Pixel Byte
HomepagePixel Byte's Reviews
Mycopunk is one of those games that I am happy to report, while it wasn’t largly on my radar, it is now. It’s a fun co-op game that gets fairly intense when it wants to, but still allows you and your friends to take it all in and have a chuckle along the way. Everything about this game is zany, wacky, and most importantly, fun. It seems like there is more work to be done; I imagine most games like this land firmly in that square, but for what is there, you can expect a lot of good times along the way.
Somebody once told me that sometimes it makes you feel better if something is irredeemably bad, rather than frustratingly lacking, because with the first one you can just walk away and say Yaeah, they did something bad. With games like Gear Club Unlimited 3, I see the ideas; they are there, bubbling right under the surface. As an arcade racer that feels like my childhood, you have NO FLIPPING IDEA how much I wanted to love this game, how much every good intention hurt when every poor design choice cropped up. This is what they meant when all you can do is dwell on what could have been, because clearly they have something in there.
Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 doesn’t do anything to reinvent the wheel. It is a throwback boomer shooter that you have most likely seen before. Not every game needs to do that, though, and being a competent homage is still an impressive feat to pull off. That is too simple, though, because it isn’t just competent; it’s in top form. You want to keep playing it; keep taking down everything that stands in your way. Boltgun 2 is an addictive loop of death, carnage, and rebirth.
Penguin Colony is many things. Within its four-hour playtime, the amusing penguin gameplay might overstay its welcome. Nonetheless, the subject matter is one that rings true even to this day. In a world where it seems that people in power are walking on eggshells trying not to offend anybody, it seems like abusive tyrants took that advantage to take over the world. Using cosmic horror to portray these real-life horrors is a stroke of genius.
Dragon’s Dogma II: Dark Arisen is more of the same, but that isn’t really a bad thing in this case. If you were getting bored by everything else on offer, you can explore a brand new area and unravel a new mystery that adds at least 20 hours to the game. The new area adds a welcome change to the locale, and the developers did an impressive job filling it with elements that make it feel unique. I also loved how it uses this new terrain, filled with far less dead space than the main game. On top of that, you get a new series of challenges that are constantly respawning, making for easy-to-access battles that never fail to thrill. If you enjoy the main game, you will enjoy this, of this much I am certain.
Dragon’s Dogma II takes after the Arisen and grabs onto you early and keeps you moving forward even without much direction. Getting into scrapes and climbing a dragon for the head stabs remain fun long after you dive deeper and deeper into the world around you. Giant creatures make for great pin cushions, and every second the citizens around you face death and destruction, putting purpose on your quest, even if at times it feels like the narrative is disjointed. I would have liked the pawns to act a little bit smarter; that might be my biggest complaint, but the social aspects associated with them, however light, make the world feel a little smaller in the process. There is no shame in sinking the hours you undoubtedly will into this.
Silver Pines is an incredibly ambitious first entry from new developer Wych Elm. Yes, it deliberately takes the addictive Resident Evil inventory system and Silent Hill’s imprecise but unnerving combat. The narrative itself percolates Twin Peaks and The X-Files to a perfect distillation of them, but never losing its identity. Wrapping it up in a metroidvania layout that dukes it out with the best of them, and you have a wicked formula for success. Red may be having the worst night of life, but you most certainly will enjoy one of your best.
For the hoarders. For the scrappers. And for those who know how to change a tire. I do not know where the intersection lies between a car junky and a paranormal thrillseeker, but this is the perfect game for them. For the rest of us, a solid delivery adventure with ghostly undertones awaits. Just be ready to get stuck in the mud more than you expect.
Well, talking about certain things, I like to use the word stupid. Not in a bad way; sometimes you want to just have some stupid, uninhibited fun. Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival is just that, stupid fun. It’s campy, it’s over the top, and it’s off its rocker, but it doesn’t have a moment in it where I wasn’t enjoying myself or what I needed to do to progress. The story could have used more focus on our protagonist, given that he needed to anchor the whole experience, and there are definitely gripes with gameplay to be made. As a B-movie horror adaptation. It absolutely gets the job done to become endearing despite its faults, and possibly because of them.
Spending an evening playing a game such as this one leaves a bittersweet taste. It’s a small but solid effort that leaves much food for thought. Most people, and in particular introverts, went through a difficult childhood, myself included. Being bullied meant you had to stand your ground, but not everyone chose that route. Time To Wake Up tells a tragic story with an earnest ending that, while it may feel unearned, the developer’s intention does not go unnoticed. Perhaps, if you are ever in that situation, you will also find the courage to fight for a better future.
