Cubed3's Reviews
The good? A big world to explore, a vast arsenal of skills, perfect controls, and numerous, adrenalin-pumping bullet hell-esque boss fights. The bad? First, compared to its rivals, the platforming "puzzles" are pretty simplistic, instead of thought-provoking, and, second, the otherwise fantastic boss encounters feel very similar challenge-wise, instead of each one twisting the knife deeper and deeper. Flaws aside, Rabi-Ribi is a cute time sink that will surely please Metroidvania fans - as long as they can stomach the big pile of rabbit manure that this has for a plot.
Death by Game Show has a lot of style, and is a pretty fun take on the tower defence formula. Learning and understanding its new rules, offers a lot of early challenge and enjoyment while teaching everything in a non-obtrusive manner. The problems come in that many things carry over from level to level with no way to get many of the necessary items back if they are lost, which makes some levels truly impossible to beat when the protagonist gets overran. However, as long as the buildings are not lost many levels are simply ploughed over. This extreme divergence is the most pressing issue of an overall decent title.
The primary issue with The Age of Decadence is that it feels as if all its problems could be fixed with one simple patch, but weren't. Giving a bit more detail in the quest journal? Would help a lot but not available. Mini-map? Nope. A bit more colour along with some more definition? Sorry. Clothes that don't restrict AP so that streaking wouldn't be the requirement for high-AP combat? Not an option. In its current state it's unpolished at best, but has some potential; potential that, sadly, seems like it has been denied. It shouldn't be avoided, however, as it would be average and, potentially, even enjoyable with these issues ironed out - but it currently feels more of a bore to play, with little to keep interest from tediously running back and forth because it couldn't be bothered to mention where an NPC might be.
Without a doubt, Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam Bros. is just as solid an RPG adventure as its predecessors, avoiding the pit that Partners in Time fell into with its multi-character approach. Paper Mario slots into this new romp perfectly well, although there are times where the 'Paper' world is not exploited as much as fans may have wanted. Nevertheless, the laughs are still there, as are the innovative 'Bros.' moves for battles, more than making up for the incessant mandatory 'Toad Hunt' mini-games included. This may not be Mario & Luigi at its best, but it still rises high above the recent Paper Mario entries and will keep fans of the series entertained until the end of the impressively lengthy adventure.
Knights of Pen and Paper II: Here Be Dragons is a rather repetitive and subpar turn-based RPG, which is being held back by its own design concepts. What may seem like an amusing idea of emulating classic Sunday night style Table Top role-playing, quickly turns out to be a let-down since the actual experience only works when it's genuine. The pen was not mightier than the sword in this case, and swords slice through paper, therefore, Knights made of pen and paper may not be the most viable option.
AIPD is in need of more substance, but what is on offer is a solid and fun experience, even if it does take a while to figure out what is going on (Hint: weapons overheat, which is strangely easy to overlook and may leave players wondering why their ship is bouncing all over the arena). It's pretty, has great music, and is fun to play; it's just that the amount of content on offer isn't staggering and can quickly lead to boredom. The boredom won't last, because players will feel an inexorable pull to play again, but small doses is the name of the game.
A world that makes Disneyland feel threatening in comparison, a cast of the most lifeless characters imaginable, a look that is as pretty as it is uninspiring, and a level of challenge that's insulting to the average adventure gamer. In other words: Order of the Thorne: The King's Challenge isn't just mediocre, but mediocre to the point of annoyance! Hopefully, Infamous Quests will not repeat the same mistakes with the next page of this fairytale, Fortress of Fire, and spices things up a bit.
Alphadia isn't exactly terrible, but it isn't doing itself any favours, either. The battle system never provides any meaningful challenge, and doesn't function differently enough to really strike a unique chord. The characters all feel extremely flat and one-dimensional, and there isn't a compelling reason to feel engaged in their quest. While the foundational elements are all here, ultimately, there are bound to be JRPGs that are more worth your time.
Frankly, nothing about Sayonara Umihara Kawase makes it a welcoming experience. The controls might be tight, but a platformer where the physics are a constant battle, and the levels restart so slowly, make for an extremely aggravating adventure. While the mechanics might make it work better at a puzzle platformer, this still demands cat-like reflexes so often that this simply isn't an option. As far as challenging platformers go, this definitely sets the bar high, but even the most devoted fan of the genre will have trouble looking past the glaring issues present here.
