Chalgyr's Game Room
HomepageChalgyr's Game Room's Reviews
Originally for Nintendo Switch, Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia comes through PlayStation 4 before now arriving on PC via Steam. The gameplay mechanics are enjoyable, but this port has ignored the mouse and the PC’s range of keyboard inputs. The lack of a streamlined user experience leaves this game feeling slow and clumsy compared to PC-native titles. A good title, but not a great fit for the PC in its current state.
Rogue Lords is a solid overall RPG roguelike with an interesting theme and a really cool mechanic in its Devil Mode. These things help to separate Rogue Lords from the pack, but unfortunately some uneven difficulty spikes and combat’s pacing slowing down in later runs takes a bit of the shine off the game’s longevity. It’s still worth playing until that happens.
Trek to Yomi is an enjoyable, heavy, and atmospheric side-scroller whose presentation along can place it with the greats by way of Flying Wild Hog titles that’s hampered by poor combat. The engrossing story, immersive and highly cinematic presentation, and an excellent score are all indicators of greatness and Trek to Yomi seems to be on its way to being one of 2022’s best Indie titles; only time will tell.
Dice Legacy: Corrupted Fates provides a good balance of new and updated features and additional content for the price point it has launched at. Extra game options address criticisms of the base game for being somewhat stressful as the campaign progresses, and the addition of a new dice class can make even the original campaign play differently this time through. Additional leader and political options further refresh the title, making this DLC a solid addition for players who enjoyed the original game.
Prinny Presents NIS Classics Volume 2: Makai Kingdom: Reclaimed and Rebound Review Overall though, I was very pleased with Prinny Presents NIS Classics Volume 2: Makai Kingdom: Reclaimed and Rebound. Like with Vol 1, these titles have been ported forward and run very well on the Switch. While I do still wish there had been some work done to touch up the quality of the sprites, the gameplay speaks for itself and Makai Kingdom is still as much fun as it used to be. Score: 8 / 10 Prinny Presents NIS Classics Volume 2: ZHP: Unlosing Ranger vs. Darkdeath Evilman Review Overall, ZHP was a great addition to bring back as many people who may not have had the chance to play it on the PSP when it originally released. Mixing in an end of the world comedy alongside a hardcore Roguelike dungeon crawler just works and it’s easy to spend hours upon hours making yourself tougher and tougher in hopes of finally coming out victorious against Darkdeath Evilman! Score: 8 / 10 Prinny Presents NIS Classics Volume 2 In terms of the collection, Prinny Presents NIS Classics Volume 2: Makai Kingdom: Reclaimed and Rebound / ZHP: Unlosing Ranger vs. Darkdeath Evilman was an awesome follow-up to Volume 1: Phantom Brave: The Hermuda Triangle Remastered / Soul Nomad & the World Eaters. Thankfully we won’t have to wait long for Volume 3: La Pucelle: Ragnarok / Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure. Total score for Volume 2: 8 / 10
Rogue Legacy 2 is a delightful mix of action-platforming with enough progression elements baked in to keep the many deaths from getting too frustrating. Unlocking new areas of my tower or discovering new traits was enjoyable, as was trying out new class / weapon / ability combinations with each new generation. Rogue Legacy 2 is a worthy successor to its ancestor.
Deck of Ashes: Complete Edition is a mixed experience for me right now. The core experience was engaging and one that I enjoyed – when things worked the way I expected them to. Unfortunately, I ran into enough technical hurdles that I stopped my second playthrough and have only picked it up once since then (three days ago to see if the issue with not being able to refresh middle rows of cards was still happening – it is). It’s a shame, as things currently stand – but thankfully with a few tweaks to polish up some of the rough edges and make the most of the core experience.
Mighty Goose is a fun and short experience that will keep you busy for a couple hours but not overstay its welcome. With several stages, boss fights, abilities and new content having recently been added for free which could easily have been at a premium price, it’s worth checking out on the PC, consoles and the Xbox GamePass.