With Cloudpunk, IONLANDS introduced us to a cyberpunk city just trying to get by. Unlike other cyberpunk titles, the emphasis was on the people stuck in this reality just trying to get by and build a better, brighter future. Nivalis Nights expands on that concept in some of the best ways. By shifting the focus to a business owner, you get to be part of the street-level economy in ways you don’t often get to participate. Building your own engaging and rewarding experience, though sometimes too engaging. The city is a character in its own right, bigger than you expect and with more life than you needed it to have. As a player, Nivalis can frequently have the issue of you getting lost in it; as a game, you probably don’t even care.
Star Wars: Galactic Racer, at the very core of its experience, has a solid racing game. Driving the limited vehicle selection is fun, and most of the tracks are well designed with enough personality to get you through. Then you put this roguelike loop on top of the experience, and everything goes haywire. A run can be perfect for 3 hours, then you veer into a wall on one course, and all that progress is undone. This also makes the technical gripes I have all the more pronounced because there are moments you crash for, like, no reason, or one bad attempt to slipstream ends in a forfeit. It’s an interesting idea, but to quote Game Dev Tycoon, Racing and Roguelike are not a good combo, and it hurts the whole thing overall.
Bandai Namco, you beautiful, beautiful people, you did it. You nailed Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve, creating one of the most compelling war games that I have played through. This is coming from somebody who wasn’t a big fan of the last one either. The narrative is engaging and compelling, even when playing out with six different players in the middle of explosions and absolute chaos. And that gameplay? Engaging, whether you have been playing these games your entire life or are looking to try one for the first time. This is a big, bold Mission Accomplished.
I’m not really sure what I was expecting or hoping for in Lawn Mowing Simulator 2, if I am being honest. Was I looking for something to take my mind off of life? If so, yeah, the game works for that. Jump in, power up my mower, and trim some grass to 3.50″. It is an easy sim to jump into, with a lot to learn that doesn’t feel punishing in the long run. If you are not familiar with the subject of the game, you can pick this up, get in, and get started without much to hold you back. Some tasks can be frustrating and time-consuming, so buckle in. I do think the best aspects of the experience outweigh anything else, though, so this is a business worth building.
Not every sequel needs to reinvent the wheel. It is just as important when a game maintains its identity while bringing a couple of new things to the table. Small but meaningful changes can go a long way. Clueless that there would ever be a sequel, what a joy it is to live in a world where a game like Toem 2 exists. Taking photographs, making friends, admiring everything life has to offer. It doesn’t get better than that, and developer Something We Made knows it.
Dynasty Warriors 3: Complete Edition Remastered (that really is a mouthful of a title) is the best version of a remaster. It barely needed the update, but the improved graphics and framerate are welcome touches. Even without those, though, I’m on board; this is one of the best Dynasty Warriors experiences out there. This is the one that helps you understand how such a simple premise can demand one more stage, over and over again, until you look at the clock and you realize it’s been three days. Yeah, it’s seriously that freaking good.
When Silent Hill: Townfall was being showcased, my biggest fear was that it might be a passive horror game where the player has no autonomy to defend themselves. After playing it, I have done almost a 180 on that. I loved the atmospheric horror moments, sneaking and avoiding, attempting to distract them, and moving around them. The combat could have bolstered this and made you feel that stagnation in an unchanging experience, but it was almost entirely underwhelming. Any moment where it became clear I would need to was met with a long, exasperated sigh. Why that hurt is that the game built such an inviting world of horror that I was ready to embrace wholeheartedly.
Folktales vividly tell stories that are parallel to our world to remind us of something we may have lost along the way. Part farm-sim, part magical school, all an ode to nature, Songs of Glimmerwick is a remarkable achievement because from the very first moment that you play, you feel its kindness reaching out. Through a lush art style, stellar voice work, and its rustic soundtrack, it is a great example of why magic is all around us. We just need to know where to look.
Being intrigued by a game’s art style is a valid argument to try it. Perhaps that is one of the reasons players clamor for demos. Because you will never know how a game feels until you actually get to play it. I do not regret playing Kernel Hearts. Its dazzling anime cutscenes and eye-catching art style are enough to take it for a ride, even if a short one. But its floaty combat and lack of meaningful rewards on each run might deter players from committing in the long term.
It was so rewarding to shop for fun fabrics and see my vision come together on the mannequin. My only real complaint is that it would be nice to see your dresses on the characters, but overall this is a small issue that the photo mode and dress log mostly make up for.