I didn't find in ANONYMOUS;CODE the fascinating characters and development arcs that won me over in other SciADV experiences, but this continuation of the saga mitigates this omission with an exciting sci-fi narrative, mature explorations of intriguing themes and the introduction of a save/load mechanic which gives the player an active role in events.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
I never thought I would leave with a smile on my lips from a murder mystery game in which solving murders is the least successful part, but Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE surprised me. It's a pleasure to get to know the central mysteries, characters, and locations of Kanai Ward, regardless of the ease of the crimes or some technical problems. With this title, Too Kyo Games and Spike Chunsoft have established an interesting reinterpretation of Danganronpa's mechanics, which we eagerly hope will be used as a basis and improved in new adventures by these elite detectives.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
The 10 year wait for a new Pikmin was excruciating. If it's true that not all this time was invested in Pikmin 4, it certainly feels like it was. The number of modes, areas, missions, Pikmin and enemies in this package is impressive, but not as impressive as its consistent excellence. If you've never played a Pikmin adventure, this beautiful, addictive and fun iteration is without a doubt the best way to get to know the series... especially because it's the easiest. Even with some wasted opportunities in terms of difficulty, cooperative mode and puzzles, Pikmin 4 stands out as one of the best games in the Nintendo Switch catalogue.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
A creative adventure, dense in collectibles, enhanced by incredible level designs... it had everything to be one of the best 3D platformers of recent years. However, the annoying lack of difficulty in Tinykin leaves a void in the experience, which limits the enjoyment of the experience for more experienced players.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Pikmin 2 manages to simultaneously evolve the gameplay of Pikmin 1 in countless aspects and put into practice several decisions that nullify the best elements of the predecessor. It is still a great experience but with small adjustments, it could go far beyond "great". On top of that, the Nintendo Switch port decided to mess with what worked, de-characterizing some of the game's most memorable elements. Beyond that, it's a basic version with an upscale to HD, a controversial new control scheme, and a handful of quality-of-life tweaks.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Just like it was in 2001, Pikmin 1 remains a unique and wildly inventive strategy adventure that deserves everyone's time and attention. There's nothing new in this version; all that's been done is an HD upscale, a controversial new control scheme, and a handful of quality-of-life tweaks, but the core Pikmin 1 experience is so polished and timeless that it's impossible not to recommend it.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
If we were to say that this is an expanded and revitalized Breath of the Wild, we would be underestimating the level of creativity and ambition present in this sequel. It is very rare to find a game with the inventiveness of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom; moreover, one that invites you to innovate by his side. It's perfect? No. However, the small (and numerous) defects that we can point out to this experience are grains of sand on this desert that is the charm and fascination that it exercises and still holds over us after more than a hundred hours on this map. It's the perfect excuse to experience or return to this version of Hyrule, and if you've dedicated dozens of hours to Breath of the Wild, you could easily invest hundreds into the sequel.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Even if some of the campaign's design choices are unfortunate, Kirby's Return to Dream Land is still fun 10 years after its original release. With a number of significant improvements and content additions that anyone who has played this platformer on Wii should be able to justify the purchase, the Switch version is a solid recommendation for all types of players and the best version of this adventure of the pink ball and the your friends. Still, this remake could have gone further in adding new features and correcting the title's biggest defects.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Directly succeeding CHAOS;HEAD NOAH is no easy task, but CHAOS;CHILD manages to be a worthy experience. Its story is exciting and addictive from start to finish, the characters and supernatural elements are better enjoyed and the consequences of CHAOS;HEAD NOAH are approached in an extremely satisfying way for those who played it without alienating those who start their journey in this universe in the second title. It's still hard to swallow the impossibility of finishing the final and most conclusive route, and small problems with the presentation and flaws in the script pop up with some frequency.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
With a nontraditional protagonist, quite intriguing mysteries, shenanigans and a meticulously considered cadence of events, CHAOS;HEAD NOAH delivers an intriguing story that's impossible to put down before the credits. While the content of this work remains excellent almost 15 years after the original release, this release is hampered by a series of problems inherent to the work of conversion and localization, such as the impossibility of completing the true ending of the game and the censorship of moments in the story, important for understanding its mysteries.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Preserving the standard of quality that defines Yacht Club Games and evolving several pillars of the Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove experience, Shovel Knight Dig is not just a spin-off. This is a refreshing reinterpretation of the series' formula that, with refined platforming mechanics and an array of inventive enemies and gimmicks, has everything to satisfy fans of the genre and especially the paddled knight. However, this adventure is short-lived, especially if you just want to reach the end of the journey. Additionally, while the roguelite format adds to the longevity of this title, the process of generating the levels can lead to some mild frustrations.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
