Vítor M. Costa


76 games reviewed
79.7 average score
80 median score
69.7% of games recommended
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7.5 / 10.0 - Omno
Dec 14, 2021

Whether from a narrative point of view, or from the level design, the mechanics and puzzle concepts perspective, Omno is not only modest and brief, but also shallow and uncreative. On the other hand, it has a charismatic look and fantastic fauna in a relaxing atmosphere. The title is recommended for those who want a pleasant, easy, accessible and fast experience, but it is far from what other similar games have to offer both as an art game and as an adventure in 3D platform puzzles.

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Hashihime of the Old Book Town Append is a complex, immersive, bold and creative VN that weaves a unique and moving plot filled with unpredictable twists under the light of an stylish art with serious, lively and psychedelic traces, but one that isn't beyond reproach. Besides the budget limitations, which are clear in the audiovisual aspect, the latter routes don't hold the same energy of the first one. Sometimes the balance between reality and fantasy seems to move too much in favor of fantasy and arbitrary logic, and the last route, while having an interesting and radical side to it, is particularly problematic and controversial. Certainly, it's one of the best (if not the best) BL VNs ever made, at least when it comes to narrative design, making it highly recommended for a general public of good stories about sense of reality, mystery and romance but the player has to understand that they're diving into a practically kinetic experience. Besides that, the plot formula requires a healthy dose of suspension of disbelief to dive into this tragic, unpredictable and moving web of dreams that the young writer from a Jinbounchou library got tangled with.

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6 / 10.0 - Night Lights
Jan 22, 2022

Night Lights minimally delivers what it sets out to deliver, it has an interesting central idea and is consistent with it in audiovisual, as well as its level design is casual, accessible and intuitive. However, the game does not bring a captivating fictional world concept and/or plot to the proposal, the mechanics are creatively underused even considering its casual intent and its art is simple and generic. Still, the title is recommended to those who like puzzles with a cute design and sidescroller movement, but be aware that this is a very modest game in everything it does.

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Jan 31, 2022

Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade is a port with deleterious issues on several levels. And its narrative restructuring, while better developing some main characters, also follows new directions that leave “fleas behind the ears”, in addition to introducing new characters and some unpublished scenes of little use. However, the balance is much more positive. This RPG is a must for fans of the franchise and the genre in general, and is also recommended, with reservations, for those who are fans of the PlayStation original in particular.

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7.5 / 10.0 - Monark
Feb 20, 2022

Monark is a relatively accessible TRPG for beginners in terms of tactical complexity, while still being interesting and versatile. In addition, the game is recommended for those interested in shounen anime and plot premises similar to the Persona games and the dark brushstrokes of the main Shin Megami Tensei series.

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Unlike The Isle Dragon Roars, Voice of Cards: The Forsaken Maiden's artistic and narrative choices make this title a much easier recommendation for fans of Yoko Taro, especially the NieR subseries. Although The Forsaken Maiden visually reuses a lot of its predecessor and evolves little in combat, the compositions are equally well done and consistent with the new proposal, and the exploration and especially the scenario and narrative design are significantly more inventive and refined, delivering a unique and accessible experience, recommended also for fans of tabletop RPGs and classic JRPGs.

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8.5 / 10.0 - Triangle Strategy
Mar 16, 2022

Triangle Strategy is unsophisticated in mechanics and level design, compared to the classics that inspired it, but it has good ideas, it's well-made and balanced, in addition to being one of the most suitable games for newcomers to TRPG. While this tactical RPG has some flaws in its script and cast, it is creative and eloquent in its political applications in narrative design and has a serious, believable and realistic tone in its theme.

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Although sometimes underrated, particularly for its confusing and convoluted narrative design, there is no doubt that Chrono Cross was, in many ways, exceptional for its time. Even in the present day, Cross is still deep, resourceful, and a benchmark of gameplay and narrative synergy for non-linear design within its genre. Radical Dreamers is also an expensive piece for Western fans who have waited decades for a localization and brings an interesting alternate version of the early events in Chrono Cross, also adding to reflect on the gameplay and music of the JRPG. Even considering it's a low-cost collection, Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition could be better, especially in battle performance. However, there is no denying that the team's other efforts to bring these titles to the new generation of consoles are commendable, especially Chrono Cross, which remains a great recommendation for JRPG fans.

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7.5 / 10.0 - A Memoir Blue
Apr 13, 2022

A Memoir Blue's interactive poetics is sensible in a subtle and demure way through its audiovisual [elements], even if technically limited and incipient in its level design and animation. It's a short title when compared to other videogames, but, just like a short film in cinema or a poem or short story in literature, length isn't an issue. The narrative and progression are modest, but the message is told in a succint, oneiric and expressive form, and it succeeds in doing so. The big issue, however, is that it uses interactivity only a little. A Memoir Blue is recommended for fans of art games stylized as graphic adventures, as those players will certainly enjoy the experience if they have in mind that it's a short journey without big ambitions.

