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The entire trilogy sends players throughout this amazing sci-fi universe that feels alive and vibrant everywhere you look. Perhaps these games should have been remastered separately to get the attention they deserve, but having the entire trilogy in a single bundle that's perfectly playable nearly 15 years after the release of the first game is surely convenient.
The game also delivers on its tonal shift and twist and does things that a simple noir detective story could not. Backbone understands the value of good writing and works hard to make words matter. The development team has already said that it has more stories to tell in this universe and I very much want to see how they expand on the best elements of Backbone and how they can make the world even more intriguing.
The development team at Jujubee has also focused on the modern world, a period that not many titles in the genre try to tackle (Paradox has not yet moved much beyond World War II). Realpolitiks II might seem complex for newcomers but its mix of ideas and execution will work well for anyone who has even a little experience with the grand strategy space.
The problem is that the developers do not push the limits of the space they settled in. The companions and the special powers are attempts at this but limited ones. After three or four levels even the idea of battling new bosses failed to excite me about the game. Mighty Goose is another title that needs more than very good execution of core concepts to stand out.
If you are in your element when facing impossible odds, Green Hell is right up your alley. The abuse on players is relentless and creates an almost Stockholm syndrome-like experience. All the survival enthusiasts will keep coming back for more and more punishment.
Review code provided by the publisher.
The game does have a relatively clever connection between its mechanics and themes. Digging up the farm and digging up a life feel somehow similar, especially when it comes to seeing long-buried stuff in a new light. But the gameplay is too limited to offer anything more than a way to get story bits. And the narrative starts off interesting, delivers a good second and third day, and then collapses. Avoid The Magnificent Trufflepigs and just play Firewatch or Gone Home again.
As it stands now, even with the Day1 patch released, the Master Collection is lacking on every front. The games are still enjoyable, but there is nothing masterful in this collection, the publisher being content releasing a mere port instead of a remaster or alas, a remake.
Review code provided by the publisher.
The football management space needs more options and more innovation. The developers clearly try to focus on the match and the squad interactions while also offering more club-based features for those who want it. I liked the time I spent with We Are Football but it's unlikely that I will use it to play a ten-year-long Liverpool campaign anytime soon.
I love the ship and the personalities that reside on it, each with its own issues and secrets. I would love to see how the developers can expand it, maybe telling another story from a different perspective or by moving the protagonist into another space. Overboard! represents a clear way for the narrative and choice-driven adventure title to evolve in cool ways.
If you are a fan of the Lovecraftian universe though, you might leave disappointed. The game lacks all the heavy and tormenting atmosphere that made famous the works of the American author. Call of the Sea remains an adventure game that will be enjoyed by the fans of this genre.
Cycling, as a sport and as an activity, is growing. And there's no reason a video game built on its core concepts should not be incredibly popular. Both developer Cyanide and publisher Nacon need to evaluate their recent release and the history of the series to find a way to push it forward. If Pro Cycling Manager 2021 thrives it will be because of the fans and the community and not because of the two companies, which is a shame.
Devolver often delivers weird games that take familiar ideas or mechanics and deliver cool twists on them. Loop Hero is a very good example of how this approach can succeed. Sludge Life has good tunes and a new presentation style but it needed more in the way of either gameplay or narrative to deliver a truly cool experience.
Beautiful Desolation raises a lot of questions but leaves the answers open for most of the time. It is an experience that makes you wonder about humanity and what the future will bring. It is fun only for those who are looking for deep-reaching experiences, that will stick with you long after you finished the game.
The game also served as a gateway to thinking and reading about the education process and its modern institutions. Academia features plenty of exaggerations and abstractions, required to make the gameplay palatable and the overall experience fun. But it also illuminates issues, like limited resources, that exist in the real world. It took Squeaky Wheel a long time to deliver this gem of a game and I'm already curious to see what element of reality they plan to turn into a management simulation in their next title.
There are times when the title seems to deliver more core ideas than it has to, possibly to add more challenge even if it does not need to. But most of the time the game from Serious Bros is both engaging and enchanting. Imagine Earth shines in both campaign and free play and I cannot wait to see how the team expands on its core mechanics.
For a first game, it is not bad. Some things can be improved, but you can lose yourself in the game world and you will have fun with it. Despite the flat jokes and repetitive secondary quests, Biomutant is a game worth a try.
Of Bird and Cage is not a good game and I can only think of a small subset of people who might enjoy it: fans of progressive rock with a love of soapy narrative drive titles and an ability to ignore presentation issues. Anyone else should avoid playing the game, even if it is relatively short at around two hours.
Review code provided by the publisher.