Movies Games and Tech

Minecraft Dungeons 2 is a brilliant sequel. It offers exactly what you want from the franchise and much more! The world is a joy to explore, and I love the new monsters and weird setting. It is fantastic with friends and great when playing alone. It captures every Minecraft vibe while remaining true to what we all love.

In terms of criticism, I can see the humour grating or falling flat after a while. Irreverence can only take you so far before becoming annoying, at least in my experience (They should have stopped after the first Deadpool). Additionally, the rooms full of spawning enemies get a little stale over time, the enemies are interesting, but when the goal is just defeat them all as fast as possible every time, you may lose interest. Finally, whilst I rarely engage in framerate discussions (30 is fine, chill guys), there are reports of drops on Steam so buyer beware. However these are fairly minor complaints, Box Knight is a excellent debut for We Made a Thing Studios (will they have to change that if they make another game?), and is a must for fans of roguelikes.

King's Blade is an old-school brawler that has some nice secrets, interesting stage design, and hectic combat. Although it is relatively repetitive, I enjoyed the dated design, unique character strengths, and retro combat.

Okko the Exiled is a fantastic retro action-adventure affair. The level design is interesting, and I loved the monsters and huge bosses. Each encounter tests your skills, and the central hub offers a haven and some challenging moments. Despite the positives, I cannot ignore the clunky controls. This was frustrating and something that prevents it from truly reaching its potential.

Verho: Curse of Faces is a niche but impressive old-school title. A small group of players will adore the dated gameplay, challenging action, and fantasy sound design. A nice change of pace!

If you like platforming puzzlers and think that the mechanic of shifting 2D and 3D sounds interesting, you should pick this one up. It’ll be good, simple fun that you won’t regret.

Packed Lair takes an innovative spin on the ever-growing genre, but fails to execute it properly. The gameplay loop is satisfying when its building synergies click into place. Where the game falls short is the lack of replayability and run diversity options that hurts the longevity of the game. The good news is that this is a team that’s already shown a consistent willingness to listen and iterate, and a debut this promising, even with its current rough edges, is well worth checking out for genre fans, especially at this price point.

The Grinch 2: Saving Christmas is a fun and family-friendly title that will appeal to younger gamers and parents. Its safe gameplay, vibrant graphics, and interesting 3D platforming bring the world to life. Furthermore, it can be enjoyed by gamers of all ages. Yes, it won’t be for everyone, but children will adore every festive moment.

Fallen Tear: The Ascension is one of the more genuinely ambitious Metroidvanias in a long time. It earns that ambition, despite having some flaws. The Fated Bonds system alone sets it apart from a genre that is already very saturated. It also gives progression an emotional throughline most games in this space never bother reaching for. Combat balance and an overly stingy in-game economy keep it from being an unqualified masterpiece. Neither issue, however, was enough to make me want to stop playing, and the developers have clearly been actively working to close that gap since Early Access. If you’ve got any love for Metroidvanias, JRPGs, or just games that wear their inspirations proudly while still finding their own identity, Raoah is worth the trip.

Sunken Realms has some charm in its visuals and little dialogue scenes, but the repetitive gameplay is enough to drive one to madness.