The more time I spent with Atlas Fallen, the more its cracks became harder to ignore. Its combat system is sorely lacking, the story is entirely uninteresting and poorly told, and the whole experience has an unpolished quality to it. Perhaps Deck13 ought to give the soulslike thing another go.
Even after the credits roll in Pikmin 4, there’s a bit more to the story and brand new areas to explore. From the delightfully textured world that’s brimming with secrets to the tiniest details, like how your Pikmin will occasionally sing classic Pikmin songs when riding Oatchi, Nintendo has packed the game with enough personality and whimsy that it could easily keep fans happy for another ten years. Of course, we certainly hope Pikmin 5 will come a lot sooner.
The verdict in this Maquette review is that the game isn’t worth playing. It’s a shame that it isn’t better, because the initial concept of resizing objects with the maquette is truly unique. However, it’s not explored nearly enough, the game’s puzzles aren’t enjoyable to solve, and the game’s story is an enormous load of nothing. The biggest puzzle in Maquette is figuring out why anyone would want to play it.
While those puzzles may not have been immensely challenging and quick time events will always make me sigh, there’s so much that Wishfully Studios gets right with Planet of Lana that it’s an easy game to recommend. The amount of artistry that was poured into the game’s stellar animation, hand-painted environments, detailed sound design, and sweeping music is worth the price of admission alone. It’s all made even more impressive by the fact that this is the studio’s debut release, and it means that their next title is definitely one that I’ll be eagerly anticipating.
Heaven Dust isn't an awful game, but it has some awful parts. Uninspired gameplay and a lack of originality aren't enough to make the game worth a recommendation. However, there's just enough love put into that, perhaps, old-school Resident Evil fans could have a good time.
SELF: Where's my father is too obscure, busy, and uninspired to enjoy. It's perfectly functional, and while there is a bit of evidence that it could have been great, it falls flat due to some shallow gameplay and incredibly amateur writing.
Even when an indie game doesn’t turn out to be amazing, it’s amazing that we have so many indie games. After all, would we be able to define the good games without the stinkers? It has a few good ideas, but they aren’t enough to turn the game into an enjoyable experience. With the smallest semblance of a plot, a character that feels too heavy and imprecise, and just plain odd design choices, Double Pug Switch is one indie platformer you’re better off missing.
Again, I don’t want to be a bully, but this game is simply unfinished. I should point out that there is no end goal either. The game expects you to run around, loot, kill zombies, and build a base forever. Perhaps you and a friend or two could have a bit of fun playing with one another, but that just means you have fun friends. With such a mindlessly repetitive, uninspired, and predictable gameplay loop and my now go-to example of horrible visuals, Unturned is, like a zombie, better off dead.