If you’d like to understand what made Mario games, Zool or Super Meat Boy great, avoid Sir Lovelot, because the answer is in another castle. This game might be pretty, but it is soulless and quickly becomes boring. [05/2021, p.44]

The developers have made a huge step forward since their previous work, Lust for Darkness, and delivered an ambitious game that is better in every aspect. There’s still plenty of room for improvement, but engaging story and disturbing atmosphere make Lust from Beyond worth your time. If you can stomach an erotic horror with some twisted imagery, that is. [05/2021, p.42]

Nebuchadnezzar is not as great as Pharaoh, the legendary city builder in whose footsteps it follows. However, it’s an interesting game that will satisfy your desire to build ancient cities, even if it relies too much on burdensome micromanagement. [05/2021, p.40]

Paradise Lost offers an engaging story set in a fascinating world, and it’s hard not to notice and appreciate all the work that went into polishing the environments. Sadly, there’s very little actual gameplay here and while the first two hours made me feel like an explorer delving into the unknown, I only reached the end because I had to. [05/2021, p.39]

It looks like a simple little game, but give it some time, acquire more cards and it will surprise you with its unfolding complexity and addictiveness. Admittedly, initial loops are boring, but ultimately I spent hours on end with Loop Hero and had tons of fun. [05/2021, p.38]

I appreciated The Shore’s Lovecraftian atmosphere and the fact that it tried to be something more than a Dear Esther’s clone. Sadly, the game is just not good enough and proves that even two hours (or less, because you can finish The Shore quicker) can be enough to bore and frustrate the player. [05/2021, p.37]

With its limited controls, sluggish protagonist, unnecessary, frustrating deaths, and overall tendency to cling to the past too much, Ghosts ‘N Goblins Resurrection is a game either for masochists or die-hard fans of the franchise. There are plenty of platformers out there that are much better at bringing the old-school look and feel into present day. [05/2021, p.36]

Dakka Squadron is a simple yet enjoyable aerial shooter chock-full of rather silly humor. You can give it a try if you’re into Warhammer 40,000, but be warned that its basic gameplay becomes repetitive in longer sessions. [05/2021, p.35]

I liked the economic campaign but the historical one is not as good. The AI is awful, the redesigned popularity system promotes building the same structures over and over, the missions are not varied enough, and the game lacks atmosphere, because the whole oriental setting is pretty much just a skin for the original Stronghold. All in all, it’s an enjoyable game but there’s a lot of room for improvement. [05/2021, p.32]

Chris Nordgren and Jordi Roca created something unique and delightful. Everhood’s music-based combat system is absolutely brilliant in its simplicity and addictive as hell, the soundtrack is stellar, and I enjoyed the surreal atmosphere and the story which often breaks the fourth wall. It’s a gem you should definitely play. [05/2021, p.30]

The Nioh Collection brings two bright stars of the Soulslike constellation to PS5, slightly improved and accompanied by six DLCs. I found the first Nioh very satisfying, addictive and immensely fun as a whole, but the sequel turned out to be a chore because its absurd difficulty level was too much for me. [05/2021, p.28]

I adore A Way Out, so I had really high expectations for Hazelight’s new game. Instead of sticking to the proven, perfect formula of AWO, the developers decided to give us more of everything and as a result overdid it in many respects. The levels are too long and there are too many minigames, while the story can’t keep up. It seemed to me the narrative is just a pretext to introduce as many different gameplay mechanics as possible, and as a result the relationship between the protagonists is implausible. [05/2021, p.26]

To obtain decent equipment, you either need to grind till you drop unconscious or take a shortcut and buy it with real money. I’m not a fan of such paywalls, but the quests are very well-written and therefore engaging, and after some time I started to enjoy my life as a witcher, especially that I found Monster Slayer’s combat extremely satisfying. [10/2021, p.78]

Clichéd and predictable story might not be Unbound’s strong point, but the level design and mechanics definitely are. Behind the game’s fairy-tale charm, fantastic visuals and great music you’ll find masterfully crafted and challenging gameplay. This Romanian indie gem is not only highly polished, but also wonderfully varied and exciting from start to finish. [10/2021, p.76]

Vesper is full of redundant screens that you simply run across, which made the campaign longer but at the cost of watering down the gameplay. In theory, complexity of challenges rises due to introduction of time limits, increasing number of robots and longer escape sequences, but I completed most of the game almost with my eyes closed. It’s a beautiful, atmospheric adventure, but it would definitely benefit from being a bit harder. [10/2021, p.73]

