Pixel Byte's Reviews
Most of the issues present in Shadows have been there through multiple iterations and I hope they do get fixed in the future. All this being said, though, there is one important point to make here, and it’s arguably the most important: I had fun.
For those looking for a stress-free, cozy sim to just kick back and relax too, this could be one you might try. It isn’t horrible and does have on offer a traditional loop of growing and selling crops, cleaning up your farm, and upgrading your items. The biggest issue it runs into when discussing that, though, is that there are just so many other games on offer these days that offer all of this and an insane amount more.
Sega and RGG have finally let the series embrace some elements like the vast array of the company’s history in game and music form, as well as let me fully customize my protagonist, and I seriously hope these elements are here to stay.
Citizen Sleeper 2 is a slow but meaningful journey into the deepest expanses of space and as such, it plays like it. Characters are well written with an engaging story that plays out over 10 to 15 hours, with weighted choices that can mean the difference between success and failure thanks to autosaving which often means you have to live with these outcomes.
On the one hand, it’s a reminder of how much the series has grown and a simple overall a simple game to break up your time with. On the other hand, as much as I loved my time with it, it was hard not to think about all the elements in the recent titles that I loved and just how much more satisfying they are to play. It’s a testament to how far Ys has come in its over 30-year history.
ts hunts are not as engaging, its mechanics not as enjoyable, and its combat not as fun. This isn’t to say by any stretch that it fails to be enjoyable, as slowly widdling away your years proves to be as enjoyable as I remembered. It is just hard to deny even Bandai Namco, the publisher of Freedom Wars Remastered has achieved another title I might be more inclined to recommend.
Closer The Distance is hard to play in the best way imaginable. It is emotional, raw, and familiar. This is a story we can all relate to and honestly, one that we can all benefit and learn from. The kind of story that breaks us, but in the process, hopefully, makes us better and stronger person in the process.
Dungeons of Hinterberg is the vacation I never knew I wanted and I’m sure you will feel the same. Learning the characters, exploring the city, and solving a puzzle or two are just the icing on this outstanding cake. There is also a beautifully crafted world to get lost in and abilities galore to unlock as the gameplay shifts around which area you choose to explore that day. Once you start discovering the Lore, you will never want to leave.
The shame of it all was that, up until that point, I was actually enjoying my time in the game. The combat was fast-paced and fun. Exploration had some interesting twists to it even if the world never felt groundbreaking or amazing. Best of all, the risk-reward system for receiving experience is one of the coolest ideas out there.
Housed somewhere deep, down, inside the framework of XDefiant is the kernel of an interesting idea. Merge all our shooters. Could work. Doesn’t sound like an awful pitch. In practice though, it is a lesson in financial greed done wrong. XDefiant barely, if at all, wants to be an actual game. It’s yet another vehicle in a growing laundry list of them where it feels like the right way to play the game is to insert your credit card.
Open Roads is an engaging yet familiar road trip story, that makes the smart decision of banking most of that experience on the relationship between both leads. With good voice acting and exceptional art direction, I overall enjoyed my time on the open roads until the credits rolled.
Where the game excels, however, is in its combat which starts off slow but eventually builds to a fast-paced precision hack and slasher that is wildly fun to play. With incentives like a massive collection of outfits to collect and some side quests built on the world even more, Stellar Blade delivers on its key promises with gusto and doesn’t leave you disappointed.
TopSpin 2k25 had about 13 years of hype behind it for Tennis fans which, lets be honest, is unfair. Ultimately, it was not the return to form that many were probably hoping for. There are plenty of things that Hanger 13 got right with their first serve of the legendary franchise, the most important thing being that the gameplay is really good, and that matters most.
What you get is a brilliantly crafted world with tons of fun to be searched out on your quest. A narrative that delivers one of the best of shogunate politics, complete with engaging historical figures. A deep and customizable leveling and gear system that rewards experimentation
There is an enjoyable game here, buried, somewhere, wanting to break out, but it’s not highlighted even before you factor in those issues. The AI was bad and often hindered you, and there wasn’t much more than what the game promised on a base level. If you’re looking to unwind for an hour or two, here and there, Taxi Life: A City Driving Simulator might fit the bill.
This is the most complete version of Final Fantasy that has been released and it isn’t even the complete Final Fantasy VII story. There is so much here that should influence the franchise moving forward and, more importantly, to enjoy in the here and now, that I can’t wait to see where we go next.
Skull And Bones is a pirate game that cuts out almost every aspect of being a pirate. This isn’t horrible if you like ships but if you were looking for the complete experience you will need to look elsewhere. It features a bland repetitive gameplay loop, all dependant on a run where a player 10 levels above you doesn’t feel the need to shoot you just because they can. This means you can either spend way more time than is enjoyable completing a task because you can’t find the drops, or because you dropped them in death.
Yes, the gameplay can be tedious with combat that is repetitive and grindy, that’s less rewarding than I would like. However, the experience makes up for that with an interesting world that rewards you with an interesting narrative seeped into every aspect of exploration, and a more well-crafted than not Metroidvania.
Despite any flaws that the game does have, it succeeds far more than it fails and that is important. It makes me want to go the distance, the next floor, the next social link, the next day, till the world ends. I can think of many new features I hope to stay part of the series, and I even hope to appear in Metaphor Re:Fatazia, Atlus’ next title which will also be released this year.
All that being said, this is the best the franchise has been in a very long time. When it hits on the best elements of the series it does so with gusto and gravitas. I sake over 100 hours into this game and I just want to sink more and more. I want to see everything, I want to do everything. I feel like a tourist, which is always what Like A Dragon has done best. This is a great game.