OnlySP's Reviews
STONE, like its protagonist, is bloody rough. Channelling the tough on the outside, soft on the inside of its literary inspirations—Post Office, for example—STONE's buggy visuals and lack of polish almost exist as a statement in themselves. By presenting a story about an unkempt rebel's life, the choppy visuals benefit the game. Overall, the experience's worth will be strongly dependent on the player. Similarly to most great arthouse experiences, sometimes viewers must ignore the dodgy presentation and appreciate the heart of the piece. STONE, and its protagonist, have a lot of heart, and that shines the most.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is a masterclass of game design. With timely music, gorgeous visuals, and impactful combat complementing seamless gameplay, Red Dead Redemption 2 stands above its competition as a triumph in media. The game’s narrative, as extensive and interweaving as it may be, surpasses the original and truly immerses the player in a game world that they will not want to leave. Red Dead Redemption 2 will go down not only as one of the best games of the generation, but as one of the greatest games ever made.
Unlike many 'Optional VR' games, Tetris Effect thrives in VR, and a PlayStation VR headset is by far the best way of experiencing this game. Tetris Effect is a very polished, absorbing, and beautiful experience, and well worth checking out for anybody who has a PlayStation 4, especially if they also have a PSVR headset.
GRIS is a powerful insight into the human spirit of a young girl suffering with grief. As she comes to terms with each of her emotional states, and as the levels progress to accompany these stages, the player is granted a profound look into the true emotions of Gris's character. Nomada Studio has blended simplistic, intuitive gameplay with a breathtaking artistic vision and remarkable music and sound design to create an unforgettable experience. GRIS easily stands among the best independent gems of the medium, presenting a narrative experience unlike any other. Gamers are doing themselves a disservice by not playing this game—GRIS is unmissable.
Toki is a fun way to kill some time, and will certainly appear to retro arcade fans. The artwork, animation, and music are all amazing, but the sometimes unfair difficulty and lack of extra game modes means the game is an unfortunately brief experience that probably is not worth revisiting once completed. The Retrocollector Edition redeems the game somewhat with some great extras, particularly the mini arcade cabinet, but unfortunately the game itself does not have quite enough substance.
Gamers also cannot necessarily be that disappointed with the game, which might never have happened thanks to the original THQ’s implosion. Players anxiously awaiting From Software’s Sekiro or even Metroid Prime 4 might get a decent kick out of another one of these sorts of action adventure games. On the other hand, its technical bugs and lack of depth keep it from being a highly recommended title, and a mixed start to THQ Nordic’s budget-game gambit.
The game is an undeniably refreshing experience and a rather intriguing introduction to roguelikes for newcomers to the genre. Unfortunately, what the game lacks in terms of consistently gratifying gameplay is not wholly made up for by such excellent presentation and solid underlying concepts.
Vane is beautiful in its expression. Players will find themselves stunned by the world the game depicts, but, unfortunately, the title seems to be an expression of style over substance. Vane looks and often sounds amazing, but the developer has pursued making a work of art at the expense of something that is fun to play. Overall, Vane could certainly be considered a work of art. Nevertheless, though it was clearly aiming to be the next Shadow of the Colossus, it hits wide of the mark, as Vane lacks the depth and impact of that classic title.
Despite a few flaws, while True: learn() is an engaging, informative adventure that showcases the standard for educational games. The title is welcoming, yet challenging, delivering a fun experience that is truly one of a kind.
My Time at Portia is a peaceful, beautiful life simulation that offers a calming experience, but little that pushes the boundaries of its genre. Simulation fans will find plenty to enjoy in this large, detailed world, but little to surprise them.
Jon Shafer’s attempt at slow-burn strategy has been mixed with rogue-like elements to give the game an original feel, and, overall, it works. At the Gates’s randomly generated land, clans, and enemies allow for hours of replayability The clans and personality features give the game an edge against its competitors and forces the player to strategically look at every move they make. At the Gates is a game that strategy lovers will enjoy and holds just enough depth and content to keep players entertained, but it can also be difficult to players new to the genre.
The comparison to Joss Whedon’s short-lived television series is apt, with similarities extending beyond the music to the genre-bending space adventure and focus on stories that explore humanity in straits. Imperialism, the value of time, the tenuous nature of reality, and the mysteries of the cosmos are just some of the themes that emerge in the strange world of Sunless Skies, contributing to a tapestry of a richness almost unparalleled in the world of video games. The overall pace of the game is staid, but its brilliant simplicity is to be commended, and, come year’s end, it could prove enough to make Sunless Skies a strong Game of the Year contender.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.