Skyward Sword HD does a good job of reminding us why The Legend of Zelda was a popular series even before the breakthrough that was Breath of the Wild. Its biggest flaw are poor control schemes, not the way the original stuck to the Zelda conventions. [10/2021, p.70]

The protagonist doesn’t have a believable motivation, while the enemies, the environments and the gameplay mechanics lack variety. Other than that Death’s Door is a really decent action RPG – it’s pretty, technically polished, rich in optional content, and welcoming of inexperienced players. [10/2021, p.68]

First of all, it’s amazing what the developers managed to achieve with a game that made even the most expensive PC graphics cards sweat. The landscapes and cities look simply breathtaking on Xbox Series X, and the console doesn’t get red-hot. However, I did encounter some technical issues, like vanishing textures or even a sudden crash back to the main menu. I’m also not a fan of keeping the interface identical to the PC version, because it means sometimes you need to use your controller as a poor substitute for a mouse. [10/2021, p.67]

Samurai Warriors 5, another Musou game developed by Omega Force in recent times, is perfectly executed, but seems too conservative compared to Persona 5 Strikers or Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. The gameplay is very enjoyable and animations are polished, but I wish the missions were staged in a more interesting and creative way. However, after many years and countless Warriors installments the core of the game still works fine. [10/2021, p.66]

A gothic tale told using beautiful language, where simple visuals and atmospheric soundtrack harmonize perfectly. I enjoy such stories focused on the mood rather than spectacular plot twists and if you do too, considering visiting this creepy mansion. I only wish the game was longer, because the ending feels rushed. [10/2021, p.65]

Tetsuya Nomura’s latest game resembles Persona to some degree, but offers real-time combat. Similarly to Kingdom Hearts, it goes for flashiness rather than a deep tactical system, but after you unlock enough psychic powers, the game becomes more varied. Overall, NEO is solid, but it needs quite a lot of time to gain momentum. [10/2021, p.64]

An unconventional city builder where the city builds itself, while your task is to optimize its road traffic, which requires quick thinking, good planning and a pinch of luck. It’s easy to turn a blind eye to minimalistic visuals, irritating audio and some flaws, because what’s really important is the fact that Mini Motorways is highly addictive. [10/2021, p.62]

Pokémon Unite is the first attempt at creating a MOBA with the pocket monsters – and I must admit it’s a successful one. The game is fast and intense, but also easy to get a grip on. I don’t expect it to take the esports scene by storm, but it’s very enjoyable and works great in a doctor’s waiting room or on the bus. As for me, I can’t force myself to stop playing Pokémon Unite and hope the developers will keep updating it. [10/2021, p.61]

The third installment of the series offers more of everything, which means you have broader possibilities and probably will enjoy it longer before you get bored with it. However, in terms of fundamentals it’s pretty much a copy of the previous games, especially OMD! 2, from which it basically borrowed everything worth borrowing. So, is this reheated dish worth giving a try? Definitely, because even if it tastes familiar, it was seasoned perfectly. [10/2021, p.58]

Style over substance – I bet Neon Giant has this cyberpunk principle printed above the office entrance. The design of their game is absolutely breathtaking, with huge, vertical, crime-infested cities and masterful use of lights and shadows. Add a pulp-style story and good dialogues (or rather monologues, as the protagonist is silent) immersed deeply in the cyberpunk lore, and you’ve got a pure gem for anyone who enjoys this setting. The shooting mechanics and progression system might be overly simple, but they get the job done and make it easier to catch the game’s flow. [10/2021, p.56]

At first glance, this year’s installment of the Codemasters’ Formula 1 franchise might seem very similar to the game we played 12 months ago. However, the improved driving model and the revamped, more engaging story mode make F1 2021 a significant step forward and the best game in the series. [10/2021, p.52]

A solid turn-based roguelike with traditional rules, transparent, fair gameplay, and distinctive atmosphere resembling Doom. It becomes repetitive and monotonous in longer sessions, but it’s a perfect title to launch in between other games. [10/2021, p.51]

