Slant Magazine
HomepageThe more you learn about Selene across the game’s gripping campaign, the easier it is to relate to or, at least, agree with her observation that “I deserve to be here.” That line is also more than a little apt, as it perfectly sums up just how simultaneously rewarding and punishing it is to live in the world of Returnal. Each time you make a perfect jump and air-dash to avoid a cluster of bullets, you earn your way forward, and each time you awkwardly fall off a cliff or gawk as an explosive squid flies at you, you earn the right to try it all over again. The terse thrill of all that fragility makes this a timeless adventure well worth returning to.
The shotgun blast of gameplay types and tonal shifts isn’t quite as varied or seamlessly integrated as it is in Nier Automata, but it’s still impressive just how far ahead of the curve the original game actually was.
It Takes Two uses a smorgasbord of gameplay techniques to set us adrift in the field of couples therapy.
Mundaun's greatest achievement is the Swiss Alps setting that's brought to life with tangible vigor.
Loop Hero functions as a statement of persistence in the face of the seemingly insurmountable.
Strikers is still a well-earned vacation for our heroes, an emphatic, energetic punctuation mark to a much larger experience.
Bowser's Fury finds Nintendo again pushing the envelope of Super Mario Bros. in exciting directions.
At its best, the game sustains an effectively ominous atmosphere as it channels recognizable childhood fears.
The gameplay throughout isn't freighted with moral urgency, which is disappointing given the game's eco-terrorist themes.
The Medium is at its best whenever the player gets to lives up to the game's title.