Cat with Monocle
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With Ys IX: Monstrum NOX, Nihon Falcom continues its streak of creating fascinating worlds. Adol’s newest adventure, revolving around a mysterious prison in a single city, may sound like it’s small, but it offers layers of gameplay. With its various battle types, character abilities, collecting, and a rockin’ soundtrack, RPG fans will want to slash, fly, and scamper their way through Balduq, uncovering all its secrets. Whether you’re a veteran to the Ys series or a newcomer, the Crimson King awaits.
Cyberpunk 2077 tries too hard to come across as cool, dark, and gritty, and instead feels like a wannabe edgelord. A shallow environment with average gameplay makes this an unoriginal experience that feels like a flashy reskin of any other game. Add in the insane amount of hype leading up to release and the constant game crashes, and players are left with nothing but disappointment. Not cool, man. Not cool.
Overall, Haven delivers an immersive and wholesome experience. The mature relationship between Yu and Kai hits the mark, the dialogue is great, the glide/flight mechanic is unique, and the soundtrack is vibrant. There is also a decent amount of gameplay (10-12 hours without too much exploration) with the right balance of difficulty whether playing solo or with a partner. It just all comes together to create a peaceful and enjoyable game. So come to Planet Source for a great getaway for two.
The Pedestrian is a unique and creatively designed puzzle game that shouldn’t be missed. Even if the journey is short, travelling by signage while listening to a relaxing soundtrack is the one of the most fun ways of getting around a city (outside of pedal pubs). Sign up for this trip, puzzle fans.
Godfall drives home the dungeon crawl mantra on an unfortunately small scale, content wise. It does, however, boast a fun, albeit different, combat system, mountains of monsters, exciting minibosses, and actual boss fights. Godfall as a whole is a beautiful example of what can be accomplished through the glory of stunning environments, combat and gear. It offers different players different ways of playing, edging them all together into one cohesive, god-killing machine. All in all, it largely depends on the gamer themselves. Can you commit to grinding a would-be god out of existence?
Atelier Ryza 2 has most of the right pieces to make a charming RPG, from its characters and story to its gameplay mechanics. Whether you’ve played its predecessor or not, it’s well worth exploring the world of alchemy through Ryza’s eyes.
No pun intended, A Short Hike’s main hike up to the summit of Hawk Peak is brief, taking only around 1-2 hours to complete. Despite a short storyline, there are plenty of side quests and activities to explore off the beaten path. Moreover, the game provides a tranquil and low-stress experience with the aid of flight and a beautiful soundtrack. In short, A Short Hike is worth exploring as a way to get away and unwind from a busy world and its cell phone signals.
For those looking to continue the story of Valkyria Chronicles with greater challenges, definitely pick up Valkyria Chronicles 4. It has the gorgeous watercolor graphics you love, along with improved gameplay mechanics. That said, the story is quite heavy, and you may find yourself a little confused if you’re new to the series. Still, Europa’s future depends on you. Squad E, move out!
Overall, Hades slays expectations, providing an immersive, rogue-like experience filled with endless hours of gameplay. While dungeon crawling may not be for everyone, it is a well-designed and well-polished game for those who love it. Each run offers a unique experience, and the progression from meek to a godly warrior is enjoyable. Between the unique narrative, the vibrant colors and artwork, and the smooth gameplay, dying repeatedly has never felt so good.
Overall, Immortals Fenyx Rising lives up to the hype and delivers an immersive and wholesome experience filled with countless hours of gameplay. The game feels like a fusion of Breath of the Wind and Assassin’s Creed, which is a fine pedigree in my book. The distinctive and vibrant Golden Isle is captivating to explore, and the edgy twist to Greek mythology gives it even more flavor. With well-balanced gameplay that appeals to all skill levels, players are allowed to carve out their own unique journey as they save the gods. So rise, players. Rise!
Astro’s Playroom is well worth your time as one of your first games on your shiny, new PlayStation 5. Considering that it takes full advantage of the DualSense’s features, has fun platform levels and a catchy soundtrack, and it’s FREE, it’s hard to not like Astro’s Playroom. It’s just unfortunate that it’s so short. Astro and his friends deserve a full-length platformer! Until then, I’ll be hanging out with my bot buddies.
Bugsnax is an interesting, well written, and whimsical adventure. Even if the game is pretty short, it’s a delicious game for players to start catching the Bugsnax vibe.
Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 is clearly an upgrade over its predecessor. Newcomers have a lot to chew on as veterans, not so much. By taking what was great about the first game and adding fun, new additions such as Skill Battle mode, Sega made a puzzle game sequel well worth playing. Game clear!
Overall, although certain aspects of Wargroove can be a bit limited, the gameplay is engaging, and that’s what counts. The new missions and objectives will keep both new and more seasoned gamers on their toes. Either way, look forward to many hours of tactical gameplay. Your characters may not level up in that time, but your problem solving skills most definitely will.
Oceanhorn 2: Knights of the Lost Realm hits the mark in regards to creating a fun and original spin on a familiar gameplay style. For die-hard fans, the game unabashedly has a Zelda-esque feel to it, but the amount of content may fall short in comparison to some titles from that storied franchise. Regardless of the similarities, Oceanhorn 2 delivers a quality adventure for the price that pairs well with the Nintendo Switch audience. So go forth and become a true hero.
It’s clear that the main purpose of the Ghost of Tsushima: Legends DLC was for co-op, as the main game improvements are a little underwhelming. However, it’s difficult to complain, given that this DLC was completely free and that the co-op gameplay is stellar. Hopefully, we can expect more story-driven DLC in the future for Ghost of Tsushima.
Overall, The Survivalists offers potentially limitless gameplay due to the uniqueness of the island biomes, the exploration, and the incorporation of multiplayer functionality. A few aspects, such as the constant hunger, the tedious and repetitive tasks, and a lack of local co-op or cross-platform play may irk more casual players who are looking to escape chores in the real world, though. Still, there is much fun to be had here, and besides, who doesn’t want a legion of monkeys serving them?
Is Panzer Paladin worth the price of admission? Well, although it does make use of the Mega Man formula, it doesn’t really do much with it and even lacks the elements that made those games memorable. Still, at least it captures the look and sound of games from the 8-bit era. In short, wait until a flash sale and you have time to kill because you could easily beat this game within an hour or so.
Overall, Raji: An Ancient Epic offers plenty of action and an interesting story in a sublimely beautiful world enriched by Indian and Balinese culture. It’s too bad the combat can be a bit repetitive and the camera gets in the way so much. Still, it is an enjoyable experience, even if it might not stand the test of time.
Putting aside the quirky visuals, weird enemies, and the saucy maidens, Waifu Uncovered actually offers some solid shoot ‘em up gameplay, making it a fun, short diversion to play between other games in your library. It’s unfortunate that it doesn’t have more to offer outside its normal gameplay, but you get what you pay for. Just be sure to enjoy the waifus at home!