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When it comes to card games, Loop Hero brings a unique and refreshing take to the table. While initially its format may take some getting used to and its graphics may appear simple, the game’s mechanics pack a surprising punch. With cards generating complex enemies, resources, and terrains, no two playthroughs in Loop Hero will be the same. Through this impressive degree of variety and replayability, Loop Hero offers a unique challenge for card game newbies and veterans alike.
Everhood is its own surreal beast of indescribable nature. On the surface, the adventure is a straightforward story of thievery and reclaiming… but for what means? Underlying is a cryptic tale about humanity and the darkness burdening existence that many fans of these sorts of games will utterly love. The shadowy overworld and diverse characters along the journey are mysterious to match the game’s ineffable spirit. With an outstanding selection of music to battle to in the unique combat, each fight is a bopping joy with slight twists to the mechanics adding even more fun. Already a cult hit with fans of Undertale and other games of the sort, Everhood is a bizarre and groovy adventure that can’t be missed.
Though the game may look like a work of art, there are many things about it that make me think Redlock have released this without adding the finishing brushstrokes.
I’m a big fan of point and click adventure games, and Encodya was such a genuinely earnest attempt at capturing the magic of the genre that I’m disappointed I didn’t enjoy it more. I wanted to like it, the whole time I was playing I was waiting for a moment when I would realise that I was loving the game, but it never came. It was too referential and the puzzles too simple for it to capture the feeling of a King’s Quest or Monkey Island. I can see elements of what is a very good game, but as a whole, it falls a little flat.
With innovative combat mechanics and an enormous variety of in-game enemies, Bravely Default II offers up an engaging strategy experience that’ll hook seasoned strategy fans. It also boasts gorgeous visuals, with hand-drawn backdrops and panoramas popping off the screen, making the world delightful to explore.
I really really enjoyed my time with Curse of the Dead Gods and am happy to call this a great game. It’s an idea that’s been done before, but Curse of the Dead Gods executes on that idea almost flawlessly. The game is polished and deep with a really solid amount of content that’ll keep players entertained for hours. For those seeking a challenging combat Roguelike game, you won’t be disappointed with this release.
Overall, Rogue Heroes: Ruins of Tasos may be a few more bug patches away from a solid recommendation. However, if you want an enjoyable Zelda-esque title to play with your friends, it is certainly one to keep an eye on.
Mutropolis is such a pleasant surprise of a game. It holds within it so much charm and character that I was not initially expecting. There is a good balance between simple and challenging puzzles, so you feel rewarded instead of exhausted when solving them. It doesn’t take itself seriously, which I just loved. It let me just relax in the silliness and absorb myself in finding solutions and thinking of ways to use items.
What Blue Fire has to offer in the platforming department is undeniably impressive. It does a great job of making simple mechanics engaging and interesting to learn while still providing a fair and balanced challenge. It is a pity that the game shows its lack of polish in some areas, especially the frequent crashes to desktop, something that is hard to forgive in a game with an already frustrating save system
I can safely say that any fan of Caesar III or Pharaoh will want to pick this one up, despite its problems. It’s fun enough to play around with, especially with building the temples, but it just doesn’t do any one aspect of city builders better than games that already exist.
An incredibly exhilarating and playful experience, Speed Limit is a love letter to the action-packed blockbusters of decades past. It blasts you through its quick campaign at lightning speed and will leave you with your heart pounding, your palms soaked, and a massive cheeky smile across your face. Though it could be a bit kinder to players unfamiliar with arcade-style difficulty and some of its levels aren’t as bombastic as others, Speed Limit is still a sweet and short neo-retro explosion of fun. Fans of the arcade-era and folks looking for something fast-paced and unique will find a lot to love here.
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury is an excellent case for why Nintendo should be porting more Wii U games to the Switch. With its improved presentation and the convenience of the Switch, this is definitely the optimal way to play Super Mario 3D World, even without much in the way of new features. Bowser’s Fury is also an excellent open-world Mario mini-adventure, which is probably worth the price of admission on its own. Admittedly, the multiplayer features some camera issues, particularly in Bowser’s Fury. However, that should not stop Mario fans of all ages from checking out Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury, especially if they missed out on this much loved platformer the first time around.
