Digital Chumps
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I've spent several hours playing Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S and I just love it. Barring the unnecessary complexities of its Skill Battles and attempting to learn its nuances, the additional modes and Versus setup makes for satisfying, frenetic, and highly replayable puzzle gameplay. It's an excellent game to take on the road and play with friends.
Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo is a marvel of a little game that wins at being a "yoyovania." The yoyo combat and progression are superb, its level design utilizing novel traversal elements without repetitious fluff, and its charm is off the charts. It's no walk in the park, but it's worth the payoff if you want a game that is a nostalgia bomb of classic Zelda fused with a yoyo thematic.
Dragon is Dead has quite a bit of potential now that it has left its early access period. Its novel approach to character building, loot management, and skill trees makes for a complex and satisfying roguelike experience. On the other hand, some of its endgame combat may prove too frustrating, especially when compounded by the traditional difficulty curve that comes with the roguelike gameplay loop. Its pixel art is gorgeous, though!
StarVaders from developer Pengonauts is an addictive deckbuilding turn-based game with meaningful content and thick strategic gameplay options.
Capcom's decision to delay Street Fighter 6 to the Nintendo Switch 2 should be celebrated, as they succeeded in packing a big punch despite the Switch 2's small package. It runs like a dream and lacks the graphical compromises that many Switch owners may be accustomed to seeing from AAA games. If you've been patiently waiting for a next-gen fighting title to take on the go, Street Fighter 6 is the breakout fighting game for the Nintendo Switch 2 launch.
Crashlands 2 has been worth the wait, especially for those who want a simple crafting and farming game that can be played on an iPhone or PC. Its tongue-in-cheek charm, dubstep silliness, and approachability make it worth playing for hours on end…so long as you get past its initial learning sluggishness.
DOOM: The Dark Ages dials back the complexity of Eternal, hoping to capitalize on what made DOOM a household gore fest. Hordes of enemies are meat under the player's boot in yet another evolved take on the classic arena shooter.
Bionic Bay from developer Psychoflow Studio is an outstanding atmospheric platformer that will keep players locked-in with its simplistic mechanics and complicated gameplay mixed within an intriguing story.
Overall, I'm torn about Everhood 2. Its rhythm-based battles are unlike any RPG I've played before. Its soundtrack is incredible. Walking through emptiness and seeing delayed payoffs from the worldbuilding side, though, makes the game feel less fun than it should be. I enjoyed Everhood 2, but I wish that I spent more time in the rhythm battles than exploring.
I loved Star of Providence to the point of having trouble putting it down because of its fast-paced shmup gameplay, punishing bullet hell patterns, and replayability. Defeating its astoundingly difficult boss battles is satisfying and encourages the player to improve mechanically and thoughtfully. If you make it to the Hard mode, you'll be treated to bullet patterns that will test your dexterity like few others have done before.
Draknek and Friends' The Electrifying Incident: A Monster Mini-Expedition lives up to its name as a bite-sized thinky game. While it strikes the sweet spot of puzzle solving without giving too much away, it may be seen as too difficult. Don't give up, though – it's worth it for the hour-or-so it'll take to reach the end.
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.
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.
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.
The First Berserker: Khazan from developer Neople is a different and more accessible take on the action role-playing game Souls blueprint. It’s difficult most of the time but brings a good story, great enemies, and a hefty and well-executed backend system. While mostly a great game, its downside is that it is a linear journey that will test a gamer’s frustration limits.
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.
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.
I'm left thinking that Parry Nightmare is meant to be a starter bullet hell title for players unfamiliar with the genre – only because of its brevity and simplicity. While it lacks traditional bullet hell variance and depth to ensure replayability, it contains enough nuance to tell an interesting story while the eyes and ears are treated to a stunning art style and jazzy soundtrack.