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Dying Reborn is an escape room game with some creepy elements to it. The story has an interesting premise, but quickly becomes uninteresting and confusing. Some puzzles feel rewarding, while far too many feel obscure and annoying.
Take Us Back, the franchise finale of The Walking Dead, is a serviceable episode to end the series, and in a way, Telltale Games in general. While it has the problem of falling into its familiar issues at times, the sendoff of Clementine and her friends is one that will be remembered for years to come.
Tropico 6 overhauls the entire infrastructure, bringing forward most, but not all of the features we had with previous outings. A greater emphasis on transportation and simulation deepens the experience and makes Tropicans feel less like mere numbers. At its heart, Tropico 6 is still a game about building your empire and making it grow, but it's the small mechanics that create a connection with your benevolent dictator, and help make your anarchy-prone archipelago feel a little like home.
R.B.I. Baseball 19 is a lazy, clunky, uninspired mess of a game. The controls are overly simple and leave little control to the player. The physics are unrealistic and the players contort their bodies in Silent Hill-esque horror after each swing. The format is tired and outdated, and the game bears no resemblance to a competent baseball experience aside from the skeleton of game it presents.
Broken Toys is a wonderful third episode for Telltale's The Walking Dead: The Final Season, and is perhaps the best entry for the season so far. With a great mix of new and returning appearances, varied action sequences, and a stronger emphasis between the dynamic of AJ and Clementine, this is a great couple of hours before the final installment.
Akashicforce is an incredibly challenging puzzle game that feels rewarding when you succeed. The bumping music, fantastical visuals, and fast-paced action keep you engaged. A tutorial would've helped the start of the game immensely.
With an incredibly robust feature set and massive swaths of content ready for the launch window, as well as an extensive roadmap on the horizon, The Division 2 raises the bar for how a sequel should launch. Only a handful of minor bugs and hiccups remain, but none of them hold this back from being the best team-based shooter we've played in a very long time. Massive Entertainment has a massive hit on their hands, and we can't wait to see where it goes next.
Windscape may look like a decent lo-fi adventure at first, but it doesn't have much to offer beyond its initial cartoony charm. With sleep-inducing combat and an absolutely skeletal crafting system, it just does nothing to keep your attention.
Elli's relaxed nature makes it the perfect game to unwind with. Its world is gorgeous and its gameplay is solid, due in large part to its well designed puzzles. By the same token, its myriad technical issues and solid, yet totally shallow, core mechanics and story hold it back from being truly great.
Peasant Knight is a nostalgic 2D platformer with a unique twist. Being tasked with strategically stopping while racing a time limit provides a fantastic challenge. The game won't take too long to beat, but boy is it a fun ride.
Himno is a relaxing 2D platformer where death only comes from falling. The levels are dark and ruin-like, yet emit tranquility and beauty as well. It's best played in short bursts, but if you just want to turn off your brain and relax, here's your chance.
The Second Chance Strip Club is an odd yet surprisingly charming rhythm game about stripping. The gameplay is simple yet challenging, with a musical focus. The quirky characters and catchy beats are a treat, but don't expect much animation for the actual dancing.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice manages to live up to its monstrously high expectations in nearly every way. Its high-risk combat system is as satisfying as it is punishing, and its level design begs you to explore every inch of the world. While its locations and enemies aren't as varied as in previous From Software games, you'll hardly notice when you're locking swords with opponents across several beautiful settings. Sekiro tells an intriguing tale about loyalty and mortality packed with surprises and easy-to-miss side stories.
Mana Spark is a middle-of-the-road roguelike that gestures toward a lot of interesting ideas, but doesn’t fully develop any of them. It’s a fun game at first, with a good combat system and a nice variety of unique enemies, but it doesn’t offer nearly enough to stay fresh on repeated runs through its samey dungeons.
The Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker Special Episode delivers consistently fun and refreshing puzzle action. Aiming higher than the base game, this DLC stretches the Captain Toad mechanics and concepts in new ways, while also offering interesting new settings to explore. That said, the Special Episode's reliance on remixed content from the base game and truncated runtime hold it back from being truly great. Nonetheless, this DLC offers an afternoon of colorful, creative single player or co-op entertainment.
Golf Peaks is an interesting mix of puzzle-solving and golfing. The card playing mechanic is entertaining and adds a good challenge. It doesn't take very long to complete every level, but it's a nice journey.
Dead or Alive 6 is a good addition to the fighting game scene, although it doesn't stand out from the crowd. The story is okay, but probably resonates better with longtime fans. The combat is fluid, action-packed, and plenty of fun regardless.
Agartha is a charming, pixelated platformer that relies on blasting your way through the environment. There are plenty of levels and extra paths to explore, although the game doesn't take too long to get through. Buying and playing multiple adventurers is recommended.
While still in need of some technical polish, ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove is a loving flashback to the good old 90s, filled with some lighthearted laughs and killer beats in an easygoing adventure setting. Fans of the original will definitely find something to love, and those who are new to the craziness can find some great fun here.
DMC 5 is probably the best hack-and-slash game you'll play all year, and definitely the most stylish.