Softpedia's Scores

  • Games
For 1,661 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 71% higher than the average critic
  • 10% same as the average critic
  • 19% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 4.1 points higher than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Game review score: 79
Highest review score: 100 Red Dead Redemption 2
Lowest review score: 20 Robotex
Score distribution:
1663 game reviews
    • 71 Metascore
    • 85 Critic Score
    Elemental Exiles has good card-driven battles, although there’s not much that fans of this genre have not seen before. It is important to investigate card synergies and decide how to shape a deck to deal with big groups and bosses. The game gives players all the info they need to make good decisions and always feels fair. The shared map that all characters explore is a good one and it offers a good mix of narrative encounters, normal battles, and boss engagements. The unlockable heroes might take some time to find and defeat but all have interesting associated playstyles. Elemental Exiles has strong core mechanics and will satisfy anyone looking for variety and tense battles.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    If you like walking simulators and deep stories, this game is right up your alley. The atmosphere and the visual style will engulf you completely, making it feel natural to ponder the philosophical questions raised by your trek through Regis III. But I can’t forget or forgive the deliberately snail like pace and cheap shots meant to extend a 4-hour experience into one that take 8 hours to finish. Despite the short length, the experience would have been much more enjoyable if it wouldn’t have been so diluted.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    To End All Wars is a complex experience designed for an audience that has played AGEOD titles before and is familiar with the intricacies of warfare during World War I, and it can deliver some very satisfying variations on the real outcome of the conflict.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Normally, I’d say that Dawn of Ragnarok is just more Assassin’s Creed, but in a different environment and with different enemies. However, I do believe it’s time for Ubisoft to get rid of the Assassin’s Creed naming scheme from everything related to Eivor’s Viking saga. I think this is just piggybacking on the Assassin’s Creed franchise without bringing anything new into the mix. Despite all of that, Assassin’s Creed fans will find Dawn of Ragnarok an enjoyable experience. There are plenty of new activities and the main story is decent for the most part. The new powers look more impressive on paper rather than in-game, but props to Ubisoft for trying. My advice is to play this like a brand-new game rather than an Assassin’s Creed expansion, although it will be hard to get past the series’ dull grind mechanics, which are quite present in Dawn of Ragnarok too.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Sublevel Zero is a really good take on the genre pioneered by Descent. The roguelike mechanics are a bit punishing, but the gorgeous visuals and the procedurally generated levels manage to keep things fresh and get you to come back.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Sludge Life 2 takes the best ideas of the first game and improves on them all. There are more interesting characters to have conversations with, more hotel rooms filled with small but effective narrative moments, more spots to tag, and more ciggies to collect. There’s plenty of dark water under the hotel and weird vistas to photograph. The game’s presentation serves it well, although I wished the world changed as players tag and find new secrets. Sludge Life 2 doesn’t have the deepest gameplay in its genre or the most complex story, but its anarchic-punk-nicotine vibe is immersive and fun.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Despite its shortcomings, the story and the oppressing atmosphere of The Sinking City recommend it as one of the best Lovecraft inspired game to date. If you can get past the clunky combat and technical issues, there's much to like in The Sinking City.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    I was really curious about Deliver Us the Moon on PS5, but after finishing it I am struggling to find anything good about it, beyond the obvious passion of the developers. It is not a bad game, but it is just flat, and it does not have anything memorable about it. It can be looked at as an interactive movie, but even then, I would not recommend it since there is nothing really thrilling about it. I would not recommend it even if you don’t have anything better to do on a weekend afternoon. You will get much more out of staring at the moon using a telescope than playing this flat game.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Tennis Manager 2022 is a solid entry into the sports management genre, but it needs to refine its mechanics to become a good fantasy fulfillment vehicle for tennis fans. The development team has put in the effort to gather and present information in useful ways, giving gamers plenty of ways to tweak tactics and motivate their players. Tournaments are well simulated, with stars reacting naturally when they hit a good or bad streak.