Minimap's Reviews
Beast of Reincarnation is a game which deserved better. This is not a case of laziness and labeling it as such would be bush league. This is a game with wonderful ideas and heart but it was rushed out with a lack of polish or time to expand upon those ideas. GameFreak intends to patch Beast of Reincarnation, but some of these issues aren’t fixable in a mere patch or two.
While it isn’t perfect, Halo: Campaign Evolved still feels like a sizeable improvement over the Anniversary remaster while easily justifying a playthrough for fans new and old. It may stick too closely to some more frustrating aspects of Combat Evolved itself while offering some mediocre additional content, but the improvements made to tighten up the level design, amplify weapon feel, and heighten visual quality without sacrificing artistic direction are a big step in the right direction. If you’re looking for a great companion piece to the original game, Halo: Campaign Evolved is an enjoyably faithful romp from beginning to end.
Swan Song is a gripping tale of grief and finding your way through tough family situations, but it proves that it is possible if you stay true to yourself. The intertwining of sheet music puzzles makes the whole theme more impactful and shows what a puzzle game can really do.
Within the first chapter, you see Desktop Explorer have all the tools to make its mark as something unique within the Horror genre, yet it dips disappointingly into tropes we’ve all seen before, retreading ground which has been walked thousands of times.
Damon and Baby is a great game if you are looking for a boss rush with a side of story and exploration. The movement feels good, and the art style summons the feelings of old-school 3D platformers. A good pick-up for those who love boss fights that offer a challenge.
Scritchy Scratchy understands exactly what people want from an Idle Clicker game. It understands the genre perfectly, and deserves to be scored relatively with this in mind. If you like this genre, you can't really go wrong here.
First Light instead shines by blending the influences it has together into a cohesive Bond experience. IO Interactive shows an incredible understanding of what 007 should be. From the way the story is written and structured to the way they seamlessly transition from gameplay into their Action setpieces, it is simply superb in every aspect of being 007.
Voidling Bound is shaping up to be an incredibly fun game, and I absolutely believe that it's worth a look if you're a fan of 3D platformers, or even just looking to scratch the itch of not being able to play many creature collector games on PC.
I think this is a great, short Metroidvania. If you are someone who doesn’t need a well-crafted story, you just want to jump around and shoot monsters, this might be a great weekend play.
The chill café vibe, memorable characters, fitting music, thoughtful themes, and meaningful drink-making mechanics all come together to create an experience that feels both familiar and fresh. For longtime fans, this installment feels like a return to a favorite place with new people to meet. For newer players, it is a strong example of why these games have connected with so many people.
Overall, I think that's one of the game's biggest strengths; Batman has so much source material to draw from, It makes sense to mix and match to create a cohesive patchwork of gameplay, story and visual elements that will appeal to both obsessive and more casual fans, as well as create new ones. I would love to see other DC franchises get this treatment, and I think there are plenty of other franchises that would fit the bill too, such as Marvel, and even Star wars, if the team can have creative permission to tell an all new story in a galaxy far far away.
"Mixtape is a game which understands its influences but not why they work. The discourse around it has made that harder to see clearly. It is a game made by people with clear passions. Having love for your inspirations does not equate to creativity or good execution, though. With Mixtape, it results in a mediocre coming of age film in the form of a video game."
"Saros is a game where it dances on the line of head-scratching design decisions along with intriguing ideas. Its influences from The King in Yellow are wonderful and its core gunplay is excellent, yet it fails to coherently bind together its gameplay along with narrative in a way which makes it enjoyable at length."
Though it has grabbed the attention of the masses through the usage of the ‘rubberhose’ artstyle, Mouse: P.I. for Hire strives most by knowing what it takes to be a good game within the boomer shooter genre. Although very flawed, it would be a game that succeeds regardless of the artstyle it used
I think this game was fine. I think my expectations were too high, and that maybe I should have played the first game because I was hearing so many good things, which might have heightened my thoughts on what a sequel would have been. I feel like I got a decent amount of satisfaction out of the game. In terms of recommending it to someone, I think they would need to be more invested in the storytelling compared to wanting a great platforming or puzzle experience.
Overall, I think that Replaced is a game that will appeal to plenty of people. Fans of the genre will find an excellent 2D action platformer game, and anyone who enjoys dystopian fiction or the cyberpunk artstyle will find a gorgeous world with plenty of the genre's staples given a fun (ie depressing) twist. Even if you don't fall into any of these classes, I genuinely think you'll find an incredibly fun game that, granted, doesn't try to change a whole lot, but does everything right.
It’s easy to see why Titanium Court won IGF’s coveted Seamus McNally Grand Prize. The gameplay is masterfully designed, combining elements of match-3, tower defense, and roguelike strategy into a satisfying loop that works way better than it has any right to. And the narrative features some of the most inventive and absurd world-building I’ve ever seen, while showcasing enough charm and cleverness to pull it off. It may not be the next all-consuming, addictive roguelike that will consume dozens of hours, but the time I spent with it was incredible. I can only hope this indie folk rock nugget gets the mainstream recognition it deserves.
Capcom made us wait six years. They delayed it repeatedly, and the hype almost cooled down. In the end, they won by using the most standard method possible. It feels like they used a cheat code to win, but it wasn't a cheat. They simply made a game properly. It just so happens that in this era, "doing it right" has become the rarest cheat code of all. The effect was magnificent.
Dice a Million has a plethora of potential, more so than other games that attempt to emulate Balatro. As it stands, its lack of balance, punishing bosses, and almost near-absence of build diversity make it hard to recommend.
Raccoin isn’t a bad game by any means, and it stands as being good, actually. It is inherently disappointing when you consider what it could’ve been if the concept strived to be more unique rather than largely reusing an existing formula.