Cubed3's Reviews
A wonderful atmospheric ride that can be powered through in just over an hour if dashing by everything along the way, but it will actually keep the majority of gamers plugging away for a few hours longer as the timed-puzzles and conundrums found within this thrilling escapade, complete with platform challenges to add to the already high tension levels, and extras to uncover, provide plenty of entertainment.
While in strict gameplay terms this lacks depth, and although it feels as if it tries to bite off more than it can chew on the storytelling side of things, Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice turns out to be an epic journey through madness and Norse myth, and one that's worth a play-through or two despite its problems - as long as you aren't here for something more action-packed.
West of Loathing makes remarkable use of the space it inhabits. It just doesn't make navigating that space very fun at times. There is enough to this adventure to make it is easily recommendable to fans of CYOA style games, and those who enjoy tougher RPGs all around. For those who don't fall into those categories, there's nothing here that will likely entice you to stick around very long.
Fictorum is an ambitious game that certainly needs more time and polish to really give it a strong presence in any PC library. A lot of promise is found in the utilisation of spells and magic, but the combat against foes is a complete mess in many situations. The ability to destroy nearly any structure is always an exciting act, and the story, being the strongest aspect, is easy to follow and understand. After all, vengeance is a plate best served on a magical icebolt.
Without a doubt, Collar X Malice is a required pick-up for fans of the genre. It features a thrilling storyline and some of the best characterization seen in an otome visual novel. Exploring every route will take dozens of hours, yet the viewer will never lose interest. Even the most mundane scenes are buoyed by the awesomeness of Ichika Hoshino and the rest of the cast. Also, it goes without saying, but the game is drop-dead gorgeous. Obviously, a game shouldn't be recommended on that quality alone, but the icing on the cake is quite nice.
There doesn't seem to be anything that makes Energy Cycle feel like a necessary entry into the puzzle genre. Even for fans of the core mechanic, there are plenty of alternatives in existence that look and play a lot better. Energy Cycle is, in truth, less barebones and more chalk outline, and doesn't add much more to the mechanic than a shining example of how not to do it.
Graceful Explosion Machine is a thoroughly solid title with enough content to last. However, it lacks passion. It has an almost clinical approach to everything, which makes for a shmup that's only enjoyable with the right mind-set. This genre is designed around stoking a flame in one's heart. After spending enough time mere pixels away from death, there is this feeling that takes over. It's hard to describe, but it's amazing. Every moment thereafter is earned. The best STGs pummel and exhaust the player, but after succeeding, it's almost as if EVO has just been won. When playing this game, there isn't even a spark.
In a generation that has struggled with finding the right balance of pace, it is refreshing to see a developer place a great deal of emphasis on patient gameplay and actually pull it off. Vertical progression and slow movements are valued over everything else, and these are the two elements that allow TumbleSeed to thrive as much as it does. Unfortunately, that same level of importance given to fine tuning the controls and concept is noticeably lacking in the level design, as roguelike randomisation is given priority over traditional, handcrafted stages. Along with too many power-ups and unlockable skills that trivialise most of the difficulty, TumbleSeed fails to live up to all its potential despite the clear amount of creativity put into its premise and a strong first impression.
TumbleSeed can be described as a dexterity rogue-like action game that's easy to love everything about it… apart from the whole "playing it" thing. It's not just the fact that it is ruthlessly hard, but that it's a certain kind of hard that will either captivate or aggravate.
Archangel a pretty straightforward rail shooting experience that has put a strong effort in presenting its narrative and characters, even if it does come at the cost of replay value. The inability to skip cutscenes really hurt this one. The story itself lays out everything in a fairly predictable fashion and really only serves as the excuse to get inside of a mech and blow up ships. It does not reach the absurd heights as seen in Armored Core games, so it isn't exactly a story worth experiencing more than once. The physical act of playing Archangel is its strength, since it feels like how operating a turret from inside a large machine would probably feel like.