With a massive amount of small refinements and some unexpected additions, Splatoon 3 is the most polished and robust iteration of the series. Online game modes have become mechanically richer and have a more intuitive interface, and Story Mode is a delightful surprise that, for the first time in the series, deserves to be seen as a must. If you've never experienced the series, this is the perfect entry point, representing Splatoon at its heyday. If you're a long-time fan, you might miss a deeply sounding new twist towards Splatoon 2, but the quality of life improvements and eradication of past frustrations will make a return to the previous game unimaginable.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
If you enjoy investigating mysterious homicides, AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES - nirvanA Initiative is an irresistible and virtually flawless experience. The intelligent writing provides life and tangibility to the characters and their roles in the narrative, while at the same time giving us the clues so that, little by little, we can decipher the various enigmas of the plot. Somniums are bizarre in the best sense of the word, integrating unusual puzzles and gameplay mechanics in a way you won't find anywhere else. Although we consider that the story, by certain decisions, is inferior to that of AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES, nirvanA Initiative is an indispensable and addictive experience for fans of the genre and a clear mechanical improvement over the inaugural title of the series.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
With a special emphasis on real-time management, a nostalgic presentation/narrative tone, and a diverse array of supernatural monsters and weapons, RESEARCH and DESTROY is a unique turn-based/tactical RPG that encourages speed of action without diminishing the process of decision making. However, the game's reliance on recurring enemy spawns in random positions is problematic to promote any strategy development and contributes to a feeling of repetition, a feeling also associated with the scarcity of unique objectives and bosses.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
With intuitive mechanics, a calming sound environment and an uncomplicated design, Mini Motorways is the perfect game to relax and at the same time work our gray matter. It's always rewarding to raise our high scores, while our losses are entirely attributable to our lapses in most cases. In the end, this is an addictive and cozy game that deserves the attention of all enthusiasts of the genre and will reward you for the time you invest in it.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Rationally, several aspects detract from the overall quality of the set: a Wii Sports Resort-level amount of sports would be desirable, and decisions such as limiting play with friends to TV Mode and a disproportionate emphasis on online mode can conflict with the experience. Yet, this appreciation and conditioning are out of line with the reality of playing Nintendo Switch Sports: this sequel marks the successful return of the addictive fun of Wii Sports, especially with friends, but surprisingly also with strangers via the online mode.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Nothing in Lila's Sky Ark is offensive or frustrating to the player. Still, likewise, nothing is remarkable or exemplary. Our adventure through the beautiful world of Lila regularly leaves us to think of the potential that this game would have, if it have been studied or developed more deeply in regards to its challenges, mechanics and its a more appealing story. As such, this game ends up being a harmless way to spend a few hours, without anything that significantly distinguishes it from other games of the genre.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
It may have taken decades to get the first Kirby 3D finally delivered into our hands, but the wait was definitely worth it. While playing Kirby and the Forgotten Land, we even feel that HAL Laboratory spent all these years developing Kirby in 3D. Not only the intuitiveness of the gameplay, but also the level of quality and polish are elements that boasts the adventure from start to finish. Not satisfied with being a perfect adaptation of Kirby to 3D environments, Kirby and the Forgotten Land also introduces a series of novelties that reaffirm the potential of the next games. All this, while establishing it as a refreshing and fun experience, that promises to put a smile on the lips of any player.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
How you'll enjoy Metroid Dread depends on what you're expecting from the game. If you want a traditional Metroid experience, don't hesitate, because that's exactly what Metroid Dread is. In addition to following the formula of the classics to the letter, Dread introduces us to the most versatile and agile Samus in the series, majestic and challenging bosses, and an HD presentation that is a treat for the eyes. But we were hoping to find in Dread some kind of evolution of the formula, a wish that we don't deem unfair considering the indie titles of the same genre which managed successfully to improve the formula's potential. Metroid Dread seems to have been created in a bubble, so much so that the only innovation that MercurySteam has introduced is a new type of enemies, the seven E.M.M.I., which poetically exhaust their originality in minutes.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
With Shovel Knight: Pocket Dungeon, Yacht Club Games has made its versatility evident in creating gameplay radically different from Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove, without losing a hint of the quality that made the developer's original game so acclaimed. The end result is a phenomenal and refined puzzle game that is complex without being alienating and has a variety of options to enhance the fun of both novice and experienced players alike. Just missing extra modes that put rules or special events in normal gameplay, thus increasing the (already immense) replayability value.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review