Gaming-Village's Reviews
Pokémon is truly fun for me again. After 'Scarlet and Violet,' I would have hardly expected that. But in the smaller format of the DLC, the disruptive factors weigh less heavily, and the individual storyline consists of fewer identical segments since it's also less open in its sequence.
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Anonymous;Code is an exciting visual novel that works brilliantly both as a standalone title and as a sequel, particularly to Steins;Gate. The weaknesses of its predecessors have been ironed out and the writing is well thought out.
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Overall, I enjoyed my roughly 20–25 hour journey into the year 2037. Of course, this can vary depending on how effectively one uses Hacking Trigger, or even deliberately plays toward a Game Over scenario—which I did not. The total playtime also differs depending on whether you advance text immediately after reading or wait for the voice acting to finish. This time, voice output is available not only in Japanese but also optionally in English. Personally, that was not particularly important to me, but others may certainly appreciate it. The story was engaging and entertaining, although some characters remain somewhat flat or are not given enough opportunities for deeper development. I found the musical accompaniment fitting and well-implemented. In general, I had little trouble identifying the right moments to use Hacking Trigger in order to avoid a Game Over. Near the end, there was one section I found a bit less clear, though that may simply be subjective. Even though there are some connections to other entries in the series, I feel that Anonymous;Code can also be recommended without prior knowledge of the franchise.
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Ashina: The Red Witch is a pixel adventure that stands out through a fairytale atmosphere with a strong connection to Japanese ghost stories. It has an almost Ghibli-esque charm with this focus on worldbuilding.
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Clive ‘N’ Wrench is a solidly designed collect-’em-all platformer that’s clearly inspired by Spyro and the Muppets, but whose level design also draws on elements from Toy Story 2, resulting, in my view, in a slightly more polished design than the Spyro games offer.
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I can highly recommend Blasphemous 2 to anyone who hasn't had enough of Metroidvanias and isn't averse to a challenge. It's beautifully made, plays really well, and also offers enough room to improve without relying on experience points. And isn't it ultimately most rewarding to grow together with a game and see yourself constantly getting better?
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Atlas Fallen can certainly entertain even if some sand may have gotten into the gearbox.
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Adore is one of those rare games where I find myself genuinely conflicted about whether I can or should recommend it. It does very little outright wrong, yet so much of what is there merely hints at the game’s underlying potential rather than fully realizing it. Fans of monster-collecting games may still want to take a closer look, but for everyone else, Adore will likely disappear into the overwhelming flood of indie releases. That's too bad for Cadabra Games.
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Death Becomes You is a magical visual novel that thoughtfully explores the ways people shape one another. Grief, memories, the investigation, and Sidney's struggle to find her footing in life all coexist side by side within its pages.
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Dragon Quest Treasures warms my treasure-hoarder heart. Although I didn't recognize every treasure because I haven't played most main series games, I delighted in each monster I did recognize.
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Aragami 2 was something I was curious about after hearing that it would feature a more developed combat system. For me personally, however, this did not turn out to be an improvement. I do appreciate the option to incapacitate enemies without killing them. Unfortunately, the voice acting is once again largely unintelligible apart from a few recognizable terms. The shift toward more open areas, and with it more aimless wandering, is something I enjoyed less. In addition, not only do you revisit the same areas too often, but there also feel to be simply too many missions overall, making the game come across as unnecessarily stretched out. Ultimately, my conclusion remains that different does not automatically mean better.
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Atelier Marie Remake: The Alchemist of Salburg entertained me, but at times I had difficulties filling the available time meaningfully. Presumably partly also because the fairies can take away so much work. Whoever is not put off by the mere existence [of this mechanic] can find a rather relaxed experience despite the time limit.
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Blur reveals itself as a skillful hybrid between street racer and fun racer, which accordingly fills quite a special niche. Whether as a successful alternative to the cartoonish representatives or as a 'bait' to lure street racer fans into the party. The combination works and also makes a lot of fun.
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Alchemic Cutie struggles with poor performance on the Nintendo Switch and repetitive gameplay. With the severe frame rate drops, I can currently only give it a red rating. Otherwise, it would be yellow. Even then, the core gameplay largely consists of constantly gathering resources or slimes with very little variety in the breeding process. The colors are often pretty, but there are far too many of them—at least in its current state. Just having information about which color I actually need would already be very helpful. As things stand, I have to guess and experiment too often to find the right color. Not to mention that I currently cannot save my progress at all. But even if I could, Alchemic Cutie would still feel too sluggish. Even for me, despite usually not having any issues with simply picking up random plants from the ground. At present, I can only advise against the Nintendo Switch version of this slime-breeding game. But even independently of that, Alchemic Cutie is really only suitable for players who can derive enjoyment from collecting repetitive resources.
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Bowser's Fury is an consistently entertaining and creative game, which only has a manageable number of minor flaws.
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Another Fisherman’s Tale is a sequel to the much-praised 2019 title A Fisherman's Tale, and narratively it does have its heart in the right place. The game offers a number of pleasant ideas, although they only rarely develop into anything truly complex. Several moments and sections are also visually quite impressive, thanks to the imagination and surreal storytelling of Bob. However, there are also repeated moments that were physically very taxing for me. The frequent texture shifts in my field of view, as well as the often unreliable hand tracking, left me feeling quite exhausted. Another Fisherman's Tale did not provide me with a comfortable VR experience in this regard. This ultimately dulls an otherwise rather positive impression, and leaves me still waiting for a truly standout PSVR2 experience this year—at least beyond titles that were already available on PSVR.
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So don't let the pretty graphics fool you — behind them lies unfortunately just an average game in every respect. Mediocre tech, mediocre gameplay, polished boredom, and precious little variety paired with a non-existent motivation curve will send Death or Treat into obscurity faster than Scary can save Halloween.
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Dungeon Drafters features very complex gameplay and a complicated menu system that makes getting started challenging. But this is merely an appetizer, because once the basics are internalized and initial workflows prove effective, Dungeon Drafters impresses with its many creative and demanding game elements
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Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon is very well suited for both fans and newcomers. Perhaps a bit more leisurely than the main series, the prequel offers a fairytale story and an interesting world to explore.
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Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key has given me much joy again, just like the predecessors. The story may not be as complex as in some other RPGs, but I gladly accompanied the group on their adventure.
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