Screen Rant
HomepageScreen Rant's Reviews
LEGO Builder's Journey is an absolute delight overall. With wonderful design choices and a truly calming atmosphere, it's a moment of relaxation that puzzle fans will enjoy. Its simplicity may be a doubled-edge sword at times, but this is exactly the right kind of game for players who want to turn on and switch off.
Overall, Unexplored 2: The Wayfarer's Legacy does what it sets out to do. It creates a genuine sense of adventure that is only intensified by its procedurally-generated structure. The game does have its issues, with combat that struggles to really make the player feel involved, but nonetheless it's an enjoyable experience.
The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story is worth looking into for novelty alone, but it also manages to be an effective and interesting tale makes it just that much easier to recommend. Mystery is a genre that demands a puzzle worth solving, and this one is a case that delivers all the requisite twists and turns to make the experience feel like time well invested.
Some of the collectibles can be tough to find, and the platforming puzzles are occasionally challenging. However, Kao's journey is essentially a simple adventure game in which 100% completion is easily achieved in the first playthrough. As a throwback to classic 3D platformers, Kao the Kangaroo does a good job of capturing the spirit of its predecessors, but the actual gameplay has nothing truly challenging or thrilling. Even so, Tate Multimedia has created a laid back and vibrantly colored adventure that's fun to play through casually.
Longtime fans of Vocaloid music will likely enjoy Hatsune Miku Project Diva Mega Mix+ for its nostalgic song list and updated character models, but this game isn't a good choice for casual PC gamers. Those without a good Steam Controller option and powerful hardware will want to skip the title and wait for a possible console release at a future date or try the original version on the Nintendo Switch instead. However, for serious PC gamers who enjoy a fun rhythm game rooted in 2000s J-Pop, Hatsune Miku Project Diva Mega Mix+ could be a great addition to player libraries. Hopefully, patches to improve keyboard controls and framerate issues will be released to help create a more intuitive experience, improving overall accessibility for any Vocaloid fan wanting to give the game a try.
Overall, Sniper Elite 5 is a truly enjoyable tactical action game. Sniping Nazis never gets old, and Rebellion has provided a brilliant platform to one again partake in one of video gaming's oldest pastimes.
That said, the story is far from the focus of the game and its strong gameplay and striking visual design more than make up for it. The pounding electronic soundtrack is worth shouting out as well because each song manages to perfectly match the energy of the player at any given moment. There are also a ton of minigames present to shake things up in the post-game, such as a speedrunning mode and a bunch of collectable game cartridges that can be played via the arcade machine in home base. Through its marriage of bullet-hell gunplay and fast-paced platforming of games like Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Soda Crisis stands out as a phenomenal side-scrolling action-adventure.
It might take some time to get used to Hardspace: Shipbreaker’s controls and zero-gravity movement, but tearing apart abandoned shuttles in the void of space is surprisingly soothing and engaging. While some areas of the game are somewhat unpolished, Hardspace: Shipbreaker is a solid time for those looking to live out the fantasy of a space salvager.
Those looking to learn more about bees, conservation, and genetics will likely enjoy the colorful world and endearing narrative of APICO, making it a great adventure for any player.
One of the most thrilling parts of Dolmen is the horror element that grows exponentially as the monsters become more difficult and much better at hiding. At first, most enemies can be seen from a distance, but they quickly begin to hide around corners, on the ceiling, or within the environment. A few jumpscares will lead to cautiously approaching every turn and inspecting all of the walls. Horror mixed with features like an intricate upgrade system, daunting combat encounters, and the ability to take on difficult bosses alongside some friends makes Dolmen an exciting title that delivers constant action and intense challenges.
It's possible to restart each chapter of Swansong if the player wants a do-over, but that's not the best way to experience the game. Swansong should be treated like an ironman experience, as it is tough on player consequences. Swansong tells an excellent story about betrayal and bloodshed, which can play out in a number of different ways, and the player has a staggering number of options for how they want to proceed. Vampire: The Masquerade - Swansong has some design and technical hiccups, but it offers a dark and compelling story that is told in a unique manner, where situations must be resolved through deduction and intelligence, and each choice puts the player further down the path to victory or defeat.
