If you’ve already played and enjoyed Orochi 4 itself, the Ultimate expansion makes everything better. The only downside is the asking price ($39.99) for existing owners of the game is a bit high for an add-on, but…you really do get a lot for the money. If you’re a fan and you haven’t already bought this, it is a worthwhile purchase. If you are more casually interested in Warriors stuff, maybe wait for a sale….but still get it. It won’t disappoint you with many more hours of mook-smooshing fun.

It never crosses the line to offensive, but it just doesn’t do anything original or interesting.

Keen is a puzzler that tries to reach up and achieve more beyond its base ideas, and while it doesn’t always succeed, the end product still remains something worth taking a look at.

Ultimately, it’s not hard to understand Krystopia: Nova’s Journey. It has some nice moments here and there, but they’re just that. They’re moments. Drips and drabs within a sea of mediocrity and “good enough” and elements that are both familiar and tedious. I’ve really tried my best to temper my natural disinclination toward adventure games here, but the fact of the matter is that for most non-adventure game fans, this is going to be a hard pass anyhow. The characters and dialogue don’t overcome the fundamental nature of point-and-click games, and the puzzles don’t feel satisfyingly complex but instead frustrating and unclear.

This isn’t a terrible game. If you’re a fan of the series and really eager to have more of it, it’ll probably serve decently for those purposes, but that’ll still mean overlooking things like weak translation, poor mechanics, and a slipshod feel across the board. But if you aren’t already a fan, there’s little to nothing to recommend it to you, much less to inspire you to learn more. And, last but not least… yes. It’s very wrong to try to pick up girls in a dungeon. Those girls are trying to do something other than pick up dates. Respect their time and interests. Come on.

Beyond the reset confusion, it’s hard to find any flaws in this game. The puzzle concept is a lot of fun, the visuals are just about perfect for a retro styled game, the 8-bit synth audio experience is on point, and it manages to stump you without overtly frustrating you – a crowning achievement among puzzle games. Give Deleveled a go, I highly doubt you’ll regret it.

Overall, I’d say this is a game that should have stayed on VR. There’s some decent fun here, but the act of controlling it with a keyboard and mouse is just not satisfying. It felt like I was trying to play with one hand tied behind my back, when I wasn’t fighting the system to get my tools to land where I wanted them to.

While I wouldn’t list Fallen Angel as my game of the year, it’s definitely entertaining while it lasts. It’s hard to enough to be satisfying, has a fantastic variety of areas, and the combat is fast and snappy. There’s a few flaws here and there, namely in a few minor bugs and the combat stagnating partway through, but it’s definitely worth the asking price.

REKT is a game that has some potential, but ultimately suffers from being very light on content while seemingly missing every chance to realize that potential. If you like the idea of playing a slimmed-down version of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater meets Rocket League with cars instead of skateboards, you can certainly get some enjoyment out of this. But I think that’s a pretty niche audience for a game in today’s market.

I, AI really doesn’t push any boundaries or try anything new at all. It’s a budget title and I can cut it some slack for that. But I feel like the only people who could enjoy this are those that spent hours upon hours playing Space Invaders, Galaga, or R-Type back in the 80s, whom might get enough of a nostalgia trip from this to go play those games again. Anyone else will be reaching for the deck of cards pretty quickly.

On the bright side, what Romancing Distance tries to do it does well. Exploring the colorful environment and making decisions was enjoyable, although I wish there had been more of it. Serenity Forge also did a great job in creating characters that are fun to read about. Robin and Stephen’s interactions kept me engaged and I was curious to see how their quarantine romance would develop the entire time. Ultimately, I am glad I gave Half Past Fate: Romancing Distance a try, but I am also thankful that it was short and hope that maybe in the future there is an update where the couple gets their in-person happy ending.

What the Dub?! knows what it wants to be, and it does it well, straight-forward and with very little frills. If you have a friend group that already enjoys the Jackbox series and other quick and easy party games, there’s little reason not to add this one to your rotation.

It’s not terrible, and I can understand why people would gravitate toward it on mobile devices. But on your desktop? There are better uses of your computer.

If for whatever reason you really didn’t care for Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, this is not the expansion that is going to change your mind. However, it’s hard not to rate it highly despite that fact. If you already own and enjoy the game, it’s easily worth the asking price and delivers a nice meaty slab of content with motive and entertainment to be had whether you’re just starting the game, you’ve beaten the whole thing and explored every nook and cranny, or you’re somewhere between those two extremes. In summary, Wrath of the Druids is more Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla. And considering how darn good the base game is, the DLC being more besides is exactly what it should be and a whole lot of fun.

Ultimately, I didn’t like Siege of Paris all that much… compared to the core game or its first expansion, anyhow. It feels, in many ways, like it was conceived and put into practice as a way to give Eivor something new to do, but it doesn’t really break any new ground compared to that. It’s like eating nothing but bread at dinner; it’ll fill you up, but it doesn’t exactly delight the senses in a new way. None of that is to say that it’s bad, though, because… well, as I mentioned before and bears repeating, Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla is a good game. A bad slice of content for the game is still pretty good. It deserves a high score because compared to an awful lot of games, it’s still delivering what it sets out to be effectively and giving you fun new weapons, areas, and armor to use as you clear through a new set of quests.

