4News.it's Reviews
Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess is one of the most pleasant surprises of the year. Moving away from the AAA blockbusters to which it has accustomed us, however, Capcom does not forget the requirement for the high quality of its offerings, this time surprising with a hybrid of action and tower defense that proudly pays homage to some powerful cultural aspects of the Land of the Rising Sun. Ludically layered, artistically off-par and content-wise generous, the quest of priestess Yoshiro and guardian Soh is a rare treat to savor. Not everything is perfect and a few smears subsist, let's be clear. But exactly as the Japanese tradition of Wabi-sabi dictates, sometimes it takes not only to accept imperfection, but to find in it the beauty of small things.
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Tomba! Special Edition is the definitive version of the classic Whoopee Camp, finally made available in a revised and corrected offering for a wider contemporary audience. Now as then, the title is fun and rich in detail, almost futuristic in its blend of linear and nonlinear play styles. Practically mandatory for more seasoned gamers, conversely it may be a dive into the past all too edgy for everyone else.
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Cultist Simulator: Initiate Edition is a very unique production. On the one hand, it experiments ardently by bringing together deckbuilding, roguelike and narrative against the backdrop of a story that puts you in the shoes of an aspiring founder of an esoteric cult in the 1920s. On the other hand, it decides to undertake each of his choices with an infuriating hermeticism to the point of deliberately not explaining any gameplay dynamics. The end result is undoubtedly fascinating, but also so cryptic as to alienate the vast majority of the audience if not those who are willing to immerse themselves with extreme dedication in Weather Factory's proposition. Man forewarned...
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Mika and the Witch's Mountain is a pleasant and gentle tale about a little witch chasing her dream and the difficulties she will have to overcome to make it. A light and dreamy title graced by a touching art direction as much in the aesthetics as in the soundtrack. The courage to create a title without action overtones but rather anchored solely in a simple and relaxing gameplay loop cannot be underestimated. However, the production's peculiarities are at the same time its own limitations, due to pacing (and control) problems that could compromise audience engagement. Dedicated to the youngest as well as to those who feel like relaxing without thinking too much about complex game mechanics and prohibitive difficulty.
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The Devil's Playhouse Remastered marks the culmination of Skunkape Games' excellent work on the Telltale-era Sam & Max titles. Now as then, the ramshackle freelance cop duo experiences its most paranormal and bizarre adventure, but also its most experimental gameplay side, while preserving every feature beloved by fans of the series and the genre. A fantastic title that, however, is most appreciable only by respecting its peculiar lashing humor, and only if experienced after dealing with the events of Save the World and Beyond Time and Space.
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Deathbound is a product with an original idea at its base that has a bivalent function. On the one hand it characterizes the narrative quite effectively. On the other it allows for an original combat system. It is a pity, however, that between the idea and the merely playful realization the right synergy was not found.
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After its debut on PC, Darkest Dungeon 2 arrives on consoles marking the return of one of the most interesting roguelike games on the independent scene. Red Hook Studios does not simply improve on the excellent foundation of the first chapter, but rather takes its best features to revolutionize others by putting us at the reins of a caravan engaged in a real journey of hope between darkness and damnation. The end result, though high-level, nevertheless has to contend with high difficulty, a significant degree of randomness and an almost endless sea of tactical possibilities among items, altered statuses and more. A summation of elements that make it, paradoxically, less accessible than its predecessor and perhaps even less enjoyable. For all those who are not afraid of a rough, complex and challenging experience, you will find bread for your teeth here.
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Bleak Faith: Forsaken is a proverbial rough gem. It is, indeed, a gameplay experience that lacks polish, but it has a strong identity. Thanks to the synergy between the interconnectedness of the game world, an art direction that pushes the majesty and scale of the environments and a reward system that is always on point, it will literally keep you glued to the screen, provided you can “adapt” to its edges.
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CYGNI: All Guns Blazing started out with a glorious purpose: to renew and modernize the bullet hell genre. It was an ambitious goal that aimed to bring enough novelty to the contemporary landscape to be able to make a ludic typology born to satisfy the masochistic desire of a few more attractive to the general public. Unfortunately, not everything went right: while the graphical and musical aspects are fully promoted, the gameplay adopts some ideas that make it not only punishing but also far too confusing. The result is a title that, instead of opening up to the general public, ends up speaking to an even smaller, Mesozoic circle of fans.
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Kaku: Ancient Seal is - albeit with the many limitations due to budget constraints - a good representative of the third-person action-adventure genre. The basic mechanics are engaging enough, and the game world, thanks to the variety of biomes, offers an impressive overview. Unfortunately, the narrative is not as deep as it should be and the combat system, although there is a wealth of new moves that players can learn above average, is not balanced very well, which makes combat too mundane and simplified. Fans of the genre will certainly appreciate the four continents and the unique content associated with each. But the whole experience would certainly have benefited if the developer had focused more on the content than on the game map (which is too large and bare of elements).
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The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak is yet another demonstration of how much Nihon Falcom has worked on the series over the years. From being an extreme niche product to progressively wider audiences on the strength of irrepressible writing and progressively refined gameplay, Daybreak represents both a point of arrival and a new departure for the saga. On the one hand, it embodies the highest and fullest expression of the maturity achieved by the series, which, net of a modest technical compartment, will reward you with a great JRPG that is rich and layered narratively and ludically. On the other hand, the decision to shed some of the constraints of the past allows the title to be the best entry point to finally approach this saga, provided you get along with English. You will not regret it.
