Legend of Mana fascinate in a remaster that rescues the strengths and weaknesses of the original game. Fa’Diel's magical world captivates with its vibrant locales and interesting characters, and the free progression invites us to explore every corner. Real-time combat has several options of weapons and techniques, which allows for numerous approaches, but the lack of fluidity makes it uncomfortable. Using an open structure is creative, but it's also fraught with problems: it lacks a more consistent main plot, it's easy to get lost, and many mechanics have obscure workings. The remastering updates the atmosphere with high-resolution artwork and new music arrangements, resulting in an even more beautiful game. In addition, some options have been added that make the journey a lot easier, such as being able to save anywhere — it's a shame they didn't take the opportunity to make adjustments to some of the systems. In the end, even after so many years, Legend of Mana remains a beautiful, flawed and remarkable RPG.
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Scarlet Nexus excites with its nimble combat and brainpunk atmosphere. It's ecstatic to use psychic powers to hurl objects at enemies, unleash elaborate combos, and perform stylish finishes — it's like being at the center of an action anime. The diversity of abilities offers several options in battles, being very rewarding to combine the powers of allies with the use of special objects to defeat the creatures. The linear structure of the adventure and the focus on combat are fine, but it's a shame that the variety of enemies and scenarios is limited. The setting inspired by Japanese animations is great, but the plot full of absurd narrative features and clichés is a disappointment. In the end, Scarlet Nexus offers an impressive action experience, despite its problems.
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Streets of Rage 4: Mr. X Nightmare is a simple expansion that revitalizes the beat ‘em up. The three new characters have unique fighting styles, and it's a lot of fun to understand and master their nuances. On the other hand, Survival Mode offers varied games, mainly because of the presence of improvements that alter the characters' abilities. It's just a shame that the content is somewhat limited. Finally, the fighters' attack customization options open up many possibilities, but unlocking these moves is costly and requires grinding. In the end, Mr. X Nightmare is a great reason to return to the streets of Streets of Rage 4, even if it's not too elaborate.
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Mini Motorways uses simple and elegant concepts to create an addictive puzzle and strategy game. It is easy to create streets and roads to connect different locations, but the constant expansion of cities makes this task a great challenge, as there are many elements to consider. The fun is in understanding the nuances and using the various resources, such as roundabouts and bridges, to make an efficient transit system. The colorful and minimalist atmosphere, together with a procedural soundtrack, offers a relaxing and beautiful experience. In addition, there is an incentive to share our creations with options for taking photos and recording small animated images. The biggest flaw is that the stages are too similar, but the agile games soften the feeling of repetition. In the end, Mini Motorways is another one of those puzzles capable of offering hours of fun.
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Death's Door focuses on a few ideas to create an exceptional, well-balanced experience. The crow's adventure features lots of intense, precision-driven combat, and it's very rewarding to master the fighting mechanics to defeat the enemies. In addition, its elaborate world invites us to explore every corner with countless secrets and enigmas. The difficulty is constant, however the agility of the pace reduces the frustration of defeat. It is also notable the care in the construction of its dark fantasy universe, which approaches the theme of death with humour, softness and charismatic characters. Not only that, the ambiance is complemented with a beautiful look and remarkable soundtrack. The low complexity of some systems and the absence of unique ideas can be a nuisance, but flawless execution overrides these details. Furthermore, Death's Door is an immersive and unique adventure.
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Dodgeball Academy offers creative and thrilling dodgeball matches. It's exciting to participate in competitions that resemble battles with special powers and exaggerated moves, and a good diversity of situations forces us to constantly learn new strategies. In addition, the game captivates with a colorful atmosphere full of humor in a world reminiscent of cartoons. Unfortunately the game underutilizes many of its systems and ideas, which makes the journey a bit repetitive. Even so, it's worth checking out Dodgeball Academia, especially its more complex matches.
