Never been a huge fan of the Metroidvania genre, but Minoria (along with Touhou Luna Nights) came out of left field to surprise and sink its teeth in me. The simplistic combat mixed with the various Incenses, gothic setting and its haunting score and the challenging boss battles makes for a great game. It won’t be a cakewalk and does require a bit of mastery of the dodging/parring, but within the first hour, everything feels right and clicks. If you can tolerate backtracking through the map and the deep exploration, Minoria is a must-play.
Mask of Mists is a great and fun addition to the RPG genres. Fans of the genre should definitely give this game a shot; sure it’s not as huge as Skyrim or The Witcher 3, but sometimes it’s a nice diversion doing something smaller. It’s not perfect as you’ll possibly lose a bit of time going around in circles trying to figure out what to do, but it’s a peaceful game to lose yourself into.
The Suicide of Rachel Foster is one of the most enjoyable and tension-filled walking simulators I've had the privileged of reviewing. The game doesn't necessarily rely on scares at every corner, but rather builds tension with what-ifs could happen around the corner. While the pacing isn't ideal and makes the game feels rushed earlier on, it makes up for it in the latter parts of the game. With Halloween coming soon, this is the perfect time for this gem.
Friday the 13th Killer Puzzle is definitely a surprise game for me this year. I’m not a huge fan of puzzle games, but I love the Friday the 13th series so I was a bit wary of it; turns out this is definitely one of the best games I’ve played this. It’s fun, addictive and easy to pick up and play. It’s the perfect game to play to relax. Despite the limited weaponry and odd kills for some weapons, I highly recommend Friday the 13th Killer Puzzle if you’re looking for something different.
Johnny Rocket is a game to be avoided at all costs. It’s short, frustrating, cheap and full of questionable design. Cheap and unpreventable enemy attacks, questionable detection issues, unresponsive jumping, boring bosses, zero replay value, the only redeeming quality about the game is its unique visual presentation. I guess it’s something right? Given the amount of better run n’ gun available, don’t waste your time with Johnny Rocket.
To be honest, Cinders is one of the most enjoyable visual novels I’ve had the chance to review; a new take on a classic fairytale is an interesting way to go; it feels familiar and new at the same time. Thanks to the bevy of choices, replay value is through the roof, but as with any visual novel, it sometimes feels tedious going through the “same” story again, even if it leads to a different ending.
One of the best strongest points is the fact that if you’re playing solo or with a friend, you can switch between Rash, Zitz and Pimple by pressing the corresponding d-pad arrow (except the shmups and platforming levels). This gives players a chance to try out all three characters and also a lifeline if the current character they are using is near death, they can switch with a full health character.
Destroy All Humans! is a semi-open world game as players are thrown into different open areas to complete mission objectives in order to move on to the next. Each mission contains a vast open area where players can take a bit of time to explore before heading directly for the objective.