Arcana of Paradise —The Tower— bets on dynamism to offer a roguelike deckbuilding like no other. Real-time combats are frantic and interesting, requiring strategy and dexterity to win. Furthermore, the numerous situations scattered throughout the adventure have curious puzzle elements, forcing us to think carefully in order to advance. The mechanics are inventive, but the content is reduced: enemies and events are repeated frequently, and the strategic possibilities are limited. Because of this, runs become repetitive quickly, compromising the mid-term experience. Despite the problems, the mysteries of Arcana of Paradise are worth exploring, even if briefly.
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Bat Boy bets on the basics and on creativity to make an excellent platformer. The sportist-hero is very versatile using his bat to hit, parry projectiles and bounce on top of enemies. There's a great variety of challenges, with brand new concepts being introduced all the time and new skills that encourage exploring the stages for secrets. As usual of modern retro-inspired titles, Bat Boy has a moderate difficulty but it's rarely unjust or frustrating. A few movements are a little imprecise, which gets in the way during complicated moments but it's fortunately easy to avoid. With variety, charisma and a great rhythm, Bat Boy is a must-play 2D platformer adventure.
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Wildfrost is a charismatic and immersive deck-building adventure. The battles, which mix cards, turn handling and positioning, are exciting and full of interesting nuances. There is a good variety of cards, allies and powers, which makes it fun to explore tactical possibilities and build synergies. Chaos and unpredictability are constant in the runs, making the clashes intense and difficult, constantly forcing us to improvise. However, these are also the game's biggest flaws: it's common to end up in seemingly impossible or unfair situations. Also, the content is somewhat limited, however, future updates may alleviate these issues. With inventive combat and a captivating universe, Wildfrost is for those looking for a slightly different card roguelike, you just have to be prepared to face its challenges.
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Terra Nil is a creative and quirky interpretation of the building and strategy genre. It's interesting to use different structures to purify areas and restore nature, especially because of the puzzle-like elements and the need to use scarce resources wisely. The setting captivates, investing in minimalist music, lush nature settings and beautifully crafted visuals to create a tranquil and immersive atmosphere. However, sometimes the game goes against this philosophy with unpredictable and frustrating situations, as well as small interface problems. Ingenious and meditative, Terra Nil is recommended for those who want to relax in the middle of nature and for those in search of a unique challenge.
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9 Years of Shadows uses music and color to create a unique adventure. Agile exploration is its greatest asset, especially changing Europa armor to overcome the various challenges spread throughout Talos Castle. Technically the game is competent, however, as a metroidvania, it is basic: the progression is very linear and most of the elements are too simple. To compensate, the atmosphere is well-built with the colorfully stylish visuals and outstanding soundtrack. These characteristics make 9 Years of Shadows enjoyable, despite not being very outstanding.
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Have a Nice Death is a carefully constructed roguelike with fast-paced action. The agile combat in a hack-and-slash fashion is its biggest highlight, especially for being easy to understand and offering many possibilities to combine various attacks and powers. Besides that, there's a ton of content to explore in an unusual universe that explores corporate world issues in a light and humorous way. Its concepts are solid and well developed but some issues are annoying, such as the stages being way too simple and the unbalanced elements. Luckily, the impeccable technical aspects and the fast rhythm of matches manage to offset the negative points. Have a Nice Death may not be innovative, however it is compelling in its excellent gameplay.
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Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania is a remarkable crossover packed with quality. Content from the Vampire Hunter series is creatively introduced into the Dead Cells universe, with new stages and gear that further enrich the experience. The numerous references are the highlight of the expansion, but it lacked a bit of identity, as the stages and bosses are not so different from what is already offered in the main campaign. Either way, this DLC is essential for both Dead Cells and Castlevania fans.
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Despite its flaws, Octopath Traveler II is a unique experience that modernizes and flexes the concepts of JRPGs of yore. The game combines several good ideas into one remarkable adventure, despite taking little risks.
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Rytmos is an engaging and curious musical experience. The puzzles, which require manipulating lines to create paths passing through speakers, are interesting and full of creative elements. The setting, which explores unusual musical genres, enchants with the use of vibrant colors, a soundtrack with several layers and historical explanations about each sound style. The problem is that everything is too simple, leaving the feeling that the game could go further in its proposal. Overall, it's great to delve into Rytmos' brief and elaborate musical universe.
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Grim Guardians: Demon Purge mixes classic elements with modern concepts in a great adventure. The idea of alternating between the two heroines with distinct skills is explored in the stages with a good variety of situations and the balance of linear areas and exploration bits is well-dosed. Some decisions are annoying, such as being unable to access the map freely but the charismatic atmosphere and good audiovisual elements compensate the issues. In the end, those who like good platforming adventures will appreciate Grim Guardians.