The reinvigorated editions of the first three Final Fantasy games look great, run smoothly and offer some very welcome new features that modern audience expects (e.g. the auto-battle mode and auto-save). The new music arrangements done by Nobuo Uematsu himself are marvelous and the redrawn visuals are vibrant and full of details. Of course, these games are heavily outdated in terms of gameplay and storytelling, so their simplicity might discourage newcomers, but they are still a lot of fun and a great opportunity to experience the revered classics. [10/2021, p.50]

Last Stop is an adventure game, but I find it hard to recommend it to every fan of the genre, because there are basically no puzzles here. It’s more of an interactive movie than a game in a strict sense. The story is more than solid and fun to follow, but you have no influence on it, and many will find pushing some buttons on a controller from time to time not engaging enough. [10/2021, p.48]

This sci-fi RPG with frequent turn-based battles and a hefty dose of repetitive puzzles offers a good story, an interesting combat system and decent voice acting. Sadly, everything else is mediocre, which, along with a considerable list of various bugs and flaws, made it impossible for the game to live up to its potential. [10/2021, p.46]

Spellcaster University is repetitive and full of poor design choices. The gameplay needs to be rebuilt from the ground up, because in its current state the game still looks like something out of Early Access rather than a final release. [10/2021, p.44]

I’m impressed by how natural and inclusive Raptor Boyfriend is. Fantastic creatures seem weird only in the beginning. Their appearance and nature quickly become unimportant and you realize they are intriguing and friendly guys that are easy to like and even love. [10/2021, p.43]

Jonas Manke accomplished something incredible. The game he spent five long years creating on his own is relaxing, enjoyable, and above all surprisingly full-bodied. It looks and sounds great, there are no technical issues, and it can compete with titles developed by larger, more experienced teams in pretty much every aspect. It’s a great little game that I wholeheartedly recommend. [10/2021, p.42]

A mix of a platformer and a rhythm game, inspired by the original Prince of Persia (the one from 1989) and set in a dark fantasy world. Unfortunately, an interesting combat system is not enough to counterbalance repetitiveness and some crude gameplay mechanics. Also, Prince of Persia looked better. [10/2021, p.41]

Brilliant visuals, great music and unusual user interface will score points with people who like games that have a soul despite being very complex. However, to reach a broader audience, the developers would have to significantly improve the transparency of gameplay mechanics and iron out rough edges. [10/2021, p.40]

A full-fledged entry to the Sniper Elite series, with 18 missions and a story that binds them together and lasts a couple of hours. It’s decent (if you consider the fact, that PS VR is not a cutting edge gear), but be aware that it resembles a low-budget version of Call of Duty and the graphics are average at best. I’ve seen many PS VR games that were much more impressive in terms of visuals. [10/2021, p.39]

A charming but unpolished adventure/puzzle game with an environmental thread. As a photographer, your job is to document the existence of a magical island and its extraordinary species of animals and plants. Slow pace and unusual atmosphere are relaxing and make Beasts of Maravilla Island a good family title. It’s a shame the developers failed to take full advantage of the game’s potential. The photo mode (which of course is the central mechanic here) and interactions with the environment could have been done better. [10/2021, p.38]

Henford-on-Bagley is charming and picturesque and I had a great time tending animals, getting to know the local community and completing some minor tasks for my neighbors. I would have been even happier with Cottage Living, if the developers had added more new furniture pieces and made the barn larger, as it only holds one cow or llama. [10/2021, p.37]

Equipped with one simple tool offering a surprisingly wide array of capabilities, I was thrown into a maelstrom of crazy fast action and overwhelmed by every wave of enemies. Boomerang X is so addictive I couldn’t put it down. Luckily it offers a lot of flexible options to make the game easier, so you can have fun with it even if you didn’t grow eyes on the back of your head and never developed superhuman reflexes. [10/2021, p.36]

Eldest Souls’ difficulty level is so overwhelming even soulslike veterans will feel unsure of their skills. The developers boiled the game down to its essence, which is killing enemies, while the story and exploration were relegated to the background. As a result, the narrative tying boss encounters together is rather shallow. [10/2021, p.34]

It’s a very good game, but it was tailored for a specific audience. If you put the story above everything else, you’ll have a great time playing The Forgotten City. However, if you’d like to feel the adrenaline rush at least once in a while, it’s probably not a game for you, because there’s barely any action here. Oh, don’t be afraid of the whole time loop thing – this integral mechanic is forgiving and won’t erase your progress without a serious reason. If it resets, it’ll be a consequence of either wrong choices or a conscious decision. [10/2021, p.32]

