Cubed3's Reviews
Armikrog is often too old-school for its own good, and it's impregnable for those who don't know the genre for all its faults. Those that manage to scratch the surface won't necessarily be rewarded for their efforts, either, with a paper-thin plot and characters that are just too hard to root for. The art style (and opening song) may be enticing, but sadly that's all that this retro-styled point-and-clicker has to offer.
Currently, and, sadly, maybe forever, Gunscape doesn't become what it wants to. Besides the fact that the level editor included (which is, like, half the game) is not as versatile as it should be, the main gameplay mechanics aren't fun. They aren't terrible or anything, but they're also not anything that will make anyone put their [insert old-school FPS] aside.
It's not ground-breaking or genre-defining, but Electronic Super Joy masters the retro-style platformer. It's stunning visually and sonically, and the presentation is tied in directly to the arresting gameplay that's complemented perfectly by tight controls and super smart level design. Hardcore platforming fans will be completely at home here.
Playing as a genie has never been more fun. Shantae: Half-Genie Hero is a wonder to behold, and can be enjoyed by players of all ages.
Under Pressure does a good job of showing the cracks that are beginning to form in the Guardians' relationships, while ironically filling some of the cracks that were present in the first chapter's presentation. It still needs some work to make it something truly special, and it remains to be seen whether the consequences will be worth the yawn-inducing build-up. Luckily, things are looking up, and as the main theme suggests, Telltale's Guardians of the Galaxy is still very much a Livin' Thing.
For an RPG that's so damn short, SAKeRETSU turns out to be one the worst of its kind, with battles that are very repetitive and simplistic, and mechanics that simply refuse to work. As for the Game Boy art style, it's definitely nice and all, but style is no substitute for substance.
Valkyria Revolution has the confidence of a much better game. The story is presented in a historical lense meant to pull at the player's heartstrings, the gameplay combines action RPG elements with strategy features, and the cast is depicted so as to highlight the realities of war. While that all looks nice in concept, Media Vision's execution is seriously lacking. The plot simultaneously needs to let scenes breathe more, instead of dragging them out for minutes on end. What should be thought-provoking combat turns into mindless button mashing. The depiction of war, as poignant as it can be sometimes, never manages to hold onto its brilliance for longer than a minute. There are genuinely great ideas present, both from its narrative and gameplay, but Valkyria Revolution fails to live up to the potential of either.
Oceanhorn is a competent, budget, bite-sized Zelda-like experience that is not without its flaws, both in terms of glitches and in terms of sheer game design.
NBA Playgrounds plays well to the strengths of the Nintendo Switch, providing a fun multiplayer basketball game, with authentic players and commentary. Difficulty spikes in solo play are too steep to ignore, though, and the current absence of online play greatly diminishes long-term viability. A great game is here, but not yet at the surface.
Blitzkrieg 3 is Blitzkrieg… but without its tactical approach to the battlefield. It's fast and bombastic, but it lacks the depth that made so many strategy fans love the 2003 original. Even worse, Nivel removed the Early Access label from its product, but "forgot" to actually reflect that in it, leaving behind a flaw-ridden piece of software.
As creative as First Strike: Final Hour is, it suffers from a lack of necessary strategy, barebones content, and high price tag compared to its iOS counterpart.
Witchinour isn't worth the hassle. While it does have a firm grasp of the basic essentials, it's difficult in all of the wrong ways. The stages are boring, the bosses are insufferable, and the spells are woefully inadequate. Even in games where the learning curve is akin to a steep cliff wall, there's at least something the player can do to make it palatable. That simply isn't the case here. Fans of shooters beware; nothing but misery awaits.
Ever Oasis is a masterfully crafted piece of gaming software that manages to introduce a lot of original town management elements into an action RPG without feeling overwhelming or too hard to understand even for younger audiences, all while offering a solid experience gameplay-wise, as well as visually and audibly.
Seasons After Fall is a wonderful platform adventure that uses the ability to change seasons perfectly, with some cleverly thought-out areas that are small at first, but smartly open up considerably when rotating through Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. With gorgeous visuals, and a wonderful soundtrack, plus powerful voice work, the only thing that holds this back is the aimless wandering that creeps in towards the latter stages, thanks to the lack of a map feature.
While 13 years is certainly a long time to put a series on hold, perhaps another 13 could have been used to help Syberia 3 ready itself for release.
The deal with Valkyrie Drive: Bhikkhuni is that it's a risqué and sometimes outright perverted videogame. Undoubtedly, not everyone is going to appreciate being practically smothered in breasts, butts, and everything in-between. Some might be able to look past that and laugh at the absurdity of it all; others would do better to simply walk away. That said, this title has thrilling combat, an intriguing story, well-written characters, and enough content to last a long while.
A highly intense arcade shoot-fest, the combination of the talent at Housemarque and the expertise of Robotron and Smash TV creator Eugene Jarvis has come together to deliver another exemplary title in the Finnish developer's catalogue. The faster paced gameplay and tighter areas over that of previous game Alienation pile the pressure on, whilst the strategic edge of trying to keep score multipliers going for as long as possible adds another layer to the bullet mayhem on show. One or two extra levels and online co-op really would have iced the Nex Machina cake, but either way, this is not to be missed by any shoot 'em up fan.
Whilst it starts off somewhat slow, Shantae: Half-Genie Hero quickly kicks into top gear and stays there right until the end, making for one of the most engrossing 2D platform adventures of recent times.
Viewed strictly in a complete bubble, on a technical level, this is one of the best titles in the series so far. Some of the previous issues mentioned hold it back from widespread enjoyment beyond those in the niche, but fans will like the new characters and game.
LEGO Worlds feels like a tech demo for what could be in TT's future. There's a lot of promise here, but it lacks direction and purpose. It ends up feeling like TT's signature LEGO elements meets No Man's Sky meets Minecraft. That means it contains all the problems these other titles suffer from.