DENNIS GAGLIARDOTTO
Kena: Bridge of Spirits Review
Even with its combat not being up to par because of a few things, Kena: Bridge of Spirits is without a doubt one of the most beautiful, polished, and engaging adventure games in years that in ways feels like a love letter to the platformers and adventures of yesteryear that helped define the genre to this day. The 10 to 15 hours you'll spend in Kena's shoes will shower you with one of the most captivating experiences that's difficult to put down, and for Ember Labs' debut title, this has easily and quickly put them on the map for one of the most talented studios currently in the business.
Mary Skelter Finale Review
Mary Skelter Finale may feel unnecessary to some, but I think what remains as the biggest disappointment is unfortunately the lack of anything really exciting or different to give off that feeling of a proper finale. However, Mary Skelter Finale is a competent send off for the series and one that I'm sure fans that have invested time into its Blood Maidens and world since its debut on Vita in 2017 will miss deeply.
Seed of Life Review
Even for its lack of polish in a lot of areas, Seed of Life does feel like a decent enough effort that it's worth sinking some time into if you're looking for a unique platformer to play regardless of the size and scale. Unfortunately, Seed of Life also feels too much like a proof of concept for a bigger AAA game and a little disjointed and misguided because of the ambitions that were set in place from the studio that simply couldn’t hit the mark quite right.
The Forgotten City Review
As a whole, The Forgotten City blends together the multiple facets of an RPG in a great way but doesn't rely on levels, resource management, or the usual tropes that come with the more grind-heavy experiences, and all The Forgotten City asks of you at the end of the day is to have that wit and will of exploration to truly squeeze out everything it has to offer, which is undoubtedly one of the most well put-together adventure games in years, and the first mod of its kind to win awards in writing - and rightfully so.
Chernobylite Review
Chernobylite is without a doubt a strong and solid package, and despite its pacing issues it's a great look into Chernobyl with a sci-fi narrative that's interesting and engaging, even if it does make you think quite a bit. However there’s a big lack of that big survival horror experience, and instead feels like yet another military-focused game, and though the horror portions that are within the game are incredibly well done, they’re just so few and far between.
Button City Review
Button City is not only an immensely relaxing experience but one of the most wholesome and memorable games in a long time, leaving a stamp on its mark in Indie games thanks to its unique gameplay and feeling of nostalgia for a time and place you were never originally a part of.
A Way to be Dead Review
A Way to be Dead consists of a design that we’ve seen grow in popularity over the years with a group of players going against one other that typically sees the group at a disadvantage to make up for the difference in numbers, and A Way to be Dead rests more in line with the likes of Dead by Daylight and Friday the 13th in this regard, but its Early Access state and multiplayer-only gameplay leave it dead on arrival with a virtually non-existent ecosystem of players that serves to make the game literally unplayable and dead weight.
Wonder Boy: Asha In Monster World Review
Wonder Boy: Asha In Monster World remakes a retro classic for the modern day, making it the third remake in the Wonder Boy series we’ve seen in the last few years as they remerge from a dormant state of over two decades. While far from perfect, Wonder Boy: Asha In Monster World is just good enough to enjoy all the way to its end, especially if you’re enthusiastic about more classic titles and gameplay, but its slight technical issues and lack of polish leave an otherwise janky experience that’s best played in moderation for maximum enjoyment.
The Magnificent Trufflepigs Review
In the short amount of time you'll spend with The Magnificent Trufflepigs, it'll unfortunately feel like a chore going around in a fairly open area walking infuriatingly slow with no sprint button in sight as you uncover lost treasures and various memorabilia communicating over a walkie-talkie, coming to a complete standstill after every discussion being held. It's just an overall frustrating time with odd quirks that occur when a walking simulator is typically known for being a casual yet calming time with little to no death or game overs to worry about, and instead we find ourselves on a slow trek uncovering materials in a poorly presented format.
Hokko Life (Early Access) Review
Hokko Life, despite it being in an Early Access state, is arguably the next best thing we finally have that can take the torch moving forward in the relaxing life-sim genre that has been dominated by the likes of Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing for the longest time, though it's not without fault as it does suffer from the curses that come with releasing a title in such an early state. Even so, Hokko Life gets rid of about 90% of the frustrations that tend to plague the genre, and also comes at that perfect time when most people are arguably ready to move on to something new and trying to find that perfect transition into a new village to call home.
