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Nepenthe is half as good as its source inspiration, and while it's still in need of much more improvement, it is an ambitious first effort. While it suffers from derivative gameplay and a shallow story, it does have a unique presentation and some fine music.
Jurassic World Evolution strikes a chord with me, and that's evident in the amount of time I've sunk into it. The presentation is gorgeous, the mechanics are engrossing, and balancing your veggiesauraces and meatysauraces has never been fun. There's a handful of bugs to shake loose, but based on Frontier's track record I'm fairly certain that these can be shaken out post launch.
Dillon's Dead-Heat Breakers brings a quality and enjoyable tower defense style game in its third installment in the series. Although the story and cutscenes tend to drag, the overall gameplay is great fun. Even if you've never played a game in the Dillon series, I recommend giving this a try.
West of Loathing understands the stylistic charm that a unique aesthetic can provide and that stick figures are still, at the heart of everything, rad as heck. While the combat system is lacking, hilarious storytelling and a dynamic world make up a wonderful stroll through the western-styled landscapes.
While not as deep and rewarding as the material it's riffing on, Reverie's ode to Zelda presents a charming trip through New Zealand folklore that's worth checking out.
Milanoir is a amalgam of 1970's exploitation cinema and 1980's video games that captures all the grit and violence of the former and the difficulty and frustration of the latter. The story is well written and the game flows between different action sequences and cinematic breaks that keep both gameplay and the story fresh. There are some issues with hit detection and death animations that will frustrate you at times, but the game rewards you for getting through each sequence and makes it worth the effort.
One Strike lets you take control of six different warriors as you fight to determine who is the deadliest. The simplistic yet tense gameplay will keep you on your toes. The small roster and limited variety to the modes are fun in bursts, but not for extended periods of time. That being said, One Strike is a fun fighter to pick up and play at a low cost.
While it does have flaws, the sum of Songbringer's parts is an easily recommendable title for fans of the genre.
By all accounts, Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn should have been a disastrous failure. However, it ended up as a surprisingly competent beat-em-up, and its passionate charm and fun gameplay make up for its uneven humor and short replay value. Put on some Gold Bond and head to the court, because it's time for a Shaq Attack!
Just Shapes and Beats is a simplistic, entertaining game to play alone or with friends, but is held back somewhat by performance issues and lack of level variety.
Moonlighter is a beautiful game that combines simplified versions of two game types into one. It's a novel attempt that plays it too safe on both fronts, and is held back from being something truly fantastic because of its lack of variety.
The Infectious Madness of Doctor Dekker is a reinvention of full motion video for the current generation of games. Its quirky and troubled cast gives some spectacular performances, and the text-based elements make this adventure game an excellent way to get into the genre.
Onrush is a racing game that strips away the commonly understood mechanics of the genre to deliver something that is both fresh and classic at the same time. And a vivacious multiplayer experience that rivals some of the big contemporary shooters of the day.
Shape of the World is a feast of color, sound, and design. It manages to be both serene and occasionally challenging, wondrous and abstract, and has surprising depth, considering that your only goals are to wander around and collect natural trinkets as you go. It's a perfect game for those who want to get lost in a minimalist wonderland of imagination.
There are a decent amount of weapons, enemy types, and environments, but those are cold comforts in the face of frustrating issues like awkward weapon management, unpolished platforming, wonky enemy AI, and tedious combat encounters. A good first attempt, but the game suffers from poor design all around.
ICEY is a fun 2D side-scroller with fast fluid gameplay. The story isn't the most revolutionary, but the narrator makes it interesting. Disobeying the narrator and the resulting encounters are funny, clever, and easily worth the time. If nothing else, the 4th wall breaks make ICEY what it is.
Vampyr manages to deliver on its promise to make choices matter. Every decision has implications that spider out in unseen directions, often far into the future. While there are some wobbles in terms of combat and load times, the engaging storyline and premise carry this title far.
Unicorn Dungeon wanted to be funny but ended up only being a joke of a game. Its visuals are terrible, the combat is some of the worst ever, and the writing falls flat. There is not one aspect this game succeeds in. Absolutely everything is terrible. Sir Typhil of Brokengamedesign can ride his unicorn into hell. Now excuse me, I think I will go get wasted and play Ride to Hell: Retribution because that is a more enjoyable experience than Unicorn Dungeon.
Sacralith: The Archer's Tale is a great blend of archery and tower defense gameplay, utilizing node-based teleportation to keep it friendly for any player. While there are a few hiccups here and there, Odd Meter has given us one of the best VR archery games on the market. The RPG elements keep it fresh, and the wide variety of special arrows offer many gameplay choices. Here's to hoping we get to see a lot more of the Sacralith world.
Youropa is a fantastic puzzle-platformer that constantly evolves. The puzzles keep getting bigger and better as they throw new twists at you. While some of the vehicle sections are a bore and the Onesiders don't feel like a threat, it doesn't detract from the overall experience too much. The game also features one of my favorite protagonists since they are just so fun to decorate. While the game may fumble in a few places, the overall experience is great and enjoyable, even if they make me kick dogs.