Overall Shing! is a fun addition to the beat’em up genre. While it does lack a bit of depth and feels a bit too simplistic, its unique combat mechanic makes it stand out from the rest despite being unnecessary and lazy in some aspects of the game. With its challenging boss and unique levels, fans of the genre should definitely look this one up.
Given the vast variety of FPS games available now, Serious Sam Collection is a definite pass. The first two games have not aged well thanks to boring, monotone gameplay, confusing navigation. Additionally, the insanely pitch-black areas make it a frustrating romp as you can easily get lost. While Serious Sam 3 BFG is the best of the worst, it’s not worth the £24.99 price tag by its lonesome.
I can understand that Shantae: Risky’s Revenge Director’s Cut is an upgrade of a nearly 20-year-old game, but if you play this after Shantae and the Seven Sirens, you’ll have a hard time enjoying this one. While the platforming is quite solid, the rest feels archaic; especially navigation which is can be confusing at times and frustrating as you waste time going around in circles. A must-play for those looking for a true-to-form old experience; otherwise, this is a pass.
Once you’re done with the game’s main story, the fun doesn’t end there! You can revisit the story in order to unlock the plethora of portraits, clothing for the girls; you can also jump into a “fantasize” mode where you’ll need to get the girls into the right position in order to… “observe” them.
Firework is an ok 2D platformer; feels like a template for what could be. The Mega Man X and Cave Story inspiration is clear as day, unfortunately, it doesn’t come up to the same level of quality, there’s something missing.
Re:Turn One Way Trip is one the most interesting and tense indie game I’ve had the opportunity to play. While I’m usually not a fan of combat-less horror games, Re:Turn One Way Trip is my exception to the rule; I couldn’t put it down.
Wonder Blade is a fun, albeit hard and button-mashy beat’em up. Frustrating boss battles and questionable detection aside, it’s easy to pick up and play, mixing melee attacks and magic to create fun combos and the lite RPG elements make it an interesting and lengthy game to tackle during the coming, drought-y months. If you’ve played Castle Crashers, this will feel very familiar; if not, this is definitely a must play.
As a whole, Towaga: Among Shadows is a unique and interesting 2D action game. It’s easy to pick up and play, yet it feels challenging despite its simple premise. It’s also one of the most unique looking and beautifully designed, visually, indie game.
If you’re a fan of platformers akin to the Donkey Kong Country trilogy or more recently Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair, I highly recommend Jet Kave Adventure. It’s a fun and addictive platformer with minor nuisances such as the flat soundtrack and the non-platforming sequences sorta break the flow of the game and aren’t as enjoyable; borderline frustrating. Jet Kave Adventure is a must-play and will is currently an early favourite for my top 10 of 2021.
The game’s boss battles are incredibly fun and intense; when first trying to take them down, you’ll fumble a bit and get your ass kicked; especially when you have a sliver of the boss’ health. But once you get into a groove and learn the enemy patterns, they are definitely some of the most fun boss battles envisioned. They feature a perfect blend of fun and challenge.
Habroxia feels boring and tedious. It’s a shump where you’re tasked to killing all enemies but given how many hits they take, most of them will fly by instead of being turned into space trash. While I did enjoy the upgrade flexibility of buying/selling upgrades, but the slow pace, nearly unkillable enemies and highly underwhelming boss battles makes this an easy pass given the quality of other recent shmups.
Shoot 1UP DX is an addictive, bite-sized shmup that’s worth every penny. It’s easy to pick up and play, challenging and fun for gamers of all skills. Being able to control multiple ships at once bring a new layer of strategy. Also thanks to the various difficulty settings, branching paths and speed settings, the replay value is through the roof. Don’t miss it.
I, AI is a great entry in the shmup genre. While the genre can be daunting for its known high difficulty, I, AI feels like a perfect balance perfect overly hard and too easy; being able to upgrade your ship, and keep said upgrades even after dying, gives players a level playing field. Although some grinding might be required, it doesn’t feel like a chore. Fans of the genre will revel while being the perfect entry point for newcomers. Don’t miss this one.
Truth be told, Stories Untold is an interesting, fun and well-thought-out concept which brings a different type of creepy to the gaming universe. The core problem is the point-and-click mechanic which doesn’t work all that well on consoles; I would recommend this to PC players as the mouse is perfect for point-and-click games, but it’s hard to recommend for console players unless you’re willing to test out your patience.
Switch ‘N’ Shoot is an interesting, single button, endless shump. It definitely offers an intricate challenge but lacks gameplay depth; you can’t hook players on looks alone. There’s no doubt the game will continuously pull you back in for “one more” round, but at the end of the day, this is the type of game that will tide you over until the next big one sinks its teeth into you.
Galacide is definitely a great and unique entry in the intense shmup genre as it mixes the typical formula and adding a layer of puzzle to add a layer of strategy. Fans of the genre will definitely revel in this unique game, while puzzle fans might be turned off by the shmup mechanic of it. More companies should take chances like this. Fans of shump or puzzle games should definitely give this game a try.
To be honest, if Slide Stars would be a more arcadey experience similar to SSX, it would’ve easily ended up on my top 10 of the year because it just screams big dumb fun. The physics-based control pretty much removes any brainless fun you could have as you constantly have to focus on the controls. Fans of Trials Fusion looking for something different might be interested, but if Ubisoft’s physics-based racer doesn’t do it for you, avoid Slide Stars.
Landflix Odyssey is one of the most jam-packed content indie games I’ve played in recent memory. While the core is a 2D action platformer, the fact that each chapter brings something different makes it feel like a bundle of five different games. While the game’s difficulty feels uneven through each “show” along with pain in the ass boss battles, the amount of content here makes up for it. It will test your patience and skills; there’s definitely a lot of bang for your buck here.
Panzer Dragoon Remake is definitely an interesting and fun on-rail shooter. The game looks and plays great but, unfortunately, given the game’s length, lack of gameplay depths, it’s difficult to recommend this game, especially with a $25(USD) price tag. Unless you’re a die-hard fan of the Panzer Dragoon series or looking for a vastly different shump, I’d recommend waiting for a sale on this one.
Vampire’s Fall: Origins is surprisingly deep customization-wise, with a map wide enough to explore for quite some time and the combat itself is unique and interesting… when you get actually *in* combat that is. The lack of encounters will ensure frustration as you’ll constantly be underpowered and making grinding nigh-impossible. Otherwise, this is a pretty fun and addictive RPG. This is definitely a surprise gem for me this year. RPG fans, do not miss out.