Gaming-Village's Reviews
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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Earthen Dragon is an entertaining mix of Jump & Run and Action-RPG that captures the characteristic eccentric style of Origamihero games well. While the platforming never quite knocks your socks off and a later hookshot ability proved rather fiddly for me, overall Earthen Dragon delivers solid entertainment for genre fans.
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Gal*Gun 2 offers various changes compared to its predecessors, but remains similarly entertaining. Since the basic premise stays the same, it is naturally not for everyone either. Also unchanged is that it can feel repetitive when playing for multiple endings. And the occasional boss fights are also similar to one another. At least for a while, the free missions offer some variety. The VR shooter principle works just fine without VR as well, but as with its predecessors, the difficulty remains low. Lighthearted fun is the focus here too.
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Final Fantasy XVI pleased me greatly. The story is engaging, yet offers quieter phases to catch one's breath in between. The presentation is convincing as well. The combat system flows naturally and is enjoyable.
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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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Doomblade is a Metroidvania that doesn't get that many things wrong. It exudes a dark atmosphere without becoming too grim. And thanks to the fulminating soundtrack and precise mouse/pointer control, it's an adrenaline-driven spectacle. However, the game lacks a bit of direction, whether narratively or in its level design.
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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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Just as Gal Guardians: Demon Purge has two protagonists, the playing experience had two faces for me as well. That, by the way, is not a comment about the sisters, before anyone misunderstands me. The core gameplay entertained me well; stages and bosses are varied. The music knows how to please, and as a connoisseur of the GalGun series, I delighted in several reunions and the occasional scene. But as I devoted myself more to the optional content, which can sometimes influence the available endings, it became more unwieldy than hoped. Without a particularly helpful map function, I wandered through the castle, striking many walls in hopes of finding passages. The aforementioned revival problem also tripped me up at times.
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Dead Space (Remake) is a fantastic game that perfectly translates the entire fascination of the original into today's generation, bringing along genuinely great improvements without ever getting in the way of the original's vision. When it comes to this game, I can honestly only speak of faithfulness to the source material and meaningful refinements.
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Fire Emblem Engage is a demanding and imaginative tactical RPG packed with interesting systems and fast-paced, streamlined gameplay. The varied map and mission design, coupled with significantly improved presentation, make it the best Fire Emblem title in nearly a decade.
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