At the end of the day, quibbles about music or visuals or story are kind of secondary to this particular game. This is a title that is an amalgamation of two separate game types that both rely heavily on their gameplay to be pleasurable… and to its credit, Metallic Child really nails that part of the formula. It manages to be fun without feeling formulaic, and it even kept alive that sense of always struggling just a little further in the hopes of clearing a run even when things felt less than promising early on. That’s a sign that something is working right. Of course, none of that is to say that the game wouldn’t be better with a better story or better environments or any of that; just that what it needs to get right it does very right, so much that it elevates the game beyond what could have been a rather bare-bones presentation to be quite a good title. If you like the idea of flinging around robots and unlocking weapons from defeated bosses, you should definitely give this one a go.

Overall, Gleylancer isn’t some kind of boundary pushing or standard setting entry in the shmup genre. And it doesn’t have to be. What it does, it does well. The difficulty curve is a bit wonky, but even at its hardest it never feels impossible. Putting the options to use was a ton of fun, even if my method of using them ended up a bit…uncomfortable for my thumb. At its budget price ($6.99 at the time of writing), this game is an absolute no-brainer for shmup fans. I would argue that it’s a great option for genre newcomers as well, with its relatively easy opening levels before the difficulty really ramps up. As I continue my exploration of retro shmups, I’m glad this one fell into my hands.

Really, if I had to boil down my issues to one thing, it’s that the developers need to understand how to add content to a game. Games are all about what we as players choose to do, and for extra content to actually mean anything it should ask me to make different choices. For every dating minigame I’m making the same choices every other time that minigame shows up, for every frame of bowling I am making the same choices as every frame before it. All the pretty visuals don’t change that it is the same minute or so of content repeated over and over.

The story is convoluted and sloppy, the characters are caricatures of themselves, and the choice system feels pointless when the game is obviously linear and should’ve just stuck to telling the story it wanted to tell without the false sense of choice. Unfortunately, the only passable part of it all, the soundtrack, wasn’t able to make up for the janky visuals and tons of spelling errors. I was just left tired by the time I reached the end. Fortunately, Spire Games isn’t charging an arm and a leg for this game, but even ten bucks at the time of writing feels like a lot when the experience is so lackluster. For those that are somehow able to stay engaged, The VII Enigma has a total of 17 endings and 26 achievements, so there’s that to consider. I was just not one of those people.

If you’re a fan of the franchise or you want something that feels a bit like a good old-school hack-and-slash platformer, you’ll get some enjoyment out of the game. But it ultimately feels like a very pretty and well-intentioned game that made itself too easy and ultimately lost out on its main appeal.

I dare say the KickStarter that supported this release would have done just as well if it was an actual card game. I think that could definitely work and if it isn’t in the cards (wink), well, it should be. Regardless though, this game is a great value with it’s strong replayability, and it is definitely worthy of recommendation to fans of the genre, but I think even other curious souls out there should give it a go. It’s is very pick-up-and-play and could spark a new interest in a new genre for you if you are that curious soul.

Neptunia x SENRAN KAGURA: Ninja Wars succeeds at being a fun crossover and a decent enough game to play. It’s solid enough to satisfy fans and newbies alike, has a solid gameplay foundation, and isn’t afraid to let loose when the time calls for it. There’s enough here to keep you busy, and everything involved is at least competent enough to keep your attention. So long as you aren’t expecting Game of the Year material, you’ll find yourself having fun with this one. If your aim is to coast and relish in a little bit of cheesy ninja action, this definitely fits the bill.

Dwerve is a difficult game to put down. It incorporates the strategic aspects of tower defense with the reactive dodging of action games and fully reaps the benefits of both elements. Having to approach each of the varied combat encounters with tactical and mechanical skill creates a layer of engagement that not every game can reach, urging you to keep playing and tinker with your approach all the way up to its conclusion. Despite its somewhat lacking storyline, Dwerve is a fun, challenging trek through dangerous dungeons and dwarven history that carries itself with aplomb.

Given how hard the last few years have been, I have to admit that it felt nice to play a game with low stakes. I had forgotten how great it is to just enjoy titles without worrying about putting in countless hours or gaining levels. I was truly just there to enjoy a visual novel that had all of the necessary components for success; a well-rounded cast, a short yet engaging story, and beautiful art. Perhaps to some, Aquadine will come off as lacking any real urgency or sadness, but this is an opinion I would attribute to the game’s more mystical setting. If like me, you don’t mind the mythical and have a few hours to spare then this is exactly the right game for you. Just beware of its $20 price point (I do feel this is a little much given how short it is) and the grating voice acting

If you’re desperate for another farming life sim and have nothing else to play, or you really like the art style so much that you’re willing to overlook a relatively lackluster play experience, then you’ll get something worthwhile out of the game. I sure hope you do. But for the average player, I just can’t find much to recommend it over a lot of other games. Re: Legend falls far short of being a legendary experience.

Thanks to sparse placement of save rooms and challenging enemy locations, the player will be constantly hitting walls to their progression and replaying the same paths repeatedly (and in both directions). Tragically, the only reward for triumphing over these is often a predictable, meager upgrade or another equally difficult stretch of rooms, thus forcing Astronite to be a monotonous experience. The quality boss fights simply aren’t plentiful enough to make up for its shortcomings.

At best it’s a very boring platformer with no charm or substance, and at worst it’s throw-down-your-controller frustrating. The enemies are sparse and boring, and it takes too long before you gain new abilities that would give any depth whatsoever to the game. Unfortunately, I really find myself unable to come up with a reason to recommend this to anyone.

So Kandria is a strange game, but there’s a value in the game being confusing, and weird, and gangly, and distinct. It’s unique in a lot of ways, and that uniqueness is well worth seeing for yourself if what I’ve been saying sounds remotely interesting to you.