GameCritics

Peppered is not an easy experience, either content-wise (I often didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at the parallels to the current political climate) nor gameplay-wise, but as trite as it sounds, playing Peppered: An Existential Platformer feels like a form of finding hope because even if there may not be a truly happy ending, I want to believe that making the right choices ultimately pays off.

There is comfort in Star Fox and, in my exhaustion with the ceaseless tragedy of the real world, I relish the opportunity to trace familiar routes from what feels like a simpler time. However, I can’t help but see Star Fox as repackaged nostalgia, its aged edges rounded off with modern amenities – the end result is neither faithful enough to achieve the museum-level preservation exhibited in the best remasters, nor bold enough to truly reimagine the polygonal shadow of its 64-bit forebear. There’s no denying the high quality of play in Star Fox but, as great as its best parts are, they were no less great thirty years ago.

While the simpler “classic” Creed formula may surprise those used to the modern, grind-heavy RPG entries, I’m guessing that they’ll quickly adapt and have a great time sailing the high seas and living out the ultimate pirate fantasy, now easily accessible and polished up. For those who seek a treasure of a an experience this year, Resynced is the perfect choice.

While there are a few small quibbles like the saving and balance that I mentioned, the dedication to craft on display here is incredibly admirable. Veritas Tales: The Witch of the Dark Castle is a fantastically creative adventure that honors the spirit of the old-school pen-and-paper books and games it was inspired by, and is sure to please old-school fans, or anyone looking for an uncommon and uncommonly good adventure.

Atelier games are always about figuring out that people can learn to use their skills to help those around them – and Yumia keeps that idea close to its heart, offering an affecting, series-high experience even as it turns the series’ gameplay on its head.

Ostranauts offers beautiful presentation, solid audio design, and a lovingly-crafted world filled with buggy, incomplete systems and an underlying design that commits the ultimate videogame sin — watching all these progress bars and getting nickel-and-dimed by a million aggravations is less engaging than doing my household chores in real life.

Few games can achieve thw level of metatextuality that The Remake of the End of the Greatest RPG of All Time does and actually pull it off. Coin Drop Games interweaves actual gameplay levels through video recordings and a hand-drawn manual, and somehow makes all of those disparate parts make cohesive sense. I am being intentionally vague because so many parts of this work, as they are best experienced knowing as little as possible about what lies before the player — but ultimately, the questions that The Remake of the End of the Greatest RPG of All Time are trying to answer are worth scrounging to find out. Who are remakes for? Does putting a new spin on old ideas make those ideas worthless? Why do we continue to try to squeeze every last ounce of whimsy out of something that probably doesn’t appeal to players nowadays? And somehow, Immanuel and jucobee come up with both satisfying answers and a great game to boot.

Rune Dice isn’t a game I love, but it is one I had a fantastic time with. I enjoyed the tactile nature of flicking the dice, the simplicity of strategies for each character, and how efficient it was with each run. I don’t need a deep, overarching narrative if the base verbs feel great to play time and time again, and Rune Dice nails it. For roguelite players or those looking for something that doesn’t require loads of our time, this is an easy recommendation.

Unfortunately, Dead or Alive 6: Last Round still feels like it’s reaching only for the wallets of its most diehard fans.

Schrodinger’s Cat Burglar doesn’t revolutionize the puzzle genre or offer a story of such depth to touch some deep philosophical truth, but its playful personality and well-implemented central mechanic makes it a worthwhile pickup for folks who like a good brain teaser.