Victor Vitório's Reviews
Resident Evil Requiem brings a lot of familiarity, but also dynamism by embodying in the newcomer Grace and the veteran Leon two different approaches in one campaign, alternating between the fear of survival horror and the empowerment that invites us to engage in direct and confident action. These two distinct facets are already known, but together they form a whole worthy of both resuming the main story of the series and serving as a viable entry point.
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ChromaGun 2: Dye Hard uses simple magnetic color mechanics to create puzzles that, while not impressive, at least maintain interest. The same goes for its satirical story about labor relations, in which we play as a tester trapped in a leonine contract of dangerous experiments and are guided by the very well-voiced sadistic bosses. For those who have trouble visualizing the colors, there is an accessibility option that uses symbols on the puzzle objects.
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Super Bomberman Collection offers plenty of simple, straightforward fun, whether for a solo player, two players in the campaign, or even four in competitive battles. It features five classic games with useful quality-of-life tools, all beautifully packaged in an impeccable presentation that showcases their history with plenty of extra content, including two NES games as bonuses.
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With captivating pixel art and a world full of paths and secrets, Under the Island succeeds in building a great sense of exploration and manages to give the player the freedom to discover things on their own without leaving them lost, providing plenty of help for those who need it. It's a competent, charismatic, and fun Zelda-like, but it may disappoint those looking for exciting combat.
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Lil Gator Game: Gator of the Year Edition offers in one package the charismatic main campaign and the In the Dark DLC. Even though the expansion doesn't bring significant changes to the gameplay, it doubles the playtime while maintaining the same playfulness of an epic make-believe play, takes us to an entirely new region, and increases the repertoire of movements with great agility, further transforming that world into a huge and lively playground.
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Combining ingenious ideas with practical simplicity, Lovish has dozens of short stages that need to be played multiple times to uncover their various secrets. The vibrant music, the cynical comedy of playing as a petty knight, and the many references to the video games universe add extra charm to an adventure that is charismatic, silly, and will appeal to fans of retro action platformers.
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As the second Christmas title in the series, Hidden Cats in Christmas has different settings from its predecessor's and expands to all the scenes the mechanic of gradually coloring the completed sections. This has an ambivalent effect: it can be helpful in difficult moments, but it also ends up making the game too easy overall. In the end, Nukearts maintains the standard we already know and delivers another fun, relaxing, and well-made example in the unpretentious world of hidden cat games.
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Big Hops is a welcome addition to the 3D platforming genre, taking us on a long, cartoonish adventure with creative mechanics, tools for traversal and entertaining narrative. The overall experience offers a pleasant level of freedom and experimentation, making it accessible to the general public and appealing to speedrunners.
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Even though a high level of challenge is part of the essence of MIO: Memories in Orbit, there's much more to it than just that: some of the most beautiful visuals in games of this type, excellent world design, secret locations that demand keen attention, a well-built setting, and exciting boss fights to face. However, even if the ambition to create a punishing experience may be consistent with the narrative context, it ends up posing a potential obstacle to enjoying all the other great features this game has to offer.
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Without direct combat, Auridia focuses all its efforts on exploration, platforming, and Lovecraftian-inspired narrative. The result is a game that excels in cohesion, without any dead weight or loose end. Everything in it has its place and fits perfectly, a sense of unity and fluidity that is greatly enhanced by movement mechanics, such as the rope, obtained early on. A true unassuming surprise that reveals itself to be a hidden gem full of bright colors amidst the surrounding darkness.
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Zexion is an exemplary case of genre maturity. Made by a single person, this Metroidvania draws inspiration from the early 8-bit era in several aspects, such as aesthetics, level of challenge, and the confidence that letting the player find their way is an important part of exploration. Behind all this, however, lies a refined body of knowledge about how an adventure of this type should be put together, how to turn boss fights into spectacular action sequences, and how the modern experience is enriched by giving its audience options for adjustments to suit their different needs.
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Now it's the cats' turn to hide in Turkey. Hidden Cats in Istanbul travels to the border between Europe and Asia in another edition with hundreds of hidden cats to find in eight scenarios - an experience that, however simple and casual it may be, is well executed and relaxing.
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In Skate Story, the journey through the Underworld has contrasting highs and lows: the many segments of intense speed, psychedelic scenarios, contagious music, and surreal poetic narrative are interrupted by alternating moments of monotonous exploration, banal eccentric comedy, and the frequent disruption of the flow due to any little stumble by the fragile glass skater.
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Randomice does a good job of gradually deepening the chaos of randomness in this fast-paced and hilarious Metroidvania. Sooner or later, the loop-based campaign through a scrambled house can get tiring, but the great nonsense charisma of the characters, dialogues, and music, along with the mind-puzzling confusion, sustain all the fun we need from a game like this.
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With a short but engaging interactive narrative, the four-hour campaign of The Berlin Apartment showcases a century of transformations in the namesake city. The journey through time in Berlin is seen through the windows of an apartment and reflected in the lives of the people who inhabited it. There are many details to contemplate and some creative interaction mechanics that enrich its stories, although the superficiality of others leave something to be desired.
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Possessor(s) has attractive visuals and a well-presented story, but is hampered by its Metroidvania structure, which doesn't offer enough rewarding exploration to justify itself. The uninteresting exploration and the fast-paced but unvaried combat prevent the game from standing out in the crowded action-platformer genre, making it recommendable only to those who appreciate the aesthetics and theme of a race of demons.
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Lone Fungus: Melody of Spores is a Metroidvania that packs a lot of content and secrets into a very well-planned adventure. The art direction and the brevity of the ten-hour campaign aren't impressive, but they don't detract from the elegance of this greatly designed world and the wealth of quality-of-life options it offers.
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At first glance, Gigasword might seem like just another retro-style Metroidvania, but the way it integrates the greatsword with exploration and puzzle mechanics makes the experience stand out on its own. The combat isn't thrilling, but the well-done audiovisuals and world-building efforts help make the adventure worthwhile.
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Windswept goes literal in its inspiration from Donkey Kong Country, offering a platforming adventure very similar to those in the classic trilogy. The difficulty is high, and repeating certain sections over and over is frustrating, but the accessibility options ensure that no one is prevented from progressing in the game. Even if it doesn't do anything to stand out, it's good fun for those who enjoy retro mascot platformers.
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Hidden Cats in Rio de Janeiro consistently maintains both the quality of the series and the unpretentious tendency of the hidden cats game genre. It's a lovely well-made and fun pastime, quite engaging in its detailed scenes and references that, for the most part, serve not only to represent the city of the title, but also various aspects of our Brazil.
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