Qualbert.com's Reviews
Nomada Studios follow up title has gone above and beyond it’s predecessor. With deeper gameplay, vibrant colours and a heart wrenching story to boot. Although this 5 hour journey may be shorter than some would like, it doesn’t detract from its fantastic gameplay. Neva is an engaging and emotional experience that is well worth investing your time in, even if it is only for a day or two.
Bean Beasts is yet another stand-out indie that showcases the talent of a solo developer. While it doesn’t shy away from its inspirations, it manages to create a compelling and challenging strategy game that will please any fan of the tower defense genre. Packed with plenty of worthwhile content and vibrant charm, this is an indie gem that deserves a spot in your Steam library. And as the developer’s debut title, I’d be keen to see this evolve into something even bigger.
If games were hot drinks, Tiny Bookshop would be a perfectly steeped cup of chamomile tea: calming, warm, and slightly floral. It won’t jolt you awake or set your heart racing, but it will leave you feeling quietly content, and maybe, just maybe, make you want to reorganise your bookshelf in real life.
Raidou Remastered might be one of the top Atlus games and a main highlight of the Shin Megami Tensei Devil Summoner series. The setting and game design offer a really compelling experience that, honestly, nothing else really comes close to challenging. The action combat, in its much-improved remastered form, is great fun and surprisingly strategic. If any future Shin Megami games use action, they should absolutely copy Raidou’s homework. Highly recommended!
When I consider the cost of the extra modes and minigames, especially as three quarters of the game doesn’t require the camera, it feels like a bargain if you already own the base game. Even if you don’t, it still seems like decent value at $100, as it’s one and a half games. It’s when adding in the cost of the camera that it feels a little bit too expensive. I’m not sure why Nintendo didn’t bundle Bowser TV with the camera as its own thing. The rest could have been added onto the base game and would have been considered DLC instead of an “upgrade”.
1000 Deaths is a novel concept that certainly has legs to intrigue those who want more than just another 3D platformer. Apparently, this game was in development since 2019 and for a debut game, Pariah Interactive has shown a huge amount of promise and hopefully they can do more as this concept was fantastic to check out.
Toree Saturn is a blast whether you want to dip into some retro goodness or are a platforming savant looking for a real challenge. Siactro’s always offered their games dirt cheap, and at a measly $4.99 USD, it’s a no-brainer for anyone so inclined.
Catto’s Post Office is a delightfully cosy little game; its simple narrative and design leave players with a sense of relaxation. The short length means it’s easy to replay, and it has just enough in terms of extra content that players should have a decent amount of fun.
At the beginning, I asked if Hatsune Miku Logic Paint S+ had enough to set itself apart from the many other nonogram games out there, and I think the answer is a resounding yes. The customisation between the room, music, and Vocaloids themselves adds things that may not be necessary for the game, but brings it to another level that other games don’t reach. In the Picross S series, the reward for doing well is a colour picture! I much prefer the added incentive that Logic Paint brings. I would love to see additional music added in the future, but otherwise, this is a must-play for any nonogram fans out there.
Bananza is a smashing start to a new era of Kong. Combining themes from across the Donkey Kong series with polished 3D platforming established in Super Mario Odyssey, this fresh take is a charming revival of Nintendo’s most beloved characters. The dynamic duo of DK and Pauline bring forth satisfyingly creative and calamitous destruction-focused gameplay, contrasted with a charming and heartfelt bond between the pair. Though what would have been a near-perfect platformer is let down by subpar technical performance and difficulty that’s entirely trivialised by the game’s overpowered transformations. Much like a bruised banana, Bananza is a partially flawed experience, but still well and truly a Heart of Gold.
Wheel World was a welcome surprise with a high level of polish and tons of fun to be had from start to finish. Slowly but surely working on the bike and feeling it become more powerful is a true delight and kept me glued to my playthrough in the few sittings it took. Annapurna’s high standard of quality will now include Wheel World in its prestigious ranks.
