Despite the half-done feeling of chapter five, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney remains the sort of game that I live for. It's intelligent, creative, and never ever loses its sense of humor.

Blue Reflection is incredibly upfront about what it’s trying to accomplish here — it’s explicitly about the real dangers to life and limb that can be caused by depression and negative emotional states, and it’s also about the importance of reaching out to those who are suffering and trying to make their lives better. I can’t say that I’ve seen many games with the same goal, but I enjoyed making the world a better place. The experience is sweet, funny, intense, and one of the most fundamentally good-hearted titles I’ve seen in ages.

The Last Stand: Aftermath is as good a zombie roguelike as I’ve ever played. Scrounging for ammo and crafting materials never stops being a desperate struggle, and the balance between virus-fueled perks and ever-dwindling health ensures that every combat encounter is a tense struggle. Exceptionally great design, balance, and gameplay turn this into one of the best action rogues I’ve ever played, and it’s a clear high-point in the survival horror genre.

With peerless strategy gameplay, brilliant level design, and great storytelling, Valkyria Chronicles 4 is a worthy inheritor of the name. And just in case the number in the title seems daunting, rest assured, the game is every bit as playable for complete newcomers to the series as it is for those who’ve been waiting 8 years for the series to return to the west.

Does Hob serve itself by obfuscating its path and story as much as it does? I don’t think the experience is better for these choices. Forcing the player to bang their head repeatedly against the walls of the world undercuts, rather than strengthens, the game’s considerable charm. The inability to clearly communicate also interferes with the intended emotion of the finale, giving a supposedly solemn choice a silly prelude that doesn’t lay out the stakes in any intelligible way.

All in all, I genuinely enjoyed Goodbye World’s narrative landscape. Although the metagames were a pain to get through, the poignant storytelling, charming characters and beautiful design more than made up for it. Kanii’s and Kumade’s connection was palpable, and it was a treat to spend time with them.

While its bleak nature might be a turn-off for some, I enjoyed my time with the short but bittersweet journey that is Best Month Ever! Any game that has me thinking of my mortality long after the credits roll is clearly something special.

The devil is really in the details. I was obsessed with collecting recipes all over the world, by seeking out the elusive Wonder Chef, whose dishes provide various healing effects after fights.

Despite the questionable combat, Blues and Bullets remains a must-play episodic adventure with an incredibly intriguing story told with utter confidence by consummate professionals. Sure, the shooting isn't fantastic (and again there's a single joke that pulls me right out of the narrative!) but overall, this is as good as interactive movies get, and I only hope the wait for chapter three is considerably shorter than the gap between parts one and two.

