Digital Chumps
HomepageDigital Chumps's Reviews
If I was to call MainFrames a proof of concept, I would be grossly overlooking its stellar presentation of byte-sized platforming as a little floppy disk. Yes, it's difficult at times, but just about anyone can reach its end credits within a few hours. Developer Assoupi has nailed the platforming formula to a T; I can't wait for more!
Now is the best time to be a fan of Medallion Games' Grapple Dogs: Cosmic Canines. With its improvements to level design and added mechanics with Luna at the helm, swinging via a grappling hook remains fun yet challenging. Oh, yeah, you can pet BOTH of the Grapple Dogs!
Digital Eclipse and publisher Nighthawk Interactive did a fantastic job with bringing three Disney 16-bit classics back to the current generation of gaming and offered up additional content to justify the reasonable price tag. One can only hope that they can get ahold of more Disney-owned gaming content *cough cough* LUCASARTS *ahem* and bring it back to life. Until such a time, they did a heckuva job with the Disney Classic Games Collection. While not perfect, it’s still a worthwhile trip down memory lane.
HOWL from developer Mi’pu’mi Games GmbH is a narrative-driven puzzle-strategy game that brings a simple concept but a complicated gameplay design. The inclusion of a deep goal system that plays into how a player can progress in the game makes for a fun experience, while the offensive and defensive nature of its card system pleasantly complicates and compliments the gameplay. While not everything is perfect, it’s still better than expected.
God of War is still one of the most entertaining, engaging, and impactful games to come out of Santa Monica Studio. The story is meaningful and emotional, the mechanics are thoughtful and entertaining, and the presentation on the PC is simply unrivaled. This is still a treat after nearly four years.
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered is a package that intends to preserve and update rather than reconstruct. While it remains a 20-year-old series, the improvements and bonus content only prove how forward-thinking Soul Reaver was.
Praey for the Gods from No Matter Studios is a game with potential. It has some good survival gameplay design and is an interesting open-world adventure that encourages exploration of its desolate landscape. There’s a lot to like here, though not completely perfect in some gameplay aspects.
Thunder Tier One is a good game. It has a decent amount of customization options, features a good tactical system that will entertain those looking for a tactical fix, and doesn’t really do anything groundbreaking or genre-changing for tactical shooters. It’s simply a good game with hopes for more content in the future.
At the end of the day, Ruined King: A League of Legends story is great RPG for two sets of fans. League players (and those from other Riot games) get the opportunity to explore worlds they may have heard about, but never visited. For those unfamiliar with League, you get the opportunity to explore a land of pirates in an accessible story-driven RPG and expose yourself to Runeterra's universe. The story is compelling and beautifully told, and the lands of Bilgewater and Shadow Isles are full of secrets. While it's great you need not grind, the combat system feels like it was changed for the sake of change. Airship Syndicate knocked it out of the park in most ways (be it soundtrack, world design, storytelling, and gameplay), and I'm so excited to see more!
Song of Nunu: A League of Legends Story is an excellent candidate for your holiday gift list, if not a candidate for something to play this holiday season. It excels in crafting an emotional tale that hits all the right notes of childishness and the wonders of childhood while also encouraging players forward. It's not the deepest game, but it is a masterclass in storytelling and worldbuilding. Don't worry if you're unfamiliar with any of Riot's previous games – your yeti pal, Willump, will give you a gigantic hug either way.
The Quarry is a thrilling experience from start to finish that any fan of Supermassive's other horror games will immediately adore. If this is your first foray into their games, The Quarry is an excellent jumping-in point before diving into their other games. Standout performances, fantastic writing, and horrifying visuals are sure to delight all fans of horror.
Remnant II punches far above its weight class. Delivering everything players should expect from a sequel, Gunfire Games has created a thrilling, clever spin on a well-worn genre that boasts creative world design and satisfying gameplay that continues to evolve.
Rainbow Billy: The Curse of the Leviathan is a good entry into the RPG and 2.5D platforming genres that will give newer and younger players a taste of what similar games of this genre should look like. Its charm, simplicity, and accessibility can become overshadowed by the amount of conversation, but those who love reading will have a good time with this game. It's beautifully charming, and it was clearly made with love. Just be sure to temper your expectations.
Tandem: A Tale of Shadows from Monochrome is a cleverly designed game that puzzle-loving gamers will enjoy. The range of difficulty helps to sell this, as does the level design and characters you confront in the game. If you don't like puzzle games, then this probably won't bring you into the genre.
Rollerdrome is one of the most unique combo-building games in years. Its combination of Tony Hawk-style skating with Max Payne-esque gunplay is a joy to play. Nailing combos while taking down a swath of diverse enemies does feel nice, even if it does get a bit overwhelming at times. Plenty of players will find a ton of challenges in repeat playthroughs of levels to achieve everything, and will assuredly be able to pull off some sweet moments.
Moonlight Kids have a hit on their hands with The Wild at Heart. It brings a strong narrative, some clever puzzles, and enough of an endearing journey to make it one of the better releases this holiday season on the PlayStation.
Antonblast is a blast, literally. Its high-octane platforming meets speedrunning is a love letter to everything Wario fans love and have wanted for years, but highly more profane and chaotic in all the right ways. Summitsphere's platformer is not one to miss, folks.
G-Darius HD is a fun trip down memory lane and reminds us that arcade games knew how to eat up your quarters. It will certainly frustrate common gamers out there, but for nostalgia-seeking suckers like myself, it was fun frustration.
This is one of the best 3D fighting games released in years, made only better since its original release thanks to patching and gobs of extra content along the way. This is the culmination of about four and a half years of new content and tweaks, and serves as a celebratory release, a call for hold-outs to finally jump in, and a closing of the chapter of Tekken 7. Surely all eyes will be looking for news of Tekken 8 next year and into 2023, and it will be exciting to see where Harada and Bandai Namco take the series next.
Lost Ark is a wonderfully fun MMOARPG with a compelling story and unique gameplay. If you can wrap your head around it all, that is. The game itself is a breath of fresh air with its 2.5D style and fast-paced combat. However, for an "open-world" RPG, Lost Ark takes its time opening the world to you. A barrage of info-dumps for lore and tutorials make Lost Ark overwhelming at first. With some time, exploring, and no shortage of patience, you can see what Lost Ark really has to offer.