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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.
Cyber Shadow is one of those rare retro-inspired titles that does not pale in comparison to its references or feel like a cheap knock off. Pretty much everything about Cyber Shadow is on point and executed flawlessly. From the visuals, to the sound, to the precise and responsive gameplay. The game gets the difficulty balance right the majority of the time. It’s tough enough to be challenging but rarely hard enough to be considered unfair. The addition of well-placed checkpoints and infinite lives definitely make the challenge more palatable than its ancestors. It is a really solid action platformer and a really good game that deserves some play.
Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends and The Secret Fairy will not be for the average gamer but will undoubtedly be a great 20-30 hour adventure for series veterans.
Alba: A Wildlife Adventure was a joy to play. When I first picked it up I was planning to only play about half an hour, but I was so hooked that I ended up finishing it in one sitting. During times of stress, a game like this is perfect with its friendly world and characters, alongside a very zen gameplay loop that will keep you snapping photos of the elusive Great Tit for hours. I didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did, but it happened to be exactly what I needed. I hope it can be that game for someone else too.
Hitman 3 is a beautiful, wonderful and exceptionally well-made game that I’m so glad exists. IO Interactive have created something simply amazing that should be lauded for being right up there with the smartest design in the industry. Now, more than ever, their future is looking bright and exciting.