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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Ship of Fools turns a sea journey into a great roguelike. Trying to survive the attacks of monsters while sailing is a complicated task, as we are always at a disadvantage and we have to run to move cannons, shoot and attack creatures with a paddle — the action is frenetic and part of the fun is being able to handle so much chaos. Co-op multiplayer for two sailors is the focus, but tackling the seas alone is also a great option. The matches have many items and events that invite us to experiment and think strategically. However, the limited variety of content and slow progression of unlocks is a bit of a nuisance. Luckily, the action is fast and the universe is charismatic, which alleviates these problems. In the end, Ship of Fools is a great adventure through the dark oceans, whether alone or in the company of a friend.
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Little to the Left turns arranging and organizing objects into a nice puzzle. It might not seem like it, but it's fun and relaxing to line up pictures, methodically store items in boxes, and clean tables, mostly because of the simple mechanics and intuitive puzzles. Soft colors and a light soundtrack complement the atmosphere of tranquility. The game aims to be calm and contemplative, but certain points go against this philosophy. Some puzzles have obscure solutions, the more abstract stages are unnecessarily complicated, and some ideas are reused frequently, disrupting the otherwise relaxing experience. Otherwise, A Little to the Left is exactly like tidying up: sometimes rewarding, sometimes irritating.
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The Pinball Wizard tries to offer a unique interpretation of the classic arcade, but fails with its limited and problematic execution. Moving the mage with the help of flippers is intuitive, however the stages are uninteresting, the variety of content is very limited and the difficulty is unbalanced. In the end, this mix of pinball and dungeon crawler didn't stick and is completely forgettable.
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Vampire Survivors use a few simple concepts to create an addictive experience. Facing hordes of enemies controlling a character that attacks alone can seem tedious, but the fun is precisely in trying to assemble a set of interesting skills to survive. An extensive variety of content makes runs exciting and fun. The focus on uncomplicated systems makes the title accessible, but this is also the biggest problem: the action is sometimes boring and repetitive. However, the constant introduction of novelties and some subtle variations of the formula are enough to make the adventure constantly mesmerizing. In the end, Vampire Survivors is exceptional. Don't be fooled by the minimalist look and mechanics, this title is hard to put down.
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Azure Striker Gunvolt 3 combines the best ideas in the series into an excellent action title. It's thrilling to go through a stage quickly, especially thanks to the protagonist's smooth and versatile abilities — with some technique, it's possible to do impressive combos barely ever touching the surface. The expressive atmosphere reminiscent of anime complements that energetic tone, even though the story and characters aren't all that good. The effort spent into offering a versatile experience is also notable: newbies will have fun with its soft difficulty while veterans will have trouble mastering its systems and reaching high scores. However, even in the highest difficulties, it lacks challenge a little. Besides that, some mechanics end up underutilized as the focus is on just a few ideas. However, even with those issues, the result is positive. Overall, Azure Striker Gunvolt 3 is a must play for those who love action and 2D platforming titles.
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Dome Keeper mixes mining, base defense and resource management into a simple and creative experience. The game alternates between calm moments mining resources and frantic combats to create interesting situations in which the challenge is to manage time and items. However, the game is very shallow in content, which makes the runs very similar to each other. Some options, like different upgrades and planets, try to diversify things, but they aren't enough to end the feeling of repetition. In the end, Dome Keeper is great, if only for a short time.
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Moonscars uses agile action to create a good interpretation of the soulslike genre. The fast-paced combat is the highlight and, as usual, the difficulty is intense, but fair. The maps are not memorable and the battle mechanics evolve little over the course of the journey, but the constant frenzy and tension manages to compensate for these imperfections. The dark fantasy universe envelops us with the elaborate visuals and bleak atmosphere, reinforcing the dark themes. The setting is cryptic and thought-provoking, but the excess of obscure dialogue hinders the pace. In the end, Moonscars is a remarkable experience.
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Shovel Knight Dig proves the knight's versatility in a great roguelike action title. Digging ever deeper is addicting, and the mix of platform moments, battles and exploration makes the stages quite frantic. Besides that, there's a good variety of content to explore and an atmosphere full of charisma with a great 16-bits pixel art style. Even with so many qualities, the game has really annoying issues, such as dangers that show up out of nowhere, unbalanced aspects and the camera position gets in the way of some movements. It's important to be ready to ignore those negative points, but, overall, the result is positive. In the end, Shovel Knight Dig is yet another great addition to the franchise.
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Foretales combines cards, puzzle elements and a bit of RPG to create a compelling narrative experience. The journey of the thief Volepain is filled with intriguing situations and their solutions include more than one possibility — experimentation and creativity are essential to advance the plot. Combat, puzzles and the variety of events enrich the experience, but there are a few issues: some objectives have way too complicated answers, navigating through some areas is tiresome and its reuse of locales and situations bring some repetition to it. Luckily, the ambientation includes an awesome dub, vibrant visuals, and charismatic characters, compensating the negative points. Overall, Foretales is a unique adventure worth checking out.
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