Smash Jump's Reviews
For a game under £10 (or under $10, for that matter), the game is worth it if you like rich, Zelda-like experiences. The game, although the story is rooted (pun intended) in science and research, flirts with the supernatural, so don’t expect a boring story. The progression is satisfying like Metroid or Zelda. While I wouldn’t say that there’s much replay value, since it is a pretty linear journey, what it does give is a puzzle-filled adventure with great characters and a happy, positive vibe. It’s a great adventure and although I played the Switch version, as the Game Boy version is exactly the same, I think it’ll be an asset to the Game Boy’s growing library of modern games.
Due to the length, cost, and lack of accessibility features, it comes a little short. Nonetheless, Botany Manor is worth the purchase for players interested in the puzzle genre and cozy games, although waiting for a discount may be recommended.
Dragon’s Dogma 2 is a game that understands what makes an open world enjoyable. The game is confident in its systems and refuses to undercut them by including features like readily available fast travel and checklists that are commonplace in more mediocre open worlds. Instead, it asks the player to engage in its world on its terms and refuses to compromise for convenience. It is a bold philosophy that may repel some players.
Certainly the games have its charms in setting its missions based on epic moments from the Star Wars Saga, looking aesthetically great, and being able to play as fan favorite Jedi. However, these wonderful things are quickly bogged down by a myriad of performance issues, outdated shooter gameplay and overall jank. Aspyr should have made the effort to make this 20 year old classic collection as modernized, as it is graphically enhanced.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance is a great game hindered by the outdated hardware it fights against. Saber has done its best to port the title on the Switch and maintain a serviceable graphical fidelity. While Kingdom Come features a unique story, setting, and believable characters, it is wrapped within a mixed technical presentation that will be sure to test your patience.
It’s not that Ufouria: The Saga 2 is a particularly bad game. It’s just that it’s not really much fun, and the gameplay is slow and floaty.
Helldivers 2 is the best game of 2024 so far, only being held back by the fact that the small team at Arrowhead Studios was not expecting so many players to flood the servers at launch.
Overall, Penny’s Big Breakaway is a stylish 3D platformer with a novel world, that is limited by dodgy control and imprecise platforming. The game is frustrating at worst but sleek like Sonic 3 (on Genesis) at best.
Skull and Bones is quite possibly the biggest disappointment of 2024 so far. The lack of content at launch reminds me of the first Destiny game, with somewhat fun moment-to-moment gameplay, but a complete lack of anything else to keep the player interested past the first hours at launch
Promenade is a surprise hit of early 2024. I hope it will be on the radar of many as it deserves so given its gameplay diversity, great level design, inventive puzzles, supremely charming presentation, outstanding soundtrack, and great technical Switch implementation. A light story and character development alongside several small technical mishaps do little to challenge this otherwise outstanding childhood fantasy.
To sum things up, I would say that this remaster was extremely well done with the attention to detail and the overall love paid off to the Tomb Raider franchise and its fans in order to produce this as its masterpiece. It’s a welcome improvement that both new and old players can find something to enjoy, and what returning players can come back to in order to fall in love with the series once again.
Overall, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League featured some of the best third-person shooting gameplay in recent years. But paired with a lackluster story and draining live service elements, it failed to hit any of the marks expected by such a high-profile IP and developer.
Casper Croes and company deliver a great throwback with Alisa through its campy story, low-polygon presentation, exceptionally eerie original score, and retro gameplay. However, its greatest strength is also its greatest weakness. That’s because the gameplay jankiness is still present for accuracy reasons, alongside several smaller challenges, including disorienting fixed camera angles, iffy auto-aim implementation, and a reliance on accepting a campy story.
Relink impresses with its fun, addictive, accessible, and diverse character combat, tightly paced story, lovable characters, and beautiful presentation. Several aspects detract from this experience, including the surface-level complexity of the hub, side mission, and exploration system, the simplicity of the Mastery Points system, and some technical challenges like the lack of online quest cross-play between PC and consoles, frustrating lock-on targeting camera, and the PS5 Performance graphics mode resolution.
Tekken 8 is a continuation of one of the most beloved fighting game series ever made and one that embraces modern technology to ensure its worldwide player base can enjoy its exhilarating gameplay to the fullest. While the game’s netcode isn’t as rock solid as recent titles like Street Fighter 6 and Guilty Gear Strive, it is a vast improvement to its predecessor and more than good enough most of the time. Tekken’s story, while short, combines its gameplay and narrative in ways its competition has not, making its story a unique experience worth playing in a genre that increasingly places the game mode as an afterthought.
Palworld, even in its early access state, has far exceeded the expectations I had set for the game. The exploration can feel challenging but fair, and the rewarding feeling you get from leveling up your base or catching a Pal with an extremely low catch rate is amazing. Even with the fairly easy late-game Pal grabbing existing and multiplayer experience not being perfect, I can confidently say that Palworld is definitely shaping up to be something special.
While The Cub is a short game, it’s a great one that delivers an interesting story and engaging gameplay that’s well worth the time and the price. Its ability to keep a light tone while dealing with dark subjects is impressive, but it never breaks the mold set by similar games like Limbo, sticking close to the formula.
Hidden Through Time 2 is not your typical game. It is often easy to dismiss the unconventional as unworthy of attention. I’m happy to say that this nifty hidden object puzzler grabbed hold of me with its quirky and charming presentation and made me stay for its accessible and addictive gameplay loop. This sequel improves upon its predecessor in every possible way. While the very light campaign story, small optimization issues, and the lack of DualSense implementation detract from the overall presentation, it is not enough to affect my enjoyment of the game.
Another Code: Recollection is a fun experience with a great sense of progression. You really feel like you are investigating the past. The characters you learn about actually had lives and cared for one another. Despite some camera problems and some characters feeling bland, by the end of the experience, you’ll be so invested that you’ll actually feel for and care about them.
While playing Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, I was constantly disappointed. Whether it be the game story, combat, or visuals, it felt like every step forward in a positive direction was followed soon after by two steps back. The game’s positive aspects are still good, and I’m sure diehard fans of the film will enjoy the realistic recreation of Pandora’s wilderness.