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Dreamscaper uses dreams and emotional issues to create a great dungeon crawling adventure with roguelite elements. Fast-paced battles are exciting with its wide range of skills that allow you to create numerous interesting combinations. In addition, there is a lot of creativity with various powers out of the ordinary and accentuated challenge, which made me keep trying even after being defeated countless times. The stages are somewhat similar to each other, even with procedural generation, and some points in the battle system are truncated, but, overall, the experience is immersive. Other than that, there is an interesting fragmented narrative about a girl with emotional trauma facing relatable situations developed in two gameplay moments that constantly influence each other in a great way — the actions taken while the heroine is awake expand the dream dungeons, and vice versa. A great looking atmosphere, soft music and surreal tone make exploration a pleasure. In the end, Dreamscaper is a remarkable and captivating experience.
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Recompile presents a unique concept, but the clumsy execution of its ideas completely compromises the game. The world inside the mainframe captivates with its interesting setting, especially the interpretation of programs and devices. However, other aspects have problems: the level design is uninteresting, the imprecise jump makes the platform parts irritating, the combat is truncated and dull, and the hacking mechanics are basically irrelevant. As such, Recompile is a difficult adventure to recommend.
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Apple Slash uses fast paced rhythm to create a good action adventure. It's exciting to defeat groups of enemies with powerful attacks, especially when we can mix up special abilities. Moreover, there's charm in its compact world and retro atmosphere. However, the experience is extremely brief and feels unfinished. In the end, Apple Slash is fun, but it's an ephemeral experience.
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El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron uses numerous elements to create a unique experience. Accompanying Enoch on his journey to defeat the fallen angels is quite engaging because of the constant mix of 3D action, platforming and combat. The impactful art direction is one of the highlights, and the title is not afraid to dare with drastic changes in visual style and gameplay. But not everything is wonderful: the simplicity of the systems and mechanics can make things a little boring, after all most of the adventure is very linear and the battles are repetitive. Furthermore, the PC port is extremely basic, lacking customization options. In the end, El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron is an exotic and imperfect game that is hard to forget.
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TOEM uses photography to create a smooth and captivating adventure. It's quite pleasant to explore small monochromatic scenarios taking pictures and helping peculiar characters, in tasks that combine observation and puzzles. Besides that, the peaceful and good-humored atmosphere invites us to relax and enjoy the beautiful views and unusual situations. Free progression allows us to advance at our pace, but some tasks get in the way a little because they are too vague. In the end, TOEM is a short and charming journey worth experiencing.
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Tales of Arise is a fascinating JRPG that builds on the series' legacy. The new episode captivates with charismatic characters and their fun interactions, even though the plot and themes aren't very creative. Combat is more electrifying than ever with a system that lets you fight on the ground and in the air, with plenty of stylish moves. Plus, there's plenty to do in its vast world, and the visuals are exceptional. Behind the qualities, there are some recurring problems in the series (such as visual chaos in some battles), as well as the very timid use of the new exploration mechanics. Not only that, the general structure of the game is the same as the last titles, being far from the promised revolution. Despite all that, Tales of Arise turns out to be a great JRPG for both novices and veterans alike.
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Flynn: Son of Crimson takes the best platform game ideas and combines them into a lean, well-constructed adventure. The biggest highlight is the diversity of challenges throughout the stages, which feature light puzzles, combats, secrets and several other distinct elements. In addition, an elaborate pixel art look impresses with carefully created locations. The duration is short and the progression is nimble, but there are some minor issues, such as some overly long stages and underused combat elements. In the end, the qualities of Flynn: Son of Crimson make it a great representative of the platform genre.
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Steel Assault uses a 16-bit atmosphere to create a great arcade experience. The action is nonstop through the various stages, which impress with creative situations (such as using the zipline) and extravagant confrontations against bosses. Furthermore, the game captivates with its flawless pixel art look and synthesizer soundtrack, resulting in a pleasing contemporary interpretation of retro elements. The intention is to rescue the arcade sensation, which means an accentuated challenge. However, just like other arcade titles, the duration is short and without significant extras other than different difficulties. In the end, Steel Assault is a short action and platform adventure that's worth it.
