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On top of all of that, Inscryption’s arrival in mid-October makes for a perfect Halloween game. What seems most vital for the game's success will be to casually get it to people who won’t know what to expect, like fans of deckbuilders just looking for another to add to their pile. Still, even if players go into Inscryption expecting the unexpected, there’s entertaining depth to its mechanics and narrative, a form of storytelling that could only exist in a video game.
The most surprising part of the experience was becoming engrossed in a story that built without being noticed. The game opens with a letter that originally seems to just be a stand-in for the developer to welcome players to golf, but over time it transitions into something more personal and reflective. What was once a series of formal letters becomes something beautiful, a sincere back and forth between X and Y, the player and the writer. A Little Golf Journey is a game full of surprises and a gameplay loop that never gets old, and comes highly recommended.
At this point, consumers are likely well aware of whether EA Sports' NHL franchise is something that appeals to them, and NHL 22 won't change that. With that said, for the series faithful or someone that skipped out on NHL 21, there's a lot to enjoy in the current-gen polish that the Frostbite Engine and the more powerful hardware bring with them. At the end of the day, NHL 22 is the de facto hockey gaming experience and the energy that went into refining the current product was not spent in vain.
While there's something a bit disappointing about yet another entry to the Cthulhu mythos that doesn't quite manage to translate its best features into the video game medium, there are hints and moments of other smaller Eldritch creatures that keep things interesting. In particular, the way The Alien Cube ultimately handles its final moments is incredibly satisfying with its visuals. The story may not stick the landing for some, but the overall experience is dark, engaging, beautiful, and disgusting. The Alien Cube is a love letter to the genre and is a strong choice for the fans who are on the hunt for a non-literary medium that manages to get Lovecraft mostly right.
This all isn't to say that the entire game is a slog, but Into The Pit rolls out new content far too slowly. With player upgrades that are mostly changing numbers around and rooms that aren't hard to puzzle out, playing becomes an exercise in enduring repeated content before finally stumbling onto something that makes things feel fresh. Even then, what does unlock often isn't enough to truly fuel more runs. At the end of the day, Into The Pit is too repetitive to truly succeed as a roguelike and too skim on content to survive as an FPS without those trappings.
Overall The Sundew is a strong and engaging point and click adventure game with a compelling story and enough strong puzzles to keep players scratching their chins for its run time. Fans of the genre will find things to love here, and the fact that it comes from a one person development team makes it all the more impressive.
Creepy Tale 2 offers players a challenging adventure that can be frustrating at times. The levels are all designed to test the player's wit, and patience, but the level of difficulty fluctuates which breaks up the flow of the game as a whole. Although it can be difficult to pay attention to, the story is actually somewhat important, as players will get to decide how the game ends. However, the ending is very abrupt and doesn't offer an appropriate reward for the struggle of getting there. Creepy Tale 2 would benefit from something similar to MO: Astray's horror story-telling and puzzle mix, and as it stands now, all but the most dedicated horror and puzzle fans will want to give this one a pass.
When everything is flowing in The Good Life, it feels like a touch of Animal Crossing with alternatingly quaint and irreverent British pastoral television, all with a burgeoning murder mystery underneath. Unfortunately, some of its rougher edges seem possibly related to the Switch itself and, although loading times are usually on the shorter side, their frequent appearance interrupts the flow even more. The Rainy Woods residents are charming and strange and there’s a numbingly pleasant feel to smalltown life and chores, but stiff controls and muddled design make it hard to find a good rhythm in The Good Life.
Outside of these technical issues, Crysis Remastered Trilogy does an excellent job of porting a classic video game series to modern day consoles. It maintains the core gameplay centered around making players an actual super soldier while upgrading visuals and performance for a satisfying experience. Those looking to try Crytek's magnum opus series for the first time or experience the adventures once again should find a lot to enjoy about Crysis Remastered Trilogy.
In keeping with the tradition of past Jackbox Party Pack editions, Jackbox Party Pack 8 contains a lot of variety for its price tag, as well as plenty of cartoonish charm and some intuitive touchscreen gameplay. From the trivia of The Wheel of Enormous Proportions and the Pictionary-style fun of Drawful Animate to the chilling murder mystery of Weapons Drawn, this quirky minigame collection could make for a nice source of entertainment at the next family gathering or holiday party.