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Blades of Fire might not revolutionize the genre, but it doesn’t need to. What it offers is a polished, confident, and deeply satisfying action experience grounded in clear design principles and executed with purpose. By drawing inspiration from giants of the genre and combining those ideas into a streamlined, compelling whole, MercurySteam has crafted a surprise that deserves attention. Whether you come for the satisfying weapon crafting, the intense yet accessible combat, or the story of rebellion and divine legacy, Blades of Fire delivers a memorable journey. It’s not bloated, it's not pretentious, it’s just good game design, executed with passion.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Sniper Elite 3 is a relatively fun niche shooter experience that improves some of the faults seen in its predecessors, particularly in regards to mission design and the open nature of levels. It's still weighed down by bugs, erratic AI, and a shoddy story, but it will certainly entertain fans of the franchise and those looking for a thinking man's shooter experience.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    The locations and the puzzles of Rubble Without a Cause also feel a little uninspired and fail to match the exuberance of the previous modern adventures of Graham.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Knuckle Sandwich is clearly a love letter to classic 8-bit role-playing games but with a twist. Bright City has some interesting characters and interactions (I particularly love the washing machine save points). The story goes places. And the core mechanics are easy to learn and varied. The biggest issue is how difficult and repetitive combat can be, even with the many mini games thrown in. I genuinely think players should activate the Skip option as soon as they hit a roadblock and then use it liberally. Knuckle Sandwich is weird enough to be worth experiencing, even if its battle sequences aren’t always worth playing through.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 65 Critic Score
    If the idea of fruitless exploits and praying to RNGesus doesn't scare you, Crowntakers is a really pleasant experience, marrying exploration with tactical combat, all set in a lovely-looking world.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Sonic Frontiers tries too hard to please everyone and this is its biggest downfall. It can be completed in around 10-15 hours if you skip all the dialogues that feel like filler anyway. The rhythm is all over the place as is the difficulty level, but somehow the game manages to be fun. It is an open world game that has flaws and strengths equally but is fun, nonetheless. What's even more painful is Sonic Frontiers is far even from an AA game, even though it pretends to be much more than this. Despite all the fun, I can't help but feel that Sonic would deserve more, just like his fans. That's not to say that some won't enjoy Sonic Frontiers, it's just that the franchise doesn't seem like it's going into the right direction.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Starship Troopers: Terran Command shows how hard it can be to use a cult status intellectual property and make a good video game out of it. The core mechanics are solid, but the narrative is mediocre, and the presentation fails to impress. There’s fun in finding new ways to kill bugs but there’s not enough variety. The game lacks multiplayer. The development team at The Artistocrats played it too safe. The idea that unit positioning is crucial should have been explored in greater depth, alongside the combined arms elements. Terran Command offers a solid strategy experience but I would not recommend it to anyone who is not a fan of Starship Troopers.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    If you're looking for a turn-based strategy game set in a dystopian world where you won't feel attached by your characters and don't need to pay attention to the story, Deep Sky Derelicts has a lot to offer. Keep in mind though that while it's easy to pick up, Snowhound Games' title is hard to master.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny does a great job at updating a rather old game with an outdated gameplay. They don’t mess up the things that made this game amazing at launch, instead they focus on modernizing and enhancing it as much as possible. And it shows, the developers used a lot of care and attention to update the game for new audiences, while also keeping the original intact, so even old school fans will enjoy it.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 55 Critic Score
    Batman: Arkham Knight is a decent entry in the series that, while innovative in some areas, is weighed down by the cumbersome Batmobile. Once the huge PC performance issues are solved by Rocksteady, it certainly has the potential for an enjoyable experience. Until then, though, our verdict is to skip it.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Haunted House is a very challenging roguelite game, that needs a lot of patience, not just for the gameplay mechanics, but also to stomach the bugs and start all over again if needed. It is a great upgrade over the original game, that emphasizes stealth and a tactical approach, but can feel grindy. If you are looking for a game to entertain you for Halloween or for a roguelite that will test your mettle, Haunted House is a great choice. But if you do not have the patience to try over and over again, many times not because of your fault, you will only experience frustration.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    I’ve always wanted to play a tactical Viking-focused game, and NORSE: Oath of Blood manages to bring that idea to life. Creating a Viking settlement, embarking on missions and slowly expanding the story are all things that the game does very well. The same thing is valid when it comes to combat. The battles are engaging, there’s plenty of tactical depth, and you also have enemy variety as well. It’s not as long as many other turn-based titles, and it’s more story-focused, which can be a great upside for many players. Unfortunately, at least at launch, NORSE: Oath of Blood suffers from performance problems, including cutscene stuttering and issues like pop-in. Hopefully, these issues will be fixed soon, because the game shows a lot of promise.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 85 Critic Score
