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Being replayable, having the freedom to play as you want to, and facilitating a stress-free environment, Refind Self: The Personality Test Game has all the makings of a perfect game to play when you need a break from your hectic life. I am definitely going to keep replaying it to collect all of the different personalities’ information. I absolutely adored this game, and I hope that you feel the same way when you refind yourself!
I’m really easy with platformers—I just really love them! Even when I’m very bad at them, the way that I was at The Meating. I had a great time chewing through this game, and finding out how challenging it truly was when I, at first, didn’t think it would be such a prime cut was very rewarding. I’m not what people would call an OG gamer from the NES era, so I have no nostalgia for the console. That wasn’t what attracted me to The Meating; it was the good humour and fun-looking gameplay, and I’m happy to report that it meats my expectations.
Doomscrolling complaints aside, I had an absolute blast playing Echoes of Wisdom. I’ve been a fan of the previous open-world Legend of Zelda games, as you can tell by my other reviews, but there truly is something else about the old style games that was missing, and this game brought them back in a familiar yet refreshing way. I hadn’t realised how much I missed this style of gameplay until I was hours deep into Echoes of Wisdom and caught myself grinning ear to ear!
Neva is another great game from Nomada Studios, managing to take the formula of Gris and add in new gameplay elements, a beautiful art style, and a story and characters to match. When the main complaint is you wish it were longer, you know you’re onto a great game.
I recently helped Switchaboo compile a Top 10 Lesser Known Metroidvanias video and I honestly think if Voidwrought was out at the time of making it, then I would have included it. Voidwrought’s strongest traits are its exploration, game design and combat, all of which I feel are the true archetypes of metroidvanias. When all three are executed so well, you have something like Voidwrought—a fun and challenging tableau full of exploration. Bravo!
Looney Tunes: Wacky World of Sports is a fun romp for a while, especially in local multiplayer. The challenge mode and campaign modes will provide some solo fun even though the AI can be a little dumb sometimes. I just wish there were more Looney Tunes and online play, as that's the only thing that it falls short on.
Gori: Cuddly Carnage feels like a game you’d find in a bargain bin during the 360/PS3 era and I mean that in the nicest way possible. You just don’t get games like this anymore—low-budget games with a gameplay first mentality that isn’t afraid to be out there and weird. Gori: Cuddly Carnage really reminds me of games like Lollipop Chainsaw, MadWorld and No More Heroes, just to name a few.
If you’ve been itching for a more traditional Zelda adventure instead of Echoes of Wisdom, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed by The Plucky Squire. The game is fun and beautiful, but it feels a little safe. Like All Possible Futures didn’t really trust its players to be able to figure out its puzzles. Still, I think it’s worth the cost of admission. There are some lessons to be learned here for the developers, though, and I hope they take those into consideration when making their next title. This game is ambitious, but it is held back by that same ambition. If the game’s structure could be made less linear and I held my hand a little less, I might have given this another point or two.
The Ace Attorney Investigations Collection is an instant recommendation for Ace Attorney fans and a strong recommendation for visual novel fans. Finally having an official translation of Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor's Gambit is the equivalent of Mother 3 for us Ace Attorney fans and having access to the additional content with the art, cutscene player, and the ability to switch between updated 3D models from the original character designer and the original pixel art makes this release just perfect for fans. If you’ve never played an Ace Attorney game, you’re missing out, and with Ace Attorney Investigations Collection completing the remaster of the franchise, you have no excuse to not give it a try.
So my favourite things in Wild Bastards were the 13 playable characters and their unique designs and quirky personalities. But sadly, Wild Basterds doesn't quite reach the heights Void Bastards did. The shoot-out sections were okay, but the less than stellar turn-based sections just weren't a great inclusion or idea in my opinion... If you want a fantastic rouge-like gem, go play Void Bastards instead; it's priced the same; enjoy it hell of a lot more than this!
Marvel VS Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics is everything Marvel VS Capcom fans have been wanting for years. Even as a more casual fighting game fan, I cannot recommend this game enough. If you’ve never played any of the Marvel VS Capcom games before, this is the perfect place to start. In addition, there's a physical version coming November 11. Exciting times!!
While Rugrats: Adventures in Gameland looks good on the surface, ultimately it is a game trying to be Super Mario Brothers 2 and is nearly forty years too late to scene. It’s short, strict and just not worth the price tag they’re offering it at.
Emio - The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club had me smiling from ear-to-ear. While that may sound a little ominous, the game itself has a gripping murder mystery narrative that can rival the best within the detective genre. This entry gives me a lot of hope for the future of the series and I’d love to see more entries in the years to come.
Sure, there are some things that made me do a double take, but Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance is still a really good game! There is more than enough to sink your teeth in and really enjoy your time with this version. It’s so chock full of little details, interactions and possibilities that I had a blast playing it and taking my time. Playing it for the first time was amazing, and I’ll be going back for more very very soon. I truly feel like I want to experience everything the game has to offer in as many ways as possible, and I fully believe the developers did not disappoint.
In my opinion, Crypt Custodian certainly deserves a 9 because Kyle Thompson has crafted a smorgasbord of fun, adventure and emotion, all of which is perfectly balanced. There are some slightly more basic elements, such as the environment art, but overall, any fans of Zelda games and/or metroidvanias should definitely pick this up!
Bakeru scratches the Goemon itch that I've had for many years now. It's so charming with it's setting in a mythical alternate Japan that after I publish this review, I'm going to be checking flight prices pronto. While I do wish that some of the characters had some actual depth to them, this is easy to shrug off and bask in the wonderful gameplay and setting.
MARS 2120 has some great ideas and executes them well, but the lack of story and some technical issues on the Nintendo Switch sadly hold back the rest of the experience. That being said, the soundtrack is great, the combat works well and some of the visuals are stunning, so there will be a market for any metroidvania fans who enjoy these elements of the genre!
Even though the game was over with the flash of a camera, the story stayed with me like a Polaroid photo. This atmospheric and emotional puzzle adventure is one that should be talked about more and given more attention. Make sure to get your hands on The Star Named EOS and prepare to have your heartstrings pulled.
For a brief moment, I felt like I was six years old playing The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening again, and for that Johan Vinet deserves immense credit. But when I say brief moment… You’re talking less than an hour of gameplay on offer for the main game, though The Tower provides some replayability. Castaway will of course be priced accordingly and that’s fine, but if you’re looking for something more substantial to get your teeth into there are plenty of other options out there!
I really enjoyed Just Crow Things on the Nintendo Switch; it's just as much fun as Rain on Your Parade, made by the same developers. Pooing on hoomans’ heads never gets old, and there are a lot of fun quests and quirky game-related moments that had me smiling. And even when it's all done, the ability to go back and play the entire game again in a sort of simulation is pretty caw!