I finally played 'What remains of Edith Finch' the other day - had been putting it off for so long, because I often find these story/walking simulator games to be quite boring, but had heard good things about it, so had to give it a go. And holy **** **** I'm glad I did! What a game. An absolute gem. One of the very best video games I've ever played. Incredibly imaginative and creative, and just a pioneering video gaming title I'd say. We'll look to this one day and say - "they started it". Story-telling and interactivity is just top top notch. I can't recommend it enough. Only takes 2-3 hours - just play it!
I guess you're not allowed to say this - but this was, by far, the most enjoyable Mario game I've ever played. XCom Light with a lot of charm, lots of original mechanics, great weapons, characters, and just a joy to play. It does however get a bit repetitive towards the end, the overworld traversing part is quite boring and pointless (in my opinion), and why oh why do you have to have Mario in your party at all times? The game would've been way more interesting if you could put your team together the way you wanted. Anyways - a great game.
It looks absolutely fantastic, and parts of the game are also a joy to play. The game is however hindered a lot by its stop/start-nature, with cut-scenes intruding on the flow and fun of the game far far too often. Given that the story itself is rather lack-luster, in my opinion, this is a pretty grave miss for the game. I played this game for 5-6 hours, I enjoyed probably 30% of it a lot, but just couldn't be bothered with the endless cut-scenes in the end, in a game that ultimately just didn't engage me enough.
Phenomenal gameplay - the smoothest gaming experience I've had since Hades. Everything just works so effortlessly. It looks stellar, the map is incredible, the weapons and power-ups are a joy to behold, the enemies and bosses are fun to fight. I only deduct a point for what I personally think is a very run of the mill type of story, and the music, which is average at best. But gameplay-wise, it doesn't get much better than this.
It's not a bad game at all, but terribly mediocre. Completely playable, but extremely forgettable. I tried hard to get into it, played it for a few hours, but just never felt compelled to complete it. Boring room layouts and designs that just keeps repeating.
Visually and conceptually, the game seems quite good (Miami Hotline style shooter) - but the execution is just terrible. I gave up after finishing only the second area, where you're in a nightclub, and just moving in between people and walls will get you stuck countless times, not to mention the civilians's reactions to shooting going on in the club is just non-existent. It's just not a very good game at all.
I was completely blown away by this game. I did not expect it to be this good or addictive. I completed it in roughly 20 hours, over the best part of a weekend - I simply couldn't put it down. The core gamplay is excellent, and the loop of gathering materials and upgrading your gear is highly addictive. I loved this to bits and only wish it was twice as long!
It took me 4 hours to get into this game - I found that gameplay up to that point to be not particularly engaging - but at some point it just clicked for me - and the remaining 20 hours or so was just a joy. Lots of interesting weapons, beautiful graphics, a well designed map, challenging enemies and bosses, a well designed map with lots of interesting rooms - this is a top notch metroidvania. Highly recommended.
A pretty decent game, this. The combat is a bit stiff and on the easy side once you learn it (the melee, that is, using guns is almost pointless). The artwork and world building is quite lovely, in my opinion, and the writing is quite good. Upgrade system works well as well. I found the game a lot shorter than I expected it to be, and even still, the ending really dragged out (MGS:2 style). What really kills the game are the horrible loading times, you need to go from one place to another quite often - and the loading times are just unacceptable compared to similar games. Still, a very decent game, and it's worth playing if you have the patience for the loading. It's probably better to get on a PC if you can though.
A decent game, this - it looks lovely, in my opinion, and the combat is quite challenging - but the map design and the stage design is very odd - everything just looks the same within one region, and since everything is so "open" more or less, it's hard to distinguish one place from another (so I spent a lot of time just wandering around places I've already been to see if I had missed something). Ultimately, I came to a point where I just felt a bit bored with the game - it just never truly engaged me. I'm sure a lot of people will enoy it though.