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SEASON: A Letter to the Future is a gentle, meditative journey through a changing world. On board a bicycle, we are invited to record stories and places through photos, audio recordings and notes, which are compiled in a customizable diary. In addition, biking at random is a pleasant activity, mainly because of the beautiful locations and the open progression. Memories, melancholy and changes are some of the themes explored in the course of the plot, which is soft and bittersweet. Much of the world building is done indirectly, which encourages us to explore to get to know it better, but an abrupt end and underdeveloped elements hinder the experience a little. In the end, it's worth getting lost in SEASON's immersive universe.
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Rhythm Sprout: Sick Beats & Bad Sweets is a unique and electrifying rhythm adventure. Pushing buttons in time with the songs is engaging, mainly because of the good diversity of sequences and the well-thought-out challenge. A soundtrack with varied musical genres and a bizarre, but charming and humorous setting, complement the experience. Some problems get in the way, such as notes too close together and repetitive command sequences, but, in general, the result is positive.
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Go Mecha Ball excites with its curious mix of shooting and pinball-inspired concepts. The big highlight is the fast-paced action that requires switching between robot and sphere to attack, interrupt opponents, avoid dangers and reach distant locations. Despite being inventive, the title presents some problems. The pinball-inspired action is sometimes so imprecise that it disrupts pacing; the reduced visual contrast makes it difficult to identify dangers; and, as a roguelike, the game offers very simple content that brings a feeling of repetition in the medium term. In short, Go Mecha Ball offers a fun and unique arcade experience, although there is room to enrich its ideas.
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Power Chord mixes rock and cards in a great roguelike. Facing demons in the company of musician-warriors is pretty exciting, mainly because of the solid turn-based combat and elaborate setting. In addition, numerous accessories, events and skills make runs distinctive and interesting. Perhaps it lacks a bit of daring, after all the game doesn't offer unique ideas or mechanics, but this is compensated for with vast and diverse content. In the end, Power Chord is a remarkable deck-building experience.
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Lone Ruin is a competent and interesting action roguelike, but it ends up losing some of its shine with its limitations. The highlight is in the frantic combat in which we have to escape from dangers while casting different spells — part of the fun is discovering effective combinations of powers. However, the reduced amount and scarce variety of content make the runs somewhat repetitive. In the end, Lone Ruin is intense and very brief fun.
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Solar Ash is a 3D adventure that bets on its quick and stylish action to offer a fast-paced journey. Skating fast and solving navigation puzzles through its exotic sceneries is fascinating, especially due to the enticing creativity of its areas. Besides that, the battles against huge monsters are notable for being visually impressive. The concepts are solid and the universe is beautiful, but the execution leave [much] to be desired. The constant presence of trial and error, the erratic camera, repetitive progression and other issues hamper the experience as a whole. Overall, Solar Ash is a reasonable adventure but far from being unforgettable.
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Lil Gator Game is a serene, no-compromise adventure that turns youthful playtime into a great journey. It's engaging to explore an island full of activities: climbing, swimming, gliding and other actions allow us to go almost anywhere. Other than that, it's hard not to be captivated by the concept of playing a pretend game filled with amusing dialogue. In the end, Lil Gator Game is a great pastime, you just have to be willing to let your inner child take over.
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Melatonin turns the world of dreams into an immersive experience. The mechanics mix puzzle and rhythm in good audiovisual challenges with simple commands, but complex sequences of notes and unusual situations make the stages very interesting. The difficulty is moderate, however there are options to increase or decrease it. The setting captivates with a dreamlike universe drawn by hand with different shades of pink. The stages are very creative and surreal, surprisingly exploring different aspirations of the human mind. A lo-fi soundtrack complements the imaginative atmosphere, although some compositions are a little off. In the end, Melatonin is a worthwhile brief tour of the subconscious.
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Swordship is an adrenaline-pumping, creative arcade experience. Using a defenseless ship to evade obstacles and pilfer containers is exhilarating, mainly because of the sheer amount of dangers — inducing enemies to attack each other is quite rewarding. The difficulty is intense and it's very easy to crash, but the fun side is precisely being able to survive in the midst of chaos. The constant introduction of content and challenges forces the player to constantly review their strategies. However, in the long term, it is clear that the variety is not the best. Even so, to get the best scores, you need to experiment a lot and master the systems. Other than that, the setting stands out with colorful visuals and stylish scenes. In the end, Swordship stands out with its unique dodge 'em up concept and its neat execution, being recommended for anyone looking for something different and frantic.
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The Knight Witch is a fast and enjoyable shoot 'em up. Its greatest asset is the agile combat that uses shots, spells and a dash of bullet hell to create varied and electrifying clashes. Difficulty is intense and fair most of the time, and being able to switch between auto and manual aiming at any time brings flexibility to the action. In addition to the battles, there is a vibrant world full of situations to be explored. The game has metroidvania features, but they are quite shy: revisiting areas is costly and progression is mostly linear. Other than that, the universe delights with its elaborate beauty, but the story does not excite and some mechanics are underdeveloped. In the end, The Knight Witch is a fun, fast-paced shoot 'em up experience.
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