Cubed3's Reviews
Thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish, Technobabylon is a breath of fresh air in the world of point-and-click adventures. Perhaps a little too rough around the edges for some in terms of visuals, looking past this reveals a truly splendid core product filled to the brim with an emotive soundtrack, stellar voice work, a gripping and sometimes even disturbing storyline, as well as - imperatively - extremely smart puzzle construction.
By no means is Funk of Titans a bad game, but it's not the kind of game that will be remembered for much beyond its absurd story and ridiculous mini-game. Funk of Titans is decidedly average, but it is fun to play in small doses. Completing each level without taking a hit while getting the Pegasus head and collecting the one hundred gold vinyl records in each stage can be a great way to kill small amounts of time here and there, but the repetitive nature of the levels and simplicity of the gameplay preclude longer sessions. The frame rate stuttering causes frustration and death, but it is generally unnoticeable in the main stages, leaving fewer reasons to play the already-tedious mini-game. The nagging desire to "One Hundred Percent" Funk of Titans might persist until the task is accomplished, although not because it is a difficult challenge to be overcome: because it is an absurdly easy one that causes a bit of shame for not being completed.
Amusing dialogue, lush and vibrant graphics, a lengthy campaign, accessibility, depth, and local multiplayer allow Swords & Soldiers II to provide entertainment to a wide audience. Ronimo Games' title strikes a nice balance between depth and complexity. Although there is a quality campaign to be enjoyed, it is little more than a way to unlock all the factions, units, abilities, and spells to be used in the skirmish modes, because the skirmishing is where Swords & Soldiers II really shines.
Unfortunately, the game itself still doesn't quite feel ready for the spotlight, and a clunky interface and far too many bugs hold it back from being an absolute must play. Still, despite the notable shortcomings, War for the Overworld is a true Dungeon Keeper sequel in everything but name. Fans waiting for a new entry in the series should just abandon any hope for that and instead embrace this as their new overworld overlord.
What should be the core appeal in Nihilumbra is less than three hours of extremely simple platforming, with an admittedly rather predictable storyline that tries too hard, presented through what might best be described as a fad in its invisible narrator. Some tough and frustrating platforming can be found if prepared to hammer through the initial easy-peasy main mode, but it never finds that middle ground of fun and balanced gameplay.
Anyone trying this will find that the time spent with High Strangeness is indeed interesting, but not for the price-point and it is lacking considering it took five years to make. Games of this ilk, back in the day, were more commonplace and tended to last around 12-15 hours, maybe more depending on the title at hand, and in the case of High Strangeness, which is a game that is set up to be a long and epic quest of discovery, is resolved suddenly, just when things are getting interesting. It is a massive tease of ideas and possibilities that are sadly wasted, never properly fulfilled, likely leaving gamers feeling very hungry. Steven Jenkins does have some interesting ideas and he really should continue developing more because High Strangeness does show promise. Perhaps with a bit more careful planning and more focused management, he can deliver a game that satisfies all his narrative goals, since this seems surprisingly rushed.
Poltergeist: A Pixelated Horror is a fun puzzle strategy game that would benefit from a bit of polish. Playing as a poltergeist and trying to scare people out of a house is an interesting concept for a puzzle/strategy game. It could probably only be recommended for those who really love the casual style puzzle/strategy games and find the idea playing the scary ghost fun. While there isn't really anything wrong with Poltergeist: A Pixelated Horror as a PC game, it would probably be better suited as a mobile game.
A Story About My Uncle makes some bold design choices, but pulls them off well. While its jumping and grappling mechanics can be a challenge, they can also be highly rewarding, and frequent save points make it easy to dive back in and have another go whenever failure happens. Meanwhile, great atmosphere and environment design pulls gamers through the charming little story. In fact, it's probably a good title to go into knowing very little, as much of the fun is discovering where it goes. Gone North Games is certainly a company to watch as it should be proud of what has been accomplished here.
Zen Studios has designed enough tables over the years to know exactly what works and what doesn't, so it seems a shame that this entry to the series feels slightly bereft of features when compared to more recent additions to the collection.
