Josh Speer's Reviews
Ultimately, I spent about 15 hours playing through Spirit Hunter: NG. Though I got the normal ending, I really enjoyed my time with this sequel. It does justice to the first game while still differentiating itself enough to keep things fresh. While it may sound like a short game for $49.99, only having five main chapters, I found myself happily immersed in the experience. I’m glad this one got localized in North America, and feel fans of horror have a lot to enjoy here. If you are hankering for a spooky mystery this October, you can’t go wrong with Spirit Hunter: NG.
I can’t help but love Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition. Sure, it’s far harder than I expected, even on Normal, but that doesn’t take away from the glory of this experience. In my playthrough, I uncovered about 75% of the map, and still have plenty to unlock. And that’s not taking into account the many achievements you can fulfill (though I’m not even trying for Unhinged). For only $19.99, it’s hard to turn it down. While it’s true some of the mechanics and controls were a bit finicky for me, overall the game played like a dream. If you love emotional and unique experiences that truly draw you into the game, you have to play Ori and the Blind Forest. Even if you don’t think you’re good at platformers, you can always try on the easiest difficulty, because this is an adventure that demands to be experienced. Kudos to Moon Studios for developing it and to Microsoft for bringing it to another console.
All in all, I can safely say I’m a fan of Dicey Dungeons. I respected Terry Cavanagh after playing VVVVVV, but this adventure is no slouch either. For only $14.99, there’s a ton to experience in the game, and it’s beyond easy to get fully immersed in the art and tunes as hours slip past. My only minor complaint is that this game is not for everyone, and if you’re not patient and ready for the difficulty, Dicey Dungeons can be pretty daunting. But for fans of the rogue genre, this is a must own. Now if you’ll excuse me, I still have tons of challenges and Episodes to beat, as well as all those shiny Steam achievements to collect!
At first, I honestly thought Fire Emblem: Three Houses was going to get a perfect score. There’s a lot of great stuff here, both old and new. Unfortunately, a few minor issues coupled with an ultimately disappointing story kept it from those lofty heights. That said, I’m still very impressed with the game. I spent about 48 hours to beat my Blue Lions campaign, and you can multiply that by 3 to fully beat the game. Then there’s New Game+ which lets you get through the game faster and bring over hard to get items with you. If that wasn’t enough, there’s cool features such as finding spirits that provide weapons and extra experience when you play the game while connected to the internet. And that’s not even talking about the DLC and amiibo functionality. When you factor all those in, you get a lot of game for $59.99. I’m happy I was able to play this latest Fire Emblem, even if it stops short of being perfect. Even then, this easily might be the best Fire Emblem game in a decade. If you’re a returning fan or just like strategy RPGs, you owe it to yourself to check it out.
Blazing Chrome is another success story from the folks at JoyMasher. It’s a ton of fun and has surprising longevity. Once you beat the game once, on any difficulty, you’ll unlock all the other goodies the game has to offer. These include new playable characters, a harder difficulty, mirror mode and even a boss rush. That last feature is one I’m shocked I’ve never had in a Contra game before, and it makes perfect sense to include here. While it’s true you can get through Blazing Chrome in a few short hours, it’s time well spent. This is one of the few games I have played more than once just cause I enjoyed it so much, despite no achievements for doing so. Oh and while I didn’t try it out, Blazing Chrome also has local co-op, for the truly faithful Contra experience. While this probably won’t make any fans out of those who hate the genre, it’s a wonderful present to old fans like myself. And for $16.99, it’s a very affordable adventure. I’m pleased by the latest from JoyMasher, and can’t wait to see the next modern retro classic they have up their sleeves!
All in all, I really enjoyed SteamWorld Quest. Despite the linearity and a few small issues, this is a game I can easily recommend. Even though there’s a lot of different teams you can bring to battle, there is no wrong group, though I found Copernica, Galleo and Orik were an amazing team. You can’t go wrong with amazing damage output, shields, regeneration and a magical onslaught. More than anything, I just wanted a little more of the game, though given the way it ends, I expect we may get a Quest sequel. For $24.99, you’ll get a really enjoyable RPG with a lot of customization options. If you’re a fan of Image & Form or just like deck building RPGs, you owe it to yourself to give this a shot.
