhouse Lane is a great little puzzle game to keep you on your toes. Everything can be a clue as to how to solve a puzzle, and the amount of cats is great for someone like me. There are some negatives, but all in all, it’s a great experience with a really good story about depression, despair, and acceptance. As a whole, the positives massively outweigh the negatives.
It was great to play through the first Battle Network for the first time, and having these games available again as a whole. While I still have a GBA, I have only been able to get my hands on Battle Network 5 for it, and being an adult now, it’s hard to hold only for too long having much longer fingers. I’m glad I can sink hours upon hours into this series that I’ve always adored, but it’s even better people will be able to experience this series for the first time. These are definitely the definitive versions of these games, making it the ideal launching place for everyone else to get lost when you’re simply told “I wonder if someone can help” and you need to Google what the hell you’re supposed to be doing.
The sound mixed with the hand drawn art makes for a very clean look and feel in Teslagrad 2. Between that and the gameplay, which has some flaws, but is still pretty good, there is a lot to like in this long-awaited sequel. Teslagrad 2 looks great, sounds cozy, has a ton of interesting puzzles, even more so if you’re looking for all the collectibles, and as said before, the only real issue is how floaty it can feel in some cases, something you can get used to after a while.
Lunark was a game that intrigued me at first, given the style and the teams behind its development. Unfortunately, at every turn, it did nothing but let me down with its overly forced story, and nothing to keep any interest in it in terms of presentation and gameplay. The longer I spent in this world, the less invested I was in its story. These beats were few and far between, with nothing like notes or diaries left around to fill out the story and world. There was nothing in the gameplay to keep me invested as well. All in all, it was unfortunately just a bland game that thought it was more interesting than what it actually ended up being.
I really enjoyed Nuclear Blaze, a lot more than I could have ever imagined at first. Despite not being exactly a new release (it was originally launched on Steam nearly two years ago), it feels at home on the Switch. This brand new release on consoles is the perfect opportunity to check it out and give it a go. By and large, it’s already deeply enjoyable on a basic first run, but things get a lot more challenging and engaging once unlocking the “Hold My Beer” mode. You will shout at the game, but won’t be able to put it down.
With some good DLC, Have A Nice Death will be the next big indie roguelike people talk about with the same love and respect that Dead Cells or Hades get.
Void Terrarium 2 is a fun experience. Much like the Mystery Dungeon games, its gameplay loop is an ideal pick for portable play, be it Switch or Steam Deck, but I still had a good time with it on the PS4. Each run can be quite quick and give you new things to collect and craft in the hub, giving it a surprisingly arcadey, “pick up and play” vibe. It’s a great game if you like dungeon crawlers in general, for it offers a lot of variety to the original formula. It’s a natural progression from other games in the genre, and a great progression from the first game for fans that checked that one out.
The long and short of it is that Risen is a fun action-adventure RPG. It is very rough around the edges, not to the extent of some other games in the genre that came out around the same time (looking at you, Two Worlds), but it has charm. If you’re a fan of Oblivion, or Skyrim, and want to see another game that has a similar style, this might be a good pickup.
It would be overdramatic to say that Neptunia: Sisters Vs. Sisters broke me. Instead, more accurately is it just bored me to no end. The style of the game and everything it’s doing seems like it should make for a fun experience, but the execution is miles off the mark. Based on previous games, this game would be looking to be about twenty hours of gameplay total, if that’s the case, I would be willing to barter that only the biggest of Neptunia fans will stick with it the whole way through, because even Final Fantasy XIII felt like less of a slog.
There could definitely be some balancing with the weapons, and bosses, as the bosses can feel like way more of a challenge than any of the enemies depending on your setup. That said though, it’s a very okay game with a lot of potential so maybe in the future with a few balance patches, it could stand on its own two feet for Hades fans waiting for the second game.
That is essentially the ups and downs of Sonority. It’s not a super long game by any means, but it’s a nice little game for anyone that is into puzzlers, especially if you’re particularly into music and its theory. Sonority isn’t revolutionising the genre, but the usage of music and understanding of notes and scales could be good for anyone younger who is into or looking to have a better understanding of it.
I didn’t realise going into The Captain that it was a point-and-click adventure. I may have passed up on it had I known. Instead, I found what may arguably be one of the best and most unique games I have played in the genre. I do believe anyone who feels indifferent to this style of game should give it a shot, because it may be the one to change how you feel towards them. That, or if you just like tactical games, the battles can be a lot of fun, but there’s significantly less of those.
The Punchuin is good fun and definitely an excellent pickup over the holiday period for something to play, especially in short bursts. See how quickly you can clear it, especially once you know how to do some of those puzzles, because they can be real tough. Plus, the music has got to be better than Christmas tunes.
Why fix what isn’t broken? For some reason, Cobra Kai 2 decided to go off in a whole new direction from the original game, which was on form and simply just needed a touch of polish. Instead, here we are with something that is so out of left field, and so horrifically broken, that playing it felt more like a chore than a hobby. Hopefully, if a third game ever comes to fruition somehow, I hope there is a long, hard look at what that game should be, and maybe just a touch of quality assurance.
I had such high hopes for Gungrave G.O.R.E. and it peaked with the intro cutscene, but it all fell apart from the moment the gameplay started. The worst part is I continued to play mostly in hopes it got better, but also because I just wanted to see more cutscenes. In the end through, Gungrave G.O.R.E. just didn’t feel like a game that respected the time of the people playing it, and didn’t respect the fans who returned from the PS2 days.
Bravery & Greed is a great new addition to the roguelite genre. It has a lot of pros, specifically being able to play co-op and attack each run in such a different way every time. The cons are the less than stellar distinctions between the different dungeons, and the less interesting soundtrack.
Modern Warfare 2 is the strongest release from the series in quite a while, possibly since Modern Warfare, maybe even longer than that. There are some missing features though: the battle pass won’t launch until nearer the end of November, while hardcore playlists don’t exist. The multiplayer maps are decent enough, but nothing overly spectacular, but at least the multiplayer feels mostly balanced. The campaign was a great experience, with a small visual glitch here and there.
End of the day, coming into Dragon Ball: The Breakers expecting the stress of Dead By Daylight is going to be disappointing. You can fight back, as running is only part of the strategy. While it has the bad guys from Dragon Ball Z, there isn’t a huge amount that makes this feel like a Dragon Ball game outside of the title. The lack of customisation is disappointing, especially for the raiders, and not being able to queue solely to play as a raider made it take incredibly long to finally get in a game as one, let alone getting to play a few to fully get the feel for it.
There are elements in We Are OFK that other narrative-driven games should take a look at. At the same time, feeling like your decisions don’t matter is a bit of a turn off. The story in here is great, it’s relatable, all thanks to a great cast of characters. It’s also refreshing to witness a tale of people coping with anxiety and stress, giving us an opportunity, an inside look on how others also struggling with these issues actually feel on the inside. All in all, I feel like it’s an important story to be told, and hopefully it helps people see they’re not alone.