FingerGuns
HomepageFingerGuns's Reviews
Hell Is Us succeeds in a fantastic throwback premise; to do away with modern quest markers and maps and just exist in the game and find your own way. Yet you are never lost, because its world breathes and lives and guides in far subtler, deeper ways. An incredible modern classic of both mystery and narrative structure that I hope inspires a whole new generation of game developers.
A slick and stylish revival that captures the spirit of classic Shinobi while adding modern polish. Tight combat, striking visuals, and smart level design make this a must-play for fans of ninja action.
Vlad Circus: The Curse of Asmodeus is the follow-up I wasn't expecting, and one I wish could have been better. The gameplay is lighter, the story less rich and the tone even more bleak than Descend Into Madness. If this wasn't attached to a good prequel, this would be overlooked.
In attempting to modernise and streamline the formula, Killing Floor 3 delivers a decent but disappointing follow-up to a niche classic. The changes to Perks, weapon variety and introduction of the social hub do little to uplift the core mechanics, and even hinder the best of what Killing Floor 2 delivered. The music and MEAT system deliver the thrills alongside solid gunplay and wave-based survival, but this sequel struggles to build a menacing legacy that can stand alongside the previous iteration.
A bitesize indie adventure guiding a herd of fictional creatures back to their home atop a mountain, Herdling has charm in spades, and a wonderful minimal design that prioritises experience over everything.
A pleasantly competent cosy sim, Discounty combines light drama with supermarket running gameplay to make something very relaxing. However, it may be a little too relaxed as there's no progression tied to gameplay and no real room to excel at being a shopkeeper, giving you nothing to work towards with agency. Cosy sim fans will have a good time but not a great one.
A bargain God of War inspired adventure, this is one for those with the soulslike fatigue. A tightly delivered narrative, characters with more than average depth, and combat that mostly works, Echoes of the End is a solid title that delivers far more consistently than most AAA games in recent memory.
It looks beautiful, it's got the right amount of challenge in it, and it plays smoothly. What more could you ask from Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound? As a standalone title, or to tied over until the next main game comes along, you'll certainly have a flipping good time.
Perhaps the cosiest of cosy games, Tiny Bookshop revels in its serenity, offering a gloriously tempered adventure that brings you into a story you'll want to live out yourself. If you know your books you'll be instantly hooked. For the rest of us, Tiny Bookshop is difficult to put down once you begin, much like the novels you'll be selling in this delightful game.
Mafia: The Old Country strips back much of what weighed Hanger 13's previous entry down. While the story and gameplay rely solely on solid and well-trodden tropes in a much more linear design, the intense focus on great characters and a gorgeous Sicilian setting make this a leaner experience that's worth the lower price of admission. This Mafioso family has a long way to go to re-establish its place at the head of the table, but the beginnings of its criminal enterprise are promising.
A bitesize RPG with some incredibly gorgeous pixel art, Artis Impact has a quirkiness and charm that will either win you over, or frustrate you beyond belief, but it’s odd systems and largely unrealised combat system will exasperate regardless.
Dripping in Lovecraftian and Papers, Please! inspiration, Static Dread: The Lighthouse forgoes the generic focus on monster shooting, instead drawing you in and challenging your sense of reality with difficult moral decisions, stress-inducing gameplay and an unsettling, ever-deteriorating environment. Few games capture the essence of H.P Lovecraft's particular blend of madness from unknowable knowledge, but this Old Great One does.
Time Flies may be on the short side, but its quirky and funny list of things to do and surprising amount of attention to immersion transforms a quick jaunt into an impactful life lesson. Life's too short to worry about the small stuff, be a fly for a couple of hours.
Spy Drops desperately wants to be an authentic homage to the original Metal Gear Solid, but fails in almost every aspect. Riddled with issues, from the camera, to the AI, to the level-breaking glitches, there's simply little redeeming quality to this low-effort copy. Just do another re-run with Solid Snake himself and save yourself the pain of this.
Eriksholm the place is a beautiful creation, full of detail and complexity. It’s a shame that Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream lacks the same kind of complexity. With only a handful of stealth tools or route options, it feels like a guided tour of the city rather than a stealth adventure where anything could happen.
Another drop in the Soulslike well, WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers is if anything a spirited and colourful take on precedings. But lush visuals and a smattering of some tweaked mechanics don't really do much to differentiate from practically any other offering in the difficult action-adventure genre. One for the devout, perhaps, but nothing new to those that are getting Souls fatigue.
The Edge of Fate is a desperately disappointing follow up to The Final Shape, offering little to nothing of value to the overall Destiny 2 experience. A forgettable story, lifeless new locations and joyless mechanic additions, this is a sad indictment on Bungie's current place in the industry.
Maestro passes the baton to you to be a conductor with outstanding results. The core gameplay is fine-tuned and authentic, with a soundtrack that's one for the ages - and not because it's a lot of old songs. However, with a lack of incentive to outperform yourself or peers, and no good way to play the game outside of going between songs for 2 hours, Maestro is slightly lacking in being an essential VR game.
Birdigo captures that feeling we all felt when we played Balatro for the first time, but gives it a Wordle/Scrabble-esque remix with a narrative about migrating birds. On paper, it probably shouldn't work but John August and Corey Martin have created a game that is quite frankly unputdownable. A glorious puzzler with roguelike mechanics, Birdigo's talons will hook you in and not let go.
Few games can compare to the unsparing and ferocious intensity that permeates through every part of Ready or Not's gameplay or presentation. The more controversial themes and imagery will likely be as stomach churning for some as the often times inconsistent AI and multiplayer experiences. Yet I still found myself returning to duty to bring order to the chaos. Ready or Not is a tough and unforgiving game, but one that's simultaneously rewarding and stressfully evoking.