Fast paced and brutally difficult sneaking and slashing/shooting. It can be frustrating at times, but it's also a hell of a lot of fun. The music is excellent, the lo-fi graphics fits perfectly with the color scheme, and the writing in the story are really on point. I really, really enjoyed it, found it very challenging, but a lot of fun to play. There are a few **** though - the aiming is a bit off too often, there are occasional glitches that will leave enemies stuck to you or stuck outside of the screen (which means you have to re-start the entire level), and for the love of god, remove the bloody boss dialogue after you've been killed the first time - it's insanely annoying to have to click through it a million times. Overall though, a really good game that I'd recommend to anyone who's up for a challenge.
A very decent turn-based strategy game, mixed with elements of management tasks. I enjoyed it for about 10-15 hours before getting a bit bored with it. I really wish the of enemies and monsters you could recruit were more diverse, but you tend to get the some lot over and over again. I'm also a bit unsure about the roguelite aspect of the game - I reckon it would be more interesting if you could build up your garrison over time, instead of having to start from 0 every run. Overall though, I very much enjoyed the game, but it just got stale way before I bothered finishing all the missions (which are basically all the same).
The writing, the story, the world building and the voice acting in this game are just sublime - it sets a completely new standard for video games, in my opinion. The inner dialogue and subconsciousness constantly chattering away and giving you good or bad advice based on your stats are a thing of beauty. Very original, and a joy to explore. All the characters in the game are interesting and well designed (Klaasje a personal favorite), the music score gives off strong Twin Peaks soundtrack vibes, which obviously isn't a bad thing. There are quite a few negatives as well though - the story drags out a bit too much at times, and wandering around the relatively big map is a bit of a drag at times - it can be hard to get an overview of where you have been and where you haven't. Fast travel is unreliable at best, and for large parts of the game simply doesn't work. I also expected the choices you took in the game to have much more of an impact on what happened to you in the game, but the rather large dialogue trees pretty much lets you get away with saying anything to anyone, and you'll often find yourself just exhausting every option just to progress (and sometimes you have to). This was the biggest letdown of the game for me, having read much about the game beforehand about how much the choices you took impacted the game. It really doesn't. Overall though, a very original game that I'd easily recommend to anyone into RPGs or point n' click or murder mystery games. Brilliant writing.
I really looked forward to this game, and I feel like there is a good game here somewhere, but it just doesn't work very well on the tiny Switch screen (in handheld mode). 70% of the screen is just black all the time due to the darkness in the caves - and seeing the subtle cues the enemies give off before they attack you can be tricky just due to the miniature size of them. I like a difficult game (loved Hollow Knight and Rain World, for instance), but it feels a bit overdone here, in my opinion. Especially when you need to fight more than one enemy at a time, you're going to struggle massively to stay alive - and while the monsters can kill you with one or two hits, you usually need to stick a good few more into them for them to die. It just feels unbalanced to me, which caused me to give up on the game relatively early (after many, many attempts). The load time it takes to give it another go doesn't do any favours for the game, and adds to the frustration. You can slow down the speed of the game to help you react quicker, but in the end, it just causes your character to slow down a whole lot too, so it doesn't really help much. The artwork is brilliant though, the animations are nice, and there's a lovely atmosphere in the game. I'd easily give this another spin if it ever got anything like an "easy"-mode - as the way it is now, it just feels too damned punishing.
There's a lot to like about this game, even though it has its flaws. Good things first - the interacting dynamic between all the playable characters are nice, they all have quite diverse combat techniques and abilities, and the game does reward you for switching up who you use in a good way. The characters feel relatively balanced as well. Art style is for the most part lovely, although can feel a bit cramped on a small screen at times, which makes the text hard to read and some items hard to identify. All roguelite mechanics are well implemented, I think - makes for a balanced and interesting game loop. Now, for the not so great parts. Although the story by and large adds to the experience of the game, and makes it interesting - the writing or storytelling is just downright cheesy and cringe-worthy. It's so pompous at times, and clearly written by someone who wants their writing to sound a bit more grandiose than what they've got talent for. Ouch, that sounds mean - but it's not of great importance to the overall feel of the game, thankfully. I also wish enemies were more varied - the basically just come crashing at you, have a bit of a varied approach to how they attack you, but you don't really need to play very strategically to take them down - usually it's just a case of being strong enough, go head on, and dash away if you're outnumbered. It's also a bit too easy to just run away from the hordes - and you can actually run to these safe rooms, and snipe enemies through the door - which is quite an easy way of cheesing through the harder levels. All in all though, a good game well worth playing, and I would recommend fans of roguelites to pick this one up.
