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Nairi: Rising Tide is a beautiful game. The background art showcases how gorgeous an area is, and it gives so much life to the characters. The writing is hilarious, and it makes the characterisation display every positive and negative trait of everyone. But, even with that, art and writing cannot carry a game alone, as the puzzles become too puzzling, and some of the themes and world-building don't feel explored enough. Its hint system is mostly unhelpful, causing frustration rather than satisfaction. If Nairi is to have another entry, HomeBearStudio will hopefully learn from its mistakes.
30 Birds is a rich experience with a gorgeous world to explore that takes full advantage of the marriage of both 2D and 3D. The puzzles are engaging and there is plenty of variety to be found across the lanterns and amongst its colourful cast of characters. The story ends a little more abruptly than I would have liked, but it does end with the implication that Zig and the bird goddess are romantically interested in each other, which rules. There's a lot to love with 30 Birds so it's a shame that it still has a couple of bugs here and there and that the outstanding soundtrack just disappears sometimes. They are very minor issues though and ones that I'm certain will be patched very soon. I had a great time exploring the lanterns within 30 Birds and I'm sure you will too.
Everholm succeeds at delivering a cozy farming sim that involves solving a mystery. You have fun configuring your farm while building relationships with the town's residents and exploring dungeons, but you will spend more time farming and exploring than solving the mystery since it has a slow pace. There aren't many differences from other popular games in the genre as well. But if you know what you are getting into, Everholm delivers a solid experience.
Critter Café takes you to a colourful world that mixes modernity with fantasy. Not only are you operating the magical animal café of your dreams, but you also get to escape reality and go on an adventure to save critters. However, unlike other restaurant-based cozy games, there's a missed opportunity to offer more interactive opportunities outside the café operation and the exploration of the ruins, making the game feel a bit boring, lifeless, and repetitive.
Toads of the Bayou has so many awesome concepts that I thought it may just be one of my games of 2024. The character and world design are both well-developed and adorable, and the gameplay was fun… before I started dying over and over again. To really let more players appreciate this world they have created, La Grange either needs to put in difficulty settings or provide players with more support, instead making gameplay harder by punishing them with 'cursed' cards when they are struggling. Because the way it stands, I won't be jumpin' to head back to the bayou anytime soon.
STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl is an anomaly. It dazzles with stunning visuals, an eerie atmosphere, and gameplay that captures the soul of the original series. Yet, like The Zone itself, it's plagued by technical glitches, inconsistent performance, and design missteps that get in the way of its lofty ambitions. Despite its flaws, STALKER 2 has a strange magnetic force, and once you're in, it's hard to look away.
Tetris Forever is best approached as a tribute to the cultural legacy of Tetris. It's not the definitive way to play the game, but it's an essential experience for anyone interested in gaming history. Just don't go in expecting the perfect Tetris fix-this is a museum exhibit, not an arcade.
I liked Spirit Mancer well enough as an arcadey 2D hack and slasher with a fun monster summoning twist, and you might too. The addition of a monster collection element is a pretty fantastic inclusion, and the simplicity of sealing a weakened monster into my deck and then pulling them out at the opportune moment always felt satisfying. Unfortunately, the boss fights are mostly a bit of a letdown, feeling surprisingly slow-paced and often frustrating, and while the narrative doesn't take itself too seriously, it doesn't quite end with the impact that it should. That said, if you just want a fun 2D hack-and-slash game with a unique twist that you can play with a friend, you can do far worse than Spirit Mancer.
Sorry We're Closed is an incredible debut from á la mode games. It dares to go where scarce horror games have gone prior in making their underworld adventure also dreamy, poppy and dripping in substance. The world of demons and angels is tantalising in writing and worldbuilding but also visual design, depicted as god-like otherworldly hotties. Thankfully that substance isn't skin deep and also translates to inventive horror gameplay design where you're constantly shifting between claustrophobic fixed camera positioning for arena fights and first-person mode for lining up crunchy shotgun blasts. All these moving parts make for a memorable adventure filled with exciting boss fights, wicked needle-drop moments mid-battle and deep discussions on love and relationships. Quite simply the coolest survival horror game to ever exist, Sorry We're Closed is certifiably one for the girlies.
Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake is a triumphant remake of a classic. The new visuals and sound design are beautiful and elegant, with new systems updating just enough to keep it palatable to modern audiences while still keeping systems that make this game unique. Though some elements don't hold up to scrutiny, including some parts of the voice acting and writing, and enemy behaviour, they aren't enough to detract from how enjoyable this game is, now made more accessible than ever. With similar remakes of the first two Dragon Quests on the way, fans and new players are going to have a good time. The quality of Dragon Quest HD-2D Remakes hopefully inspires a higher quality of classic remakes to come.
