VGChartz's Reviews
I have deeply conflicting feelings towards Ys X: Nordics, to such an extent that it turns out to be difficult to score. The part of me that really enjoyed the battle system and sense of exploration, which are both better than ever before in a Falcom release, would opt for a high mark; the part of me that's disappointed with the characters, narrative, and visuals would score it lower.
It has a lot going for it, including a fascinating premise, 13 unique playable characters, excellent moment-to-moment action, and outstanding production design. With a better story and more nuanced strategic and relationship-building gameplay, it would join its predecessor as a GOTY contender.
Although Crytek's multiplayer relaunch fumbled on certain launch-window errors and design alterations, Hunt: Showdown 1896 is still the premier extraction shooter.
Through slick design refinements and engaging new storylines, The Iron Rig's otherwise conservative aims still make for a seaworthy expansion.
Age of Mythology: Retold is both a solid RTS and reimagining, but a bit of an odd one as well. It brings enough changes to the table to offer a new experience, but at the same time one that is in other ways bound in the past. Both this and its less than optimal visuals make it feel a bit stuck between old and new.
The final product doesn't do much to elevate the Yars franchise, due to an excessively flippant tone, an over-reliance on unsatisfying stealth and hacking mechanics, and generally straightforward, unsurprising gameplay. The controls are solid, the power-ups are interesting, and the exploration is rewarding, but that's not quite enough to save the game from mediocrity.
Cat Quest III is a delightful ARPG that embodies what I love about the genre: colorful themes, adventuring, and thrilling, fast-paced combat that also yields subtle depth.
There's a certain irony to Creatures of Ava: that an unadulterated alien world teeming with wildlife can feel so tamed and overdeveloped by the very hands who crafted it.
Thanks to engaging combat, impressive level variety, rewarding exploration, an immersive hub area, and vibrant art, it's one of the very best games of 2024.
World of Goo 2 is worthy sequel to its classic predecessor, while also standing tall (albeit a bit wobbly) as a distinct experience.
Shadow of the Ninja - Reborn takes what was effective and inventive about the original — weapon upgrades, vertical level design, and local multiplayer — and enhances it significantly with new moves, additional weapons, more complex level designs, and lavish sprite work. Only a few small faults keep it from greatness.
The well-weathered gamer can easily spot its debt to Counter-Strike and Overwatch, but that shouldn't dismiss how those mechanical & aesthetic philosophies succinctly fuse together through Riot's own due diligence. As the saying almost goes: it's more than the sum of its plagiarized parts.
Mika and the Witch's Mountain is a cozy, comforting little adventure. It benefits from an interesting premise, breezy mechanics, some fanciful tunes, and a rewarding gameplay loop that pushes you forward. Its biggest problem is that it feels unfinished; the story and character relationships don't have enough time to mature, and the mechanics don't have sufficient room to evolve.
Natsu-Mon might not be the best game of the year, but it's destined to be one of the most memorable and affecting. Its emergent storytelling helps you feel like the author of your own adventure. Its seamless open world provides an exciting sense of discovery. And its many quests and quest-givers will keep you engaged for over two dozen hours.
Jordan Mochi's singular vision can occasionally get ensnared by questionable design choices, but it's still a ride easily worth volunteering your time and money to experience.
While a satisfying audio-visual experience, SCHiM's design is but a shadow of its true potential.
While CLeM falls short of wowing you in wild narrative complexity or visual fidelity, Mango Protocol nevertheless succeeds through exact pacing and creative puzzle design.
It starts off rocky, but improving the baseline stats of your characters really aids Fallen Leaf in becoming much more enjoyable - to such an extent that, in spite of some quirks and irritations, it will remain in my retro-title rotation for quite some time.
Occasional missteps aside, Richard Hogg & Hollow Ponds' latest experience succeeds by treating you like its plethora of colorful creatures: warmly coaxing you to stay as long as you wish.
Stale, repetitive, and unengaging would be the first adjectives that come to mind for Aerial_Knight's latest, were it not also buggy and unfinished.