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UNSIGHTED is an impressive and elaborate adventure through a devastated world. Exploring the city of Arcadia is exciting because of its immense map interconnected with various routes, puzzles and secrets, in a free progression that offers different approaches to overcoming challenges. Combat stands out with intense battles focused on precision, in which various weapons allow us to execute numerous strategies. Other than that, the title has a unique time-limit mechanic that brings tension and tough decisions to the adventure. This also serves as an incentive to play the story more than once, as it will hardly be possible to see everything in a single attempt. Finally, notable extra modes and good accessibility options are available. In the end, Unsighted is an unmissable adventure and a great debut for Studio Pixel Punk.
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Eastward invites us to go on a unique and beautiful journey. The biggest highlight is the setting: the locations are fascinating and full of unusual and charismatic characters. The stunning pixel art look and attention to detail bring the world to life, making it very immersive. As an adventure, the game offers snippets of exploration punctuated by puzzles and combats in which we alternate between two protagonists to advance. The dungeons are nice, but the simplicity and repetition of the mechanics makes them uncomfortable after a while. The real focus is on narrative with numerous non-interactive scenes and a story full of mysteries. Unfortunately, the balance is not good, resulting in too many drawn-out moments and dialogues that barely develop the plot. Even so, Eastward manages to transport us to a peculiar universe with its exceptional setting. The game is far from perfect and may require insistence for some players, but it is still a unique and immersive experience to some extent.
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Astria Ascending is a JRPG of remarkable ideas and great visuals, but, unfortunately, its execution leaves much to be desired. The combat system that rewards exploiting enemies' weaknesses is promising, though the fact it's deeply unbalanced and the pattern repetition makes the battles frustrating. There are many options to customize and develop characters, nonetheless, a lot of grinding is necessary to make the most out of these resources. Orcanon's many activities and an elaborate minigame may satisfy eager players but it's a shame the plot, characters, dungeons and locales lack inspiration. At least, the universe has a really beautiful visual and quality music. In the end, its meager qualities aren't enough to save Astria Ascending.
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Rogue Lords is a roguelike that stands out with its unique ideas. Matches feature a good mix of activities and the battle has many strategic nuances and possibilities. The most notable element is Devil Mode, which allows the alteration of multiple game aspects, such as enemies' life points and the result of events. Demon powers may seem like cheats, but its good implementation makes it a valuable asset that must be used wisely to achieve victory. Despite its creativity, the game still has some issues that need to be fixed, such as the unbalanced difficulty, really long matches, and the feeling of repetition. At least, its elaborated gothic ambience and excellent voice-acting help minimize the issues. In the end, Rogue Lords is a great representative of its genre and has everything to become even better after a few patches.
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Metroid Dread refines the franchise's 2D formula into one great game. The vast ZDR planet has an elaborate map full of alternative routes and secrets, and the agile movement make the journey very pleasant. In addition, E.M.M.I. encounters excite and terrify in tension-filled stretches. The battles are also more varied, difficult and intense, however the bosses are a bit problematic because of some questionable choices. The feeling of being alone and lost in a strange world is strong, but irregular the rhythm at times makes the experience a bit tiring. The plot is simple and has intriguing developments that are portrayed in elaborate scenes. Visually the title is competent, it just lacked a little more personality in certain locations. In the end, Metroid Dread maintains the 2D essence of the series in an immersive adventure, it's just a shame that the opportunity to dare a little was wasted.
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Tetris Effect: Connected uses elaborate audiovisual aspects to turn the puzzle into a dizzying sensory experience. The simple and precise mechanics of Tetris remain untouched, and the difference is the intricate and immersive atmosphere — the combination of vibrations from the controls, soundtrack that reacts to our actions and surreal visuals results in immersive matches. In addition to being stunningly beautiful, the game includes a wide variety of creative modes and robust multiplayer. In the end, Tetris Effect: Connected is impressive and essential for puzzle fans.
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