Digitally Downloaded
HomepageDigitally Downloaded's Reviews
You'd be able to forgive Dungeon Bros if the action compensated for the misfiring sense of humour. But it doesn't. This is a slog and a grind of the highest order.
Last year I was willing to give the franchise a chance, hoping against hope that, it being the first game, future editions would be better. I am under no such illusions this time around.
Tumblestone deserves credit for being unique in a genre that often times plays things too safe and predictable.
If you can fight your way through it, you’ll find something quite unique. Lithium: Inmate 39 is a very thought-provoking horror game that’s managed to bring some wonderfully creative ideas to the genre.
I appreciate that multiplayer is a big deal in the Souls games, but this is the first time From Software has crafted a piece of DLC content that focuses almost entirely on that multiplayer experience, and I think this will fall flat with plenty of other Souls fans.
Seraph on a whole is brilliant and refreshing in its design. Having the player be able to concentrate on movement while the AI handles the aiming is an inspired idea and I honestly hope to see more of in the future, while the organic approach to difficulty and movement makes for a game that is mesmerising and deeply engaging from start to finish.
If you want cheap jump scares, Wick will do the job. If you’re after a more nuanced approach, one that goes beyond the superficial horror of sudden apparitions accompanied by heavy breathing, identical music, and a handful of different shaped insta-kill radii, then Wick is not for you. Wick is a blunt instrument – one designed not for players, but for observers of players. Aside from the occasional sudden jump caused by an inattentive ear, there is little of that creepy unease, that apprehensive discomfort, to elevate the overall horror experience.
Moto Racer 4 is not a bad game, but it is a shallow, arcade motorcycle racer. It might be perfectly serviceable, and average racer that is fun enough in short spurts, but it really doesn't do enough to separate itself from the racing pack in any meaningful or memorable way either.
Farming Simulator 17 is the best kind of game; it’s a game that offers more than just entertainment.
A small game that shows off all the artistic talents of the team. There's a real joyfulness in the concept of flight, as enabled by VR, and Unity has never looked better; if this is a sign of things to come from that engine then we're in for some wild times as developers of all sizes start creating more VR content for it. There's a purity and innocence to Eagle Flight so completely wondrous to behold that I wish Ubisoft created more of these kinds of games.
Watch Dogs 2 does a great job of demonstrating the potential perils of a too-connected world and improves upon the first game in multiple ways. This is not a guns over brains game - there is an interesting topic at play here about our society's dependence on technology and Ubisoft deserves credit for exploring this theme. The characters and narrative are leaps and bounds more engaging than the revenge tale the original game tried to paint.
In a way, Saturday Morning RPG is even more retro than its theme would suggest: it was retro when originally released back in 2012, and now its double the retro with ports to current generation consoles. Retro squared? Regardless of how much I can say retro in this paragraph, the word truly does represent the heart and soul of Saturday Morning RPG. At one point above I described battles as a "love story to the past," and that statement is at the core of all that Saturday Morning RPG is.
And BlazBlue really is gorgeous. Every character is animated in such a way that every movement they make reinforces their personalities. Every environment is a living, breathing thing that sets a meaningful scene and helps build the world around the characters. Because everything is 2D and quite flat, it’s easy to wish that all that storytelling and character building was funnelled into a more natural fit, but then again, with BlazBlue being such a successful franchise for so long now, it’s hard to argue that the developers and producers are making a mistake.
Nitpicking aside, Rhythm Heaven Megamix is still the definitive rhythm game for the 3DS. With a quirky sense of humour, simple gameplay and a jubilant aesthetic, this is a game sure to delight all players while training their sense of rhythm. After a week of playing, I found myself subconsciously tapping along to any music which played around me with impeccable timing, and if that’s not a glowing recommendation for this game then I’m not sure what is.
For all its early-stage failings, Exist Archive is an excellent game once it finds its groove. As long as you go in knowing what to expect and knowing it will get better eventually, it's a game I'd recommend to anyone who likes JRPGs.
It’s rare that we have a game that genuinely deserves to be called “elegant”, but Root Letter is that game. It takes a romantic, nostalgic idea, wraps it up in a mystery that is fun to piece together, and does all of that within the context of one of the most beautiful examples of anime art you’ll ever see.
Mallow Drops is a fun, unique little puzzle game that offers up plenty of charm and challenge. It is not the longest of games, as it can be beaten in a handful of hours or so, but I found it to be very approachable and something I could pick up and play for fifteen minutes to advance a couple of levels and then come back to it later as desired.
Fans of the original Xenoverse game were treated to the best DBZ experience in a long time, and while Dragon Ball: Xenoverse 2 is not a perfect game, the development team deserves kudos for understanding what worked well in the first game and building off of it.
I certainly didn’t come away from this game with any lost affection for dolls, and my Miku continues to own the living room. More seriously, though, Weeping Doll had a lot of potential, and it’s genuinely disappointing that it wasn’t able to follow through with it. This one you can’t chalk up as developer teething pains with VR; this game would be every bit as flawed, regardless of the platform it was on.
Orson Welles once said the enemy of art is the absence of limitations and that rings true for Corpse Party. A game made decades ago on outdated RPG Maker software is as successful in achieving its vision today as it always was because the creator used the limited palette effectively. The reliance on imagination and familiarity with Japanese horror influences present in Corpse Party aren’t going to resonate universally, but some of that horror defies cultural barriers and speaks to the human condition.