The Hinokami Chronicles is an enjoyable adaptation of the Demon Slayer anime, but it never tries to be anything greater. The combat is fun, fast-paced, and lets the player wield the explosive moves of the Demon Slayer Corps in a visually exciting way, but the story mode that makes up the bulk of the single-player content is stretched too thin. Fans of the anime should enjoy The Hinokami Chronicles, but it won't have much appeal to those who aren't already familiar with the series.
The terror and hindrance effects make each run feel uniquely challenging, and the story events and Disciple traits are where Rogue Lords really shines. Unfortunately, as it stands, Rogue Lords suffers significantly from its lack of balance and the repetitive nature of both runs and combat. It can be difficult to strategize when RNG constantly feels stacked against the player, and being forced to restart a book after a surprise, impossible boss fight is demoralizing. With some retuning, however, Rogue Lords could better capitalize on its great ideas and innovate for the roguelike genre.
Throughout Midnight Protocol there will be tense situations, difficult encounters, and plenty of mysteries to solve. As answers start to come in, more questions arise, and the game has a few major twists rivaling those in Resident Evil Village. Players will have the chance to choose who they will fight alongside and what kind of person Data will be. Reputation and available missions are affected by every decision in the challenging, high-stakes hacking world of Midnight Protocol.
Turtle Rock's Back 4 Blood is tough as nails and has some minor annoyances, but it's a refreshingly complete and competent multiplayer experience.
The constant ebb and flow of Disco Elysium's storyline makes for one amazing adventure that can easily be replayed, tackling problems in different ways each time. The Nintendo Switch is a great fit for this kind of game, and the adjustment of the controls was handled well by the team at ZA/UM. This is a perfect rendition of Disco Elysium for new players who are interested in the game, or returning players who want to relive the fever dream on a portable console.
Colors Live is a great fit for new digital artists, offering a taste of features present in bigger applications, but at a reasonable price. While the SonarPen would benefit from several design improvements like a Bluetooth option or a longer, slimmer cable, the pressure-sensitive stylus is a great addition to a non-traditional drawing surface. However, for those who are used to drawing on the iPad or a Wacom tablet, the lack of options could feel limiting, making it a less useful and enjoyable addition to a portable digital studio.
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl contains the beginnings of what may end up being the most unlikely competitive fighting franchise ever conceived. It knows its audience and it has been able to appease them, garnering a lot of excitement along the way. However, where Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl missteps is in the handling of its properties. It's easy to get excited about the thought of Reptar dash-dancing across Jellyfish Fields, but it's tough to buy into the idea when there's a rogue ukulele serenading the mute dinosaur while it happens.
What Legend of the Kestrel Lancers comes down to is how much players enjoyed the spectacle and gunplay of MechWarrior 5, and how much they want to extend their time with the game through a new, and definitely interesting, story, and bigger battles. The gameplay is fun, tight, and tactically sound, but it was in the core game as well. The DLC offers more of the same, hampered by a lack of new mechs and diverse missions, but what is present in Kestrel Lancers is fun and purpose-built to give fans more of what they like. If players are only dipping their toes into MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries, the base game has plenty to offer before players need to judge this DLC's worth.
These issues ultimately don't undermine just how charming Rainbow Billy is to play. With a message of good faith that rarely wears out its welcome and a brilliant take on turn-based RPG combat, Rainbow Billy is a game that was clearly made with a lot of care for its individual components. Providing players can turn off their cynicism, there's plenty to love here.
There is a vague story to Song in the Smoke and cutscenes that guide the player through their boss fights. The tips for how to defeat bosses or draw them out are revealed in a creative and immersive way. The environment and music, as well as constant sounds made by other creatures, make Song in the Smoke a truly mesmerizing experience. Players will feel the dread of traversing dangerous areas, and the satisfaction of defeating a powerful boss. Song in the Smoke is an unrivaled VR survival game with horror elements, and it gives players complete freedom to explore, hunt in, and conquer the treacherous wilderness.