Gaming Fyx's Reviews
Sayonara Wild Hearts is a wild ride which needs to be experienced to be fully appreciated
Even with its flaws, AI: The Somnium Files is an exceptional game. As it became apparent that the final hours were drawing near, my biggest problem with the game was that I didn’t want it to end. It is a unique experience which you’ll remember for years to come, and its story highs are – as of yet – unrivaled by any other release this year.
Control is a game that really fired on all cylinders for me. I’ve grown tired of the narrative space that so many third-person action games operate in, but this is a world and story I just want more of. By combining that with combat that encouraged me to fight aggressively and strategically, Control shot to the top of my favorite games of 2019. I feel this is Remedy’s best work, and some of the best weird fiction ever produced in games.
While the game itself is fairly solid mechanically, when it’s firing on all cylinders and working its hardest to bring you the best it has to offer, it is merely okay. Unfortunately, most of the time the experience is pretty lackluster, and ultimately its problem is that it doesn’t do anything new – despite its quirky premise, it feels uninspired. It feels less like the euphoria of a cat café, and more like tending a litter box.
Later Alligator is a fantastic visual novel for those who are fans of cartoons like SpongeBob Squarepants. It features a wonderful cast of characters that I would gladly watch on TV.
Heart of the Woods is an exceptionally good visual novel – perhaps one of the best I’ve played in years. I can only hope that Studio Élan continues to put out fantastic, lovingly crafted experiences for years to come.
WHAT THE GOLF? is a hilarious puzzle game that will leave you delighted and make you realize that golf, in its current state, sucks. The PGA should be getting in touch with the developers of Triband because they’ve created a fresh approach to golf that will revolutionize the sport, and then the world. If that doesn’t happen, the game will at least bring joy to everyone who plays it.
I hate to say it, because I’m a fan of Redwood’s work, but you’d be better served to revisit one of his classics over playing Photographs. The weak narrative elements combined with overly simple and poorly expanded puzzling segments makes for quite the whiff for me.
Supraland is an extraordinarily creative puzzle game with a significant amount of content to be explored and experienced; but also one which can be actively unfun to play, and occasionally expresses some feelings you might either find funny, or really gross. I somewhat recommend it, but you should maybe expect to bite your tongue every now and again.
Ultimately, Eliza is a fantastic experience. It dives deep into subjects which aren’t often talked about openly, and does so with expert attention to detail. It is a biting commentary on our reliance on technology in the modern world, and does not use kid gloves while doing so. Along with technology, it is a wonderfully executed think piece on mental health, and what it is like for everyday people to be afflicted by mental illness.
At its worst, Manifold Garden is great. At its best, it is transcendent. It is easily one of the best puzzle games of the past few years, and I can’t even imagine how much effort must have gone into designing the majority of its unique, multi-layered areas. While its flaws definitely detract from the overall experience, it is still a game which is absolutely worth experiencing. It will challenge you, leave you saying “wow” aloud, and consistently surprise you.
Spirit of the North may have its fair share of flaws, but is ultimately a success in spite of them. In the end it won me over, and will be a game I’ll revisit when I need a warm hug from an old friend.
Link’s Awakening may have been intriguing and weird a decade and a half ago, but every other game in the series has done what this one does - but better. The game feels overly tedious and drawn out because it doesn’t clearly communicate anything to the player. All the magic seems to have left Link’s Awakening as it’s aged, but luckily for you, there are other great Zelda games on the Switch.
Those who are invested in the Star Wars universe outside of the movies will find a lot to latch on to and enjoy in the story, lore, and characters. The game captures and blends the spirit and mechanics of so many games before it, and combines them well, but doesn’t do any one thing better than the games it borrows from mechanically.
Death and Taxes is a pleasant way to spend an afternoon or two discovering the various ways your actions and choices can impact the world and find an outcome.
Cat Girl Without Salad: Amuse-Bouche is a game with a charming legacy, and I’m genuinely glad it came out; but I also can’t really recommend it as anything more than a novelty.
This remake of Resident Evil 3 is a different experience than I expected, and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t slightly disappointed. While I had fun playing, I'd hoped for an interconnected city with a constant threat breathing down my neck. Instead, I got discrete levels with a threat that only occasionally showed up for set-piece moments.
MLB The Show 20 stands as the celebration the Show deserved at a time when it could see a larger audience than years past. If you don’t feel the need to slay demons or manage a virtual island, perhaps you can step into the batter’s box and take a swing at something new. MLB The Show 20 is a damn good video game.
Final Fantasy VII Remake as a project is not a simple retelling of the story that people fell in love with back on the PS1. It’s a sequel. In many ways, it’s a response to the decades of fandom and cries for the game to be remade.
If you can make it past some of the surface issues with the visuals and the combat being repetitive, there is a pretty interesting story to be told here.