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In the end, it’s clear that the Orlandi brothers have put in a lot of time and love into the creation of Killer Chambers, but the limited scope of the premise and the emphasis on difficulty over enjoyment ultimately left me feeling a little underwhelmed. It’s a game for the most dedicated of players, or those particularly keen on testing their patience with a series of punishing memory tests.
I enjoyed Sense in spite of its issues. The visuals are murky and bright enough in the right places, environments are filled with interesting enemies with vibrant histories, and the slow-burn plot line comes to a nice conclusion that leaves you with a sense of satisfaction. Had the developer been less self-indulgent with some of the design choices and added more robust and regular action sequences, I could recommend this to all players, rather than just the die-hard survival horror fans that it will appeal to naturally.
The Pillar does exactly what it sets out to do; it’s a puzzle game that takes the escape room experience and presents it as a video game. Some puzzles are easy, some are frustrating but it never feels unfair. The short run time is unfortunately a big drawback, especially as there’s not a lot of content post game. The lack of any clues whatsoever, including the controls, also might put some people off, but if you’re in the market for a game that gives you the feeling of an escape room without leaving your house, you can’t go wrong with The Pillar: Puzzle Escape.
Overall, Defentron is a good entry point if you’ve not played many games in this genre. The neon stylings of the game, and the techno background music really adds to the feel of the game. The learning curve lulls you into a false sense of security at times and ramps up considerably. The levels can be stupidly frustrating and unfair, but if you’re determined enough, there’s a genuine celebration when you complete that level you’ve attempted nearly 100 times over.
Rhythm Fighter might only have five levels but it puts up one hell of a fight. It requires multiple playthroughs before you get to make serious progress. Due to the randomly generated levels and well-paced upgrade system, this never feels like a chore and the character designs are so charming you can’t help but come back for more. The difficulty in the later levels can be tough, especially if you’re only just starting out, but the game encourages you to get better rather than demoralising you. For me, Rhythm Fighter is one of those “just one more go” games and a rather enjoyable one at that.
It’s how a video game should be - it's never too difficult and it doesn’t take itself too seriously. The fourth wall breaks and callbacks to other chapters had me laughing out loud. The surreal nature of the plot and presentation won’t appeal to everyone, but for someone who loves the stranger side of life, this will be right up your street. It certainly lives up to the Twin Peaks-meets-Zelda description and then some.
Trying to replicate the adventure book style with a grisly horror twist and reality bending plot line is an admirable undertaking, but I’m afraid there isn’t enough attention to detail to pull it off without a lot of confused eyebrow raising along the way. I certainly applaud the attempt here, but I’d say that Retrace comes off as more ‘pick your poison’ than ‘decide your own fate’ in the end.
Thoroughly enjoyable for players who like a challenge and who have a taste for the occult. Steeped in secrets throughout, nothing comes easy when the attempting to uncover mysteries of the universe – take your time, take notes and show patience, and you’ll be rewarded with a fantastic experience.
Magic Twins is a fun and cute arcade puzzle game. You might be eased in but the challenge soon ramps up, especially in solo mode but playing with a buddy took the experience to another level. I can’t stress enough that teaming up with a friend is an absolute must. Puzzles become more fun and there’s a sense of achievement when you both work together to clear a stage. It’s a shame there isn’t an online mode for virtual team-ups but the charm of Abra and Cadabra always seemed to pull me back for one more go, no matter how difficult the game became.
Inside such a compact game, you have humour and ridiculous situations that are fun to play. Characters are well voiced and the stupid requests hit home on a personal level. Unfortunately, being restricted to an on-rails experience that lasts only a few hours hampers the enjoyment, but it is rather fun while it lasts. It’s just a shame it couldn’t stick around longer.
The beautiful story takes you on a sizable journey despite the short run time; it had me engrossed and packed a punch on more than one occasion. The choices made at key moments in the game felt meaningful for both Sid’s life as well as my own. Regrettably, the technical limitations hold the game back in a significant way and keep Frostwood Interactive from realising their vision for the game. When these issues are fixed, and I’m sure they will be, I would have no problem increasing the score.