The reason behind this score is simply because of the fake difficulty that makes Infinity Runner enter almost unplayable territory. This is sad since, at its core, it could have been on the opposite side of the spectrum and become a good, if not great, title that could have helped improve the genre.
The Shin Megami Tensei games strive to be cool and quirky, yet philosophical and emotional, and Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 - Record Breaker achieves what it set out to do. It's a strong story with fun characters, clever tactical RPG and choice-based visual novel gameplay, an interesting, apocalyptic setting rich with Japanese culture, and plenty of replay value. It's tough but not impossible, it's long but not repetitive - there's no game quite like it.
Beautiful in its aesthetics, smart in its user-interface, yet ultimately lacking in almost every other key area, Broken Age: Act 2 is mightily disappointing on its own. Since it comes as a free update to those that already laid money down for Act 1, thankfully no money will feel like it has been wasted. Anyone picking up the full package on a non-PC format, though, might feel a touch more down and bitter, since the second half is not a patch on the first part and the cost outlay will be fresher in their minds.
Honestly, the biggest problem with StarDrive 2 is simply how it tried to do too many things and, as a result, ended up sort of directionless. However, putting that aside, it does have quite a bit to offer in distinction and uniqueness and, at the end of the day, it is still quite a solid game that's decently well made and engaging - just not as well made and engaging as it should have been, often being outshone by other games in the same genre.
Tower of Guns is an experience that wears thin after a while, being best played in short bursts. It is an interesting experiment that should be further explored by Terrible Posture Games. Ideas and potential are not enough, however, to make a game compelling - they need thoughtful execution and variety. Fact of the matter is that randomly generated levels just aren't a graceful solution to make variety and, ultimately, the level design (or lack of) ends up being too similar and boring. To make up for the randomised level designs, the core gameplay would need to be expanded upon and less limits put on player-character actions. Tower of Guns is a title that is best for only the curious and the desperate for something new and different.
While far from being bad or broken, Etherium disappoints more that it bores or annoys. It does so because it initially shows promise, but then throws it out of the window, since the few good ideas that exist aren't adequately explored. Even worse, the major focus on micromanagement, along with the somewhat unfair enemy AI, tends to decrease the fun factor quite a lot. Hopefully, the developer is taking notes on the many, generally negative reviews that its product has received, in order to create a far better sequel, or at least a gargantuan patch that would change a lot of things.
The plot is also sadly quite predictable - certainly not living up to the superb presentation of the game. Still, at its budget price of just €10/$10/£8, this is a recommended purchase for both newcomers and veterans of the series.
More stages, combo challenges, and a tag mode would have really helped to up the value, but don't let that be the downfall - Mortal Kombat X should satisfy any fighting game enthusiast.
Dead Synchronicity tries to stand out from the crowd with its aesthetic style and succeeds in almost every area, despite starting off somewhat slow, confusing, and even a slight bit frustrating. With a stellar voice cast to drive home the weight of the macabre story at hand, a delightfully dark setting, and a slew of impressive puzzles further into the journey, any initial concerns over navigation confusion and a shorter than expected length given the price-tag are overcome, resulting in what is actually a superbly fresh take on the genre that deserves the attention of any traditional point-and-click adventure fan.
Another fantastic example of both DLC and survival horror done right, these two parts have been such a joy to experience, it cries out for a full sequel to The Evil Within to be made entirely in this style - less action, more terror! With The Consequence wrapping up Juli's story, the next DLC, The Keeper, looks like it will be something completely different. Stay with Cubed3 to see how it feels to play on the side of the monsters when this is released next.
Luftrausers is a perfect case study for the benefits and limitations of a game concerned solely with fun. On the plus side, it takes all of four seconds to get into the game and start enjoying it. On the other hand, anything that detracts from the fun (in this case, balance issues) damages the overall experience more than it normally would. As a result, all but the most dedicated fans will give up on Luftrausers after a short time - not because the game itself is short, but because it's not fine-tuned enough to maintain interest. However, it must be stressed that before that drop-off point, the game's sharp controls, dynamic presentation, and unique combat options make it irresistibly addictive. Two days' worth of constant entertainment is time well spent, and if that doesn't deserve a recommendation, nothing does.