XboxEra's Reviews
Overall Before We Leave is somewhat of a middle-of-the-road city builder with some lovely concepts and a relaxing vibe. It doesn’t nail everything it tries, but overall it’s an enjoyable experience. The non-combat approach could’ve been executed better at times, with more challenges thrown at the player. Meanwhile, the small hexagon islands can be enjoyable for people who like some puzzles in their city builders, while for others they could feel a little limiting. Before We Leave is a cute, polished city builder perfect for when you’re in the mood for something relaxing and less challenging, with the looks to back it up.
A Builders Journey does a lot of things right throughout it’s short playtime, with gorgeously designed levels and imaginative puzzle design through to its themes of play and creativity – and the often unwanted responsibilities that can interrupt it. It doesn’t get everything right, but then it’s so short lived it’s hard not to be entirely charmed by it anyway. If you’re a fan of puzzle games or Lego in general, you can’t really go wrong here.
Exo One is not only a visually impressive achievement. It also uses haunting music and realistic environmental sounds to transport the player into its strange worlds. Handling of the craft is unusual but works very well once you get the hang of it. The story is not blatantly spelled out to the player but that adds to the mystery and allure of what you are trying to do and the ending ties everything up nicely.
Battlefield 2042 has the potential of becoming one the best first-person shooters available on Xbox in six months’ time — but the fact is that, as of today, it is not even among the best shooters being released this Holiday season.
Sherlock Holmes Chapter One is perhaps my favourite Frogwares title. By expanding and spacing out the objectives at the player’s leisure, it creates an open-ended feeling of choice that had me coming back.
Unpacking is an incredibly accessible, meditative game revolving around room decoration and block-fitting puzzles. There is no pressure here and the only target is to make each environment a satisfying place for the main character to live. This may not be the type of game that you usually play but it is well worth checking out, although short sessions of a level at a time may be a good idea due to the repetitive nature of the gameplay. Being another recent arrival to Xbox Game Pass there really is no reason not to try it. Let’s just hope the neighbours are ok, but let’s face it, they never are!
As it stands, Circuit Superstars is a really fun top-down racer that lands in a golden spot, halfway between pure arcade hilarity and a sim-like approach with fuel and tyre management to boot. The incredible amount of different cars and race styles is, however, is hampered by the limited amount of customization and gameplay changes players can introduce into their events, with the multiplayer in particular feeling surprisingly limited in scope.
This game is nearly perfect for me and there is no getting around that. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it does make it smoother and faster than ever. It is not only one of the best games to release this year, it is a true showcase of just what a “next-gen” title can be.
All the woo-hooing and cringe-inducing dialogue can be a little off-putting at first, but once you get past that and embrace the absurdity of it all, you get to enjoy one of the best arcade games available on Xbox today.
Revisiting areas further underlines another one of Demon Turf’s main problems: most levels feel relatively soulless, empty. As much as their visual style is generally on point, they still offer vast areas with very little happening, offering half a minute or more of uneventful walking. Entering the harder variant of a level fills it with dozens of collectible lollipops, some making the player go through even some of least exciting areas more than once.
Horizon Chase Turbo – Senna Forever is, by all means, an unusual DLC. Released a whopping 3 years after the base game, long after the core support of the game seemed to be over, it offers a level of content, detail, and fun that practically dwarves the already fun original title’s ambitions.
BPM: Bullets Per Minute is one of the most exhilarating shooter experiences I’ve had recently, thanks to fast gameplay, varied gunfights, and a high skill ceiling to aim for via the many runs the players will inevitably go through.
Röki does its best at being an adventure game that anyone can pick up and play. It is a safe play, and one that I appreciate. Its lack of violence is like a breath of fresh air for me, and by keeping a consistent pacing with its narrative and not being overtly difficult means that I am happy to recommend this game for all to play.
Hermitage: Strange Case Files really leans into the novel part of the detective visual novel. It looks very stylish and creates a moody atmosphere but most of the time is spent reading conversations with very little interaction, so if that is not your thing this is likely not the game for you. There is just not enough actual gameplay available within this title so it is fair to say that it will be a must-play for diehard fans of the genre only. After playing through, I’ve decided I am not one of them.
it’s not revolutionizing the genre or setting a new standard in design. It has taken the best aspects of various games, creating a well-rounded package, with love and care of the stories being told and the civilizations and historical sagas being represented. Is it going to instigate new dawn for the classical real-time strategy game? Very doubtful. Is it going to be an amazing experience for fans of the genre? Absolutely.
If you are interested in platforming, exploration, colour based puzzles, turn-based combat and mini games, Rainbow Billy: The Curse of the Leviathan has everything that you could want for a leisurely ten to twelve hour play through. This is a story about communication, listening to others and being empathetic to their point of view. During these divided times this is a great message to be putting out into the world so I applaud Manavoid Entertainment and Skybound Games for what they have created here.
Toy Soldiers HD is a solid all-around package, though that $30 price point does feel a bit high. If you’re in the market though for some well-made hybrid tower defense, shooter, dogfighter then this plastic battleground should fit the bill. It might be ugly as sin at times, but it is a damned good time reliving an incredibly weird take on one of the darkest conflicts in modern history
The excellent portal system, combined with one of the tightest FPS modules in recent years, makes me believe I'll be playing this a lot as I wait for Halo Infinite to drop. And, frankly? I'm not even that certain 343's much-awaited title will have Splitgate beaten in all aspects. It is simply that good.
Into The Pit has some genuine fun in it. It controls well, has a unique look, and has great potential with its rogue-lite offerings. In the end though for me, the lack of variety in multiple areas kept it from being something I could recommend except for the fact that it’s on Game Pass. For free (if you’re already an existing member) it’s a no-brainer to give this one a try if anything you’ve seen about it has caught your eye. After all, the only cost will be a little bit of your time.
There’s a lot to like about this game. The setting is intriguing, the characters are fun, and the art style can be spectacular. However, problems with some pretty core concepts bring the overall experience down. In conclusion, while Echo Generation has solid visuals and music, these are sadly out shadowed by clunky combat and frustrating game design.