Unholy started on the right foot with a setup that wasn’t too far from contemporary horror movies, but you’ll be better off waiting for the release of Silent Hill 2 Remake. The predictable descent into madness wasn’t entirely successful, as the netherworld is little more than your average city in ruins and an excuse to add broken stealth elements into what could have been an accomplished narrative-driven mystery. This is a game that works better when it isn’t trying to tick boxes left and right, but once you step foot into the Eternal City, it drags at snail's pace and rewards you with recurrent death and frustration. A mother’s struggle it may be, but making it a player’s struggle as well isn’t exactly what horror games should do.
When your dwarf is filled with joy and bursts into singing while mining, a little of The Lord of the Rings atmosphere springs to life. Exploring some areas without any care in the world is another moment when the game feels enticing and hints at the sandbox gameplay that could have been. But suddenly, you are reminded that the whole place is a procedurally generated mess with barely any memorable locations, combat is dull and flawed, mining is extremely limited, and the repetitive walks to the base with the goal of storing your recent loot become tiresome. Return to Moria is one for diehard fans only, and even those have to consider just how passionate they are about dwarves and survival in dark places.
Ultimately, the battles in Crown Wars: The Black Prince end up being extremely long, somewhat dull, and worrisome due to some of the issues described above. It’s not necessarily a bad game and the gameplay loop can be interesting if you stick to it, but it lacks polish and fine-tuning, resulting in a flawed offering that will quickly make fans of the genre start looking elsewhere for better alternatives.
In terms of visual direction, EvilVEvil is a bit rough on the edges. First impressions are quite mediocre, warehouse level looking like something out of the early 2000s, and the looks only improve slightly as you move into the city streets and begin realizing that the art and the areas have a certain flair to them and are not that bad. But there’s no going past the fact that enemy models – and your very own playable vampires – are extremely rough, the UI is crude, and it could have done with some more time in the oven… or the coffin, in this case.
The original System Shock was a classic but also a niche game that never achieved commercial success; this remake highlights the niche aspect but will forgo the classic label. It may entice players who want to see how this updated version looks and plays, and while there’s some considerable tension to be had while going down narrow and dim lit corridors, the fun of being lost in maze after maze wears out quickly, especially when you’re doing the umpteenth scan through the map looking for whatever card or switch you have missed. At this rate, SHODAN is likely going to conquer both Citadel Station and Earth, as frustrating her plans is precisely that – frustrating.
Minecraft Legends isn’t a bad game; the issue is that it doesn’t excel at any of the genres that it attempts to tackle. In terms of construction, it doesn’t hold a candle to the possibilities of the original, and to be fair that isn’t quite the aim here – still, it could do a lot more than it currently does; as a tactical warfare game, it’s a simplistic and yet occasionally convoluted take offering slim options to engage in deep and meaningful combat, instead ruling by numbers and basic unit expertise that won’t get your commander juices flowing. Conqueror’s Blade is one of countless examples that perform this art of war in superior ways, balancing complexity with fun in a rewarding way. Too shallow for players looking for a challenge and too complicated for younger players, creativity is mostly absent in this spin-off. Minecraft Legends may retain some of its original blocky charm, but the fun aspect was lost somewhere along the way, being replaced by repetitive gameplay and frustrating unit control woes.
Creating something innovative is a massive gamble, and God of Rock is trying to achieve something like that, but it sadly falls short. Some strange design decisions and a gameplay style that doesn’t really excel at any of the genres make this one an honorable but ultimately lacking effort – this isn’t quite the new challenger we were hoping for.
With a truly accomplished pixel art style and a noir vibe that gets under your skin, Hell is Others is a compelling loot shooter that shows its flaws when multiplayer starts to take preponderance over solo play. It’s a shame that the brilliant concept is dragged down by something so inherently tied to its core gameplay that it’s impossible to dissociate, but if you persist and overcome the early and frustratingly unbalanced player versus player battles, this is a bloody gem that deserves several excursions to this cursed city.
The First Descendant is a solid looter shooter with some exciting moments that falls into repetition due to its grind, something that is somewhat expected but still tiresome. It could easily be a premium title if the monetization had been worked out in other ways, so now we have a free-to-play game that offers many hours of entertainment, but that could also potentially outstay its welcome faster than it should. It looks terrific at times, with good character design and some interesting bosses, although the downside is that it can often be another one of those advocates for the “grey and dull” environments. Gunplay feels fast and enjoyable, but grind and monetization may end up being the factor that will keep it from ascending to the next level.
