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Still, the premise oddly works once it really gets going. The Lord of the Rings: Gollum doesn't shy away from how much it relies on Tolkien's works - and not Peter Jackson's movies. Anyone who enjoyed LOTR and Tolkien's novels will probably find Gollum to be fine. Nothing extraordinary or groundbreaking, but an enjoyable stealth platformer that takes Gollum (and players) across some of the more iconic places in Middle-earth.
At first, the balancing act of Do Not Feed The Monkeys 2099 can feel quite overwhelming. Health decays at a faster rate than in the original, much to player detriment, and managing to keep it at a viable level while also paying the Council, buying new cages, and viewing feeds at their active times is quite the challenge. However, similarly to games like Papers, Please, it's very doable to make incremental progress each run, and the payoff that comes from things like the title's both hilarious and thought-provoking dialogue and the payoff from either helping or hindering primates makes Do Not Feed the Monkeys 2099 a worthwhile experience.
Overall, this leaves After Us as a flawed but intriguing 3D platformer. Its moments of brilliance are great to behold, such as its varied, dreadful locales and those moments where its platforming truly clicks. However, its lack of character and story development and its more frustrating sections do mean that it's not a perfect game - but at the very least its heart is in the right place.
While the story for Sunshine Shuffle is intriguing, the presentation does not match up with the tone of the narrative. The game also suffers from many technical issues that individually wouldn't be too bad, but when put together are very distracting and problematic. Though some of the features of Sunshine Shuffle are entertaining, and the poker is well played, overall there are many other poker games that are more enjoyable than this one.
Overall, Farming Simulator 23 scratches the same sort of itch as previous games in the series, but it's maybe not as effective has the more substantial home releases. There's enough here for a player to initially sink their teeth into, particularly when the game's portable focus is considered, but that depth does disappear relatively quickly. Even so, there's still something deeply satisfying about its farming gameplay loop, and those after a relaxing experience will find one here.
LEGO 2K Drive may seem like a simple racing game on the surface, but it has surprising depth with its layers of comedy, clever Easter eggs, and creativity. It's also safe and fun for children and adults alike. LEGO 2K Drive may not be a serious adventure title, but it is certainly a must-play experience for anyone interested in a good time.
For players willing to overlook these issues (along with a strange amount of shoddy textures), the pleasures of Tin Hearts are readily apparent. The soldiers themselves are charmingly designed, and the mechanical satisfaction of marching them toward a solution is appropriately gratifying. Care is also visible in the narrative, which features a number of predictable beats but proves surprisingly willing to deal with heavier emotions and thorny resolutions. Tin Hearts is a game that begs to be loved, but with a bit too much inconsistency across its respectable runtime, it might be best for it to settle on being liked.
Humanity builds on the theme of collective humanity in a number of other ways. The first is with its cross-platform Stage Creator that, like the building system in Meet Your Maker or Halo's forge mode, is a versatile and polished system that allows players to create and share custom stages to challenge other players. The second way is through the game's score, which uses human voices as a choir and as other instruments through clever sound design and modulation. In the end, Humanity is a phenomenal debut title that finds new and creative ways to shake up the puzzle platformer genre, and with it being free on day 1 for PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium subscribers, there's no reason to skip over this must-play title.
It's an argument for how humans have the capacity to ably control their emotions, of course, but it fails to effectively land when the surrounding gameplay is so tedious and randomized. The world of Minabo: a walk through life, as visually colorful as its characters and backdrops are, is frustratingly opaque, and its turnips often fail to reveal recognizable specks of personality on any given playthrough. As a life sim, there’s very little life to be found here, just a span of rudimentary clicks in overly long sessions which never get within spitting distance of an understanding of human relationships or a reckoning with existential dread, outside of this: life’s too short to play Minabo: a walk through life.
What makes Showgunners so addicting is that its combat is tight, responsive, fair, and accessible. The options available to players during combat and exploration are just enough to feel varied without feeling overly complicated; though the combat U.I. can get cluttered at times. This is the perfect game for players that are new to this genre or for veterans looking for a more casual experience that still provides enough of a challenge to stay interesting.
Age of Wonders 4 is a beautifully crafted 4X experience for players who like to dig deep and learn how to customize a game to fit how they like to play and be able to research through many varieties of choices and traits.
Overall, Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster is a wonderful selection of remakes of some hugely important games. Although the games to vary in quality - mainly due to their age and how much games developed over the course of their release - there's something magical about going back to even the earliest Final Fantasy game. And with Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster, it's possibly the easiest way to do so.
If it's time to move on from the Tears of the Kingdom Hyrule that's now spanned two games, it hasn't overstayed its welcome. The memories this game is capable of creating just because of its ambitious systems mean that no two players will ever have the same experience - except that of joy, and the excitement that comes with unknown possibilities. Anyone worried that there would be some fatal flaw that came to ruin what seemed to be a can't-miss Switch launch can now rest easy. Tears of the Kingdom is a monumental achievement, and it's going to be talked about relentlessly for years to come.
There is a lot to enjoy with Arkane's latest, even if some aspects don't feel as fleshed out as they could be. The game looks and plays great on PC with several graphics options, including performance and ultra-performance modes. Although the gameplay could use more variation, the locations and enemies in Redfall are a lot of fun to experience with friends. Redfall does more right than wrong in a gaming genre filled with multiplayer shooters competing for limited screen time - and it's worth a try, especially for friends who've dreamed of forming a group of vampire slayers.
Jedi: Survivor not only cements itself as a premier Star Wars game, but also establishes Cal as one of the franchise’s most compelling characters.
Afterimage is a game that requires some level of patience, taking a bit of time to embrace its potential and relying later on players' willingness to backtrack and sniff out secrets. For those willing to invest, the high points provide ample rewards in fluid, engaging combat and a gorgeous world. Afterimage may not do anything particularly new, but it does many things quite well. If players are looking to play a new Metroidvania while waiting for Hollow Knight: Silksong, Afterimage captures some of the best elements that the genre has to offer.
Those issues aren't directly related to the core of Star Rail, however, which shines as brightly as any of the celestial bodies it tasks players with visiting. The quality of content at launch is, quite simply, incredible - it really looks, feels, and plays like a live service game that has already been out for years. Its turn-based combat might, tragically, not be for everyone, even in spite of its depth of tactics and highly customizable loadouts. That should be something everyone decides for themselves, however. Honkai: Star Rail is a must-play 2023 release that could very well become the next big thing in live service games, and will, if nothing else, become one of the better RPG releases in recent memory.
Still, for Embers' first game, this is an especially impressive showing. Strayed Lights is a visually pleasing game with epic bosses and intense combat that any fan of action-adventure platforming games should check out, even if it's over before it really manages to create something unmissable.
Thankfully, all the issues mentioned are isolated and only standout because the rest of the experience is fun, smooth, and engaging. Even with a foggy narrative, the feeling of mystery and wonder is ever-present and the player is encouraged to be creative and take chances. With a $20 and runtime between one-and-a-half to two hours, Teslagrad 2 is an easy recommendation to those looking for a unique and challenging platformer.
Burning Shores' price of admission is practically worth it for the culminating boss fight alone. Although the expansion's pace doesn't allow for a steady crescendo to the climactic battle, it is hands down the most impressive and exhilarating set piece Horizon has accomplished thus far. Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores may be unfortunately short, but it's nonetheless sweet, and its technical accomplishments tantalizingly set high expectations for Guerrilla Games' third entry in the series.