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Nuclear Blaze is an enjoyable pixel platformer that gets all the basics right but lacks any meaningful depth to keep you engaged. Its vast array of difficulty options can be praised for making it accessible to all, however its incredibly short runtime makes it a very passable experience.
There is nothing brand new to look forward to in the title, but Afterlife VR effectively takes a blender to a number of horror tropes and settings, delivering a sufficiently worthwhile experience.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor does what any successful sequel should do: it expands on the foundations of the first game and does everything better. Combat is just as enjoyable and offers more options, exploration is on a whole other level, and the Metroidvania elements make for engaging puzzles and satisfying rewards. Easily one of the best Star Wars games ever made, it hands 2023 yet another crowning highlight.
Embers' debut game is beautifully presented, with an interesting but flawed combat system. Lovely music (thanks to Journey composer Austin Wintory) and exciting boss battles make it worth your time.
Afterimage does enough to stand out in a genre that is quickly becoming overcrowded, with its surprisingly deep combat and excellent visual design. It doesn't reinvent the wheel but will likely find a loving home in the hands of Metroidvania enthusiasts.
Live A Live is an incredibly interesting and unique JRPG experience. With lovely HD-2D graphics and numerous main characters, it's hard not to compare it to the likes of Octopath Traveler, but it really is a completely different kettle of fish. Live A Live is a varied thrill ride that still impresses all these years later, and while the combat does struggle to live up to the rest of the adventure, the game does a fantastic job of tying all of its intriguing, individual stories together. It's a history-hopping journey we'll be thinking about for quite some time.
The Mageseeker is an enjoyable, expressive action RPG that stops just shy of outstaying its welcome.
Still, it's so hard to fault Final Fantasy VI. It's a thrill ride of an RPG, and remains one of the most brilliantly paced instalments in the entire series. Combine that with such an endearing cast, deeply engaging gameplay, some amazing sprite work, and a stunning soundtrack, and you've got an all-time classic.
With a decent story, okay characters, and pretty standard turn-based combat, Final Fantasy V does feel a bit too safe at times, but the expanded job system really ties a lot of the experience together. A forgotten Final Fantasy for many, but one that's still fun to play through.
Ultimately, Teslagrad 2 is an agreeable successor with satisfying traversal and enjoyably challenging puzzles and boss fights. But with a short runtime and a lack of hints and guidance it fails to really improve upon its predecessor. If you enjoyed Teslagrad and are looking for more of the same, this sequel will suffice.
Like Frozen Wilds did with Horizon Zero Dawn, Burning Shores takes what was already great about Forbidden West and gives you a sizeable new playground and a bunch of extra toys to play with. The archipelago is great fun to explore by land, sea, or air, with plenty of interesting things to see and do. Certain areas feel a little underutilised, but overall this is a great expansion that continues Aloy's story and sets up for things to come in Horizon 3.
In a world where the 3D remake of Final Fantasy III exists, it's hard to argue that Final Fantasy III Pixel Remaster is the definitive version. However, there's no denying that this classic RPG still holds up, even though it struggles to wow outside of its enjoyable job system.
Final Fantasy IV was a significant cut above what had come before, and it's still a fantastic RPG today.
Disney Speedstorm is a fun game that we're glad to see has quite a bit of quality to it. There are some reservations about how well the free-to-play monetisation will work as we move forward, but looking just at the game itself, it's not a bad time. There is room for this title to become very popular, especially if the right additions are made. At the very least, this can become a fun game for friends. If you're a Disney fan, it's a good way to mash together some of your favorite old movies and battle it out on the racetrack.
Despite being so basic in its execution, it's hard to fault Final Fantasy. It remains a solid RPG with a strong sense of adventure.
Thank god for the Pixel Remaster's boosts, then. In this enhanced re-release, you can increase the rate at which your stat gains occur (by up to four times), making the whole process way more tolerable. These additions alone arguably make this the best version of a divisive Final Fantasy.
In the end, though, Dead Island 2 is a refreshing surprise amid the 2023 release roster. It's a fun and simple zombie-slasher experience that may be let down by its uninspiring RPG elements and boring loot-cycle, but more than makes up for it with its killer setting, brutal melee combat, and stunning graphics. While we suspect some will be disappointed by the game's size after all these years, we found it utterly revitalising to find a AAA experience that respects your time, and more importantly doesn't overstay its welcome. In the day and age of 300-hour RPGs, it's nice to know that some games are here for a fun time, not a long time.
While the AI will soon find you too much to handle, even at higher difficulties, the online component is where the specials really shine. The strategy of choosing when to slot your attacks in becomes paramount. It’s easy to lose the rhythm of the song if you get too cocky. As long as the game can nurture and maintain a player base there should be ample reason to keep coming back to God of Rock time and time again.
Cannon Dancer is an obscure underground cult classic that's finally going to find the audience it's always deserved. That we live in an era where games like this can be made easily accessible is worth celebrating, but even taken on its own merits, this spiritual successor to Strider is a breathless, brilliant affair. A sharp difficulty spike, common in the arcade releases of the era, feels unfair – but it won't prevent you from falling in love with all of the high-stakes action that precedes it.
For a game that was never meant to exist, Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened is a revelation. It has everything a Holmes fan could want; mysteries to unravel, fun dialogue and banter between Holmes and Watson, and plenty of investigations to be had. Playing through with barely any instruction or assistance from the game itself really gives a sense of achievement not often found with other detective games. A compelling and mythical storyline is really the cherry on top of a fantastic, thought-provoking game which will have players exploring every nook and cranny to get to the bottom of the mystery at hand.