In the end, Kemono Heroes was a decent experience, if not a particularly interesting one. Priced at $14.99, it will serve as a nice tie over experience for platformer fans, due to being a roughly one to two hour adventure. With multiple characters and achievements, the game’s replay value might sate a player for a couple more runs. Hopefully Mad Gear Games can take this and craft something extraordinary, as there is a good framework to build upon.
Overall, notwithstanding nitpicks here and there, Mary Skelter 2 is wonderful. This game can take roughly forty to fifty hours to complete depending on work order completion and difficulty. That said, this game also has a remake of the first game that comes with the package, with a new scenario at that. At a price point of $39.99, this is an astounding value. With Mary Skelter Finale recently announced, there is perhaps no better time to jump in and play what both games have to other. Oprainfall’s review of the first game was already highly praised and I would be ashamed if I gave it any lower than that.
Overall, I loved Nioh 2 as it provided many of the same positives as the first game. I am having a hard time deciding which I prefer, since both have their own merits. What this game has over the previous is a better tool set, be it the yokai abilities or the tinkered abilities lending to neat attack chains, and a better assortment of yokai to face. With twenty main missions and numerous sub missions to go through, the $59.99 price tag is well worth it. After all, I put in over 40 hours total and that number will only continue to rise. If future DLC allows the game to evolve to even greater heights, then this could become one of my personal favorite games of the year.
Overall, Ghost Parade reminds me a lot of games I played on the SNES and PS2. As a kid, I would’ve loved this game, having great nostalgia in adulthood. Yet here I am as an adult, unable to look past the very flaws I could’ve overlooked as a kid. As such, the game feels like it was made with love, but pulled down by inexperience. Having played this game for five hours, it feels the game falls just short for the $39.99 price tag. Instead, I would say wait for a sale to come along. I hope the developers who made this game makes another title. Experience is experience after all, and I am sure if they can overcome their flaws,they can craft a fantastic game in the future.
In the end, BurgerTime Party! can be a fun experience, but doesn’t have a long lasting appeal. I only spent 3 to 4 hours playing. But thanks to it being on the Switch, the game does have the virtue of being a decent portable experience where you play five stages and then can be on your way. Unfortunately, I can’t give an opinion on the multi-player aspect, having played only single-player. Priced at $19.99, you will get your money’s worth just by content alone, especially if you’re a fan of more arcade-like games. If you are more uncertain, I reckon waiting for a price drop before taking a bite.
As a whole, Inferno 2 was an exceptionally lackluster experience with hardly any highlights. For a twin-stick shooter RPG hybrid, I believe Radiangames perhaps should’ve made sure the level design and balance was more spot-on. For $4.99 and a roughly 4-6 hour experience, it is a fine enough purchase for fans of the genre, especially if played on co-op. However, if you are looking for something more exceptional, either wait for the game to go on sale or look elsewhere. For a sequel to a critically acclaimed title, I was woefully disappointed with the package delivered.
However, thanks to the game’s structure, it will be difficult for newcomers or players from outside of the genre to truly get into it, particularly those who would rather do longer game sessions or enjoy more varied play. The price tag of $59.99 further compounds the issue, being yet another barrier of entry. In the end, I enjoyed DAEMON X MACHINA, but this comes from the perspective of someone who always was interested in the genre. Depending on if you are a fan or not, I recommend waiting on a price drop. For me personally, I hope the release revitalizes the genre so we can see even more Mecha games.
In the end, the developers have made a decent game. It is by far not the best but certainly not the worst. With over 20 hours of main content to go through, with even more side content to pull through, the $59.99 price tag is dependent on how you value your purchase. In terms of raw content, it is definitely worth it. As far as quality content goes, however, I recommend waiting for a small drop before purchasing. For fans of the developer, it will most likely be satisfactory. Yet, for those unfamiliar with their style, it might be a more difficult bar to pass.
All in all, I exceptionally enjoyed Project Nimbus: Complete Edition. The game flow is perhaps the game’s greatest strength, as it was hard for me to be remotely bored while playing. Most issues are relatively minor and not game-breaking. Truth be told, if the game’s hit detection was a bit better along with better feedback, I would easily rate this four stars. If GameTomo and GameCrafterTeam were to work on any future projects, I would happily keep tabs on them. For $19.99 on PC and Switch, it is well worth the price.
Overall, Homo Machina is merely an average puzzle game with educative elements. Outside of engagement and conveyance issues, it is completely harmless without any other problems to be had. For an experience of about an hour with a price of $2.99, you could do far worse. The art style is by far the game’s biggest selling point, with everything else effectively an extra part of the package. If you are interested seeing the art in motion, it doesn’t hurt to give the game a whirl.
All in all, most of the issues addressed above happened in the second half of the game. Vaporum almost literally felt like it lost steam the farther I progressed. Which is, personally, the most disappointing aspect. The beginning and most of the mid-section was where I had an actual wonderful time, where the later half continually soured my perception. There was definitely heart put into the project, which only serves to disappoint me even further. The game is priced at $19.99 on both Steam and Humble Bundle, whereas it’s priced at $24.99 on Switch, PS4, and Xbox One. I am not sure why there are two different price sets, but even at $19.99 I recommend for the game to go on sale before purchasing. I appreciate Fatbot Games’ attempt, especially at the beginning, but I can’t in good faith ignore the second half of the game.
