DENNIS GAGLIARDOTTO
White Shadows Review
With such a creative and visually appealing direction, there's no denying that White Shadows could be up there with the greats of the genre such as Little Nightmares and Inside, however a sloppy checkpoint system that feels simultaneously fair and unfair can lead to frequent frustrations. In the end, however, White Shadows is yet another wonderful addition to the narrative genre of dark, side-scrolling puzzle games that tell a story through its environment, and wonderfully weaves in a unique creative direction to tackle sensitive subjects.
Arcadia Fallen Review
Arcadia Fallen's blend of alchemic and magical fantasy weaved in with the politics of war make it a thrilling adventure and remains captivating throughout thanks to the strength of its dialogue and characters, and it further goes to show that a good story or game can be presented in any fashion so long as one enjoying the art has a bit of imagination.
Beyond Blue for Nintendo Switch Review
Beyond Blue is an exceptional game that really highlights the beauty of the deep blue sea and its marine life without forcing the player into random acts of survival, and instead opting to have them experience the tranquility and freedom of the vast world underwater that houses all sorts of fascinating sea life, and even with its technical shortcomings it's still worth a dive whether Switch is your main platform or not.
Reviver Dia Plus by Brook: Pokémon GO Auto-Catcher Review
With a solid, premium feel and build to it, the Dia+ Auto Catcher is a device that's suitable to just about any lifestyle and tasks with no risk of visible wear and tear that can ruin or alter the experience. Regardless of the model being chosen, Brook has built a multi-use, multi-purpose peripheral that, to me, exceeds even first-party devices and helps streamline the quality of life and comfort of Pokémon GO as a whole, becoming a device that I now can't see myself without.
Cupid Parasite Review
Cupid Parasite is a unique take on the Otome genre that, while not exactly aimed towards men, is entertaining and flexible enough that even those outside of the target demographic can enjoy with its touch on mythologies and how we handle and interpret love in modern day society.
Shadow Corridor Review
Shadow Corridor has elements in it that can easily make it a great game if it left its brutal design to higher difficulty levels rather than making it the default design of the game, and while the game does have an easy mode that allows for a mini-map to be displayed, it doesn't change the fact that checkpoints are few and far between with all progress essentially being lost with a few exceptions like collectibles that all leave your inventory upon death. The designs of the locations with Shadow Corridor are fine, but its massive maps feel almost endless when realistically an estate would have at least some sort of limited floorplan put into place. Instead, every map in Shadow Corridor feels like an amusement park, but one where the amusement is the last thing on anyone's mind.
Darksiders III for Nintendo Switch (Review)
Darksiders III on Nintendo Switch is a mostly well-done port that is likely to take a lot of people by surprise given its huge graphical upgrade over its previous generation predecessors. While the game itself is far from perfect, it should be commended that even with a few downgrades here and there, the overall integrity of the game remains intact and officially completes the entire Darksiders series being available on Nintendo Switch, which lends itself nicely to handheld play despite a AAA production that's as epic and grandiose as the series has ever been.
YouTubers Life 2 Review
YouTubers Life 2 is a rather enjoyable management sim that takes the formula of what would normally be in a cheap mobile game and gives it a nice big-budget polish that makes it a formidable game amongst others in the genre. While most will judge from the title of the game alone and assume it's a nonsensical grab at popularizing YouTubers and getting fans close with some of the site's biggest names and influencers, it's actually more so about building your own empire in a fictional world and city while you run around in various locations in a simple yet well-built town and get yourself accustomed as you follow your dreams towards a successful channel and career.
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.