Klaus is a game that is simplistic and straightforward in its design and overall complexity, but that does not stop it from being a competent and well-made puzzle-platformer. The biggest strength of this title would have to be its sense of style offered by the writing for Klaus and K1, as well as the great, hand drawn visuals that creatively use mixtures of light, colours, and shadow in each level; combine that with the solid platforming and Klaus is certainly a title worth giving shot.
The real problem with this expansion is that the amount of content doesn't feel balanced. The Chinese campaign might have been fine, but it didn't even touch on the four prior civilizations and didn't feel like it expanded the world. The added civilization is great and it's nice to see the game grow after such dormancy, but it's also overpowered. The good more than outweighs the bad, however, and, with luck, the 'Age of' series will return in full-on glory!
Not a Hero does have a few major faults. Most notably, it can easily be blasted through in the space of two to three hours with very little effort, and it'll only take longer because of frustrating controls that lead the hero to slide to its death, either out of a window or into the barrel of a machine gun. That said, despite featuring one of the oddest stories ever seen, its witty dialogue combined with addictive gameplay makes it a fantastic game.
Sorcery! Parts 1 & 2 has a great story through and through, and the weight of the various choices and potential outcomes does, indeed, feel very heavy and involved. If nothing else, this will be worthwhile to play purely as a story. However, its short length is its real weak point, as the adventure will be over too soon, but at least there is the chance to try all of the various other paths to add some longevity.
The Balls of Glory pinball pack brings to life four of the top animated sitcoms, and they each contain a variety of unique mini-games that fans of the shows will enjoy. For pinball fans, these stages bring the right amount of challenge to the game, although, at times, it may feel unfair when a ball enters the outlane. Zen Studios has done an amazing job in bringing the TV shows to life in this bundle, but for maximum enjoyment, it does require knowledge of the shows that the tables are based on. While the layout isn't quite up to par with some of the other tables that Zen Pinball 2 has to offer, the Balls of Glory pack provides plenty more hours of enjoyment.
Like its predecessor, Rise of the Tomb Raider is fun, but many of the flaws have been ironed out. A few new shortcomings were introduced, but not nearly enough to really hinder the gameplay experience. There's certainly plenty to like, and not a whole lot to dislike, but having Lara pushed to the back after such a strong performance in the initial title may leave players feeling underwhelmed and dissatisfied. It's definitely worth picking up… once it's part of a Complete Edition at a reasonable price and with all the content.
When it was announced that the next Marvel game was to be based on the MCU, it seemed unlikely it could live up to LEGO Marvel Super Heroes and yet the team has managed to take each aspect of the previous entry and make improvements. This is easily the best LEGO title released so far, and also easily the best Marvel game produced, full stop. It epitomises an element of games that many seem to have forgotten recently: fun. The upcoming Season Pass also brings with it a significant amount of content for a surprisingly low price - a mere £8 for five packs that add new levels and an extra 40 characters.
While Final Fantasy Explorers isn't exactly a first, either for the series or RPGs, it's still an enjoyable game that can be experienced either alone or with friends. Some of the controls do hold it back, and there definitely could have been a bit more effort put into the storyline, but there are some very interesting and deep mechanics to experience here. Despite being a bit of a grind later on, it's definitely worthwhile when that perfect skill combination is found, or a flawless set of gear is crafted. Whether alone or with friends, Explorers is a worthy investment for those looking to scratch that RPG itch.
While the characters interact in amusing and interesting ways, they are one-dimensional. The few new shallow storylines hardly justify a repurchase. Buy this if the previous game was missed, or if there's a need for a cheap PS4 Musou release.
Despite a beginning that focuses a bit too much on archetypes, so that it can deconstruct them later and far too much fluff, CLANNAD pulls its act together rather quickly to present a beautifully written story about family and optimism within change. This visual novel is a big investment, but its status as a potentially life changing one makes it more than a worthwhile read.
It showcases classic gameplay in its purest form, demanding a level of skill and timing not present in many games recently. Defeat never feels unfair; if anything, it encourages the player to pick the controller back up and improve. The music is a joy, and the canvas the art is weaved through is testament to a team who have created a highly addictive and polished game.