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Shovel Knight Dig is a good Shovel Knight title, but it doesn't do anything different than any other roguelike on the market. I think that could be the sticking point for it. The game looks great, plays great, and sounds amazing. It just doesn't reinvent the wheel. With every other game being a roguelike or a deck builder nowadays, the game relies solely on the strength of its source material.
Bayonetta 3 is the best and the worst in the series at the same time. I feel that it manages to reach the highest points of the series yet, but is also paired with some of the lowest. The over-the-top cutscenes and combat have never been better and the gameplay is truly diverse throughout. Unfortunately, the performance, the weak story, and some horrid open-level design really harm the product from what initially on paper could have been the definitive Bayonetta experience. Bayonetta 3 for better or worse is a culmination of everything Platinum has created up to this point. Even on its darkest day, Bayonetta 3 is still a must-play for not only fans of the series but fans of the genre.
I’m happy I got to play Chasm: The Rift. The fact this version is playable out of the box, includes all the content, and even comes with a DOSBOX version of the game, does help you get all the bang out of your buck for this one. As I mentioned it’s certainly a curious title, and you can see very early on why it was called a “Poor Mans Quake”, but the charm of the different levels and the character models do a lot to help carry it further than just being distinctly average. I wouldn’t recommend you jump onto Chasm: The Rift like it’s an essential purchase. It's something to soak up a few hours, without expecting something completely revolutionary. It's more of an rather irritating, yet charming title, with a little splash of something extra at times. Rifts may be a side effect of Quakes, but this one doesn’t leave any lasting damage.
I picked up Alpha-Nighthawk as the sci-fi setting sounded interesting and it didn’t disappoint. While I do have some issues with the ending, the majority of the story was interesting and I would’ve liked to see more. The banter between characters was often great too. I hope that people don’t continue just to dismiss it as a ‘furry visual novel’ and actually give it a chance.
Cultic: Chapter One is quite honestly my favorite horror experience of the year, with some of the finest booming and shooting I've done. In a year that's also presented Turbo Overkill and Metal: Hellsinger, that should show you just how highly I think of the game. I only have two real issues with the game. The similar feel of the levels in nature is one of them. The only other is the episodic nature of the game leaving me I'm chomping at the bit to get Chapter 2, especially after the way this one ends. Aside from those, Cultic: Chapter One is an essential purchase for horror and shooter fans alike. It's up there with the absolute best games of 2022.
Eye-catching paper art aesthetics aside, the biggest lure of Paper Ghost Stories: 7PM is its Malaysian setting and focus on the Hungry Ghost Festival for its horror narrative. While jump scares form a good portion of the scare tactics in this title, a few stand out because of their ties to the Hungry Ghost Festival. As for the other scare tactic, both the audio and visuals work nicely in tandem to create a sense of undisturbed peace in one moment and unsettling tension in the next. The slice-of-life story conveyed in this short game is pretty short and sweet, even if it feels like nothing quite happened in this first installment of the Paper Ghost Stories series. So long as you are not takut (afraid), for a short horror game with a refreshing Southeast Asian setting:
After my initial confusion on the first couple of screens on Faith: Chapter One, I buckled down and embraced the game for all its tension and world-building and found that I couldn't get enough of it. Even while writing this review I'm itching to go back and go through the trinity again to pick at its bones and just get more from it. I want to challenge myself and uncover everything Faith: The Unholy Trinity has to offer. Be it the spooky season or the resurgence of the horror genre but something about Faith: The Unholy Trinity just clicked. If you have a passion for the macabre, you need to play this game. Just have a Bible and a priest handy.
I loved my time with Serial Cleaners, which clocked in at around 10 hours. It was everything you could expect from a sequel of a game that showed some real promise. The greater lean on narrative and the gritty aesthetic carried the game much further than the original Serial Cleaner, but sadly the core gameplay loop remains mostly unchanged. This is fine initially but wears thin toward the end. If you're a fan of Stealth games and movies such as Pulp Fiction, you'll lap up everything Serial Cleaners has to offer. While it outstayed its welcome, I'd have no qualms about hiring this motley crew for another clean-up.
Nine Noir Lives is a wholly original take on a genre that doesn’t get much love any more. The things that are great about this game make it worth playing for sure. The story is properly fleshed out, the characters are unique and well written and the puzzles themselves really do make you feel like you’re occupying a world of complex cats and critters. That said, there are aspects here that could do to be improved and as such, I’m inclined to award Nine Noir Lives seven slow blinks out of ten.
