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In Proud Nordics, so much of the culture and particulars of the politics are laid bare to us in our journey. The world and its people are rich and deliberate in their presentation. It's not a shock that this is the case — Ys is a series going on for nearly 40 years at this point — but I am awed a bit by the scope of the tale the series is telling.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Reckoning of New York is a weak visual novel in almost every regard. Flat, lifeless artwork and an uninteresting main plot are chief among its problems, but its design as a sequel that ignores the plot and purpose of the first two entries is almost equally as disappointing.
If there’s one remarkable thing I can say about Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties it’s that it truly made me empathize with its protagonist more than any other game in the series, as just like Kiryu, I spent the entire experience wishing I were sitting on a beach with my loved ones.
Edgar Allan Poe's Interactive Horror: 1995 Edition is a bleak, fascinating, and truly unique take on the works of Edgar Allan Poe, but it suffers from some egregious technical issues.
Without any mechanical complexity, story, or music to fall back on, the game must rely on a few jump scares to keep the audience awake. I suppose there is something admirable about a creator deciding to limit the scope of their work to exactly what they felt was necessary, but in the case of Iron Lung, that minimalism cuts too close to nothing.
A visually enticing bullet heaven with a large cast of playable characters should be a surefire way to have some fun, but it doesn’t quite land here.
Indika is an absurdly arresting experience. Its strong character writing, bold visuals, and excellent acting all contribute to delivering a story that consistently surprises. Its oscillation between realistic, dour moments and the humorous and absurd makes each moment shine, while also serving to blend the game into a coherent, cohesive whole. Sure, the overarching story and themes may not be exceptionally profound, but the carefulness and deliberateness with which those elements are generally handled make this a powerful experience.
Cairn is a climbing and survival game that examines the limits of your patience and tests your perseverance. Supported by a phenomenal soundtrack and great acting performances, it presents an exploration of the main character Aava’s will and purpose. In doing so, it holds a mirror to the players, asking a lot of us as well. What is to be gained from climbing the mountain? Why do we do it? What do we leave behind when we face our fears? You’ll only ever know if you dare to try.
Despite these minor quibbles, nearly every aspect of Yakuza Kiwami remains a colossal step up when compared to the original 2005 release. New movesets, more varied minigames and side quests, alongside the massively improved graphical fidelity make Kiwami the much preferred way to play through the classic story. It is a safe retelling that helps lay the groundwork for future titles, and that’s plenty.
Resident Evil 4 (2023) is an excellent game that captures the tone and absurdity of the original RE4, while breathing fresh air into its systems. Beyond graphical or audio enhancements, this game improves on every bit of the core gameplay when compared to the original.
The totality of the messaging in UNBEATBLE does come out a bit saccharine. Themes about love, support, and forgiveness are pervasive. Yet, at least for the moment, I can’t help but feel that sweetness myself. The feeling that, if I simply accept the love and care thrown my way, we really can band together and become unbeatable.
Dead Format is host to excellent ideas. The “haunted VHS” concept of opening up new worlds to explore sounds genuinely exciting in theory. To add to this, Katanalevy has a masterful grasp on the aesthetics of the past, using the constraints of VHS and film to create a genuinely unsettling atmosphere, but the poorly implemented stalker mechanic drags the experience down.
Terminator 2D: NO FATE is a masterclass in film-to-video game adaptation. It also feels like something a frighteningly clever machine would devise in order to push every single one of my ‘childhood delight’ buttons. It’s easily one of my favorite games of the year and I’d argue one of the best licensed games ever on top of that. Maybe just keep your eyes peeled for any discount on it.
Ain’t Even Poker, Ya Joker is flashy, fun, and addictive. While it is ultimately an extremely simple and short game, it is at the very least a nice way to spend a few hours if you just want to tickle the parts of your brain that like seeing numbers climb.
All in all, Little Corners is a small game made with love, celebrating the simple pleasures of creativity and organization. You don’t have to worry about getting a high score, or decorating your room within a set time. It’s simply about building a space that feels right to you.
Hollow Knight: Silksong is undoubtedly a beautiful game. Gorgeous artwork in the character sprites and the backgrounds breathes life into the world, music both haunting and melancholic permeates the air. More than any other positive aspect, Hollow Knight: Silksong seems to be a feat of technical prowess, a true masterwork of engineering where all the pieces work exactly as intended. Despite this, it remains one of the most tedious and boring games I have played in a very long time. It is a true shame those perfectly functioning systems don’t work together better to create a more rewarding experience.
Romancing SaGa -Minstrel Song- Remastered International is a breathtaking RPG that offers a freedom seldom found in modern Square Enix titles. Its free-form structure and less-than-clear gameplay mechanics will inevitably lead to some confusion, but through playing it, you will create a journey that is uniquely yours.
Demonschool is stylish and irreverent. Grotesque foes are contrasted by the bright hues and neon stylings akin to a retrowave album cover, and the shifting electronic soundscape enhances the mood in any given scene. There are some minor pitfalls in terms of battle difficulty, but there’s enough depth and visual flair to keep things interesting. Demonschool is positively bursting with heart and energy.
Winter Burrow feels like it’s designed towards the type of player that likes crafting and gathering. With many different items to decorate the Burrow with (such as beds and tables), your only limit is your own creativity. As far as gathering goes, it can be difficult to tell what items in the forest can be gathered or not, because even the gatherable items are drawn with the same level of care as the rest of the environment.
Malys is a darker, more story-heavy take on the deckbuilding genre. It's chock-full of great artwork, stellar music, and interesting gameplay mechanics, but is ultimately dragged down by persistent performance woes and quality errors. Spelling mistakes are the least of its worries as Malys also has the player contend with slowdown, hitching, and bugs that threaten each run more ferociously than any enemy on the screen.