King Arthur: Legion IX doesn’t represent a true step forward from King Arthur: Knight’s Tale, and in some regards it’s even a simplified version of said game. The value for those who own the first one is debatable, but if they are looking for more of the same, this is a good option although it may disappoint in some aspects; on the other hand, new players may get more enjoyment from this tactical game, assuming they are looking for a challenge and aren’t bothered by the lack of playable characters or the middling writing.
Fans of survival MMOs should get their share of resource gathering, combat, and building in Once Human. For a free-to-play game, it offers quite an impressive playtime to enjoy without any constrictions, and the production values are quite good overall. It can be a riot for solo players for some long hours but it gets more enjoyable in a group, and the issues that be aren’t enough to deter any player who is having fun with it. Give it a shot and the most you can lose is the time it took you to install it and play for a while.
If you’re not a die-hard fan of the series, waiting for the server issues to be fully resolved is the best step to take right now. When that is in the past, you may dive into these initially confusing but eventually rewarding heists, knowing that the Infamy system is a stone in your shoe, but cooperating with other like-minded players is an offer you may not want to refuse…in due time.
As a straight-up shooter, Exoprimal comes with competent mechanics and polish, even if a feeling of sameness ends up as the predominant factor after a few hours of play. There’s something here to spark interest among the most competitive players, but it doesn’t feel like Exoprimal is a multiplayer game made for the ages, same as the creatures that were brought from the past to serve as the enemies in here.
Arcadegeddon is tight and very playable, the neon-drenched visuals are cool and stylish, assuming you’re open-minded about all the garish colors and epilepsy-inducing explosions, and it has enough weapon options and character customization to experiment with. But as hours pass, a certain feeling of sameness inevitably starts to creep in. The runs begin to feel dull, the enemy variety isn’t stellar, and all those edgy characters start to blend and look the same.
There’s some undeniable fun to be had if you can look past the hit collision issues, or the lack of proprietary support for online coop. The roguelite elements are interesting but don’t feel essential in any sense, almost as if a mandatory box to tick and tickle the fancy of some fans. As a throwback to one of the all-time brawler greats, Double Dragon Gaiden is competent, but doesn’t really pack the punch that the series deserves.
Like a Dragon Gaiden is a solid and quite unexpected addition to the franchise, filling in the gaps and giving fans more to muse over before embarking on the next chapter, of which you have a demo available in this game. It’s a worthy companion to past games, bolstered by a substantial narrative focus and combat that remains gripping and fun, although the Agent style may be more of a bullet point than an actual absorbing addition.
If you’re a fan of slow-paced, story-driven games, this is a good place to be, with robots small and large, friend and foe waiting for your arrival, and quite a few landscapes to explore and instill a certain sense of dread, even if the layout design is excessively on the inflexible side. The Invincible may not mark a leap for the genre, but it is a well-rounded and interesting step for walking simulators.
For reasons surely tied to design and layout, Gunbrella doesn’t always feature a fully scrolling map, being instead divided into some small sections where you must reach the edge of the screen to move to the next area, and segments where the screen smoothly moves along according to your character, such as one very hectic train ride. The latter makes for the best experience of all and makes me wish that the whole adventure would focus wholeheartedly on this approach. If we’re nitpicking, it’s also annoying that when a conversation topic starts, we can’t exit it and are forced to click our way out of this repeat dialogue until it ends. The sporadic jazz tunes add to this noir flavor and may not be to everyone’s taste, but there are other frenzied tracks coming into play with boss fights and varied key moments, so it evens out in the end.
Hammerwatch 2 is a delightful old-school RPG romp that suffers from some of the timeless predicaments of the genre, namely a feeling of repetitiveness and some odd design decisions. That doesn’t mean it isn’t fun, especially in cooperative mode, and it also helps that the pixel graphics can be magnificent at times. Play it wisely as to not become tired of its expansive maps, and that’s how you’ll enjoy the most of it.
Ride 5 is an exhilarating ride, forgive the redundancy, once again a terrific motorcycle racing game for experts who are ready to throw away all the riding aids and dive deep into the raw and unforgiving experience. Casuals and arcade enthusiasts will have a difficult time finding the right spot to enjoy it and may not be pleased with the middle ground that it offers. Skilled players, on the other hand, should seriously reflect if it’s worth purchasing the new release given the few major improvements. Those who give in are bound to enjoy the multiplayer thrills and expansive career events, but be wary of the blatant AI limitations, still the weaker link in otherwise exciting bike races.