S. Masoud Kazemi's Reviews
Voidwrought is a simple but fun Metroidvania with rich and amazing lore. Even though the game lacks a certain thread of story to follow and becomes unbalanced halfway through the game, its magical soundtracks and strangely beautiful art style are effective enough to give it a try.
Angry Foot is the most fun game you can play this year. It is fast, funny, punishing, and rewarding all at the same time. It has a great level design, with simple mechanics and a high value of repeatability. There are a few minor technical issues, but it shouldn't stop you from playing this gem of an action game.
Alan Wake II is the reincarnation of art in video games.
Slave Zero X is a fantastic game with fast paced action and combat combined with great gameplay rhythm.
Tomb Raider Remastered I-III is more of an updated version of the main games rather than a fully remastered one. Apart from the new modern control which still struggles to keep up with today's standards, there isn't anything new to the game. While that may be good for the old fans of the series, it will create a struggle for new players and therefore not be able to enjoy some of the best exploration games out there.
The Last Soldier of the Ming Dynasty is a broken game filled with good but unnourished ideas. From the environmental design to simple movement animation seems clunky and unpolished all the way. If the combat of the game wasn't good enough, there wouldn't be much of a reason to keep playing the game.
A complex and dense non-linear story told in one of the best art designs of this year.
The Crackpet Show is a fun game with unique ideas. It is a great choice if you want to take a break from serious games, whether you play solo or with friends. It has a charming comedy to it, and the world of the game matches the gameplay mechanics perfectly. While the game lacks enough charm to get you to play it for countless hours and the aesthetic design of levels could be better, it is still a good experience
Lies of P is the best Soulsborne game that wasn't made by FromSoftware. The gameplay and design of the game are great and have a little signature of their own but the density of inspiration is a bit too much. The steampunk design of the game truly fits with its story and the music helps to convey the mood but I wish the story had more depth.
Blue Wednesday is a unique and heartwarming experience that forgetting it will be an impossible task. The characters, the city, and that lovely music will always stick with the player and those who are in their 20s will share a deep sympathy and empathy with this game.
Sprawl is a fun shooter but don't expect a good story or replayability value in it.
The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood is quite an astonishing visual novel that anyone could experience. There are some mini-games that will break the repetitiveness of a visual novel. On the other hand, the story and characters, especially the topic the game dwells on and the conversation with characters are very profound. And the wonderful music of the game doubles the effect of the story.
Rift Apart is a gorgeous game with great gameplay and fantastic story that suffers from unpolished PC port that results to constant frame drops throughout the game.
Mega City Police is the best game anyone who loves 80s aesthetics could ask for. The design, gameplay, and above all, music is top notch.
Testament is the type of game you play to learn what you should not do when you make a game. Everything about this game is either mediocre at best or absolute broken.
Having a System Shock remake was more of a necessity to experience the lore and story of this game rather than a simple cash grab. Nightdive Studios did a good job of recreating most of the game the same it was with modern standards, especially the combat and UI of the game. While the AI of the game could have been better and the hacking mini-game shorter, it is not something to ruin the experience of the game. The issue that will stand out the most is the pixelated items you can easily see in the game which I hope be fixed with an update.
Lego 2K Drive has everything a family should have. You can play it co-op with friends, families, especially little kids, and have a blast time. The creation part of the game is rich and just wait to see some of the most amazing cars build by the community of Lego in this game. The overall design of race tracks and side missions could have been better, but the part that is weak compared to all other things in the game
The Last Case of Benedict Fox will be a good experience for Lovecraft and detective fans, if they aren't too picky with their games.
Strayed Lights is a decent game with some good ideas but can't use them to their full potential. The gameplay and enemy design will become repetitive after a while, but the narrative design of it is bold and something we don't see often. Strayed Lights isn't the best indie game of this year but it is worth a play if you are looking for something new.
Dredge is the first indie game of 2023 that will surprise you. The overall simplicity of this game will at first deceive you and afterward, you will appreciate this decision and how everything is synchronized with each other. Maybe the quest designs were too simplistic, but the other aspects of the game, especially the music is so good, that you would eventually forget about it.