2022
Serial Cleaners is an intriguing branch within the stealth tree. Instead of taking out targets and hiding the bodies. You instead are sent in after the dirty work has happened. Tasked with cleaning up the crime scene.
I loved the level design, and the art establishes the setting effectively. Mechanics like vacuuming up blood and getting rid of bodies/evidence is fun. And while the voice acting can be dodgy, the story worked for me as well.
This game feels like it is made for me in so many ways. However, it is a greatly janky game. A fair share of bugs and glitches. Intentionally dumb AI that was overtuned on the stupidity. And some levels are way too grindy with how much backtracking you have to do with slow moving characters.
Some of the levels here though, Rykers, the yacht, the office, the police station and more are so well designed. The game is its strongest when you can swap between characters or when you can get really creative to speed up the cleaning process.
Overall I'm impressed with the scope of the game, but that feels like it was at the cost of a tight and finely tuned experience. I really enjoyed my time, and will keep my eye on what this studio makes next, whether that's a sequel or something fresh.
I can't recommend this game to everyone, its setting and gameplay are targeted to a specific audience. I'm glad that I happened to fall within it.
I loved the level design, and the art establishes the setting effectively. Mechanics like vacuuming up blood and getting rid of bodies/evidence is fun. And while the voice acting can be dodgy, the story worked for me as well.
This game feels like it is made for me in so many ways. However, it is a greatly janky game. A fair share of bugs and glitches. Intentionally dumb AI that was overtuned on the stupidity. And some levels are way too grindy with how much backtracking you have to do with slow moving characters.
Some of the levels here though, Rykers, the yacht, the office, the police station and more are so well designed. The game is its strongest when you can swap between characters or when you can get really creative to speed up the cleaning process.
Overall I'm impressed with the scope of the game, but that feels like it was at the cost of a tight and finely tuned experience. I really enjoyed my time, and will keep my eye on what this studio makes next, whether that's a sequel or something fresh.
I can't recommend this game to everyone, its setting and gameplay are targeted to a specific audience. I'm glad that I happened to fall within it.
2022
A good ol' fashioned 3D platformer collectathon. Tinykin carves it's own initials in the genre in that it is forgiving, easy and playful. There aren't lives or combat. What seems like a puzzle on the surface, isn't something that stops your momentum to try and figure it out. And the world, characters, sound effects and in game objectives give it that lighthearted texture.
I was completely fine with the game having a flatline of difficulty, because it was just so fun to romp around in these environments. I love the small character in a big world setting. Between the glider, soap slide and line riding, movement is slicky and responsive.
Just a completely joyous experience from start to finish, big recommendation from me.
I was completely fine with the game having a flatline of difficulty, because it was just so fun to romp around in these environments. I love the small character in a big world setting. Between the glider, soap slide and line riding, movement is slicky and responsive.
Just a completely joyous experience from start to finish, big recommendation from me.
2022
Two Point Campus isn't doing anything new or revolutionary within its genre. With that said, it is still a lot of fun, and has some interesting mechanics that have kept me coming back to play through multiple levels.
Really though, I want to say that this game has an absolutely bangin' soundtrack, do yourself a favour and listen through it even if you aren't interested in the game. A diversity of genres and feels that somehow all come together in a unified mix of great songs.
Really though, I want to say that this game has an absolutely bangin' soundtrack, do yourself a favour and listen through it even if you aren't interested in the game. A diversity of genres and feels that somehow all come together in a unified mix of great songs.
2022
Rollerdrome asks you to perfect its gameplay. You have to maintain momentum, while both dodging a myriad of enemy attacks and endlessly executing tricks to keep your ammo topped up.
You need to blend that momentum with the combat. Switching between weapons on the fly to best suite your next enemy. Timing your attacks and rationing your ammo before your next big trick.
It's the arcade-y combo game of Tony Hawk mixed with the frantic arena combat of Doom although it is not as deep as either of those series' focus. But blending them together elevates Rollerdrome to be something special.
Art style is fantastic, reminiscent of Sable but with its own spin. There is some issues with clarity of the line work which made the fidelity fall short on occasion and made text hard to read (even on maximum size).
On the side of story and characters, Rollerdrome makes an attempt but it is a half-assed one and therefore doesn't give the game the rounded edges to be an all around stellar experience.
I had a ton of fun mastering this games systems but I felt that as soon as I had done that, it was over! I could have used another round of the tournament but then I'm sure there would have been the need of more enemies and another weapon. I applaud the game for staying focused with its vision and tight design, but its use of a pseudo-new-game-plus and additional challenges isn't enough to keep me engaged past rolling credits.
