The Aurogon Shanghai studio definitely created Afterimage as a work made of a lot of effort and beauty. The intention to produce such a vast and dense metroidvania doesn't always contribute to the game as a whole but it delivers a ton of content to explore, admire and face. Curious players will be rewarded with many discoveries in impressive sceneries, but those who are bothered by backtracking and a lack of direction may be frustrated by the big distances between the spots of Engardin.
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Wild Dogs can be very fun to those who want to face the classic challenge of run and guns and shoot'em ups from past generations. Four-color pixel art isn't my favorite style, but it didn't bother me when I used the right palettes for me among the dozens available. The fun of exploding pixels in various gameplay styles is certainly worth the price, which makes the game recommendable even for those who are not used to the difficulty level of the genre, an issue that can be solved by using the convenient cheat code to increase lives.
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Teslagrad 2 still focuses on the imprecise physics of electromagnetism mechanics, but the structure transition was inconsistent, guiding the player through a short campaign that induces linearity and does not encourage exploring the interconnected world. Fortunately, the Nordic setting, the pleasant visuals, the folk songs and the moments of agility provide a solid identity that results in a good experience, even if it's not impressive.
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Carrion is an unusual experience that seeks to do the most with just the essentials, which makes it somewhat repetitive after a while, when almost all the cards are already on the table. Even though it looks like a labyrinthine metroidvania, the design tends to guide the player linearly so as not to get lost, keeping the gameplay flowing between puzzles and massacres, without much reason to explore on your own. The game's greatest success is in fulfilling its promise of horror by putting the player under the skin of a tentacular monster to devour, grow and evolve into the perfect predator.
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The Bend the Roo'les DLC features five levels with varying mechanics and a demanding new boss, but the recycling of the base game's presentation makes it feel like more of the same in a reduced package when compared to the content of each world of Kao the Kangaroo. It's fun content, perfectly recommendable for those who enjoyed the main campaign and want more Kao and more challenge, but it won't surprise those who expect the expansion to really reinvent the kangaroo.
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Despite presenting more of the same shy gameplay, the adventure of the last human immediately draws attention to the art and delivers what it promises. Itorah approaches games like Ori and the Blind Forest and the recent Afterimage, among others, to represent the sublime of painting and show that metroidvanias do not live only with pixel art.
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Tin Hearts combines puzzle and 3D platforming to create ingenious challenges that will require paying attention to the environment and the resources that can be used. The narrative lacks better pacing and swings between the endearing and the cheesy. Even so, the plot collaborates with the charming setting of toys and systems that need to be set in motion. This mix is enjoyable and thought-provoking, which makes it recommendable to anyone who likes to twist their brain in creative environments.
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Lego 2K Drive lets you drive at full speed leaving a trail of destruction across open worlds and intense race tracks. Despite bringing good ideas to the table, the game keeps many cards hidden in its sleeve, at the cost of Drive Pass and microtransactions. It is possible to have a lot of fun playing the campaign entirely offline, but there is an absence of more content characteristic of the versatility of the LEGO brand, mainly the minifigures, which cannot be customized and are scarce to acquire by playing, but, not without irony, are abundant in the microtransactions.
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Fun and unpretentious like a good adventure cartoon, Bat Boy doesn't intend to reinvent the platform genre, but it takes its inspirations from the right places and adds its own contribution by bringing together sports elements to the combat. It's a charismatic retro game and competent in everything it does, although there was room to explore more intentionally the batting mechanics and techniques of the other sports already presented in the game.
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Toodee and Topdee is an interesting twist that blends two classic platforming perspectives to create clever and enjoyable puzzles. The same adjectives hold true for the story, which gives narrative context with its amusing, metalinguistic dialogue. Most of the time the active participation of the duo is well balanced, although this isn't always the case. I recommend the cooperative mode, but this game can also be fully appreciated by those who will play it solo.
