TheGamer's Reviews
Considering how long Onimusha fans have been waiting for Samurai’s Destiny to make a return on modern platforms, the lack of significant bonuses doesn’t feel like a big sticking point. More than anything, it let me finally experience a brilliantly unique series that for years I’ve been missing out on.
Obviously, it would have been better if the collection had included the first Star Gladiator and Rival Schools games, and it would be nice if Capcom had provided us with characters and features locked to the console ports of these titles. However, you can always ask for more and the point stands that what’s here is already one of the best retro fighting game collections on the market.
Doom: The Dark Ages is the weakest entry in a fantastic trilogy of games, and despite how I feel about its additions to combat and exploration, I’d rather an experience that took risks and sought to reinvent what it means to play a Doom game rather than build upon the familiar.
Founding members of Moonhood once told me they thought about quitting game development altogether, before eventually founding the studio and finding a reason to keep going with this project. I can't help but feel The Midnight Walk is an allegory for that rekindled passion; sometimes a great game only needs a spark.
It's a more curated open-world experience than, say, Assassin's Creed Shadows, but it isn't nearly as different from that kind of mainstream triple-A open-world game as its roots would lead you to expect.
It's a reminder that India isn't just Bollywood and mythology. It's crowded streets, people from all walks of life, and knowing everything about your neighbour who you have nothing in common with.
Best Served Cold doesn’t revolutionise the genre, but it does tell an incredibly compelling story about class, power, and people desperately trying to find their way in a world that’s not that different from our own. It’s not perfect, but it’s valuable nonetheless.
What’s currently here is an ARPG that nails its setting and core gameplay; everything else is underbaked. Fans of ARPGs will likely have a great time with Mandragora as I did, but those who are more interested in a nail-biting Soulslike or a clever Metroidvania won’t find it here.
Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves puts its best paw forward and proves that SNK still has what it takes to compete with the big dogs in the fighting game arena.
Sandfall Interactive’s debut is a triumph. Everything about Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is either a fresh reboot to soothe the traditionalist’s soul or an exciting, bold leap into new territory, and the result is a piece of art that pulled me in and refused to let go.
Overall, I had a great time playing Pax Augusta, and while it’s a niche game for a niche audience, anyone who has fond memories of playing historical city-builders will enjoy this breath of fresh air. A game built with real care and attention in a developer’s spare time, self-taught with YouTube tutorials. The fact the game is half as good as it is an incredible feat of development.
Forza Horizon 5 is beautifully executed on Sony’s console. If you’ve already played the game elsewhere, then you’ll know what to expect, but if you’re a new player, then you’re in for a great time.
Under all the dinosaurs, the bug hunting, and the match-3 boards, it is at its core a love letter to game development and an indictment of the industry as it exists now.
Though the tactical elements never quite felt like they were prioritized as heavily as the narrative, The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy earns its stripes as the next in the line of spiritual successors, given how close a chord it strikes to both Danganronpa and Zero Escape.
Lost Records: Bloom & Rage’s second and final episode is a mostly satisfying conclusion. I just wish it could have had space to do more than just wrap things up.
If you love rabbits, or Takaya Kuroda, then you might get a few laughs out of this game, but chances are you won’t actually enjoy playing it that much. It’s a shame: a great concept, some half-decent writing in places, let down by shoddy controls and gameplay.
Disney Villains Cursed Cafe is best handled in short bursts to carry on the cafe vibe. Personally, I play one day at a time to help carry the story, but it can all be completed within a couple of hours if you just want to see how it ends. Bully the Villains if you want or try to help them become better people; at the end of the day, it’s your cafe.
I have been left wanting more, but not because it didn’t deliver enough. The whole adventure was so moreishly enjoyable and the world so intriguing that I just want even more of such a good thing.
It will delight you, thrill you, and probably make you run crying to the internet for answers you can’t seem to tease out on your own. I’ve never played anything like it, but I won’t be surprised if we see more takes on the roguelike puzzler in the future because of it.
Grit & Valor is, in many ways, exactly what I look for in a roguelike - individual runs aren’t too long, so it’s easy to squeeze in a game or two when time is tight, but there’s plenty of incentive for multi-run marathons as well.