This solid turned-based tactical game set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe and focused on the struggle of the Blood Angels against nightmarish Tyranids is more fun than you might expect. It definitely deserves the Emperor’s blessing. [10/2021, p.30]

An interesting return to The Zone and a perfect game to help you survive the wait for Stalker 2. Chernobylite is atmospheric, intriguing, sometimes beautiful, but also needlessly bloated with distracting elements that force you to deal with unimportant or repetitive stuff. It has its issues, but first and foremost it’s an original game with an engaging story and I do recommend it. [10/2021, p.24]

The Sword of the Necromancer tells its love story in an interesting way and may surprise you with a plot twist, but its not enough to outweigh the game’s repetitiveness or the fact that you can’t control your undead and need to rely on their random, silly AI. [04/2021, p.63]

My first impression was great and early on I was sure this pretty action adventure game will score higher. Then the difficulty level rose drastically and allied itself with frustratingly imprecise controls to murder all the fun. [04/2021, p.62]

The game follows in her predecessor’s footsteps, but many new ideas for puzzles, unique environments and creepy scenes make it a fresh, engaging and surprising experience from start to finish. Everything that worked well in the original Little Nightmares now packs twice the punch. [04/2021, p.60]

Tohu won surprisingly many awards, but in my opinion its only element that truly deserves praise are the visuals. The game looks great (the hand-drawn environments are wonderful!) but is much to infantile for my taste (especially the dialogues) and not creative enough in the puzzles department, while the awful narrator does a lot to destroy the atmosphere. [04/2021, p.59]

After a brief introduction, you get access to a virtual USB flash drive found at the scene of a possible crime. You browse its contents (photos, apps, books, videos, a journal and a password-protected archive) in Windows to determine whether the device really is connected to some awful occurrence. The most important file is the journal, which in fact is an extremely well-written crime story. Reading it, analyzing the files for clues and looking for a way to crack the password was truly thrilling. [04/2021, p.58]

I wish the devs from Chaosmonger Studio could decide whether they’re making a funny and cute game or a dark and depressing one. Encodya tries to be both and is not great at it, as it pulls its punches when it has a chance to tell something more meaningful, only to bestow some cheap wisdom a bit later. Apart from that, it overwhelmed me with the amount of useless junk you hoard in your inventory (I didn’t use most of the items even once), and disappointed me with uninteresting puzzles. [04/2021, p.55]

Borrowing from various genres, Curious Expedition 2 is an interesting and pretty simulator of an explorer. Sadly, it doesn’t offer enough content to keep you fully engaged throughout the whole adventure. In my case, the initial fun of exploration started to fade around the half of the campaign, as the lack of auto-battle started to annoy me (especially that my party became so strong that combat lost its thrill) and random encounters began to recur. [04/2021, p.52]

A game based around surveilling squirrels sounded like a guarantee of a boring afternoon, but thanks to its great art style and gripping mystery, Nuts turned out to be almost as good as Firewatch. [04/2021, p.50]

I wanted to both scold Bravely Default II for its many flaws and kiss it for some stellar moments when it shone like a diamond. At the end of the day the latter decisively outweighed the former. The game boasts one of the best combat systems I’ve seen in jRPGs, towns that are a work of art, and a breathtaking soundtrack. If you like the genre, there’s a chance you’ll fall in love with Bravely Default II. [04/2021, p.48]

Destruction AllStars is flashy, fast and enjoyable, looks good and runs smoothly, but severely lacks varied, engaging content and therefore quickly becomes boring. [04/2021, p.44]

Olija is an atmospheric but rather derivative throwback to the Another World, Price of Persia and Flashback era. Its gameplay mechanics are quite elaborate for this genre and the story is satisfying, but the game somehow looks worse than the mentioned classics. [04/2021, p.43]

Falling somewhere between Dark Souls and Shadow of the Colossus, Shattered offers a huge, beautiful world full of secrets and shortcuts that’s a joy to explore, and adds platforming sequences to the mix. The game has a lot going for it, but it’s also full of bugs (minor but very numerous) and most of its bosses are rather bland. [04/2021, p.42]

Super Mario Odyssey is still the best Mario game, but that doesn’t change the fact that 3D World is up there among the best platformers ever made. So is Bowser’s Fury, a game much smaller in scale but still phenomenal. [04/2021, p.40]

