When I give a game up as a loss, it’s not because of difficulty. Games are open and often brazen about unfair levels of hardness, and I am inherently terrible at games, but still love them. Something being “hard” is not a reason to bounce off or give it an awful score. When I give up on a game, it’s because it’s either boring or broken, and Saga of the Moon Priestess managed to be both.
Yuuna and the Haunted Hot Springs:The Thrilling Steamy Maze Kiwami feels like it’s for fans of the show and not much else. Great voice work, good dungeon design, but distracting amounts of fetishization and silliness, plus the lack of explanation for anything that happened prior to the game’s beginning. If you know and love the source material, this feels like it’ll be a great time for longtime enjoyers. If you’re like me and didn’t know Yuuna and her crew until this moment, you might have a blast, but be warned: the tone is as hot and steamy as you might imagine.
I feel like this is a visual novel anyone, and I mean anyone, can get behind. It’s broken into bite-sized pieces with animations, game mechanics and QTEs that keep you from just clicking through. It’s almost more like a Lucasarts adventure title, if Bobbin Threadbare had to drink just enough to not expose himself as a narc. It’s compelling, it’s raw, and it plays itself as seriously as possible while still having some of the most maddening ideas for a storyline.
The core of what made this game such a legend still exists and thrills me to no end. I wish it was a bit better handled with some extra flair, but I can’t complain that it feels exactly how I want it to be.
The floaty controls and repetitive music aside, I thought this was a decent dip in the metroidvania arena. Fearmonium is a creepy little romp that’s worth a few days of amusement and some further discussion, but it lives and dies by its very notion. If you seek greater meaning of the trauma and horrors, then you’ll remember it far longer. While it might disturb and captivate you in the moment, it could fade when you walk away from your console.
Pinball M is a fantastic package for the price, and the amount of detail that’s gone into the design and care is truly exciting. While I personally don’t care to unlock all the different cosmetics, I appreciate the offerings. The upcoming tournaments and events will keep players engaged for longer times, and I imagine that the cold and dark of the winter will bring in the broodier fans who want something upsettingly fun till the world thaws.
Having said that, 20 Minutes Till Dawn is a solid bit of enjoyment for the player who doesn’t mind a bit more mental investment in a “bullet heaven” title (I don’t love the moniker but it’s what appears to be taking off). Playing around with some of the abilities is fun, mixing and matching weapons is entertaining and the potential for more future content will keep this on my radar. Whether you’re rounding out 2023 or blasting into 2024, there’s no reason fans of the genre shouldn’t give this little slice of darkness a try.
You’ve got something for everyone (art, writing, trivia, music and psychology) and it scales wonderfully for all age ranges. Jackbox has done fantastic, and I highly recommend grabbing this as a party favor to distract and delight whomever you surround yourself with this holiday season.
Tevi didn’t disguise what it was: a 2D exploration game with bullet hell elements. I knew this going in, and I was ready for it. The parts that aren’t boss battles showed me a fun world with some great characters, decent crafting and a light meal of a metroidvania: pleasant to map out but it won’t fill you up.
Born of Bread is all the ingredients of Paper Mario put together in a different construct, and yet there’s something there that just doesn’t gel quite right. If someone had told me it was akin to Bug Fables or Costume Quest, I’d feel differently and mark it higher. But the constant hammering that this is supposed to be akin to the games of the Nintendo 64 and Gamecube makes a high water mark that simply cannot be reached. It’s a lovely title, of that there’s no doubt, but the final product just doesn’t rise to the occasion: it’s just a bit more than half baked.
This was such an unexpected treat. I adore reading in games, even though that feels counterintuitive to the point of video games. Being swept up in visual novels is a passion of mine, so I love when I can get that safe effect elsewhere. Frog Detective is such a silly and genuinely funny read from start to finish that I didn’t even mind that it was in the first person perspective. It’s like Inspector Clouseau and Detective Drebin taught a frog everything they knew and sent him off into the world.
In any case, Alina of the Arena takes some bold steps forward in maintaining the constant of deck-building while injecting plenty of fresh ideas and approaches to the game. It was satisfying, engaging and never left me bored. I didn’t always have the easiest time making choices, but that was part of the thrill, and I appreciate it. Players who love Into the Breach, but wanted a bit more chaos to it should give this a play, and for the rest of us it’s a great exercise in keeping you always surprised by video games.
I was drawn in by the visuals and utterly hooked by the musical scoring, the expansive areas and the implied lore that was further cemented by my own character’s evolution. The combat, when it was good, was SO GOOD and the reason I kept coming back is because I wanted to be as precise and murderous as the game thought I could be. There is no death, no save points, no turning back and no way out but through. You find more, you see more, you fight more and all you want is more. It is a hunger that spawns from the epoch of creation.
As odd a journey as it was, I sincerely enjoyed my time with Amazing Grace – What Color Is Your Attribute. It was quite a feat to craft such an intensely dark plot without ever going fully dark itself. Any talk of arson, kidnapping, or murder happened bloodlessly, without the need to showcase the horrors that befell someone (looking at you, Higurashi). It’s cute, sweet and full of moments of absolute humanistic connection while also intermingling chaos, amusement and serious questions regarding the evolution of society.
Personally, I really WarioWare: Move It and think it’s the best of the console-exclusive WarioWare titles. It’s visually pleasing and poppy, with plenty of voicework and excellent art moments of hilarity to keep young and old giggling.
Fashion Dreamer is an extreme version of Paper Dolls with the added bonus of a never ending parade of additional playmates. If you have the time and the resolve, you have a fascinating, perpetually positive world of fashion, creativity and interactions. In that realm, it has endless possibilities, and that’s going to be great for some. But, if you’re hoping for a reason behind it all – a story, a goal, something besides “because it’s there” – then this is one trend that we simply won’t be joining.
Players will have a blast with this fully formed deckbuilder, both in terms of replay and strategy, not to mention incredible load times. Here’s to hoping that makaroll adds some Steam overlay and achievements in the future, because it’s too grand a game not to flex when you truly get into the haunting and compelling storyline.
Getting from point A to B in Chemically Bonded takes only the effort of reading and little else. There’s a few endings but all can be achieved rather easily. It’s a contained universe that doesn’t feel like it merits sequels, but who knows, maybe more might be on the way? The glimpse of Ceri and the art style makes me feel like there’s potential for more from ds-sans, but I hope they swing for the fences next time.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder is easily the best new 2D Mario in a very long time, and it’s really fighting for my number one or two spot. Recency bias has it going head to head with older titles, but that’s the great part: you don’t have to decide. Each game brings something to the table, and Wonder’s new everything – enemies, power ups, level design – keeps it brimming with potential all the way to the very end.
For a couple of bucks, Suika Game is a cute little distraction that you might get wildly addicted to or you may just run through twice and then forget about. The online high score list shows that the competition is real, so know what you’re getting into before considering streaming. There aren’t any glitches or bugs, so, honestly, the polish makes it worth the price tag, even if there’s a high chance you’ll just let this game rot in your refrigerator after the initial excitement fades away.