Soul Hackers 2 feels like a culmination of everything Atlus learned from previous iterations of its games. It's beginner friendly enough for newcomers to join but also brings just enough challenge to entice veterans of the series. It leaves a unique mark with some genuinely creative mechanics while retaining core elements of Persona and Shin Megami Tensei, but is bogged down by some poor design choices. Painted in a fresh neon coat of cyberpunk and drenched in a deeply wrapped narrative, Soul Hackers 2 still deserves the attention of any JRPG fan.
Very few indie games have quantity and quality that can match those of triple A titles, but Asterigos: Curse of the Stars definitely makes the cut. This is an outstanding first project from Acme Gamestudio and I can't wait to see what's next for them. What you'll find here is a polished narrative-driven Souls-like adventure held back only by some frustrating design choices.
It's not everyday you see a refreshing approach on the Souls-like genre, especially one that doesn't take itself too seriously. The Last Hero of Nostalgaia does just that, putting you into the pixelated boots of a bundle of sticks on a mission to restore the entire world of video games. Developer Over The Moon does a fantastic job wrapping what we all know and love about Dark Souls with a layer of satirical flare and video game history. If you can get past some frustrating design choices and janky keyboard controls, then you're in for a nostalgic treat.
rose-engine has created a heartfelt love letter to retro classic survival horror titles with their debut project Signalis. Despite some frustrations, it conjures up a tense experience from start to finish with its compelling narrative, immaculate atmosphere, and beautiful pixel art.
If for whatever reason you skipped out on the initial Meta Quest 2 release of The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners - Chapter 2: Retribution, then the PS VR2 version is definitely the way to go. While Chapter 2 doesn't reinvent the wheel or present a full-fledged sequel, Skydance Interactive has still provided enough polish and content to the experience to warrant a revisit to post-apocalyptic New Orleans.
Back 4 Blood is a worthy successor to the Left 4 Dead franchise. It maintains the fundamentals of what made the original so addictive and satisfying while adding its own little flair with the rogue-like deck building system. What holds Back 4 Blood from getting a better score is its high price tag and lack of solo play progression.
While the Just Dance series reek of a yearly subscription based model, it still is a lot of fun, especially with the bops released in the year to date. Can't beat dancing to your hearts content with your friends and family in this wholesome and colorful game.
I didn't know what to expect with Ghostwire: Tokyo at first. It uniquely meshes aspects of horror and action with the deep mythos of Japanese folklore. The game absolutely crushes it in terms of visual and technical performance, utilizing every feature of next-gen on the PlayStation 5. However, its disappointing narrative and repetitive open world features hold it back from being truly amazing.
Salt and Sacrifice to Salt and Sanctuary is like Dark Souls 2 to Dark Souls 1. It diverges a lot from the original, with some ideas that work well and some that don't. All in all, it's still an excellent 2-D Souls-like Metroidvania that brilliantly infuses Monster Hunter elements with challenging combat. Despite some poor design choices and questionable difficulty spikes, it's still astonishing to think this game was created by a team of just two people.
If you enjoy modern Resident Evil titles such as Resident Evil 7 and Village, then you will feel right at home with Fobia - St. Dinfna Hotel. It's an obvious love letter to the franchise that contains plenty of lore, mystery, horror, and puzzles. Unfortunately, the janky controls take away from what otherwise is an indie game with lots of heart and promise.
Thymesia is a game that I expected to flop so hard given my initial impressions of the demo. But I am happy to say that the full release is much more polished and fleshed out thanks to OverBorder Studio diligently taking in the feedback of the players. Out of a sea of Soulsborne clones, it exudes just enough flavor to stand out thanks to the aggressive combat loop, robust plague weapon system, and dual health mechanic. Still, the two parry options, which require near perfect timing yet give little to no reward, need a complete rework. But hey, it's a janky and clunky love letter to its big brother Bloodborne.
The Callisto Protocol is a gorgeous and gory science fiction horror experience that lives up to its big brother Dead Space in many ways, but fails to do so in others. The high production value, stellar cast of characters, top notch audio and visual design, and an excellent mix of adrenaline pumping action and terrifying horror are all overshadowed by a frustratingly designed dodge mechanic.
It's truly a blessing that Thunderful Games has brought Wavetale over to all modern platforms after Google put Stadia in the tomb. Wavetale tells a heartfelt narrative filled with beautiful visuals and a soothing soundtrack in an open world experience that's short and sweet.
It ultimately feels like a missed opportunity that Atlus didn't combine the features of both FES and Portable to create an official definitive version of Persona 3. Nonetheless, bringing Persona 3 Portable onto pretty much all modern platforms is appreciated, as the game maintains its charm despite its age. However, it's a little hard recommending this specific title to newer fans of the series especially with 5 Royal and 4 Golden already out there, as Portable suffers from some outdated design choices and cut corners. The soundtrack still slaps though.
It's without a doubt that Wanted: Dead is oozing with style and glamor thanks to its immaculate art direction and addictive hybrid combat system. The cherries on top are the included shmup, claw machine, and karaoke minigames that simply add more drip to the overall experience.We don't get enough games like these nowadays and I'm all for it. Unfortunately, there's just a ton of technical performance issues at launch that need to be addressed immediately.
Sure, Super Alloy Ranger isn’t breaking the mold of 2D action platformers, but Alloy Mushroom manages to perfectly capture the essence of what made old-school classics feel, look, and play great. Not to mention how affordable and humble the asking price is at $9.99. There’s a ton of replayability here, with two characters to play and master, secrets and collectables to find, and plenty of stages to perfect. If you’re a fan of Mega Man games or someone who appreciates gorgeous pixel art, this is a no-brainer purchase for you.
Supermassive Games successfully concludes the first season of The Dark Pictures Anthology on a thundering note. Powerful performances from a diverse cast of characters and an extremely interesting premise based off of real-life serial killer H.H. Holmes allows The Devil In Me to outshine its predecessors in just about every way. Sure it’s got nothing to do with the supernatural, but a Saw-inspired murder house with a twisted mastermind behind it does more than enough to induce fear and tension.
It’s without a doubt that Romancing SaGa -Minstrel Song- Remastered comes with very little hand-holding and a steep learning curve that may be off putting in today’s limelight. However, its unique approach to non-linear gameplay and storytelling, in addition to its impeccable art direction and soundtrack, combine to create an exceptional adventure. Akitoshi Kawazu has truly created an unforgettable experience that only the most dedicated and patient players can fully appreciate. Set at a more than reasonable price point and filled to the brim with original and new content, Minstrel Song Remastered is welcoming you with open arms to explore the world of Mardias.
Mundfish has managed to capture the thrill of over-the-top action taking full advantage of Atomic Heart’s 1950s setting and insane narrative. Every moment of gameplay is packed with tense combat against haywire animatronics. Still, all the heavy metal shredding in the world isn’t enough to save the experience from its extremely poor user interface design and lack of basic accessibility features.
The team at Omega Force have done a commendable job with Wild Hearts, as it does just enough to stand out from the Monster Hunter games that Capcom has created. This ambitious project boasts a beautiful high fantasy feudal Japan setting and an intuitive and game-changing Karakuri building mechanic. However, the high cost of entry and performance issues hold it back from being truly captivating.