Overall, the Braveland Trilogy is very middling as far as quality is concerned. Each game is not bad by any stretch of the imagination, just not compelling. For fans of the genre, each game can serve as an okay distraction while on the go, where each adventure ranges from three to five hours of total playtime. There is also the option to duel with friends, but unfortunately I was unable to test this feature out. However, for $14.99, it’s perhaps wise to wait for it to go on sale before purchasing. Best of luck to Tortuga Team in any future endeavors, as they can easily improve on what is established here.
Overall Almost There: The Platformer is merely an okay experience. Far from interesting, it is still structurally and mechanically sound. Having played for about an hour and half, this does make for a decent time waster. For about $9.99, it could very well be worth looking at for fans of hardcore platformers. Bony Yousuf had the idea of a hardcore platformer and has indeed delivered on that idea. Perhaps with more tricks that could be performed or less waiting involved, next time a truly marvelous speedrunning game could be produced. In my opinion, speedrunning is about finding an alternative solution to go faster. As such, if future projects would delve into that, they would most likely be highlights for me.
Overall, HoPiKo is a game with well designed levels and mechanics but is held back by the controls, as far as the Switch version is concerned. If there was far more consistency in regards to going from platform to platform, then going by muscle memory would be viable. As it stands however, many times I felt like I got through a level by mere luck alone. If it weren’t for that, the game would be more along the lines of a 4/5. If the touchpad allowed the player to merely tap on where they wanted to go, then perhaps everything would’ve been more feasible on the Switch. With a standard price of $9.99 and multiple worlds with 11 levels each, combined with good replay value, it’s otherwise worth the price alone. As such, perhaps it might be best to look into the other versions to see how they handle before buying.
In the end, Halloween Forever is merely okay. For $4.99, it’s a perfectly reasonable purchase despite the short length and simple replay value. For what was a solo project, it is a fine enough experience, especially since the artwork and animations were done in Photoshop of all things. As such, many of the issues explained above are far more forgivable than normal. So props to you Peter Lazarski. I hope the game was an excellent learning experience all the same.
Overall, for more avid fans of the horror genre, Home Sweet Home can provide a middling but decent experience. The main issue is that I wish most aspects of the game were developed more. If there were more to the story and environments, the atmosphere could’ve been more unnerving, as everything had more meaning. There are plans for a sequel, so perhaps Yggdrazil Group could do just that to make a more vivid experience. If they were to use more of a variety of superstitions and give them more screen time, it could lead to an interesting development for Tim and what they all mean to him. However, in the end, it may be best to wait for a price drop, as $16.99 is rather steep for what amounts to three to four hours of game. It is an okay game with decent ideas, but there could’ve been more to the package.
Overall, Super Skull Smash Go! 2 Turbo was a relatively dull experience. The game, even when 100%ing it, is only about one hour and a half long. For the asking price of $9.99, it’s best to wait for a significant price drop on Steam or PSN. The game is a platformer but not truly a puzzle platformer as advertised to be. Not a bad game, but it could’ve been expanded on more interesting puzzle elements and ideas. Hopefully, TACS Games can learn from this and improve any future titles they develop.
In the end, Last Encounter is an alright game. It isn’t bad, not exactly great, but it does what it sets out to do decently enough. If the game’s sense of scaling were better, this would be a better title for sure. Exordium Games however do provide weekly patches to the game, so it should be noted that a couple of scaling issues could be addressed by the time of this writing. For about $15, I would advise waiting for a price drop but otherwise this is still a decent purchase. I played about three and a half hours with seven runs, with the first surprisingly good in hindsight. The game can be fun at points but also relatively annoying at others. It merely depends on if one can get a couple friends and just casually enjoy the game for what it is.
In the end, Azure Saga: Pathfinder unfortunately is a sub-standard RPG. It has a good idea going for it, but it is simply the execution and stale style of the game that brings it down. As a writer myself, there are things I would change such as how characters interacted with the world around them. If one doesn’t rush through the game, the game goes for 30-50 hours depending on how much side content the player does. Even for $12.99, a small price drop feels warranted. Overall, I hope MassHive Media’s next attempt fares better, since it is obvious they actually tried, even though they didn’t succeed.
Overall, Bomberslinger is a proper tribute to classic Bomberman games. Despite my praise for the game however, I would like to add a caveat. For fans of the classic games, Bombslinger is a rewarding experience. If one does not follow the classic games however, the experience can very much be dampened, leading to a solid but merely okay adventure. For $11.99 on Steam and Nintendo Switch, it is worth considering what one expects from this game. Overall, I played for about 5-7 hours for this review. In the end, let’s hope this inspires even more developers like Mode4 to provide their takes on other classic franchises.