Qualbert.com's Reviews
The combat, once mastered, flows seamlessly and keeps you on your toes, especially in the harder difficulties where one mistake meets your end. My only complaint is that enemies got a little too predictable after learning their patterns – nothing more than a nitpick in the grand scheme.
Every portion of the game feels as if it had corners cut and seriously detracts from the overall enjoyment. Making matters worse, the game runs terribly on the Switch in both docked and handheld mode, with constant framerate drops and poor loading and plenty of jarring pop-ins. Though some casual gamers may enjoy playing Rune Factory 5, I personally expected far more of this series. It’s honestly more Ruined Factory than Rune Factory. Looking for a charming farming RPG? Go play Stardew Valley instead.
Ghostwire: Tokyo is a relatively short game – particularly when compared to true open world games that can have upwards of 100 hours of playtime. I completed my adventure including a good chunk of the side content in about 20 hours and there would be another 10-20 hours worth of game time for those looking to complete 100% of the activities. Whilst the combat and progression model of the game is somewhat weak compared to the top-notch design and graphical presentation, the game is of an appropriate length where I still felt engaged throughout the adventure. A storyline that does the job of keeping you engaged without being amazing is tied together with some truly excellent set-piece moments and the innovative and immersive technology of the PS5 Dual Sense controller. Ghostwire Tokyo was a game that I enjoyed, and is easy to recommend to anyone looking for a semi-open-world ghostly romp through Tokyo. The deficiencies in the game are minor and easily overlooked due to the cracking high-points in presentation and atmosphere.
With a legacy spanning almost 13 years, does Wonderlands live up to its predecessors? Yes, but also no. The combat in the game is seriously fun, the guns are responsive and the inclusion of melee weapons was the best thing they have done since the inclusion of Handsome Jack. But it also felt too easy. It was too easy to find a build that would allow a player to breeze through the game on a normal setting, especially being able to multiclass and take the best traits from two classes. It turned most enemies into little more than rats of an unusual size. The game lacked the challenge that the other games provided. While the chaos chamber does improve that, one can only run the chamber for so long before you’re completely kitted out.
So have Konami completely redeemed themselves through the revival of GetsuFumaDen in this brand new roguelike? Not quite – the game is far from perfect – but there is a lot to enjoy for fans of roguelikes and games influenced by Japanese culture. While the gameplay itself may be simple and particularly punishing for new players, the stylish traditional art and impressive soundtrack should be enough to keep the majority of players dying time and time again. For those Japan fans out there reading this review, I highly recommend you GetSomeFumaDen.
Where Zero Dawn has established the series on a sturdy foundation, Forbidden West builds upon it in almost every single way possible. Guerrilla have undoubtedly crafted one of the most engrossing open worlds ever made and my time exploring the Forbidden West leaves me eager to discover what else waits beyond the horizon for this compelling series.
The sheer amount of polish and attention to detail that went into this titan of an action RPG has cemented it in my mind as the best game FromSoftware have ever developed. Story, lore, combat, mechanics, world-building, character interactions; everything is the pinnacle of what you would imagine a truly masterpiece video game would have.
Where Final Fantasy Tactics established the strategy RPG, Triangle Strategy manages to perfect it. Spanning 40 hours for a full playthrough, and boasting multiple endings and alternate pathways, there’s a significant amount of content to keep strategy fans coming back for more. Through its compelling narrative, satisfying strategic combat, and uniquely modern retro-inspired visuals, this is undoubtedly a love-letter to the games that made this genre so admired.
On consideration of my time with Edge of Eternity, it was not all bad. There were definitely moments throughout the game where I was enjoying myself, having fun with the battle system, gawking at the beautiful vistas and giggling at the banter between the characters. Certainly the background music in many areas of the game were very pleasant to listen to. You could say I was on the Edge of my seat. However, these fleeting moments of positivity were far outweighed by frustration with potentially game breaking bugs, disappointment at the lack of polish in the presentation and exasperation at the poor writing both from a story and a script perspective. I find it hard to believe that any player would truly identify with this cast of unlikable characters and their idiotic, almost schizophrenic, decisions made for no apparent reason other than to progress the story along.
