Josh Speer's Reviews
Even though This Way Madness Lies doesn’t break the mold of other titles by Zeboyd Games, I still very much enjoyed it. It’s a well-paced, classically-styled RPG with great music, attractive artwork, and hilarious storytelling. If you’re in the mood for a short but sweet RPG and don’t mind playing on PC, I’d absolutely check this out.
I really tried to enjoy Depths of Sanity. It’s a unique take on the Metroidvania genre, and it introduces some neat ideas. Sadly the execution of those ideas were held back by the awkward and consistently problematic controls themselves. As a result, even though the game has really great atmosphere and interesting concepts, most fans of the genre will likely lose patience incredibly quickly.
Ultimately Sea Horizon was a very solid and enjoyable experience. While the quite steep difficulty and dual-component RNG can be tricky to deal with, and may push some gamers away, this is sure to appeal to hardcore fans of the deckbuilding genre. If you’re looking for something challenging and unique, I’d give Sea Horizon a shot.
I was hoping for something special with Undungeon, but sadly was utterly disappointed.
Lost Eidolons is a truly impressive tactical RPG. It has solid and easy-to-grasp mechanics and manages to differentiate itself thanks to the weapon swapping and realistic visual style. While there’s still some room for improvement and some minor issues that require fixing, I can wholeheartedly recommend this to any fans of the genre. Here’s hoping this talented new team has many more exciting adventures to share in the future.
I really was hoping to fall in love with Criminal Dissidia, but as it is now it feels woefully incomplete. Though it does feature attractive artwork, tons of cards to use and a metric ton of Steam achievements, it nevertheless was held back by poor translation, confusing combat mechanics and inconsistent difficulty. Fans of rogue-likes and deck builders might enjoy the game more, but even then it’s a hard title to recommend unless the developer makes a lot of quality of life improvements.
NeverAwake is still a transcendent and shockingly enjoyable adventure. Not only did I get invested in the story of the game, but the gameplay constantly kept me on my toes, and was a balanced challenge. While some may be irritated by the hardcore vibe of the game, I’d say this is a title that almost any gamer can appreciate. Add in the low price, and this is a must own adventure.
The Outbound Ghost is the best Paper Mario styled game I’ve played in many years. It easily offers a dozen hours of gameplay, and that’s just if you play the main story. For those that like to wander, there’s plenty of hidden secrets to unearth, as well as randomizer effects to mix up your experience. While the game wasn’t as tight or well organized as I would have liked, it’s still a solid turn-based RPG that fans should enjoy.
Small complaints aside, Shovel Knight Dig is still a fantastic game. It deftly mixes Shovel Knight mechanics with rogue-like elements, to create a game that’s more than the sum of its parts. While the difficulty level can feel a bit overwhelming, and may deter some gamers, this is still an entry any fan of the series will find themselves loving. So what are you waiting for? Get ready to burrow into this exciting new adventure from Yacht Club Games!
Honestly, Curse Crackers: For Whom The Belle Toils really took me by surprise. Not only is it jam-packed with content, including an Arcade mode, but the base experience is a ton of fun, with just the right amount of challenge. If you enjoy retro-inspired games or just like platforming, this is the game for you.
Honestly, even though I wasn’t really familiar with Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid before playing Burst Forth!!, I might be a fan now. This is a solid Shmup with good graphics, compelling gameplay, and a shocking amount of replayability. If you enjoy the series or the genre, I’d say this is well worth the price of admission. In the meantime, I might start looking into this quirky little anime.
I still really enjoyed my time with Dungeon Munchies. It’s a unique game with a truly twisted and delightful sense of humor. Combined with a unique cooking mechanic and tons of ways to customize your experience, I feel it’s a game any fan of the indie scene should check out. I just hope developer maJAJa is able to implement some tweaks to improve the experience, or use what they’ve learned from this game to make their next one even better.
I was really hoping for more from Sofiya and the Ancient Clan. While it wasn’t all bad, it’s still a disappointing platformer with boring combat to boot. Sure, the artwork is fine, even Sofiya’s amorous journal entries. It just doesn’t do enough to make this a better game, despite the surprisingly enjoyable music. If you like platformers and want something inexpensive, you might enjoy this. If nothing else, it’s a very short burn that can be completed in a lazy afternoon. For everyone else, stay away from this absurd little witch.
It’s clear that Coromon was worth the wait, even if it didn’t quite live up to my hype as the game that dethroned Pokémon. That said, this is a beautiful and creative adventure full of heart, with hours of gameplay to keep you going and plenty of reasons for hardcore players to pay attention. Sure, I might have wanted more optional content, but what’s here is hard to dismiss. If you’re a fan of monster-hunting games and want a new portable adventure on Switch, look no further.
I really enjoyed Azure Striker Gunvolt 3. While it doesn’t quite manage to give fans a perfect experience, it’s definitely one of the best in recent history. It’s a game with an ambitious story, gorgeous art and sound design, and frenetic and exciting combat. If you’re a fan of the series, you’ll find some especially exciting elements to enjoy. But even if you aren’t, this is a game any fan of the platformer genre needs to own. It’s well worth the price of admission.
Hell Pages is hardly a groundbreaking game, but it’s also not all bad. Though decidedly old school and occasionally primitive, it still has a solid core loop, outstanding tunes and hideous demonic boss battles. If you can get past the lack of weapon variety and the ho hum upgrades, you might find something to enjoy in this festival of monsters. For everybody else, get your Evil Dead fix from the source material.
I very much enjoyed my time playing Spidersaurs. Fellow fans of Contra will find something to love here, while fans of WayForward’s brand of uplifting and chaotic fun should also have a good time. This is the best unofficial spiritual successor to the Contra franchise I’ve played in quite a while, and a great example of a classic genre done justice in the modern era. If you’re itching to blast some hideous hybrids to a pulp, this is your game.
Despite -- or maybe because of -- the intense moral choices the game forces on you, it’s hard to stop playing My Lovely Wife. I didn’t get up for at least an hour after starting my first session, and reached my first ending a couple of hours later. While the subject material found herein is heavy and dark, the story and setting are nevertheless compelling and downright addictive. Even though I’ve never played the previous game, My Lovely Daughter, I’m sold on My Lovely Wife. If you’re a fan of dark and fascinating Visual Novels, this is your game.
As someone that was curious about the first iteration of the game, I’m happy to have reviewed Horgihugh and Friends. It’s easily the definitive edition of the game, a charming and challenging Shmup that is well balanced and forgiving to newer players. While boss battles are the highlight, you’ll still have a lot of fun blasting your way through the Gozarean hordes—a game I can easily recommend to fans of the genre.
I really wanted to love Kao the Kangaroo. And while I did enjoy parts of it, the severe glitch I encountered kept me from progressing like I had expected to and effectively kept me from actually beating the game. Once Nintendo gets around to implementing the patch, I could potentially recommend the experience. But until version 1.2 goes live, I cannot recommend it to other platformer fans in good conscience.