In an attempt to try to stay relevant and hip with all the cool video game series out on the market, the previous Double Dragon game, Double Dragon V: The Shadow Falls, switched things up by turning the series into a fighting game, and it worked just as well as you would expect it to. It made a valiant effort, having a lot to do for a standard fighting game for the time, and it also tied itself into the Double Dragon cartoon show, which is just hilarious, but it offered nothing new for the genre as a whole, it had all of the typical problems you could expect from a 90s fighter, and it felt pretty rough and rigid, certainly not being as smooth or fluid as other games like Street Fighter II or even Mortal Kombat II. However, if Technos was anything back in the day, they certainly were stubborn, too much for their own good, so they would go ahead and try this again with yet another fighting game released just one year later, known simply as Double Dragon.

This one was actually properly made and released for arcades rather then for the SNES and Genesis, and rather than being based on the Double Dragon cartoon show, this one was actually based on the Double Dragon movie that was made just one year earlier. Unlike the cartoon, I have actually seen that movie before (cough, review, cough), and it was complete and utter garbage, so needless to say, I was really excited to get into this. Not to mention, given the fact that this was a Neo Geo fighting game, I imagine it was gonna have SOME level of quality to it, seeing as most of those games generally do, so I imagined it was gonna be at least somewhat competent in comparison to what came before it. Thankfully, I was right with my assumptions, as it actually turned out to be a pretty good game, not one that I would go out and play over any other fighter released at the time, but it was definitely an improvement over what came before it, and it proved to be a pretty fun time, certainly a lot more than the movie it is based on.

The story is pretty much exactly the same as that of the movie, which can just be boiled down to “bad people are doing bad things, so Billy and Jimmy gotta go beat em up”, but really, you aren’t playing any Double Dragon game for the sake of the story, so who really cares, the graphics are pretty great, having plenty of colorful stages and designs for characters, plenty of great animations, and effects in general, but it doesn’t look too much more impressive than any other fighting game for the Neo Geo, the music is pretty good, having plenty of tracks that fit pretty well with the overall tone of the game and for what is currently going on on screen, but none of the tracks stuck out to me all too much, and the gameplay/control is what you would expect, except this time, it is made much more tolerable and actually fun to play, showing that Technos actually had some kind of character development for once.

The game is a typical one-on-one fighter, where you take control of one of ten different characters, each of them hailing from either the Double Dragon games or the movie in one way or another, take on plenty of opponents in a vast amount of locations that you have probably seen in plenty of other fighting games before, deliver many different punches, kicks, and special moves against your opponents to dwindle their health down to nothing, make sure to dodge, block, and counter whatever moves may come your way to ensure you take as little damage as possible, and reign supreme over your opponents to prove that you really are the true Double Dragon……… or some cliche shit like that, I dunno. Most of it is what you would expect from your typical fighting game, with the game not enhancing the genre or putting a spin on it in any way whatsoever, but I will give it credit for, again, taking what it had before with Double Dragon V and improving on it exponentially.

Just in general, the game feels a lot better to play than Double Dragon V, feeling pretty fluid and smooth when it comes to how you go about executing your moves. It doesn’t feel quite as games like SSFIIT or Mortal Kombat 3, but the movement is consistent and fast enough, while the combat has a proper feel to it that makes the impact of your hits and combos feel like they amount to something. Not to mention, the game also takes hints from plenty of other fighting games that were made at the time by adding in a charge meter to fights. Once this thing is charged up, you can unleash several different kinds of super moves on your opponent to take out a large chunk of their health, such as with a more powered up version of your regular special moves, or even ones that can power you up for the remainder of the fight, allowing you to be faster and deal way more damage then before. I wouldn’t say these are the end-all solutions to winning every single battle, but pulling off these moves can quickly change the tides of battle, and they feel damn good to pull off successfully, especially the ones that power you up physically. Also, this doesn't change the quality of the game at all, but the PS1 version of this game (the version I played) also has various clips and screenshots from the movie, and my god…….. I haven't laughed quite as hard as I did looking at those in a long time. Thanks, Double Dragon Neo Geo, cause I really needed that.