Tweet Share Share By Thom Stone on October 9, 2024 in Reviews (Italian) Chef’s Kiss HIGH Visual variety and fresh gameplay breathe new life into an oversaturated genre. LOW Lack of multiplayer. Some original ideas are underutilized. WTF You call that a final boss? Over the past decade, countless titles inspired by FromSoftware’s Souls have come and gone, but few have managed to stand out from the crowd or even meet the bar that’s been set, especially now that it’s been raised once again by the wildly successful Elden Ring DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree. Enter Enotria — a new and soon-to-be classic third-person soulslike from Italian studio Jyamma Games that dares to be different by drawing inspiration not only from FromSoftware, but also the rich cultural traditions and aesthetic appeal of Italy. Enotria is a world populated by people trapped in a never-ending play, doomed to perform their roles according to a script they didn’t write. This fate is interrupted by the player in the role of the Maskless One — he enters the scene as a mere puppet, but will ultimately go on to liberate the unwilling actors. This theatrical concept works well as a device to explain the reason why NPCs are stuck in a loop of performing scenes on the shoreline or dancing in the street to a melody that can be heard in various forms throughout the city of Quinta. According to Jyamma Games, the city of Quinta and its surrounding area were inspired by Tuscany, and this can be observed in small details like traditional Italian dishes found on tables, and imposing structures like the Church of Maja where the player must face their first boss. The virtual tour of Italy continues with later areas that are reminiscent of Venice (Litumnia) and Sicily (Falesia Magna). The combat is fast-paced and requires not just skill, but patience. The third-person perspective allows the player to see a broad view of their enemies and surrounding environment which allows them to telegraph enemy move patterns, tactfully dodging or parrying their attacks before going in for a strike, but they must also know when to step back and conserve stamina. Landing an attack charges (at varying speeds) up to four “mask lines” which are special attacks that deal different kinds of damage known as Ardore, which can be especially effective against certain enemies. A crucial piece of the gameplay for players to understand and take advantage of is that they get up to three loadouts which allow them to equip separate sets of weapons, quick items, mask lines and masks. Unlocking certain branches on Enotria‘s skill tree allows the player to select abilities to suit their style, like staggering weaker enemies whenever they successfully dodge an attack. Although the player can only alter the equipment, skills and abilities for each loadout at a checkpoint, they can switch between their loadouts on the fly, which is helpful when facing different types of enemies in a given area. There are many masks that can be acquired throughout the adventure. Some will be received upon defeating a boss, but the majority can only be crafted after collecting a certain amount of mask shards. It was satisfying to piece them all together and make my first mask — the Gardener. I automatically received it after farming gardeners (an enemy type that appears in the first area) and one of its effects is that it makes a certain healing item more effective. Later in the adventure, players can gather enough boss mask shards to make their corresponding masks which allows the player to use some of their abilities as mask lines. Apart from the masks, one of the most important mechanics is the elemental system which functions much like rock-paper-scissors. Certain mask lines or weapons infused with an element will be especially effective against an enemy aligned with another. For example, Vis, a status effect that inflicts dizzying damage, is super effective against enemies aligned with the poison effect, Malanno. Midway through the campaign I fought a god named Veltha, God of Strife who was aligned with Gratia (holy damage) but weak to Malanno, so I maxed out my favorite Malanno weapon and took pleasure as I watched her stagger and suffer from poison damage every time one of my attacks landed. Leveraging this vulnerability didn’t mean the fight was quick work, but it was significantly easier to wear her down than by using the other weapons in my arsenal. The level of difficulty presented by bosses like Veltha (both a powerful ranged fighter and relentless swordswoman) was on par with other Soulsbornes, which is to say, very high. Thus, players who are new to the genre will need to learn the basics quickly if they are to progress. When it starts to feel impossible, they can always farm currency from enemies and use it to upgrade their equipment or level up before taking another stab at whatever boss they’re stuck on. Speaking of bosses, most of Enotria‘s were guilty of one cardinal sin or another, and for some, their vices manifest physically, such as the gluttonous cannibal Zanni who had feasted on fellow actors and turned into a balloon of a man with multiple mouths and an insatiable appetite. It was a delightfully horrifying and imaginative monster design. However, one of my favorite battles was the duo boss fight starring Balanzone and Pantalone. Rather than strong and silent types as many soulslike bosses are, they were a comically dysfunctional pair, often damaging each other when trying to attack me while bickering throughout the fight, voicing their self-interest and avarice. Shockingly, the final boss proved to be the most underwhelming boss fight of the whole campaign. His attacks were fairly predictable and not much changed during his multiple phases, except that a few ranged attacks were added. At no point did I have to significantly change my approach — it was mostly just a matter of pulling it off. While the majority of Enotria is excellent, this mediocre final encounter was just one of a few things that left me feeling underwhelmed when all was said and done. Even though I didn’t need any help on the final boss, there were a few that made me wish I did. Summoning friends and strangers alike is one of the things I enjoy most about soulslikes, as it adds to the feeling of “jolly cooperation” — a big part of what makes these titles so special to me. Unfortunately, there’s no online or multiplayer of any kind to be found here. There were also a few underutilized mechanics that are unique to Enotria, like the Ardore Burst — a stomp that staggers enemies and materializes platforms and ladders when the player stomps on a gold seal, allowing them to reach previously unreachable areas. Whenever I saw one, I’d be filled with the spirit of adventure and feel excited to see where it would take me. Sadly, they’re all too rare. It’s also worth mentioning that during my time with Enotria, I encountered some sudden difficulty spikes and observed some enemies with odd AI pathing getting stuck in certain places. The devs have since released a patch to address these issues and they plan to release more fixes in the near future. Ultimately, my time with Enotria: The Last Song was fantastic. The unconventional Italian theming swept me off my feet, and the gameplay was pleasantly familiar, yet offered enough differences and new ideas to let it stand on its own. If any Souls fans are looking for something to lighten up the dark autumn days that lie ahead, they should consider this summery theatrical adventure their remedy.

