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There are some fun nods to its inspirations, such as having an area puzzle that mirrors the Ocarina of Time's Lost Woods puzzle; it even has a race and city called "Neptyn" that look a lot like the Zora and an un-frozen Zora's Domain respectively. While these references are clear, both in its design and gameplay, Flynn: Son of Crimson has a very defined sense of identity and has many unique features that set it apart from its inspirations. Flynn: Son of Crimson is absolutely worth checking out as every second spent in its beautifully designed world is one well spent.
Thankfully, there is enough in WarioWare: Get It Together to keep fans plugging away at high scores and microgame mastery. The character movement can make some of the games far too simplistic when compared to the timing-based gameplay of past series entries and in the similar Rhythm Heaven series. However, the trade-off in pure variety makes for microgames that keep players on their toes for far longer, and anything that keeps the WarioWare train going is a good thing. Even after excising the baffling online mode, this is the same great WarioWare experience on a platform that lets players bring it to the couch and share Wario's distinctive brand of gaming with friends and family.
In its current state, everything the player experiences in the first 15 minutes is all that Hanako has to offer. That said, there is a supportive community beginning to form around Hanako who will hopefully continue to support the project in its post-launch development. Hanako has had an incredible journey thus far and though it's struggling to keep up with the times, it has the potential to pull a No Man's Sky and turn itself around to become the Hanako: Honor & Blade that +Mpact Games envisioned 14 years ago.
For all its faults, Cruis'n Blast does a great job of capturing the style of its '90s predecessors. Throughout its various cups and in multiplayer, there's a lot of arcade fun that's a welcome break for anyone tired of Mario Kart 8. It's easy to wish that more time went into having a variety of modes rather than tracks that can feel too similar to stand out, and the graphics certainly aren't hiding the fact that this game was first released five years ago. Still, anyone looking to relive the days of Cruis'n USA will find a lot to like by taking a whirlwind tour of what Blast has to offer.
Match all of the above with a mesmerizing soundtrack of hummable motifs, from cheerily playful ditties to dramatic dirges, and everything in between, and Eastward distinguishes itself handily within its heavily populated genre. While it's not without its shortcomings - in particular, a bit less variety in combat and puzzles than the genre often typifies - where it shines, it does so brightly. For RPG fans, Eastward is the real deal, and it’s an unmissable and impressive feat of indie design that deserves plenty of recognition amongst a sea of bigger releases in 2021.
For fans of the modern Hitman series, Arkane's outstanding catalog, and great-feeling FPS games in general, Deathloop is highly recommended; just go into the wild narrative with tempered expectations for self-directed play.
Lost in Random is certainly a unique and interesting game, in spite of its flaws and aside from its inspirations. The art style may give the impression of journeying through a Tim Burton-inspired, imaginative landscape, but Lost in Random has its own identity that makes it worth exploring. Despite its faults, the combat's close similarities to 3D version of the Megaman Battle Network and Starforce series in all of the best ways makes it highly entertaining. Lost in Random is an innovative and enjoyable take on its genre, and a game that’s very easy to get lost in.
Tales of Arise accomplishes the rare feat of catering to its many fans while simultaneously making a compelling case for newcomers to give it a try, and it's a JRPG must-play that was more than worth the wait.
Hindsight is a poor game on a promising foundation
For such a visually boisterous experience, The Artful Escape feels more like a chilly museum after closing hours.
Residual is great for a quick survival experience, with less in-depth gameplay than other survival titles. Those who like Minecraft's Vanilla mode will likely enjoy the unique worlds, goal-oriented exploration, and resources collection. However, gamers looking for a complex survival experience like Terraria or Valheim may find the lack of standard survival mechanics frustrating and limiting while exploring.
Bloober Team meshes all of these elements together to draw players further into The Medium's world than the Xbox/PC versions were capable of, elevating an already enjoyable experience to new heights. It stands to reason that the PS5 version of The Medium is the ideal way to experience Marianne's dual-reality adventures, and PlayStation 5 owners that enjoy horror games should definitely check the game out.
Beyond Mankind: The Awakening has few redeeming qualities. The story is nothing new, the gameplay has pacing issues, and the presentation is generations out of date. There are plenty of indie games out there that showcase innovative gameplay and moving storytelling for a relatively small fee, and with the bar that high, Beyond Mankind: The Awakening fails to even make the jump to try to meet it.
Sonic Colors was already a great game when it was released on the Wii and Sonic Colors: Ultimate doesn't detract from the original experience, barring the aforementioned issues with the Switch port. The new content is underwhelming, but the whole package still stands up and it upholds the game's reputation as one of the best 3D entries in the series.
King's Bounty 2 had the potential to be something special in the tactical RPG genre but ultimately falls flat. It's especially disappointing because the idea of combining third-person exploration with hex-based strategic combat isn't incredibly common, and it's clear there was an excellent idea buried in the game somewhere for what the world of Nostria could've been. Unfortunately, that vision didn't quite pan out, leaving King's Bounty 2 a bland, dull slog instead of a deep fantasy.
Despite the need for quality-of-life improvements, Kitaria Fables will likely appeal to fans of the RPG genre for its cute story, engaging graphics, and diverse mechanics. However, fans of farming simulation titles may want to wait until patches have been implemented to make the feature more beneficial to the overall gameplay.
Overall, Lake tells a beautiful story, has nuanced and interesting characters, and has an environment that feels comforting and inviting. What detracts from the experience is, unfortunately, the game's tedious tasks and slow pace. This combination makes it hard to leave the experience with a clear opinion about the time spent in Providence Oaks, but what is clear is that Lake will absolutely satisfy players who feel like they need to escape and spend some time taking it slow and easy.
Wrath of the Righteous feels like playing an epic tabletop campaign. Owlcat Games did a fantastic job of adapting the Wrath of the Righteous Pathfinder campaign into a video game. The more focused story, streamlined gameplay, and epic scope make it a better entry point to the series than Kingmaker. There's an excellent game buried under its many technical faults, but those going in need to be aware that they'll have to endure a lot of annoying bugs and glitches on their quest.
WRC 10 is an extremely fun game with a few caveats around the amount of changed content from last year's entry. It's not a must-buy for those who own WRC 9 unless they are a rally fan desperate for the new stages for the 2021 season or the updated liveries, as the anniversary additions are the only major update from last year. However, whose who don't own WRC 9 but who are interested in rally racing will see this as the most comprehensive official WRC game to date, with lots to enjoy and plenty of hours' worth of entertainment to be found across its various modes.
Ultimately, Big Rumble Boxing: Creed Champions has the same depth as one of Capcom's arcade home port from decades ago, and no amount of Survivor music, Rocky quotes, or arcade gameplay can distract from how little there is to do. For big fans of the films, Creed Champions might just be worth a pickup for the arcade mode's absurd spins on Rocky lore, but anyone else will have to really consider their options before getting into the ring.