Underneath the fan service and incessant yammering during battles, you have a mindless, fun dungeon crawler that’s full of wit and charm. Yes, the environments and plot are stale and it can feel like a slog at times, but the self-awareness and comedy of the script acknowledges these issues constantly. This is perhaps why I kept playing. It may feel like a cheap solution to acknowledge your flaws so brazenly without attempting to fix them, but for the most part, I have to admit that it works. Overall, I’d say that, in spite of the repetitive levels, the gorgeous art style and the characters are enough to keep you invested until the final credits roll.
While I enjoyed Redout: Space Assault, I can’t proclaim to have loved it; the visuals, soundtrack and voice acting gave me plenty to smile about but there’s a rinse and repeat feel to the levels that make it difficult to describe as ‘must buy’. The game comes across as being a little bipolar, neither fully offering a frantic shoot ‘em up arcade experience or the more fleshed out mechanics of something more substantial. It straddles a strange middle ground that, while enjoyable, sadly does not wholly succeed in either camp.
It’s just unfortunate that for every improvement Revenants has made, so comes a consequence which hinders it. Yes, battles now require more skill than button bashing, but the sheer amount of time spent slogging away hampered my enjoyment considerably. Driving the narrative by talking to people midway through battles is a welcome change but.it is instantly counteracted because a short window in which to make important plot decisions is simply not enough time. Too often you vote on a subject without having the full story, and the outcome isn’t what you would have aimed for.
I can’t remember the last time that a game so thoroughly surprised me. Save me Mr Tako: Definitive Edition is a delightful experience that will appeal to old-school platform and RPG fans alike – drawn in by the promise of-old school platforming and fantastic throwback visuals, it was the wonderful storytelling and characters that truly left their mark.
Save for the few scenes that don’t gel together and the middle portion of the 'film', Erica is a fantastic experience that will have you gripped across multiple playthroughs. The cast, in particular Holly Earl as our lead Erica Mason, deliver top end performances throughout and the game doesn’t impose too many pointless decisions in order to constantly drive the story forward. All of this is even more impressive when you consider how many different twists and turns you can take with each playthrough.
I can certainly see why the game was lauded over in 2005 but looking at it with fresh eyes, it’s very much a product of its time. With the bulk of the gameplay somewhat repetitive, Republic Commando doesn’t give players too much to rave about outside of the squad mechanics and a good dose of Star Wars references. I’m excited for players who get to play one of their favourite games on a new platform – and with some nicely remastered elements, no less – but I think that newcomers may find that Republic Commando is not the game they’re looking for.
The horrors unfolding in-game aren’t the most scary thing about the game - the limitations of the hardware however were frightful, meaning that the game is just two analogue sticks away from being a must-own title for VR players. Sadly, the things that let Layers of Fear VR down are outside the control of the developers, but if you power through the technical issues, you’ll find a game that gives a satisfactory return on your investment just on the story alone.
I have to admit that I enjoyed Ty 2 a whole lot more than I expected to. What could have been a trainwreck of mixed play styles actually comes off as a well executed platformer with a smattering of other madness mixed in. Whether you’re behind the wheel of a kart, dropping water bombs on a forest fire or flinging boomerangs at a swathe of goofy lizards, Ty 2 offers fun, laughs and all the animal antics you could ever ask for.
RWBY feels more like a proof of concept than a fully fledged game, and its origins as a fan project are evident. It shows off the raw ingredients needed to make a good game – strong visuals, a great soundtrack, and the basics of a solid combat system, but they’re pulled out of the pan long before they’re cooked into a tasty meal. Given more variation in the level designs, a bigger roster of enemies, and ANY attempt at storytelling, Grimm Eclipse could have been a delicious morsel indeed. Sadly though, I feel that the game doesn’t do the vibrant hit series justice in any way.