    Ronin is a good, engaging and often difficult game that will certainly appeal to those who are intrigued by the mix of stealth, sword killing, and impressive jumps.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Road Not Taken might not have too much in common with the Frost-written poem with which it shares a name, but it does manage to deliver a meditation on the value of choices and the importance of making the right ones, while also offering the player a complex layer of actual game mechanics to explore.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Super Galaxy Squadron is a solid shoot'em up/bullet hell hybrid that manages to feel welcoming to newcomers but also challenging to veterans. The variety of ships, the great endless mode, and the interesting story campaign make its downsides fade away.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Dungeons 2 is nowhere near the level I wanted it to be. It would have been nice to see an evolution of the dungeon management genre that takes things to the level of complexity of city-builders like Pharaoh or Zeus...Instead, the title is a low complexity strategy game with some real-time strategy mechanics, providing a fun experience if you’re looking for something that could be described as a modern day Dungeon Keeper.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 85 Critic Score
    Garden Story is not actually about gardening, in the Stardew Valley sense, and that’s great. The story is about growing friendships and the organic development of communities. The mechanics are good enough to keep players engaged with the world. The stakes are never high. Concord doesn’t shine as a protagonist but the world around him is colorful and fun, a good reason to spend 15 minutes at the end of the day doing a little work to make it even better for everybody else. But longer sessions with the game tend to reveal that there’s a lot of repetition, especially when it comes to the action parts. And if the friendly spell of the world-building breaks it can be hard to go back and pick Garden Story up again. The team at Picogram has a good instinct for universe development and cuteness hooks but they do need to put some extra time into creating a better gameplay loop for their unique universe.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    I did not love the experience of playing this Subliminal title. The game is too focused on backtracking through the various areas to complete quests and side activities. Button City is, probably, a good game for younger players who might not have engaged with the genres it replicates in the arcade. Play it with a kid if you are a parent and tell them there are better versions of everything they see here out there to try and master. But the developers are good at creating a game world that draws evokes nostalgia. Their characters are fun and whimsical, although they do need more depth. Button City is a limited video game but, if the studio focuses on its strengths, it can surely create a world where the gameplay and the world are better synchronized.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Mothmen 1966 is the first of three interactive adventures called Pixel Pulps, and it certainly makes me want to check out the other two whenever they’ll be out. The writing is good, the characters are decently fleshed out, and the sound adds to tension. Although the soundtrack is a mixed bag, it's by no means bad. If you’re looking for a short sci-fi story with some horror elements and good writing, Mothmen 1966 is more than serviceable. Even though some choices lead to different outcomes, these are too minor to warrant another second playthrough, unless you want to know every bit of lore.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 85 Critic Score
    The Executive - Movie Industry Tycoon is a good movie-making business simulation that doesn’t do anything particularly original. The setup is simple, and the movie-making progress has been distilled into a loop that gives gamers crucial decisions to make. The experience isn’t turn-based but manages to successfully create the same feeling of “just one more” movie. The presentation, with its bright colors and easy-to-understand interface, adds to the immersion. Over time, the mechanical limitations and the repetitive nature become clearer. The Executive - Movie Industry Tycoon works best in small doses and as long as players see the process of making a movie as more than a series of choices to repeat until they get the expected result.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Super Meat Boy Forever is not a bad game but it feels like a regression from the original, which was just as tough but offered more options for players willing to try and get past the many obstacles the game threw at them. Fans of the concept will appreciate the unyielding difficulty and the lack of ways to tweak it. But given the changes to the mechanics, it would be nice to see Team Meat make their new title easier to appreciate with less frustration.

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