The Rise of the Golden Idol is a brain-breaking collection of mysteries all wrapped up in one absurd narrative and is a must-have for lovers of investigation games. While it doesn't quite replace the original game in my heart, the puzzles are bigger and better, the plot progression is more fluid, and it's all-around beefier. Golden Idol's unique take on investigation and logical progression is as engrossing as it is difficult, and keeping up with its complex mysteries makes you feel like a master detective when you finally hit that "aha!" moment. I'm waiting with bated breath for those DLCs!
LEGO Horizon Adventures offers a different take on both LEGO and Horizon as a series, with mixed results. The charm of experiencing the epic Horizon Zero Dawn story in this family-friendly brickified way is unmistakable, with strong visuals and a fully voiced cast going a long way in making things feel epic. It's a shame that the repetitive mission structure and overall short adventure stop it from becoming something truly special, not fully nailing it as either a LEGO game or a Horizon game. Still, as far as family-friendly cooperative gaming romps go, it's polished, silly and sure to generate some laughs for the more casual or younger gamers in our lives.
It becomes harder and harder as we get older to be astonished by the simple things in life. The way that Miniatures asks the player to slow down and explore four different memories, each so beautifully drawn, made me feel that sense of curiosity and awe in the worlds the game has created, a feeling that doesn't occur as naturally as it once did. Though the narrative missed an opportunity to discuss deeper themes and make each tale offer some deeper meaning to the audience, there is still a lot for players to get from this short, yet sweet, point-and-click narrative experience.
Farmagia is a very interesting concept with a lot of good ideas, great voice acting and an elaborate story. There is a lot to like, especially if you are a fan of tropey anime romps, but it has its fingers in too many pies, ending up feeling unfocused and not as polished as it could have been. There is definitely a very interesting game in Farmagia with lots of moving parts and a story that clearly had lots of effort put in, but it falls short in a few areas with disconnected farming mechanics and framerate issues. This is a shame because there is a lot of heart to be found within. Any big anime fans are likely to have a good time with the story and voice acting, but outside of that, there isn't much to grab players.
Farming Simulator 25 is a tough experience if you haven't done farming before. The tutorial is short and only introduces you to the basics of agriculture, so you'll spend most of your time making mistakes and fumbling around. But if you stay and learn, you get a comprehensive farming experience. It comes at the cost of everything being related to farming, but you'll gain a better appreciation for the work that farmers do.
Great God Grove brims with charm and originality, offering a fresh take on word puzzles and gods among people. Its offbeat humour and playful design will draw you in, but clunky mechanics and a fairly straightforward narrative may leave you wanting more cohesion and polish. With a little more divine intervention, Great God Grove's quirky moments might have ascended to a truly special adventure.
Though it's not without some technical issues and frustratingly inaccessible small font in menus you have to squint at, Metal Slug Tactics is a blast of a rogue-lite adventure. It's a quality return to a long-running franchise and one that has translated its difficulty and style well by offering enticing risk vs reward mechanics at every turn and striking pixel art and visual flourishes to boot. With plenty of experimentation in character abilities and what feels like endless upgrades and unlocks to chase, it's a rogue-lite venture that is only complimented by the more hours you put into it. You get your money's worth here. SNK and Leikir Studio have successfully completed their mission of making Metal Slug exciting and relevant once more. Job well done.
Daemon Masquerade's corkboard mechanic is so simple that I can't believe it's not a standard feature of the genre. It's implemented near flawlessly here, with a compelling narrative that'll glue your butt to your chair for its runtime. Being just a few hours long, it's a perfect bite-size mystery.
Death of the Reprobate is genuine highbrow buffoonery. With its biting satire, intuitive gameplay, and Renaissance style, Richardson has once again proven he can make profound statements about human nature while making us laugh at our own pettiness. Though it bears the common afflictions of the point-and-click genre, it nonetheless endures as a splendid finale to the Immortal John Triptych.
Extra Coin is a heartfelt little tale set over a gorgeously colourful video gamey backdrop, and offers an addicting duelling game system that you can play continuously without getting bored. The art direction is beautifully detailed and the potential of the virtual reality of the Arcade is immense, but it seems to have held back on exploring its concept past the surface level. Its small scope doesn't quite do justice to what the story and world could have been, but it's still an easy recommendation.