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Kabaret has ambition, but that ambition gets in its own way. It asks tough questions and never shies away from the realities of life. Different perspectives are properly explored which provides depth for each viewpoint. It deftly weaves Southeast Asian culture into the story and it immerses you in the culture. But the story becomes too complicated and loses its best messages towards the end. The lack of stakes for the mini-games also makes them less appealing. Preparing tea is unnecessarily hard and vague, becoming a frustrating activity instead of a relaxing one. It's a good visual novel with stories that don't shy away from difficult content, but one you're unlikely to revisit often because it feels like a lot of work.
Wall World is a challenging roguelite with superb gameplay. Mining through varied and engaging environments is satisfying and pushes players to find out what's just beyond the next layer. Procedurally generated levels and a vast range of upgrades keep each run feeling fresh, enhancing the robospider to inch closer and closer to the end. However, that end doesn't meet expectations and annoyingly relies on luck for a few elements to align. Still, Wall World is a fulfilling mining-crawler with an addicting gameplay loop.
Storyteller makes the player a would-be narrator, with a focus on finding the correct story under the guise of narrative independence. It's a polished experience that's very interactive and easy to pick up. The levels pad the game's length out nicely to create an experience that can be played in a single sitting if you don't get stuck. It's just a shame the replayability suffers when the player realises there isn't room for agency in a prewritten story.
Never quite sure what's lurking below the surface, Dredge captivates from the jump with a well-defined and engaging gameplay loop built atop the foundation of a creepy and beautifully atmospheric setting. The storytelling and questing push this fishing management game into new territory as you uncover just how deep this ocean runs. Some repeated quest archetypes aren't enough to drag this gem down as Dredge continues to surprise and delight from the moment you first set sail to when you finally hang up your sailor's hat.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure is nothing short of an epic RPG story. It's not as good an onboarding point for the greater series as its predecessor Trails From Zero was, but that cost just means bigger ambition with the narrative beats and world explored. It's worth noting it's not as polished as it should be, showing its age with the lower visual fidelity and framerate dips. However, the priority with NIS America is clearly just getting the game out there. Frankly, what a game it is. Crossbell is as magical as ever and it was a heartfelt joy to experience the second and closing story for the SSS team. You're not getting many experiences as special as this one. I love and will miss you, Crossbell.
Curse of the Sea Rats is a competent 2.5D Metroidvania that offers an absolutely delightful style. The story and gameplay are basic at best, with design oversights and shallow combat that unfortunately drive this simple narrative. Still, the small package comes with a fun four-player coop that complements the classic cartoon animation and critters throughout the journey. This platformer won't rattle the scene, but it's a great game for families to play.
Terra Nil is a masterclass in everything that it attempts to be. A resource management sim that can be as difficult or relaxing as you want, that successfully provides an alternative to classic city-building games by completely flipping the core pillars of the genre on its head, and showing that a game about fostering nature can be just as engaging as one about destroying it. The game does an amazing job of evoking emotion in the player with just its environment alone and even allows you a moment to relish in the majesty of each region you have restored before heading on to the next. Terra Nil wants you to find love and beauty in nature, even if you have to leave it behind. Endlessly satisfying and elegant, any fans of city builders should give this outstanding take on the genre a try.
Though Mr. Saitou isn't a long game, it does pack a lot of punch into its three-hour runtime. It takes the life of a miserable, depleted man and shows him the wonders that he could be experiencing if work wasn't his main focus. It's a narrative that seeks to find the light in the darkness of mundane existence when life becomes routine. Mr. Saitou will leave you with a feeling of hope that fun and adventure are around every corner, we've just got to look a little closer to find it.
Atelier Ryza 3 is a wonderfully cheerful celebration of everything there is to love about modern JRPGs. Its gorgeously realised world is filled to the brim with quirky characters, vibrant environments, and a whole lot of charm. While its many interlocking systems (which are taught through tutorials that prove simultaneously verbose and unhelpful) may prove a barrier for newer players, persistence and a sense of curiosity are rewarded with a rich and deeply satisfying level of mastery. The core gameplay features – exploration, combat, synthesis, and key creation – feed into each other in a delicious loop that is at once addictive and relaxing. Atelier Ryza 3 is a joyous, cosy romp that will delight any JRPG fan looking for something refreshing.
Resident Evil 4 rips you right back to 2005 and reminds you how special games can be. A remake done right, this release amplifies the game's strengths and obfuscates its weaknesses, making for a superb and modern take on a classic. Whilst further improvements could have been made, the results still speak for themselves, as Leon and Ashley's journey becomes immortalised with contemporary gameplay and visuals that maintain respect for the original release.
Figment 2: Creed Valley is a story about letting go of the stress that life might throw at you. It reminds you that you're not too old to play the ukulele and that you too can dance like an idiot. Admittedly, the lack of visual progression is a shame. But the art style is fantastic, with each brush stroke looking uniquely gorgeous. Not only that, but the music feels like its own character, as though it lives in the world. The story itself is an emotional rollercoaster, and by the end, you can reflect back on the great journey you've taken.