Unlike the original, Little Nightmares 2 isn’t a game I can envision reaching cult success. It’s sad to see, too. Already the predecessor was quite noble, flaws aside, it just needed some upholstering. Instead, the follow up just adds more frustration and more jank over a longer time period. There’s absolutely striking imagery and wonders worth seeing in Little Nightmares 2. They’re just quite hard to recommend amongst all of the challenges the game presents.
After having played Persona 5, and last year’s updated Persona 5 Royal, Persona 5 Strikers was like slipping into a warm pair of fluffy slippers. It brings back these characters I’ve spent hundreds of hours with, and gives them a nice little side story, if not a full-fledged sequel. Much like the other spinoffs, you might not enjoy the game if you aren’t familiar with the world of Persona 5, but for those who are, you’re going to have a lot of fun. There’s quite a few drawbacks, but Omega Force and Atlus have successfully converted Persona 5’s gameplay into a whole new genre, warts and all. I’m curious to see what either studio does next.
Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Earthblood seemingly tries to bite off more than it can chew. As cheesy as that sentence sounds, it certainly meets that description. There are moments that stand out amongst the mediocrity of it all, that elevate the overall experience, but it’s not enough to justify playing it solely for those moments. The main “selling point” for the game being the ultra-violent combat could actually be its weakest element. So much so that the added inclusion of stealth mechanics is preferable to the main attraction. And it’s this secondary gameplay loop that is left feeling shallow and easily manipulated because of this split focus. Within the stealth systems, there is the potential of something interesting when mixed together with in-universe powers, but the current execution failed to capture the full fantasy.
As much as I wanted to love Sword of the Necromancer (particularly after getting further into the story) it’s held back by so many annoyances that I didn’t have an amazing time playing through it. There are definitely some cool ideas, and the enemy design in particular is excellent, but issues with its core gameplay keep it from being the fun little experience I was hoping for.
I want to like Olija much more than I do. When the game works it truly works. The gameplay is slick and brutal and fluid. I will never deny the enjoyment that this game provides. The problem is quite simple, which is that there are only so many fresh, exciting encounters the game can give you. They are a finite supply. However, the time wasted through unclear instruction and a lack of accessibility to information is unforgivable. Perhaps other players will find the ambiguity to be less of a problem, but for me it was a real obstacle.
Gods Will Fall left me a little torn. It’s a game with interesting ideas and enough confidence to pursue those ideas even if they go against the status quo of typical game design. I love how the game creates this reactive and adaptive world and asks the player to deal with the consequences of their losses. It’s a highly replayable game too, and a game that creates a challenge worth pursuing. But some roughness and awkwardness in the combat, traversal, and design mean this won’t be a game everybody will enjoy. Regardless, I had a good time with Gods Will Fall and would love to see the concept iterated upon again in the future.
The Medium feels like a culmination of everything Bloober Team have learned from their previous titles, pushing the envelope creatively while still heavily referencing classic horror games as their inspiration. The adventure does an excellent job of immersing you in its dark and twisted world, full of tortured souls and dark secrets begging to be uncovered. The dual-reality gameplay adds a fantastic riff to proceedings, a mechanic that has been cleverly injected into the gameplay and story in a really compelling way. While it could stand to leave some of its old-school sensibilities behind, its heartfelt story and creepy setting demands your attention right up until the credits roll.
Skul: The Hero Slayer is an excellent rogue-lite platformer with beautiful pixel graphics. While its story is a tad generic, its ruthless rogue-lite mechanics are where Skul: The Hero Slayer truly shines. Combined with its unique mechanics on the battlefield, Skul: The Hero Slayer easily raises the stakes without making the gameplay feel overly complicated. The result is a fast-paced hack-and-slash experience that will have you on the edge of your seat for hours. If you’re a fan of indie titles like Spelunky, ScourgeBringer, and Celeste, Skul: The Hero Slayer will surely have something to offer you.