There's a lot to love about this game - it's got bizarre enemies, great soundtrack and sound fx, very interesting voice acting (although I have no clue if the language used is even real), and the story is actually quite compelling - throw in loads of subtle humor and even more weirdness and bizarre **** sprinkled in here and there - and you've got a winner. The graphics are just one of a kind. So lo-fi, but very original and nice. Combat is a bit on the easy side though, the only boss I needed to fight multiple times was the final one - and the game is short (4-5 hours). Original gem - would've gotten a higher score if the combat was more difficult, and the game longer.
Extremely addictive roguelite. It's a lot of fun, and the gameplay loop will just completely lock you in - turning it off is difficult! I really hope the sequel makes it to Switch eventually, this one was brilliant. Highly recommended.
I really enjoyed this game for close to 25-30 hours, lots of cool weapons, and it's challenging - but at some point, the levels and bosses starts to feel a bit samey and some more variety would do it a world of good. Especially the level design feels a bit lazy, even though it's obviously procedurally generated. Overall though, a very good game that I had a lot of fun with for a good while.
A really good roguelite, this. It is however one of the most punishing games I've ever played. You can play almost flawlessly for 30+ rooms, only to mess up a bit in one room, and die very quickly. I honestly wasn't good enough to complete it, but still had hours of fun playing it. Lovely graphics, lots of cool mechanics - the skill tree was a bit too obtuse for me, lots of the skills aren't really worth getting and doesn't really make you all that powerful. Definitely get it if you like tough as nails roguelites though - this is one of the tougher ones I've played.
Spooky vibe akin to Inside and Limbo, but it lacks the interesting puzzles and story from those games. The platforming in it are also very imprecise at times. It looks drop dead gorgeous though! Worth a shot on a sale.
The fact that one person made this game is nothing short of astounding. It's a very mixed bag, however. The puzzles are repetitive and boring, the boss fights riddled with bosses with poor hit boxes and there's just a boring blandness of "get this" and "fetch that" creeping in. The plot is somewhat interesting, but it's just not very engaging overall. The music is also downright annoying at times. The character moves well and it looks colorful and vibrant at times, but it doesn't really help the game out of mediocrity for me.
The artwork is simply stunning - gorgeous beyond belief, but the gameplay in this is just ... there's nothing to it. Walk simulator. I really hope the developer will make a more challenging sequel to this, as the artwork is simply stunning.
Decent game, this, with a few innovative ideas and mechanics - but the two main things with it, stealth and platforming, just feel frustratingly imprecise at times. The story is also nothing special, but overall, a decent game worth getting on a sale, I'd say.
The gameplay is very solid and interesting, artwork is great - but it's let down by a very run of the mill story - to the point where I didn't actually finish the game myself due to not feeling properly engaged in it. Which is a shame, as this game has a got a lot of interesting mechanics in it. Still worth the money though!
I've never really enjoyed roguelikes/roguelites before, but this one hit home - hard! It's 100% addictive, and so much fun to figure out and play. The combat is pure excellence - swift, tactical, strategic - just brilliant. It looks and sounds just wonderful as well. Believe the hype, this one is pure gold!
Brilliant game. Haunting atmosphere, the sound design and music is absolutely sublime, the puzzles are varied and very creative. Games like this are the reason I play video games. A work of art!
The beginning of the game is rather bland and boring, and that part goes on for a good while - it's not particularly challenging, but it's interesting enough to keep progressing. But then as you get deeper into it, it gets stranger and stranger, culminating in a rather bizarre scene towards the end - which made it all worth it. The main control mechanic, of controlling both brothers at the same time, is also worth mentioning. The graphics aren't exactly top notch, but there's still a lot of love put into the world creation here, and I wouldn't be surprised if this got a remaster of some sort at some point. Overall a game definitely worth playing, it's quite original - but it's also definitely not the epic adventure some reviewers will have you believe, in my opinion.
