Cubed3's Reviews
While Wobbly Life succeeds in what it first and foremost set out to do, to be a fun and lighthearted open world to explore with friends, the overreach it committed to during early access hurts the presentation more than it helps it. Poor controls and strange despawning mechanics are fine for chaotic shenanigans with friends, but not so much during longer quests. Wobbly Life is a textbook example of a game that could have been amazing if it had strengthened its initial hook instead of straying deeply into new territory mid-development.
Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is an improvement in everything that is quintessentially “Ace Combat," bringing back squadron commands and adding a plethora of different aircraft, new special weapons, and more. The cinematic visuals and deep, twisting narrative immerse the player in the fantasy of being an ace pilot in a war between two nations.
Sin was never a great game. Beneath all its flaws, though, Ritual Entertainment’s creation had something worth saving: ambition, personality, and the unmistakable feeling of a team eager to push the technology and do things differently. It also had plenty of cheese. No, Sin Reloaded isn’t a completely new game, but that was never its intention. It’s the same uneven, strangely memorable experience - only now one can enjoy it in 4K and pretend that was what was missing all along.
Yes, the collection-specific stuff like the manuals could be tightened up, but what an excellent example of gaming that is collected here. Each Metal Gear game being good helps a lot, and combining them into one trim collection without a ton of frills was a good idea. If you’re a fan of shooting, sneaking and even occasionally laughing a little, this collection is a must buy.
Artis Impact is so close to being great. It's a compelling blend of melancholy and humour that surprises with bouts of awesome action. With a bit of fine-tuning to rebalance the difficulty, fix some bugs and smooth out the frame rate, this could reach indie classic status. It offers something for everyone, from JRPG gameplay and immersive life-sim experiences to bleak existentialism and silly slapstick comedy.
The Day I Became a Bird is charming in all the right ways. The artwork is gorgeous, the story is relatable and well told, and the gameplay is, while perhaps a bit repetitive, largely fine. Some of the controls could use some work, and really remain the most difficult part to praise. However, with the ability to simplify them very easily in the menu, the overall package is an easy one to recommend.
A darker take on the metroidvania formula, Well Dweller combines quirky humour, rewarding exploration, smooth movement, and helpful tools to make completion far less cryptic than most in the genre.
The Perfect Pencil has the foundation for a great metroidvania but runs too far with some of the aspects that make it unique, such as how cryptic it is and its offbeat sense of humour. Its quirks are part of what makes it so distinct in the beginning, but they become increasingly overused as the game progresses. A more robust fast travel system appearing earlier also would have made returning to previous areas less tedious.
Control Resonant has a lot going for it. It's a technical and artistic achievement, with amazing visuals, memorable characters, and a lot of platforming... but it fumbles with the combat. Sadly, fighting is incredibly boring and repetitive, and fighting is something Dylan does a lot. The most frustrating and disappointing aspect of Resonant is that it's a brilliant idea that's executed so utterly flatly.
A setting as heavily steeped in rich lore as the Dune universe can be hard to properly encapsulate, yet Funcom seems to have done just that with Dune: Awakening, even if a few "gamey" issues hold it back from being the strong start to an epic saga it could be.
Star Wars: Zero Company has all of the hallmarks of a great strategy game with a deep set of battle mechanics and choices to make. There is a deep roster of characters and customisation options stacked on top of specialisation classes that can be changed over each mission. The story is surprisingly gripping for a video game and interjects itself into one of the best eras of Star Wars, especially with extended canonical universe offered by various Star Wars spin offs. Star Wars fanatics and strategy game officionados will really have a great time with Star Wars: Zero Company, that is for sure.
While Constance has fantastic art design and tries something new with its plot, its level design and imprecise controls undermine too much of the experience to make it easy to recommend.
In an age of kart racers typically being mascot or movie tie-ins, Coffin Dodgers is a shame because Milky Tea Studios actually breaks the mould but then immediately squanders any momentum. No amount of fun comedic nuggets can distract from what’s a fundamentally boring time. They put up a good fight, but now it’s time to lay these Boomers to rest.
While there are some gaping holes in its story, Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy tells a fun, swashbuckling story that stuns with amazing visuals and performances. The puzzles are excellent, but the same can't be said for the basic swordplay that runs thin or the chokingly linear exploration.
Is Another Eden Begins worth playing? Absolutely. It’s just important to know what you’re getting into. Weak character development for some secondary characters, a map system that leaves a lot to be desired, and what ultimately feels like an incomplete battle system leave one wanting for something a bit more traditional. Another Eden Begins is a console version of a mobile game, and ultimately, it shows that in some very off-putting ways.
Souldiers is close to being excellent, with gorgeous pixel art and a large world jam-packed with secrets, but it still needs some polish. For metroidvania enthusiasts and retro addicts, there is enough to enjoy here despite the flaws.
While blending games like Dauntless and Hades is an interesting idea in its own right, Savara is perhaps a more generic version of both of those games with watered-down mechanics and a thin storyline that lacks an effective hook.
It’s surprising how much Metal Slug Tactics succeeds in resurrecting the old Neo Geo and arcade feel, particularly with regards to the graphics, but also in details like the VO announcer being present at the start of every stage. There’s a lot of variance to the objectives and a handful of genuinely impressive and intense boss fights. Metal Slug Tactics doesn't unseat the Into the Breach-likes of the genre, and its roguelite scaffolding will frustrate some hoping for something more conventional, but as a more than faithful tribute act with genuinely good mechanical ideas of its own, it's a bolder swing than any fan of the series might be expecting.
Permadeath rogues and randomised Mystery Dungeons are an acquired taste as is, let alone being a Dragon Quest IV spinoff. However, despite it being one of the first of its kind, Dragon Quest Heroes: Torneko's Mystery Dungeon Classic HD still manages to be engrossing and stimulating. It probably didn't even need the visual overhaul, but it's an appreciated bonus that breathes a bit of life into this belated release.
Unpredictability and absurdity combine to craft one of the most appealing turn-based roguelites out there, with a sadistic concept that will have both cat lovers and non-lovers glued to their Switch 2 screens dozens of hours later. There is a satisfying gameplay loop that consists of making the most of what you have at your disposal in the brief time on the streets before returning home and breeding the next batch of messed-up killer kitty-cats. While there may be a hurdle to get over for those a little unfamiliar to the genre, and the random factor heavily impacts gameplay in and out of battle, the time spent invested is incredibly rewarding.