It's a mystery on whether you can deem it a positive or a negative that if you were to take away its meager narrative implications, Exo One would still be the exact same game.
Even in the context of notably high-quality "short" games of this year, ElecHead's three-to-four run-time and sparse replayability may look like it doesn't do the game any favors in convincing you this is a run-time to bother investing in.
Despite its missed opportunities and ideas that don't gel with the core gameplay, developer Fabraz's foray into three-dimensional platforming remains a fun-if-flawed hearkening to the genre's glory days.
The weak attempt at narration or storytelling on the basis of its animation may be off-putting, but toss its lacking narration (and hard-to-hear audio) to the side and what you're left with is a puzzle game with a charming-enough gimmick that's just as much about substance as it is style.
While the daily ongoings of Rainy Woods and its surrounding environment can rustle up a brief oddity or two, Swery and co's latest round of eccentric antics with The Good Life sadly doesn't go far enough in its set-up to feel all that compelling.
For as long as the Metroid series has existed in both 2D and 3D planes, it has long been held that Retro Studios are the only team outside of Nintendo to have approached Metroid with such admirable care and passion for the series, while at the same time understanding how best to build on the foundation.
The idea that ACE Team's less-appealing efforts are those that feel too conformed to expectation best surmises why The Eternal Cylinder is as successful a new IP for the Chilean studio as it is.
Coming away from any title in the Yakuza universe, to remark glowingly about its story and all the many characters and spots of exposition that entails, has become somewhat of a given.
Arguably one of the original Aragami's greatest strengths, it's nice to see Lince Works broaden the scope of their level design.
On the surface, Recompile might look and sound like an interesting, potentially unique, proposal.