Playing Heaven’s Vault gives the same sense of satisfaction as curling up with a favourite book. With top-notch writing, exotic locales, and a true sense of adventure, Heaven’s Vault is a triumph.
Pathway is a decent game, but it could be superb if a few more events were added into the randomised event tiles and the campaign storyline was strengthened. The combat has a solid strategy core to it, and the music and visuals are both brilliantly crafted. Variety is the spice of life and video games; Pathway just needs to add a bit more of that spice to make it stunning.
Although Falcon Age is far from perfect—with an overly ambitious story and an annoying amount of backtracking—it has a lot of heart. Outerloop captures the themes of oppression and captivity well and creates an ending that reflects this while keeping the game light-hearted and friendly. Falcon Age is a short, but sweet, experience for all ages that pet lovers will particularly enjoy.
Playing Weedcraft Inc is ironically addictive. Something is always available to improve, and those with competitive personalities will find that the urge to beat the competition or create better strands of weed is irresistible. Weedcraft Inc demands the players attention, which creates a sense of ownership over the business empire being created and hooks the player in to play for “just ten more minutes.” Despite the occasional feelings of tedium, the overall experience is an inventive illustration of this ever-growing economy. The nicely polished systems offer a challenge for new and experienced players of the management sim genre. With inviting visuals and an engaging story, Weedcraft Inc creates a unique tone compared to other management sims, ultimately hooking you in for another hit.
Once these issues have been corrected, Woolley Mountain will be a fun, if short, experience worth playing just for some quick laughs. As frustrating as the title can be, it is shining example of how to do comedy in video games without ever being offensive. If puns and light-hearted silliness are your style, then you will adore what The Mystery of Woolley Mountain has to offer.
The most impressive aspect of the game goes beyond its effective console port. The game is “small” in the indie sense, not made by hundreds but by a core team of four developers. Nevertheless, the game's graphical presentation, attention to detail, and handcrafted design are all so instantly appealing that plenty of AAA gamers who give it a go will surely find themselves hooked. Also, definitely tell that friend who likes BioShock that another kick of spooky, clanking, clockwork mystery is available to jump into.
Tech Support: Error Unknown would have been more impressive if it had a clear message, perhaps about worker exploitation, or corporate overreach, or even the damage hacker activists can cause. Sadly, this aspect is either so subtle as to be undetectable, or missing entirely. What this leaves behind is an entirely too accurate simulation of the daily grind of a tech support technician, where the main interest lies in trying to find the end of each story branch, and fun is largely put on the back-burner.
I do not think I have ever played a game available for retail that was as unfinished as Grimshade. Unfinished games on Steam are a dime-a-dozen, but I cannot be certain I have the strength to trudge through to see the rest of a game that, doubtless, bit off more than it could chew. Besides, if this really is as large a world and extensive a narrative as promised, one should never feel obligated to push through hours of also-ran adventure hoping for an uncertain and potentially imaginary catharsis.
Travel has formed the basis of many works of fiction. No other game, though, has committed to this human need to move forward as much as FAR. Aspects of the game touch on real-world issues—the dissolution of agrarian life, reliance on fossils fuels, technology as comfort—but the only one that really matters is the reiteration of what travel means to people. The title starts by tickling the innate need in gamers to move forward, before gently coaxing them into a pilgrimage. In only three hours, FAR is a reminder that even when things get rough, we can always push forward.
Tropico 6 matches and even exceeds the breadth of content found in fellow city-builders, but it does not delve deeply enough into its simulation to take the genre forward a step. For some prospective players, the lack of depth may be too great an impertinence to brook, but everyone else will find a delightful management sim with one of the best settings the genre has ever seen.
FromSoftware is owed immense praise for creating a beautiful world brimming with life that still oppresses in every conceivable way without falling under the Dark Souls umbrella. Challenge, character, and the primal need to keep moving forward are still key features in FromSoftware’s design arsenal that has inspired for 10 years. Creators could learn from Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice’s uncompromising focus and freshness for years to come, even if its roots are planted in familiarity.
Ape Out is a beautiful game that is impossible to forget, yet finds itself with plenty of imperfections. The lengths the game goes to empower players in the world of a trapped gorilla are perfect and make the game easy enough to recommend. That said, some minor tweaks to the procedural level generation and more options to take out goons could have given Ape Out the tools to rise to the top. A sequel could do more to improve on the gameplay formula and should be on everyone’s radar, assuming Ape Out 2 is planned for the future, of course. Until then, Ape Out remains as an experience everyone should give a try, even if its gameplay does not quite meet the savory standards of its own presentation.
Trüberbrook is a unique, yet flawed, experience. The game’s art design is an incredible feat, and the amount of sheer effort on display from the developer is tremendous; every frame of Trüberbrook demonstrates the incredible work that btf has achieved in creating the distinct scenery. However, the game suffers from some narrative issues, most notably in regards to its awkward pacing, and as a result the entire experience is affected. Fans of point-and-click adventure games should give Trüberbrook a fair try, but other gamers may wish to enter with caution.
Devil May Cry 5 does so many things right: the engrossing narrative, the understated integration of online elements, and, most prominently, the stunning amount of variety in the combat mechanics. These aspects move the series forward, but this new entry also replicates some of the duller qualities from action games of yesteryear. This tendency prevents Devil May Cry 5 from being the new standard bearer for the genre, but that does not prevent it from being something truly special.
The foundations are present for a really enjoyable, unique game, and given more time, it could be. In OnlySP’s interview with White Paper Games, the team already outlined plans to tweak the game after release. If White Paper Games can fix these initial problems, The Occupation may yet be one of 2019’s best releases, just not upon initial release.
Aside from the small gripes and varyingly difficult puzzles, each level is beautiful and brings in novel mechanics and an interesting outlook on relationships. Degrees of Separation is a fresh and challenging game designed to be played with a significant other but remains a worthwhile experience alone.
For fans of old-school roguelikes, a lot is to be enjoyed in Tangledeep. For those who enjoy tinkering with skills, weapons, passives, and feats, the expansive menus and options also offer a great deal of depth to be explored. However, this depth comes with the price of making the experience somewhat unintuitive, which is exacerbated by the clunky movement system. Players will find a lot to enjoy in Tangledeep if they have the patience to explore its complex systems to discover what lies beneath the surface.
As the game progresses further many of Metro Exodus’s problems begin to alleviate themselves as the experience becomes more defined. This allows for the game’s unique blend of gameplay and narrative storytelling in a horrific environment to shine through. While most titles in the horror genre focus on jump scares and other classic tropes, Metro Exodus allows the environment of post-apocalyptic Russia to do all the work. Players who take the time to experience what this new entry into the Metro series has to offer will no doubt witness one of the greatest narrative survival horror experiences present within a video game.
Eastshade is transcendent. While the game may not be perfect for everyone, fans of RPGs and players looking for a relaxing video game will certainly want to check it out. The game's gentle soundtrack and gorgeous visuals nicely accompany its detailed open world for a beautiful, chilled out experience.
As an experience, FutureGrind is an excellent example of the balance between punishing and satisfying gameplay. Scoreboards and trophy systems are in place to encourage gamers to beat their previous scores, creating a level of player-induced difficulty. The ease of resetting a level goads gamers into trying more daring acts to boost combos in a high risk, high reward scenario. The varying environments and changes of pace from using the differing bikes is enough to prevent the experience from becoming stale. Overall, FutureGrind is a brilliantly addictive title with a tonne of replay value for those competitive gamers eager to better themselves and show off their skills.