Wonderful aesthetics and the usual Kirby charm. Just a tad bit lacking in terms of content. Really enjoyed it for the couple of days I spent with it, but gameplay was just too stagnant to grind for max rank and all the extras (and boy do I love extras).

Biggest letdown for me though is no local multiplayer. It's a racing game with Kirby, c'mon! Let me have another option to have a few laughs with my friends, Nintendo.

Still, it is scientifically impossible to hate a game in which the goal is to get Kirby as fat as possible. The image of that massive little guy rolling around on a waffle was entertaining enough, and I'll probably return to this briefly at some point just to experience that.

Torn on this. I was excited to check this game out from the developer of Bloodborne PSX and went with the original mobile version, but I can't help but think the PC port would have been a better choice. The controls on Android are pretty awkward. I felt I was fighting more just to properly look at the enemies than actually shoot at them. Given that Arcus is built with failure in mind and anticipates you losing a level, I can't be all that upset that the game is difficult. But I'd rather that challenge be born from the design itself instead of the disorientation that comes from trying to aim or change positions. The levels feel pretty samey throughout, aside from the desert stage, which incorporates a neat mechanic of raising and lowering barricades to get clearer lines of sight on opponents. Still, most of the main gameplay loop is just too cumbersome to be much fun for me.

Where this game shows real promise, though, is not in the tower defense segments, but in its story and presentation. With essentially zero dialogue, Arcus does a great job of conveying character and emotion through subtle shifts of body language and smartly paced cutscenes. You can really get a sense of the player character's personality through these small moments. The best sequence of the game, set in a lavish ballroom and devoid of actual combat, incorporates this personality into the gameplay itself in a very neat change of pace. The ending, too, features some striking visuals and a turn that caps the experience off nicely. Its clear that a lot of care was put into making the quiet moments of the game feel impactful, and I think it accomplishes that very well.

The developer has said that she intends to return to this world sometime after completing the hotly anticipated Bloodborne Kart. I hope the sequel improves on the formula established here, because I'd love to see what could really be done with Arcus.