What Lies in the Multiverse is a wonderful game that brought something new to the table. The instant multidimensional travel is a brilliant idea that breaks the monotony that 2D platformers can often have, and Vicente Aguiló and his team are to be congratulated –judging by their game design skills here, I can’t anticipate anything but a bright future for them.

Breath of the Wild succeeded because it instilled a sense of wonder in the player and inspired them to explore every inch of its landscape. While Age of Calamity doesn’t follow in those same footsteps, that sense of wonder and need to explore is present. This prequel is a love-letter to one of the greatest games of all time, and while it might not have been exactly what fans were expecting, it is a worthy addition to this storied franchise and a must-play for anyone itching to return to Hyrule.

[Vyse's] simple and fun-loving personality is a welcome trait compared to the angst-ridden heroes of today's more popular RPG titles.

I can't praise the structural work and the interconnecting quests enough.

Putting the lack of new content aside, Axiom Verge is just as good now as it was in 2015, and it also pulls off the rare feat of being incredibly imaginative while also paying obvious homage to its inspiration. Thomas Happ clearly loves Metroid a whole lot, but his outstanding art design and musical talents keep the game he spent five years of his life on from feeling like a knockoff. Anyone with a Switch who hasn’t played Axiom Verge yet will find a polished adventure that would be a great addition to their library — just don’t leave it in the backlog pile.

This game is a perfect blend of well-rounded, bite-sized action that can be picked up and put down comfortably, yet was challenging enough to make me late for work while I had to try just one more level.

It’s been a long time since I could say that I genuinely and deeply enjoyed something in the Adventure genre, but Nine Witches: Family Disruption was a great ride from start to finish. This gem has lots of laughs, plenty of clever situations to solve, and a good dose of rotten Nazis to foil. Plus, zombies! If Krakovitz and Akiro get assigned to another mission, I’m up for that tour of duty.

The variety of games is far better this time around that it was on their first PSP collection, Reloaded, and the overall quality of the selections is quite high.

Between the fun I had playing it, the fitness boost I've gained from it (body fat now 13% and dropping if you want numbers), the awareness and discipline it's taught me and the sheer enthusiasm it's reawakened in me to turn on my PS2 for an hour almost every night, EyeToy: Kinetic distinguishes itself until it is, almost, virtually unassailable.

Instead of being a series savior, Dead Aim is more like Pete Rose finally admitting he bet on baseball. Too little. Too late.

A perfect game to be filed under the category of "plays much better than it looks", I am a little embarrassed to say that I almost skipped over this one while browsing through the App Store, but I'm incredibly glad that I didn't-it quickly became one of my favorite iOS games, period.

Although I'm sure most players these days would say they're getting a little tired of seeing the undead shamble across their television screens, I can't think of anything out there quite like Containment: The Zombie Puzzler, and that's pretty high praise in and of itself. Toss in a survival mode and the fact that it's just $5 on Steam, and this unique project's new spin on the walking dead is a can't-miss.

A jolt of energy that the shooter genre has needed for some time now. The varied and beautiful environments are a slap in the face to brown, repetitive corridors, and the control of both shooting and moving gives stop-and-pop a run for its money.

In one sense, Small Radios, Big Televisions is a short, poetic exploration of humanity’s descent into virtual reality to escape the apocalyptic reality it’s created for itself. In another sense, the game is merely a brief environmental puzzler, thick with atmosphere, style, and enigma. Like any great art, it doesn’t tell players how to interpret it, but instead offers a layered, polysemic experience that can (unfortunately) be just as easily dismissed as appreciated.

Despite the small bugs and a skewed economy that diminishes the experience, West of Dead is still something I can’t put down. The developers seem committed to fixes and I expect the experience to improve as time goes on, but it’s already an incredibly solid game that I enjoy and can easily recommend.

Dodgeball Academia hits the mark in almost every way. It’s a great combination of classic and new game ideas coming together in a charming adventure. Fans of JRPGs looking for something a little different should get on this court and play some ball.

It’s a dark experience from beginning to end, but one that’s absolutely worth playing, especially when it offers some insight into what makes people compelled to fight for the future, no matter how futile the battle may be.

With so much emphasis on the despair-drenched visuals, one might assume that Death Crown is a case of style over substance, but that’s just not true – the gameplay is frantic and gripping, and the developers’ ability to cut away anything except what needs to be here is admirable. The fact that it looks absolutely f**king metal is just icing on the cake.