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Chernobylite's mixed collection of gameplay styles comes together beautifully. The narrative is engaging, the world is atmospheric, combat is solid , and the base building is decent. It may not be a STALKER game, and it's eclectic collection of elements are integrated with varying degrees of success, but Chernobylite offers a worthy replacement, full of its own charms and quirks that will allow it to stand on its own two feet.
Ayo the Clown is clearly inspired by game series like Donkey Kong Country and Super Mario Bros., and it took some of the best lessons from them. The final product is a fun platformer that is easy enough to finish in a few sessions of dedicated play. The game doesn't do anything new with the platforming genre, but it's still a fun romp through a cartoon world and well worth checking out for fans of the genre.
To say that Blightbound has a lot of potential is an understatement, but to say that it squanders that potential is even more of one. For all its faults, the game is still worth playing thanks to the nuggets of concentrated fun that can be had while playing it with friends. In the end, the frustrating aspects of Blightbound are likely to be far more transient than its appeal, but what's a good game now could be an excellent one with some patches and a smoother experience on the technical side of things.
Tribes of Midgard offers players engaging survival mechanics with unique design choices that make gameplay a rewarding experience. With a few expansions to the base building options, Tribes of Midgard would be a well-rounded and unique option for survival-style gameplay.
The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles is, first and most importantly, a collection of stories that never wastes a player's time - and could, in fact, dramatically improve how they're spending it should they give it a chance.
NEO: The World Ends With You effortlessly combines deep JRPG combat and systems with stylish accessibility, resulting in a memorable, excellent game.
If players are looking for a quick fix of World War Two shooting action, then Hell Let Loose won't be for them. The pace, length, and harsh combat conditions dictate that players dedicate themselves to teamwork and victory. If players are willing to communicate over voice, work together to achieve local and broader objectives, and have the patience to play slowly, Hell Let Loose can be amazing. It may not happen every session, but a full game of Hell Let Loose with a dedicated, communicative teams is a must-experience gaming moment for any fans of tactical shooters.
For musou game fans, Samurai Warriors 5 is a strong return to form for Koei Tecmo and Omega Force. The game is not a complete revolution, but provides an enjoyable hack and slash experience that understands why the Warriors games are popular. It's often silly, and hardly clever, but it's an enjoyable action game for those who want some mindless fun.
While Pokémon Unite offers a new way for fans to enjoy Pokémon battles together, the frustrating limitations created to encourage microtransactions make gameplay less about having fun and more about completing missions for currency. While it may appeal to fans of mobile app-style games with a similar structure, those who want the ability to experience everything Pokémon Unite has to offer without spending money will need to sink a large amount of time into grinding before having the means to truly access most features. With improvements to the ability to earn currency and a better item level system tied to use in battle instead of paid upgrades, Pokémon Unite would be a more enjoyable experience for players.
Fallen Knight could have been a lot of fun, but its inability to master the basic necessities means that it's hard to recommend in its current form. A Hollow Knight-style platformer with parries and counters needs to have the tightest controls possible, and Fallen Knight should be avoided until it is brought up to speed.
Overall, Last Stop is something of a mixed bag. At its best it's an enjoyable and immersive narrative adventure game, and Paper Dolls is definitely a good enough story strand to have carried the game on its own had it been expanded. However, the different quality of its three stories, and the awkward narrative shift in its final chapter, does mean that Last Stop feels a little like a missed opportunity when all is said and done, and a good game that could've been excellent with just a bit more content and some tighter scripts.
If Death’s Door is not mentioned in a list of the year’s best indies, it will only be due to its finer focus and lack of complexity or significant depth, which also speaks to the game's utter lack of bloat. Those who are looking for the cavernous biomes of Hollow Knight or the lore-rich epistolatory storytelling in a Souls game may feel shorted by the 10 or so breezy hours on offer here, but Death’s Door is a precisely engineered and immersive adventure which will fully satisfy anyone seeking that exact experience. Isometric action RPGs are a dime a dozen, but rarely are they polished to such a brilliant sheen.
Akiba's Trip is a poor attempt at creating a tantalizing video game, and it's only the strength of its humor and writing that makes it even worth a look. This is actually the first official English localization of the original Akiba's Trip, though after spending time with it in 2021, it's a mystery why anyone wanted to remaster it in the first place.
The nature of a game like Cotton Reboot! is one where its audience will know immediately if they want to pick it up, because as far as being a classic shooter game, it’s exactly what is to be expected. For those less knowledgeable, however, this game is for players who want to spend quite some time on what amounts to a very short game so that they can learn its ins and outs. It is also far more important than it probably should be to not be bothered by more than a little fanservice.
Cris Tales embraces the old model of JRPGs, making it feel like a well-worn experience for seasoned fans of the genre. All of the charm, whimsy, and innocence of Final Fantasy and The Legend Of Zelda ooze throughout the game’s setting and characters, but Crisbell’s time powers provide a fun new spin on the classic turn-based combat. Cris Tales isn’t that difficult either, making it a good choice for beginners looking to get into turn-based RPGs.
Fans of the original Space Jam had a terrible game to tie in with the movie, and Space Jam: A New Legacy - The Game is a much better experience by comparison. It feels as if the concept could have easily been expanded, as there plenty of scope for more characters and stages, but Space Jam: A New Legacy - The Game is an ok game, for what little runtime it has.
Ages ago, when Castle Crashers hit Xbox Live, fans were happy to just pay out for a few new character and weapon skins, but the Mr. X Nightmare DLC appears to have been treated with the same level of care as the original game. Anyone who’s been looking for a better reason to go back to Streets of Rage 4 than just crawling up the leaderboards should jump on this DLC release, and the Survival mode’s 2-player online capability provides a great excuse to bring a friend along for the ride.
Skyward Sword HD is the definitive version of the game, with many of the annoyances from the original Skyward Sword scrubbed from the experience. Skyward Sword HD has its frustrating moments, but it's still an excellent game, and it's worth a return trip to those who already soared through the skies on the Wii.
Unlike Wildfire, though, Within the Blade works marvelously on the Switch and seems perfectly optimized for the platform, although the speed of the game does make more sense when docked on a nice TV. Little control and camera niggles - inputs to activate skills are constantly stumbled on Joy-Cons, and orienting the camera during stealth attempts is a pitiful chore - don’t compromise what is a weirdly deep, potentially satisfying low-rez action ninja sim. Elaborate and overflowing with optional content and a snappy narrative, Within the Blade should be a hit with the Sengoku set.
Unavowed expertly blends fantasy and crime genres with stellar writing, acting, and artwork to create a game that is both memorable and entertaining, and should be experienced by anyone who thinks the glory days of Sierra On-Line are the only time period where great point-and-click games can be found.