Cubed3's Reviews
The Adventures of Bertram Fiddle: Episode 1: A Dreadly Business is a breath of fresh air in the point-and-click genre, bringing with it fantastic art work and excellent voice acting, along with tough-but-not-overly-so puzzles, a wonderfully intuitive inventory and control system, as well as bucket-loads of charm and personality. Spiffingly good work, ol' chap!
Don't let first impressions fool you. Beneath the bright colours and initially sunny disposition of Iconoclasts lies a game that is going to challenge you in a variety of ways. It will force the best from your quick-twitch-skills, with fast-paced and frenetic combat. It will strain your brain with tricky puzzles and unique boss encounters, and it will also present a world whose obstacles and solutions may even challenge your own ideals and world view. This is an experience that cannot be missed by fans of both 2D action platformers, or by those seeking a greater level of mental and ideological engagement.
Gekido Kintaro's Revenge did not win any awards when it was on the GBA, and it won't win any on Nintendo Switch, yet there is something enjoyable about it. Perhaps it is because it was made during the golden age of game development: the late 1990s to mid 2000s. It may be a mediocre brawler of its time, but it does have a certain energy to it, and the light adventuring elements do make it unique from anything else of its ilk. The bonus dungeon mode is the real main attraction and playing with a friend makes things more interesting. Kintaro's Revenge can only be recommended, though, to gamers who understand that this is a port of a Game Boy Advance title that has not had much done to its presentation. It still looks and plays like a GBA game, for better and for worse.
Pizza Connection 3 has some good potential with its ideas and mechanics, but its noticeable balance problems, combined with its plethora of bugs and glitches, ends up masking what otherwise could have been a fun little tycoon game.
With a fast-paced approach to platforming, and a gimmick that allows for unique movement without running thin, Shadow Bug establishes itself as one of the more creative approaches to the genre.
Level-5 has made something truly special, managing to capture the whimsical and heartfelt charm of a Ghibli story even more so than when it worked with Ghibli itself! This is an absolutely wonderful tale; a fantastic fable that makes up for every little flaw by giving the player a monumental amount of things to do and play with. Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom is a must play for Ghibli fans, fans of the first Ni No Kuni, fans of JRPGs, Suikoden fans, and just about anyone who appreciates a good adventure in general.
Insidia is an interesting turn-based battle title that plays out like a heroic chess match. Trying to predict the enemies' moves as they happen simultaneously means always being on alert and having a flexible strategy. With a selection of heroes, ranging from Fighters, Tanks, and Assassins, to Support and Specialist classes, there are a range of strategies that can be derived with the army of four heroes. Unlock new heroes, skins, and avatar themes to further deck out the team in this free-to-play PC game available on Steam. There is really no reason not to check this title out, as it is an interesting concept with a lot of potential to be fleshed out in future iterations.
Ideally, players should try to experience Surviving Mars on the PC, but the Xbox One version is a fine substitute. In any case, they are treated to a very impressive simulator that rewards expert resource-management. The emphasis on automated drones helps to streamline all of the menial tasks, leaving players plenty of time to focus on constructing the perfect colony. Of course, the game features a steep learning curve, but there's always something new to learn. A few features, such as the individual characteristics of every colonist, are a bit convoluted and unnecessary. Still, maybe there is somebody out there that appreciates the extremely fine details. All in all, there's little stopping everyone from spending many sleepless nights attempting to conquer the planet.
If Kite had been released in the early '90s it would be one of the biggest hits of the time. This is 2018, however, and nostalgia, while a strong marketing tool, is not enough. Sure, the action is fast and relentless, and it's a pleasure to use the many weapons at hand to wreak some havoc. Unfortunately, it all becomes repetitive too soon, even if you take the grinding for upgrades out of the picture.
Outlast 2 does not quite reach even the average moments of the first game. However, what saves this is Red Barrels' talented artists and voice actors. [Albert Lichi separately reviewed the PS4 (5) and Switch (6) versions. The scores have been averaged]
Same Stitch not only feels like a natural point to end the current plot line, but it teases smart moments to come a new season, one that hopefully there will be.
