Game8's Reviews
The Relic: First Guardian is a game that dared to be different and suffered for it. In the pursuit of challenging what has been tried and tested, it put forth a plethora of great ideas: equipment-based tactical combat, non-respawning enemies as progression, and genuinely great boss battles. Unfortunately, it also revealed why those ideas weren’t the norm. Poor animation implementation, questionable camerawork, and forgettable narratives all end up making this a much lesser product than the sum of its parts. In fixing what wasn’t broken, it only revealed the cracks within itself.
BLUE REFLECTION Quartet is a collection that is less than the sum of its parts, with the adaptations for Ray and Sun being extremely lackluster. Additionally, the new and improved visuals are still quite dated and also unimpressive from a performance standpoint, especially on the Switch 2. Despite its phenomenal audio design, which significantly elevates the experience and all its other elements, the collection feels more like a missed opportunity, much like its overall narrative that wasted its potential.
Disgaea Mayhem is the kind of spin-off that has a lot of potential as a concept. The series, by its nature, routinely produces characters that lend themselves well to the action genre. Unfortunately, limiting the entire experience to a single playable character while carrying over progression systems designed for a full roster strips away much of what makes Disgaea satisfying in the first place. The result is a game that understands the appeal of the grind, but rarely gives you a reason to enjoy it.
Rubinite is a strikingly good Soulslike which slashes through the fluff and delivers a razor-sharp boss rush experience with a surprisingly potent emotional center. At its core, Rubinite’s Focus mechanic and the myriad of imposing boss fights deliver a uniquely fun and challenging take on the genre that's bolstered by the game’s beautiful 2D pixel-art style, lovable characters, and wonderful story. There are a few unfortunate issues, such as the overly cryptic narrative presentation and occasional janky hitboxes, which hold it back a bit. Still, every gemstone has a flaw or two, and Rubinite is no exception; it’s a pureblooded, crystallized gem that’s worth the adventure.
Halo: Campaign Evolved is such a strong reimagining of a beloved classic that it occasionally struggles to define exactly what kind of reimagining it wants to be. At times, it’s committed to faithfully recreating the original, while at others it seems hellbent on carving out an identity of its own. Either way, it's an exceptionally polished experience that more than earns its shockingly tame price tag.
Dinoblade is equal parts fun and rough around the edges. There's clearly more work to be done before it can earn its place in the soulslike food chain. But its solid gameplay foundations, borrowed from its contemporaries, prove that this game can stand on its own. With an over-the-top premise centered around dinosaurs wielding greatswords, it's a game that thrives on its meme status, provided you can overlook its technical hiccups and barebones storytelling. For $20, you'll get a surprisingly serviceable soulslike that has plenty of bite and enough personality to avoid extinction in an increasingly crowded genre.
DragonSword: Awakening is a pretty good open-world action RPG that uses the gacha formula without the genre's obvious drawbacks. While its gameplay elements and systems clash due to design flaws, its eye-catching visuals, interesting narrative, and great sound design certainly justify it as a full-fledged game. All in all, it’s a game that’s definitely worth it for the price it asks, but be sure to expect a bit of a grind in the form of gacha-like repetitive progression.
Splatoon Raiders successfully proves that the series can thrive outside its multiplayer roots, delivering a rewarding single-player adventure built around progression and player expression. Although a shallow narrative and an uneven mid-game progression keep it from reaching greater heights, its satisfying gameplay loop and excellent customization systems make those shortcomings easy to overlook. Whether you're a longtime Splatoon fan or simply looking for a fun action-adventure, Splatoon Raiders is a worthwhile expedition that confidently charts a new course for the series.
Creative problem-solving sits at the heart of every repair contract in FixForce. Rather than prescribing a single solution, each repair contract encourages experimentation, teamwork, and a healthy amount of improvisation, making even routine objectives feel fresh. Although unclear mechanics and occasional voice chat issues hold it back, its satisfying gameplay loop and exceptional value make it an easy recommendation for groups looking for their next co-op game.
Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game is one of the best fighting games of the year so far. Its beautifully animated, hand-drawn 2D art style, diverse roster of characters across the Avatar series, and captivatingly in-depth system mechanics make it an absolute joy to learn and play, both with friends and online opponents as well as in the game’s singleplayer offerings. Its unbridled, uncompromised love for the source material, focus on element bending as a form of combat, and unique take on the lore also solidifies it as the best Avatar video game adaptation—a leap in quality so high you’d think an airbender was behind it. There are no tricks here, though; Avatar Legends is an exhilarating, deeply exciting fighter because it transparently radiates a love for the series and fighting games so potent that it effortlessly becomes a master of all its elements.
