GamePitt's Reviews
If you’re looking for a modernised classic which doesn’t stray too far from the original concept, Bubble Bobble 4 Friends is fun to play both solo and with friends or family. Although the first fifty levels are rather easy and family-friendly, the proceeding fifty within the hard mode will certainly challenge you if you decide to face the evil Bonner alone! The various powerups and abilities you gain throughout your adventure are sure to help out in the trickier levels, with the game offering a safety net via the activation of invincibility to ensure everyone of any skill level can play the game and have fun. This game was my introduction to the franchise, an introduction which made a really good first impression.
If you’re looking for a Tactical RPG game which stands out with unique features, Narcos: Rise of the Cartels is for you. Having the ability to only move one unit at a time both increases the difficulty and strategic element of the game, forcing you to think ahead and plan your moves effectively if you don’t want to permanently lose the units you’ve been training up. Similarly, the manual Overwatch ability ensures that if you miss during a crucial pre-emptive attack, it’s most likely down to you and your ability at being accurate and fast. The game will clearly appeal to fans of the show, but newcomers are also welcomed and kept well informed as you proceed through the story. It’s certainly a game which all TRPG fans should try out.
Despite not technically being a ‘simulation’ game, Bee Simulator is a fun edutainment title which was enjoyable to play through. Although there are many side-quests to complete once you’ve finished the main story, there are only a few mini-game formats included, meaning you’ll quickly grow tired of them unless you really like the games they offer. Visually I thought the game looked okay, for a ‘simulator’, but some of the assets are a little basic and the game is deprived of life – it’s like you’re within a theme park full of models or animatronics. If you have a few kids, the multiplayer mode will entertain them for a while as up to four players can play at the same time – which is a welcomed addition.
Woven is a game which wants you to take your time and explore the bright, colourful environments whilst solving puzzles. The combination of standard puzzles and environmental ones, which requires you to build your own FrankenStuffy, are a great balance and really get you thinking about your appearance as well as your inherited abilities. Woven doesn’t hold your hand and point you in the right direction like almost every other exploration-based game today, you must explore and uncover the secrets with little to no help. Although looking very child-friendly, especially with the brilliantly rhyming narration, I feel some younger kids may require support and guidance from an adult with certain puzzles due to the hands-off approach the game delivers.
Root Letter: Last Answer is clearly the definitive edition of this mysterious and captivating story about a murder and a missing girl. I love how the game has eight chapters which are identical and then, based on how you talked to Aya in the past, the final two chapters are very diverse and offer completely different endings to the game. This is further enhanced with the new epilogues that offer more story after the credits roll on a particular ending. Although light on the ‘interaction’ side, the narrative itself keeps you hooked and entertained throughout, with an Ace Attorney-like segment which breaks up the reading every now and again.
Psychotic’s MechaNika is a great self-contained follow-up to Agatha Knife, this time focussing on the brilliant-minded Nika instead of the blood-thirsty Agatha. Despite it’s short playing time, at around one to three hours depending on knowledge and skill-level, the price has been set accordingly and the game is overflowing with humour, parodies, references, and crazy narrative. The game may look cartoony and like it’s meant for children – but don’t fall for this – the game is just as dark as Agatha Knife at times and it meant to be played by adults and not little kids – think South Park and Family Guy concepts.
Despite the issues with the soundtrack in the main menu (which is going to be fixed in the next update), Disney Classic Games: Aladdin and The Lion King is a rather nice collection for both older gamers looking for a bit of nostalgia and new gamers wanting to play some decent movie-based games of yesteryear. Although a remaster or remake would have been great, simply allowing us to replay the original versions of the games on multiple platforms, and even some never-before-released editions, is a nice treat to those who grew up with these games. All of the bonus features were interesting and the ‘watch and play’ mode is very unique and something all these older games should support. This right here is why Disney shouldn’t stop making games, even if it’s only as a collaborator to another developer.
Although there are a few aspects I didn’t like, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD was a fun game to play for the first time. I’m not the biggest fan of the controls, as the wobble-camera made things a little confusing and frustratingly more difficult that it had to be, but the nostalgic gameplay left me with a smile – when I wasn’t shouting due to an unfair death or tumble. The Time Attack and Decathlon modes will keep you busy if going for the platinum, and allows you to prove you really do have the best handle on your Monkey Balls! The party games are a nice bonus but considering forty of them were removed, I wouldn’t consider this a multiplayer game anymore, you’ll get the most entertainment out of playing it on your own.
Although The 7th Guest: 25th Anniversary Edition isn’t as spooky or creepy as I remember it being, it’s still a very good puzzle game with ridiculously hard puzzles. The special edition has implemented a bunch of quality of life updates which makes the game much more accessible and user-friendly for both nostalgic gamers like me and newcomers alike. The cheesy FMVs and disturbing narrative makes the atmosphere much more enjoyable and immersive than your average adventure game from the early ’90s. If you’ve yet to step foot within Stauf’s mansion, you’re missing out on experiencing a piece of history, the birth of interactive horror puzzle games on CD-Rom.
If you like management and/or simulation games and are fond of fishies, Megaquarium is the game for you! Go wild as you progress from a small-time aquarium builder to Aquaman himself, creating a multitude of massive glass prisons for all your water-based tourist attractions and money-makers. The progression is done really well, unlocking new items and fish to research and obtain as you move through the lengthy campaign – you’ll never feel like you have nothing new to show off or interesting for your paying customers to take advantage of. The stability towards the end of the game is pretty bad, but it never affected my enjoyment as it only became an ‘issue’ in the very final mission of the final level.
