VGChartz's Reviews
Combining the rules of Papers, Please with the whimsical sensibility of classic LucasArts games is far from an obvious choice, but the results speak for themselves. Lil' Guardsman is a lovely adventure game that succeeds mechanically, creatively, and comically.
The puzzles, combat, boss fights, and general progression all make The Lost Crown a joy to play, notwithstanding some frustrating technical issues and lackluster optional discoverable items.
While Witch Rise looks the part, thanks to its first-person perspective and interplay between 3D and 2D assets, it doesn't deliver what you'd expect from a great old-school FPS.
Consistently amazing combat isn’t a prerequisite to succeed in the Metroidvania genre, and Momodora: Moonlit Farewell succeeds at enough other things to ultimately make it a solid recommendation for fans of the genre. It understands good item-based progression, makes exploration rewarding without undervaluing its powerups, and presents a varied & interesting world that invites players back and makes them want to explore more.
Easier, awkward at times, and much less surprising than prior entries, this sequel is still an effective horror game, but not the hardened experience that I have come to expect from the series.
Season's Greetings' monotonous delivery-sim structure, inconsequential narrative, & rough technical audio errors are the chief reasons why anyone's enthusiasm would be frostbitten by the end.
As a modestly-priced expansion, The Pale Reach's frozen wasteland introduces just enough new visual, narrative, & design baubles to keep one's enthusiasm continually burning.
Hollow Cocoon has potential, and is notable for its visuals, but it lacks enough compelling and suspenseful ideas to succeed as a survival-horror title.
An interactive kaleidoscope successfully blending survival-horror design, self-referential humor, and boundless absurdity, Alan Wake II ranks among the most fascinating sequels in recent memory.
Even by the tempered expectations of this fatigued franchise, Modern Warfare III deserves nothing less than a dishonorable discharge.
While feeling more “evolutionary” instead of “revolutionary” overall, this enriching Mario journey is still as memorable as ever, and makes a terrific swan song for the Switch.
Apropos of The Symbiote, Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is a faster, bigger, & stronger sequel, but also partly corrupted by certain design & narrative decisions.
Catan is a serviceable rendition of the tabletop classic – just don't go in expecting dedicated support or functioning online servers.
Move It!’s fun factor doesn’t quite reach the heights it could, thanks to occasionally spotty controls, ambiguous commands, and brief microgames that vary wildly in toughness. Still, the series has always thrived on this balance of simplicity and unpredictable microgame chaos - traits that Move It! unapologetically leans on.
Ultimately, Blaze in the Deepblue isn't as enjoyable as Gal Guardians, or the better Inti Creates games out there. It's still a fairly good Metroidvania, though, with diverse biomes, tight controls, an interesting set of upgradeable abilities, an approachable crafting system, and striking graphics
Irem Collection Volume 1 is a decent start to ININ's five-part anthology.
With a mind-bending core concept, breathless pacing, and splendid presentation, Geometric Interactive's debut puzzler will keep you rapt up through every world within a world.
Thanks to its multi-genre approach, engaging diving and business simulation mechanics, wealth of content, and striking 2.5D visuals, it's one of the best indie titles of the year. It's not a perfect game — its crowded, everything-but-the-kitchen-sink philosophy makes sure of that — but it's one that's absolutely worth diving into.
I’m still not entirely convinced The Man Who Erased His Name needed to exist, but it's a fun & mostly enjoyable 10-15 hour intermission until Infinite Wealth drops in January.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder couldn't have a more appropriate name. It's filled with beautiful sights, lovely music, unexpected mechanics, unfamiliar enemies and power-ups, and, thanks to Wonder Seeds, revelation after revelation after revelation. Not everything new about the game works, and it suffers slightly from easy levels and boss battles, but it delivers everything you'd expect from the series, and more.