Josh Speer's Reviews
Lila’s Sky Ark was more creative than it was memorable. While you can beat the game in less than a dozen hours, you’ll probably spend more just trying to fulfill the final mission. And while I did enjoy wandering around this weird world, ultimately some bad combat decisions and a lack of balance hurt my immersion. If you’re a big fan of action adventure and like games just for the sake of weirdness, I’d still give this a shot. For everybody else, this probably isn’t your game.
Unfortunately PopSlinger is a hard game to recommend to most gamers. If the developers can make a concerted effort to balance and streamline the camera and combat issues I pointed out, as well as helping the game provide clearer visual cues, I think this could be something special. As it is now, however, it’s just too much of a mess to recommend to anyone that isn’t willing to put a ton of effort into the experience. Hopefully Funky Can Creative learns from this game to make their next adventure one that lives up to the hype.
I really was hoping I’d love Jack Axe. And while it’s still a good game, the issues I mentioned earlier held it back substantially. That said, if you’re up for a sometimes unfair challenge, the game does let you play with up to 3 friends. Honestly, what Jack Axe does right, it does quite well, glitches and all. Here’s hoping the next game from Keybol Games is a bit more polished and balanced out of the gate. Because I think there’s the potential for something really special next time around.
Honestly, a large part of me wonders if Glyph might have been better had it been a 2D platformer instead. As it stands now, it’s just too demanding and unbalanced for me to recommend to most gamers. But if you’re stubborn enough and willing to die repeatedly, you might find something to enjoy here. For everybody else, look for something a little less diabolical.
I still maintain Rogue Explorer could have been a great game. Honestly, if it was less focused on bland Roguelike elements and instead was reimagined as a more robust Metroidvania, I think this could have been awesome. Sadly, as is, it’s pretty hard to recommend to most gamers. But if you enjoy simple, retro-styled games and want something affordable, you might want to pick this up.
Much as I wish I could rave about how amazing the game is, it’s unable to reach the heights I thought it capable of. But since the ending hints there’s gonna be a remake of the next game in the Wonder Boy series, I hope that can fully realize its vision while still being a balanced experience. A fun trip down memory lane, but hard to recommend for anyone other than expert platformers, especially for $34.99.
In the end result, Project G isn’t the next big Shmup, but neither is it a failed Darius clone. It’s a quaint little game that tries some interesting new things while also having some serious design flaws that need to be addressed. I didn’t hate my 4 hours spent playing Project G, but I also wasn’t enamored of its many problems. It is an okay game that could have been great with a bit more QA and a lot more polish. As it is now, I find it hard to recommend Project G that heartily when it’s priced at $9.99. If Nebula Interactive finds the time to fix the many issues with the game, then I would recommend giving it a chance. Until then, perhaps Shmup fans will enjoy buying it on a Steam sale.
While I mostly enjoyed my time with Mondrian, I left a bit underwhelmed by the whole experience. I spent a couple hours unlocking a bunch of content — approximately 60% — but didn’t feel that accomplished when I unlocked features. That could be because of the lack of progressive difficulty, or it could be due to the casual aspect of the game. I also wish I had found more video game styles to unlock in my time with the game. More than anything, I suppose I just wanted more — more features, more challenge, a more frantic sense of urgency. That said, there is nothing technically wrong with the game, and for $6.99, it’s a pretty good bargain. If you can’t get enough of puzzle games or just want a fun Steam game for a bargain price, you might consider giving Mondrian a chance.
Overall, I was mostly pleased with my time with NekoBuro CatsBlock. It was a short game, as I beat Adventure Mode in just about 3 hours, but it was fun while it lasted. Though there is replay value in the games you can play with the cats or in decorating your room, those features just weren’t complex or fulfilling enough for me to do more than tinker with them. Most of the replay value can be found in the endless Survival Mode where you keep playing and the difficulty ramps up the longer you play. For $7.99, I feel you are getting your money’s worth with this game. I can highly recommend it for Vita owners looking for their next puzzle game fix, or simply for those who like quirky, adorable games.