Ivy Road has created a fantastic amalgamation of genres in a cozy game that teaches you how to sit back and relax. With an intriguing tale of self-reflection mixed with calming music and colourful landscapes, this is nothing short of a gorgeous experience. Even if you don’t like cozy games or simulators, this ascends those constraints and has a variable gameplay which provides a certain type of freedom not found anywhere else. The narrative is so personal yet so broad, it’s open to all kinds of players, even if the ending is left a bit open for you to infer. If you are tapped out with big games, trophy hunting, online losses or simply want a chill game, then Wanderstop should be your very next stop.
From the trailers and snippets available in the lead up to the game’s release, it was clear that Death Stranding 2: On the Beach was going to be a good game. What wasn’t clear was exactly how great this game would turn out to be. If there was still any doubt in your mind, let me be crystal clear – Kojima has absolutely smashed it out of the park once again.
If nothing else, The Drifter is a love letter to a classic genre of PC gaming that many will have fond memories of growing up. While there may be those who feel like this form of point ‘n click gameplay may be obsolete and may find the puzzle-solving to be frustrating but I believe what Powerhoof has crafted here is a gem that is worth a look. This engaging story with a gripping protagonist, stellar presentation, and solid voice acting showcases that there’s plenty you can do within the medium that will reward those who enjoy the thrill and challenge of a good adventure. If this kind of game is up your alley, I definitely recommend you’d give it a shot!
While the integration of the F1 Movie leaves much to be desired, and F1 World still places a significant emphasis on microtransactions, F1 25 stands out as another solid instalment in Codemasters’ flagship series. It features the best version of Braking Point to date and includes meaningful gameplay additions to My Team. The new LIDAR-scanned tracks offer an exciting glimpse of the fidelity that could be achieved in future entries, and the Career mode remains one of the most robust in the genre. If you’ve always wanted to play a Formula One game, F1 25 is a fantastic place to start.
Despelote tells a familiar story that is the reality for a lot of South American countries: economic unrest, unstable governments, political coups and violent grabs for power. But you still keep going. You still go to school, go to work, meet friends, walk your dog, scream for your favourite sports team. What Despelote highlights is that sports are about national pride, banding together with other people, and allowing yourself to experience joy, hope. They’re important muscles to flex in what is becoming a more complex, violent, and oppressive world. We need to practice feeling joy, remind ourselves a better world is always possible. This game won’t be for everyone, but you’ve got little to lose from a less than two-hour game. So why not give it a try? Shoot your shot. You might even score.
While the experience with this journey has been less than pleasant, I can’t help but be amazed and appreciate that this game finally came out after all of these years of it’s rocky, uncertain development and I respect both SNEG and General Arcade for their efforts. However, while the pulpy tone and charming visuals combined with the style of hack ‘n slash genre of action games that we don’t get too often these days does provide a warm sense of nostalgia, it sadly doesn’t hide the many glaring issues that this damaged ship has inside. The rushed paper-thin story, the lackluster combat, tedious set-pieces (including the ship battles), uninteresting boss battles, frustrating world design at points, terrible sound mixing in the cutscenes and the amount of bugs and glitches that I encountered during my playtime.
Blades of fire is a fun and challenging game that brings something different to the Soulslike table. If you are a fan of Soulslikes or want to try something a little different, I recommend giving it a go. It’s more forgiving than others in the genre and I know a lot of Souls purists will say it doesn’t belong, but I genuinely think this game is a bit of a sleeper hit, showing that not every game in the genre has to be so damn gloomy. Plus the ability to actually forge your weapons became a real highlight for me.
With all the potential to become a great game aside from a few niggling issues, the frustration of the boss battles causes it to slide a slippery slope into mediocrity. It is upsetting to find a game that does so much right, only for them to destroy all that work by including something that has no right being as difficult as it is. As the game is now, I can’t recommend it to other people. Perhaps, in the future, when the boss battles have been balanced or made optional, then it can become the game it was truly meant to be.
Fast Fusion doesn’t offer the same amount of content as its predecessor, and the absence of online multiplayer is disappointing. However, it remains a technological tour de force with exhilarating, anti-gravity racing that fills the void left by the absence of F-Zero and Wipeout on modern consoles. Combined with its super-low price point of only $22.50 AUD ($15 USD), Fast Fusion is one of the must-have Switch 2 games for anyone hungry for more racing goodness after clocking Mario Kart World.