However, if none of that sounds all too original or exciting to you, then you would be right on the money, as the game, as a whole, isn’t all too original or exciting. Sure, it is competently made, and you can have a pretty decent time playing it, but it doesn’t have much going for it when compared to the MANY different other fighters that were out at this point like, again, Street Fighter II, Mortal Kombat, or any of the million fighting games made by SNK. Also, the character roster is pretty lacking, only having 10 different fighters for you to choose from, which is quite a bit, but considering the amount of fighters that some of these games had at this point, it is quite a downgrade. Not to mention, aside from the main duo, as well as two other recognizable DD characters, there aren’t many others here that you would wanna play as. Seriously, are you really that eager to play as the widely beloved character Eddie?.............. yeah, didn’t think so.

Overall, despite its lack of innovation on the genre and disappointing character roster, Double Dragon for the Neo Geo manages to take everything that Double Dragon V did wrong and properly corrected it, while also adding in several different features and fixes that do make the game much more fun to play as a result. I would recommend it for those who are big Double Dragon fans, as well as those who weren’t too keen on what Double Dragon V managed to give them, because while this won’t give you anything you weren’t expecting, it will still manage to satisfy those who wanna beat up their friends and fighting game fanatics alike. Unfortunately though, this would be the last Double Dragon game that Technos would ever make, as the company would go bankrupt just one year later, leading to the series getting left in the dust, only to then get thrown around and abused by devs soon enough……….. but then again, Technos didn’t really handle it that much better when they were making the games, so this is really nothing new for the series at that point.

Game #599

Watched Market Pliers play this game a year and a half ago and thought it looked really neat, and what do ya know? It is neat.

This game wears its Resident Evil influence on its sleeve (non-coincidentally, my second Resident Evil inspired game review in a row), but you don't need to know a thing about Resident Evil to get your mileage out of this - case and point, I don't know pretty much anything about RE and I liked it. Also some Amnesia influence thrown in there.

I recommend going in blind for sure, while the story is nothing special (in fact, it is, quite literally, a nightmare, a fact the game doesn't hide), there are some surprises you won't want spoiled, and a few decent scares. Not much more to say for me. 2 hour game and cheap.

There are some large spiders in this one, though, I guess that's worth noting for some people. They're late game and you'll see their webs first, but still worth noting.

I heard about this game from a friend of mine sometime ago, and the main hook for both of us was that it took place in Portugal, the country we live in.
Of course, that got me intrigued, and I'll say right now, when it comes to the Portuguese dialogue, it's pretty good and similar to what you'd hear here in Portugal.

Thing is... I don't think the game has much going for it outside of that. The game's pixelated art-style is charming, but sometimes I wished that this game was presented differently.
Like, imagine if this was a game where you got to explore the park in a 3D setting, and not as awkwardly as you do here.
Thankfully, with the press of the right-click button on the mouse, you can move quickly between areas, but sometimes you have to move a bit to one side to scroll the screen, and then you can move.
And considering that there isn't much to scroll, it feels kinda haphazardly put together.

Its story is okay, but I also feel like it doesn't have much going for it, and it left me kinda empty by the end, because its conclusion was not satisfying at all.

Overall, A Date in the Park is definitely a game that just kinda exists.

The only real f*cking that happened was of my brain. WTF WAS THAT!!!!! THESE DEVS ARE INSANE!!!!
I have a feeling they played SCORN and were like "Yeah this is pretty cool but what if instead of using a gun it's some weird dudes dick?" absolutely surreal experience. Really glad I played it actually but this is completely unrecommendable unless you're a complete degenerate.

It's kinda funny how little actual sex scenes this game has, it definitely leans alot more into the "Cosmic Horror" than "Hentai game"
I'm not very squeamish but that scene near the end had me looking away from the screen and saying out loud "HOLY SHIT WHAT THE FUCK"

Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a tough game to review because it objectively does nothing wrong -- it’s fun, accessible, and boasts so much eye candy, you’d think the devs were on something when they coded it. But as a lifelong fan of both the platformer and Mario games, I couldn’t help feeling like it was intrinsically stuck in the past - as though there was something stopping it from straying too far from that pre-established blueprint Miyamoto wrote back in 1985.

