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Suicide Squad Kill the Justice League has the potential to be a great game, and there is already a lot to like here. Unfortunately, the short yet tedious side quests manage to drag down the overall enjoyment. Amazing animation work, voice acting, satisfying traversal, and some good jokes lift the experience, but it turns sour as soon as you have to save four NPCs for the 5th time. To make it a better game Rocksteady needs to make fundamental changes to the repetitive quests, especially to spice up the endgame.
Chronique des Silencieux is a narrative-driven point-and-click detective game that prioritizes agency over everything and allows you to connect the dots, and solve the mysteries however you deem fit. It doesn't hold your hand and trusts you to come to your own conclusions and while I'm not a fan of the art style, and some minor bugs get in the way of fun, it's a detective game unlike anything else that's definitely worth playing.
Ultimately, The Cub is a fun, if not a bit safe, 2D platformer. The desolate world created by Demagog Studio is a joy to traverse again, and while the gameplay doesn't evolve meaningfully in its short run time, The Cub manages to pull you in with its excellent visuals, and catchy soundtrack.
Cookie Cutter is a compelling yet rough Metroidvania experience that is bound to keep you entertained for hours on end. In its current state it's undeniably rough around the edges, but, with a few patches here and there it's bound to become a cult classic in no time.
The Invincible is a story about surviving an unforgiving planet brimming with the unknown. The slow-burn takes a while to get interesting and you should be ready for a lot of exploration with minimal gameplay elements. The voice acting does a great job of keeping you immersed in the world, and the story ultimately The visuals may not be the best, but they're decent enough to set the pace for a decent story.
Ugly is a dark yet charming story-driven platformer that is filled with challenging puzzles and a melancholic story to pull at your heartstrings. The excellent art direction and the way its narrative unfolds are very memorable, however, the occasional unintuitive level design and bland musical arrangement really take away from the otherwise engaging experience.
The Jackbox Party Pack 10 may not be Jack's best attempt at the party pack in recent times, but there is still fun to be had if you have a friend group size of 4 people and are a fan of the drawing and rhythm games. However, we hope that Party Pack 11 can offer slightly better games.
Hellboy Web of Wyrd is a faithful recreation of Mike Mignola's world, and Lance Reddick does an incredible job voicing everyone's favorite cambion. Despite its excellent presentation and world-building, Web of Wyrd has numerous issues with its combat design which feels basic and dull, never evolving throughout its campaign. The roguelite elements aren't fully realized and feel unrewarding with bonuses that feel largely passive. It's clear that there is a lot of love for comics here, and it's certainly worth checking out if you want another Hellboy adventure, but the combat annoyances and camera issues make it a bit hard to recommend.
Detective Pikachu Returns is a fun game that is brimming with personality, a memorable cast of characters, and a familiar setting that is somehow new again. Unfortunately, it's held back by a menial playtime with no replay value and a very predictable plot, but that doesn't take away from enjoying the world of Detective Pikachu Returns.
WrestleQuest is a love letter to the 80s and 90s era of pro wrestling. The wonderful presentation, memorable soundtrack, and charming characters add up to a fun experience that has a lot of heart, even if the immediate story is a bit lackluster. The key thing holding it back is the overuse of QTEs which become downright annoying at times. Overall though, WrestleQuest does more right than wrong and there is a lot to like despite its rough edges.
Crime O'Clock is a fun hidden object game with an engaging time-traveling twist. The ability to visit different ticks in a timeline is well-realized, and the attention to detail in each level is quite impressive. It's bogged down by frequent mini-games that feel tacked on, and excessive dialogue that hurt the pacing by inducing boredom.
AEW: Fight Forever is a return to the glory days of arcade wrestling games, and is a lot of fun. With a surprisingly engaging story mode, deep customization, and plenty of game modes to try out, this is the AEW gaming package you've been waiting. Unfortunately, it doesn't reach its full potential because of sluggish controls, often unresponsive inputs, and mixed presentation.
With a great visual setting, well written and memorable townspeople to interact with Fall of Porcupine tries to do something new. However a few crucial omissions keep the game from being great - with no manual save, and the lack of ability to skip puzzles in a casual game like this severely ruin the experience. Add in a lackluster ending, the game has a lot of good but equally bad aspects.
Trepang2 has some of the best gunplay since the original F.E.A.R, with devastating destruction routinely on display. It often eclipses its inspiration during combat encounters, but almost every other aspect doesn't reach the same heights. With the inclusion of an unnecessary HUB area, cheap horror elements, and a predictable plot, Trepang2 is worth it for its thoroughly enjoyable gunplay, but not much else.
With average horror elements that have their moments and a somewhat interesting story that unfolds as you descend into a rabbit hole of madness, Layers of Fear does enough to keep players engaged, but not enough to push the series forward in a meaningful way.
Decieve Inc is a game I really wanted to like, but it comes into the camp of either love at first sight or a game you buy and forget and play with friends once in a while. My time with the game was enjoyable when it worked, but long matchmaking times, uneven and perplexing gunplay and unexplainable lag marred the enjoyment for me.
9 Year of Shadows is a challenging but rewarding metroidvania with some lovely pixel art, an intriguing story, excellent soundtrack, and an exciting armor system based on Greek mythos. Navigating the map can be a bit tedious, and some of the combat encounters fall into a repetitive cycle, but if you're looking for a unique metroidvania with a lot of style, 9 Years of Shadows gets a lot right.
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.
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.