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Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven is a flawless JRPG experience. It takes an old gem masterpiece from the golden age and refines it into an epic masterpiece with an AA budget than what Square Enix typically spits out of its mouth.
Crypt Custodian doesn’t deviate far from the very basics of the Metroidvania formula, but it polishes simplicity to the point where you can’t help but be engaged by it. Having a tight combat system, exploration that doesn’t screech to a halt every five minutes, and a pleasant aesthetic is more than enough to create a fun experience, and Crypt Custodian does exactly that.
Grunn is fully committed to being a surreal experience, but doesn’t go too far to the point where it becomes nonsense, instead striking a good balance between the mundane and weird. It deserves its place as one of the most charming horror titles released this year, and is more than worth playing if you enjoy feeling isolated, uncomfortable, and Dutch.
The older Ocarina of Time gets, it only becomes more relevant. Its themes resonate through a classic story of good versus evil and a weighty ending that carries tragic implications for anyone who has played the later entries in the franchise. It’s a tale as old as time itself and still engrosses despite its age.
Empire of the Ants is an exceptional entry-level strategy game that lets players relax once in a while during exploration-based stages. Some things are unrealistic or inaccurate but are in service of making an enjoyable experience. At the very least, it has some of the most realistic visuals on current-gen consoles.
While I can appreciate the idea of a Furi styled boss battle, it just feels out of place considering what the rest of the game is. Maybe there was more planned or maybe they just decided that they didn’t know how to make the boss battle fit naturally into the flow of the arena. Maybe they ran out of time and decided it was good enough as it was. I’m not sure, but at $15, it’s hard to penalize them too much over a slightly disjointed final battle.
Mario & Luigi: Brothership is an epic RPG for Mario standards. It has everything one might hope for, all wrapped up in a beefy package. The erratic framerate won’t impress long-time gamers and even the load times might wear down a kid’s patience, but the trade-off is some of the most appealing art and animation seen on an RPG on Switch.
Death Stranding: Director’s Cut may not resonate with everyone who plays it. This is not a typical action game. It’s pensive for long stretches with bizarre instances of humor and sudden bouts of action. Death Stranding: Director’s Cut blends several genres into an epic surrealist sci-fi epic. Kojima’s message may be aggressively in-your-face, but at least it is a message worth having.
Fairy Tail: Dungeons is not necessarily a good game to pick up if you aren’t familiar with the roguelike card battler genre, but it is a decent product for Fairy Tail fans and it does enough with its premise to be fun for a few hours, even if lacking in content.
In the end, Chicken Police: Into the Hive is a thrilling sequel to Chicken Police: Paint it Red. If you play the game without playing the original, there are some key moments referenced that will leave you feeling confused, however, the game does a decent enough job quickly glancing over it to not take you out of the overall experience.
Mindcop won’t set any trends or shock players with its premise. The story is well-executed enough to see through to the end and entertains until the truth is revealed and beyond. The art style does not stick to landing, but anyone looking for a Northern Pacific mystery with a magical twist will find a lot to enjoy.
The story isn’t good and while Nehantu is more interesting to look at than the endless deserts, Blizzard has got to stop treating Diablo like an MMO. They need to treat it more like a single player dungeon crawler that also happens to have some online elements to justify these price tags. Especially when they’re already asking players to pay for a battle pass, there’s even less reason to justify this expansion costing more than $20.
Farmagia could have benefited if they made it a turn-based RPG or slowed down the speed of what’s going on. Having nearly 100 monsters plus the monsters you face going at the speed of The Wonderful 101‘s gameplay might not be the most palatable thing for younger kids. Farmagia’s mixture of so many ideas was not the issue, just the execution.
Regretfully, the lack of an emotional connection to anything and the roguelike and mobile game-inspired gameplay undermines Metal Slug Tactics‘ strongest features.
It’s definitely not wrong to make a Metrovania with a higher focus on exploration and platforming, but Voidwrought hurts itself by having very simple levels and barely any platforming challenges. This lack of commitment to a premise makes the game feel safe and mostly forgettable, as it doesn’t bring anything new to the overcrowded Metrovania genre.
While it is apparent that Bokeh Game Studio was working with a tight budget, they knew how to stretch their dollars. Slitterhead is truly a special horror game that is sure to be a cult classic.
Shadows of the Damned is still a fun romp dense with stimulating set-pieces and gimmicks. The battles are rowdy shootouts with aggressive naked monsters and dodge-rolling into them and smacking them around with Johnson is as tense as ever. Garcia’s controls are fluid and have exaggerated animations that reinforce the silliness inherent in the premise.
The campaign is a fresh new experience that ties the events from previous Black Ops titles together in a creative and fun way. Multiplayer shows promise with its changes to movement and weapon variety; it could use some more open or bigger maps but as it is, can still be a fun experience.
Metaphor: ReFantazio has memorable music, a safe take on a job class system, a charming cast that does not resort to being a dating simulator, and a snappy, fluid, and tactical turn-based combat system. Fantasy isn’t dead, it’s so back.
If you grew up with Backyard Baseball, you will feel a sense of nostalgia like reconnecting with a childhood friend you haven’t seen in a long time. The gameplay is simple enough and smooth enough that a new player can pick up the game and just play while a returning veteran will know some tricks of the trade.