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The Thirsty Mage

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75 games reviewed
78.5 average score
80 median score
64.0% of games recommended

The Thirsty Mage's Reviews

4 / 10.0 - Summer in Mara
Jun 23, 2020

While it’s meant to be a relaxing adventure, Summer in Mara is more often tedious than not.

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Apr 23, 2020

Sunless Sea has a really great atmosphere that should be ripe for exploring, but unfortunately it falls flat when it comes to core gameplay elements. Story bits are slow to develop and failed to hook me, while the act of sailing itself is mundane. That’s not to say it’s devoid of good ideas, but it’ll take someone who doesn’t mind a slow burn to fully enjoy.

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Oct 25, 2022

As wonderful as it is to get older Japanese titles localized, Kamiwaza: Way of the Thief might be a tough sell to anyone that didn’t grow up playing PlayStation 2 era games. That isn’t to say that young people wouldn’t enjoy it. But the outdated graphics and repetitive gameplay can easily wear on anyone without a bit of nostalgia to dull the nerves.

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6 / 10.0 - Royal Frontier
Mar 23, 2022

Royal Frontier has the foundation for a capable rogue-like but ultimately doesn’t do enough with its formula. It has the road map for a fulfilling journey, but it doesn’t provide enough interesting stops along the way to provide a reason to make the trip more than once. It isn’t a bad journey, but it isn’t one worth boasting about in the tavern at the end.

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6 / 10.0 - Aeon Drive
Oct 4, 2021

Normally my competitive nature would compel me to work towards becoming first in as many levels as possible, but the lack of variety of level design left me feeling like I had played enough. The mechanics of movement driving the platforming and the lovely pixel graphics deserve praise, but the short shelf life of speedrunning left me wanting something more.

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6 / 10.0 - Eastward
Oct 3, 2021

The game’s outer shell, the visuals and audio that still tantalize me at first (and second, and third) glance, are really incredible. Beneath the exterior, however, there is only a game that barely manages to surpass my notions of mediocrity. I guess you really can’t judge a book by its cover.

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Hindsight 20/20: Wrath of the Raakshasa is an average throwback action adventure with promising choice mechanics that are undermined by dull characters and shallow world-building. If you are interested in the pure mechanics of seeing how your choices branch, there may be enough here to enjoy. If you are like me and you need a better reason to replay to see the choice mechanics at work, there is still a competent, old-fashioned game that you can complete quickly and still have time to dive into a visual novel afterward.

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6 / 10.0 - King of Seas
Jun 8, 2021

King of Seas feels like an early-access version of a game that doesn’t want to admit it’s still in early-access. There’s an interesting game waiting to be played beneath a sea of performance issues and incomplete design choices. When everything works and the design comes together, King of Seas is a delightful pirate romp that briefly holds in its hand the map leading to the treasure of a portable pirate adventure.

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6.5 / 10.0 - Shadow Corridor
Oct 24, 2021

Shadow Corridor is a low-budget, digital haunted house experience that delivers exactly what it promises and is good for a night of spooky fun as a novelty experience.  It’s thrills might not be enough to sustain the experience past the first few levels, but the experience provided by the early portion of the game might be worth the low price of entry alone.

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6.5 / 10.0 - Steel Assault
Oct 6, 2021

As recommendations go, Steel Assault is certainly fun for an hour or so, but the price at launch seems high for the amount of content provided. If money isn’t a factor and you’re simply looking for a short and sweet side-scroller with fun combat and nice graphics, then this may be up your alley.

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6.5 / 10.0 - Cloudpunk
Nov 5, 2020

Enjoyment of Cloudpunk is really going to boil down to whether or not you enjoy the story. As well developed as the characters are, the story doesn’t necessarily provide anything revolutionary or unique. The back and forth between Raina and her AI dog are often entertaining, and a few interesting personalities are met along the way, but unfortunately Cloudpunk just doesn’t quite do enough to maintain my interest.

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Sep 28, 2020

Robots Under Attack! may not be bringing any terribly new ideas to the genre but what it does, it does well. The clean and clear aesthetic along with clever level design accomplishes what it sets out to do: provide a short and thoughtful experience. Whether you’re looking to kill a few minutes on the bus or wanting a brain workout before bedtime, figuring out how to blow up a bunch of robots is a satisfying use of time.

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Oct 27, 2022

Between the emotional roller coaster of the story and the constant jump scares, my heart had about as much as it could take. For those that do enjoy the genre and won’t be triggered by the subject matter, Yomawari: Lost in the Dark feels like a terrific game to make the hair on your arms stand on end.

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Even though many of the design decisions left me scratching my head, ultimately my takeaway is that Made in Abyss: Binary Star Falling Into Darkness is a satisfying experience for fans of survival style video games.

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At the end of the day, Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water is a solid effort despite its flaws.

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Oct 15, 2021

The Caligula Effect 2 is a big, content-heavy, competent game that suffers from poor graphical presentation. The premise and characters are interesting and the combat system is engaging, which helps make up for lackluster dungeons and world design and sub-par visual presentation on the Nintendo Switch.

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Feb 15, 2021

Enjoyment of Fallen Legion largely comes down to whether fighting battle after battle continues to feel fresh and if the prospect of panic inducing boss fights elevates your heart rate in a good way. The story is interesting and learning the fate of both Rowena and Lucien provides a degree of motivation to continue but certainly isn’t enough if combat becomes to feel like a slog.

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7 / 10.0 - Alwa's Legacy
Nov 2, 2020

Alwa's Legacy may seem like more of the same, but several aspects of its design help it to stand out among its peers. Unfortunately, the manner in which it’s distinct is not always a good thing.

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7 / 10.0 - Locomotion
Jul 30, 2020

Locomotion may not be reinventing the wheel, but does serve as a wonderful addition to the current catalogue of puzzle games on the Nintendo Switch. The calm background music adds to the pleasant and serene vibes that radiate from the screen, providing a decent escape if you’ve had a particularly frustrating day.

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Without looking through nostalgic-tinted goggles, Jedi Academy seems pretty dated, especially compared to more modern titles such as Jedi Fallen Order or the Force Unleashed. But growing up with the Jedi Knight series has given me an appreciation for the old ways of playing as a Jedi. Just like Shadows of the Empire, the comfort of playing an old classic Star Wars title overcomes the janky controls and dated graphics. These titles may not be canon, but now that Jedi Academy is on the mobile Nintendo Switch, this game will now be with me, always.

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