Moss: The Forgotten Relic combined heartfelt storytelling, inventive puzzle design, satisfying gameplay, and a presentation that's bursting with charm. It delivers an adventure that's as memorable as it is inviting. A few pacing issues and narrative gaps keep it from reaching true greatness, but they do little to overshadow a journey that is a reminder why simple fairy tales have endured for generations.
Echoes of Aincrad is an incredibly frustrating game because so much of it works, yet doesn’t. Its core combat mechanics, progression, and story all show flashes of what made the original series so enjoyable, yet they’re all tied together by a genuinely frustrating exploration system that repeatedly and severely undercuts their strengths.
Denshattack! is more than just the sum of its inspirations as it constantly pushes the arcade platformer genre forward with inventive level design and delightfully over-the-top boss encounters. In many ways, it's a love letter to Japanese pop culture, packing everything from mechas and kaiju to Akira slides into one unforgettable Shonen-adventure, even if its story leaves much to be desired. Once you overcome its steep learning curve, it becomes a nonstop thrill ride that never lets up, constantly building momentum and taking you to places you never thought possible.
D-topia is a cozy and gentle puzzle-adventure game that treads lightly on the themes of real happiness, the human condition and individuality, and how it all weaves together in society, in the backdrop of a future run by robots and artificial intelligence. Just a tease enough to get you thinking, but makes you leave with more questions than answers, feeling just a tad bit half-baked with its conclusion.
The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu is a polarizing, uneven, but ultimately unique and ambitious title that succeeds at executing its incredibly interesting core ideas a little too well. It ultimately delivers on its premise of reimagining Lovecraft effectively, but lacks the necessary concessions to make it a consistently enjoyable time. The worldbuilding is fascinating and the aesthetic direction is strong, but the clunkiness of the gameplay and combat drag the experience down quite a bit no matter how intentional. The Mound’s dedication to the accuracy and the surreal nature of the original novella is the source of the game’s highest peaks and lowest valleys, and the disparity between both is nothing short of cosmic.
‘and Roger’ trusts you to meet it on its own terms, and that trust is rewarded with one of the most affecting stories I've played this year and the last. Its interactive ideas are simple, but every one of them serves a purpose beyond keeping your hands busy. I know for a fact that it's a game I'll remember far longer than the hour it took me to finish.
Devil May Cry 5 is a potently infectious, high-octane action game masterclass that doubles down on its greatest strength, its ludicrously deep, stylish, and expressive combat mechanics, to great effect. The story, fanservice-y and ridiculous as it may be, is still a lot of fun. Despite the abundance of Qlipoth levels blurring the second half together, the world is still presented through Capcom’s revered RE Engine and the great soundtrack in a mostly beautiful way. Devil May Cry 5 cuts through the noise and focuses on the combat that made the series so legendary, oozing with smoking, sexy style the whole way through.
Palworld succeeds by weaving together a wide range of survival mechanics into a gameplay loop that's consistently rewarding and remarkably approachable. Rather than relying on any single mechanic to carry the experience, it excels by making exploration, progression, base building, and its namesake Pals constantly strengthen one another. While a repetitive main story structure and a few lingering rough edges in base building keep it from reaching perfection, they're far outweighed by a dense, engaging adventure that confidently stands among the genre's best.
Assassin's Creed: Black Flag Resynced is the definitive way to experience one of the greatest Assassin's Creed games ever made. With its stunning visual overhaul, meaningful accessibility features, and thoughtful story additions, it fully delivers on the fantasy of living life as a swashbuckling pirate. Even without the modern-day storyline that once raised the stakes, and despite the occasional bugs and glitches, Edward Kenway's unforgettable voyage across the Caribbean never feels rudderless. Resynced sets a new blueprint for the series while making the original pale by comparison, proving itself to be well worth its weight in gold.
Kinetic visual novels often suffer from the limitations of their provided gameplay. Don’t let that discourage you, though; Be Missed and Remembered: The Letter from Mayoiga is a genuinely great visual novel. Its beautifully executed themes are anchored by the organic, emotional swings of its young protagonists, finding itself only minorly hamstrung by a rather forced execution near the finish line. When you factor in the immaculate full voice acting and a literal armory of gorgeous CGs, it becomes incredibly hard to regret buying this package at full price.