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It’s still fun to find hidden upgrades and access new areas, especially out of order, and overall this remains an enjoyable experience I aim to 100% someday in my free time, but if you were hoping for something as charming or well-crafted as the Alwa games, I’m sad to say you won’t get that here, but rather a simple and fun metroidvania that’s just a bit rough around the edges, yet still very enjoyable for fans of the genre.
There’s really not much else to gripe about, save for how some of the songs are better than others, and thus having to play a boring one after a few greats can be a real drag, but otherwise Mad Rat Dead is a very fun, very well-made rhythmic platformer that I’m very glad I gave a spin. For $40, this is absolutely a steal for rhythm fans, and while the songs themselves may not convert someone into a new fan of this genre, the charming characters definitely might.
It may still feel a bit like Deja Vu coming from 3, but this is a must-play action game nevertheless, and would set the stage for the crown jewel of the collection. If you have to pick one game from the 3 to buy individually, this still isn’t the one of choice, but it’s pretty damn close, and immensely enjoyable nevertheless.
In conclusion, Electronic Super Joy II is more of the same goodness that the original game had, only with not quite the same level of excitement. There’s still tons of well-made challenging platforming levels to enjoy here, even without the two DLC packs, and this works as a perfect bonus for those who enjoyed the other games in the ESJ series, but for a sequel it definitely doesn’t feel all too “new”, just more of the same, solid platforming action as before, only with not nearly as many of the absolutely outstanding levels that the first game had.
However, while the Kunai do add a lot of depth to your movement, I didn’t really find much else that made this game stick out, and the lackluster checkpoints do make certain parts more frustrating than they need to be. Still, if you love the genre, KUNAI is still worth a playthrough.
The inconsistent difficulty and excessive visual effects just don’t lead to a good game, and really I can’t recommend this game at all, especially for the crazy $13 price. Literally the only reason this game would be worth checking out is due to the trippy shock value aspects, and only if you’re a hardcore fan of that stuff willing to look over the clunky maze gameplay surrounding this one strange adventure.
If this had a speedrun mode and fixed the awful controls, it could honestly be a decent enough speedrun title, but unfortunately, the complete lack of replay value and general bugginess of Bucket Knight make it a pretty bad experience, only really worth checking out for curiosity purposes.
I’m happy to say that Manifold Garden is one of the few first person games I found myself enjoying immensely with little fiddling required. The puzzles are tricky and the lack of hints is definitely not for everyone, but the gorgeous world, tight controls and ease of access make for a fun experience worth playing to the end if you can.
Yakuza 3 may be the most basic-feeling of the Yakuza games available on PS4, with awkward battle transitions and lighter sidequests, but that still isn’t a bad thing, as the core gameplay is still the same solid action as before.
As the core gameplay loop still has a lot of positive, and I loved the main mechanic of absorbing energy to save for bigger shots. If this game ends up on sale and you’re a scorechaser fan, then this is an easy recommendation, but at the normal price, this is a tough sell for all but the most die-hard shump fans that don’t mind the premium price for little of interest.
Still, whether you’re a Turrican newbie like me or a veteran fan, this is definitely a well-made compilation you do not want to miss out on, whether to hold you over for the bigger anthology collections, or just to see if you like the series before spending a bigger investment on the franchise. If this ends up as your only option, or if you find this on sale, then this is still a compilation of very good games worth picking up, and a good starter set for the Turrican series
Cyber Shadow is just a tremendous joy to experience as a Shadow of the Ninja addict, but has a lot of merit that makes the game far exceed the inspirations that birthed it. The beautiful lack of lives, training the player to better themselves and master the game’s mechanics without causing pointless frustrations, the godlike music, containing a soundtrack you absolutely must buy the moment it becomes available, and the fun powerups, offering enough to make Shadow feel like a true evolving warrior.
Considering how samey looking a lot of the 16-bit attempts EXE Create have been lately, I honestly am quite surprised they don’t do more 8-bit throwbacks like this game: they’re easily EXE’s best works to date, and Lapis being so much fun while refining the original game just makes that more evident. While EXE Create may be interested in making endless sequels to the Asdivine series lately, I do hope they consider revisiting the world of Dragon Sinker and Lapis, for these two games are both great, and Lapis here is a Kemco RPG I can actually strongly recommend you give a go, if you enjoy simplified RPG adventures.
Definitely the best game to date I’ve played from Rideon, and one that I feel does have a lot of good merits to it: with all that said, you may want to wait for a sale on this one, due to the simple gameplay loop, yet if you’re a fan of these kinds of games and don’t mind the repetitiveness and steep price, then you’ll find a satisfying mix of RPG action and town management here.
TENS was a puzzler that surprised me with just how fun it was! Taking the number-counting action of Sudoku and adding the chains/combos from other versus puzzlers, leads to a pretty addictive gameplay loop, satisfying when you’re playing alone, or against an opponent! With several unlockables such as new characters or dice designs, along with the decently sized story mode, TENS offers quite a bit of replay value for a high quality puzzler.
With the insane amount of replay value from Extreme, and the lengthy content from Arkanoid Vs, you can’t go wrong with Forever, and even as the PS4’s only SKU of the collection, I feel it’s still worth a pickup, though if you’re wanting the retro games, regardless of the lack of local score saving for those, you can still buy Invincible Collection on the Switch via Strictly Limited.
Alwa’s Legacy feels like a proper step up from the original title, still maintaining that excellent metroidvania level design and encouraging players who can think outside the box to sequence break and play at their own pace. While I do feel the chaptered format of this game is a bit odd, and how the game can seem a bit too familiar to the original at points, this is still a must-have Metroidvania, and feels like a true refinement of everything that made Awakening so spectacular.
Considering how my only complaint with this relates to the quirks of the original arcade game’s emulation, (the lack of local hi-scores, irritating stuttering when changing options, etc), I’d say that Bubble Bobble 4 Friends is an excellent retro revival that’s absolutely worth checking out, even if the price point does make it rather tough to recommend for a digital purchase. Luckily, a physical PS4 version is out now, and if you’re willing to spend the $40, you will get a quality arcade throwback out of it worth your time.
One Word by Powgi is yet another crossword game from Lightwood, and while the one word per board focus may seem great for pick up and play, unfortunately I couldn’t say they felt that different from your typical crossword puzzle, especially when the boards vary wildly in size and thus, the difficulty of the puzzles is all over the place. It’s fine for crossword fans wanting every possible puzzle imaginable, but otherwise, you’re better off just getting one of the more content-packed collections from lightwood instead.
While I really wanted to like 1993 more than I did, I can’t help but feel some aspects of the game didn’t age that well, or weren’t polished up as much as they should have been. The graphics are outstanding, and while the sound is lackluster, it still fits the Amiga vibe very well. But the stages are just so inconsistent in how fun they are to play, that I can’t help but feel there should have been more spice to this experience.