Cat Cafe Manager is a fantastic relaxing game that I enjoyed for a while. Unfortunately, the title becomes dull because there’s simply not enough to do. Despite its cute graphics style, the title needs something a bit more dynamic to be a successful hit. Though, if players are looking for a game that requires very little input or one that is safe for the family to enjoy, Cat Cafe Manager is a purrrfect choice!
So overall, In Nightmare does a lot of things right and never overcomplicates its mechanics while helping Billy escape this world of nightmares. On the other hand, the puzzles are often simply too complicated and when combined with chapters that can take hours to complete, the flow of the adventure is just not there causing more frustration than enjoyment.
Weird West was fun. Combining an RPG like third person isometric style but without having to grind for experience points with a real time twin-stick shooter throughout five different yet attached stories and there will be plenty of tales to tell. With plenty of different ways to go about each protagonist’s journey, Weird West has the capacity to not only hold your interest for a while, but make you come back for more.
Overall, I have to say I quite enjoyed my time with Crystar. While the combat and areas you progress through tended to get a little repetitive, the storytelling, art, and music direction, as well as an interesting cast of characters, is what really keeps the title together. While I wouldn’t recommend picking up the Switch version if you already own Crystar, it is quite nice for a title that you can pick up every so often to go through a floor or two, or some of the shorter stages, without feeling the burnout.
Roguebook is an excellent mashup of collectible card game, with exploration and progression elements that keep the experience fresh for subsequent runs. I was almost immediately hooked, playing with different party combinations and structuring my decks to see if I could make it just a bit further on my next run. And the one after that. And the one after that. I’m going to stop writing now and go back for another run now.
Though it may fall short of its predecessor, Distant Worlds 2 is laudable sequel to what I feel is one of the most enjoyable and unique 4x titles on the market. That’s a hard gig to follow and though there are plenty of balance-related issues and more optimization can be done and I imagine that were Distant Worlds 2 given the same 4-5 years post-launch that Distant Worlds: Universe had, I imagine Distant Worlds 2 could very well be a quintessentially perfect 4x experience.
A modern homage to the tile-based TRPG’s of the late 1990’s, Dark Deity will land solidly as a nostalgia hit with older gamers who grew up playing these games. Unfortunately, two decades of progress in game design have left elements of this format feeling dated and behind the times. With excessive reliance on static tableaus behind endless text dialogue windows, limited visual information during player-controlled battle segments and a lack of any tutorial or introduction to the game’s mechanics, Dark Deity simply doesn’t stack up favorably against other modern offerings.
WWE 2K22 is a fantastic return to form for the series, and probably the best wrestling game I’ve played in several years. Admittedly there are some rough edges here and there, but the MyRise mode in particular was incredibly enjoyable and most importantly: the game was just fun to hit. WWE 2K22 does in fact hit different.
Shadow Warrior 3 presents more streamlined action than its predecessor, and revels in his glorious gory shooting and potty-mouthed protagonist. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss some of the RPG elements from Shadow Warrior 2, and there are some rough edges to be found in this latest iteration of the series – but it’s a bloody good time all the same.
Pinball FX3 – Indiana Jones: The Pinball Adventure is a fantastic table that filled me with nostalgia as soon as I fired it up and heard the familiar music. The presentation is top-notch across the board, and it is a fast-paced, entertaining table. The value proposition might not be for everyone however, as it is a single table at a premium price.
If you’re a fan of the Persona series and have played both Persona 3 and Persona 4, then I can’t recommend Persona 4 Arena Ultimax enough. This visual novel-like sequel to both Persona titles was well worth sitting down to see where each cast has gone to after their respective events years and months later. While there is combat in a 2D anime versus arcade fighting style between these story segments, it’s smooth enough to both learn and get into without being defeated repeatedly on the first stage.
Overall Rune Factory 5 was fantastic once you put the small issues like frame rates and furniture placement aside. Whether spending just a bit of time to clear a day out of your in-game calendar or sitting down and clearing out a day of your real world calendar, there’s just something magical about the farming simulation of both these and the Story of Seasons series. Want to do something more than farming? Rune Factory has you covered with plenty to explore and challenge yourself while out in the field against the local monsters and eventual boss fights!