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Conan Chop Chop is a combination of challenging combat and rogue-lite mechanics that reward repeated runs and never leave you feeling defeated, even when you die. This is a game with much more depth than its colorful and cartoony style suggests. It’s also much more fun with others. Played solo or with a group, though, Conan Chop Chop’s gameplay loop and enjoyable combat are addictive and compel you to try just one run, over and over again.
When Elex came out in 2017, it filled a niche despite its many issues. Elex 2 is bigger and its world is denser, but Piranha Bytes hasn’t really fixed much of what was wrong about the first game. Janky movement and weak combat top the list. Annoying mechanics and glacial progression are right up there, too. Elex 2 has ambition, I’ll give it that. If it pared that ambition with polish, a more coherent narrative, and better pacing, Elex 2 might be a more viable alternative to those other RPGs that are getting so much deserved attention.
Shadow Warrior 3 is a real study in contrasts. There are times when its environments and cutscenes are triple-A game adjacent. Its combat is fast, furious, and fun. On the other hand, there’s not much story to tell, and that engaging combat gets frustrating and numbingly repetitive. Shadow Warrior 3 embraces much of what we remember about early shooters, with a lot more visual panache and polish. By the end, though, we’re desperate for the kind of variety and sophistication that later shooters brought to the genre.
A tip of the hat to Codemasters for trying something new with the Story Mode. While it doesn’t enhance the game in the way intended, it does make for a useful tour of the game’s offerings. Grid Legends is a lot of fun and that’s what really matters at the finish line.
Martha Is Dead offers a narrative that’s provocative, intense, dark, and emotional. And yes, it’s not for the faint of heart. It’s plenty gory. Given that it takes place during WWII the story doesn’t seem out of place either. It pulls you in right away, keeps its intensity and pace, and holds your attention until the very end. The sound and graphical design really fit with the overall vibe and atmosphere of the game. Sure, it’s not perfect, but most of the issues aren’t game breaking. Martha Is Dead is riveting and if you’re a fan of psychological thrillers you won’t want to miss it.
Elden Ring is an awe-inspiring achievement. Both a summary and bold step forward, it fuses FromSoftware’s best and most effective ideas with an endlessly engaging open world. Its combat is the most refined of the series, challenging yet accessible to new players. Elden Ring includes an incredible amount of quality content. More importantly, it offers a captivating, polished experience fraught with danger and filled with beauty.
I don’t need much justification to revisit Final Fantasy VI. If you’re a Final Fantasy fan, this is grade A, top shelf stuff. Full of weird minigames, memorable characters, and a compelling story, VI is an excellent RPG. If you’ve never played it before, you’d be an absolute fool to pass this up. Even if you’ve bought it several times already, I still recommend the game. Square Enix has tried to make the definitive version of this game, and I’d say they more or less succeeded.
Zorya struggles to maintain a balance between both players. It usually leaves one out in the cold checking their phone to pass the time. If you and a friend are puzzle fiends, there is some charm to be found here and it’s worth a look. There are quite a number of puzzles here and content that you can keep coming back to.
Overall, it’s just hard to recall a less ambitious multiplayer shooter than CrossfireX. Its generic single player campaign fares much better than its multiplayer, which is simply lacking in everything we’ve come to expect from the genre. Smilegate’s previous shooters have obviously connected with millions in the Asian market, but it’s hard to imagine CrossfireX igniting anything near that kind of enthusiasm in the very competitive multiplayer scene.
I can honestly say that I enjoy Dynasty Warriors 9: Empires more than Dynasty Warriors 9. You may attribute this to the sorry state of the latter when it first launched. Although, I must affirm that I am a big fan of the simulation genre and empire management. The fact that battles affect the grand campaign, and vice versa, makes all the interactions in this installment meaningful. To what extent is up to you. Sadly, apart from a decent graphical upgrade, there’s not enough here to call it a fully realized sequel. The franchise is competing against itself. Unless the updated hack-and-slash gameplay and expanded character roster are enough to tie you over, consider this empire incomplete.
So while Horizon Forbidden West isn’t changing the rules of the genre, it’s an excellently crafted, entertaining, and satisfying adventure. It looks phenomenal and offers a sandbox of gameplay that remains just as unique as the original. Is it more of the same? In a way, I suppose. But I know I wouldn’t say no to more of Horizon Zero Dawn as it was 5 years ago, and Forbidden West is an improvement in nearly every way.
Death end re;Quest 2 was an excellent visual novel with an addicting RPG portion as well. While the sequel does a good job at telling a new story, there are some things newcomers might miss. At the same time, you don’t need to know what happens in the first game in order to excel. Death end re;Quest 2 is perfectly fine as a standalone game and would be even better if they explained the background more. I really liked the game and I appreciate the Nintendo Switch’s portability, but the visuals fell short of spectacular so it only just barely satisfied my RPG cravings.
GetsuFumaDen: Undying Moon reinvents itself through the inclusion of rogue-lite elements. However, the weight of numerous collectibles, basic combat and odd design decisions mean that the game struggles to compete with contemporaries. Although there is still plenty to enjoy for fans of the original and newcomers, it fails to cut through the competition.
The King of Fighters XV is the greatest release in the series rich history. With its fluid and deep combat, veterans can compete in thrilling and intense battles. However, SNK has also included numerous elements that make the game accessible to support newcomers to the franchise. Whilst there aren’t many unlockables, the game shines in the arena, making this a necessity for fans of the genre.
All in all, this review finds Infernax to be a bloody good time. Again, though, be sure you know exactly what you’re getting into. Also, be wary of the platforming.
Wanderer is a true treat and if it does well enough. Oddᗺoy + M-Theory has plans to make a trilogy of games. The game launched with some annoying bugs but the developers have been quick and diligent to respond and provide patches. The version of the game I played ran flawlessly after the patches. Wanderer is available on all VR platforms – PSVR, SteamVR, and Oculus. Check this one out. You won’t regret it.
While it was a slow start I enjoyed my time in River City with Misako and Kyoko. The hand drawn art is incredible and the song list adds to the pacing and overall vibe. The move list eventually gets into enough depth to feel like a new addition to the genre. I’m eager for River City Girls 2. We’ll see how Wayforward changes up an already strong entry on the next go-round.
I want games to be good. Hell, I want them to be great. No game is perfect and even the biggest blockbuster has flaws. There are even games we love that are mostly broken, because they went big and couldn’t quite deliver. Claustrophobia doesn’t go big. It takes time-worn ideas and still manages to fall flat. It looks, sounds and plays like a game that wasn’t ready to leave the drawing board, much less be released. Claustrophobia will make you feel trapped, for sure. Maybe just not the way the developer intended.
All in all, if you like atmospheric roguelikes, you’ll probably like Castle Morihisa. If you’re not that fond of the genre, this game doesn’t have much to offer you.
Rise of the Third Power is a 40 hour long, Super Nintendo throwback that shouldn’t be missed by genre fans. The only criticism I can really throw at the game is it lacks that special edge Squaresoft SNES RPGs had. Everything in Rise of the Third Power is well-done, it just doesn’t innovate. This keeps Rise of the Third Power from being an immediate classic. I loved my time with it. I actually loved it so much that I bought Stegosoft’s other JRPG, Ara Fell. While Rise of the Third Power won’t convert any non-JRPG fans, it will provide a wonderful journey to those of us already drinking that sweet JRPG Kool-Aid.