Players will come across the "Hidden Room" area early on and, upon doing so, reveal a moment in which a character enters the basement and goes through a wooden door that now has a combination lock on it. This is the first look at what becomes a more sinister rabbit hole that makes navigating a complicated situation just that much more difficult. Ultimately, Eternal Threads is a slow-burner that tells an endlessly intriguing story through a unique take on time travel. While this isn't everyone's cup of tea, it's something special.
Overall, Cities: VR offers a new way to experience the beloved city-building sim, and, as one of the first games in the genre to come to VR, it is enjoyable despite its not-insubstantial drawbacks. The smaller scale, lower quality graphics, and clunky controls could be a sticking point for fans of Cities: Skylines. However, just like its PC and console counterpart, Cities: VR is easy to become immersed in for hours and does contain many of the same tools and features, which is itself a feat worthy of celebrating. Given VR is technically in its infancy, many of the games and experiences currently on offer can feel experimental or closer to a mobile gaming experience than one for PC or console. Cities: VR is undoubtedly one of the stronger VR games to be released so far, and with a few post-launch patches, it has the potential to be one of the best games currently available for Quest 2.
These smaller issues pale in comparison to what Source of Madness gets right. The gorgeous 2D art style, atmospheric music, and crunchy sound design underpin a combat system that is deep and rewarding, and is sure to keep surprising players deep into their time with the game. For gamers searching for a gratifying roguelite filled to the brim with passion and creativity, Source of Madness is more than worth the cost of admission.
Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising was initially a Kickstarter reward, and as a reward, it's pretty great. Despite the combat and gameplay loop not being as great as the town-building and characters, it's still a really enjoyable game. Regardless of its flaws with repetition, Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising is a lot of fun and should have plenty of people excited for Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes in 2023.
Salt & Sacrifice has the potential to be a great game, but it badly needs balancing fixes to allow it to live up to its potential, especially in regard to its battle system. A few tweaks to the stamina meter, the dodge roll & blocking mechanics, and the enemy attack patterns would do wonders for the game, as would a way to skip the chasing sequences and jump straight to the Mage bosses. As it stands, Salt & Sacrifice is a game full of frustrating moments that bog down the rest of the experience.
As such, Coromon is something that clearly comes from a place of great respect. Pokemon fans will likely find a game that appreciates what people love about the first five generations of Game Freak's franchise, and even when things get a little clunky there's enough for users to enjoy.
Best Month Ever! has its positive moments too, as the core of the story is that of a single mother doing her best to cherish her final days with her son, while making sure he will be loved and looked after when she passes. Unfortunately, this core sentiment is tainted by its various problematic moments and its inadvertent enforcement of harmful stereotypes. Best Month Ever! tries to tell a complex and loving story but the inherent cultural misunderstandings that come from race and nationality make those efforts fall flat and mar what is otherwise a serviceable narrative about love and family.
Overall, Citizen Sleeper is fantastic. It's a deep and well-crafted narrative experience with a fascinating setting, and is filled with plenty of challenging questions for players to ponder over. This is a game that gets cyberpunk right.
It's unfortunate that Loot River feels like an Early Access product in its current state. A scarcity of content and a thoroughly unfinished, unsatisfying feel to the combat, movement, and item discovery makes this title very hard to recommend. The best action-roguelites require rock-solid fundamentals to stand on their own, and a few game-breaking bugs combined with the limited equipment and incorrect item descriptors is cause for concern. Its scant bosses range from easily exploitable to insta-kills, and a deeply unsatisfying core gameplay loop essentially asks players to take on a series of failed runs, with repeat runs betraying how little the game's procedural generation affects these randomized maps. Loot River is a frustrating experience which clearly needed more development time, but hopefully the game finds its footing post-launch.