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Sonic Frontiers takes many steps in the right direction for Sonic games. Still, its biggest fault is that it tries to do so much, with how well it accomplishes everything varying greatly between interesting and frustrating. Longtime Sonic comics writer Ian Flynn penned parts of the story, and its narrative and music are some of the game's highlights worth mentioning. The moments that work in Sonic Frontiers can be fun and captivating, but as soon as players start to feel a groove, they're thrown into something different, changing what they're doing and creating a choppy flow to progression. The foundation for a consistent experience in the next 3D Sonic game is here, but Sonic Frontiers feels more like a test than a proper renaissance for the series quite yet.
Soccer Story is rather simple in terms of gameplay, but it does carry an interesting novelty thanks to its soccer gimmick. It also features a cute plot with quirky characters that harken back to the classic top-down RPGs of the SNES era. Fans of these old titles and retro sports games alike could get some enjoyment out of Soccer Story’s genre-blending premise, and it isn’t too difficult for younger players to pick up.
Space Tail: Every Journey Leads Home is a strong puzzle platformer. There's enough variety throughout to keep things fresh, and it uses the fact that its playable character is a dog effectively. When tied with a decent, emotional story, it's an overall success.
This is how nearly every combat encounter feels, and changing the difficulty does nothing. The bonfire-like checkpoints offer no help either, as they don't restore any health or allow Krog to buy extra lives. All these things really bring down what is otherwise a great game, and its best features are its level design, art, music, and platforming. Much like the original release of Primal Light, there are some who will see these shortcomings as challenges and have a blast trying to overcome them, but most will likely find the overall experience a frustrating and disappointing one.
Overall, The Knight Witch is a charming and well-balanced experience that occasionally dips into unfair territory, but ultimately leaves players invested in the home they are fighting for.
Gungrave G.O.R.E. is a solid enough third person shooter with a lot of action to be found in its varied levels. It doesn't quite have the nuance of its best competitors, with moments of clunkiness that hold it back from greatness, but nonetheless it manages to be a satisfying adventure for the entirety of its runtime.
Wobbledogs isn't perfect, and players looking for an incredibly involved pet simulator or a sandbox game with satisfying crafting loops will likely be disappointed. However, for those who don't mind a more idle playstyle, Wobbledogs offers a strange, charming experience, albeit a fairly simple one both in terms of its graphics and gameplay. The game's gut flora and breeding mechanics are fun to experiment with, whether players are setting out to simply make the cutest pup or test the game's laws of nature. While the game might not scratch the itch of a player looking for an involved pet simulator, Wobbledogs is a great source of silly, open-ended, sandbox fun.
Despite its weaknesses, Bendy and the Dark Revival remains a worthy sequel to Bendy and the Ink Machine, and is a contender that can likely stand up to some of 2022's best horror games. Better still, at $29.99 USD, the game is very fairly priced. Sure to appeal to new and returning players alike, Bendy and the Dark Revival is a compelling, well-crafted game that's worth playing for horror fans.
Despite its few flaws, The Devil In Me is a more than fitting end to The Dark Pictures Anthology Season One, improving on its predecessors in the main area in which they drew criticism: weak story. The endings of both Man of Medan and Little Hope, in particular, left many players unsatisfied, but The Devil In Me offers a substantial and sinful story full of dastardly deeds, classic crimes, and unabashed gore. The Devil In Me is a game that immediately deserves a second playthrough after the credits roll - and perhaps even a third, or fourth.
Pokémon Scarlet & Violet is engrossing at its best but clunky at its worst, offering an uneven but ultimately exceptional experience on Switch.
Although it's a good step towards the horse game fans have been longing for, unfortunately, Horse Tales: Emerald Valley Ranch still isn't quite the game players have long wanted.
Asterigos has a great world design and a combat system that is similar to the Souls series, while being faster and more action-oriented. It's just the exploration elements that let the game down, as the city of Aphes can sometimes feel a little too empty for its own good, and its residents a little too verbose. Those who don't mind backtracking and skipping dialogue should be able to see through the muddy parts and enjoy Asterigos' finer points.
What Obsidian has here is a reinvention of narrative gaming, however, and one that asks a question of the player everyone should at least attempt answering. Whether or not the question is too inscrutable doesn't really matter - it's how Andreas, and the player, responds. Pentiment is the kind of masterwork that Andreas chases early in the game, and it's equally as flawed, biased, subjective, and captivating as the pieces he's inspired by. Play it and decide for yourself whether it's worthy of that kind of comparison. That's the point.
It's a one-of-a-kind experience, and an easy recommendation for anyone open to some cheap laughs in a world where the points don’t matter.
Overall, Floodland is an absolute must-play for fans of the survival simulator genre. The game runs smoothly, controls well, and has enough depth in it to keep players coming back for more. The bleak world of this post-climate change disaster is immersive and beautiful looking, and Floodland is also a great beginner-sim for players who may be new to the genre, with its classic research trees, simple mechanics, and well-crafted tutorial are easily understood at any skill level.
Overall, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga Galactic Edition is a strong game in the series. Those who didn't pick up the Skywalker Saga normal release earlier this year will find some enjoyment at the inclusion of a new set of characters, particularly those from Star Wars TV shows, although it's nothing essential for those who already own the game. The changes to the LEGO formula are a bit hit and miss, but in general land well - hopefully there will be a tweak to how the co-op works for future releases, though.
Harvestella is a game full of immersive environments, beautiful music, and an engaging and meaningful narrative for both its world and main characters, which is enough to redeem the game's more mediocre elements. There are several areas of Harvestella, like it farming, animations, and social simulation elements that would have greatly benefited from more depth and care put into them, but despite these flaws the game manages to be incredibly addictive. It's easier to notice these issues when comparing Harvestella to games like Rune Factory, but standing on its own Harvestella is a fairly strong title that's worth players' time. It may not be perfect, but it's very easy for players to fall into a "just one more day" loop in Harvestella nonetheless as they uncover the mysteries of its universe.
Tactics Ogre: Reborn has some great updates over its predecessor, but some changes work to the game's detriment, and concepts like the level cap would have been better served as the basis for a higher difficulty mode. Tactics Ogre: Reborn can be a punishing and sometimes unfair experience, but those who rise to the challenge will find a lot of content to explore, an engaging story to experience, and a fantastic battle system to master.
Much like the "What Lies Below" puzzle from the base game, each level is made of several puzzle rooms that flow and connect to each other seamlessly while still managing to feel wholly unique from one another. Even the aforementioned puzzles standout in more positive ways than negative. The Anti-Escapist facility is brilliantly laid out and interconnected, while the final two levels, particularly the very last level, reach a level of creativity and spectacle that was wholly unexpected. Despite some minor pitfalls, the Escape Academy: Escape From Anti-Escape Island DLC is a wonderful continuation of the base game that makes every epiphany feel more satisfying and rewarding than the last.
Ultimately, however, Alina of the Arena is an absolute blast, and that's what counts most in a genre filled to the brim with games attempting to compete for the same niche audience. While it's unlikely to become the main deckbuilder distraction for players who frequent the genre, it's a great side quest, one that will take dozens of hours before growing old or stale. At just $14.99 USD, Alina of the Arena is well worth the price of admission.