The tough man's Match-3 puzzler, Metropolis: Lux Obscura, is simply not worth anyone's time, because, underneath the dark and sexy comic book art style, lies a lame excuse for a story, and equally lame excuse for a game - and, no, the low price, as well as the undressed, busty ladies, can't save this.
When it comes to RPGs, the Nintendo 3DS isn't lacking for quality, even this late in the system's lifespan. If there's one title that deserves a spot in the upper echelons, it's The Alliance Alive. Its battle system is reminiscent of the SaGa franchise, except taken to the next level through superb balancing and design. No matter the player's skill level, they are treated to an adventure that caters to them, without coming off as condescending or frustrating. Not only is the world filled with wonders to explore, anyone who takes the time to do so will find their efforts appropriately rewarded. Simply put, this game is a modern classic.
The Witch and the Hundred Knight 2 might scratch that action RPG itch for anyone desperately craving more from the genre, but casual fans might struggle to find much lasting power in NIS' latest endeavour. Poorly written, with a horrendous story to gameplay ratio, it's hard not to see Hundred Knight 2 as more visual novel/button masher than action RPG.
On paper it sounds more interesting than it truly is As far as DLC goes, Hearts of Iron IV: Waking the Tiger is merely sufficient as it gives a variety of Asian countries to play. Like previous DLC, many of these countries are practically unplayable from a balance perspective, but ones like China provide a unique take. This expansion will do little for those who did not like the base game, but those in love with the game will like this.
This is a back-to-basics, side-scrolling puzzle effort that will draw people in with its addictive gameplay and cleverly-crafted stages, and then test even the most hardcore with its extra challenges later on. The balance is perfect, and gets the old grey matter working hard throughout, proving to be extremely inventive and charming, in equal measure. Toki Tori deserves to shine, and hopefully on Nintendo Switch it will now get the attention it deserves.
Instead of the traditional crossroads of visual novels, WILL: A Wonderful World lets you play with a bunch of separate stories by altering specific parts within them... and then doing so again to follow an alternative path. This intriguing mechanic isn't as good as it sounds, though, and the game is in some dire need for some additional artwork. At least the various plot threads are good enough to make this a pleasant recommendation for genre fans.
There are few games with as much personality as Kitty Powers' Love Life, and that alone makes it a truly interesting game to play for an hour or two. The problem is that it does not take too long until the game starts to feel repetitive and like work, and if there is one thing games should avoid it is for them to feel like actual work, even when simulating a profession. In the end, Kitty Powers' Love Life has a lot of personality, but needs to work out some quirks for this relationship to work out.
Final Fantasy XV Windows Edition is firstly and primarily a fantastic addition to the Final Fantasy catalogue. It addresses the critical faults of its predecessor and sets the franchise back up on the path to greatness. Memorable characters, exciting combat, and a risk taken with the change to the open world, show Square Enix as developers who have proven their credentials for delivering top-class RPG experiences. It just slightly feels that it was behind the curve here, which may be as a result of the long development time. There is the overriding feeling that the open world lags behind some of the competitors in the field alongside a story that has a number of issues that detract from it. With that said, the PC release has redressed many of the technical issues with that world and has given it a whole new lease of life that brings out the immense beauty of the world.
Castle of Heart is a pleasing concept at its core, but is held back only by a few minor annoyances in the gameplay department. The most original aspect - the hero being turned to stone and losing health progressively - ends up also being a hindrance at times, which gets almost frustrating after replaying through the same section multiple times. Overall, though, it feels good to play and is an all-round pleasant experience with production values so high that it's worthy of applause. It feels perhaps a bit too linear at times, when some environments could have probably benefited from being more open to exploration but, nevertheless, it is well worth checking out. Its price is a bit steep for the amount of content currently, but those who strive to complete it 100%, finding all the crystals, should get their money's worth.