Digital Chumps
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Mr. Run and Jump from Graphite Lab and Atari is a phenomenal tip of the hat to simple, yet fun games born during the heyday of the Atari 2600 VCS. While the game’s simplicity is a mask for a more mechanic-fueled strategy game that will test your gaming nerves over and over again through its complicated gameplay design, the journey very much pays off by the end.
LISA: Definitive Edition from Dingaling Productions is a warped, twisted, dark game that doesn’t pull its punches with any of its storytelling. The complementary gameplay helps to enhance the story and create some major connection between game and gamer. It’s something to behold, even if the beginning feels impossible to overcome.
Spin Rhythm XD offers a sublime VR rhythm game experience thanks to its natural-feeling controls and stellar-EDM soundtrack. It's nothing like any rhythm game I've played in the past, and I'm fully on-board with Super Spin Digital's approach to creating a rhythm game that puts the player firmly at the center of the soundstage. It's the easiest recommendation I can make for any PSVR 2 player wanting a rhythm game that feels and sounds excellent. Now if you will excuse me, I'm off to put my PSVR 2 back on my noggin and get lost in the music.
Let’s Revolution! from developers Buck and Antfood is a simple game that has a complicated underbelly of strategy and asks gamers to make sophisticated choices. While the gameplay is short in its single follow-through, its replayability shows its longevity. While not all of its elements work, especially when it comes to character choice and sometimes random enemy attacks, it’s still a fun game to come back to when you are itching for a quick gaming experience.
Return to Grace from developer: Creative Bytes Studios is a short and sweet once-through experience. It has nice dialogue but is more for viewing than interactive gameplay. As a game tagged to be known as a “Walking Simulator” I believe this is the pinnacle of the genre. With its beautiful local, interesting in-game history, and clever dialogue Return to Grace is a great pick for a narrative-driven game to play all in one go.
GYLT from Tequila Works is a heavy game to bear. Its story is overwhelmingly sad, relatable, and impactful. The gameplay is built to complement the story and the devs did a great job of pulling those two pieces together. This game isn’t for the faint of heart and it will certainly get you in the feels, but the journey is worth the emotional risk.
Gravity Circuit contains the best parts of the SNES-era of 2D action platforming without the artificial difficulty spikes and frustrations. Its combat is fluid, easy to pick up, and exciting to master. Its pacing ramps up with the player. Its music is a nostalgia bomb of high-energy and synthetic charm. Yes, it's a short play, but it contains enough content to satisfy most players and get them hooked into using Kai's hookshot over, over, and over again. If this doesn't sound like a love letter to retro platforming, I don't know what will.
The game might have had a rough start with laying out the story and explaining the gameplay mechanics, but SOULVARS quickly smoothed out and got in its JRPG groove thanks to a good mix of deck-building and turn-based action. Additionally, it let its retro vibe personality show and it quickly became a pleasant experience.
Ghost Trick: The Phantom Detective from Capcom is a challenging and creative puzzle game that casts the same logic-driven shadow as its gaming cousins in the Ace Attorney series. It offsets its incredibly large amount of difficulty with a strong story that has sprinkles of humor in it, while still maintaining its murder mystery mission to deliver an overall entertaining experience.
Dave the Diver from Mint Rocket is something to behold. The game features exploration, collection, side quests, an RPG backbone, and a restaurant simulator, all of which are beautifully balanced and connected. This is by far one of the better games of 2023 and shouldn’t be overlooked.
Baldur's Gate 3 is nothing short of a gaming phenomenon, the kind of video game sensation that surfaces only once in a blue moon.
Sonic Origins Plus is inching toward being a definitive Sonic the Hedgehog anthology of classic games, some of which are remastered. The inclusion of Amy and the Game Gear titles are arguably two steps forward, but the quality of those emulated titles in comparison to their remastered counterparts and lack of Genesis and Master System titles are two steps back. Either way, for Sonic fans who do not yet own Sonic Origins on their PS5, Sonic Origins Plus should be a very easy recommendation.
Pixel Ripped 1978 from ARVORE Immersive Experiences and Atari is a good VR experience that is led by a competent narrative and nostalgia. How VR is used within the game is entertaining and engaging, if not outright clever. While not all of the game is gold, it still manages to turn old game schemes and concepts into something new and engaging within a virtual reality environment.
Escape Academy – Escape from the Past from Coin Crew Games does a good job of creating a decent prequel narrative while incorporating a healthy dose of escape room drama. While the balance between story and gameplay seems more story-slanted, the DLC still does a commendable job of delivering a fun, yet short escape room experience.
Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened (2023) is a phenomenal mystery game and sequel with an intriguing storyline, awesome features, and beautiful graphics. Even though the game is shorter than the previous one, I think this is currently my favorite Sherlock Holmes game because the side and main quests never felt like a dull moment. There was always something to look forward to and a motive to keep playing, unveiling the reason for the people vanishing.
Fall of Porcupine from Critical Rabbit is a serious story wrapped in cute animation that only Richard Scarry could fully appreciate. The story is driven by branching choices and relaxed from time to time by mini-games. The main crux of this game is the story, which may not be for everyone, especially considering the topics of conversation it presents. They can be powerful at times, but also empty on interactivity.
Crash Team Rumble from Toys For Bob is quite fun. It features a balanced system of gameplay, some fun characters with unique gameplay styles, and a nice set of maps that complement strategy and quick gameplay. The leveling system may work its way to max quickly, but it doesn’t detour how much entertainment you’re going to get from this title. The biggest concern with this game is longevity and variety. It’s nice that Toys For Bob laid out a roadmap to tame some of this worry, something most companies don’t do well nowadays, but only the future seasons will tell the dedication to the title.
Harmony: The Fall of Reverie from DON’T NOD plays like a proper branching narrative visual novel should play. The acting, writing, and general presentation are the icing on the cake to make this type of gameplay work very well. While it won’t be for everyone, it certainly is top tier for those who are looking for a good branching narrative journey.
With the sport growing rapidly, and no intentions of slowing down, 'F1 23' continues the yearly release, but gives the player a good experience. Whether you're a total rookie on the controller or a pro on your Fanatec wheel. 'F1 23' is a fun time overall.
Diablo 4 is the herald of your newest time sink. Blizzard's constantly captivating ARPG went to refine rather than redefine, resulting in a familiar dungeon crawler that gives players fountains of loot and endless possibilities to blitz through increasingly vicious foes.