Of course, a series should never abandon its roots, but in a world where the 3D Mario titles have consistently innovated post-64, it’s admittedly disappointing to see its side-scrolling Bros. accompaniment not do the same post-Mario World, Fans may call me crazy given that these criticisms are normally-leveled at the New SMB subset; however, the truth is I’ve always felt the macro franchise, as a whole, was just as guilty of stagnation, and unfortunately this latest release did little to quell those preconceptions.

On the surface, Wonder appears completely discrepant from its forebears, but take a closer look and you’ll see there’s actually very little in the way of genuine DNA swaps: levels are largely the same desert/water/lava/ice motif we saw aplenty in the OG trilogy; stages primarily operate on the X-Y axis; secrets are still accessible by randomly-placed pipelines; bosses remain the same lame “jump on X three times” template; and even the story continues that tiring retread of Bowser conveniently discovering a new power source (and yes, I know that latter point will come across as excessively-whiny, but compare this to other Nintendo franchises like DKC, Zelda, and Kirby which at least swapped up the antagonist every other entry).

Regarding the new power-ups, they ain’t all that groundbreaking either - bubble flowers are reskinned fire flowers, while the much-touted elephant suit is literally limited to spraying water and breaking horizontal blocks ( things that were pioneered in DKC3 almost 30 years ago…). The Drill Cap stands as the most unique addition to the game, allowing Mario to tunnel into adjacent walls & floors, but as the name implies, it’s restricted to subterranean stages, rendering it severely-underutilized compared to its brethren.

Supplementing this are several design choices I thought were outright regressive from the past, the biggest being the presence of badges. These tokens grant supplements to Mario and co.’s movements, theoretically changing-up the gameplay for better & for worse depending on which one you choose. The problem is, in creating them, Nintendo outright-stripped standard abilities you had in previous Mario games, making it a bit frustrating for older gamers used to a full set of tools - the crouch jump, spin jump, vertical wall leap, speed boost, and Peach and Luigi’s semi-floating being among the casualties. Don’t get me wrong, Wonder does have some fresh concoctions; I just doubt the majority of gamers will utilize them in light of it making the game harder than necessary (the spring hop and wall latcher coming to mind).

Chances are you’ve heard of the eponymous Wonder Seeds laden in most levels, their touch causing all manner of psychedelic changes within, and look, I’d be lying if I said the visuals weren’t dope (you really do wonder what manner of drugs Mouri distributed to his staff during development); however, I personally never felt like you were undergoing some radical gameplay change during these sections, the lion’s share of them being either imagery swaps of standard templates, Mario Maker-esque rail levels, or transformation stages wherein you turn into an enemy like a poor man’s SM Odyssey.

Again, I don’t want it to seem like the game is bad - Wonder is, equitably-speaking, a great title, and considering every generation gives us a new batch of potential Mario fans, it’ll definitely serve as a wonderful (no pun intended) introduction to the franchise. But for longtime enthusiasts like myself expecting something different from Bros.-past, I think it’s fair to say, at this point in time anyway, that Nintendo has no interest in doing that. This is their, for lack of a better term, “safe” series where, much like GameFreak and Pokémon, they want people to know what you see is what you get - a modernized, but ultimately nostalgic, rendition of the classic SMB template.

Ironically, the one area where more was done that I actually felt would’ve actually benefited from a regressive set-up is the story as I kid you not when I say this game has more dialogue than every single Mario Bros. game combined, and it’s as trivial & repetitive as you can imagine. I get that you need a basic framework, but the way Wonder constantly reminds you about its pointless story or pointless characters, it honestly comes across like someone at Nintendo actually thought highly of the writing.