As far as shoot 'em up bullet hell games go, Sine Mora EX is a pretty strong entry. The audio is lacking, but the video really does make up for it thanks to impeccable designs and art direction. This is a pretty hard game, but it is also a short one. However, the various modes and challenges even out the experience to keep the adrenaline junkies coming back for more. Just don't bother trying to get invested in the story; come for the pulse-pounding scrolling action.
Sine Mora EX is a lot of fun, with the occasional eye roll-inducing moment. Perhaps it's the weird story, or the irritating environmental hazards, but something is ever so slightly off here. As a whole, though, this is one of the best shooters on the market. Everyone should pick it up, unless, of course, you're not "one-eyed-bison-with-no-legs-flying-a-killing-machine" enough for it.
Despite trying to harken back to a simpler and fun time in gaming, Interplanetary: Enhanced Edition adds unnecessary complication to a game that is broken to begin with. The style is unique and enjoyable, but the root of the game - firing shots to kill the others - is so broken and frustrating it is recommended to stay away. The simulation part is simply too complex, too prone to random luck, killing everything anyway, and shot placement is so horrendously bad the only thing keeping a player going is perhaps wanting to beat it once to never touch it again.
Puzzle Adventure Blockle is one of the better puzzlers, and, luckily, one of the cheaper ones, too. Its only major flaw seems to be its disappointingly low replay value, as well as the absence of a decent "bait," which would force players to try and reach its end.
There is sadly almost nothing to like about Ninja Pizza Girl.
SkyScrappers is a fun game that taps into the spirit of 2D classic fighters well, whilst also being truly unique. Unfortunately, while many of the concepts work, there's just not enough content or character to discover, so once you've gotten over the dynamic setting for the fighter, plus its rather specific challenges, you realise that there's not much to invest in. This is a shame, since, had the series been given more resources and a more pronounced sense of identity, it could have been a real classic. Perhaps a second instalment might fix a lot of these grievances, but for now, this is a fun title that lets itself down because there's not much to pick at.
With all its reference, heritage and lineage, what Demetrios loses in consistency it makes up with heart. It's clear that the person behind the ones and zeros is in love with the genre, albeit a genre that leaves no place to hide. It's difficult to ignore the dips in an otherwise generous and gracious video game. The puzzles are involving and interesting, and the mechanics are well integrated into the weave of the design. For fans of the genre, there is a lot to like here, but there is also a lot that might put some people off. Luckily, it turns out that the developer may have done enough to stop putting many people off, but only just.
It's impressive how the minimalist approach cultivates such energy with so little, and also how sustaining that approach is for Ellipsis in its design. While this game is not technically a piece of minimalist art, it is a very coherent marriage of the methodology behind it with the creative domain of video games. For this reason, it absolutely can be valued for its aesthetic qualities, just like a painting hung on the wall, and perhaps used for inspiration, or just to chill out after a long day. Whatever is abstract is also open to many different interpretations, so different gamers may respond differently to its creative ethos, but overall there's no doubt that Ellipsis should be recognised for its accessibility, polish and purpose. This is a simple game with a thoughtful soul. Much work has gone into it, and for those who appreciate great game design, it is certainly one to check out. Fingers crossed for a Nintendo Switch edition one day, as well.
In a fair, yet plausible attempt to establish which kind of audience Defend Your Crypt seems targeted at - or more appropriate to recommend to - it's honestly quite difficult to go beyond those who want to try every single decent-to-good puzzle game available on their 3DS systems. The inherent simplicity of its core mechanics is at the same time a quality and a limit, and while it's perfect for short bursts - making the 3DS its ideal home - monotony lurks in the depths of this crypt during more prolonged play sessions.
Smashbox Arena might be amusing for some multiplayer shenanigans, but it is very rare to find anyone online to play with given the niche base of VR (with PS Move sticks, no less). The story mode is very deceptive and is really just the multiplayer stages with AI enemies and partners, with no story at all. Even the announcer for the matches sounds like he is extremely bored and is about to yawn. There is a complete lack of appeal and energy, and the overall presentation just feels like it was made by an amateur programmer and not a designer at all. The lack of controller options really hurt this - not that they would make Smashbox Arena much better, since it is nigh empty of content.