Traipsing through MIO: Memories in Orbit’s gorgeous world is a constant wonder.
However, due to the game’s length (my playthrough took around 40 hours), even though I enjoyed the core foundation of combat, it does drag a bit on occasion due to the sheer number of fights you encounter. While Demonschool does give you plenty of characters and abilities to play with, as any RPG, once you settle on a team and kit them out properly, you’re gonna just use them whenever possible. The game does smartly force you to use certain characters in enough fights to force you to change your approach occasionally, which does prove to be a fun challenge especially when your party is split in certain stretches or the rare case where you’re controlling two teams in a fight, but it only does so much to keep battle fresh across 40 hours of play. It’s not a problem unique to Demonschool by any means — it’s a difficult challenge for any game that long — but it also cannot avoid it either.
A stirring story of emotional abuse and the horrors of capitalism reinforce fine search-action play.
The inherent friction of achieving competency and excellence still applies (it is a rhythm game), but it makes the process as approachable as it can. Combined with the casual tenor of random conversations that you can have at the Wellspring’s bar, Hyperbeat tries to match the vibe and purpose of being a space of serenity, a place to step away for a moment and indulge in some music and relax for a spell and succeeds.
Platforming is the star of the show, but the stories 1000 Deaths tells are fun and sometimes resonant.
Its easygoing nature suggests a straightforward tale, but has plenty to dig into if you’re willing to follow its many threads.
A slow rollout of characters and decks creates a rather plain early game, but Shuffle Tactics shines once everything opens up.
FromSoftware’s multiplayer spin-off of Elden Ring is a fun surprise that works better than expected.
Khazan borrows heavily from Team Ninja’s work, both for good and bad (but mostly good).
A successful caper is only as good as the numerous ways it can suddenly fall apart.
A short and sweet platformer with tons of charm, MainFrames is excellent time all around.
Nomada Studio’s second game is utterly stunning and a pleasure to play as well.
Sony’s latest remaster further illustrates how needless this entire endeavor is.
Flintlock’s “Souls-lite” approach isn’t without flaws, but ultimately works.
A party-based Souls-like is an inventive idea, but Deathbound can’t meet its lofty ambitions.
It’s strange going back to Read Only Memories. There was a time I would have been ecstatic about a sequel. And now that one is here, I’m not sure how to feel. Neurodiver was an enjoyable return to this style of adventure game, but it’s also one that didn’t leave me with any strong feelings either way. I enjoyed what I played, but it didn’t leave a strong imprint on me either. It’s just… fine? Feels kinda anticlimactic. Fitting in some way given how long it’s been. A sequel could only quietly exist and be fine. 2015 was a different time. Read Only Memories hit differently then. It’s still good now, but less impactful than it was then.
The sequel to the excellent Lucah: Born of a Dream is a stylish action game that’s as heartfelt as it is intense.
Worldless captures the thrill of a good close fight.
With the inclusion of the original game and a set of new mechanics that slot in naturally, Bit.Trip Rerunner is a stellar example of a remake.
Atlas Fallen’s momentum system is a fantastic idea and works well, but the fights themselves aren’t interesting enough to keep up.