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Anger Foot is a unique FPS/beat 'em up, wacky, violent, wild and nothing short of racy and irreverent. A true action-packed combat simulator. It's stylish and frenetic, and incredibly challenging, but also damn fun thanks to its wild, colorful and highly accessible gameplay with levels full of optional challenges. Perfectionists will be faced with an arduous mountain to climb, but the journey of mighty kicks, once completed, will be even more rewarding. Whether you use the assisted options or work your way up on your own merits, Anger Foot is an explosive title that is truly worth playing. Considering also the price, €24.99, if you are looking for a different experience from the canonical ones, you cannot pass up this cheerfully exaggerated and lighthearted speedrunner FPS, developed by Free Lives and published by Devolver Digital.
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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate confirms all its good qualities, already appreciated at the time of its launch on Apple Arcade. A light and fun (yet challenging) action roguelike that is clearly inspired by the top of the class, that Hades capable of garnering major recognition even at The Game Awards in 2020. The excessive similarity to the Supergiant Games masterpiece is both a virtue and a flaw of the Super Evil Megacorp production, on the one hand wise in shaping an accessible and cooperative-friendly declination of the genre, on the other hand far too conservative in ideas. Kind of like a good all-you-can-eat pizza: you never turn it down, but there's definitely something more delicious out there.
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Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn is an excellent return to the scenes for A44 Games, which once again proves to be a capable team in the perilous soulslike genre. The peculiarities of the title distributed by Kepler Interactive are such that they make it a recommended entry level for those who want to approach the genre, thanks also to some structural choices that make it less dispersive and more focused. On the other hand, the price to pay arises from a sometimes confusing and redundant implementation of mechanics, which end up diluting (or even hiding) some game design levity, particularly blatant in comparison with such fierce and all-embracing competitors. An enjoyable “Souls-lite” that can keep you entertained in the summer heatwave.
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GRAVEN ultimately succeeds in creating a rich and immersive world that harkens back to an era when first-person dark fantasy adventures were at their peak. The combination of retro aesthetics with a modern lighting system and particle effects, engaging (if slightly repetitive in longer game sessions) combat, and a good variety of enemies, puzzles, and environmental explorations succeed in offering an experience that is as fresh and immersive as it needs to be. However, the game's sometimes disconnected narrative and some somewhat articulate puzzles in addition to minor technical problems mar the overall experience.
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Phantom Fury - albeit with more than a few reservations - is a decent sequel to Ion Fury. The maps, aside from the disarming linearity in the first few hours of play - feature sprawling layouts that intertwine and require adequate exploration and even a decent memory in terms of exploration, the gunfights, although the gun system did not fully convince us, manage to entertain just enough by alternating between a few divergent sections that also require driving vehicles, the interactive environments that wink at illustrious works of the past and the “old style” graphics make up for the shortcomings in terms of performance (definitely many) and several questionable choices such as the save system, which uses classic checkpoints and which does not always work very well forcing the player to replay rather extensive portions of the game, and an AI that to say seesaw is putting it mildly. In short, all elements that as disorienting as they are in 2024, can be easily fixed with a corrective patch. At the moment The title from Slipgate Ironworks and 3D Realms is just a good game that barely exceeds sufficiency. If you are a fan of boomer-shooters you certainly cannot fail to give Phantom Fury a chance; if, on the other hand, you are looking for a qualitatively superior product, we advise you to direct your attention elsewhere!
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Shadow of the Erdtree is the perfect closure of the circle. Elden Ring with Shadow of the Erdtree definitely becomes FromSoftware's glorious work. The rating you see here has been assigned also, or rather especially, for what Elden Ring was, is, and will be. Are we romantics to see that kind of message in it? Maybe yes, maybe no, but there is no question that there is a before and an after Elden Ring.
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Autopsy Simulator surprised us with good graphics, outstanding writing-addressing such impactful topics as substance abuse, trauma, and grief-and well-structured gameplay. At a price of about €25, you really cannot ask more from a game of this type. Sure, the long loading times and strong graphical content might put some people off, but we guarantee that if you grew up on bread and CSI, the game from Woodland Games and Team17 is really worth a try.
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The launch of F1 24 - without mincing words - was a disaster. Technical issues, quite significant in terms of physics (extreme cornering tire grip, nonexistent kerbs, suspension system as unprecedented as it is unrealistic, Dynamic Handling revisited but paradoxically worsened), infuriated and uprising the community; fortunately the new and necessary corrective patches (which we decided to test by hand before giving our final judgment) saved Codemasters and EA Sports from a gigantic misstep. The driving experience - initially far too arcade-like and simplified - although still lacking a “polishing” hand - turns out to be “almost” in line with that of the last chapters of the franchise, as are the game modes; the lack of Braking Point - which took a sabbatical - is felt but with a further improved career, the characteristic Fanzone mode , an all around level graphics (with great attention to detail on and off the track), F1 24 - although losing some ground compared to previous iterations - is once again the place to be for all Formula 1 fans. Last but not least, the incredible accessibility - for which the developer should be applauded - means that anyone can experience the thrill of being a driver (pad or steering wheel in hand).
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Astor: Blade of the Monolith is a title characterized by an overwhelming sense of flatness in gameplay. Despite the intriguing narrative twists and the dungeons in the latter half of the game that manage to be somewhat stimulating, our gaming experience can be summed up in a single word: monotony. If you decide to give Astor a chance, remember the Blade of Mono... tony that will inevitably hang over your heads.
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