Niche Gamer
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Granblue Fantasy: Relink is a fantastic game that you will enjoy whether you pick it up when its full price or on sale. A sequel to a smartphone RPG, Granblue Fantasy: Relink is a surprise gem that everyone should have fun playing.
Ultimately, Home Safety Hotline is a fairly linear puzzle game but makes up for its depth of mechanics with its depth of lore. There’s a severe lack of whimsy in horror, and perhaps it’s just me but I feel that fairies, hags, and similar supernatural creatures haven’t yet been given a fair shake. This game is a lot of fun if you’re not an achievement hunter, otherwise you’ll end up playing it twice without really seeing any new content.
It isn’t just veterans of the genre that’ll love this game either. Anyone interested and looking for their first foray into the genre should absolutely consider this as a first pick. The lack of meta progression means less grinding and more time spent on learning the mechanics that’ll translate into other games.
The popping new art style thrives in its zoomed-out perspective, and the soundtrack continues the series’ tradition of infectious songs. However, be prepared for nothing but intricate turn-based skirmishes. While the scenarios, mechanics, and maps excel as far as strategy RPGs go, it’s hard to ignore the lack of variety, creating a constant state of strategic pressure with little room to breathe.
Unfortunately, The Return also exposes the underlying weaknesses in Part II‘s mechanics, especially when compared to older stealth-action titles like Metal Gear Solid V or even Manhunt on PlayStation 2. Labeling this a “Remaster” is disingenuous, and “Director’s Cut” wouldn’t be accurate either. At best, The Last of Us Part II Remastered qualifies as a “Special Edition.”
Apart from the skin-crawling modern sensibilities affecting the narrative and an unmemorable soundtrack, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown swings for the fences and hits an impressive balance of action, exploration, and puzzle-solving. This is a hearty and beefy epic that will satisfy veterans of the genre and push them to their limits.
Hopefully Extremely Powerful Capybaras serves as a cautionary tale for developers who want to hit that 1.0 release as soon as possible. There’s no shame in publishing an Early Access game, in fact, it gives you a lot more leniency that a full release wouldn’t have otherwise.
There’s undeniably an intriguing concept at the heart of War Hospital. The potential for a gripping and stressful experience set amidst the chaos of a World War I field hospital is undeniable. Unfortunately, the execution veers into frustrating territory, where the stress stems from technical hiccups and clunky mechanics, rather than the game’s intended thematic weight.
The game may have some slight issues as far as run variety goes, but it still manages to feel conceptually fresh and worth playing, thanks to the extremely tight combat and controls.
As a game, NWO Wars is incredibly easy with only the final level being even remotely challenging, so it’s pretty simple to blow through. There’s no way the game is worth the $17.76 price tag though.
Overall, Bem Feito would be a really good first chapter of a game. It’s easy to get hooked by its mysteries at first, as you keep wanting to see what else there is, but the fact that there’s nothing else afterwards is pretty disappointing.
Outside of length, poorly executed jokes, and a morality virtue signaling campaign, the game’s DLC fails to reacquaint players with the game’s mechanics. In the first few minutes, you will have to figure out how to play again or die trying.
The customization options are about as deep as a kiddie pool, and the lack of long-term content might leave some hardcore racers wanting more. For a quick dopamine fix, a hit of high-octane thrills, F-Zero 99 is the real deal. It’s a shame Nintendo will pull the plug on this speed demon someday. It burns bright, and fast, and leaves you with a memory that’s just as blurry and exhilarating as the last lap.
At first, the DLC felt like it was too little, but as we got to experience the story in The Indigo Disk, it felt more flushed out and worth the price. If you are a fan of Pokemon games, The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero DLC is worth picking up. The blend of different generations of Pokemon makes the game feel fresh and changes the game’s battle system for more competitive matchups. Despite some of the negatives, it is ultimately worth the price if you want to keep enjoying Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.
At first, the DLC felt like it was too little, but as we got to experience the story in The Indigo Disk, it felt more flushed out and worth the price. If you are a fan of Pokemon games, The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero DLC is worth picking up. The blend of different generations of Pokemon makes the game feel fresh and changes the game’s battle system for more competitive matchups. Despite some of the negatives, it is ultimately worth the price if you want to keep enjoying Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.
The lure of hidden collectibles and environmental puzzles flickers brightly, but it’s often overshadowed by sloppy battles and an obnoxious aiming system that feels like a festering wart on an otherwise charming experience. Despite its flaws, Raccoo Venture is brimming with soul. Densely packed with things Diego Ras loves, playing it feels like getting to know him on a personal level.
It’s a shame that Cookie Cutter is so utterly off-putting because the core gameplay is tight and flexible to foster inventive combos. Level design flows nicely for the most part and it seems like the developer truly understands what a good metroidvania needs to engage players.
When the game opens up a bit, the combat is a lot of fun and there are plenty of scenarios to experience that keep the action varied. Don’t come for a story, but do expect some high-energy spectacle and wild action.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora will please fans of the films and gamers who enjoyed the likes of Crysis and Far Cry. The action is solid and the visuals will blow you away, but don’t expect to get invested in the story or characters. It still falls victim to the same flaws as the source material and the games that inspired it, but for a movie tie-in game, Frontiers of Pandora is a pretty epic 25 hours and is otherwise safe and harmless.
For the King II has the potential to be a great tabletop-like RPG. At the moment, the biggest things holding the game back are its bugs, matchmaking, and lack of game difficulties. The game’s biggest positives are the ability to have each character flex into a different playstyle, four-play co-op, and the story. With the different bugs we have encountered, we think that For the King II would have benefited from Steam’s Early Access program. Thankfully, it seems that the developers are actively working on bug fixes so it has improved over the last month.