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Don't come into Opus: Rocket of Whispers expecting some sort of hardcore survival simulation or captivating pushing-buttons experience, or you'll probably wind up disappointed. No, Rocket of Whispers is something much better: a game that uses its simple game loop, repetitiveness and all, to tell a familiar but sincere story about loneliness and coping with grief.
The only reason that you'd want to play this is to see your apartment slowly but steadily grow bigger, but aside from the momentary thrill of finally convincing a powerful type of monster to take up residency, this game shows all its trick and limited appeals within the first half hour of play. [Matt Sainsbury separately reviewed the Switch (2 stars) and 3DS (3 stars) versions. Their scores have been averaged.]
Minit itself is a huge achievement, something that comes across as so basic but manages to hide many intricate details including a narrative that is discovered as the game progresses.
The Charming Empire does a great job of introducing players to the Taishō period; a period that we rarely learn much about in the west. As a period piece it does a decent enough job, but there are so many gorgeous visual novels out there now that the pedestrian presentation really hurts the romance and storytelling of it all.
Warp Shift is a puzzle game that is joyful in its accessibility and expansive in its complexity. It's a whimsical experience for players who might only be able to muster one star on its levels, but also provides the depth needed for hardcore fans.
It's a relaxing, joyful, clever and witty little game that really makes the most of its oddball concept. Most importantly of all, it's memorable. You're not going to forget your time with Detective Pikachu in a hurry, and those memories are going to be all very positive.
I love the art. I love the combat. I found the sharp challenge and simple, clean mechanics to all be very enjoyable. But I just couldn't get past how shallow it really was in the end, and how the game failed to live up to the tantalising promises made in its lede.
The Alliance Alive invokes the finest elements of the JRPG genre, modernizes them, and innovates where necessary.
Go into this game with an open mind, and allow the game's pleasant charm, sweet characters and storytelling, and light, graceful approach to JRPG action to wash over you, and you may just find yourself as in love with the utterly refreshing and pure experience that Atelier Lydie & Suelle has to offer you.
It's by no means memorable, but WorldNeverland is enjoyable enough as a life sim. The grindy nature of the game's systems seem to be a consequence of its mobile roots, but if you play this as intended, for short bursts of a time, that grind won't wear you down. Do that, and you'll probably find yourself playing this on high rotation for longer than you might expect to on initial impressions.
It never really realises the absurdity of the story that its telling even as it leans into absurd humour in plenty of other areas in the game.
Nippon Ichi has clearly dedicated the bulk of the development resources this time around to providing a cleaner and more comprehensible system to draw players in further and minimise frustration. On that level, The Witch and the Hundred Knight 2 is a success. I just wish the storytellers on the team were able to really cut loose and pull hard at the strings that, currently, they're only tugging lightly at.
Castle of Heart simply has nothing of substance to offer. It's a ridiculously difficult game without the reward.
The Station is a wonderful example of how a game's atmosphere can impact and influence the narrative. The space station felt believable, although the few characters that lived aboard fell a bit flat for me. As a sci-fi walking sim, The Station is more than successful enough.
I left the game feeling frustrated more than anything else. With arbitrary, esoteric puzzles and a wildly inconsistent tone exacerbated by technical issues, I found it hard to get sucked into the game's atmosphere.
Vermintide II feels like a predictable step in a fantastic direction. It's retained all of the bits of its predecessor that felt novel, and its gone the extra mile creating an ocean of foes that feel trickier and deadlier than ever before.
We're two (main) games in now, and on the strength and consistency of these two I think it's safe to say that Ni No Kuni has every chance to become a major JRPG franchise that will last into the very long term.
It feels more creative and less constrained than the "major" Assassin's Creed titles (as did Liberation and Chronicles), and for that reason it's right up there with my favourite games in the entire franchise.
I'd only recommend this one for a quick burst and a bit of fun, because it doesn't offer anything substantial.
This is a strong, strong game by Koei Tecmo, and does the Attack on Titan franchise a great service. Sadly, that's a franchise that doesn't have the pulling power that it did a few years ago, but older fans will enjoy the opportunity to get a new look at the distinctive setting and world