I will admit that I was simply unable to beat Super Hydorah for this review. Some may think I gave up too quickly, but I easily put in 8-10 hours and countless continues in my attempt to beat a 2 hour game and probably got through 80-90% of it. While reasonably priced at $19.99, I can’t recommend this to any besides truly hardcore fans of the SHMUP genre. I appreciate what Locomalito and Gryzor87 were attempting here. There’s a lot of good in this game and it is a fond nod to the genre, but sadly the good is hidden behind hardcore game design and frustrating decisions. Ultimately, I was more of a fan of Cursed Castilla EX. That said, I appreciated the opportunity to tackle Super Hydorah, and will look forward to the next game by this team.
Vandals was a bit of a mixed experience for me. I enjoyed parts of it, and found others held it back. I also really wish the game had more lore or something to ground things in. I don’t need a story to enjoy a game, but the fabric of the world it inhabits is still important. And while the art is simple and focused, they do tend to reuse environments and assets a bit too much. Though thankfully the main musical theme is pretty catchy. Then again, at $3.99, this is the most affordable version of the game, and I got at least 8-10 hours out of it. If you like quirky indie games on Switch, I’d say to give this one a shot. But if you want something incredibly meaningful and lasting, this might not be for you.
Altogether, Whipseey and the Lost Atlas isn’t a bad game. For a first effort, it has its share of charm and challenge. It just doesn’t really succeed in being anything more than an average game. That said, for $5.99 you probably get your money’s worth. I hope that Daniel Ramirez and Blowfish Studios collaborate again on an upgraded sequel, since I feel the good outweighs the bad here. If you want a simple platformer, then look no further. But hardcore platformer enthusiasts won’t find a lot to keep them busy.
My biggest complaint with EarthNight is that the game was constantly tripping over its own ideas, even the good ones. For $14.99, it’s not an expensive game, but I still find it hard to recommend. If you like rogue and don’t mind a very grindy, often confusing experience, you might wanna pick it up. For everybody else, at least wait til some patches have smoothed out the rough edges in the Switch version. Despite all that, I was impressed by Cleaversoft’s creativity in EarthNight, and hope it is put to better use in their next adventure.
More than anything, I feel amazing Metroidvanias need to strike a great balance between combat and exploration, where everything you accomplish is constantly bringing you one step closer to reaching the end of the game. I don’t feel that’s the case in Ultros. The rewind aspect of the game, combined with constantly losing platforming abilities and combat upgrades, makes the entire experience a painful slog. So even though I respect the ambition and creativity on display, ultimately, that’s not enough to elevate this game beyond its peers.
I really hate dunking on a cute, creative Metroidvania like DOOMBLADE, but I feel it just fails to make the game approachable and enjoyable. Much as I wanted to get lost in this dark, humorous world, the core mechanics never got more intuitive or fun, making the entire experience a slog. That said, there’s definitely a great game in here somewhere for those willing to push through the pain to find it.
While it’s true that Bend the Roo’les is a pretty affordable experience and one that’s easier to recommend, it still has its share of problems, both in terms of glitches and bugs, but also in terms of unbalanced game design. But if you still want to take your chances and spend more time in the Kao the Kangaroo universe, you might still find some limited enjoyment here.
So once again, I’ve tried another deckbuilder, only to come out disappointed. Three Kingdom: The Journey isn’t a terrible game, and there’s kernels of greatness that could grow into something much better. That will just depend on Senmu Studio putting in the time to fix the translation and tweak the game balance. Until that happens, this is just one of many frustrating deckbuilder experiences.
I had hoped I would find another amazing roguelite in Mr. Sun’s Hatbox. But between the hardcore stealth component and the persistent glitches I encountered, I found the game more of a chore than a delight. While there are plenty of folks that may still enjoy the game, it’s a much harder sell until those nagging issues are patched out.
I can’t pretend the glitches I encountered in 9 Years of Shadows weren’t frustrating, especially as a backer. I can only hope that Halberd Studios and Freedom Games take my complaints to heart and does everything they can to patch these problems as quickly as possible. Because underneath all the glitches, there’s a truly fantastic adventure, and one I still really enjoyed. If you’re a fan of Metroidvanias, definitely put this one on your wishlist. Just maybe wait on pulling the trigger until the developers have had a chance to make some necessary fixes.
Though I was hoping to start the new year on a high note, Wings of Bluestar just wasn’t up to snuff. It’s not a horrible game, but it’s incredibly mediocre, with bland design, poor writing, and generic boss battles. While it’s relatively affordable, it’s nevertheless very hard to recommend to hardcore Shmup fans.