Gamer Escape

Saint Slayer is very much to Castlevania what Shovel Knight was to Mega Man. A simple, pure, and quality experience that, although almost as punishing as the early days of NES side-scrollers, does just enough to make things fun for a lot more people while staying true to the source material. If you revel in Nintendo Hard goodness, this game will be right up your alley. Just don’t expect “Easy” to actually be easy! With some nice features for replayability, fans of classic side scrollers will find this a very worthy purchase that may not be PERFECTLY authentic, but it’s close enough. Casual gamers, however, may find it a bit too frustrating.

Ultimately, I can’t be too hard on Gecko Gods. It is a soft, gentle little thing of a game, not too expensive and offering exactly what it says on the tin. My issues with the game and how it makes use of its protagonist (or doesn’t) is not a fatal flaw. But it does mean that the game that I was hoping for turned out to not be the one that I got, and that means there’s kind of a harder ceiling on it than there might otherwise be. If a chill sort of adventure game wherein you happen to be a gecko sounds like a good time to you, then you are going to enjoy this game. It provides exactly that. Just be aware of what exactly you’re queueing up when you start in on the game.

It may have been a five-year wait, but I am so happy Arcadia Fallen got a second game. The charm from the first game lives on, but elevated with new tricks, and honestly, it really scratched my itch for a fun and immersive VN. As I mentioned above, the story itself isn’t grandiose or crazy, but it is a fun read, and you’re bound to love the cast. If anything, the abundance of choices you have to make will keep you busier than most other visual novels out there. On top of that, you’ll have a few challenging puzzles to keep things spicy. I’m honestly so sad this game is over for me. I truly enjoyed myself with this one and can’t wait for what’s next from Galdra Studios. Hopefully, the wait isn’t another five years, though. I want more Elias NOW!

Overall, I’m not quite sure if I liked Life is Strange: Reunion. I liked certain things about it, like Max and Chloe being back together, as well as the little bit of closure I got to see from my specific ending. But as I mentioned before, it didn’t feel grandiose or complete enough to be considered final game material. I think it should have been built up better, and we should have been given more time in the world and with the characters. Maybe then the payoff would have felt worth it, and I would have cared more about the outcome. Still, if you’re a fan of Max and Chloe like I am, and want to see what becomes of them, I recommend picking up this game. It will at least give you some really wholesome interactions between them, and you’ll get to see the conclusion to a decades-long story that was more than overdue. Sometimes nostalgia is all you need to carry you through, and I think perhaps Square Enix banked on that this time.

Resident Evil Requiem will very likely be in the conversation for Game of the Year, and it’s not hard to see why. Not only does it succeed as a great title in a legendary series, but it’s also a successful celebration of one of gaming’s horror staples. Not only will it satisfy longtime fans who have been there since day one, but the full experience will easily delight casual fans as well. I loved everything about Requiem, and I hope that those who decide to take the plunge will feel the same way. This easily rises to the level of love that RE4 has received over the years, and those taking the plunge might end up in the same boat. This is an absolutely phenomenal game in a beloved franchise, and it will likely be on the minds of many a gamer for years to come.

Project Songbird was a bit of a rollercoaster. I came in expecting great things, started to feel like I’d seen it all before, and then found something completely unexpected. It has its flaws, true, but I’d rather see something that strives and falls short of its ambition than something that doesn’t try at all. This feels like it was made for me. It’s on the shorter side but has enough to feel satisfying, comfortable but with a style that feels its own. Even without the more personal connection to the themes that elevated it for me, it’s still a solid survival horror experience.

GRIDbeat! has all the components of an excellent rhythm game: A unique aesthetic, addictive gameplay, a respectable difficulty curve, and (of course) a positively bumpin’ soundtrack. All of these qualities make it a relatively easy recommendation for fans of this genre, but each of them also has a depreciating caveat that lessens the experience. Somewhat samey level designs can occasionally cause visuals to lose their luster, a lack of meaningful change in the core gameplay loop, and very predictable difficulty spikes in each level are all snags that will come and go in different points throughout GRIDbeat! Everything mostly works the way it’s intended to, but it’s hard to ignore the missed potential. There’s no caveat for how enjoyable the soundtrack is, though. It’s just damn good.

While it slightly suffers from a few odd decisions about its default control scheme and the direction of the voice acting (though the acting itself is top shelf), you’ll definitely find the adrenaline rush you might be craving in Screamer. It absolutely oozes quality in almost all aspects. If Mario Kart is too silly and Forza is too serious, this might just be the perfect in-between for you.

If you get a kick out of Starship Troopers’ brand of satire and enjoy a good old-fashioned throwback shooter, Ultimate Bug War! will be a comfort food kind of game for you. It’s simple fun, uncomplicated in exactly the way a shooter of this ilk should be, has a noticeable appreciation for its source material, and doesn’t overstay its welcome besides. Does it bring anything new to the table that might cause someone not fitting this description to go out of their way? Probably not, but in the wide, chaotic world of video games based on movies, this one is worth checking out for prospective citizens.

Scott Pilgrim EX is yet another fantastic effort from Tribute Games, and fans should breathe easy. It’s a worthy follow-up to a beloved brawler, retains the trappings fans loved about its predecessor, and suceeds at being an all around great game in its own right. This is an easy thumbs up for me, and those looking to fill their evening with a solid beat ’em up experience will surely find that here. Sometimes, it can be worth the wait.