Kakuchopurei
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While this is a far cry from Capcom returning to the past golden age, at the very least I will appreciate whatever droplets of creative risks the sequel-and-remake-focused company will push out. PRAGMATA is a remnant of a bygone third-person shooter-in-the-aughts, made better and engaging in this current generation of gaming due to its creative mix of hacking and shooting while delivering a heartfelt plot between a man and his foster robot daughter. Let's just savour the moment, rare as it is, as we may not see these glimmers shine as bright again from the House of Mega Man.
Bottom line: ChainStaff's gimmicks sets it apart from other indie shooters in this current timeline of gaming, and it pays in loads for it. It's fun to play, doesn't wear out its welcome, keeps its tone light-hearted yet casually gory, and will keep you entertained with ChainStaff shenanigans for hours to come.
In spite of its glitches, you can't fault the game and its team for having ambition. Replaced's attempt at immersing you in its lush and beautiful-yet-dystopian future, and its intriguing premise accompanied with a rockin' synth soundtrack; it really works when you experience that early in-game chase scene and how Reach/Warren figure out their conundrum in the game's short-but-sweet runtime. Just like with this week's many narrative-driven releases in this particular week of April, Replaced is that one title you can't pass up.
While a few missions may seem a bit same-y and wear out their welcome, you're not going to find any first-person shooter as beautiful, as artistically focused, and thoughtfully laid-out as MOUSE: P.I For Hire.
Minos is one labyrinth of a strategy title you won't mind getting lost in; assuming that's your cup of Greek tea, of course. [...] It's a thinking man's roguelite, for better or worse, and your mileage may vary.
KuloNiku: Bowl Up is as quaint and standard as you can get for a cooking game, though it clearly stands out with its anime-esque presentation that reminds me of a better-looking Mega Man Legends PS1 era art style. It's cutesy, low stakes, chillax, and is a breeze to play through if you've played a few of these visual novels.
Grime II does what a sequel should do: expand upon the first but not lose sight of its intended vision, which is to deliver a more weird-as-heck-but-memorable search action title that'll absorb you for hours on end. This title strikes a perfect balance between customization freedom, exploration, and challenge levels, combining in harmony like a visually stark Picasso-esque expression.
Little Nemo and the Guardians of Slumberland may look cute, but it is deceptively challenging and tricky to navigate. It also doesn't wear out its welcome, with its levels being cleverly designed and its power-ups meaningful.
I think of Crimson Desert as an unrefined-but-still-promising The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild successor, but with a lot more Rockstar-design-level shenanigans in play. You have to give Pearl Abyss huge credit for somewhat succeeding in that action-adventure role-playing game design front, as well as listening to the community while implementing important changes for its long-term health. Crimson Desert's going places, but for now it's in quite a half-baked-but-still-entertaining state.
Make no mistake: Esoteric Ebb is just what the doctor ordered for a quick-witted, choice-heavy, path-altering, and experience-defining RPG title that knows how to tinker with your cerebral mentionables.
This year's iteration of Screamer is indeed a surprise, dishing out solid racing action for those who miss the good old days of arcade racing that favour some element of twitch like the Burnout series, Blur, and Split Second. It's not an easy experience, even with the driving assists available, but it is definitely catering towards players who just want quick racing without the frills of realism.
If you fancy a Helldivers 2-like experience but a little more basic and more accurate to the roots of its satire military origins in a particular FPS era where 2D and 3D collide ala Duke Nukem 3D, Powerslave, and Blood, you can't beat this Starship Troopers game.
While not the most original of ideas & design, John Carpenter's Toxic Commando (JCTC) is still a solid co-op effort with a great presentation style, lovely gunplay, and fun-yet-brief co-op stage-completing flow.
Lost & Found Co. is a delightful and charming indie offering from our Southeast Asian neighbours up north if you fancy a light-hearted pixel-hunting endeavour. It's detailed and full of life and colour, telling its low-stakes story (in feels, at least) with glee and features a delightful cast of characters and miscreants.
Planet of Lana 2 is yet another stellar indie platformer that stands out and is a must-play for everyone into creative-yet-testy brain-teasing adventure titles. Even its "short" runtime doesn't hinder the fact that you'll come out all the more enlightened out of this out-of-this-world (heh) experience.
Raging Scottaholics will love this title to death just for all the nods and references, with special props to the developers for their attention to detail. Fans of beat-em-ups and gaming will find a lot to adore here, as it's basically a revved-up role-playing beat-em-up hybrid ala River City Ransom on steroids and pop culture nod overloads.
A few technical issues and camera problems aren't going to detract from the fact that Demon Tides is a 3D platformer fan's wet dream.
All in all, [Mewgenics is] as fun as a bag full of, well, cats. And about as purrfect as you can get with a mish-mash of strategy RPGs, roguelites, and breeding simulation that goes together like cat treats and cat nip.
Much like past Dragon Quest remakes the past few years, the seventh mothership game truly needed this reinvention and shake-up as it's a tough game to go back to in its original form, as underrated as it is in delivering that sweaty old-school JRPG experience that stays true to its roots. Old-school fans will find some nitpicks and grievances (like some unchangeable bits catered to current-gen players), but they're just a vocal minority who have the means to go back to their old-ass PS1 copies of their beloved-yet-obsolete entry.
Code Vein II is a huge improvement over its sequel from gameplay to level design, and even its partner system. It also retains its unrelenting brutality and difficulty without compromise, for better or worse. Like a bunch of gamemakers who stan From Software's work to the point where they don't give players a break and probably turning some folks off who really want to give this subgenre a shot.