Considered as a whole, Blaster Master Zero 2 is another fantastic offering from Inti Creates. It did enough to differentiate itself from the first adventure while innovating in mostly successful new directions. Furthermore, I really grew to love the characters in the game, both old and new. If Eve wasn’t a top tier waifu before, just wait until you get the True Ending. My only real complaints were how a couple elements weren’t clearly explained and how beating the game with the best ending didn’t seem to unlock anything. Given how beating the first unlocked New Game+ and other modes, this was a bit of a letdown. But even taking that into consideration, I can wholeheartedly recommend this game. At $9.99, I got more than nine hours of gameplay from it. Blaster Master Zero 2 is a hell of a steal for any fan of retro, Inti Creates or just a Switch owner looking for a system exclusive. Now to bide my time and hope we get some DLC with some new MA pilots in the near future!
All in all, I was pretty pleased with Wargroove. Not only did it satisfy my nostalgia for Advance Wars, it expanded my expectations in wonderful ways. Best of all, it’s a super affordable package, only costing $19.99 for at least 20+ hours of content (though far more if you want to see everything). Yes, there are still some important kinks to iron out, but I can’t help but recommend this to fans of Advance Wars and tactical games in general. And if you find it too easy, you can always challenge yourself by trying your luck against other players. If you need a new strategy obsession on every major console, do yourself a favor and pick this up.
All in all, I rather enjoyed Mega Man 11, and feel it was worth the long wait. But I have a proviso. I love pretty much everything about this game, but I think it proves Capcom has no more excuses to wait more than two years before the next one. They still know how to make a great Mega Man game, and they can plainly see there is still plenty of demand for them. For $29.99, fans can’t really go wrong with this. It isn’t perfect, and I feel the Double Gear system was a bit half-assed, but it does so many other things right that it’s hard to complain. If you’ve been waiting for a new Mega Man game, or just want a great platformer, you can’t go wrong. Nice to see Mighty No. 9 did one thing right.
In closing, I had a fantastic time with Old School Musical. It’s quirky, different, full of humor and charm. For $12.99 you’re getting a hell of a bargain, providing at least 10 hours of gameplay, and that’s without trying to get high scores on all the songs in Arcade mode. La Moutarde wasn’t on my radar before, but they certainly are now. If you own a Switch or game on Steam, Old School Musical is rhythm game you should not miss. Go help Tib and Rob save the day; you won’t regret it.
To say that Freedom Planet was worth the wait would be a massive understatement. I’m so glad I finally got a chance to get into this wonderful game on my Nintendo Switch. Not only does it play well, it is full of colorful SNES inspired visuals and has a pumping soundtrack that makes every stage fresh. It’s fun to play on the go or at home, and in many ways I feel it’s better than some of the games which inspired it. While it does get a bit difficult at times, it’s nothing most gamers can’t push through with a little patience. GalaxyTrail has done a fantastic job, and I can’t wait for the sequel. If you enjoy classic platformers with tons of style and substance, look no further than Freedom Planet.
In the end, I don’t know if the bomb or chicken came first, and I don’t care. They are delightful when mixed together, and Bomb Chicken is a true gem. It’s a colorful and challenging game that is full of personality, and it’s truly a one of a kind. It plays marvelously on the Nintendo Switch, and is a good contender for one of the best indies I’ve played in 2018. Nitrome have done great work with this one, and I find myself eagerly anticipating whatever they hatch next.
Costume Pack costs $7.99 and I ended up spending about 4 hours with it, which is longer than any of the other DLC adventures (Pirate Queen’s Quest was 3 hours, Friends to the End was 2+). All in all, I feel this was a great sendoff to a game I was happy to crowdfund. Though I didn’t get 100% victory for every mode, it’s pretty good incentive, since the new victory art is pretty phenomenal. I may still feel that Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse is the high point of the series, but Half-Genie Hero has firmly cemented itself as the next runner up. If you love platforming or just like retro, you can’t go wrong with Half-Genie Hero or Costume Pack. I’m happy WayForward is so dedicated to retro inspired games, and can’t wait to play my favorite genie’s next adventure!
Overall, I rather enjoyed my time with Cursed Castilla EX. It’s old school hard, but not quite as difficult as Super Ghouls n’ Ghosts. It plays very well on my Vita (though I wish that the graphical options didn’t only stretch the game, making it look fuzzy and unappealing). For $11.99, you really can’t go wrong. If you like the NES hard games of yore and want a more modern, portable successor, this is the game for you.