Outside of running-and-bounding across levels, Nintendo has thrown-in three additional stage types to peruse in each world: first are Break Times, or short excursions built around a gimmick; second are KO brawls, in which you’re tasked with clearing out squads of enemies; and third are Badge Challenges, wherein you, as the name implies, try out a badge in a handcrafted course. They’re fun enough diversions, but understand you’re maybe getting a couple minutes of enjoyment from each.

Graphically, Wonder is a phenomenal game, building on the HD palette New Super Mario Bros. U pioneered back in 2012 via brighter hues, motion-based environments, and even some well-done dynamic luminescence around fire. Much like Daedaelic, Mario games have always had a distinct art style, and Wonder continues that trend whilst evolving some of my favorite aspects from the franchise in the process ala superb facial expressions and minor animation work that’ll unfortunately be underappreciated (i.e., seeing a goomba’s scared reaction to his friend being eaten by a Yoshi!).

Voice acting in the Mario titles has always been restricted to the grunts & giggles of its cast, and here it’s as fine as it’s ever been. My only complaints would be Yoshi’s inflections appearing higher-pitched than normal, and all the Popplins sharing the same VA (and, you know, sounding & looking like discount Toads).

SFX is kind of disappointing given the strange decision to both use instrumentals for most actions and rehash standard stock noises Nintendo concocted long ago. With the former, static pounds are rendered as drum riffs; leaps, string plucks, and fireballs some sort of bleated note amongst others. With the latter, expect Starmen and Goalposts et al. to resound like they always have since Super Mario World.

Thankfully, the OST by Shiho Fujii, Sayako Doi, Chisaki Shimazu, and the legendary Koji Kondo remains exceptional. Going in, I expected nothing but a platter of classic Mario themes (i.e., your orchestral motifs & proud horns), and to be fair there are a good chunk of those in here; however, there’s just as many, if not more, unique tunes crafted for the game, with some of my favorite ones including: the snake charmer melody of Sunbaked Dessert, pan flutes of Shining Falls, the alternating xylophone & digitized blurts of Fungi Mines, the seafaring voyage of Lava Theme, the 80s synth revamp of Bowser’s Castle, and the masterpiece that was A Night at Boo’s Opera. The more nostalgic among you may recognize short callbacks to prior titles, like Isle Delfino in Bouncy Tunes, Slider in Coins Galore, or Super Mario World in Wonder Token Tunes, all of which add-up to a thoroughly-enjoyable medley of tracks for old and new ears alike.

In the end, though, the best music wouldn’t change what I said at the beginning - if you’re tired of the Mario Bros. formula, Wonder won’t amend things for you. It’s a terrifically-constructed enterprise ripe with multicolored energy and hallucinogenic fervor, albeit wrapped in an overly-familiar skin. Make your decision accordingly.


NOTES
-I genuinely don’t understand why Nintendo continues to put lives in the Mario games when losing them does nothing save forcing someone restart a level (a facet that, itself, is rarely going to happen). Can they really not think of any substitute purpose for collecting coins?

-Much has been made about the Talking Flowers, and they’re surprisingly not annoying, often having a singular line before disappearing from view. Still, I couldn’t get over Mick Wingert giving them a Petey the Pistol-esque voice (for you younger readers, basically he sounds like the Map from Dora the Explorer).

-Speaking more on the music, I loved how the majority of Wonder Flower shifts had their own leitmotif rather than just an altered version of the base level’s cues.

'Warriors: Legends of Troy' feels like a distinguished departure from the typical musou formula that someone might expect. Unlike the endless enemy waves of Dynasty Warriors, this title brings a refreshing focus on one of history's most riveting tales: the Trojan War. For those with a penchant for ancient epics, this game offers a chance to step into the sandals of legendary figures such as Achilles, Odysseus, Penthesilea, Paris (and a few others) and to experience their storied exploits firsthand.

One of the most striking features of Warriors: Legends of Troy is its art style, especially some cutscenes which draws heavy inspiration from Ancient Greek amphoras. This artistic choice lends the game an authentic feel that transports you directly into the heart of Greece.
The world design, even if it wasn't overly detailed, managed to craft a compelling backdrop that convincingly conjures the ancient cities and battlefields of Greece. Every arena feels like a step back into a world ruled by gods and heroes.

