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It’s exciting to watch them build this shared fable universe in real time, and even though we don’t know what’s next for them as developers, it’s difficult to imagine it being less than excellent.
Yes, GEX is one of the first platformers that introduced a fully voiced protagonist, but beyond that, the franchise is fairly average. This re-release of the GEX Trilogy could have been so much more, but instead it just banks on nostalgia over being an entry point for new gamers.
Competition has gotten fierce within this sub-genre, yet Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma is by far still a worthy addition to the landscape and is a faithful addition to the beloved franchise.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is the definitive experience of a Switch classic. It has its design flaws and can be a little unrewarding at times, but it excels at rewarding players with an extrinsic experience. If you didn’t love it before, you might be more open to it now. If you already loved it, then you’ll fall in love with it all over again.
Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo is consistently engrossing and creative. It’s packed with variety and inventive gimmicks that have never been done before in similar games, elevating it from being just another retro throwback fan game. Its novelty is only surpassed by its charming characters and deft audio/visual design.
Mario Kart World is another great Mario Kart. It isn’t eighty dollars good, but if you can get it for around sixty, you’ll be very happy with the value it offers. There are plenty of features and stuff to do to keep players enjoying this endlessly, like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, but it is not the generational leap forward like some of the past entries.
Speed Freeks is bleeding out players fast, and it doesn’t feel like it’ll be long before all matches are filled with bots. The game has some great characters and environment designs, as well as a very fun customization system, but the bot-filled online-only matches make it a difficult title to recommend.
Wings of Endless‘ biggest failing is how utterly dull, amateurish, and milquetoast it can be. The entire package feels like a formless gray sludge that lacks any bite or confidence.
RATSHAKER is a bizarre, minimalistic satirical experience that will make you chuckle a few times, but you’ll be hard-pressed to ever replay it. There isn’t much to it, but that shouldn’t be surprising considering how cheap it is. The visual style during the nightmarish sequences will leave an impression, but not as much as the moronic wails of that rat.
Being divorced from the Elder Scrolls and being able to do its own thing elevates Tainted Grail. It has more personality than being a generic medieval Tolkien-esque fantasy and combines elements from real-world history and myth to realize its twisted vision.
Players willing to put up with some repetitive exploration and rough enemy placements will be rewarded with fun boss fights and weapons that are exciting to use, but for the most part, AI Limit feels like a chore to play.
Starlight Legacy will appeal to a very specific older gamer who played the original Pokémon and 16-bit Final Fantasy games. While it is really short for a JRPG (about 8-10 hours), it earns its value due to its fair price point. It’s a very condensed adventure that packs in all the beats quickly and doesn’t overstay its welcome.
Revenge of the Savage Planet is overall fun, but tends to be a bit bland and repetitive in some areas. If you enjoyed the previous game, then you will most likely also enjoy this one, as long as you go in with the right expectations.
The combination of the enjoyable lighthearted combat, the nearly endless options of productive activities, or even the less important ones like designing your home and island, the co-op features, and the vast world makes Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time the be-all and end-all for all cozy games.
For almost fifty American dollars, you are not getting your money’s worth. Death end re;Quest Code Z is outrageously overpriced. The visuals look like it’s a twenty-dollar PlayStation 3 downloadable game, and the low-effort visual novel scenes have no energy or dynamism.
Fans of Blast Corps will adore Deliver at All Costs. It doesn’t feature construction equipment or mechs, but it has lots of destruction and even a doomsday event. The absurd gameplay will draw you in, but the compelling character study will keep you hooked to the end.
Since everything in the DLC is completely separate from the base game and is taken away from you the second you step out of the DLC region, it feels superfluous. That being said, it’s a very unique concept of storytelling and deserves the time if you enjoyed the base game.
After playing Captain Blood, it’s clear why this game was in development hell for so long. It doesn’t even seem to be finished. It’s rough and boring. Maybe it should have stayed lost at sea. At least then it would have maintained a mythical allure and not some dull God of War imitation.
Distant Bloom is a game for granola girls. Its saccharine character designs and Roger Dean-style vistas make the visuals a mixed bag, but it’s never an ugly game. At times, it feels like Temu Okami. The gameplay will either relax you or bore you. Either way, you’ll fall asleep after prolonged play and reading the dull dialogue.
When Moroi works and has players trapped in an area where they are severing their own limbs, it’s a weirdly compelling experience. Talking to weirdos and monsters that would normally be hostile in any other horror game and helping them out us what makes Moroi fun and memorable, not the incoherent fighting.