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It’s rare these days for a survival game to put narrative and resource management mechanics on the same level, and do both very well. Overall, I think The Pale Beyond tells a captivating story while torturing players into finding the best solutions for keeping their crew alive.
Wo Long: Dynasty Fallen is pretty much a more approachable version of Nioh, but with some very interesting twists on the formula. Despite the fact that many of the mechanics and the gear might seem intimidating at first glance, you’ll do just fine strapping on the armor with the highest stats and disregard any of the suffixes and bonuses they provide.
Aces & Adventures has strong deck building and an inspired twist on the card-driven combat concept. There are enough abilities that players can develop strategies and perform cool moves but poker combinations are random enough that the results are never guaranteed.
Chef Life: A Restaurant Simulator has a good idea and some decent gameplay mechanics. It’s somewhat fun to discover the techniques associated with a new dish and then aim to create a perfect take on it, complete with a radical and interesting plating that will revolutionize the fine-dining world.
Company of Heroes 3 is too conservative in terms of gameplay and fails to make its big new mode work as expected. Battles, from skirmishes to bespoke missions in the Italian campaign, are great fun and offer cool tactical puzzles to solve. The strategy map does add another dimension to the experience but patches are needed to realize its full potential.
I can totally understand why Journey To The Savage Planet has been received with mixed reactions by gamers out there. It somehow created high expectations on the fronts it’s not necessarily interested in, such as combat.
Meg’s Monster is an emotional journey with a lot of depth, a twisty narrative, and some great character moments. I loved spending time with Meg, Roy, and Golan. Combat isn’t very challenging but still generates tension. I actually wished that the game offered more to do because I wanted more time in its universe, even if I think it’s perfectly paced to deliver its payload of feelings.
The Excavation of Hob’s Barrow is a well-written, very classy point & click adventure game with an interesting ending that might be hard to digest. Thomasina’s fate feels like it’s been sealed long before the young archeologist arrives in the small town stuck in time. There’s a certain inevitability to her story that makes the ending even more sad than it is.
Blood Bowl 3 is a great video game adaptation of a popular board game, using an updated set of rules and great presentation. The 12 featured teams offer variety and plenty of surprises on the field. The mix of careful planning and chaotic execution means each match is filled with surprises and reversals.
Atomic Heart has all the premises for a great game. That is why so frustrating that Mundifsh dropped the ball by trying to do too much, and botching up some gameplay mechanics, and also by releasing a game that desperately would have needed more time for fixing the bugs that poison the experience. And while the latter can be solved through patches, some peculiar game design choices and compromises take away from the overall value.
The Settlers: New Allies has a good core loop that, unfortunately, lacks a solid connection with the series' history. There’s too much military action and not enough focus on delivering products to citizens. The land-claiming concept is interesting but under-used.
Ten Dates is a very classic full-motion video experience. It has a clear theme and manages to make the dating elements, especially for the initial speedy encounters, feel fleshed out. There are some interactions that feel forced and a few changes of tone that miss the mark. But this is a competent romantic narrative with light gameplay.
From many points of view Deliver Us Mars feels a step forward compared to the previous game, but it also feels like it was maybe a tad too ambitious for the development team. They managed to tell an interesting story, but often the immersion and the engagement are broken by weird choices. A gripping story doesn't manage to elevate its status to "must play," but it's clearly a step up from the studio's previous game.
Waves of Steel is not a simulation and does not want to be one. This is an arcade experience through and through, designed to give gamers a lot of options and keep their adrenaline levels up at all times. The ship design element adds to the core loop, offering space for every player to think up and then try to implement their perfect approach for each mission. Make sure to use the unlock all option in the designer to see the kinds of ships that one can put together.
Hogwarts Legacy perfectly manages to capture the charm and wonder of the Wizarding World universe. Everything in the game is thoughtfully implemented to offer players that unique feeling that you’re sharing the same world as Harry Potter.
Dead Space is more than just the fantasy of any fan of the original game – it feels like the developers once again wanted to prove that their game is the gold standard in its genre. The fine folks at Motive Studio tweaked the experience in the right places to make the game feel fresh without weighing it down with unnecessary bling.
Backfirewall_ has a unique premise and uses it pretty well, creating a variety of puzzles linked to the smartphone as a world. The game’s many quirky characters and moments create a weird universe and manage to generate emotions. But the puzzle-driven gameplay is what will keep players engaged.
SpellForce: Conquest of Eo has an interesting structure and does a great job of mixing map-driven strategy and tactical engagements. Each of the three wizard archetypes plays very differently and there’s a ton of content to engage with. The world of Eo is beautifully represented, although it’s pretty standard when it comes to fantasy universes.
Overall SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake manages to hit the mark it set out to achieve. The game is light, entertaining, and a must for the fans of the series. As far as flaws go, the combat is flat, the platforming could have been more accurate, and SpongeBob’s banter could be less repetitive to the point of becoming annoying.
SEASON: A letter to the future is like a vertical slice of an entire experience. It feels like a part of something bigger and leaves you with plenty of questions, and also wanting more. It is just like life in the sense that it does not give you what you want, and it is up to you to figure out what is going on. The story does a great job creating an immersive atmosphere, but it does not really give a sense of fulfillment. The lack of a proper conclusion leaves things wide open.