Originally conceived as a spin-off, and spending just 6 months in development, Like a Dragon Gaiden could well have found itself sitting among the series’ more forgettable entries. To the contrary, though, Ryu Ga Gotoku seemed determined not to let this happen. Instead filling Gaiden to the brim with things to see and do, mini-games large and small, a meaningful narrative, and even a brand-new combat style. While it doesn’t tear up the playbook of what to expect from a Like a Dragon game, it does everything you’d expect it to do extremely well. It even finds room for a couple of welcome new additions in the Agent gadgets and engaging Castle setting. It is clearly meant to serve as a stop-gap before the imminent arrival of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth in January 2024. But Gaiden does more than enough to appease fans old and new, filling in some crucial blanks for the series’ often convoluted narrative, and serving as a great swansong for Kazuma Kiryu. The Like a Dragon series continues to ride the crest of a wave at the moment, and all eyes will now be on Infinite Wealth as it looks to continue this trend.
All things considered, Achilles: Legends Untold is by no means a bad game. It ticks a lot of the boxes you’d look for in a soulslike, with robust combat, a cool world to explore, and challenging bosses. The issue is the repetitive nature of the game. After a while, each dungeon will look the same. Each combat encounter will feel slow and methodical. While the handful of enemy types on offer will wear extremely thin. The game also suffers from a bit of an identity crisis. It isn’t quite sure if it wants to be a Diablo-style looter/ dungeon crawler, or an isometric soulslike. The result is it ends up being a little of both, without doing either particularly well. That being said, developer Darkpoint Games deserves praise for showing an impressive amount of affection for the source material. Fans of Ancient Greek mythology, as well as Diablo or soulslikes, could do a lot worse than checking this game out. Just don’t expect much innovation.
For a game that so blatantly copies its source material, Lies of P does a surprisingly good job differentiating itself. What, at first glance, appears to be a modern Bloodborne clone, quickly becomes something much more nuanced. It takes the art style of Bloodborne, the combat of Sekiro, and the fascinating source material, mixing them all together to provide a unique offering. An undercurrent of stylistic flair is present throughout the entire game and is extremely evident right from the off. This genre is no stranger to failure, in more ways than one. But Lies of P does more than enough to find itself among the upper echelons of Soulslikes that have been crafted from the now-infamous FromSoftware mould. While the game does begin to run out of steam during its final hours, this takes nothing away from the overall experience. For a developer with no previous experience making this sort of game, Neowiz deserves a huge amount of credit for pulling off such a well-rounded and polished game. Make no mistake, Lies of P delivers on almost every level and is well worth checking out. Just don’t expect an easy ride.
Square Enix deserves kudos for not being afraid to make such big changes. That being said, for all of its grand spectacle and bombastic Eikon battles, Final Fantasy XVI turns its back on many of the themes and mechanics that brought it to the table in the first place. Whether this decision was right or wrong is debatable. Fans who have grown up with the series are entitled to feel more than a little disappointed though. Ultimately, much of what many love about this series has been mercilessly swept aside in Square Enix’s attempt to attract a bigger audience.
Ultimately, the main reason people play video games is to have fun. And Kao The Kangaroo delivers this in abundance. There is a fine line between taking inspiration from something, and just plain copying something. Kao The Kangaroo walks this line very precariously, and a couple of times it does verge on copying. Particularly collecting the letters K-A-O in each level, and the chase segments where Kao is running away from something towards the camera, have pretty much been lifted straight from other platformers (Donkey Kong and Crash Bandicoot, respectively). Despite the lack of originality though, Tate Multimedia have successfully created an extremely well-rounded platformer. Ticking all of the main boxes for visuals, gameplay, and aesthetics, it’s a slick, modern take on a beloved genre. If you’re willing to overlook a bland protagonist and a forgettable cast of characters, you will find a lot to love about Kao The Kangaroo.
For a developer’s maiden title, Dolmen is a really ambitious project. In some places, it works. The boss encounters are the high point and for Soulslike addicts, they alone are probably enough reason to check the game out. There are, however, some glaring issues that prevent this game from getting anywhere near the heights of a Dark Souls, or even a Nioh. Poor enemy and level design, lack of visual or audial atmosphere, and a story that doesn’t engage the player. The list goes on. On balance, the bad probably slightly outweighs the good. Too much emphasis was placed on difficulty, without ensuring there was enough meat on the bone in other areas of the game. However, for Soulslike fans, there is certainly enough here to warrant a look, especially at its launch price point. The raw difficulty, and the tough, engaging boss encounters, provide more than an ample challenge for those looking for their next fix in this post-Elden Ring world.
The finale of the campaign is undoubtedly one of the high points. A couple of near-end frantic and action packed segments reveal more twists and revelations than a rerun of a Jerry Springer episode. After the credits roll in Stranger of Paradise, you are treated to a fun endgame that has the potential to be entertaining, and even better, the game’s co-op feature allows you to buddy up with 2 of your pals for some friendly monster slaying. The problem is though, that getting to the finale may well prove too difficult for some. Not because of the game’s actual difficulty, but because of the string of huge issues that litter the game. The graphics, the characters, the dialogue, the inconsistency amongst levels and boss design. You could literally spin a roulette wheel with all of these things on it, and whichever one the needle lands on has the potential to make this game very tough to play through. Given the pedigree of both Final Fantasy and Team Ninja as developers, it is incredibly disappointing that this game fell so short of expectations. The combat is super fun throughout, and the story concludes very cleverly, but these things are dwarfed in comparison to all of the issues Stranger of Paradise presents us with.
When I look back on my time with Elden Ring, it will be remembered extremely fondly. The genius minds over at FromSoftware have actually outdone themselves here. A project so bold in scope and ambition does not really have the right to deliver on its promises. Yet, despite a couple of minor inconveniences, that is exactly what Elden Ring does. A new bar has been set for the open-world genre, and everyone else has been forced to sit up and take notice. If you haven’t been a fan of FromSoftware’s previous titles, you are unlikely to have your mind changed here. But for everyone else, either veterans of the Souls series or newcomers who have never tried these games, you absolutely owe it to yourselves to experience this game.
Without a doubt, Whalefood Games, which impressively consists of just the creator Jonah Wallerstein, created a really fun, enjoyable game here. It is perfect for groups of friends to kick back and enjoy playing together while getting competitive and providing some real laughs along the way. While it definitely has a limited shelf life, your time spent with Kung Fu Kickball will be remembered fondly. You’ll no doubt keep it stored away for parties when you can prove you’re the best once again!