I really liked this game a whole lot more than I expected. There's original twists all over the place, and the sinister things the game will have you do to survive or progress is very reminiscent of the French game show version of the Milgram experiment. How far will you go? Well, all the way, of course, because you need to win. Lovely pixel art, lots of well executed dark humour, lots of variety in the way of solving the platform puzzles you're presented with - yet it's never infuriatingly difficult, neither is it a stroll in the park - it clocks in at about 6-7 hours, which felt just right for this game. One of the best games from 2020 for me.
I guess it looks quite nice, but ... this is a horrendously bad game. Just stay away from it, do not touch it under any circumstances. Floaty boring gameplay, where you just go on and on and on without anything happening. Just lifeless. Pure garbage.
This game is a profound work of art. It's not a particularly challenging game, but it is very engaging, absolutely beautifully designed, and it just keeps building up and up and up until a masterful crescendo - where the visual style, the storytelling and the sounds/music all just fit so well together. it's an absolute marvel. The plot, the characters, the setting, the mood ... I haven't ever played anything quite like it. One of the best and truly original emotionally gripping video games I've ever played. A pure gem.
I played this in November 2020, and it plays perfectly fine on the Switch (except for outside the castle, where it's a bit laggy, but you'll still be fine). It's an enjoyable game, but perhaps a bit too easy on "normal" mode compared to other games - you can pretty much cheese all of the boss fights fairly easily by just spamming a strong weapon with some upgrades. All the enemies around the game are also fairly simple to defeat. The atmosphere and all the curious items and weapons you can get are great, but the game itself is a bit on the easy side - and the platforming really isn't much to write home about. A decent game.
Great game, this. It kept me hooked for a long while - I got about 32 hours in - felt the endgame became a bit stale, the story didn't really engage me at all, so never actually completed it - but the gameplay is solid, the graphics are really good, and the combat and exploration are solid as well. There are a few QoL **** and a few odd design decisions, but overall, if you like metroidvanias with a bit of difficulty, you'll enjoy this.
Pretty good game. The map is quite good, the upgrades are decent, the weapons quite cool, the mechanics in general are working allright - but it's all a bit stale. The rooms get quite repepetive, and there are hardly any original designs at all. The enemies are OK, but after a point the whole game feels a bit repetitious, and just doesn't really go anywhere. There are too few hooks to kind of keep you going, in my opinion. Still, I did enjoy it for a good few hours, and for the price I paid for it (on sale), it was value for money.
I can't believe this game isn't getting more attention. It is completely off the hook insane in pretty much everything it does. The artwork is beautiful, the platforming is suprisingly good (I was very skeptical when looking at videos of it), the melee combat is brilliant. The story is as close to a goofy acid trip as you can get, I suppose - but it does drag out a bit too much, and the end game feels a bit more like a chore than it should. Overall though, I had a lot of fun with this game - put in close to 30 hours in it - and loved pretty much all of it (bar the last couple of hours - which felt a bit more like a boring grind to get to the finish line). Don't let that put you off it though - an absolute game **** for next to nothing. Highly recommended.
I found this game very underwhelming, though it should be said that I'm not a follower of the whole game series (although I did play Wonderboy on the Amiga 500 back in the day). I found it slow paced, really imprecise and boring combat, dull and "blocky" platforming, the whole package is just very ... it's for kids and/or fans, basically.
It's fast and fluid, it looks really good, but this game is just duller than dishwater. Zero challenge, the room designs are as generic as they get. Boring!
The atmosphere in this game is sublime - but sadly, it just moves way too slowly, the save points are way too often too far between, and the map is pretty much useless. There's a good game here, but QoL issues lets it down, sadly.
Bad performance on the Switch lets this game down massively. There's a good game here, but there are framerate issues all over the shop, which makes it terrible to play a lot of times. There are also glitches with saving (so sometimes you won't save your progress). I reckon this is a good game - but unplayable in its current state.
