Digital Chumps
HomepageDigital Chumps's Reviews
Momodora: Moonlit Farewell is beautifully simple, perhaps to a fault. Switch owners who take the chance on this 8-hour metroidvania will enjoy its fluid combat, glittery spritework, and mild platforming. I'm sad to see the Momodora series conclude, but I have hopes that developers Bombservice continue to design gorgeous metroidvanias.
Dreamcore captures the ethos of liminal spaces, using the Backrooms phenomenon as its springboard. Though certainly not a "chill" venture, the eerie vibes it produces are effective despite having only two levels available at launch.
Synduality: Echo of Ada from developer Game Studio Inc. has the potential to be bigger and better than it currently is with the initial release. As it stands now, the gameplay is a bit bland with battles, the exploration needs to create more motivation to give players more meaningful substance, and bigger story pieces that could help players connect with the gameplay. Given time, this game could be outstanding.
Laika: Aged Through Blood from developer Brainwash Gang is a wonderful and refreshing Nintendo Switch experience. It lends a brutal narrative that leads gameplay filled with strategy and challenges. While not everyone will take to the controls, which are an important part of the experience, the challenges and strategy will keep the frustration at bay.
Arc System Works' -Guilty Gear Strive- is an excellent Switch game and definitely the best bang-for-your-buck if you haven't yet gone down the Guilty Gear rabbit hole. It is one of the most accessible fighting games on the market, making it a satisfying pick for casual and competitive Switch owners wanting to join the fray.
Turbo Overkill is part of a rapidly growing renaissance of classically-styled first-person shooters. While modern conveniences apply here, the crux of Trigger Happy Interactive's offering is to allow players to rampage through absurd scenarios.
Frantic and rhythmic, ROBOBEAT enters the small crowd of music-centric action games that blend the timing of beats and bullets. While touted as a roguelite, it's more random arcade shooter at heart, focusing on the thrill of the kinetic kill.
While Eternal Strands may openly pull ideas from numerous beloved games, there is a distinct charm and creativity in its execution, despite some questionable physics. Familiarity is merely one tool threading this promising tapestry together.
Taito Milestones 3 from ININ Games represents Taito arcade classics well. While it’s nothing more than a collection of Arcade Archives games, it still is nice to have more bang for your buck all in one place. I wish there was more history added to each game, just giving them more context and beef, but the price doesn’t warrant that type of Atari 50 effort. It’s still a solid collection.
In some ways, Threefold Recital does an excellent job in telling a thoughtful tale of beastlings bound to Daoist philosophy. In other ways, I was a smidge disappointed in the driving forces behind that storytelling and the simplicity of the platforming. It's not the most memorable platformer outright, but if you're in the mood for a compelling narrative with some light platforming and other minigames, look no further than Threefold Recital.
ombat was enjoyable, though suffered at the hands of poor game design. There’s a strong premise here, but a lack of character development hampers the storytelling. Overall, if you’re the type of person who’s looking for some straight forward, high-intensity action, Dynasty Warriors: Origins might be for you—as long as you don’t mind some of its rough edges.
Tales of Graces f Remastered is a wonderful expression of translating a classic JRPG onto modern consoles. Rather than attempt a costly, unnecessary overhaul, Tose and Bandai Namco paid respect to this legacy series by bringing it to a current audience, one made up of series veterans and newcomers.
The world and art of LOK Digital is the perfect example of what an adaptation should be: true to the source, but enhanced by its medium. The gameplay mechanics and art direction both benefit immensely from the video game form. I very much enjoyed playing LOK, but found that the gameplay loop eventually became repetitive. It’s a short game with a simple premise and isn’t the type of thing you should strive to complete all in one go. I suggest spacing out your time as it prevents some frustration and monotony. As I was playing, I thought LOK Digital would be the perfect game to play on the go (in part because of the daily puzzles). Apparently I was not the only one to have this thought; LOK Digital is coming to Android and iOS on January 23rd. If you’re an avid fan of puzzles, I highly recommend checking this one out.
Clone Drone in the Hyperdome from developer Doborog Games is a fun VR experience. It brings some wonderful sword-swinging action and compelling enemies that are a blast to go up against.
Batman: Arkham Shadow from developer Camouflaj is a superb game that honors the Arkham series name. While the world in this game is smaller and more linear than a typical Arkham adventure, the Meta Quest VR version excels in story, execution, and feel.
I have faith that more can, and will, be done with Attack on Titan VR: Unbreakable. Despite it leaving Early Access tomorrow, there's a heavy focus on an arcade-styled Titan-slaying experience with mind-blowingly exhilarating movement…and little else. This is a game that I can see myself playing and replaying with friends so long as they're fine with Unbreakable's quirks.
Ballionaire from developer newobject and publisher Raw Fury is a masterpiece of fast and fun entertainment. It hits all the intriguing and addictive notes with its scoring and strategy while keeping it light and funny to tone down any potential frustration.
Snow Bros. Wonderland from Tatsujin is one fun holiday experience. It’s a good co-op 3D platformer that hits the right notes on variety, mechanics, level design, and writing.
At the end of the day, Rita's Rewind wins me over on the nostalgia bomb of Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers content. It's the complete audio-visual package of 90s aesthetic with a welcome evolution of the MMPR gameplay loop. Some of this gameplay loop may be frustrating and unforgiving, but it's still a hell of a lot of fun.
Few games are as compellingly unique as The Thaumaturge, a murder mystery set in 1905 Poland, brimming with magical realism, intricate writing, and enough clever ideas to cover up a few shortcomings.