Smash Jump's Reviews
Shin-chan: Shiro and the Coal Town delivers a good cozy experience of Japanese culture and rural life wrapped in a hand-drawn anime-like presentation and highly accessible and simple collect-a-thon mechanics. However, gameplay complexity and variety leave more to be desired, while the title suffers from some awkward animations due to its fixed camera perspective.
Crypt Custodian, ultimately, is a charming adventure meant to relax rather than stress and which tried to help the player along rather than hinder their progress.
Voidwrought has solid gameplay mechanics and combat feels satisfying. However, the items and collectibles are overused and it is not made clear what objects actually do, and how they will affect gameplay. It generally has the protagonist adventuring alone, but when he does meet an NPC,the dialogue is so abstract that you my as well need a translation guide just for this game.
Finding Frankie has potential of being a fantastic IP with a polished and unique concept, but its lackluster broad story and jaunted controls hold it back from being a fantastic game through and through.
The Silent Hill 2 Remake is an absolute marvel. It’s ability to remain faithful to just about everything about the original whilst also feeling fresh and exciting is astounding.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is a return to form for the franchise and deserves a spot among the best Call of Duty titles. BO6 is a complete top-to-bottom Call of Duty package, featuring an explosive campaign, a fun and frantic multiplayer and Zombies mode, the most dynamic gunplay and movement yet, and an all-around outstanding presentation.
There’s something for everyone in this game. Even if you don’t like the randomness of regular Mario Party, you can always try out the Kooplathon or Rhythm Kitchen. The variety of modes combined with the mixture of old and new mini-games and boards makes this one of, if not the best, Mario Party ever made.
Filled to the brim with fun references and teaser moments for Control 2, Lake House is the perfect experience for Remedy fans.
It mimics the films really well, and adds elements to the story that work perfectly within it, such as Alex having asthma and incorporating that into the gameplay and narrative. As a well-versed survival horror player, I found the game to be a bit simple for my taste, however I would recommend this to anyone trying out survival horror for the first time.
Overall, Sparking Zero lives up to its hype as a thrilling addition to the Dragon Ball franchise, with room for improvement through future updates and potential DLC.
The story was good, but not excellent. Exploration definitely had a few wins, but still felt largely empty and did not reward players enough. Loot system is still flawed and the added content clearly did not include a whole lot of new weapons. Mainly these are reskinned versions of weapons already introduced to us.
Thank Goodness You’re Here is a crazy, hilarious but short game that perfectly encapsulates the strange inhabitants of Britain. Whilst it may not be for everyone, and it’s definitely a bit short for the price it’s asking for, its writing, jokes and charm make this a hilarious, unique game that takes you on such a bizarre journey through good ol’ England.
Echoes of Wisdom is a top-down Zelda adventure rich in character where the player must use echoes creatively to defeat enemies and solve puzzles. While the lack of combat may be a disadvantage and handicap to some, to others it allows more creative and interesting tactics to be used, and the lack of focus on combat may have encouraged the developers to create a rich, detailed overworld with numerous side quests.
Overall, The Plucky Squire is a great game because of its bright and colorful animation, relaxing music, and clever gameplay. Even though the game is aimed at children, some teens and young adults looking for a comfort game will enjoy it as well.
Throne and Liberty impresses with its scope, guild-focus, presentation, technical ability, and potential to become an MMO worthy of your time. However, it is also rough around the edges due to its safe story and combat, intimidating UI, and a plethora of bugs at launch.
This game definitely isn’t for everyone. If you’re not interested in Capcom’s fighting game past, this is probably not the game for you. But if you’re a big fan of the Marvel vs. Capcom series or have any remote interest in fighting games, this game is right up your alley.
Astro Bot is nothing short of a delight. It takes everything that made that small tech demo a hit and builds on its best parts while improving on the shortcomings. There are a few frustrating moments and it isn’t flawless, but there is more than enough to keep you invested from start to finish. PlayStation has finally got a killer mascot on its hands, one that I hope it doesn’t forget about anytime soon. If you’re looking for a fun and cute adventure filled with challenging levels, addictive collectibles, and a plethora of PlayStation references, Astro Bot is the game for you.
Space Marine 2 is everything a 40K fan would want in a game, with intense combat and detailed customization. While an unremarkable story and server issues hold the game back from true greatness, the experience on offer is well worth the $70 price tag with a plethora of content that calls back to the games of the early 2010s with a main story, PvP, and co-op mode to ensure you’ll happily spend hours slaying Xenos.
Lollipop Chainsaw: RePOP is a vibrant, bloody, and sexy hack-and-slash game that is nothing short of a ton of fun. A few disappointing story moments and clunky gameplay moments aside, it’s a great adventure that feels rewarding and addictive at the same time.
Dungeons of Hinterberg is a delightful and wonderfully weird experience. This is not your usual run-of-the-mill action-adventure RPG.