The Games Machine

A fairly classic Metroidvania in its gameplay formula, but artistically above average and embellished with a cast that wouldn't look out of place in an Anime. Some balance issues don't stop it from being a highly enjoyable title and telling a meaningful story that deserves to be listened to.

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Hirilun doesn't mess around and immediately presents itself for what it is: an extremely fast, difficult, and punishing first person runner where even the smallest error can make the difference between a great and a failed run. It takes a long time to memorize the optimal route, only to have you bitterly discover that there is actually a much faster way to the finish line, although it requires even greater precision. Definitely intended for hardcore audiences who are not scared to try the same jump hundreds of times before finding perfection. A game for the few, but those few will like it.

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Sociable Soccer 24 is fun and reintroduces the arcade spirit of 16-bit soccer games at its best, while also trying to keep up with the times with unlockable players, daily rewards, and various other mechanics typical of mobile gaming, strictly without in-app purchases – you dare! The 1990s are long gone, however, so exceptional depth and gameplay for that era can now aspire to the title of "casual" at best. It's not a criticism, but that Sensible Soccer capable in its day of filling a lot of afternoons, today is just a game to get in a quick game or two from time to time.

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Granblue Fantasy Versus Rising is a fighting game that makes immediacy its strong point, easy to approach but incredibly deep. The mechanics of the first chapter have been honed to perfection, and a rich roster offers hours of fun in company. It's a pity that the content reserved for solo players is very limited, classifying the game as a feast for those who like to compete online. Those simplified controls I just can't bring myself to like.

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Ready or Not lets us play as the captain of a SWAT team and does so with bewitching skill, captivating you with challenging gameplay and intriguing gunplay. Between single player and online co-op, customization and progression, agent management and nuances galore, you soon find yourself hostage to a brutal FPS that just won't let you go. And that's fine, even if not everything is (yet?) perfect.

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Also on Nintendo Switch, just like on other gaming platforms, Outer Wilds is a visual and profound spectacle that goes far beyond expectations. It is a dense and emotionally charged journey, capable of bonding the player and showing how creativity can actually give an experience waiting to be discovered.

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Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader treats the Games Workshop board game license with respect, granting the opportunity of fully immersing into a universe that fully meets the expectations of franchise's fans. Owlcat Games has crafted a role-playing video game that guarantees a fair amount of freedom of choice with concrete consequences both in the development of the plot and in the balance of power within the Koronus Expanse. It's a shame for the technical state it is in, otherwise we'd have a masterpiece in our hands.

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Inspired by a piece of history that most people never heard of, Last Train Home is a competent mix of management and RTS gameplay, although the stealth mecanics leave something to be desired. Those eagerly waiting for Frostpunk 2 should consider adding it to their Christmas wishlist.

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SteamWorld Build is a pleasant and exciting gaming adventure, calm and capable of captivating the player on the screen and transporting him to a fascinating world in a masterfully thought out hybrid. Even if more could have been done in terms of plot, the game design, the heart of the work, enriches it with notable nuances and approaches.

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Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is a huge game in which exploration plays a very important role, as every corner of the Western Frontier is full of plants to catalog, ingredients to collect and materials to use to improve our equipment. The fights are very addictive and it is essential to combine stealth actions with raids based on the surprise effect. The proprietary Snowdrop engine offers us a beautiful graphic representation, which combined with a quality soundtrack guarantee an almost cinematic experience. Those looking for non-stop action might find a few too many dead moments, but it remains an open world shooter adventure of extreme quality despite never trying to introduce any novelty to the genre.

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A Highland Song is yet another Inkle center. An adventure platformer capable of mixing the pleasure of trekking (beautifully rendered in 2D) with a delicate, enveloping and branched narrative like the paths that cross the highlands. An intimate story, the one that Moira constantly broods over to herself, but also a cultural cross-section of a land rich in myths, legends, traditions and history, embellished by very human characters, a little crazy, capable of becoming fun interlocutors with whom to have a chat after a long climb, resting and sheltering from the cold of the mountains. Suggestive, audiovisually inspired, playfully fluid and very centered. Now I really want to visit Scotland.

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The Last Faith is an exciting and lucid video game, the son of two souls capable of chaining players to the chair and doing nothing else. In this sense, the work focuses on this: to increase a playful depth that incredibly manages to impress fans and beyond. You will never do without this nightmare again.

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Journey to Foundation is a game that is greater than the sum of its parts: the absolute merit of the original work is set against the backdrop of mechanics and ideas that are limited and already seen, but when put together manage to function as pieces in the complex and fascinating mosaic that Foundation has always been. Do not, however, expect a revolutionary or particularly challenging VR experience.

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Tales of Arise: Beyond the Dawn è una buona occasione per tornare a vestire i panni di Alphen e scoprire le sfaccettature di un mondo nuovo mondo che ora è solo da ricostruire. Sul lato ludico, purtroppo, manca qualcosa e si poteva aggiungere qualche novità, specie per tracciare una differenza fra il capitolo originale e l'espansione, utilissima solo in termini narrativi.

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Remnant 2 The Awakened King is a solid DLC that follows the path of Remnant 2 success. The additions touch on the longevity of the game, increase the level cap and nothing more. Nothing revolutionary, but everything works perfectly.

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Worldless is an excellent, intelligent and well-packaged video game, capable of both offering brilliant platforming phases and representing an extremely focused and addictive Metroidvania. Supported by a story to be discovered, it is a video game that focuses both on the visual impact and on its combat system, managing in an enveloping way to be incredibly in focus in both lights. That's a lot, a lot of stuff for a team on its first video game that arrives in such an aggressive and fierce market.

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Iron Marines Invasion is a Real Time Action Strategy that despite offering a casual approach, with very few options compared to most popular RTSs, manages to provide an excellent level of challenge. Colorful and fast-paced, with missions that hardly last more than ten minutes, it entices you to experiment thanks to the ability to change troops on the fly, although after a couple of defeats you will already know which soldiers to start with. A pleasant confirmation that even games initially designed for smartphones can be appealing on PC. Those looking for hardcore strategy, however, will prefer to skip it.

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Sword Art Online: Last Recollection, has a good track record and an interesting, little communicated and evocative context in game design. In the end I ended up with a single player and a multiplayer, with a non-recurring effect in the Alcun mode of living with one another, presenting a mess that is not particularly effective. The bottom line is that it is only possible to distinguish between the two, but it is only subtle.

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A modern sequel to Flashback could have been a title perhaps not as memorable as the original, but certainly a worthy sci-fi experience. Unfortunately, everything seems to have gone wrong as Flashback 2 is a disaster in almost every respect.

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Astral Ascent offers the usual roguelite gameplay where you have to die a ton of times before you have a decent build to progress, with a somewhat nebulous system of spells and power-ups at first. After the first couple of hours without any particular emotions, however, the game explodes showing all its potential, especially once all four heroes are unlocked. At that point it becomes one of the best video games of this genre, despite the fact that not much attention has been given to the platformer component. If you love characters to grow with thousands of combinations, you've come to the right place.

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