Screen Rant
HomepageScreen Rant's Reviews
The arcade aesthetic, fast-paced platforming action, and gradual drip-feed of unlocks in Firegirl make for an entertaining gameplay loop, especially when considering its subject matter. The game is still rough around the edges and its technical faults can act as annoying setbacks during play, but Firegirl still offers a fresh take on the roguelike genre, with its endless procession of towering infernos putting the skills of even the sharpest platformer fan to the test.
While less carefree than simulation titles like Animal Crossing or Stardew Valley, the casual pacing and nonchalant nature of the main character make Wytchwood a great pick for relaxing exploration-style games. It is also a great choice for those who enjoy crafting and survival games, but prefer to have questlines to follow instead of self-governed gameplay. While the 2D art style is fun and reminiscent of storybook illustrations, this game is likely not the best pick for younger players due to questlines dealing with horror elements, as well as graphic depictions of animal death when using traps and lures. However, fans of twisted fairytales and creepy magical plotlines will likely find Wytchwood an enjoyable and spine-tingling experience.
Overall, Aeterna Noctis is a solid experience with some notable flaws that aren't deal-breakers, but could definitely benefit from a bit more refinement. What it does do quite well is find where its two genres intersect and craft a world and gameplay loop that highlight them quite well. For fans of these kinds of games, Aeterna Noctis is definitely worth picking up.
It's not often that a falling block puzzler can capture the imagination, but Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon finds a buried nugget of novelty in this well-worn ground. Even though it's possible to blast through the adventure, most players will find that savoring the gameplay and enjoying their time with the noble knights is the right call. Pocket Dungeon feels of a kind with Nintendo's various Mario spinoffs and should be an essential purchase for not just fans of the series but puzzle gaming aficionados everywhere.
Although After the Fall can be repetitive, it shines in its multiplayer capabilities and cross-platform options. Players can connect with their friends in VR to take out hordes of Snowbreed and challenge their skills against enemies like the Smasher, a massive Snowbreed monster with ice armor and a hammer-like arm. After the Fall is reminiscent of Left 4 Dead or Back 4 Blood's gameplay, but with an added level of immersion in VR that makes it a thrilling zombie-fighter experience.
It’s a hard task to create something that pays homage to a beloved work, as no matter what happens it will always be compared to that original piece, often unfavorably. Against these odds, UnMetal manages to straddle the line of being both a parody and an exceptional example of a top-down stealth game more than able to stand up to such scrutiny. While the game’s inspirations are obvious, it’s the fact that it also stands out on its own merits which makes it special and worth playing for anyone longing for a retro experience or clever, enjoyable writing.
This Is The President certainly has its good moments, with its silly humor hitting the mark more often than not and its core plot servings its purpose well. However, it does wear out its welcome thanks to an over-reliance on filler and restrictive mechanics to try and curb the player's success. A little bit more trimming and this could have been a fantastic political game, but even so it still has plenty of quality behind it.
The best way to describe White Shadows is that it feels like playing through the winner of the Best Animated Short Film at the Academy Awards. The visuals are incredible and the world is bristling with life and imagination. It's a shame that there's so little gameplay on offer, and what is there is hamstrung by poor controls and glitches. White Shadows might have been better suited as a short film, but as it stands it's a middling video game that drags down an exceptional presentation.
In its lesser moments, it comes off as a singular presentation looking for a more involved game underneath, better combat and better bosses which could more effectively serve these assets. It still remains a worthwhile quest to see through to the end, but games like Solar Ash are frustrating in that they could have been so much more.
While it does have its downsides when playing alone, Thunder Tier One is, overall, a solid wartime strategy game. It encourages its audience to contemplate their actions clearly instead of rushing in headfirst. The combat itself is rather simple - players point and click at enemies to trigger their weapon - but the sense of realism is impressive for the nine-mission campaign, and the ability to play the entire game with friends is a bonus.
Overall, Happy's Humble Burger Farm is successful in creating a dark and mysterious world that begs to be explored. The horror elements play well into the aesthetic, and the jump scares can be quite effective. For players who just love to cook, there is an unlockable Endless Mode after beating the game which allows just that. Any fan of the horror genre will easily get their money's worth with this one.
It's plausible Halo Infinite will eventually become an era-defining game, one that reestablishes it as a dominant shooter franchise, but it's not there yet and there's no telling when it will be.
For what it is, Disney Magical World 2 is a fine introduction to gaming for kids, but it could have been much more.
Century: Age of Ashes deserves to be recognized for its polish and stellar execution from day one and is definitely a game that fans of fast-paced and energetic PvP should keep an eye on.
There's plenty of laughter and tears along the way, and Endwalker manages to send off the Zodiark and Hydaelyn saga on an incredibly high note. Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker is a real crowdpleaser, and it should also leave everyone hopeful for what the future has in store for the MMORPG, even if this expansion is going to be incredibly difficult to top.
Chorus is a space shooter with stunning ship-to-ship combat, all wrapped up in an intriguing world that brings personality to an impersonal genre.
During its next stage of development, it will be interesting to see how ANVIL will establish its identity as something greater than the sum of its parts. It's clear that ANVIL is utilizing the best designs and systems from the games mentioned throughout this review, but it comes at the cost of not feeling like it's doing anything new or at least anything that is uniquely "ANVIL." With ANVIL: Vault Breakers promising regular updates, it has plenty of time to become something entirely its own.
There’s some merit in spending an hour or so dodging projectiles and dinging away at a half-dozen moving health bars, but Archvale would be immeasurably improved with more depth of content and character customization. A pure shoot ‘em up may not necessarily require those ingredients to flourish, but an action-heavy RPG definitely does, even one with such a pint-sized cute presentation. As it stands, Archvale poses some entertaining distractions for compulsive bullet-dodgers, but it could have been so much more.
Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain is a fantastic couch co-op game, even for a system like the Nintendo Switch, which has no shortage of them, and is a great addition to the library of those who love playing games with their friends.
In spite of the technical limitations of the previous generation version, MXGP 2021 does manage to be a successful entry in the series that will likely keep motocross fans happy. It’s not as in depth as some other official racing sims on the market, but there's enough variation to keep players engaged while its race-to-race gameplay is still enjoyable.