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The constant and dynamic use of fire gives Nocturnal a very satisfying identity. The elegant visuals and the melancholic atmosphere are captivating in their own right, but they don't hold the player's interest when falling into repetition. It doesn't take long to reach the end of the game, which is a shame because what it offers us is well done and leaves very clear the potential to take the world, the combat and the mechanics to further developments, with the certainty that the studio would be capable of good additions. Thus, the title closes its beautifully and competently outlined cycle, albeit more concisely and humbly than it should be.
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Despite being essentially an interactive narrative experience, I feel Dordogne had to embrace the game format to meet its goal of having us inhabit the countryside region, [feeling] the childhood nostalgia, the characters and their relationships. A movie, comic book or some other visual art medium would not represent Mimi walking through an expressive watercolor [environment] made up of colors, lights and memories in such an immersive manner, even if the gameplay interactions here are shallow.
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It is necessary to recognize the merit of such a well-constructed investigation adventure. The Forgotten City has no excesses: all the pieces fit together to form a kind of narrative diorama that we can see from multiple angles until reaching the satisfaction of, like an oracle, understanding the whole of that multifaceted community that was masterfully woven into a network of intertwined wires. Time loops set in motion the hero's continual progress, transforming the vulnerability of ignorance into the power of knowledge to defy fate.
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Layer upon layer, Buddy Simulator 1984 extends its mystery by following the maxim that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. With that, it allows itself to vary by different designs that form an unexpected and gradual evolution to explore the good, the bad and the ugly that there is in friendship. The textual adventure's slow start makes sense within the bigger picture, but it's a relief that the gameplay prefers something more dynamic for the rest of the game. Behind the simplicity, the nonsense, the cuteness and the macabre, a subtle mystery awaits those who want to venture into this fable of an artificial intelligence endowed with human anxieties.
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Viewfinder is a puzzle game that, on the surface, does the genre justice. Starting from a remarkable concept and presented through well thought out mechanics, deep down the game is limited in developing its ideas to more complex and surprising levels. Just like the gameplay, the narrative and visual aesthetics are always pleasant and keep the appeal of quiet fun, but the undeveloped potential is very clear. Even though it's a good game while it lasts, its moderation in exploring its own limits prevents it from being memorable and putting itself alongside the great puzzle titles.
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Gravity Circuit takes inspiration from Mega Man X to create a retro robotic adventure that goes beyond the nostalgic to deliver an exhilarating 2D action platformer with the fluidity suited to a modern audience. The game builds each point competently, from the well-told story to the energetic music and customizable moves to the player's taste.
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The entire identity of Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara is in the charisma emanating from the art and characters that make Mara an archipelago endowed with a community personality, where everyone knows everyone else. It's a lovely piece of work, very well done, with the potential to win the sympathy of anyone who lets himself be carried away by the unpretentious adventure. The gameplay is also light, but in an ambivalent tone; even if the set satisfies as a 3D platformer and is accessible to little ones, the ideas cling to a superficiality that doesn't sail with the same captivating quality as Koa and his pirate friends.
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Simple and creative, Moving Out 2 is a fun evolution on everything its predecessor had to offer. Physics isn't always your friend, but that too is part of the hilarious mess of transporting objects and performing changes in inventive scenarios. The variety of mechanics refreshes the course of the campaign without settling for mere repetition. The mood, however, can be fickle depending on who plays. You can move alone without any problems, but it's best to bring friends to carry sofas and break furniture as a team.
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Modest, beautiful and simply human, Boxville offers a point and click adventure that needs no words to satisfy the puzzle gameplay and emotional connection. The story of a tin can looking for its missing dog takes us on a short walk through the daily life of a handmade city and hits the setting with its beautiful hand-painted art, but that can lead to the frustration of eventually getting stuck in puzzles and compromising the fluidity of progress – a common problem in the genre.
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With well-done writing, dynamic battles, and luxurious pixel art adorned by vivid lighting, Sea of Stars passes the test of being a retro and modern turn-based RPG at once retro. We can still notice some outdated little legacies of the genre, but that doesn't affect the enjoyment of embarking as young heroes to save the world in an epic and witty campaign worthy of the new old days.
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