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Galdra Studio’s Arcadia Fallen is that sort. It attempts to take people on an adventure while challenging them with some puzzles and offering opportunities to bond with (and romance) allies. However, it also provides a chance to shape a protagonist’s personality with answers, have multiple “correct” answers, and shape a story while letting someone be themselves. While it might not be entirely revolutionary, it accomplishes its goals and tells an interesting story.
This has been the year of me playing games I’d usually never pick up and going, “Wow, this is a good game!” So let me begin this review with this — Undernauts: Labyrinth of Yomi is a good game that fell completely under my radar. From developer Experience, Undernauts is your typical dungeon RPG, but that doesn’t mean it’s your average DRPG.
lue Reflection: Second Light, which is essentially Blue Reflection 2, is a game of many mysteries. Why did Ao and a number of other girls wake up to find themselves in a deserted school? Where are they? What caused them to lose their memories? How is it that some young women can turn into magical girls called Reflectors? While the players possess as little insight as them (unless they played or watched previous Blue Reflection stories), Gust’s latest is good at doling things out in a surprisingly relaxed way.
Shin Megami Tensei V is an incredible and memorable experience. It does some extraordinary things, both in terms of gameplay and its story. I’d even say the experience could be daunting, but in the most positive way. It is going to test you and make you think.
A lot of puzzle games involve finding the right place for things. In Tetris, you try to organize tetrominos to create perfect rows. In Puyo Puyo, you want the puyos to fall into the right places to trigger combos. Upon closer review, Unpacking is a game that is sort of similar, though the item placement involves no competition, no stress, and almost no worries about doing things “wrong.”
Voice of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roars, the new game from NieR creator Yoko Taro, is a peculiar little game. It knows what it wants to be! And its aesthetics definitely come first. But if you’re at home in its slower pace and tavern feel, you’ll have a good time.
Can the Gardeners of the Galaxy save the flarking universe? Magic 8 Ball says "I am Groot."
Impostor Factory is a surprisingly beautiful game that questions what it means to have a meaningful life. It tells a cyclical narrative that still manages to feel honest and emotionally raw. It works best if you go into it with as little information as possible, so I won’t say much more than that on how the story unfolds.
There’s so much to Dungeon Encounters. People might not even notice at a first glance. But the systems at play are so compelling and rewarding. Finding a new item. Beating a party of foes that stumped you before. Managing to track down a wandering adventure. Saving a party of fallen allies that died earlier because you overestimated your abilities. It’s enthralling.
Like its predecessor, The Caligula Effect 2’s greatest sin is that it is entirely average. The soundtrack is incredible, to be certain. Progress is clear, given that the dungeons work so much better. The general story feels stronger as well. But the supplemental elements, generic enemies, and need to only take advantage of the tactical parts of battle when facing bosses leave it feeling a bit lackluster.
Metroid Dread is constantly offering a player a challenge, then providing an appropriate reward for their efforts. It forces you to be better. You’re put in situations where it will be difficult, but paying attention and trying usually means you can get through it.
New games have moved from the obvious to the truly weird. And, perhaps most importantly for this installment, the world has become much more about video calls than house parties. The Jackbox Party Pack 8 is the first one fully developed in these conditions, and its collection of games feels like it wanted to be deeper and more involved to fit in a little better.
There is just a lot to do in The Good Life, which means that players can potentially sink upwards of forty-plus hours taking pictures or running mundane, everyday tasks. And while I like life simulators, I don’t like them when they can barely run at over 3 FPS.
In review, there’s a lot to like about Demon Slayer: The Hinokami Chronicles even if it isn’t exactly perfect. It’s a strong first step. The Adventure Mode’s execution and ideas are sound, even if it can feel a bit simple in practice. The Versus mode works well, with characters who feel distinct and have personalities come through.
ActRaiser Renaissance arrived at exactly the right time. It perfectly builds on everything good about the original. More importantly, it makes the the city simulation portions even more engaging by adding RTS elements.
Mary Skelter as a series is good at surprising players. In many ways, Mary Skelter Finale is something of a grand finale that takes time to review what worked for the series.
Whether you do or don’t recognize these callbacks, though, Eastward feels like a game charting its own course. Rather than the bucolic paradises of Studio Ghibli movies or the sword-swinging fantasy fare of Dragon Quest, the dominant aesthetic of the game is a sort of cutesy calamity. The apocalypse it depicts through gorgeous pixel-art graphics is vibrant, warm, and almost hospitable.
Nevertheless, we can’t help but be heartened by the progress. The Super Monkey Ball franchise has been rolling down a slope for a while now, so even a step or two back in the right direction is nice to see.
In general, Knockout Home Fitness is a handy exercise game for the Switch and fills a niche. It isn’t as intensive or potentially lengthy as, say, something like Ring Fit Adventure. Rather, it invites someone to show up every day for a few minutes to be active.
Now Death Stranding Director’s Cut is on its way to the PS5 and makes the original game less cumbersome to play, more appealing to return to, and prettier than before.