The character designs in Legends of Troy are a highlight, and they are gorgeous looking.
Each figure is rendered in a way that both honors their mythological roots and brings them vividly to life.
Achilles is portrayed with the fierce intensity befitting a legendary warrior, while Odysseus' cunning and strategic acumen are subtly woven into his demeanor and expressions.
The inclusion of lesser-celebrated characters like Penthesilea or Patroklos adds a layer of depth and diversity to the cast, enriching the experience and connection to the story.
The more characters, the better in this kind of setting.

Koei has tweaked the usual gameplay dynamics seen in their other titles, making button-mashing a less viable strategy. This change necessitates a more tactical approach to combat, especially during the thrilling boss fights that punctuate the storyline. The introduction of a strategic upgrade system, where you manage limited space slots for various items and enhancements, adds a layer of tactical depth that extends beyond the in-game battlefield.

The narrative delivery in Warriors: Legends of Troy is compelling, facilitated by well-executed cutscenes that captures the triumphs and tragedies of the Trojan War epic. The voice acting deserves a special mention for its quality and for how effectively it conveys the powerful emotions of the characters involved. This, combined with a soundtrack that resonates with the themes of ancient Greece, creates a full mythological experience.

Despite its unique offerings and the robust execution of both its aesthetic and gameplay elements, this game feels like an underrated gem. It’s a title that deserves far more attention, I've barely seen anyone talk about this game, possibly because its overshadowed by the other more mainstream games in the Musou genre.
Warriors: Legends of Troy is a commendable effort by Koei to step outside its comfort zone and venture into the rich, tumultuous era of Greek mythology. The game not only succeeds in delivering a memorable experience but also enriches the musou genre with its unique blend of strategic combat, beautiful style, and a decently engaging narrative. For anyone that's fascinated by ancient history, this title is a must-play.

Clearly unfinished (unfortunately, a recurring theme among FromSoftware's best games) -- even before the abrupt ending, the last few levels are less interesting than the slam-dunk series of worlds in the first two-thirds, and the game throws far too many unique items at you for such a short experience, leading me to believe they were originally supposed to be spread out over twice as many locations. That being said, there is nothing out there like Shadow Tower: Abyss, not even the first game (which I also greatly enjoy) or the King's Field series from which it descends. The game is dripping with alien, foreboding atmosphere, planting the player in a world that isn't human and isn't for us to understand. The addition of modern firearms and enemy dismemberment with gameplay implications makes this mechanically the most interesting of FromSoftware's dungeon crawlers, an insane hodge-podge of different weapons and moves that is a blast to experiment with. Even in its abbreviated state, Shadow Tower: Abyss is a wonderful time -- a wild and wacky precursor to the Soulsborne games that is criminally overlooked.

Going into this, I had the expectations of a typical retro modern "remake" of the era. You know the type, where it is fairly faithful to the game it is recreating, but uses ugly 3D models for a 2D platformer that strips the original soul the game had while also not getting the controls and physics exactly right thus somehow still not making it the best version to play.
I am happy to say that Castle of Illusion is not that type of remake, but something closer to a remake that takes advantage of the eras Tech to truly make something that enhances the original experience, but also gives it it's own identity to not replace the originals. Something akin to the Resident Evil 2/4 remakes.

Right off the bat, the game is gorgeous. I did not expect a remake from the PS3/360 era to have this much detail, effort and soul in it's artstyle. The original game on the Genesis has some of the best backgrounds and sprites on that system, and somehow the team at Sega Australia lived up to it using their own modern style. As you platform your way through the colourful levels, everything is oozing charm. Even the backgrounds have things happening such a seeing the boss of the level sneaking around, doing their thing. It feels like an alive world and that is very impressive for a 2D platformer.

While mentioning this is a 2D platformer, the game brings it's own unique spin by having 3D platforming sections that work just as great as the 2D sections switching seamlessly between both perspectives like a modern Sonic game. The levels are not a 1-to-1 of the original, but something a bit more remixed while retaining all the aspects that made the original levels memorable.