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8 / 10.0 - UUULTRAC
Apr 19, 2022

The main issue of Uuultra C is its plot and narrative format. It's true that the story isn't deep and can be very confusing, convoluted and filled with arbitrary situations, some of which, have appelative and controversial elements. However, the premise has a lot of personality and the execution isn't totally bad, especially due to the characters having good development. Besides that, when it comes to the visual aspect, this visual novel is the pinacle of ADELTA works thus far, being a highlight even when we consider BL VNs in general. On the music and soundtrack department, despite having drastic differences between its highs and lows, offers tracks that are reasonably well produced and fitting for the proposal. Therefore, this is a work that can be recommended to anyone who isn't afraid of something confusing and crazy and is looking for a good and unique BL with some good characters.

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9 / 10.0 - NORCO
Apr 29, 2022

Despite the simplicity both in some technical visual aspects and in its level design and in its mechanics, NORCO knows how to use minimalism and point-and-click to its advantage with creativity and expressiveness, especially in audiovisual aspects, delivering one of the most immersive worlds , fascinating and memorable experiences I've ever experienced in video games. In particular, the text has a sophisticated narrative design, a context well motivated by important social and environmental problems of our time, and one of the best-written scripts of recent times. The debut game from the Geography of Robots studio is a strong candidate to be one of the best indies of the year, in addition to being a must-have title for adventure fans and a general recommendation for those who appreciate good stories in video games.

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May 4, 2022

Although it's a game without much pretensions, Arise: A Simple Story - Definitive Edition could have had more refinement in the narrative construction, as well as more polish and development both from an artistic and gameplay point of view. However, the title by Piccolo Studio has good ideas in its level design, has some beautiful scenes and conveys a beautiful and simple message from its developers, and deserves to be appreciated by fans of platform art games, although they should try it without great expectations.

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May 11, 2022

Even with a conservative concept regarding the classic Brigandine, and also considering that it is a lower-budget project, Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia deserved more polish, especially in the in-game visuals and in several aspects of its gameplay that lead to be problematic and/or limited in much of what it does as both a macro-scale strategy game and a tactical RPG. However, the game has new features in its PC version that increase its replay factor, it has a good musical environment, a good connection between the types of gameplay in GSG and TRPG, and it is above all well written and illustrated. For these reasons, it's a title recommended for fans of the PlayStation classic, fans of high fantasy stories and anyone who wants to experiment with macro-strategic elements in TRPG, as there aren't many titles with this concept.

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May 16, 2022

The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe Edition (Multi) is the kind of game that's simple and easy to play, but complex and tough to review, thanks to its unique concept of game design and the originality and humor-driven insight of its interpretation and evaluation of videogame narrative. However, it's also the kind of game that can be fun and interesting for any kind of player who likes interactive fiction or those who study [the] videogame narrative [possibilities].

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7.5 / 10.0 - A Hero and a Garden
May 19, 2022

Although very rudimentary in its gameplay, as well as too simplistic in its aesthetics, even from the point of view of its simple proposal, A Hero and a Garden is consistent in its main design choices and, above all, has premises well thought out and executed in an elegant, sensitive and delicate way. It's just a shame that even in the narrative, where it's a strong point, it also lacks a greater elaboration of the dialogues, the development of the characters and its world.

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9 / 10.0 - Citizen Sleeper
Jun 2, 2022

The new game from Jump Over the Age is, just like NORCO and Disco Elysium, one of the best-written games in recent years, being a must-play for those who appreciate well-polished text, just as those previously mentioned, mature, thought-provoking sci-fi plot and tabletop RPG mechanics.

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7.5 / 10.0 - The Artful Escape
Jun 15, 2022

Beethoven & Dinosaur's debut game has good inspiration and a lot of personality to be observed from some of the tracks, psychedelic environments and the tone that balances sensibility and good humor in Francis' mad space odyssey. On the other hand, the rhythm and platformer mechanics' development is too simple and unappealing. Character and plot developments do have a few highlights, but it's still too basic, weak and predictable, and even its sound and visual aspects have a few issues. The Artful Escape is recommended for peopel looking for a platform-adventure with unique science fantasy art direction in a musical context. However, it's not recommended if the person would like a platformer with deep mechanics, and even less so for someone looking for a focus on rhythm mechanics.

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Even considering its minimalist intention, Milky Way Prince: The Vampire Star is too simple in some of its visual aspects, such as the backgrounds, and the story could have been a little longer and more polished to better develop characters. Its senses system is interesting and offers a unique experience, but could have been more developed. Generally speaking, the game design is coherent and well made to represent a dysfunctional relationship, giving it strong personality, expression and immersion in a work with dense symbology and psychological themes of great relevance. The title is recommended for fans of experimental and reflective games, especially fans of romance VNs with a focus on psychological aspects.

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Jun 25, 2022

Tactical gameplay is both Symphony of War's strength and weakness. The systems are excellent and interact well with each other, but the level design is unfortunately poor and not very creative. The title, even so, is a great game, recommended for TRPG fans and especially for Fire Emblem fans.

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8.5 / 10.0 - Omori
Jul 15, 2022

OMORI is accessible, has creativity and depth in its narrative design, illustrations with personality and charisma, and a sensitive and well-written cast of characters that brings to life one of the most memorable groups in indie RPGs. The title is recommended for psychological horror lovers with sensitive themes, RPG retrogamers and mother-like fans.

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