GameBlast

For those who were used to the Recharged templates that Atari's classics had been using in recent years, Lunar Lander Beyond came with a new and very good proposal, revitalizing an icon in gaming history. However, the game focuses too much on a story mode, leaving the arcade roots of its original source a little aside.

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Sand Land manages to do one of the most difficult things in this heated and boring cultural industry of our time: it is able to justify its own existence (alongside an anime that tells the same story, but not quite like that), which sometimes it may seem meaningless if we only look at the surface of the proposal. Despite some relatively silly technical mishaps that are more annoying due to the supposed ease of identifying them, Beelzebub's adventure has a craftsmanship that exudes a lot of grace and charisma.

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Another Crab’s Treasure is a pleasant surprise in a game style that may be a little overused nowadays. The title stands out for its dynamic battles, well-planned level design and a focus on platforming, besides a story that, while not deep, is compelling due to its characters. Accessibility choices expand the title's potential beyond the audience already familiar with From Software's formula and may fuel discussions about an "easy mode" in this kind of game. Even with technical issues, I already consider it one of the best of the year.

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Delivering everything it promised – and even more than that –, Stellar Blade is certainly one of the best titles of the year. With beautiful visuals and smooth performance, the combats and explorations of the beautiful Eve become incredible experiences. The game has a balanced level of difficulty, offering exciting and addictive fights, but without forgetting to offer puzzles and other interesting variations in gameplay. In short, a mandatory choice for the library of PlayStation 5 owners.

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SaGa Emerald Beyond is a unique and curious RPG that rewards the player who understands and abuses its intricate battle mechanics. With a thought-provoking futuristic universe and great visual appeal, the game is an accessible entry into the franchise; however, world exploration leaves something to be desired, with large environments that could offer richer interactions than simply walking from side to side looking for areas to activate flags.

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Phantom Fury represents a significant evolution to its predecessor keeping the fidelity to its nostalgic aesthetics while offering visual and gameplay upgrades. Though the game has a few technical caveats, it offers a satisfying experience for FPS fans with a classic touch, especially for those who love the retro style.

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Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes was clearly made with dedication to deliver an epic experience about assembling a resistance army in the midst of an inglorious war. The narrative cannot give importance to such a vast cast, but, overall, it does a good job with what it has at hand, telling an engaging, well-written and well-voiced story. Translation does not follow the same level and several systems seem to be too close to the old productions on which they are based, missing the chance to modernize to allow for more efficient management. The end result is a good JRPG that suffers from limitations, which can still be resolved with changes here and there to systems, options and menus, bringing with it the potential to really shine in its environment.

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[...]the fandisk is yet another quality title within the girls love demography and should be checked out by people who want to understand a little more about the nuances of romance within the LGBT+ umbrella.

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KinnikuNeko: SUPER MUSCLE CAT shines due to its originality and creativity, offering a fun and unique experience that draws inspiration from anime and a quirky plot. However, despite its strengths, the game has some flaws that can hinder the player experience but it still is an attractive option for fans of platformers, especially those keen for unique, fun approaches to the genre. With a little more polish and technical fixes, it could reach its true potential and deliver an even more satisfying experience to players. Time to work out a little more, kitty!

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With a good variety of modes, solid gameplay, and a curious atmosphere with Asian supernatural elements, Shikhondo: Youkai Rampage is a good example of what bullet hells have to offer. The systems don't bring novelties to the genre but the execution is good enough to be worth playing it multiple times.

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With an unusual gameplay to master and a surreal, charismatic world, this is definitely one of the surprises of the year. If you're looking for an excellent platformer with a unique and nostalgic concept, it's very recommended!

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ArcRunner offers a satisfactory experience for fans of the roguelite genre, delivering exciting moments of facing challenges in a futuristic environment, filled with action and neon in spades.

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Despite all its qualities, that include a competent production, solid gameplay, and fun possibilities during combat, Isonzo suffers with big issues. Besides the wasted potential in not offering a campaign mode, the focus on online matches highlights connection issues and the necessity of making rooms. There is definitely a lot of entertainment on top of this FPS but only for those willing to climb a steep mountain.

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Despite some occasional bugs, problems with the plot's rhythm and lack of more engaging gameplay, Harold Halibut does not lose its shine as a work that uses its form well to bring visual charm, without forgetting to work on its content a story with strong text, interesting characters and issues so prominent in human nature.

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Anomaly Collapse brings good ideas to turn-based tactical combat by using different positioning components in a unidimensional grid. Even though, at times, battles can be confusing due to visual pollution, there's an interesting idea here that could be improved upon in future games from the developer. The roguelike elements complement the adventure well, bringing various items that change the combat dynamics in a significant way, even if not in an innovative way. The absence of an impactful story and the generic backgrounds make it less attractive, with the combat as the only element that stands out effectively. If the lack of a Portuguese localization isn't an issue, I think the qualities justify tactical combat fans to keep an eye on it.

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Open Roads presents a captivating story despite its issues. The relationship between Tess and Opal is well developed and there are many moments that makes us reflect, especially for players who have already been in similar family problems. The way the ending is told is less than ideal, as are the multiple dialogue options, that do not have significant impact in the story, but it's definitely an excellent option for those looking for a compelling and creative narrative.

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Children of the Sun is a unique experience. It may be a little derivative of other games, but it doesn't change the fact that the game has its own identity, full of personality by simplifying its gameplay and focusing on the variety of situations in which it can be used, masterfully sustaining the interest of the player. It's a shame that the short duration ends up somewhat undermining the impact of this stylish paranormal thriller full of occultism and paranoia.

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Terra Memoria was a pleasant surprise among the games I tried this year. Within its limitations, it presented a fun and thought-provoking story, charismatic characters and a well-designed combat system, which caught my attention for its creativity and for forcing me to develop different strategies for each pair present in battle. There are some setbacks in the development of the story, but they are not problems that significantly affect the experience.

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The fact that Moonglow Bay has already been released previously for other platforms increases the size of its problems, as they should have already been fixed. Furthermore, what we have here is a game with a simple and captivating proposal, but which is greatly hampered by several execution errors and considerable flaws.

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Grandia HD Collection offers an opportunity for fans to relive the first two titles in this great JRPG series. However, although it brings visual improvements and the option to choose between audio in English and Japanese, the quality of the gameplay and stories of these classic games is able to overcome the flaws in the collection's execution, providing a rewarding experience for fans of this genre.

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