Over a series of beautiful serene views and generally casual puzzles, Hazel Sky sets forth a young engineer’s introspective road to finding his true wish buried amongst his duties and desires. Despite the context of an engineer’s Trials, you will actually not learn much about what it means to be an engineer or even about the seemingly vast world of Gideon. The action tasks could get tiring to complete due to the constant need to hold the grip button in most cases too. Still, there is fun to be had sprinting across the open lands, swinging from the ropes, strumming the guitar strings, and singing along to the songs.
My only complaint with Little Witch Nobeta is that I wish there was just more of it to enjoy. Even for a Souls-like game, it’s pretty short and I clocked in about 9 hours before the credits rolled. That said, within that time span, I was left consistently impressed by its razor-sharp level design, strong enemy and boss design, and smart application of its unique mechanics. Nobeta may be little, but she leaves a big impression.
Despite feeling like I've been knocking chunks out of The DioField Chronicle in much of my review, I did enjoy my time with the game quite a bit. My enjoyment mainly came from the fun combat hook. It's the poorly slapped-on exploration or the high fantasy by numbers storyline that lets it down. It feels like an experimental title for Square Enix. Should we get a sequel, if they put more of a budget into the outside of combat sections you'd have pure gold on your hands. Sadly, as it stands you've got poorly rendered PS2 silver dropping through your fingers with this one.
Saints Row (2022) is a mixed bag. The story and characters are only decent and there are a lot of bugs to iron out. The gameplay has only slightly changed since the previous games. That said, the character’s interactions made me laugh and the gameplay is just enjoyable, with a few improvements over the past games' already solid gameplay and a ton to do. I found it difficult to rate this one. There are a lot of points where I feel it could be better, but I still enjoyed many elements of this. It’s one that I somewhat reluctantly recommend.
Renai X Royale - Love's a Battle had me laughing from start to finish. It won’t be for everyone with its fourth-wall breaking and focus on comedic characters over romance routes, but it’s a ton of fun. I really appreciated how even side characters had their moments to shine too.
Metal: Hellsinger was an adrenaline-fuelled experience that left me with a smile and a sore neck each time I turned the game on. It managed to not only present me with a visceral and focused First Person Shooter, but also my current musical obsession. The gameplay gave me no middle ground in the best way and pushed me to play better with each trial and difficulty setting. Initially, if I couldn’t catch the beat I’d play very poorly, but once it clicked with me I’d find myself headbanging, foot stomping, and playing with all the ferocity of Slayer possessed by Lucifer Morningstar himself. Metal: Hellsinger is quite possibly the game I’ve needed ever since Doom Eternal’s curtains closed and I for one throw the devil horns into the heavens at the prospect of more to come.
Radiant Silvergun is a legendary title for a reason. It's addictive, it rewards your time, and it offers players an experience that initially would seem quite routine at first, but it isn't long until the depth shines through and it has its hooks in you. Treasure is an iconic developer, and with titles like this under their belt, you can see why. It's a perfect blend of home and arcade experience that deserves to stand next to the better-known Ikaruga as an all-time great. It shouldn't just be famous for its price tag.
Splatoon 3 is an incredible game that further evolves an awesome twist on the competitive shooter genre. Unfortunately, it’s let down by what is perhaps its most important component, the terrible and limiting online functionality. Luckily, the game is fun enough that I think legging through the exhausting online problems is worth it, and it has an excellent single-player mode to keep you occupied as well. Expressive, vibrant, and endlessly indulgent in its uniqueness, Splatoon 3 is very much a worthy follow-up to its predecessors.
SD Gundam Battle Alliance is a good action RPG wrapped in even better Gundam fanservice wrapping paper and served up in a way that makes sharing the treat the best way to experience it. It can be a little grindy, a little cute, and displays some practices that I just can't get behind. Despite that, the core gameplay and fan service are just too good for me to refuse that itch of "one more go".
The current Switch build of No Place for Bravery is so buried under technical problems that you should stay far away. But if and when the problems are fixed? I wasn’t able to see the end of No Place for Bravery, making it difficult to fully evaluate. It certainly has some good pieces: great art, a strong concept, and satisfying combat. Maybe that’s enough for it to be worth a shot. Still, from what I did see, it’s hard not to feel that with a bit more thought and care No Place for Bravery could have been a much better game than it is.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero is yet another solid game in Falcom’s rich legacy of RPGs. Issues like the lack of an English dub, slow game speed, and the strange sidequest system add up and do bring the experience down somewhat. Despite these issues, Trails from Zero is a game that manages to successfully and smartly craft an experience that stands out from its contemporaries.