The Alto Collection is a lovely set of Zen games with simple controls and beautiful music and graphics to enjoy as you adventure down the mountains again and again. Grinding issues aside this is easily a game to return to if you just want that quick gaming fix. Plus this is one of the few games I can think of that gives a bit of love to Lamas so its all good.
All in all, Vera’s okay, as the main character. Mackey irks me. I just wish other stronger characters were present in the final overall package within a mystery that held my interest. The twists and turns of the tale made me keep going. Unfortunately, the mystery element fizzles towards the conclusion. …Oh, that’s seriously it? Certain narrative threads remained unresolved. However, they could be in one of the different endings? Maybe the Vera Blanc sequel, The Ghost in the Castle? I must confess that I only did one playthrough as of this review.
Sam & Max Save the World is an entertaining point and click adventure. The game is given a new lease of life and a new lick of paint with its spruced up graphics. If you can get past the slightly unruly controls you will find a puzzle game that’s not too hard. There is some repetition in design between the episodes and some overly long dialogue lines from the characters. A new generation of gamers may find some of the humour more groan-worthy than hilarious.
I was surprised with how addicting Ord. truly is. It would be easy to assume that the simplicity would compromise content, but that is absolutely not the case. This is a game that can be revisited over and over, with a different outcome each time. My 10-year-old tried it and loved it as well. I love that he’s practicing his reading and comprehension without even knowing it, and having a blast! I would definitely recommend this game for all ages. Definitely give this one a try!
The Cherry Orchard is an interesting attempt to bring the theatre experience to video games. Audio issues, graphical glitches and art design that just didn’t seem to come together as well as it should make this hard to recommend to anyone but the most die hard of theatre lovers. The credit I will give the title is it did remind me of the good times I had going to the theatre when I was younger. But in those moments of reminiscing I was reminded how much I would rather just watch the theatre production of the title this is based on. I actually feel one day the theatre experience will come to video games effectively. But as the Cherry Orchard shows we’re not quite there yet.
Tracks – Toybox Edition is a simple pick up and play game. It offers a huge amount of space to build your dream track on. With plenty of decorations to choose from the Toybox to add to your work of art. It certainly has a calming and a relaxing gameplay atmosphere to chill out with. With its simplistic approach Tracks – Toybox Edition would be an easy game for young children to play or a family. It would make a perfect gift for any children that are receiving a Nintendo Switch for Christmas or any adult who wants to let their inner child imagination run wild!
This is a brief, but touching story, about two women finding each other. There are a few parts that are a little hokey, but other than that I enjoyed the world-building and characters quite a lot. Other than the font, my only complaint is that it’s a bit short for the price. If you grab it on sale I’m sure you’ll have no regrets at all.
Micetopia is a fun simple Metroidvania that plays everything very safe. Good controls, graphics and a short campaign that feels over a little too soon. The definition of what I have come to call a coffee game. But by playing it safe Micetopia doesn’t have that special something that makes it stand out from the crowd. If you’re looking for a nice short title at a nice price, this will keep you distracted for a few play sessions.
I wanted to love Memoranda. It comes across as a quirky, slightly dark, and fun little point-and-click game. While the story was a little strange, it was also fun and interesting without being too long. The graphics and sound design were spot-on for the tone of the game, instilling a subtle sense of unease all the way through. Unfortunately, the obscure nature of the puzzle solutions lowered my enjoyment a lot. They were just too bizarre, and as a lover of logic puzzles this went completely against what I enjoy in a puzzle. All in all, a nice little experience, but expect to be scratching your head more often than not!
Bridge Constructor: The Walking Dead has lots of new components added to the game, some of them are fun and work well. While I did enjoy the added feature of the Walkers to the game as they do add in a lot of extra strategies to think through. However, not all of the components work as well as they should and it ends up being annoying. Especially the controls which I found to be downright irritating. If you can manage the irritating controls and have played the Bridge Constructor games before you may well like this instalment!