Chalgyr's Game Room
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Sakura Wars is a welcome franchise reboot that I hope sees more titles released by SEGA in the future. The mech combat is fun, but could use some more depth. The majority of your time will be spent in the visual novel / dating simulation portions of the game, but the characters help to elevate the overall plot. Wonky camera angles hurt the presentation, but the overall visuals and music make this about as close to an interactive anime as you can get.
Overall, Operencia does a lot of interesting and new things to the genre. Unfortunately this is bogged down by some infuriatingly annoying fights, cringey dialogue, and some very aggravating skills from enemies, it's easy to lose the magic that the game starts out with. The synthesis is a nice break from the tedium and frustration that can set in, which is a shame given how hopeful I was when I started. While I really did want to like Operencia: the Stolen Sun more than I did, that doesn't mean it's bad, just probably not what a veteran dungeon crawler would really drive for.
Overall, Biped was a cute cooperative experience that my boyfriend and I both enjoyed. While there isn't a lot of dialogue in the game, the Bipeds had character. This is a perfect game for a wide range of age groups and is a great buy for it's price. As such, Biped receives an 8.5 out of 10 in my books.
Overall, La Mulana 2 is a great successor to La Mulana, much to both my joy and chagrin. With gameplay improvements that don't make me still want to throw something out the window and more reasonable puzzles, to harder platforming, enemies, and enough instant death traps to make me flip a table, La Mulana 2 really didn't trade out any of the difficulty, just shifted it. I can't express just how great this game is to play, especially for those looking for a bit of nostalgia for those tough as nails old-school games.
All told, Alder’s Blood is shaping up to be an extremely strong stealth + tactical RPG set in a horrific Victorian setting. With just a little love from the developers, working on difficulty curves and addressing the plethora of technical issues, Alder’s Blood could be a fantastic cult Indie hit. Time will tell and with their upcoming patch addressing the critical save game bug, a small step will go a long way to the enjoyability of it. Good hunting, folks.
Overall I liked Tharsis. It’s a fun, but short experience, that has you managing resources and trying to keep your crew alive. Yes there is some replay value as there are a few different endings it’s still not enough. I do think with some tweaking this would make a really good single-player board game that I would gladly play.
La Mulana is a really wonderful blend platforming, puzzle "attempting", solid music, and some nice updated graphics. With a slew of interesting interconnected areas, plenty of puzzles to bash your head against, and a great challenge that doesn't feel artificial or purely sadistic. Well, the jury's still out on that last point. I have very few gripes about La Mulana, mainly just bats and not being able to grab ladders while jumping.
While realistic simulators like TT Isle of Man Ride on the Edge 2 may not be for everyone, I would suggest at least checking it out if you’re interested in something new and different. Amazing in the visuals department, there’s an accessibility to the entry that curbs that steep learning curve that would otherwise exist allowing people not familiar with the style to get just as much enjoyment as those riding up near the top and looking for new challenges that the latest entry provides.
Overall, Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories is rather lacking as a whole. While there isn't really anything that makes it unplayable, it certainly doesn't help you out a whole lot either. The concept ins interesting, but it just couldn't take off the way I had hoped it would.
And ALL OF THIS is wrapped into an amazing blend of story, characters, music and visuals that sing so well together. I think it goes without saying, Persona 5 Royal is a shining example of what both an RPG and a revamp of an already stellar RPG should be. With the plenty of amazing dialog, emotions, environments and the general crazy that comes with a Shin Megami Tensei, the return of the Phantom Thieves may yet again steal away that Game of the Year title as right now? It’s currently mine!
So all in all, Element Space has some great ideas, great combat, decent storytelling which is sometimes blended into the combat sequences, but is a bit rough around the edges. Given some time and some patches though, this should be a much smoother and accessible title especially on the consoles.
Wartile’s a good game, with an interesting if somewhat flawed gameplay system that is supported nicely by a fantastic presentation. The progression system is good enough to sustain interest until the end of the campaign, but the sights and sounds are gorgeous and unique.
Deep Sky Derelicts does a pretty good job of mashing together a few different types of game. Visually it is pleasing to look at, and there is plenty of strategy to be had when venturing out into the old ships. Progression is fun, because it happens in multiple ways, and this game definitely had me wanting to do ‘just one more run’ pretty regularly. There are a few rough edges here and there along the way, but the overall experience was my cup of tea.
Overall though, even with how short it is, Stela is worth a playthrough if for only the visual and the musical presentation. It won’t take long to go through, but this is definitely something that should have the sound system on high and the lights turned low to allow yourself to immerse into the world as Stela runs and puzzles her way through it.
Overall, while the story was quite linear and while I didn't always like the music combinations, I absolutely enjoyed the experience and the story. If I could make any real criticism about Weakless it would be that the sound and light puzzle at the end of the game wasn't a more prevalent feature shown earlier in the game. I also loved that if players made it to the end of the game, they were rewarded. As such, Weakless earns an 8.5 out of 10 for me.
So overall, especially for fans of dungeon crawlers, Conglomerate 451 is worth it. With plenty of missions with different objectives to keep you going and tons of research to make better and better versions of your squads, taking a city back from evil corporations will keep you both entertained and occupied for quite a while.
While the genre doesn’t usually appeal to more than a niche audience, Sleepy Spider Studios sure did one heck of an amazing job making it both readily accessible to newer players, as well as adding features that will excite veterans of the genre like myself to keep playing. With many optional trials and a boss rush and survival mode, there’s definitely a lot that Project AETHER can provide, despite how short the main campaign may feel. Whether you’re a bullet hell veteran or just looking for a top-down shooter style gameplay, Project AETHER aims to please.
In my opinion, if players are looking for a game that shows aggro radius, allows time to set up their positions, and very little penalty when losing squad members, then this is the game for you! It’s not as tactically challenging as others in its genre and I find that it is a great place to start. In short, while I had my issues with Corruption 2029, I think the overall game is worth a 7.5 out of 10.
Overall, Yakuza 0 is fantastic. Two protagonists. Two engaging storylines. Six combat styles that just make this beat ‘em up style worth continuing on for hours at a time without feeling boring. Between all of the elements, my only regret is that it’s taken this long to get into this series and I’m very much looking forward to my upcoming journey’s through the current six titles while everyone waits for Ryu ga Gotoku Studio’s Yakuza 7 to get localized.
Langrisser I & II is not going to be for everyone, in part due to it being a niche genre that is a polishing up of an already old, challenging game. If you are looking at getting a friend into the SRPG genre, there are less frustrating options to be had with more modern quality of life features. All of that being said, there is something very comfortable and enjoyable for me personally in playing this classic tactics game, and I was quite satisfied revisiting it.