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Great Circle is a fun action adventure title, with a decent story, some nice exploration and, more importantly, Indiana Jones the focal point and very much in the driver’s seat. However, this is certainly not without its problems, and between janky combat, truly woeful AI and some hit or miss level design, Great Circle is a fun but flawed adventure that feels very reminiscent of those old movie videogame tie-ins we used to get back in the old days.
Symphonia is a pretty straightforward precision platformer. Its short length is really the only big drawback here as the rest of the game is an absolute delight to play through. The orchestral soundtrack is excellent, the visuals look great, and the levels designed in such a meticulous and imaginative way that you’ll find yourself having heaps of fun with this – even in the challenging sections where you’ll die repeatedly.
The world is a bleak, inhospitable wasteland, full of miserable people requiring you to traverse a miserable landscape in search of more miserable people within a miserably optimized game. And within all this misery, is a surprisingly moreish and eye-wateringly brutal first person shooter.
Infinity Nikki is a blast to play. It’s a super chill dress-up game with nice platforming and a compelling enough story to stick with for the long-haul. The combat is super basic and honestly, the worst part of the game. As far as Gachas go though, Infinity Nikki is a ton of fun. Sure, there are some issues with its core gameplay loop, and some annoyances here and there, but what’s here is enjoyable enough to make for a solid recommendation.
Spirit Mancer is definitely a blast to play though but it's not without its problems. The game is undoubtedly a bit unbalanced given how easily the mechanics can be exploited, while rewards for combat feel disappointingly sparse compared to searching for chests and using the Adventure Guild. Balancing issues aside, if you're after a simple, challenging and enjoyable hack'n'slash, Spirit Mancer is a lot of fun and well worth your time.
Pretty aesthetics aside, Dragon Age: The Veilguard is a boring sludge of grey. It's not awful enough to poke fun at for its broken mechanics like Star Wars: Outlaws, but similarly, it's nowhere near good enough to compete with the best Bioware have put out. Veilguard is a complete nothingburger; an indifferent shrug of a fantasy epic that fails to live up to what's come before, and destined to be thrown into the veil, reduced to a passing whisper of what could have been.
I get that this is an indie game and expectations need to be tempered, but given two other recent indies I’ve been playing recently, Keeper’s Toll and While We Wait Here, have more polish than this (and both cost less combined than this one as well), it’s hard to recommend Moon Mystery in its current state. It’s not bad, and there are a few stand-out moments, but nowhere near enough to make this a a game I’d recommend picking up anytime soon.
While We Wait Here is an interesting indie game and despite its short length, plays with some bold ideas. For its cheap price, this one is definitely worth a few hours’ playtime, but it never quite does enough with its ideas to make for a wholly satisfying experience.
Ubisoft have marketed Star Wars: Outlaws as a AAAA experience. And I whole heartedly agree. It absolutely is… if AAAA stands for Absolutely Atrocious And Abysmal.
Suicide Squad has zero redeeming features. It's a game that tries to be edgy and fails. It tries to be fun but fails. And above all else, it tries to appeal to a wide audience and appeals to nobody. This is a lazy, poorly written mess that deserves to be treated the same way Batman is in this game - like disposable trash that's thrown out after a monologue about how bad it is.
Prince Of Persia: The Lost Crown is a great Metroidvania. It’s very easy to get addicted to exploring every nook and cranny of this world, and it helps that the visuals are gorgeously rendered too. It’s certainly no Hollow Knight or Castlevania, but Lost Crown is a solid, highly enjoyable game with a harmonious balance of combat, puzzles and exploration.
For a walking simulator, you’d think that Starward Industries would have at least nailed down the walking. Instead, it’s arguably one of the worst parts of The Invincible. Walking sims can be great if they have an interesting story (which this one does, in fairness) but with such laborious, sluggish mechanics to accompany that, this is way more of a chore to get through than it should be.
Immortals of Aveum is not a bad game. However, it’s not as exciting or as magical as I hoped it would be with its fantasy setting and FPS gameplay that incorporates spells instead of guns.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder isn’t a masterpiece by any means. Like other Mario games, it has its faults that shouldn’t be ignored by anyone. Yet, after playing through the title and experiencing many of its offerings, it wouldn’t be farfetched for someone to call this their favorite Mario game of all time. It contains a strong level of polish and creativity that’s been missing from his 2D quests for a long time. If you’re on the fence about buying this game, “wonder” no more, because it’s likely to make you a happy customer.
Sonic Superstars isn’t a masterful Sonic the Hedgehog side-scroller. However, it’s not a downright terrible game either. It’s an entertaining gem that shines in some areas but shrivels up in others. Despite its flaws and failures, it contains a decent mix of new ideas, flashy zones, and charming character moments to make you smile.
Fans of the Fate series and Japanese action RPGs in general should give this game a look as it provides a mostly rewarding experience during the 40-hour+ playtime. As you’ll also get a few history lessons related to the game’s setting, this is a good way to learn something without reading through reams of textbooks.
They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and when it comes to Lies of P, this game pays homage to Dark Souls and Demon’s Souls beautifully. It’s not going to win any contests for originality, but the original content here is certainly worth of remembrance. The puppet aesthetic is excellent, the story engaging, and the sheer amount of customization, alongside some memorable boss fights, makes this one of the best Souls-like games outside FromSoft’s catalogue.
If ever there was a game that embodies the term wasted potential, Atlas Fallen is it. There’s some nice ideas in here, but none of them are executed all that well. They’re muddled with a myriad of disappointing and poor elements that just do not work. Atlas has well and truly fallen here but at least it’s not as bad as Forspoken. Which, I guess, is one saving grace.
Overall though, there’s plenty to like with Illusion Island. This is a fun, vibrant platformer that feels designed to be played in multiplayer with your friends or family. While it’s not going to blow anyone away, this is well worth checking out all the same.
Dave the Diver is a delightfully delicious game packed full of charm. It’s a title that doubles up as both an adventure sim and a restaurant tycoon, and harmoniously blends both beats together to create one of the best symphonies of 2023. This is an an absolute must-play.