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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Isle of Arrows is an interesting and unpredictable tower defense. The game works with the traditional formula of the genre and adds interesting concepts, such as fortress building and random elements to offer an acceptable experience. Matches can be complicated but the real fun is mounting good defenses with what can be found along the way — a challenge that demands planning, improvisation and luck. However, the title ends up abusing a little in its [overreliance on] random elements, creating frustrating situations that seem to lack strategy. Besides that, some mechanics are way too restrictive, hindering the tactical planning. Nonetheless, many of its issues can be fixed with balancing and patches. In the end, Isle of Arrows is a great tower defense, as long as the player is ready to deal with unpredictability.
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Tinykin is an endearing action and 3D platforming adventure. Fast exploration is its biggest trump card, and the stages entice us to explore everywhere with its well thought locations. Besides that, there are many interesting puzzles that demand finding and using different tinykin — the challenge is low but it's fun to solve its creative puzzles. A soft atmosphere filled with charisma turns the experience into something even more enchanting. The areas are expansive and it has some fascinating and unique concepts, but the game suffers with some issues, such as the simplicity of tinykin usage and situations that repeat themselves from the very beginning to the end [of the game]. This doesn't hinder the journey as a whole but it still feels like a missed opportunity [to make something even better]. Overall, Tinykin is really worth a try.
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Islets is a metroidvania that enchants with its charisma. Exploring floating islands is quite enjoyable as there is a great balance and variety between combat, exploration and platforming. The boss battles, in particular, are very creative and interesting. Also, the atmosphere is lovely, with humorous characters and beautiful visuals. The game competently executes the main platform concepts, but leaves something to be desired as metroidvania with some underdeveloped ideas. However, the intention is clear to offer a friendly and relaxed experience, and in that the title gets it right. In the end, Islets is a simple and captivating adventure.
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Rollerdrome combines shooting and extreme sports in one spectacular experience. It's exciting to skate through arenas as we shoot and stunt in stages with varied and interesting challenges. The difficulty is steep, requiring a lot of skill and insistence to emerge victorious, but customization options make the game accessible. In addition, the striking visuals, fast-paced soundtrack and countless stylish moments bring identity to the title and its dystopian universe. In the end, Rollerdrome is an unmissable creative competition.
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Cult of the Lamb combines two genres in a mesmerizing journey. The dungeon exploration moments stand out with their agile and uncomplicated action, while the cult administration is relaxing and with good possibilities — the synergy between the activities makes the game cycle very addictive. Plus, it's hard not to be impressed by the simultaneously cute and macabre atmosphere. The two styles complement each other reasonably well, but alone they prove to be a bit shallow: the game lack variety and more challenge options, which hinders the experience, especially in the final stretches. However, it is undeniable that the concept of the title is creative and unique. In the end, Cult of the Lamb is a pilgrimage worth experiencing.
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Koumajou Remilia: Scarlet Symphony transforms the Touhou universe in a very competent platforming adventure. The focus here is action in simple stages filled with enemies. The best part is the boss battles, as they fill the screen with projectiles in their complex attack patterns. Naturally, the difficulty is high, but there are options for various kinds of players. Originally released in 2009, the game comes to the west with new additions, such as a remastered visual and extras. However, some aspects are still inconvenient, such as the stages having unappealing maps and precision issues with the controls. Overall, Koumajou Remilia: Scarlet Symphony is a fast and classic experience recommended for people who want a good challenge.
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TombStar focuses on the basics to create a reasonable action roguelike adventure. The biggest highlight is the firefights, which have intense moments and a good challenge. Also, the introduction of new features is constant because of a lot of unlockable content. However, the game lacks personality, variety of situations and unique mechanics, which makes the runs repetitive over time. In the end, TombStar is fun, but not very memorable.
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