The gameplay itself retains that fun bouncy Ducktales-like gameplay the original had, yet somehow made it even tighter to play.
All the setpieces from the original are here, such as the part where you need to run away from the giant apple. But this time these set pieces are now remixed into their own big budget cinematic parts of the levels.
Bosses get the same treatment, where in the original they were fairly quick and easy to beat; here they have their own big segments now that make them so fun to fight. They are closer to a boss from something like crash bandicoot.

It is a short game, but feels like biggest budget short game ive played, and I highly recommend you play it if you are a fan of platformers. Get it on steam if you see it on sale, because you'll definitely get a bang for your back. I wish Sega continued remaking these with the other Illusion titles because if they kept this quality up, it could have been the best bunch of remakes we have seen in gaming.

As a Mega Man fan who is playing through the Castlevania franchise, this was a nice little surprise. A parody spinoff of Castlevania puts you in the shoes of the long time antagonist, Dracula, when he was a child has you jumpn' and shootn' Mega Man style through levels with a boss usually waiting at the end.

Other comparisons to Mega Man is the fact when you defeat a boss at the end of a level you get a new weapon in the form of a charge blast, that you are able to switch. Some of these charge blasts are homing attacks, explosions or even the ability to turn you into a bat for a short period. The only other thing the gameplay does to really differentiate itself from Mega Man is the ability to shoot up (which if Mega Man could do, he would be so OP).

I do wish this game had the structure of a Mega Man game where you could choose your level order, considering bosses do give you weapons this time around, it would have been cool to find an order that gives you your favorite weapons first.

Level wise, the design is more focused on shooting enemies then platforming. There are a handful platforming sections but nothing too hard or stressful. You won't get the disappearing blocks over a bottomless pit type of challenge. Some of the level themes are cool as they take some of the designs from Castlevania and "kidify" them in artsyle. The first level itself is a straight up recreation of Dracula's castle from the original title and it was so cool reliving it. Other levels are more typical levels you'd see in a platformer like the Ice stage or Desert stage - not bad but nothing too great and original either.

The game difficulty is very fair for a NES game and Castlevania game nonetheless. Someone with decent experience with NES platformers should be able to beat this in one sitting with a good level of challenge.

I liked this little fun break from the rage inducing early Castlevania titles, especially as a fan of Mega Man this is a solid MM clone and treat.

Game Dev Tycoon is the only game i'ever bought on my phone because you know, if you pirate it you'll have no chance of getting too far into the game. At some point your games will start to get pirated and you'll go bankrupt eventually.
You start from a small garage and you end up growing into a major industry leader. I love the fact that the game begins in the early days of the gaming industry (around the 80s) and progresses through several decades, the furthest I got was to 300 years in the future 😅
The game is very engaging and it gives you freedom, you can create games by selecting various genres, themes, and platforms, and then manage the development process by allocating resources to different aspects such as graphics, sound, gameplay etc.

The game's biggest strength is it's replayability. As you progress, you unlock new technologies, game genres, and research options, allowing for increasingly sophisticated game development. There's also the challenge of staying ahead of industry trends and competitors. It adds a layer of strategic depth that keeps the gameplay interesting over multiple playthroughs.
The biggest flaw of the game is that at some point, you reach endgame and you stop unlocking new gameplay elements. I wish they supported this game for longer and added more depth to it.

All in all, this is a neat and unique idea of a game that gets addictive really quick.
Im sad that i never developed a game that got a pure 11/10 rating:((

The type of shovelware well-meaning grandmas used to buy their grandkids for the Wii on Christmases and birthdays back in the late 2000s, now on the 9th generation of consoles! Look, developer IguanaBee was forced to make this under some brutal time and financial constraints. They're a talented studio which can be seen in titles such as their incredibly charming MonsterBag. Oddly enough, despite the ultimate results this might actually be further proof of said talent. In roughly a year, without guidance or proper monetary support from the publisher to staff a full team on the project, and after a bit of post-release patching to update stuff such as the map so that it now shows your position on it, they churned out an entirely playable open-world action adventure. Doesn't make it a fun experience, but it's impossible to not be at least minorly impressed with what they were able to accomplish (however minuscule) with so many hurdles in their way.

