DayOne's Reviews
An atmospheric setting, great audio and visual design, and some amusing and occasionally unnerving cosmic horror have resulted in a unique spin on the extraction genre. For those that vibe with it, it’ll probably provide many hours of fun, with lots to do as players solve mysteries, and seek out the mysterious ‘mound’ and what lies beyond – even if the gameplay loop starts to become a bit repetitive.
D-topia has some great ideas, asks some big questions and narratively pushes the player to make some interesting choices that – in spite of the deceptively cozy artstyle – get surprisingly dark. While there are solid ideas and elements, D-topia became like a chore I had to complete, and as with any structured routine we’re forced to endure, I couldn’t help but start daydreaming about doing anything else.
Pathogenic is a fantastic roguelite twin-stick shooter with gameplay chops to match its wonderfully slimy, fleshy aesthetic, and should provide hours of enjoyment for anyone with even a vague interest in the genre. Fingers crossed it comes to consoles soon, because this is one virus everyone should want to catch.
A fantastic game gets that much better. A heartfelt, brilliantly written DLC touches on the cost of progress vs. our own sense of humanity.
Kaz is a fantastic example of smart game design. It knows exactly what it wants to be, and the result is a wonderfully crafted, and extremely rewarding dopamine delivery of a game. Underneath that deceptively simple design lies an addictive and gorgeous indie gem that just feels great to play. With a ‘just one more go’ attitude, Kaz is easy to pick up, hard to master, and is an easy recommendation for anyone with a keyboard to hand.
Ascend to Zero brings some of my favorite elements to the roguelite genre. Its late-game focus on gear sets adds one last unique element to a fun, great-sounding, surprisingly deep Survivors-like.
Endless Ragnarok brings a lot of cool fights and content to Relink and, if you haven’t jumped into this ARPG, this expansion effectively joins the base game at a great price. If you’re an existing player and were a fan of the base game, Endless Ragnarok will be for you! If you enjoyed your time with Relink and felt as though you’ve had enough of its loop, this expansion ultimately might not really do much for you. ∎
The future of id Software and DOOM as a franchise is unknown for now. What I can tell you is that DOOM: The Dark Ages | Revelations is my favorite playing shooter, ever.
Lost Castle 2 is a very fun beat ’em up roguelite and even more fun as a coop title. An easy recommendation for something to play with family and mates, especially if they come over.
EA Sports College Football 27 is yet another iteration in the franchise, but with lots of simulation improvements in tow. The PC port is a welcome addition even with its quirks, and Dynasty players will have quite a lot of fun having to deal with a lot more expectations as they build their school to become the best in the league. ∎
Monopoly: Star Wars Heroes vs. Villains is a fun twist on the good old Monopoly formula, trading some of the depth of its property-system for interesting class-based team fights, with a nice Star Wars presentation to boot. It’s quite feature-complete and only features a handful of shortcomings, though I would say that the game’s focus on triggering ‘GO!‘ events can make matches even more lop-sided than normal if someone gets particularly high dice rolls on the regular. Still, for fans like me of the iconic board game and Star Wars enthusiasts, there’s a couple of fun hours to be had here – in local and online play alike.
Abyssus ticks off every box that I want out of a cooperative FPS roguelite. It excels at none, though; once the aiming is fixed on consoles, it doesn't fail at any either.
While I’m not sure if Star Fox will convince people who aren’t into on-rails shooters to dip their toes into it, for fans of Star Fox 64, this is simply a mandatory purchase. It’s easily one of the most perfectly executed remakes ever and a great game in its own right.
In a vacuum, Dead or Alive 6 Last Round is a perfectly playable version of a perfectly fine fighter, but it’s still a somewhat underwhelming package all in all. Not quite enough improvements to reignite the interest around the base game, and also plenty of baffling limitations end up weighing a ton on the overall experience – one that only hardcore Dead or Alive fans might bother with.
House Flipper Remastered Collection is as fun as ever, and an incredible amount of content. From raising puppies to mowing the lawn, cleaning up rusty toilets, to sanding down anchors, there's nothing else quite like it.
Dark Scrolls is a title I should have loved and instead loathed. It is not offensively bad or poorly made, so you may find some fun here that I did not.
Devil May Cry 5 was great back in 2019, and it's just as good now. Getting this quality of an experience on a mobile device would have blown my mind back then. It's becoming the norm for CAPCOM's Switch 2 ports.
Thank You For Your Application is stressful fun. It will demand your attention at all times, despite its seemingly cozy nature. Quest-frustration aside, it is easy to recommend for those who love games that make 'work' fun.
Dave the Diver is a fantastic game, and In the Jungle is every bit as good. The quality and variety on offer are something few games can match.
The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales is an uneven, but ultimately satisfying title. An incredible soundtrack, solid gameplay, and, at least for me, fantastic visuals help carry it — despite the grind needed for its true conclusion.