Disjunction’s gameplay is quite repetitive and there are some annoying flaws, but if you like tech noir and remember the Amiga days fondly, there’s a significant chance you’ll have fun. [04/2021, p.39]

Crossbow: Bloodnight is a fast and smooth arena shooter that doesn’t offer enough content and variety for long sessions, but works well in short, intense ones. Switch seems like a great platform for it but unfortunately neither the Pro Controller nor the Joy-Cons offer the precision that the unforgiving gameplay requires. [04/2021, p.38]

Omega Force’s crossover between Persona and the Warriors series is a breath of fresh air for both franchises. It’s not a revelation by any means and not a great sequel to Persona 5 in terms of the story, but despite rather uninteresting content in between missions and the scantiness of additional activities, it’s a good, varied game that’s simply enjoyable. [04/2021, p.36]

My first experience with Control was underwhelming due to my base PS4 not being powerful enough to do this great game justice. Now I wish I waited for the next-gen version. The Ultimate Edition finally looks and runs as it should (however, if you want ray tracing, you’ll have to accept 30 FPS) and also offers two expansions that tie the story to Alan Wake. [04/2021, p.34]

Land of War deserves a small praise for its decent soundtrack, but other than that it’s a disaster, an awfully generic, ill-designed, half-baked shooter that can’t compete with 20-year-old classics. It actually looks like an unintended, distasteful parody of the horrible events of September 1939. [09/2021, p.68]

An unconventional platformer where you can’t jump and instead use magnets to tackle obstacles in your way. It’s a simple idea, but the developers showed incredible creativity and made a game that surprises you all the time and constantly challenges both your reflexes and your mind. Be warned though, Super Magbot’s difficulty is hardcore. [09/2021, p.67]

This gorgeous game could have been great, but it stumbles on important details. Sometimes graphics make it hard to discern important objects (I advise against playing A Tale of Synapse in handheld mode) and the puzzles are tediously repetitive. Additionally, once in a while double jump happens when you don’t need it, which makes some parts of the game unnecessarily frustrating. [09/2021, p.66]

Ender Lilies is one of the best metroidvanias of recent years. What immediately caught my attention was its unusual combat system based on summoning spirits that attack your enemies, but I also enjoyed the dark, oneiric and slightly melancholic atmosphere of this beautiful, varied world. Hunting down bosses, discovering shortcuts, and a checkpoint system that resembles Dark Souls’ bonfires give Ender Lilies a distinct soulslike aftertaste. [09/2021, p.64]

A modest but highly enjoyable and relaxing puzzle game. No references to popular franchises this time, no saving the world. You just use your building skills and brainpower to help a father and son on their atmospheric journey across 35 beautifully rendered levels that look especially striking on ray tracing-capable GPUs. [09/2021, p.63]

It’s not an awful game but you’ll be noticing untapped potential every step of the way. The Olympic Games deserve a good official game, but they’ll have to wait longer for it. [09/2021, p.62]

Thatgamecompany stole our hearts with Journey, and Sky looks like a natural evolution of that concept, as it draws from the ideas, mechanics, setting, character movement and art direction of its predecessor. The problem is, you can only surprise people once with a specific trick. Even if it’s focused slightly different and puts greater emphasis on online features, this “new Journey” will never make the same impression as the original, fresh experience. [09/2021, p.61]

Nerd Monkeys’ mix of an adventure game, a platformer and a puzzle game won’t surprise you with any new ideas and won’t get stuck in your head. It looks good though and thanks to its low difficulty level and lack of violence it could have been a great family game, but sadly it doesn’t offer co-op. [09/2021, p.60]

Scarlet Nexus is all about combat. The fights are spectacular thanks to vibrant cel-shaded graphics, but primarily because the developers skillfully combined a couple of truly explosive ingredients: agile protagonists with psychokinetic talents, well-designed enemies, and the ability to unleash hell using the powers of your AI-controlled companions. As for the game’s downsides, the environments are repetitive and the writers failed to tie up all the loose ends and left some plot holes. [09/2021, p.54]

The remaster of Legend of Mana turned out to be too conservative. It improves the backgrounds (they’re beautiful!), the save system and the music, but the game’s biggest problems (poor combat system and botched storytelling) remained and will bother you more than they did decades ago. This new version might be enough for the fans of the original Legend of Mana, but I doubt it will appeal to anyone else. [09/2021, p.53]

