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Transcending the line between video game and interactive art piece, Harold Halibut explores the meaning of home on an isolated alien water world. While some pacing issues exist within the larger story, the handcrafted visuals that consistently charm alongside an extravagant cast make this a treat for fans of narrative adventures.
My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! -Pirates of the Disturbance- feels like a few episodes of the anime put together into a well made visual novel package. The writing can feel clunky, but the charm of the characters shines through. Fans of the show, manga, or light novel will find something to like here, and otome game fans will find a game with a ton of options and robust ease of play.
This highly addicting definitive edition of The Last Case of Benedict Fox was a blast to explore! The improvements to existing game mechanics as well as the additions of new story content, puzzles, and the arena complete the package, resulting in one of the best Metroidvanias I've played to date.
Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass is a gift. Its at first simplistic presentation belies a work of thought, care, and empathy. It satisfies those looking for quality in exploration, combat, and writing, while tying all elements together to focus the experience on communicating its message.
Despite Parry Nightmare's short runtime, it makes the most of every action-packed second by flawlessly combining addictive, high-tempo, parry-based combat and attention-grabbing visual storytelling baked directly into the enemies' sprite art and level design.
Anglerfish feels like it caters to a very specific patron and ends up poisoning the rest. The strange environments and peculiar denizens within the Anglerfish bar are a high note, but one that becomes drowned out by the frustrating design of its gameplay elements. After each death the game beckoned for another round, but I ultimately left feeling hungover.
Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition is an incredibly polished PC port with all the bells and whistles you could possibly ask for. It looks and runs incredibly, with the ability to tweak visuals and performance to suit your device. Nixxes continues their perfect streak of ports, and this is a fantastic way to experience Aloy's second adventure.
Pepper Grinder offers plenty of fun during a surface level playthrough. Once you drill into the depths of its game mechanics, however, you'll find an overly forgiving "casual" game and a relatively frustrating "time attack" game. That said, you can collect stickers and that's pretty cool.
Open Roads takes you on a delightful road trip as you seek out the truth behind granny's secrets, even if it's over quite quickly. Exploring abandoned summer homes and enjoying late night motel chats was pleasant, even if rather simple in premise. It's a nice diversion if you're looking for a relaxing narrative-focused game, but it's one that doesn't do much to make you deeply invested in the story.
Highwater is certainly a looker (and a sounder(?)), but its predictable combat and uninteresting story make it difficult to drudge all the way through.
If you love South Park, this will be the best $30 you could spend to have another adventure with all your favorite characters. With a completely different game style than the most recent South Park games, Snow Day! gives you five chapters of the main story totaling 5-6 hours, side quests that can be done more than once on multiple difficulties, and plenty of cosmetics for you to unlock. Solo play gets a little difficult during the ending of the story, but with friends, it should be an enjoyable time for all!
Unicorn Overlord has some of the best and most enjoyable strategy gameplay out there. It's gorgeous and engaging, and will have you wanting to uncover every inch of Fevrith before you put it down.
Rise of the Ronin is nothing if not ambitious, and though that ambition leads to the game not being as polished as you may expect from a PS5 release, it still manages to tell an enthralling story in which your actions truly matter, while also utilizing a unique bond mechanic, an in-depth -albeit slightly repetitive - combat system, and so much to do you'll find yourself losing sleep in an effort to complete just one more task. Those approaching Rise of the Ronin like the next Nioh will likely leave disappointed, but those who approach Team Ninja's latest effort with an open mind and patience will find a gem that just happens to have a few rough edges.
Dragon's Dogma II is a masterfully refined take on the original game. It's easy to get lost in its massive world for hours on end and truly immerse yourself into the role of the Arisen. There are a ton of technical problems and oddities throughout the game, but somehow those didn't stop us from having a blast. In an age where the limitations of video games are a known quantity, Dragon's Dogma II transcends them to become a game that truly feels real.
Alone in the Dark plays more of a moody psychological thriller with a heavy emphasis on puzzles rather than a traditional survival horror experience. That combined with the plethora of technical issues hold another remake of an original masterpiece back from reaching its true heights.
Hi-Fi Rush comes back to the stage in a pitch-perfect port that may well be the best version of the game. It looks gorgeous and runs flawlessly, with the DualSense features being a great addition to the game.
If you remember playing the original Battlefront I and II, you'll love playing them again on new generation consoles. They've added Kit Fisto and Asajj Ventress as well as multiple new maps that never made it into the originals. This definitely makes it worth it for any fan of these games or those wanting to see what all the fuss was about back in 2004/2005. Plus, with the ability to play multiplayer with friends and randoms, it's going to be just like the simulations once again!
This retelling of the 2013 game stays largely faithful to the source material and adds some valuable improvements. If you've already experienced the original I think you can sit this one out; but newcomers should experience this remake at least once.
If you like cute and fun, you'll enjoy Bandle Tale: A League of Legends Story. Nothing is too complicated to understand while gameplay gives you enough challenge you want to keep going. The plot is nothing too heavy but still pushes you to move forward at all times. Some of the side tasks can feel like a time waster or repetitive, but if you enjoy the style, those things become less of an annoyance and more of a time to work on time management. Make some tea, put on some cozy socks, and play Bandle Tale.
Berserk Boy bursts onto a crowded market of platformers in a strong flash of inspiration. With its literally game-changing form system, energetic soundtrack, and impactful visual design, it's a game well worth playing to the end. It just doesn't make as strong of an argument for you to stick around after the credits in its current state.