Noisy Pixel
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WitchSpring3 [Re:Fine] fails to stand out in any way, which is sad because from afar it carries a large degree of charm in its minimalist design and soft character illustration. The combat is mindless yet provides the most fun you’ll have in the adventure given that the unrefined dialogue and overtly simple gameplay mechanics are always looming over.
Spelunker HD Deluxe doesn’t quite live up to its namesake, given how it is largely based on a release from over a decade ago, where the core game itself lacks the charm of the series by design. The awkward mechanics haven’t aged very well, but the premise of the level design and progression can be interesting and even rewarding at times. Unfortunately, the experience as a whole feels needlessly frustrating and dated, especially when you’re fighting against the controls for the most part.
Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World stands out as a pleasant journey packed with congenial level design, delightful visuals, and an uncomplicated but effective gameplay loop. While the combat is relatively mindless in execution, the incorporation of movement and attacking is so excellently done that this fault rarely muddled the exuberance I felt. If anything, though, I ultimately feel like there is a well of untapped potential, especially regarding the enemy design being as simplistically elementary as it was.
Aerial_Knight’s Never Yield doesn’t do anything to stand out as an auto-runner, an already congested genre. While the soundtrack is incredible and the visuals are stylish, the gameplay lacks any sense of fun, creating an almost mindless experience through its 2-hour runtime. The game’s features almost hinder the experience removing the challenge or tension from the stages. Unless you’re aiming to dominate the leaderboard, this is one auto-runner that is all eye-candy with no substance.
Balan Wonderworld contains elements of what could have been a stellar platformer with its compelling ideas of advancement notions. However, its ineptitude with several gameplay design decisions makes it a constant struggle of unfun progression, questionable execution, and ultimately a heap of lost potential.
ide 4 is not the must-own motorcycle racing game for your brand new PS5 due to its high barrier of entry and non-user friendly systems. The PS5 upgrades might be appreciated by returning fans of the last-gen version, but it doesn’t warrant the headache these races induce on the player. From my experience, I was locked out of any fun this game might have offered. As such, I really can’t recommend Ride 4 to anyone.
Lily of the Hollow: Resurrection might be better experienced in its native language. The grammatical errors render it almost impossible to follow as you spend more time compensating for the errors than paying attention to the plot. It’s still visually a pleasing visual novel, but one that won’t leave any meaningful impact.
My experience with Remothered: Broken Porcelain was brought to a halt several times after I had to restart my game and figure out a way to progress without soft locking it. On the surface, this is a beautiful, moody horror game, but once you look deeper, you’ll see that the real horror is the game’s mechanics, pacing, and plot. I had such high hopes for this game, but after a few hours, I was looking to check out of the Ashmann Inn early.
Even though Jump Force has tried its best to stay in the fight years past its release, it just can’t land a punch. All of its problems far outweigh its positives, leading to an experience that only hardcore Shonen Jump fans can enjoy. If you’ve been waiting for the Switch port of the game to finally jump in, you’re almost certainly better off just waiting for something better.
Skater XL has some great trick animations that prove the developer understands the sport and brought that experience to the video game medium. Sadly, nothing else holds up as the environments and playability fall apart the moment you realize there’s nothing to do. The game excels for those who enjoy creating their own fun, but for the price point, I cannot recommend a game that still feels like it’s in Early Access after game crashes and numerous bugs. Anyway, at least the soundtrack is dope.
Danmachi Infinite Combate is sadly not a good experience for fans or newcomers. It fails on both its visual novel and gameplay offerings with strange design choices and uninspired execution. Post-game offerings aren’t enough to warrant getting through this mobile-like game brought to console. Still, that may not stop the most diehard Hestia fans from enjoying some aspects of it.
Golf With Your Friends on Switch is probably the worst way to experience this game. When compared to the PC version, you are missing a lot of value for your dollar. The game costs $20 on Switch while it only costs $10 on Steam. For twice the price, you are getting half the game, and honestly, that makes this version not worth it. However, I still highly recommend Golf With Your Friends, just make sure you get the PC version.
Arrest of a Stone Buddha requires patience from its players; without that, it loses all of its core concepts. Still, getting passed the lengthy in-game day cycles are merely rewarded with shootouts full of cheap deaths and confusing mechanics. It attempts to add a layer of immersion that doesn’t really work as a game since the fundamental interactions with the world aren’t all that interesting.
It took me a while to pick up the game’s battle system due to my being a foreigner to this franchise, but once I figured out how to play the game, I got very, very tired, very very quickly. & seems to be a game made for fans who can get behind this battle system, but with no real characters or a reason to really play, I had no incentive to care once I’d cleared out the story battles.
Code Shifter is a game that had me extremely excited when I saw it but managed to not only dash my expectations but bury them six feet underground. Inconsistent hitbox placement, a lack of movement options, and a lackluster story made for a game with a whole lot of missed potential.
Super Bomberman R 2 doesn’t do much to differentiate itself from its predecessor or the series. There’s just nothing really here to justify a purchase with a campaign consisting of only three unimaginative levels, very limited power-ups, and a strange implication of online modes. The charm is still present when playing classic modes, but nothing that has been added moves the series in any significant direction.
In theory, a co-op, loot-based isometric RPG like The Ascent has the potential of being a great cyberpunk-themed experience to play with a group of friends. The world-building is appealing visually and aurally, but it’s ultimately unsatisfying and often unrewarding during exploration. The lack of replayability, broken cooperative play, bugs, and unbalanced artificial enemy difficulty make it tough to appreciate its positive elements. It’s sad to say that The Ascent is another over-hyped cyberpunk game that is all fluff and no substance.
Olympic Games Tokyo 2020: The Official Video Game is a functional and serviceable sports video game at best. While it features various events, the play mechanics and controls are too basic, so there isn’t much long-term replay value. The biggest problem here is that the experience sits somewhere between a sports simulator and an arcade game, and it doesn’t succeed with either approach. If you own a Nintendo Switch, pick up Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 instead.
Neptunia ReVerse is a title that sticks too closely to its roots to be a standout, next-gen experience. Despite the presence of a moderately entertaining gameplay loop, decent mechanics, and delightful character banter, the embarrassingly feeble graphical quality, lack of innovation for the series, and disturbingly overt reliance on old systems from a Vita remake from over half a decade ago brings this experience down more than a few notches.
Shadow Man: Remastered is an alluring and eccentric game, especially for the time it was released. But it’s a cadaver of the late 90s. A timepiece that shows its age. Its dark, poetic writing is beautiful and entertaining but can also be ambiguous and misleading.