Minute of Islands seems like a promise of a brilliant story but sadly some mechanics and developers’ choices got in the way and the game’s potential was squandered. Poorly designed platforming sequences quickly becomes tedious, while hallucinations caused by spores are boring and repetitive. I also wish the designers told me more about the intriguing world they created, because minimalist storytelling does not work here as well as it did in Journey. [09/2021, p.52]

I like a lot about Roguebook: the combat system that gives you loads of possibilities despite being simple; revealing the map through "painting” it with brushes and ink that you find along the way; enhancing your cards with crystals that modify their effects. You just feel it’s not a debut project but a very solid game created by developers who have card-based gameplay down to a science. [09/2021, p.50]

Mario Golf: Super Rush is a solid game with hints of Camelot’s past RPG prowess. While the new features are hit-and-miss and the story mode is a bit too basic, it’s the core gameplay that has made this series shine, and Super Rush is no exception. [09/2021, p.48]

It looks as if Tim Burton and the developers of Neverhood and Psychonauts decided to join forces and create something together. Unfortunately, the result is not impressive – the game is short, quite pretentious, pretty ugly and rough. The music and the puzzles are decent and the dreamlike open world has its moments, but on the whole, Onirike is mediocre. [09/2021, p.47]

Alex Kidd, SEGA’s forgotten mascot that preceded Sonic, returns in a remastered version of the 1986 plartformer. Miracle World DX is faithful to the original game but some new features (e.g. the option to disable the lives limit) made it easier. Although pretty, enhanced graphics failed to convince me completely, as softened edges, noticeably lower contrast, and new foreground objects (that sometimes obscure the action) are a bit confusing. It’s also a shame that you need to complete the game to unlock the classic mode. [09/2021, p.46]

Dark Alliance is a disappointingly run-of-the-mill action RPG whose most distinctive features are bugs and connection issues. Solid combat and levelling systems are not enough to outweigh repetitive, boring environments and the lack of decent endgame content. [09/2021, p.44]

Griftlands’ middling, insubstantial story and dull dialogues draw attention away from the game’s undeniable strengths: excellent negotiation mechanics and a pretty good combat system. [09/2021, p.42]

Backbone has far fewer puzzles and stealth sections than you might expect after finishing the brilliant first act, but it will still keep you engaged thanks to the quality of its storytelling. [09/2021, p.40]

Due to outdated technology, low budget and a slight old school feel, Ys IX gives the impression that it got stuck in time a couple of years ago. It has a lot going for it though, including an interesting multi-layered story, enjoyable exploration of a pretty large city of Balduq, and fun combat that has you mowing down crowds of enemies in real time. What’s important, despite connections to the previous games of the series, you don’t need to be familiar with them in order to follow and appreciate Monstrum Nox. [09/2021, p.39]

The Ninja Gaiden trilogy differs from all the other slashers and even today stands out from most of the representatives of the genre. Instead of pleasing the mainstream tastes, the Japanese have created games that require you to master available techniques and are brutally difficult even if you do. Most players will find them much to hard to complete, but that’s why we love these team Ninja’s masterpieces, right? [09/2021, p.36]

Disgaea 6 can’t deny its blood ties to the previous games of the series, but it introduces fully 3D graphics and significantly cranks up the level of absurdity. The price for the former is poor framerate on Switch and the story will give you a lot of reasons to smile but won’t leave a lasting trace in your mind. Combat on the other hand is very solid and discovering new abilities and developing your party of characters are strong incentives to keep playing. [09/2021, p.35]

Curved Space is a visually impressive twin-stick shooter with a twist in the form of an unusual level design. First impressions were great, but the game lacks a spark that would keep me glued to the screen for hours. It’s splashy but not addictive. [09/2021, p.34]

Desperate Struggle is based on the exact same concept as its predecessor, but the developers managed to weed out most flaws. Too bad the PC version is a lazy port from Switch that pretends keyboards don’t exist, offers only basic settings and can surprise you unpleasantly with crashes. [09/2021, p.33]

No More Heroes plays with conventions and puts you on a crazy roller coaster with no safety features. Just like every Grasshopper Manufacture’s game, it’s charmingly absurd, but sadly fails in many gameplay aspects. [09/2021, p.32]