Overall, I was quite impressed with A Robot Named Fight. It provided a healthy challenge, tons of unexpected variety and just enough exploration to satisfy fans of the genre. It’s clear to me that Matt truly understands the factors that make this genre great, and did his level best to include all of them in this, his very first game. While the base journey is pretty short, the various achievements and the need to find everything keeps me playing. I would venture that even Sundered, another fantastic Metroidvania with random generation, isn’t quite so adept at procedural generation as this one. For only $9.99 (or 25% cheaper for the next few days) this game is one any Metroidvania fan should own. I can only hope that it does well in sales, since I’d love to see it make its way to other consoles, as well as maybe getting some DLC. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go and beat the Megabeast for the third time and finish getting 100% of those achievements!
Having said that, I greatly enjoyed my time with Pirate Queen’s Quest. After playing this DLC adventure, I can say with confidence I would love Risky to get her own standalone game, maybe even a prequel that shows how and why she became a pirate queen, as well as where the Tinkerbats came from. Though I had some minor complaints, all in all I feel it fixed the issues the original game had and offered a streamlined and fun experience. I managed to beat it in a little under three hours with 93% item completion. For $9.99, this DLC is a must have for any fans of classic platformers, lovable genies, naughty pirates or who just want to support WayForward. If anything, this just made me hungry for more cartoony adventures in this lush world. Here’s hoping we won’t have to wait too long for the next game in the Shantae series.
In the end, I was very happy with Chicken Wiggle. While comparisons to Renegade Kid’s previous works are unavoidable, I felt it differentiated itself enough and more than made up for any deficit with the expansive Level Editor. While it’s true I was a little disappointed by the total lack of unlockable content, I found myself drawn into this strange new world, and desperately hoping for a bigger and crazier sequel. Atooi has proven it still has that magic touch when it comes to retro styled platformers, and I hope this is just the first of many successful new games. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have more levels to make!
All in all, I quite enjoyed how Echoes brought Fire Emblem back to its roots. While I have enjoyed recent forays in the series, this felt more like the Fire Emblem I grew up playing. For $39.99, you get a ton of content, and that’s not even taking into account the DLC, which I didn’t sample in order to keep my experience more pristine. There’s a lot of replay value as well, with optional quests aplenty and many hidden memory prisms which unlock more lore. It’s also a long adventure, as my final playtime with the game was just short of 40 hours, longer individually than either Awakening or Fates. While not everyone will appreciate the hardcore emphasis of the game, I feel it’s a great sendoff for the Nintendo 3DS, which has done so much for the series. Now I just have to patiently await the next great adventure in Intelligent System’s fantastic tactical RPG saga.
I admit that it was a bit daunting to review a game like Disgaea after such a long hiatus. That said, Disgaea 5 Complete does a pretty good job of streamlining things and explaining new mechanics at a good clip. While not every little thing was explained to my satisfaction, I shoulder some of the blame, as I’m sure many aspects of the game would be far more familiar had I played any of the recent entries. While there were some frustrating aspects of the game, there is far more to love. The characters and plot were especially enjoyable, though I found myself more invested in Void Dark’s Generals as villains than the big bad himself. If you enjoy tactics games and own a Nintendo Switch, you get endless hours of fun for only $59.99. That’s not even taking into account all the DLC, which I didn’t even touch for the purposes of this review. I spent some 60+ hours and barely scratched the surface of all the content. NIS America has outdone themselves once more, and I’m happy to finally see Nintendo getting a little Disgaea love. I just hope this trend of 3rd party support from fantastic publishers continues. Now if you doods will excuse me, I have plenty more game to tackle!
I was very pleased with my time with Pirate Pop Plus. It takes a simple arcade game premise and fleshes it out with style, substance and lots of replay value. There is just enough nuance to the gameplay to keep things interesting, and with all the unlockable content, you’ll be coming back again and again for more bubble popping fun. This game has done what I thought impossible and captivated me just like the classic games of my past. For $4.99, you’d be foolish not to pick it up, especially considering it will also be releasing on Wii U and Steam. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have more coins to gather and more stuff to unlock!