You need to blend that momentum with the combat. Switching between weapons on the fly to best suite your next enemy. Timing your attacks and rationing your ammo before your next big trick.
It's the arcade-y combo game of Tony Hawk mixed with the frantic arena combat of Doom although it is not as deep as either of those series' focus. But blending them together elevates Rollerdrome to be something special.
Art style is fantastic, reminiscent of Sable but with its own spin. There is some issues with clarity of the line work which made the fidelity fall short on occasion and made text hard to read (even on maximum size).
On the side of story and characters, Rollerdrome makes an attempt but it is a half-assed one and therefore doesn't give the game the rounded edges to be an all around stellar experience.
I had a ton of fun mastering this games systems but I felt that as soon as I had done that, it was over! I could have used another round of the tournament but then I'm sure there would have been the need of more enemies and another weapon. I applaud the game for staying focused with its vision and tight design, but its use of a pseudo-new-game-plus and additional challenges isn't enough to keep me engaged past rolling credits.
2022
This review contains spoilers
I'm feeling conflicted on this one. The first 75% of Cult of the Lamb is some of the best gaming I've had this year. It has a completely addictive gameplay loop between visiting dungeons for resources and then bringing those back to bolster your base. While doing this, the game unfolds and adds layer to make that loop more and more compelling.
It is unfortunate then, that Cult of the Lamb loses itself in the end game. It could be a playstyle thing, but I had almost everything maxed out in terms of cult progression, combat skills and side stories and was stuck with the crusades.
The crusades aren't bad, but they also aren't anything special. Combat and movement are okay but since the game progress blocks you, you are forced to replay each area at least four times. By the time I was diving into the third and fourth areas, my character was so overpowered that I could mindlessly make my way through with very little risk. Roguelike build variety is also lacking.
Speaking to the game's strengths, its right there in the title, cult. Accruing followers who each have their little quirks and unique look is always a joy. And building up your home base around them is lots of fun. With a good mix of purposeful buildings to work on in the short and long term and tons of decorations to personalize your space. This part of the game greatly succeeds for me but it is worth saying that I feel the progression isn't well balanced. The later levels of the cult are mostly left to upgraded versions of buildings you already have, making those later levels not as exciting as they should be as you aren't seeing anything new at that point.
Similarly, managing followers is enjoyable but flawed. Keeping their meters in the right spots and customizing how your cult operates is engaging. You get attached to certain followers and feel bad when you have to do something nefarious to them either as a punishment or by having to make a tough choice for the good of the pack. Again though, the final boss requires 20 members to enter, and it seems like any number above or even around that was not considered even though it is well possible. After 20 or so, you become maxed out on what they can do, and it only makes it harder to maintain those meters for no gain. You are also limited to 6 specific and random members during sermons, taking away lots of control. And not having a way to quickly view how many members are assigned to what jobs makes it hard to plan the perfect sim.
I wish all of my above positives didn't need to be lathered with a compensatory negative but naturally that will happen when a game overstays its welcome. Simply tweaking the number of mandatory combat encounters could have helped this, alternatively there would need to be many more features added to the cult aspect of the game to give it more depth.
In closing, I love the aesthetics of the game, visually great and the music is sublime. I had my fair share of bugs and frame drops but can't say that hindered the experience much.
A game on the cusp of excellence. I will certainly be following this developer's future work because I'm sure their next project will be even bigger and better.
It is unfortunate then, that Cult of the Lamb loses itself in the end game. It could be a playstyle thing, but I had almost everything maxed out in terms of cult progression, combat skills and side stories and was stuck with the crusades.
The crusades aren't bad, but they also aren't anything special. Combat and movement are okay but since the game progress blocks you, you are forced to replay each area at least four times. By the time I was diving into the third and fourth areas, my character was so overpowered that I could mindlessly make my way through with very little risk. Roguelike build variety is also lacking.
Speaking to the game's strengths, its right there in the title, cult. Accruing followers who each have their little quirks and unique look is always a joy. And building up your home base around them is lots of fun. With a good mix of purposeful buildings to work on in the short and long term and tons of decorations to personalize your space. This part of the game greatly succeeds for me but it is worth saying that I feel the progression isn't well balanced. The later levels of the cult are mostly left to upgraded versions of buildings you already have, making those later levels not as exciting as they should be as you aren't seeing anything new at that point.