I can’t express enough just how well The Gentlebros delivers in making a ridiculously charming and rewarding game. Cat Quest II has bucket loads of terrific humour, adorable characters and you will never tire of the entertaining cat and dog puns on offer. The second playable character really adds to keeping combat fresh, whether you play the game in solo mode or in local co-op with a friend. Cat Quest II may be overly familiar to those that have played Cat Quest, but more of the same is definitely not a bad thing when the game is so entertaining and fun to play. This cat-venture is a terrific sequel that certainly gets my tail wagging with joy!
Anthill is a unique take on the ‘defense’ genre, having you draw and assign trails to units instead of placing towers. From such a simple concept comes an addictive and challenging game, one which will entertain you for many hours as you try and work out the most efficient and cost-effective way to proceed. I personally felt like the later levels spiked in difficulty, without any warning, but after going back and earning more stars to upgrade my ant colony, I began to progress again. It’s a brilliANT ANTdictive game which you’ll find hard to put down.
If you’re yet to experience the dark and gritty world of Vampyr, the Switch is a great place to sink your teeth into it. True, this version is vastly inferior in regards to the visuals and suffers from a few performance dips here and there, but after playing in portable mode for a few hours, you’ll become accustomed to the compromises which were necessary to get this brilliant game on the system. With a few new difficulty options and the ability to either join the dark side or not, you can roleplay your own story which changes based on your actions and desires throughout the game. Multiple playthroughs are a must as seeing London thrive or suffer are two very possible outcomes.
If you’re looking for a narrative-focused horror game which isn’t ‘too’ scary, Close to the Sun is for you. Visually the game looks beautiful, despite the piles of body parts and blood-soaked walls, with the Helios’ decorations being a brilliant replication of Art Deco interior design with a hint of Steampunk engineering. The story will have you hooked, as you go out of your way to fill in the blanks and find all of the hidden collectables, bringing you to a conclusion which I hope spawns a sequel at some point in the future. Despite the issues, which I mentioned in my review, the overall experience is one which shouldn’t be missed regardless of whatever platform you prefer to play on.
For a movie tie-in, Monkey King: Hero is Back does a great job of both replicating the experience and enhancing the story with new scenes and narrative. Sure, the combat and movements are slower than we are used to these days, and there is a lot of loading (despite it being very short), but after a while, I found myself used to it and not bothered by the slower gameplay and more relaxed experience. As you grow, both emotionally and physically, throughout the story, you’ll bond with the characters right until the final conclusion. It has its flaws, but I personally really enjoyed this Journey to the West adaptation.
Return of the Obra Dinn is the most complex and imaginative whodunnit-style murder mystery puzzle game, ever! Despite the aesthetically pleasing 1-bit design, underneath lies a perfectly crafted 3D world full of emotion, tragedy, murder, and deception. With two possible endings to uncover based upon how many people you correctly name, along with their cause of death, you could be trying to solve the mystery for many hours based upon your skills as a sleuth. If you have any interest at all in puzzle, mystery, narrative, unique, or cryptic games, you need to buy this today on whatever platform you own.
With BoxVR, you’ll find yourself losing weight and becoming much healthier before you even realise. Whether it’s because you intend to burn those calories or show yourself to be a rhythm boxing God, you will be fitter from playing this – which is exactly what it sets out to do. It’s an (upper)cut above the rest of the competition in being a game that is designed to make you exercise but while also being extremely fun in its own right. If you’re anything like me, exercise is one of those words that instantly makes me want to curl up and hide, it sounds like a lot of effort. Well, with this boxercise game, that effort disappears. Yes it’s tiring, yes you will sweat, but who cares when you’re having so much fun doing it?
Dauntless is a brilliant and lengthy free-to-play game – one that has and will be supported with crazy amounts of content. The latest update that pushed the game out of early access is its biggest and best update yet, especially with the release of the ridiculously fun new striker weapons. With a lot of content and the ability to play with friends, Dauntless is at least worth giving a shot. Obviously, it draws comparisons with Monster Hunter World but if you need another fix of David vs Behemoth action, this will more than quench your blood-thirstiness.
I honestly doubted that Trails of Cold Steel III could topple the incredible experience I had with the previous two games, oh how I was wrong. Taking everything which made the last two games great, Nihon Falcom has created a more advanced and enhanced version of the game we all know and love. There’s little to fault when a game manages to keep me invested and hooked for over 120 hours on my first playthrough, sat on the edge of my seat with each and every revelation and event, both cheering and getting emotional along with the characters. JRPG fans have to buy this game, it’s mandatory if you’ve played the previous two and enjoyed them as you’re guaranteed to simply love this game without any doubt.
Personally, I feel that The Outer Worlds is much more than ‘Fallout in Space’, it’s a brilliant masterpiece which strives on player-choice and morality. Whether you’re exploring the numerous planets, working your way through the many quests, trying to get on the good side of a faction, or simply having a ‘blast’ killing everyone, there’s always something to do. Visually the game is simply gorgeous, Mechanically it’s deep and highly customisable for your playstyle, and in terms of the story and lore, there’s so much to read, discover and become a part of. The Outer Worlds isn’t a simply a game, it’s another universe awaiting your direction.