I never thought I’d enjoy a game where drawing and coloring are gameplay’s core elements. Don’t let the seemingly infantile graphics fool you, because Chicory is much deeper and more serious than you might think. Or rather can be, because it’s for you to decide whether you want to delve into the deeper, darker layer of the game and uncover the therapeutic power of art in the fight against depression. If you don’t, you still get a weird, unusual and very enjoyable mix of an adventure game, a puzzle game, some platforming elements and a coloring book. [09/2021, p.30]

The sequel of a Monster Hunter spin-off will greet you with an expansive world to explore, a mechanic of training monsters that hatch from eggs (which resembles Pokémon games a bit), and a disappointing combat system. The combat is primitive, does not evolve in any way and long attack animations make it irritating. What might keep you playing is the game’s light, well-told story and tons of equipment to craft. [09/2021, p.28]

There are still a couple of months left until New Years Eve, but I can already risk a statement that Chivalry 2 is one of the best games of 2021. It’s hard to express the feeling of a massive adrenaline rush as you storm castle walls in the middle of a huge siege. The brutal combat system is brilliant, not overly complicated yet nuanced, and Torn Banner did an excellent job at balancing the game on every level – from weapons to controls to classes to maps and spawn points. I only wish there were more modes and maps. [09/2021, p.22]

An ill-designed and poorly executed game that was probably developed only to cash in on the COVID-19 pandemic. [03/2021, p.57]

In terms of gameplay, Space Assault has nothing in common with the solid 2016 futuristic racer Redout. It’s a rough port of a heavily automated, primitive on-rails shooter developed originally for iOS and disappointing even as a simple mobile game. [03/2021, p.55]

I haven’t seen such an uneven game in ages. On the one hand, it has a cool, elaborate character progression system, varied protagonists and sufficiently challenging, nuanced gameplay. On the other hand, the whole thing is generic and crude, its primitive graphics and awkward animations take you back to the PS2 era, and it becomes boring faster than expected. It does capture the atmosphere of the Netflix series quite well though. [03/2021, p.54]

Wattam reminds me of Chuchel and is the cutest game I have played in recent years. I love its absurd sense of humor, simple puzzles, adorable dancing and farting creatures, and the way music corresponds with the funny on-screen chaos. The game is rather short and doesn’t play too well with a controller, but other than that it is pure fun. [03/2021, p.52]

A horror game with a quite controversial and bold story that deals with such sensitive subjects as child abuse and torture and doesn’t shy away from gruesome sights. It’s just two hours long and might scare you away with terrible textures, poor character models and clunky animations, but it sounds really good and offers a grim atmosphere that did make my skin crawl a couple times. [03/2021, p.51]

Down in Bermuda offers pleasant relaxation but its mobile origin weighs it down. When you play it on a PC in longer sessions, it is hard to overlook its length (3 hours) and formulaic puzzles that become less and less rewarding with time. The port itself could have been better too, as the last map suffers from serious performance issues. [03/2021, p.50]

A very good adaptation of a board game that occupied one of the top spots of the BoardGameGeek list. The rules are the same, so the goal is to create new habitats for birds and attract as many specimens as possible. The game has a great tutorial, obvious educational values (I wish it presented more information about the species though), and the cards are lovely, but it is a shame that only North American birds are included. [03/2021, p.49]

Jet Kave Adveture is a fun, vibrant, varied platformer that brings to mind animated movies. It is also easy and its cartoon violence is very mild, which makes it great for young players. Seasoned gamers may find it not challenging enough, but still Jet Kave Adventure made me realize how much I miss such titles on PC. [03/2021, p.48]

As a highly addictive beat ‘em up and a great trip down the 16-bit memory lane, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World definitely deserved a chance to shine on new platforms. For a couple of days I was pretty much unable to put my Switch down. [03/2021, p.47]

You can definitely feel Shovel Knight vibes, which is not surprising, as the developers of the 2014 hit platformer offered to help polish Cyber Shadow and published it. The result is a spectacular game full of surprises, ingenious pitfalls and fantastic boss encounters. Add a simply brilliant level design, wonderful art style and great adrenaline-pumping music, and you get a game you want more and more of despite of dying all the time. [03/2021, p.46]

Unto the End is a minimalistic, very intense and ultimately exhausting adventure that requires patience. Enemies are always faster than our sluggish hero and almost always unpredictable, so even a lone foe can pose a challenge, while a stronger one will kill you with one strike. Not all encounters seemed fair, by the way. [03/2021, p.45]