Cubed3's Reviews
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.
While it may be the black sheep of the franchise, Ys Origin is also one of the best entries the series has seen, and one of the best action RPGs period. All three playable characters having their own fleshed out and unique play style makes for an incredibly fresh, blood pumping experience that puts other action oriented games to shame. With an excellently written story, a beautiful soundtrack, and a challenging but always fair difficulty, Ys Origin is everything right with the series whilst maintaining an identity entirely of its own.
Somewhere in Trulon: The Shadow Engine lies what could be a decent little RPG. The use of cards makes for an interesting spin on tradition. The somewhat bland characters and storyline are balanced out by quaint graphics and pleasant music. However, in its current state, this game is broken. It's far too easy to soft-lock it, or even ruin a save. Progress is constantly at the mercy of increasingly slipshod scripts. Attempting to play an RPG where potentially everything can go wrong is nothing more than an exercise in frustration.
Save the Ninja Clan is a solid platformer that might be a bit overzealous in the difficulty department, and may not be the prettiest thing you've ever seen. Still, it's a good way to spend your time, and while it may not feel fresh, it definitely feels complete. While it feels like a fairly typical platforming experience, it's a great experience nonetheless.
Those who run away at the sound of the words "hidden object game" should actually stay put because Hidden Folks is one of the better ones out there, with its tiny-yet-gargantuan worlds and "mouth-sound" audio effects giving it a unique, playful, and almost magical charm, and the gameplay portion seamlessly blends fun, challenge, and some welcome amounts of cooling off.
Do not be fooled by this one. All the Delicate Duplicates merely attempts to disguise a run-of-the-mill storyline by wrapping it up in pretty a first-person exploration dressing that has clearly been designed for future VR support. Sadly, the lack of interaction with the actual surroundings hurts it badly, luring players in with the promise of more to come, only to end succinctly without any effort required on the player's part, and then expecting them to do lots of background reading to get the full picture. On paper, the initial concept may have seemed like an intriguing new way to deliver a story. In reality, though, it proves to be an overly short and mundane chore of an experience that misses so many opportunities to be so much more than it actually is. An experience it may be, but it is an empty and lacklustre one, overall.
A Pixel Story is as close to perfect as a game can get, but it falls a bit short. It highlights a lot of the issues other Metroidvania games have, and can feel like an aimless walk from time to time. Rest assured, though, every annoyance you stumble across will be paid back in kind, and with a game so fun and enticing, you may find yourself lost in the System, as well.
Clever use of traps and abilities, polished and presented well, this is an example of a great budget strategy affair, and, overall, good work from NeocoreGames.
Kill the Bad Guy never succeeds in the task it's setting out to do. Like a botched assassination, it's messy, clumsy, and insensitive. There was an interesting idea here once, yet it feels like a wasted opportunity for some genuine moments of humour and puzzle craft. With muddled controls, and even murkier morals, this game automatically lost any respect people may have had for it the moment it lost respect for its own design and direction.
There are lots of bad things that can be said for Ubisoft's newest idea, with the most annoying one being its poor single-player portion. For those looking for the best medieval-themed PvP melee fighting game, however, it just can't get any better than this. For Honor is not flawless, but it's the current King of the Hill.
A Magical High School Girl is an amusing endeavour with a lot of creativity and charm. The dungeons won't impress, but its inhabitants are handled in a manner that is both clever and challenging. The post-game content also does a good job of forcing veterans to rely solely on their wits and spells for long stretches of time, rather than hoarding and gorging on snacks. If a coming of age story with witches and junk food sounds appealing, then don't hesitate to give this rogue-lite a look.
Bit Dungeon+ is a dungeon crawler playing on nostalgia to a fault. It has completely neglected the modern touches to the genre that gave birth to its renaissance. Each run feels painfully similar, and towards the end it is possible to run several levels without receiving any upgrades at all. Thankfully, it has multiplayer, which can be entertaining in the right company. That is not enough to make it more than just another dungeon crawler, though.
8DAYS tries to replicate the thrill and aggressive nature of a twin-stick shooter and apply it to a mercenary gunning down enemies, but forgets about the part where an endless supply of ammo would've been useful. Having to rely on using stealth to traverse the chapters out of fear of wasting ammo kind of defeats the purpose of calling it a "shooter." While the cheap enemies and finite supply of health packs mixed with the extremely reflexive gameplay further dampens the product, 8DAYS leaves a lot to be desired, as it is a constant reminder of what could've been a really fun game.