Cubed3's Reviews
What could have been a great SRPG based on the Dynasty Warriors franchise falls flat, thanks to the decision to keep the density of units from normal Musou games in an SRPG where the player actually has to sit through the enemy's turn. Having plenty of enemies to slice through to feel empowered and strong works well in real-time, but in turn-based games it is more likely that the player will fall asleep than feel excited when fighting against armies of enemies.
Chime Sharp is a powerful example of giving the player all the power they need to succeed. While at first it may seem a bit aimless, once you get a good grasp on what you're doing, it's genuinely exciting. With unlockable game modes for each track, and a great soundtrack, Chime Sharp is a casual game that should satiate any puzzle fan.
Candle may have some traditional adventure game aspects, but it does just enough to feel like a brand-new game unlike any you've ever played. While it's doing some things differently, it knows how to hold back, and finds the mix between old and new. Its refinement of the old ensures, even when it falters, it has a strong enough foundation to keep you enjoying it all the way through to the end.
Overall Pixel Heroes: Pixel Heroes: Byte & Magic is an interesting game. It brings a very familiar concept to the table and then randomises its attributes until it becomes something different, a less generic RPG with significantly increased difficulty. Its sense of humour, and fun systems and visuals make it well worth picking up for anyone in the market for a turn based RPG, or those who enjoy a bit of traditional tabletop dungeon crawling. For most, the jokes will mostly hit and will stave off the boredom factor, but for those that don't like referential humour, maybe steer clear of this title.
Attack on Titan has, arguably, the best possible flaw: a desire for more of it! With some fast-paced and outright enjoyable fighting, the game is an outright joy. The story won't hold much surprise for fans, but, at the same time, it's still a good one. The question really isn't so much 'Is it enjoyable?' but 'Is it long enough to justify a purchase?' Sadly, the answer isn't clear enough of a yes, but almost everything else is very solid and well-made.
For all of its faults, the biggest one at the heart of Level 22: Gary's Misadventures is that it just isn't very much fun.
Yesterday Origins is a fantastic point-and-click adventure that features comic-styled panels to showcase the story of John trying to find a cure for his memory loss.
Ginger: Beyond the Crystal is great, but whether you'll like it comes down to whether or not you're okay never feeling challenged. Once the basics are down, it's the same experience throughout. While there's definitely some technical issues, it's still a solid title any fan of 3D platformers should take a crack at - but if you need a game that will evolve as you progress, this isn't going to scratch that itch.
Dragon Ball Fusions is such an original and fun idea, yet is plagued with so many flaws and annoyingly flawed aspects of the gameplay that the final product is reduced to something that ends up being a specialist game for hardcore fans that can ignore a 10-12-hour title tripling in lifespan due to so many repeating animations bloating out every combat sequence. There's still an enjoyable game here with some addictive aspects, but it could be so much better with just a few minor tweaks. Quite disappointing.
Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin is a noble effort by Double Fine to give Psychonauts fans something to whet their appetite until the actual sequel comes out. Their attempt was misguided. Most of the game is hopping from host to host with a little puzzle here or there, of which none are ever challenging. With PSVR having a small install base and the steep pricing model for the game, it's not likely anyone will be getting sucked into Rhombus of Ruin. Just wait for the sequel.
It's not that it's a pure niche piece of software, as every single simulation game is like that. theHunter: Call of the Wild's biggest issue is that it got released in a pretty bad state, and still hasn't been fixed… And it's a real shame, because, when it decides to work, it can be quite the immersive experience and feels a lot closer to what it wants to - the best of its kind.
It is never a fun thing to play a game like Dystoria as it has many interesting and clever features and serves as a great history lesson in gaming, but, at the same time, it all falls flat due to the poor execution of said mechanics. To have a game focusing on driving on all sides of the objects, it is important to focus on making that enjoyable some way or another. In Dystoria, it simply isn't, as everything looks the same in a way that makes it extremely difficult to navigate, making it a frustrating feature instead of a game-defining one. Currently, it feels more like an early beta game with potential than a finished product.
Super Party Sports: Football is one of those decent time waster games people download on their phone to kill some time while waiting for the bus. It is also available on iOS, and, honestly, that feels like the perfect platform for it. On the Xbox One, this just feels slightly out of place, like it wandered in through the wrong door and everyone was just too polite to point it back in the right direction for fear of offending it. It is a perfectly alright game—a sort of basic puzzler that really doesn't have too many tricks up its sleeves—but it feels too basic to be on a console, and is too simple for anyone to sit down with it for any real length of time. It isn't a terrible game, but it certainly isn't a good one, either.
For all the different ways it tries to dress itself up, Words Up! Academy is really just the same thing over and over again. That does not necessarily make it a bad game, but it is an extremely simple one based on one very specific type of puzzle. For fans of this type of puzzle, this would probably be worth the purchase, but it is hard to see anyone who isn't an extreme fan of word puzzles to get any sort of enjoyment out of this at all. Even those that are fans might have a hard time keeping interest the entire time, because this game is truly an exercise in repetition. It does a good job dressing up this one type of puzzle the best that it can, but ultimately this is going to be a niche title that really only appeals to hardcore word puzzle enthusiasts. Both of them.
How to Survive 2's base building is a smart addition to the survival and zombie-slaying action of the original, however, beyond that, it feels, looks and plays very much like the original title. As such it feels like more of an expansion than a fully-fledged sequel, and whilst the simple but satisfying combat and co-op option makes it fun, it's not the most innovative or gripping survival game on the market.
Spiritsphere is incredibly fun when it focuses on its competitive nature. It doesn't really feel very exciting when it tries to be a solo experience, but it does manage to be a breath of fresh air in local competitive e-sports. Perhaps with an online component, it could become a sports and Zelda fan's dream title. Until then, though, it's still a whole lot fun in a somewhat unconventional package.
Resident Evil 7's first DLC, Banned Footage Vol. 1, lies somewhere between must-have and… meh. Everyone will find something to like here, it's just that it would be nice if this something was a bit longer than two to three hours long.
Phoning Home doesn't seem to want to be the flashiest of the survival genre. Instead, it seems to want to be the most accessible and the strongest. While it doesn't always succeed, it hits enough of the right notes to be both a recommendation and a surprisingly unique member of the survival genre. With a bit of polish, it could easily be one of the best.
'Rushed' is the politest thing one could say about Resident Evil 7's second DLC, Banned Footage Vol.2. Sure, it's easy to stomach a horror version of Blackjack, as well as a silly mini-game such as Jack's 55th Birthday, but it's hard doing the same with an extremely subpar prelude chapter, which could otherwise be the crowning glory of it all.
forma.8 focuses on exploration - the very core of what makes a Metroidvania great. It included some very clever design choices that ensure that someone who enjoys looking for secrets and figuring out tricky boss fights will never be bored for the duration of this game, and it also does a wonderful job avoiding some of the most common pitfalls of the genre, making this a must buy for its fans.