Cat with Monocle
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Rick and Patty will take you on an exciting, action-packed journey with a unique exploration mechanic, calling back to classics from the 16-bit glory days. And while the archaic controls and risk-based difficulty don’t leave the game unplayable, they may discourage the average gamer from long-term play. However, it is still undeniable that FOX n FORESTS deserves a fighting shot.
Megadimension Neptunia VIIR is an entertaining title for Neptunia fans with its unique characters and storytelling. However, with only minor campaign adjustments and a slapped-on VR experience that is more novelty than necessity, those who have played the original title will have a difficult time justifying a return visit. For everyone else, go with the blessing of a CPU.
Happy Birthdays is a laid-back experience that one can certainly lose hours to simply through micro-managing their vibrant Cube. However, with a barebones narrative and repetitive gameplay, it leaves much to be desired, including the urge to keep coming back over time. Indeed, this may be one celebration that is okay to miss.
Colorful, wacky, and fun, The Adventure Pals is an entertaining platformer that’ll give you a reason why you should have your very own giraffe and pet rock as companions. While some levels feel repetitive and the dialogue text size could be tweaked, it’s a purrrtastic adventure to play on your favorite console.
Overall, Sir Eatsalot is an admirable debut effort: a good-looking, funny adventure that’s unfortunately hampered by some key technical and design issues. Nonetheless, the passion that went into every aspect of the game is clear, and I look forward to seeing what Behind The Stone serves up next.
Dragon’s Crown Pro is a gorgeous looking game, despite its exaggerated illustrations. Even if no new content has been added to this new version, players will enjoy the updated 4K resolution and the fact that they can transfer their game data from previous games and continue where they left off. Those who haven’t yet played this arcade-style adventure no longer have an excuse to wait. Add this crown to your collection immediately.
Death Road to Canada offers a dark premise with clever dialogue and an attitude that never takes itself too seriously. You will have hours of entertainment hacking and slashing the undead and making decisions that haven’t given you this much anxiety since Oregon Trail. However, even with randomized journeys, it may not be enough to bring you back in the long term, especially considering how hard it is to succeed, gain Zombo points, and unlock better character traits. It needs more braiiiins for that.
Don’t let Sling Ming’s colorful graphics fool you; the game’s physics-based puzzles provide a true challenge to overcome, and you’ll find yourself wanting to replay them once you have. Show them who’s the true master of the Oxylane, your majesty!
Gal*Gun 2 is an amusing first-person, arcade-style shooter that you can’t take seriously. Like many similar titles, each gaming session will provide solid entertainment for a few hours, but after that, players will want to put it down in favor of something else. That said, fans will come back to achieve 100% completion. If you are a player that is self-aware of others watching you, Gal*Gun 2 isn’t the type of game to play on a train, in the park, or even around your friends and relatives (unless they are into these games, too). For everyone else, have a Doki Doki good time!
Reverie is a pleasant and entertaining game for fans of EarthBound and classic Legend of Zelda games. Those who own a PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 4 shouldn’t overlook this hidden gem.
With Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux, Atlus proves yet again that RPGs on the Nintendo 3DS are very much alive and well. Even if the graphics are a little dated, the game mechanics are solid, and as a newcomer to the franchise, I’m pleased that this was my first experience. So go ahead and enter the Schwarzwelt… if you dare.
Shantae: Half-Genie Hero Ultimate Edition returns with a massive amount of content that’ll bring in new and returning players. The platforming is smooth, the character designs and the world are incredibly detailed, and the gameplay is a blast. Without a doubt, this ultimate edition will leave everyone smiling and shaking those hips.
SteamWorld Dig 2 is a definite upgrade from its predecessor, if you haven’t played the original, don’t let it steer you away from wanting to help Dorothy on her adventure. It’s an entertaining indie game that will keep players digging for a long time.
Fe is an unique-styled game that lets you explore to your heart’s content and will test your problem-solving skills. If you enjoy a dialogue-less game with no guidance, Fe is the right game for you.
Night in the Woods is a powerful, story-driven game that shows that not all games need action if you have strong characters and fun mini-games. Oh and beating up a furnace with a bat is fun, too.
The Witch and the Hundred Knight 2 has interesting characters and conversations and a few unique gameplay elements that differentiate it from other JRPG titles, but with dull maps and repetitive battles, exploration will make players yawn.
Penny-Punching Princess provides a great amount of replayability, as each mission can be replayed any number of times to capture more monsters, find a missed treasure, or to get a better grade. Backtracking and replaying previous missions is required to create stronger armor to proceed, so be prepared for a bit of grinding to capture enough monsters. The music fits each environment and scene well, from the melodic piano to hard guitar riffs perfectly matches each setting of this game. While some may be turned off by the amount of grinding and somewhat repetitive gameplay, a story this hilarious, gameplay very tight, and the difficulty curve puuuurfect, Penny-Punching Princess is very worthy of a 4.5 out of 5.
Overall, The Alliance Alive is a solid RPG with a unique narrative structure, a deep but accessible combat system, a nifty soundtrack, and a couple small graphical annoyances. Considering the portability and power of the Nintendo Switch, it also might be one of the last great RPGs for the 3DS, so don’t let the handheld disappear without a good fight.
While quite short, Old Man’s Journey tells a wonderful, if not emotional, story with little puzzles to solve along the way. The graphics present a lovely, transformable landscape that is very aesthetically pleasing and the music fits perfectly with each setting. Unfortunately, as expected with a linear, story based game like this, replayability is not something that is to found here. In addition, the game, whose price is nearly twice as much as other devices, has no extra content that can’t be found elsewhere, which is too bad. Even with that in mind, Old Man’s Journey and the story it tells gets a very emotional 4 out of 5.
Owlboy is stellar game that well-deserves a spot on your console. The vibrant, detailed world, interesting characters, interactive gameplay, and soundtrack makes Owlboy not just one of the best indie games but one of the best platformers.