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With some exceptionally engaging gameplay and intelligently designed heists, payday 3 delivers on being a successor to Payday 2. While it will not have nearly as much content for quite a long time, for now, the foundations are much more solid than its former entry- I can see Payday 3 having just as long a life span.
If you’re looking for an unsettling low-poly adventure to get under your skin, The Tartarus Key is right up your alley. With crunchy yet slick visuals, puzzles to sink your teeth into and atmosphere you could cut with a knife, it’s a psych-horror fan’s dream. It occasionally tells a little more than it should show and some key loose ends are left frayed (if not hanging), but it’s very difficult to come away feeling unsatisfied.
Robodunk has all the markings of a great – and delightfully weird – party game to add to your repertoire. With great moment-to-moment gameplay, a thoughtfully delivered rogue-lite campaign, and a charming art-style, this is a game that delivers on the promises made by it’s bombastic premise.
I do not think this year’s story in career mode has been as good as previous years. And for me, that is a big letdown. However, I cannot deny that the team behind NBA 2K24 has listened to the community. With improvements such as those seen in MyTeam and the introduction of ProPlay being highlights of this newest installment.
What you have here is two genres brought together in a wacky and quirky way and the end product is an exciting experience. The golf aspect is what you’d expect from a typical golfing game, tranquil and can be about utilising the wind and clubs to get to the hole faster. The zombie element is full of tension and more acting in the moment to combat any foes in your path. A truly contrasting approach to both genres and one that excited me. I’d recommend anyone give this game a go, especially with friends as it’s a funny and exciting experience.
While playing, it felt like the developers forgot a game is supposed to be fun. It is ridiculous to ask the player to pick up and sort two hundred ducks. There are no upgrades apart from expanding inventory, which is useless and the one Nozzle mod. The game could do with some quality-of-life improvements, such as a highlighting mechanic to show any mess the player may have missed. Letting the player hold more than one item would help since going back and forth collecting your tools or trash gets very tedious.
Sleeping Giant Games has delivered a great little game. If you enjoy fun puzzles that give you a surmountable challenge whilst not being a total pushover, this game may be for you. You can wishlist the game on Steam now, and look forward to it taking part in the Steam Next Fest between the 9th and 16th of October. Par For The Dungeon gets a Thumb Culture Gold Award. May the course be with you.
Although only one man made No Sun To Worship, It’s impressive what he’s done with the lighting and audio. I would definitely love to see what Antonio’s future projects would look like if he had a bigger team.
Goodbye Volcano High is a worthy addition to the visual narrative genre. The whole team at KO_OP have clearly put their hearts into this game over several years and it shows. The writing is emotional and relatable, I especially loved how quickly the news of impending doom turned into memes and jokes all over the internet; very realistic. The artwork is vibrant, colourful and detailed, brought together brilliantly with the animation. Over in the music department, the soundtrack is solid and suits the game perfectly.
While I am a massive lover of Rise of the Triad, I feel that the Ludicrous Edition will possibly only appeal to die-hard fans and those who enjoy retro gaming. It is tough at times playing games that you loved yesteryear to find that the pizzaz that enthralled you has long been superseded by today’s games, therefore not luring modern gamers. I do hope that I am wrong, and I also hope that the online crossplay works well so that there are many multiplayer lobbies available in the future when it launches on console.
Sprout Valley is an adorable game with an identity that unfortunately works to its detriment. The simplicity may be a selling point that attracts some, but I imagine even those will end up disappointed with a lack of things to do and build. I can see Sprout Valley building an audience on Nintendo Switch, where people will check in on their island for minutes at a time. The game has an incredibly solid foundation, but the features here need to be expanded on.
Wow! From the get-go, I was overwhelmed (in a good way) by the vibrant and detailed lands utilising light and colour well. I thoroughly enjoyed playing as the three quirky characters solving what came to be challenging puzzles only able to be solved by a combination of them all. As stated above I can only imagine the game is ten times as enjoyable playing with others. Little has been done to change the characters and their skills but if it's not broken, don't fix it. Overall, it is a masterclass in how side-scrolling 2.5d platformers should be made and it is above and beyond all out there at the moment.
Sea of Stars is a masterpiece in my eyes. The gameplay offers a nice challenge without being too hard. If players struggle, they’ve implemented relics to help make the game easier. The characters all have great chemistry, and I couldn’t hate a single one (Garl is my favourite). Combat is very engaging without asking too much of the player. I enjoy the animations for cutscenes to help emphasise what’s going on. When performing a spell or combo, the animations look smooth. I found the Ninja Seraï’s skill where she goes behind and attacks through a portal to both look amazing and cold. The soundtrack does well to set the mood.
While the game’s graphics and audio are impressive, I believe that the balance of the game is not quite up to par. This may be attributed to the 4 vs 3 gameplay approach. Personally, I did not experience the same level of fear that I had when being pursued by Jason Voorhees.
Despite its short runtime and perhaps lacking enough challenge for veteran players, Full Void is still absolutely worth picking up. The platforming puzzles and superb visuals are a great combination, underscored by an exceptional sense of atmosphere and unease. It also taps into how a debilitating event would feel and be perceived through the eyes of a child living through it. A worthy homage to its 20th-century predecessors, fans will feel right at home and have an enjoyable couple of hours.
Having played a fair few games recently that looked like I would enjoy, but ended up as an epic fail, I was a little sceptical. My fears were quickly alleviated though as I entered a fantastically created world full of wonders and awe. Simplistic gameplay and challenging levels awaited and I had to be on top form to progress steadily. Tenebris Pictura takes all the flavours to create the perfect blend of modern gaming.
Even though I looked forward to playing Red Dead Redemption after playing, I think it would have been better off with a remaster. Maybe it’s because of the vast improvements I enjoyed in Red Dead Redemption 2, but I didn’t find this as enjoyable as I did back on PS3.
While it’s short, Ashina The Red Witch has bags of story, well-developed characters, beautiful pixel art, and some great tunes on its soundtrack. As the dots connect and the pennies drop there’s a rewarding payoff for those who have played previous Stranga Games titles. This is a must-play for any fans of My Big Sister and Red Bow.
Homeseek boasts some brilliant writing, good graphics and terrific audio. With a quick but believable backstory and clear influences from games like Frostpunk, it’s a solid entry in the colony sim genre. There are plenty of original touches and mechanics, but the game stays true to its roots and provides one of the best dystopian, post-apocalyptic colony sim experiences I’ve had in a long time.
With impressive visuals, great voice-over of characters, and a beautifully realised world, it’s easy to forget this is a port of a mobile game.