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I couldn’t have been happier with my time with Matthias Linda and Deck13’s Chained Echos. It does everything right. Taking retro inspired designs and making it an RPG worthy of today’s standards, the characters, the environments, the music, the gameplay, essentially the works, you have it here. Thank you for this early holiday present!
Overall, Fatshark’s latest four person co-op, first person shooter, and hack and slash Darktide is a blast. The modifications to the core gameplay design from Vermintide and Vermintide 2, as well as the support to fix unforeseen issues, continue to show Fatshark’s stride for creating great gameplay experiences.
So overall, SHADE Inc. and D3Publisher’s Samurai Maiden was a fun title to go through. While the gameplay visuals may have been a bit bland over time as you’ll only ever see the same color palette swapped enemies, there’s a ton of dialog and story to make up for it as Tsumugi travels with Iyo, Hagane and Komimi to defeat the Demon Lord.
Gungrave G.O.R.E. feels like one of those games that would have felt right at home in an arcade years ago. The action’s borderline unrelenting, and some of the cheaper, more annoying hordes of characters almost feel like they were made for eating someone’s quarters. Characters look interesting and creative early on, but like the gameplay become repetitive fairly early into things, which is a shame since there are a lot of beautifully realized if linear environments that feel more like they are meant to be ‘gotten through’ instead of enjoyed and explored. Gungrave G.O.R.E. has some rewarding moments here and there, but it’s a relatively average game that is likely only to appeal to hardcore fans of action games of the source material.
To conclude, Lover Pretend really was a journey about a girl who ends up pretending to be someone’s girlfriend. Some scenarios of how certain characters become a pretend couple are understandable, while others were… questionable. Like bro, WHAT!? With the main character being quite flavourful and able to go with the flow (bless her understanding heart) towards everyone’s wacky request, this Rom-Com comes out quite enjoyable. I’m giving this game my rating of 8 out of 10, for continuing to bring cliché scenarios back to light.
Overall, McPixel 3 is something nice for an in-between period. It’s short and not too complicated, but plenty enjoyable with some weird hijinks. The scenarios you encounter are all pretty unique, and the gags you can find will probably give you a few laughs per round, at least. If you’re looking for a shorter but weirder adventure that would feel right at home with its own laugh track, check out McPixel 3.
So overall, Zeboyd Games’ This Way Madness Lies is a great bite sized RPG. Between the great dialog of the Stratford-Upon-Avon High Drama Society, the well designed combat system and the awesome music to wrap it all together, saving the worlds from invading nightmares was a lot of fun.
Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed hits almost all the right notes to bring the heart of the franchise to our screens. This is the fantasy of so many kids brought to life, and in a way that really feels like it does the movies and the spirit (no pun intended, this time!) of the franchise justice. From gorgeous graphics to engaging asymmetrical gameplay and hitting those notes of nostalgia that appeal to older players who grew up with the original movies, this game does it right. In the end, who you gonna call? Ghostbusters!
Overall, Broken Pieces by Elseware Experience, Benoit Dereau, Mael Vignaux and Freedom Games was a journey that I’ll remember for some time. Well paced and not overly complicated in its puzzles, this adventure felt well balanced as it tells its mysterious tale.
Overall, Yomawari: Lost in the Dark is a great title. While I haven’t played the previous two titles, I certainly want to now. Setting a great creepy atmosphere with the soundtrack and visuals, as well as a large number of collectibles to implore you to explore and put yourself in danger makes for a good time had all around. If you’re looking for something a little spooky yet cute, this might be the title for you.
The world too is absolutely beautiful. There’s a view you get early on of a seduction of the cover art that’s currently serving as my Xbox’s home screen. Problems with the type of story they’re trying to tell being told the way they’re trying to tell it aside, I do find myself enjoying that aspect of the game. Knowing I’ll come back to make other choices to see just how far the game changes, and finding myself wanting to see more. I’m a sucker for setting though, what can I say. Talking any further about the progression of the game is just spoilers for their own sake, maybe I’ll make a deeper story analysis, but not in this article. With a heavy handed and uncomfortable racial conflict at its center, every choice alters the way the game progresses. Fight this Soulslike fight alone, or with a friend, but maybe wait for the sale.
Overall, Epic Llama Games’ Unusual Findings delivers a fantastic 80s based Point and Click nostalgic adventure. Between the crazy plot, the well written and even better voiced characters and a well designed interactive gameplay, whether you were there for the 80s or not, you should be there for this!
Overall, Kamiwaza: Way of the Thief is a really fun game. Really niche, yes, but also really fun. The stealth aspect is pretty fun, and the stylish points earned through your actions are an interesting take. The gameplay loop is pretty easy to get, allowing you to hop right in to your thieving ways, and you will probably find yourself easily racking up mission after mission. While this may be a re-release of an old PS2 title, it has aged surprisingly well, if not in graphics then in gameplay. It’s fun and quirky, and I definitely suggest you give it at least a chance.
Acme Gamestudio and tinyBuild’s Asterigos: Curse of the Stars is a solid adventure. Not simply following the standard Soulslike formula, they’ve gone and made it their own and have given us both the mysteries of the past as well as a solid journey in the present.
PGA Tour 2K23 is an excellent golfing simulation. The environmental visuals are pretty, even if the character models feel a bit on the stiff side. The career mode was a lot of fun, with entertaining progression that helps you to feel as though your golfer is genuinely improving. The rivalries are a cool idea, but I’d like to see a bit more narrative baked in here like we’ve seen in the NBA 2K series. I’m a big fan of the new 3-Click Swing, even if I think the prior analog method feels more organic – but no one should be upset over having more options and accessibility. PGA Tour 2K23 is the best golf game on the market, though there is room for continued growth.
Medieval Dynasty is a fun mashup of survival, RPG and building simulation that works far more often than not. The visuals are attractive and the world is fun to explore, even if the characters discovered during the exploration could be more engaging. There is a lot to do – but the pacing of Medieval Dynasty can make for a satisfying if slow-burn experience that I enjoyed but certainly won’t be for everyone.
While Chaos;Child may suffer a bit from some poor localization and text formatting decisions, the story is rather unique and engaging, leading to a fascinating murder mystery full of twists and turns. While I would suggest going through Chaos;Head Noah (or the non remastered version even) before going through Chaos;Child for a little more backstory and context, Chaos; Child still largely works as a standalone title, and will be a good choice for anyone looking for a grittier visual novel experience.
Overall I have to rate Chaos; Head Noah quite favorably. The story is engaging, the characters are all flawed in a relatable way, the art direction and musical style match the tone and setting, and the delusion triggers keep you engaged even during multiple playthroughs. While actually using the delusion trigger is very poorly explained, there is still a lot to enjoy here. While it does get extremely dark at some points, it really does a good job of setting the tone. If you’re interested in a science/fantasy visual novel, Chaos; Head Noah is a good starting point, either on its own or as part of the Science Adventure series.
ClockStone STUDIO and Thunderful Publishing’s LEGO: Bricktales was a delight to sit down to and enjoy. With a relaxing exploration system that leads into a more complex and hands-on simulation where you get to actually build LEGO as you see fit for the challenge at hand, there’s more than enough here for builders of any caliber to enjoy.
Construction Simulator is a highly detailed simulation of the modern construction process. Putting the player at the controls of a huge fleet of replicas of authentic equipment, this gorgeous game will hit the spot for players looking for a relatively relaxed, engaging game. This is a great fit for the dedicated building or management gamer, but has a slower pace than RTS or action gamers will be used to. Grab this one when you need a break from against-the-clock action and you won’t be disappointed.