Alright, now that I’ve given its makers a somewhat obligatory “it’s okay bud, we know it’s not really your fault” pat on the back, it’s time to mercilessly crap all over this abomination! We are looking at a genuinely abhorrent product here. Sure, Rise of Kong is a disaster from technical perspective with bugs that cause you to inexplicably get stuck on invisible snares forcing autosave reloads, graphics that look like they're from a PS2 offering (and not one of the pretty ones), environments that sometimes awkwardly melt into shape as you approach them in a manner akin to a hallucinogenic induced trip, and audio quality so bad it needs to be heard to be believed, but its worst aspects are easily those opening chapters where things are unreasonably challenging.

If there's any ish I can’t stand it’s when a bad game doesn’t have the decency to just let you steamroll through it with little trouble. The early hours are brutally plagued by the titular ape’s pathetically limited range and wimpy attacks that barely chip away at the health bars of his enemies. Shouldn’t this have been some kind of power fantasy? Why am I getting wrecked by what appear to be little green dodo birds? At no point do you feel like a beast powerful enough to have slugged it out in movies with the King of the Monsters. Even the way basic trees and other objects in the scenery tower over him give the impression that you’re controlling a regular-sized gorilla rather than one humongous enough to climb the Empire State Building.

Eventually you do begin to attain the true might you would expect from a kaiju with the first name of “King,” but it never seems to be the result of your investments into any of the skill trees. I can’t prove it, yet I have this unshakable suspicion that the devs artificially lower the difficulty in later chapters to give players the ​illusion of getting stronger rather than legitimately allowing them to become so, because it’s not remotely believable that those meager initial stat boosts I was unlocking would have had such a profound ability to leave foes that were previously causing me problems all of the sudden crumbling at my feet.

Oh well, at least when that happens it becomes pretty smooth sailing to the credits. You’ll still struggle to reach them though. Your motivation will be low. The entire runtime of Skull Island is a mind-numbingly dull loop of running around massive maze-like environments of identical assets to find unmarked, sparsely located “ascension event” arena fights and pick up the occasional collectible on your way to the area’s boss. There are plenty of threats along the way, but engaging with them is totally pointless. Not just because the combat sucks either. Defeating foes outside of the required sections grants you no additional EXP points, meaning they’re literally a complete waste of time. You’re better off simply sprinting past everything and focusing exclusively on whatever boring platforming segment is between you and the next mandatory encounter.

As much as I believe the small Chilean indie developers mostly deserve a pass for this given the circumstances, it is simultaneously not hard to wonder why they continued to try to create a package so grand in scope rather than reducing its scale to something more reasonable. Perhaps they shouldn't escape blame entirely. Their ambition paired with the lackluster resources from GameMill seriously cost them here. There were quite a few shockingly dreadful releases in 2023 and Skull Island: Rise of Kong blows the few I personally played out of the water, proving far fouler than the likes of Gollum or even TWD: Destinies. Is it the worst game of that year? That's highly likely. It's easily the top contender in my eyes.

1/10

Chlidren of the Sun is got me hooked from the demo alone, I instantly had to buy the full game once it was available. It's fairly short, but that also might just be because I enjoyed the gameplay so much, that it was hard to put-down. There's small bits of story, but the gameplay is the real focus, and it is extremely fun to learn to master. A friend and I played side by side, helping each other out with figuring out the puzzles, though I think I gave them an aneurysm with how bad I am at understanding their directions lol.

Short, fun puzzle game with gorgeous art. Don't go in expecting too much more. The amount you have to trust your gut when choosing your next move might not be for everybody, but I thought it worked perfectly and loved learning how the game expected you to "complete the job". The final level was a real test of all the knowledge you learn throughout, and had me feel extremely satisfied when excuted properly.

Check it out if you're interested, I got it for $10 during its release sale. Feels like a good price imo.

3.5/5