Similarly, managing followers is enjoyable but flawed. Keeping their meters in the right spots and customizing how your cult operates is engaging. You get attached to certain followers and feel bad when you have to do something nefarious to them either as a punishment or by having to make a tough choice for the good of the pack. Again though, the final boss requires 20 members to enter, and it seems like any number above or even around that was not considered even though it is well possible. After 20 or so, you become maxed out on what they can do, and it only makes it harder to maintain those meters for no gain. You are also limited to 6 specific and random members during sermons, taking away lots of control. And not having a way to quickly view how many members are assigned to what jobs makes it hard to plan the perfect sim.
I wish all of my above positives didn't need to be lathered with a compensatory negative but naturally that will happen when a game overstays its welcome. Simply tweaking the number of mandatory combat encounters could have helped this, alternatively there would need to be many more features added to the cult aspect of the game to give it more depth.
In closing, I love the aesthetics of the game, visually great and the music is sublime. I had my fair share of bugs and frame drops but can't say that hindered the experience much.
A game on the cusp of excellence. I will certainly be following this developer's future work because I'm sure their next project will be even bigger and better.
Late to the party on playing A Plague Tale but I'm so glad I did, and right in time for the sequel. This has got to be the best looking non-AAA game I've ever played, at least in terms of fidelity, the lighting and style bring the world to life.
Gameplay I'm generally positive on. No individual part is particularly amazing (the stealth, the puzzles), but the game is often switching things up, throwing new tools at you and moving onto the next thing before you have the chance to get tired of it.
It is with the story that A Plague Tale comes to life. Performances are all great, and the writing between the characters is endearing. Hopefully the sequel has better facial animation to make what are some emotion scenes have some more punch. Still though, this is one of the best adventure games I've played in recent times.
Absolutely worth playing through, especially since it has an easy breezy run time.
Gameplay I'm generally positive on. No individual part is particularly amazing (the stealth, the puzzles), but the game is often switching things up, throwing new tools at you and moving onto the next thing before you have the chance to get tired of it.
It is with the story that A Plague Tale comes to life. Performances are all great, and the writing between the characters is endearing. Hopefully the sequel has better facial animation to make what are some emotion scenes have some more punch. Still though, this is one of the best adventure games I've played in recent times.
Absolutely worth playing through, especially since it has an easy breezy run time.
2022
Golfing and roguelike, mashed together. As a golf game, Cursed to Golf is totally fine. As a roguelike, it is at least a double bogey.
There are some cool ideas here but its clear the game lacks balance as it throws shots at you and the lack of interesting choices means that this is a one and done. After finishing one run, I don't see myself picking up the clubs again.
Love the pixel art and music!
There are some cool ideas here but its clear the game lacks balance as it throws shots at you and the lack of interesting choices means that this is a one and done. After finishing one run, I don't see myself picking up the clubs again.
Love the pixel art and music!
2022
Cool concept with the controllable terrain in the form of tetris-like blocks. Unfortunately, I feel that almost everything surrounding that doesn't do much to elevate the concept.
You can utilize the system to do some cool tricks in combat but it never feels quite right. The feel of movement and combat is decent but once again the game feel isn't quite there.
I love the visuals, from the pixel art and environments to the UI. Characters and world are a combination of dark and silly that works for me.
What is stopping me from coming back is that it lacks the gripping replayability that roguelikes desperately need. I hope to see this game get a sequel or for another developer to take the general idea and further it in another project in the future.
You can utilize the system to do some cool tricks in combat but it never feels quite right. The feel of movement and combat is decent but once again the game feel isn't quite there.
I love the visuals, from the pixel art and environments to the UI. Characters and world are a combination of dark and silly that works for me.
What is stopping me from coming back is that it lacks the gripping replayability that roguelikes desperately need. I hope to see this game get a sequel or for another developer to take the general idea and further it in another project in the future.
2022
After having not touched any of the previous games in the series, Sniper Elite 5 being on Gamepass has been my entry point. And I'm wishing that someone had convinced me to check it out sooner!
Sniper Elite has just enough in common with the recent Hitman trilogy in terms of large sandbox level design, multiple objects, stealth, different ways to play and more. But it sets itself apart in ways such as the setting and better action.
This game has a lot going for it, but above all for me is the level design. I've had so much fun exploring all of the hiddens corners of these elegantly designed levels. I've not gone through them all including the DLC map and will be going right back to the game to complete them in different ways.
A hidden gem as far as I'm concerned, and this entry easily sold me to go back and check out the previous games in the series.
Sniper Elite has just enough in common with the recent Hitman trilogy in terms of large sandbox level design, multiple objects, stealth, different ways to play and more. But it sets itself apart in ways such as the setting and better action.