Right off the bat, Shadow Warrior 3 wears its influences on its sleeves. Anyone familiar with the tightly-packed bang-bangs of recent years, whether it be the DOOM series or perhaps a Painkiller, when you come across a baddie, you’re bound to come across tons more – and you’re stuck fighting in that area until either your enemies die or you do. These battles are insanely intense – you’ll have to manage prioritizing tougher enemies, conserving your ammunition, finding opportunities to regain health, and much more.
Offering a solid turn-based JRPG with engaging crafting elements and a cute visual aesthetic, Atelier Sophie 2 is a follow-up that will no doubt appeal to fans of the original game. Despite some new gameplay elements which attempt to keep the series feeling varied and fresh, the cut-and-paste formula of Atelier games becomes quite obvious and tiresome, especially when comparing to other modern JRPGs.
OlliOlli World is everything you could ask for in a side-scrolling skater. Simple and intuitive controls, a tonne of unlockables, and varying difficulty choices based on each track to suit the play style of any player paired with its unique vibrant art style and chill lo-fi soundtrack, and you’ll find yourself in Gnarvana before you know it.
Shin Megami Tensei has been and always will be the JRPG for JRPG fans, and Shin Megami Tensei V is yet another entry that cements its status in the gaming community. If looking for a light-hearted and user-friendly romp through a fantasy world, look elsewhere, because Shin Megami Tensei V can be a punishing and melancholic spiritual experience that appeals to a more hardcore audience.
Other than some minor gripes with the controls, I was never really frustrated when playing Flynn. However, I don’t think I was truly challenged either. To me this feels like a really good entry point to 2D platformers and Metroidvania style games. I don’t hesitate to recommend this game as a worthy use of your time (about 8-10 hours worth), but don’t expect anything particularly ground-breaking or unique here.
The simplicity and stripped down nature of Loop Hero helps its addictive nature quite a bit. Although wholly unique in its melding of concepts, another game similar to it (at least in the deckbuilding roguelike/lite aspect) that you might enjoy if you enjoy Loop Hero is Mega Crit Games’ ‘Slay the Spire’.
I enjoyed my time with The Wild at Heart. Though it is a relatively short single-player adventure clocking in between 12-20 hours (depending on how much of a completionist or trophy hunter you are), it is an entertaining experience all the way through. There are a couple of enemies and gameplay elements that when encountered the first time will likely cause a ‘death’ – which can be a little frustrating. However, once enemy patterns are learned and your collection of Spritelings is high you can instead focus your energy on the smart puzzles, endearing characters, excellent presentation and slightly tragic yet wholesome story.
Few games can achieve world-building and gripping gameplay in an 8 – 10 hour experience quite like Death’s Door. Through its unique story and characters, stunning presentation, clever exploration and thrilling intuitive combat, this is yet another superb indie game to add to Devolver’s arsenal. It's a game to die for.
Lost Judgement continues the high quality output of the Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio over the past few years. Yakuza 0, Yakuza 6, Yakuza Like a Dragon and Judgement are all excellent titles and Lost Judgement is on par with these. If you enjoyed any of those titles, then obviously you will enjoy this one too. A focus on the main story will still take a good 20+ hour time investment. However with everything you can do here there is well over 80 hours of gameplay. Not only are there fully fleshed out minigames such as Drone Racing, Boxing, Dancing and Motorcycle racing, there are also at least 10 full Sega Master System games here, plus some classic Sega arcade ports.
A lot of doubt was cast over a single-player, narrative-driven, linear game still being worth the risk in a multiplayer, shared-world climate of gaming, but this game hearkens back to a time where you paid full price for a full experience. Nothing held back behind future DLC, no lack of polish due to a rushed schedule, no need for a persistent online connection. It’s a relief to have this much fun with no strings attached, and for that, the game gets my full endorsement.
Even the simplest moments of the game have the ability overwhelm the player with joy and happiness. Witch Beam have created a game unlike any other I’ve played, and if you are a human with a heart, I implore you to experience it as well. Unpacking truly is a moving game in every sense of the word.