Twisted Voxel
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Hello Kitty Island Adventure successfully translates Sanrio's charm into a polished life simulation that captures Animal Crossing's appeal with delightful visuals and approachable design. The friendship system and character customization provide genuine warmth, while minigames offer welcome variety. However, its mobile origins create fundamental flaws through repetitive fetch quests, time-gating mechanics, and grind-heavy progression that strips away natural rewards.
Gears of War: Reloaded’s few issues don’t detract much from an otherwise great package that still holds up and is now also accessible on PS5 with standout DualSense features.
Demon Slayer: The Hinokami Chronicles 2 delivers CyberConnect2’s trademark blend of cinematic spectacle and flashy combat, successfully capturing the anime’s visual flair while offering a massive roster and solid performance. Its accessible gameplay and roguelike Training Path mode add replay value, but the linear story design, filler collectibles, and reliance on recycled formulas keep it from feeling truly fresh. For fans of the anime or Ninja Storm series, it is a stylish crowd-pleaser. For others, it may feel more like déjà vu than evolution.
Mafia: The Old Country delivers a competently crafted but ultimately underwhelming prequel that falls short of franchise expectations. While the early 1900s Sicilian setting offers visual appeal and the supporting cast provides memorable moments, the experience suffers from uneven pacing, a unconvincing central romance, and repetitive gameplay mechanics. Outdated enemy AI undermines stealth encounters, and the linear structure lacks the ambition of previous entries. Despite solid performance optimization and polished presentation, this mid-budget effort feels caught between being too safe and too limited, requiring series fans to significantly lower their expectations.
Donkey Kong Bananza successfully transitions the franchise into 3D with impressive scope and satisfying destruction mechanics. The open-sandbox design encourages exploration, while intuitive controls and collectibles keep players engaged. However, it suffers from performance issues in docked mode, simplistic difficulty, and a forgettable story. Despite these shortcomings, Nintendo delivers a polished launch title that captures the joy of destruction and expands the series' potential.
No Sleep For Kaname Date delivers a clever, puzzle-heavy spin-off brimming with Uchikoshi’s signature weirdness—though its story feels more like fan service than a meaningful expansion. While the escape room segments and adjustable difficulty shine, the disjointed pacing and thin character arcs leave it stuck between prequel filler and standalone charm.
Pac-Man meets Metroidvania in this bizarre yet bold experiment. Shadow Labyrinth mixes arcade nostalgia with punishing Souls-like mechanics, but uneven controls and a harsh checkpoint system take away from the experience. While its Pac-Man-themed platforming shows moments of creativity, the shallow world design and clunky combat make it feel more like a curiosity than a must-play.
Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut remains a masterclass in crime drama storytelling, now polished to 4K/60fps glory on Switch 2, but its 'exclusive' new content feels underwhelming. While the added cutscenes and experimental multiplayer barely justify the 'Director’s Cut' label, this is still the definitive way to experience one of gaming’s greatest prequels. A must-play for newcomers, yet hard to recommend for returning fans unless portability trumps all.
Tamagotchi Plaza offers harmless, kid-friendly minigames wrapped in colorful nostalgia, but its repetitive gameplay and shallow progression make it feel more like a tech demo than a complete game. Younger fans may enjoy the charming characters and simple shopkeeping, but the Switch 2’s motion-controlled features do little to elevate this thin package. Cute, but ultimately forgettable.
Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma revitalizes the franchise with its breezy charm, refined combat, and vibrant seasonal world. While the farming mechanics are simplified and the amnesiac plot feels stale, the game excels in building engaging relationships, offering strategic boss fights, and delivering a cozy sense of progression. It’s a polished blend of farming sim and action RPG—ideal for newcomers, though veterans might wish for deeper systems.
Mario Kart World is a remarkable achievement and the most ambitious installment in the series. It features stunning visuals at 4K resolution and 60 frames per second, along with exciting 24-player races and a charming, albeit somewhat shallow, open world. The new free-roam mode and kart customization options are enjoyable, but the repetitive side content and the surprising lack of a proper story mode prevent it from reaching perfection. While it is a multiplayer gem for Switch 2 owners, solo players may find themselves wanting a deeper progression system beyond its beautiful and content-rich appearance.
RAIDOU Remastered brings new life to a cult classic with its polished action combat and demon-summoning mechanics, but its repetitive battles and shallow character development hold it back from being truly great. This unique blend of Shin Megami Tensei lore and detective noir delivers plenty of style and atmosphere, making it a treat for longtime fans of the series. However, it lacks the depth needed to win over newcomers.
Elden Ring: Nightreign offers a bold but uneven twist on Soulsborne formula, blending PvE co-op with battle royale mechanics. While its intense boss fights and improved mobility shine, the punishing solo experience, restrictive class builds, and awkward shrinking-map gimmick hold it back. Best enjoyed with a coordinated team, Nightreign caters to hardcore fans—though its experimental design may alienate those craving FromSoftware’s signature depth.
A psychological horror gem disguised as a dating sim, Cooking Companions serves up chilling twists and compelling character drama—though its generic art style and illusion of choice leave some ingredients undercooked.
A solid but uneven debut for MercurySteam’s new IP, blending satisfying weapon-crafting with God of War-inspired combat. While its enemy variety falters and pacing stumbles early on, the deep forging system and punishing boss battles carve out a niche worth exploring. Not quite a masterpiece, but a promising foundation for future installments.
A faithful but flawed remaster that polishes a PS2 cult classic without fixing its dated design. While the upscaled visuals and refined combat shine, stubborn fixed cameras and archaic progression hold it back. For fans, it's a nostalgic trip worth taking—but newcomers may find its clunkiness harder to swallow than a demon soul.
A love letter to fighting game obscurities, delivering cult classics with modern polish. While the absence of Rival Schools stings and Capcom Fighting Evolution remains forgettable, the stellar online-ready Capcom vs. SNK duo and chaotic Power Stone revival make this a must-buy for genre devotees. Not every gem here shines equally, but the rollback netcode and wealth of extras elevate it beyond mere nostalgia bait.
A precision-platformer gem that dazzles with its inventive teleportation mechanics and striking biomechanical aesthetic. While its visual opaqueness occasionally frustrates, the razor-sharp level design and momentum-driven gameplay make it a must-play for fans of the genre—even if it doesn’t quite reach the narrative heights of its Limbo-esque inspirations.
A long-awaited sequel that delivers charm, tactical depth, and heart—even if it plays it safe. The inventive Confine/Confire/Confriend mechanics shine, and Marona’s journey strikes a perfect balance between whimsy and emotional weight. While not as expansive as some Nippon Ichi epics, its accessibility and polished combat make it a worthy return to Ivoire.
A gripping fusion of Danganronpa’s twisted storytelling and tactical RPG combat, elevated by its eccentric cast and layered mysteries. While the 100-endings gimmick feels excessive and battles lack depth, the game’s dark humor, social sim elements, and Uchikoshi-style twists make it a must-play for fans—even if it doesn’t quite surpass its inspirations.