There's lots to love about this game - excellently designed enemies and rooms, the art style is gorgeous, the music is for the most part great and there are a bunch of cool power ups. However, a lot of the boss fights aren't particularly strategic at all, it's more about spamming the melee button as close to them as possible, while they teleport around dishing out over powered wallops. There's one boss in particular, where you have to deal with rifle shots, two spinning electrical wheels, a burning floor, a shockwave along the floor AND seemingly randomly dropped grenades that tend to land straight in your face. There's literally no place to escape - your only chance of survival is getting a bit lucky whilst trying to dodge the million things coming at you while spamming shots on the boss. The guns you get are sadly all too run of the mill - it would be a lot more interesting if you'd have to think more about strategy when it came to boss fights, which guns to use etc - but in a lot of them, you just need to get lucky (or simply replay the boss 50+ times). There's a very good game here, if you can stand the sometimes infuriating boss fights (this is coming from someone who struggled with, but barely got frustrated by, Hollow Knight's bosses, for instance).
It looks allright, the color palette is nice, flaoting in the air is nice enough, and the interactions between the various characters are quite cool - but overall, this game is just so boring. Nothing really happens. You just follow a trail, and find some stuff here and there - 0 engagement. The camera angle is weird as well, making you fall long distances from time to time. I'm sure games like these has its audience, but this certainly wasn't for me.
A really enjoyable and absolutely gorgeous looking game only let down by some clunky platforming at times and occasionally very derogatory solutions to puzzles. Overall though, well worth playing, in my opinion.
It's entertaining for quite some time, but ultimately the repetitive and sometimes pointless side quests lets it down somewhat. The golfing and the rivalry surrounding the golfing is arguably the best part of the game, and the game probably would've been more fun if a lot of the side quests were optional. An original game, and it's fun for a good while.
I don't think I've played a game quite as addictive as this before. Which I'm not entirely sure is a good thing or not. From time to time I just find myself doing things rather compulsively in this game, really grinding, and not really sure I like it. Having said that, it's very much up to you how you want to play this game, and I probably should've taken more breaks. The game mechanics here are great, there's a lot of cool characters and mechanisms to explore, and I'm happy to have played it. But I'm also equally relieved that I consider myself done with it!
What a fantastic game Hollow Knight is! I went into this not expecting much, and came out a different gamer (this was my first ever metroidvania). Wow! Everything in it is just sublime - the atmosphere, the music, the progression system, the charms, the lore, the artwork, gameplay is sharp as a needle - it's just superb. One of the best games I've ever played.
What an absolute gem **** Rain World is! I've never played anything quite like it. It's brutally difficult at times, but it's also utterly beautifully programmed, designed and scored. An epic journey from start to finish, and one which requires skill and patience from the player - you need to really learn the mechanics of the game to fully appreciate it. The organic feeling of the ecosystem and the wildlife that inhabits it are unlike anything I've seen in any other game - it truly feels alive and breathing. Observing and studying the world around you is the key to get to where you want to go. Everything from the general ambience, to sound effects, the designs of the levels, the constant search for food and shelter, outwitting and stealthing by enemies - to mystical otherworldly encounters and surprising mechanics that will literally turn the world upside down - this is just pure beauty all the way through. One of the best games I've ever played hands down.
Great stealth game reminiscent of the Metal Gear Solid games, only in 2d. The story isn't great, but the gameplay more than makes up for it. Scenery gets a bit bland as well, but level design is good. Solid game!
Very original concept, and well executed. It's probably a bit too much on the easy side of things, but it's fun to play, the music is nice and the graphics are great. Overall a game well worth playing.
Brilliant game. Challenging boss fights, well designed map and rooms, lots of interesting areas to explore, lovely art style, diverse enemy types and overall just a gripping atmosphere throughout. Some of the religious lingo gets a bit to obtuse at times, making quests a bit hard to understand, but it doesn't really take away from the overall experience of the game. One of the very best metroidvanias out there.
