Entertainium's Reviews
Dave the Diver offers up a delightfully fresh take in a whole bunch of gaming genres that just works.
There’s no denying that Half Mermaid Productions and Barlow have a knack for serving truly unique gameplay experiences, but they go beyond merely having their quirky style serve as a gimmick and crunch on which a game like Immortality can lean on. There’s actually an incredible amount of obvious care that has gone into making it something that folks will want to get through by providing a narrative that in all of its nonlinearity is shocking, but most importantly, very compelling, for as overused as that adjective is in gaming.
I’m positively surprised by the end product after such a short window between its announcement and release, less than a week apart from each other. Zen and Nightdive have done a terrific job keeping it all hush-hush and I couldn’t be happier with how System Shock Pinball has turned out. So much so that I’m anxious to see what’s next on their plate for both Pinball FX and Pinball M.
New Star GP is the sort of racing game that comes every now and then that truly gets a hold of me and is unwilling to let go until it has its way with me. Last time I felt this strongly about the genre was with the very first Gran Turismo on the PlayStation, and prior to that, the arcade version of Daytona USA. If you have any interest in arcade gaming and are willing to invest some time into surprisingly meatier career mode, New Star GP will have you covered for a while.
Over the last decade, Polish developer Flying Wild Hog has taken the Shadow Warrior shooter series originated by 3D Realms in 1997 and made it very much their own. With each new entry, the studio has felt free to make big changes. Now that the long-delayed Shadow Warrior 3 is finally here, it’s clear that the developers have given the formula its most aggressive rework yet. The result is a startlingly stripped-down sequel that focuses exclusively on its short but sometimes glorious single-player campaign.
Who would’ve guessed that a game based on a very traditional novel series from Japan would turn out this way? The last time Record of Lodoss War had any significant presence in games was during the Dreamcast days with an equally excellent, although similarly derivative Diablo-like. Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth is tightly designed, a joy to look at and most importantly, is ridiculously respectful of your time, making it an absolute must-play Switch release.
Even though it’s “another one of those games”, I still found it surprisingly compelling. I liked doing the little sidequests to help a young girl’s spirit find her grandmother’s old umbrella (which had become possessed), or helping a group of friendly tanuki (Japanese racoon dogs) reunite with their boss. I liked reading the thoughts of the cats and dogs, wondering where all the humans went. If it had been a bit more adventurous, Ghostwire: Tokyo could have been something very special, and although gameplay-wise it plays it safe, there’s enough weirdness and personality here to make it worth a visit.
Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is a brainless character action game that somewhat retells the events of the original Final Fantasy in a fashion that’s very Team Ninja, read: really silly.
Following up on Pinball FX3’s excellent catalog of Williams tables, Indiana Jones: The Pinball Adventure is very much worth picking up, even if you haven’t much of a collection of tables for the game. The base Pinball FX3 is free to begin with, so if this is your first time playing, feel free to try it out first before forking over for new levels. And of course, if you’ve yet to buy a FlipGrip, do yourself a favor and grab one, it’ll make playing this THAT much better.
If you’re already into both of the Judgment games, you’ll know what to expect out of this DLC. It’s got more of the quality writing that manages to expertly mix humorous moments with extremely serious themes, which is a mainstay of the Yakuza series as a whole and continues to be so here. I’ll never need an excuse to jump back and explore that world, and having a story as great as this is more than enough reason to sniff and keep my ears perked around the seedy well-threaded streets of Tokyo’s fictional red light district again and again.
Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is definitely more of what you’d come to expect from a Lego game if you’ve had any experience playing them over the years. It’s undeniably a blast to be had even more by fans of the source material and younger players or people looking for a game to play that doesn’t demand a whole lot of your attention or particular dexterity in order to enjoy it, but if you’re looking for something brand spanking new, you might have better luck at another space port.
As it is now, though, for someone like me who’s casual enough not to be constantly after the next new shiny car but worried enough about not being taken advantage of when I just want to play the game as I should, Gran Turismo 7 is quite enjoyable – when it’s working, mind – if not somewhat bloated. Then again, it’s the sort of bloat I can overlook due to my passing interest in driving fast cars and racing. To someone who just wants to jump in and put their pedal to the metal, though, the eccentricity that comes in the form of its presentation and slow pace of its delivery will come as definite turn offs to Sony’s 7th iteration of the “Real Driving Simulator”.
Forgive Me Father can seem a little off the boomer shooter pace at times. While attractive, its aesthetics could be a bit more cohesive – for example, a pulsating Lovecraftian HUD would be much more appropriate than the flat comic book one that Byte Barrel went for. The level designs are certainly not as inventive as the ones found in the best of the genre. With that being said, the game has a lot to offer retro shooter enthusiasts and from time to time, it comes together wonderfully.
Games which work to revive the glory days of ‘80s platformers are a fairly common sight these days, and are a logical choice of project for developers like Small Bros. B.I.O.T.A. has the special qualities that are needed to stand out from the crowd. It summons up the memory of the run-and-gun games of yesteryear, but never becomes repetitive or frustrating as they did. Its modern conveniences, like save-anywhere and a flexible character system, turn the game into something more than just a retro revival. Games with a philosophy this obviously nostalgic aren’t for everyone, but anyone who digs this retro look is sure to enjoy a trip to Frontier Horizon.
I’m blown away by the overall quality of Tormented Souls. It does very well what it proposes, and for as much as it can feel dated, it’s by design. And frankly, it’s a welcome return to a time when the scope of horror games was more limited and in that they found the ground they needed to deliver amazing, self-contained experiences which is exactly what Tormented Souls does so bloody well.
Over the years, Rebellion have been the target of a lot of glib claims that they have merely “made the same game over and over” with Sniper Elite. While it’s true that the studio has never thoroughly overhauled their formula, the series has consistently improved with each instalment. With Sniper Elite 5, these enhancements are truly stacking up and Rebellion’s passion and experience shines through. While its thin story and demand for patience mean that it isn’t for everyone, this is an enthralling fifth entry in a series that has continued success firmly in its sights.
Mini Motorways is in many, well, ways, a terrific, truly addictive pick-up-and-play game for the Switch. Its fast-paced level structure and simplicity are incredibly well conceived and feel great to come back to time and time again. I’ve always been a big fan of management games in this style like Air Control, so having a spin like this to the formula is definitely up my wheelhouse and you’d be remiss not to at least give it a look.
All in all, Cotton Fantasy keeps the series tradition of providing plenty of eye candy and a pushover level of challenge that should please newcomers to the genre even though veterans might find themselves somewhat bored by the straight ahead approach that the franchise is known for and it kept intact in this new entry. Regardless of where you stand, there’s no denying Cotton Fantasy is one heck of a charming little game any way you look at it.
With that in mind, I would recommend Souldiers with caveats to those looking for a familiar challenge that won’t mind the repetition that comes with games that borrow from the Soulslike formula with the added detractions that this particular one throws into the mix. Souldiers is an enjoyable take on combining popular genres and mostly succeeds at keeping it together, and should provide plenty of replay value in a way of experimenting around with its classes and character builds, and of course, forging a path ahead.
For as much of a scaredy cat in regards to horror as I generally am, I have to say I’ve enjoyed my time with The Quarry a whole lot. As the game progressed and the story started to unfold, I found myself wanting to see more of it and stopped worrying about how uncontrollable some aspects of playing it are, something I was dreading when just starting out. If you’re anything like me, I urge you to give this game a chance, you might be surprised with just how surprisingly engaging it can be.