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Blanc is an exercise in empathy and trust. It's a lovely short experience that uses cooperative play in a meaningful way with its absorbing puzzles where both players feel equally involved. With stellar presentation and animations, Blanc is a wonderful adventure worth playing.
Perish has the potential to be a decent title in the saturated cooperative first-person shooter space. Unfortunately, its lack of polish prevents it from being a worthwhile consideration. It simply is an inferior version of other more famous titles without offering anything unique.
Overall though, I had a fun time with this game, and the additional EX levels will keep me busy for a while. The game has enough content to entertain you for hours, with tons of memorable music in a bunch of different genres. Controls are responsive, though I wish there was more refinement in how the game handles its visual cues. The humor doesn’t always land, but there are enough visual gags here to get a laugh out of you. It’s easy to learn and hard to master, with plenty of challenging bosses to dance with.
Shoulder of Giants is a fun roguelike with tons of customization, immersive planets, and fluid melee combat. It does struggle with world-building and dialogue, and some weapons aren't as fun to use, but there's a lot of fun to be had if you're looking to spend a few hours exploring alien worlds.
Monster Hunter Rise is a breath of fresh air that elevates the series with its faster traversal, improved combat, and added depth. It looks and runs exceptionally well on modern consoles and is a delight to spend hundreds of hours in.
Dread Templar is a game for hardcore FPS fans looking to return to the pinnacle of fast-paced shooters. It's a treat for old and new fans alike, with tons of variety in weapons, enemies, and environments. The story is a bit lacking, but the game makes up for it with practically everything else.
All in all, I’m having a great time with Power Chord. I really like the playable characters, their designs, and how I have to account for multiple synergies. The presentation and attention to detail put it way above most other deck builders, and the dedication to heavy metal aesthetics encompassing every part of the game is truly commendable. With some balancing, especially with how it handles difficulty, I think Power Chord can become an even better title with hours of enjoyment and replayability.
One Piece Odyssey is a great JRPG with plenty of twists on the genre's tropes to engage new and veteran players alike. The presentation, voice acting, and score combine to create an authentic One Piece experience that can serve as an introduction to anyone curious about the franchise and an expansion for fans as well. The combat is fast and dynamic, and the "Dramatic Scene" mechanic keeps things fresh in almost every encounter. While some aspects are a bit unrewarding, and exploration can be stiff, the constant sense of wonder makes this the best One Piece game yet.
Aka is a simple game with a very compelling idea. It tells you about the mental and physical difficulties faced by people who are adjusting to a new life. You are left to your own devices and made to explore these at your own leisure with no forced narrative pushing you forward.
IXION feels familiar and accessible as it adopts the classic gameplay formula of city-builder games while also being unique enough with its various levels of management and exciting space exploration. Overall, IXION brings a lot to the table as a survival strategy city builder. It has solid core mechanics coupled with space-themed features that add enough challenge and variety to your overall gameplay experience.
The Callisto Protocol is definitely not going to be for everyone. It’s a game with a more rigid combat system that requires mastery to play the game, but it has a good story with a good redemption arc toward the end. I do have my fair share of complaints with the game, particularly with how healing is handled, the lack of an objective marker, and learning the near unforgiving combat mechanics of the game, but overall, the game is worth the journey if you are willing to put up with these minor gripes. With a strong visual and auditory presentation, the title is one that I won’t forget anytime soon.
Impaler is one of this year’s underrated gems in the retro shooter category. The mix of old-school Doom with a hint of roguelike mechanics is a perfect recipe for gamers to hop in for a quick shooting session. I just wish they would add more content in the future, but it’s also understandable if they don’t.
Knights of Honor II: Sovereign definitely immersed me into medieval times filled with hundreds of historical kingdoms to explore and lands to conquer. The “Total War” RTS combat style didn’t really stick due to the abundance of management tasks that take priority over combat, but the game has plenty of resources, politics, and tech trees to discover. It felt good once you get used to the routines of trying to make your kingdom the best in Europe. With exceptional presentation and hours of replay value, this is an RTS you can’t miss.
This Knight Witch is a great Metroidvania game that ticks the right boxes with its impressive gameplay, visuals, well-written characters, and exciting mechanics. It is made alive by the added deck building and rogue-like gameplay that keep things fresh throughout the campaign. It can be a bit challenging initially, but that’s part of the appeal and what makes it stand out.
Ship of Fools is one of the best sea-themed co-op roguelites that you can play in 2022 that features a ton of content. Tailor your ship according to your playstyle, strategize and beat sea creatures, discover valuable merchants, and seek the best loadout for clearing an entire run.
In the end, The Devil In Me is a thrilling new addition to the series. It brings a lot of brand new innovative ideas to the genre, which personally have been on my wishlist for a long time. The menacing hotel is a great setting, the characters are dynamic and purposeful, and there is something to be said about how the game is a fitting way to send off chapter 1 in The Dark Pictures Anthology.
A Little to the Left celebrates tidiness and observation with excellent presentation. Its comforting gameplay loop relaxes and engages your mind with a balanced difficulty curve. The generous hint system doesn’t ruin the fun of figuring things out on your own, and despite minor annoyances with a few puzzles, this is a cozy, beautifully crafted experience that’s hard to come by in the genre.
Resident Evil Village Winter’s Expansion is a solid offering that gives you great new features to enjoy the game. With new additions to the mercenaries mode (but still no option to play locally or online) and a 3rd person mode alone, give it new life. However, Roses’ story is the only Achilles heel of the whole package, but it’s better to play through it to be caught up to the Winters Expansion story, as there is potential for future story content.
In the end, Frog Detective 3 is a game you should play if you’re looking for a fun escape from modern video games. It is a quirky, funny, and thoroughly enjoyable ride from start to finish. With the added benefit of riding around Cowboy Town on a Razor scooter as one of the more alluring perks of the game, this is a game where sometimes less is indeed more. Frog Detective 3 is a wonderful send-off for the series, and it’s one that you will enjoy from the beginning to its joyful end.
Trifox looked like a great game. I really liked the art style and the graphics and was looking forward to a game that combined some fun combat with platforming. What I instead found was a game that tried to blend in RPG elements, a not-so-user-friendly tutorial, platforming, puzzle solving, and making the protagonist a literal jack of all trades.