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Home Sweet Home isn't a classic that transcends its genre roots, but the developers behind the game show that they understand how fear works, how to build tension, how pacing should work in a good horror game, and how to create some shocking imagery. I wanted more of the promised delve into Thai ghost stories, but overall, as a genre fan I found this an engrossing enough diversion.
Gal Metal is a unique experience that combines cute high school girls, galactic adventures, evil aliens and metal music together in one unmissable experience. The characters all stand alone in their own right and the story line is engaging with a few plot twists mixed in which has you wondering as to what will happen next. The game took about five hours to complete however mastering the rhythms and besting those difficult scores aided in my eagerness to replay levels factor and kept me coming back for more.
Call of Cthulhu is the Cthulhu RPG I never realised I needed in my life. From the moment the atmosphere shifted upon entry to Darkwater, I was hooked. The Cthulhu mythology is presented with obvious appreciation for the source material, crafting a story of cosmic horror and the cults being crazy enough to worship those beings. Aside from some difficulty with sneaking, the game makes the descent into madness... fun? Can one have fun when descending into madness?
It's truly impressive just how substantial the Anabasis expansion is; by rights it could be an entirely separate game in the Battlestar Galactica Deadlock series. But Black Lab Games and Slitherine opted to make it an expansion, so it's an excuse to go back to that base game if you've put it down for a while, or finally pick it up if you somehow missed it the first time around.
There is a glut of rhythm games on the Switch already, but none of those subsequently inspired me to pull out my keyboard and brush up on some of the music that I've learned over the years. Pianista did, and while it might not encourage you to take up music lessons, at the very least you'll walk away from this with a better sense of "classical" music. That is something valuable.
Soulblight is a largely disappointing experience. Hopefully My Next Games can take what works here (namely the morality-based systems) and apply it to a future effort, but this current action game isn't enjoyable in the slightest. It doesn't bring anything new to the genre, and isn't polished enough to stand besides the better offerings already available.
In the end, I found it difficult to keep coming up with new ideas for art works - and perhaps that's another piece of commentary to take from the game; when artists are forced into endless creation loops by the necessities of commercial demand, it tends to be difficult keeping the creative drive high. Despite that, I never stopped finding Passpartout enjoyable, thanks to its lighthearted presentation and biting, and yet amusing, sense of humour.
If you go into Yomawari with the right spirit (hah, I had to get one pun in there), both of these games are memorable, beautiful, elegant and often chilling.
That being said however, The Room is an expertly crafted puzzle box game that does a whole lot of things right and I doubt anyone would have regrets picking this one up.
NBA 2K Playgrounds 2 has a great presentation, a fun set of mechanics and a solid character progression system. There are microtransactions, as all sports games seems to be laboured with them these days, but it's nowhere near as intrusive as some other sports games I have played. However, without any statistical tracking, limited number of players on the court and only a handful of modes, that this title won't have quite the shelf life for me that a more involved simulation game like NBA 2K19.
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Because it is so accessible and enjoyable, I suspect that Soulcalibur VI will become one of my most played fighting games, because it's just that versatile and enjoyable that I'll just default to it when I'm in the mood for a fighter (or looking to play with someone else).
It's pure fun, and with Warriors Orochi 4, Koei Tecmo has done such a lovely job that I suspect I'll be coming back to it frequently for many years into the future.
Space Hulk: Tactics is the most impressive Warhammer 40K effort I've played in recent memory. Cyanide clearly decided to focus on the atmospherics and worldbuilding in lieu of the complex combat systems that make other 40K titles strategically engaging. Space Hulk doesn't have that, but what it does offer is a visceral, best-played-in-first-person tactics board game that offers up a hefty challenge. Do Hero Quest next, Cyanide!
Once you put aside Starlink's somewhat confused nature and design, what you're left with is a genuinely enjoyable open space adventure.
Hover hits all the right notes: it's bright and colourful, with a sort of hip-hop cyberpunk aesthetic and catchy techno soundtrack. But it misses all the marks on the most crucial elements, with a game that's constantly let down by its physics and controls and a story about "Gamers" fighting back against "anti-leisure laws" that seems to entirely miss the point of anti-authoritarianism as a concept.
There's nothing unpleasant about Valthirian Arc: Hero School Story. It's easy to pick up and play for short bursts, and as a simulator, its simplicity makes for a nice change of pace. It's also charming and actually does offer an intriguing world and narrative. In just about every area, the game could also have been much more than it is, but everyone needs inoffensive time wasters too, and Valthirian Arc scratches that itch nicely.
428: Shibuya Scramble is storytelling via video games at its finest. The multiple parallel stories, the twists and turns, the characters, each is reason enough to pick up this title despite the initial release being a decade ago. It plays with ease, allowing you to completely lose yourself if the story of Maria's abduction and the ten most important hours spent trying to save her.
Best of all, while none of these four tables are my favourites from Williams, the subtitle of the DLC is "Volume 1." There's clearly more to come. And, I mean, Williams is the manufacturer behind Tales of the Arabian Nights. The greatest pinball table ever made. Bring Volume 2 on!
Though the play room is where it's at its most pure, that sense of playfulness runs through the entirety of Astro Bot: Rescue Mission, from its creative level design and innovative use of VR to its cute characters, awe-inspiring environments, and subtle dose of black humour. Pure, joyful escapism doesn't get much better than this.