Destiny 2: Lightfall falls short of expectations, leaving players with unanswered questions and minimal impact on the Light and Dark saga. The introduction of Neomuna and Cloud Striders has little purpose to the overarching plot. However, the powerful Strand toolset is a delightful addition, though it raises concerns about balance with weaker elements. While quality of life improvements are positive, the removal of certain content makes the game challenging for new players. Overall, Lightfall feels rushed, as if it was a flustered effort to fill a gap before the final hurrah.
Have a Nice Death is a well-put-together and polished game with crisp controls, an engaging story, and an adorable hand-drawn art style. The soundtrack is an endless string of bangers that makes the runs engaging. With over 600 lines of dialogue, 9 departments, 10 bosses, and heaps to explore, there is plenty of content awaiting. The script, soundtrack and art style really set the tone for the game and ties everything together in a neat little bow. Have a Nice Death is a welcomed addition to the rogue-lite genre and sets a high bar for future releases.
Tchia provides a vibrant and enjoyable world to explore. Soul jumping into an animal or object to move about is an incredible mechanic that allows for creativity, experimentation, and improvisation. Sailing among the waves is mesmerising in colour and imagery, as is the thick jungle and wildlife that also awaits. What's more refreshing is the open-world formula the game offers that doesn't daunt you, only rewarding you for however much you choose to engage with it. Tchia may have the occasional bug on PC and a rocky and overly accelerated last quarter of a story, but remaining throughout is a narrative and world with heart, love, and a feeling of home. For that alone, this is a game well worth taking to the high seas for.
Mato Anomalies has solid RPG fundamentals that can create an enjoyable experience in the beginning. Combat is fun to engage with, the world looks interesting, and the story has an intense start. Unfortunately, the game drags itself down with a narrative that never figures out what it wants to be, throwing in multiple themes which make little sense collectively. Combat requires increasingly large amounts of time investment, which can make you sick of the grind. It's hard to find yourself continuing to the end, and the game doesn't make much sense even if you do finish it. If you are looking for an RPG that requires grinding and you don't mind the repetition, you might enjoy Mato Anomalies. For those looking for a strong narrative that leaves you impressed, look elsewhere.
At the end of the day, WWE 2K23 makes a modest effort to improve on its predecessor, and the results are pretty bloody good. Some of the modes have received some genuine love and attention, while others could use a bit of a revisit in future versions. Regardless, what these modes and updates are building on now is an incredibly solid foundation that continues to impress, and once the bell rings, the quality of gameplay and the feeling of taking part in a bona fide WWE match looks like it's ripped right from a TV broadcast, and as a wrestling fan, that's still what counts the most.
Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon is a quirky little diversion from the main series. Replacing swift combat with slow-paced exploration and puzzles, it's quite a different attraction. I love the storybook illustrations and narration, and exploring the atmospheric Avalon Forest with Cheshire's various abilities was great fun. Issues with the forest's discouraging mazelike map and the simplistic combat are easily trumped by the oodles of character and charm offered by this whimsical spin-off.
Project Zero: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse is a good remake. It paints an engaging and delightfully horrific world to delve into, with shocking twists and secrets to uncover at every turn. While players will very likely be left picking up the pieces of its narrative largely told through readables, it's rewarding when it all clicks into place, painting a harrowing picture set in Southern Japan. It may be a remake that is still very of its era, with finicky camera movement and some questionable female character skins that can only come from that of gaming in the 2000s. However, in every other aspect, Mask of the Lunar Eclipse revels in its origins. On offer is wicked, tense and tight combat performed creatively through the Camera Obscura. It's environmental design and scares are begging to be picked apart in true throwback fashion. Well worth the resurfacing indeed.
PARANORMASIGHT: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo is a gripping page-turner of a visual novel. It occupied my brain so much that every second not playing felt like a second wasted. It felt like I was hit with so many fitting and bending twists I was second-guessing everything I once knew, always on my toes. Immensely powerful and engaging writing in-game is bolstered with memorable and distinguished characters. Those characters and the late 20th century Japan setting are incredibly realised; a feat only possible by the industry legends at the helm. In art, music and writing, players are in for a meaningful and unforgettable experience that's a must-play for the genre. Better yet, it even has fun with the genre tropes and traditions, creating engaging puzzles and problem-solving throughout. If there's one visual novel game you play this year, make it this one. You won't regret it.
All in all, it's clear that a lot of love has been poured into Company of Heroes 3, and that Relic is passionate about enhancing the core gameplay experience. Even though the game's Italy campaign can be too big for its boots at times, Company of Heroes 3 still presents an enjoyable game that successfully retains plenty of the series' classic gameplay elements. With an engaging North African mission, plenty of map variation, four factions, beautiful visuals, and an engaging setting, both veteran strategy fans and newbies are sure to find something that will appeal in Company of Heroes 3.