There are points in the experience that frustrated the hell out of me. Then, there were other points where I was loving every minute of it, celebrating every win. I think there is something special buried under the muck, and that’s a shame to think about. What a fully realized adventure might have looked like, but I did enjoy what we got. I liked it; sometimes I liked it a lot, even if I never came to love it.
This is a cozy sim your friends have probably recommended at least once or twice while it was in early access. Now in 1.0, the developers have shown that they made the most of that time to create something great. There are no more excuses to be sleeping on Fields of Mistria, not anymore.
Splatoon Raiders, for the most part, does what it sets out to do. Whether it will be a successful entry point for players who want to start inking everything in sight, I cannot say, but it should be. There is an interesting experience in here, collecting long-forgotten treasures and bursting Salmonids. This is also a great game to play with friends, which you really need. The issue is the game never grabbed me the way I was hoping it would. Some points were downright frustrating, and not in a challenging way.
I was excited to see what Disgaea Mayhem would feel like. I understand NIS isn’t exactly the biggest or boldest studio out there, but they’ve rarely left me unimpressed. This was sadly one of the times I was. The concept on paper works well, but the story mode rarely gives the company a chance to shine. This is on top of having a lackluster, completely uninspired structure.
Go North is a cute and charming puzzle game that has its flaws. The puzzles are engaging, and the maze structure of stages is honestly pretty unique. The fact that you need to navigate forward to understand what you need to search for before going back is also, for the most part, a cool idea. That they stuff these mazes with tons to do, especially as a stage-based game, is incredibly impressive as well. The biggest issue is that the game can get in its own way with bloat and grind. Even at its worst, though, it makes an ample case for why you should go north, even if you don’t grind through it all.
Look, I’m going to just come right out and say it. Big Walk is one of the best puzzle games I have ever played. It is also one of the best social experiments I have ever participated in. From the proximity voice chat that created so many humorous moments and grounded me in this world, all the way to the moments of trust that were required to guide my friend through a blind puzzle box, or vice versa. There are moments of absolute joy and bliss that are yours for the taking in your journey and memories that will last you a lifetime.
K-POP Idol Stories: Road to Debut is no K-POP Demon Hunters, but that is obviously an unfair comparison. I was hoping this might maybe become a companion piece to the music, the movies, the TV shows, and everything else K-POP, and in that regard I don’t think it fails, just fails short.
Blue Reflection isn’t some fancy JRPG series that everybody is tripping over themselves to worship at the altar of. It’s not Persona. And maybe that is the issue. The Blue Reflection series invokes many franchises some might look at as better when compared to it. I never found this to be an issue, though. There is a deep catharsis to be found in the halls of each of these schools, and somewhere it can hold a mirror up to your own trauma and make you feel seen. Blue Reflection is imperfect, and that’s just part of the reason it is so special.
The thing is, Granblue Fantasy Relink: Endless Ragnarok feels heavily geared towards hardcore players who were already there, grinding it out past the credits, and doesn't really feel like an entry point for players looking to try it.
Everything added elevates the experience, while everything left in feels purposeful. Returning to the Caribbean has never felt better, and Ubisoft has not felt this in control in a long time.
This is as fun a twist on cozy sims as you can find, and well worth sinking your fangs into.
Devil May Cry V: Devil Hunter Edition is a wild ride, and one that rewards effort and practice. Is this the best port I have ever played? No. Ironically, Capcom’s recent Pragmata release was an extremely solid day-one release for the platform that I might use as an example for the issues here. Dante and friends are still in top form on the Nintendo Switch 2, so if this is your first time, or 100th, slaying demons with the fate of the world at stake, you should be just fine.
This is especially bothersome because deep down in there, the game is still just as fun as I remember. Great combat, a great roster of characters, a system that is easy to pick up, and tutorials that actually encourage you to learn the mechanics. It just struggles to make a case for why you, the fighting fan, not playing Dead or Alive, should be playing this one.
Rise of the Tomb Raider is slightly dated, but it manages to age quite well. There is an enjoyable story in here with plenty of action sequences to keep the player engaged, regardless of where they are in the world. Arguably, there are probably better places to play Lara’s second journey of the Survival trilogy, but there is nothing inherently wrong with choosing the Nintendo Switch 2 as the place to do it.
I say this as somebody who loves Square Enix, sometimes way more than I should. The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales is a new gold standard in their catalogue. For starters, this is the HD-2D game that breaks from the mold. Not a remake, not a spiritual successor; this is something new and fresh that makes you do a double-take. It evokes everything I love about Square Enix, or more so, both Square and Enix when they were putting out banger after banger, unafraid to take risks.
Spirit of the North 2, is, at its heart, an indie title, which is where ideas and uninhibited ambition can live and thrive. Where creativity can bring about ideas, and bend worlds and experiences into something profound.
Warhammer 40,000: Mechanius II might have been more enjoyable; nothing in it is inherently bad, if it weren’t also a boring experience. There are so many franchises in the Warhammer universe to stack it against where it falls considerably short, but even more turn-based tactical games that it just fails to live up to
IO Interactive successfully adapts an action film franchise into a game that puts you in the driver’s seat. It also helps that this isn’t just Daniel Craig or Pierce Brosnan rehashing one of their films but a unique experience that is worth undertaking. Some parts never gelled with me, some parts probably never will, but all that is worth it to experience this definitive take on 007.
Don’t let frustration throw you off. Mina the Hollower delivers everything it sets out to in spades. The combat is basic enough, but mix in quick traversal and a world that never stays stagnant, and it is equally frustrating and addictive.
I have played a few LEGO games, but the franchise has never clicked with me quite as much as LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight. Maybe it’s the fact that the title used Batman: Arkham as a base for its combat, or the well-designed open world. I don’t think so, though. So much of the experience feels like a more compelling version of what LEGO does. I remember playing LEGO Horizon with characters being random in every scene, an extension of the LEGO formula.