This game has a lot going for it, but above all for me is the level design. I've had so much fun exploring all of the hiddens corners of these elegantly designed levels. I've not gone through them all including the DLC map and will be going right back to the game to complete them in different ways.
A hidden gem as far as I'm concerned, and this entry easily sold me to go back and check out the previous games in the series.
I'm a big fan of the Mario Strikers games. And Battle League is a welcome addition. It takes a different approach by increasing the skill cap, and changing up how you build your team (both character wise and gear). I like that Battle League doesn't make the old games obsolete, but you could also say that occurs because this game lacks content.
The addition of several mechanics makes this game have a lot more depth, visuals and music are strong as well. Online is also a focus point for this new entry but its limited.
My biggest complaint with this game is the amount of content. 10 characters is not enough, especially when all characters are on the same tier, instead of having a a captain and side kicks. 5 maps that are visual only is also disappointingly low.
I do love this game, and hopefully I can revisit this review after the free updates and can commend the game for its new additions but I'm keeping my expectations low on that front.
The addition of several mechanics makes this game have a lot more depth, visuals and music are strong as well. Online is also a focus point for this new entry but its limited.
My biggest complaint with this game is the amount of content. 10 characters is not enough, especially when all characters are on the same tier, instead of having a a captain and side kicks. 5 maps that are visual only is also disappointingly low.
I do love this game, and hopefully I can revisit this review after the free updates and can commend the game for its new additions but I'm keeping my expectations low on that front.
Pixel art and music are top notch. I'm not a TMNT guy whatsoever, I couldn't even match which name goes for which turtle. I'm also not a fan of the beat-em-up genre.
But it was the top notch aesthetic that brought me in and I'm so happy I played through this game. My favourite game in the genre, with an expansive moveset, solid level design, character variety and not overstaying its welcome. The frantic online adds an extra layer to this game that while making it easier, made the experience that much more fun. Big recommend
But it was the top notch aesthetic that brought me in and I'm so happy I played through this game. My favourite game in the genre, with an expansive moveset, solid level design, character variety and not overstaying its welcome. The frantic online adds an extra layer to this game that while making it easier, made the experience that much more fun. Big recommend
2022
Weird West is fantastic. I have been in love with everything Arkane has made and it's amazing to feel that love follow some Arkane vets over into this game.
The level of freedom and player choice, the layers of interaction between systems. It made the game fun through out its runtime, even if some locations were duplicated or certain encounters were on paper repetitive, I just loved the minute to minute gameplay that I wasn't bothered.
I wish the game had full voice acting as I felt it hard to connect to certain characters and it made what was otherwise an immersive world feel too quiet at time. With that being said, going on 5 adventures as separate characters and the way it's all tied together into one package is impressive and had me captivated from start to finish.
I cannot wait to see what WolfEye does next because Weird West is the exact kind of game I want to play.
The level of freedom and player choice, the layers of interaction between systems. It made the game fun through out its runtime, even if some locations were duplicated or certain encounters were on paper repetitive, I just loved the minute to minute gameplay that I wasn't bothered.
I wish the game had full voice acting as I felt it hard to connect to certain characters and it made what was otherwise an immersive world feel too quiet at time. With that being said, going on 5 adventures as separate characters and the way it's all tied together into one package is impressive and had me captivated from start to finish.
I cannot wait to see what WolfEye does next because Weird West is the exact kind of game I want to play.
2021
One of a kind experience. Everyone should play this game, and go in without spoilers!
Inscryption has so much to praise. The setting is mysterious and unsettling and thrives under the creepy pasta tone. The card game mechanics are solid and let the player "break" the game in endlessly satisfying ways. It is the way the game constantly re-invents itself, and subverts expectations that kept me dialed in from hitting continue to scrolling credits.
Inscryption has so much to praise. The setting is mysterious and unsettling and thrives under the creepy pasta tone. The card game mechanics are solid and let the player "break" the game in endlessly satisfying ways. It is the way the game constantly re-invents itself, and subverts expectations that kept me dialed in from hitting continue to scrolling credits.
2021
Habroxia 2 isn't doing anything new or innovative. However, it is a strong iteration on the genre it pulls from. With great visuals, sound, level design and controls, I was happy to play this game until the end. My biggest complaint would be the difficulty. After a few upgrades to the ship, I ended up sweeping the last few levels with one try. Could have used some balancing touch ups but overall an enjoyable experience!
2021
Lake has a warm and cozy opening and first hour or two. A simple premise but enough to lure you in until you get grabbed by the charm of the town and the characters. A couple things kept me from coming back, primarily the controls and the performance. But Lakes story grows soporific and the gameplay unsurprisingly repetitive.