Stranger of Sword City Revisited / Savior of Sapphire Wings Review
The package of Saviors of Sapphire Wings and Stranger of Sword City is an incredibly solid duo of one of the fondest experiences when it was mainly calling Vita its home next to its PC and Xbox releases, and thankfully some of its biggest issues have been addressed and polished between its interfaces and structures, though odd little omissions like the lack of an options menu in Saviors of Sapphire Wings certainly make it questionable as to why it wasn't touched up further. Having an already great dungeon RPG ported to the Switch alongside the never before localized Savior of Sapphire Wings, however, makes this an enticing and must-have package for any RPG fan looking for some turn-based dungeon goodness.
Biomutant Review
Biomutant overall is a competent adventure game that really gives that sense of world building and fun, almost superhero-esque storytelling, though the comic book features and quips, while nice, almost feels like an afterthought now compared to when Biomutant first had its reveal, which unfortunately lends itself to the theme of Biomutant’s great ideas that end up not reaching their full potential.
Mind Scanners Review
Mind Scanners is undoubtedly a one-of-a-kind title by Brave At Night that has players point-and-click their way through a sequence of patients, minigames, and prompts to bring back society to a normalized state correcting the insane (whether legitimate or accused), with a unique interface that has the player clicking through modules, and while Mind Scanners won’t be for everyone, there's still a lot here to be appreciated in terms of craftsmanship, and those that are open enough to always try new approaches to how we play and design games should find a lot here to love and enjoy.
Scarlet Hood and the Wicked Wood Review
Scarlet Hood and the Wicked Wood sees an exceptional increase in an already talented studio’s portfolio to give us Devespresso’s most polished and well thought out title yet. While the overall formula is familiar to their work on both The Coma and Vambrace, it feels like more of a signature, and considering their design philosophy works well, it’s definitely a “don’t fix what’s not broken” situation that gives players a stunning art direction with a great game to boot.
The House in Fata Morgana: Dreams of the Revenants Review
The House in Fata Morgana: Dreams of the Revenants beautifully compiles three of the visual novel genre’s most critically acclaimed games into one package on Nintendo Switch and brings along with it unreleased content and short stories for what feels like a festival of narrative bliss in a dark gothic story involving drama, stunning art, and a slew of memorable moments.
Cozy Grove Review
Cozy Grove gives one of the more relaxing experiences in recent years in what feels like a wonderful marriage between Animal Crossing and Don’t Starve, but for all its fun and accomplishments, it’s marred by forced restrictions with time limits, repetitive tasks, and a big lack of optimization.
Forgotten Fields Review
Forgotten Fields is a fine game that explores the day to day of our lives and what it's like being an adult simply trying to "make it" in the sense that they're happy doing what they do - almost the sort of pursuit of happiness - but its focus on the mundane and the more depressive things in our lives with little else to do makes the game a boring trek and an overall banal experience that feels like a drag despite its short duration.
Lust from Beyond Review
Lust from Beyond is a successor to Lust for Darkness in more ways than one as it's not only much more polished and refined than its predecessor, but also a bigger, deeper, and dare I say more *fleshed* out game as a whole. While the narrative isn't as strong or consistent as Lust for Darkness due to its change of characters through its chapters and back and forth between its real and erotic dimensions, the vast environments give much more flavor to Lust from Beyond's setting and makes it much more enjoyable to explore and play through, with a few collectibles hidden throughout and enough puzzles to keep things engaging and the brain stimulated.
Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Earthblood Review
With a potential market of werewolf fans to cater to, Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Earthblood had everything it needed to be set up for success to those that enjoy werewolves alongside their vampires, elves, and other fantasy mythical races and creatures to stand out amongst the crowd, with the ability to maul and hunt in an action RPG setting, but ultimately what was given was a feeling of a canceled game that was revived, with little to no passion or polish put into what would eventually become a banal product that feels like nothing more than a dated high school project.
Iris Fall Review
Iris Fall had everything it needed to be the next puzzle game for those that appreciate stylized and unique experiences to fall in love with, as the borderline profound puzzle games like this that tell their story through the environments and the puzzles themselves are always a sight to behold, but the continued tediousness and irresponsiveness of the controls, animations, and input lag overall feels like more of a chore to play than what could've been an immersive and truly fun puzzle-solving experience.