Still, it’s cute, it’s really chill compared to many games of this ilk, and it’s properly housed. Children won’t be spending extra money on it, and they can put it down at any time with no consequences that aren’t positive. Pretty Princess Magical Garden Island isn’t the game for me, but, if it’s down to this or Tom Nook breathing down my neck over bells, I’m putting on my ball gown and going fishing.
Let players who enjoy the indies find this game and have a good weekend with it. Let people who backed it on Kickstarter sing its praises and argue with other fans about who the real villain is. Let it exist in the same realm where I still hold Robotrek as one of my favorite RPGs ever. But, for me, Bat Boy has taken its last swing.
Mato Anomalies is relatively short, looks good but not amazing, and loads like I just caught it sneaking in after curfew and asked what it was doing. The voice work is okay but not fantastic, combat is good, card game is awful. It’s just a bit of everything but not enough of something, if that makes sense.
Personally, I might revisit Pronty at some point in the future, but it simply won’t bubble to the front of 2023 as the forerunner for what game I would want to play. It’s classy, it’s structurally sound, but I feel like I’ve been down this road several times and it doesn’t have anything that sticks out as a “one more time” moment. Perhaps others will enjoy their voyage under the sea, but I had to surface, pronto.
So treat it as such. I don’t think there’s anything horrifically bad about the game, but there’s nothing here that’ll make me fire it back up in a year or so. If you want an entertaining action metroidvania, and you have already ticked some other boxes, come and pick up this interesting yet forgettable journey. Otherwise, you may need to hire a totally different mercenary to do the job.
This feels like a game that really speaks to people who were in the sweet spot for certain points of the release window. If you played this on the DS as a younger person, it’s great to revisit it. If you really enjoy Front Mission titles and want to appreciate the first game, it’s perfect. If you’re an absolute turn-based, grid based, isometric combat beast and can’t wait for the Final Fantasy Tactics remake, this scratches some itches, though in a lesser way. It’s fun, it’s comprehensive, but it’s just not…great.
But I also recognize that players can and will enjoy this challenge and get a few hours of enjoyment out of the full game, much as I did. So I say this: if you see the raccoon on the longboard and think “I love where this is going,” then come on the journey. I’ve spent far more and played far less, so let’s groove together. If you’re hesitant, just roll on by. Tanuki’s living his best life, you should too.
It isn’t going to prepare you for diving into Europa Universalis: if anything, it might make those big games feel even bigger coming from such a small pond with very same-ish maps and layouts. But it might let you see if you’ve got a taste for the run, and, if so, this is an inexpensive starting point, both in actual price tag and time investment. As for people like me who long for the simpler days, this could be the next great pocket game to keep around for a turn or two of research, raids and risky alliances.
While things like Amnesia: Later x Crowd aren’t for everyone, it’s a really, really great treat for certain people, and I love that they can access this without needing to import and learn Japanese. I hope this sets a pace and a tone for even more Japan exclusives to finally cross the ocean as the Nintendo Switch juggernauts onward.
Basically, if you have a handful of friends who also love Rifftrax, this is a home run, no question about it. It plays to the audience it wants to attract, and that’s all we can ask. If, though, you are less familiar with the branding and the concept, then it can get flat pretty quickly, so keep that in mind before purchasing. Still, I’ll be running this a bit more to see how deep the references go. I wonder if Torgo will make an appearance…
Samurai Bringer is amazingly unforgiving while still being so accessible, and its frustration is matched only by its charm and variety. I would recommend this game for roguelite enthusiasts who want a bit more meat on the bones in terms of play and education. Definitely put aside some time to ferret out this game as a whole before making a decision, because there’s simply no quickly dipping in and out.
If you sincerely want to play the original, go get the original: it’s free, and it aligns with your memory significantly better. If you want to force a game on your kids because “I played this as a child!”, then get Chex Quest HD and be prepared to apologize later. But if you or a family member are curious as to what the hell caused this to be unleashed upon the world, then buckle up and dive in: it’s about to get soggy.
All those laurel wreaths of indie accolades mean nothing in the full scope of it all, because it’s only based off of seeing the end result and playing a portion of the game. Though the total playtime is less than three hours, it could be as little as 90 minutes if the execution was more humane and player-focused instead of posture-based. It’s a damn shame, and I’m sad that it took a beautiful concept and delivered it in the most minor key possible.
As much as Popslinger ticks all the boxes for me – great setup, banging soundtrack, beautiful aesthetics – it just isn’t fun. It turned from a game into a chore, one where I felt obligated to try and go further and see more to justify where I was. I think, with some gameplay tweaks, this could be a really successful game. As it stands, however, Popslinger just doesn’t hit the high notes and leaves the player feeling pretty flat.
Outside of that all, Please Leave Me Alone, I Need to Poop is a short joke, not overpriced or overstaying its welcome, but is decidedly hard to motivate players into unlocking everything.
Overall, I think Stitch is an ultra quaint title that oozes warmth and welcome in gameplay and visual presentation, and is just such a decompression tool after a long day doing literally anything. It gives me such joy and relaxation to bring together the numbers and colors until I’ve made a bicycle or a nutcracker or whatever. I’ll do Christmas puzzles in April, it’s fine and the game doesn’t judge me. Unlock more and more pieces, don’t wait for power ups or villains because there are none, and just keep making yourself happy.
The Gap doesn’t drop breadcrumbs to lead players to the end, it uses megaphones to scream answers at you while also keeping you completely in the dark. It’s like if Verbal had started his conversation with “I’m Keyser Soze” but then been frustratingly vague about what he was doing on the day in question. The result is something that’s an interesting and big swing in the world of game storytelling, but it only gets a piece of the ball: it doesn’t connect enough for a homerun.
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.
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.
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.