Vandal's Scores

  • Games
For 6,609 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 69% higher than the average critic
  • 7% same as the average critic
  • 24% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 1.7 points higher than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Game review score: 77
Highest review score: 100 Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
Lowest review score: 10 Make it indie!
Score distribution:
6612 game reviews
    • 76 Metascore
    • 86 Critic Score
    Withering Rooms blends elements from classic survival horror games like Clock Tower and modern roguelikes, offering a tense experience where death resets progress but rearranges the mansion's rooms, providing a fresh challenge each time. Despite technical limitations and lack of Spanish text, its mix of combat, puzzles, and atmosphere delivers a compelling horror adventure.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    The Outlast Trials introduces cooperative multiplayer to the horror franchise, offering tense and gruesome scenarios where teamwork is essential to survive, despite some repetitive gameplay. Its deliberate visual design and atmospheric sound create a chilling experience perfect for multiplayer sessions.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Pepper Grinder delivers a fluid and enjoyable 2D platforming experience with its unique drilling mechanic, although it lacks cohesion and confidence in its main gameplay mechanic. The game's constant introduction of new ideas sometimes overshadows its core mechanic, resulting in a somewhat disjointed experience. Despite this, it offers fun and challenging gameplay with a charming visual and sound design.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 78 Critic Score
    The Thaumaturge excels in narrative depth, character development, and atmosphere, offering a captivating experience despite its gameplay limitations. While its investigative mechanics feel lacking and combat could be more diverse, its compelling story, well-crafted characters, and impactful decision-making make it a standout adventure with a unique setting.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 68 Critic Score
    Open Roads offers a heartfelt, human story set in our world, focusing on the journey of a teenage girl and her mother as they unravel family mysteries. Despite its engaging narrative and top-notch voice acting, the game feels dated in gameplay design, lacking the innovation of similar titles like Gone Home and Tacoma. The exploration of emotions and relationships is its strength, but its gameplay mechanics and visual presentation fall short of expectations.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 67 Critic Score
    Princess Peach: Showtime! aims to introduce young players to gaming with its friendly, accessible, and varied gameplay, featuring different genres. However, it suffers from oversimplification, diluting the experience, especially evident in its lack of depth and overly basic mechanics. Despite this, it offers enjoyable moments, particularly in levels like Peach Thief, with a well-paced rhythm, collectibles, varied gameplay, fantastic presentation, and an excellent soundtrack. It falls short of fully utilizing its mechanics, resulting in a game that could have been much better, but still serves as a good entry point for younger gamers.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    The Legend of Legacy HD Remastered offers a faithful remaster of the original adventure, enhancing visuals and performance while maintaining its timeless aesthetic. Despite some graphical discrepancies and intrusive combat interface, the game delivers improved resolution and music quality, making it a worthwhile experience for fans seeking to revisit this classic JRPG.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 58 Critic Score
    Combining music and boxing, Beat the Beats for PlayStation VR2 offers enjoyable rhythmic punching gameplay, but falls short due to a lackluster song selection with incomplete versions, limited replay value, and missed opportunities to engage players in improving their performance. Despite solid gameplay mechanics, it fails to match up to similar VR music games, ultimately feeling underwhelming.
    • 89 Metascore
    • 94 Critic Score
    Nixxes has done a fantastic job adapting Horizon Forbidden West to PC, offering exceptional performance and optimization, with stunning graphics at 4K and FPS ranging from 85 to 108 on high-end systems, while even lower-end systems like the ROG Ally can handle the game at 720p with FSR 2.2, showcasing excellent adaptation across various setups.
    • 59 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Blending action, roguelike elements, and online cooperative play, South Park: Snow Day offers frenetic fun, but its lack of narrative depth and gameplay variety leaves it feeling like a missed opportunity to fully capture the essence of the beloved series. While the solid gameplay mechanics provide enjoyable moments, especially in multiplayer, the game ultimately falls short in delivering a truly memorable experience.
    • 88 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    The unexpected gem from Tango Gameworks, Hi-Fi Rush, hits PlayStation 5 with its addictive gameplay, delightful presentation, and plenty of humor. Its rhythmic combat system, though initially challenging, adds depth and excitement to battles, while the incorporation of DualSense features enhances immersion without being intrusive. Despite some minor platforming sections, it remains a standout title, solidifying Tango Gameworks' departure from horror into more light-hearted adventures.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Set in mid-19th century Japan, Rise of the Ronin offers an intriguing historical backdrop with solid combat mechanics and engaging side missions. However, its open-world design feels uninspired, lacking meaningful exploration and offering repetitive optional activities. Nevertheless, the game shines in its intense and satisfying combat system, which provides a thrilling samurai experience despite its shortcomings in world-building.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 91 Critic Score
    Blending intricate RPG elements with captivating action, Dragon’s Dogma 2 offers a vast open world ripe for exploration and brimming with freedom. Its dynamic mission system seamlessly integrates main and side quests, inviting players to craft their own narrative. Despite occasional performance hiccups and a somewhat limited bestiary, the game delivers unforgettable combat encounters against colossal foes, enhanced by robust character customization and an asynchronous multiplayer feature. While visual imperfections persist, the game’s remarkable sound design and immersive atmosphere elevate the overall experience, making Dragon’s Dogma 2 a truly exhilarating adventure.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 68 Critic Score
    Alone in the Dark returns with a solid atmosphere and engaging story, but falls short in gameplay execution, particularly in puzzles and combat. Despite its commendable presentation and character design, the repetitive puzzles and unsatisfactory combat mechanics hinder the overall experience. It's a game with potential, but ultimately struggles to deliver on its promises, leaving fans hoping for future updates to address its shortcomings.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 84 Critic Score
    Solium Infernum offers a refreshing take on turn-based strategy, prioritizing geopolitical decisions over battles. Despite its initial complexity, it becomes relatively easy to grasp after a few turns. The asynchronous multiplayer feature allows for engaging matches even with time-constrained friends. While not a technical marvel, the game boasts solid graphics and an outstanding soundtrack, although a clearer interface would be appreciated.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 55 Critic Score
    Blade Prince Academy attempts to blend RTS elements with roguelike dynamics, resource management, and innovative features but falls short in execution, resulting in a gameplay experience that struggles to be enjoyable. The game's cluttered mechanics hinder its potential, making it only recommendable for die-hard genre fans.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Reveil, a first-person horror narrative adventure, draws inspiration from Layers of Fear, offering a simple gameplay experience with shifting environments, some clever puzzles, and a compelling twist in the story. Despite its reliance on familiar horror tropes like stealth sequences, it delivers a visually striking experience with solid production values and atmospheric sound design. While it may not be groundbreaking, it provides an enjoyable and affordable option for fans of narrative-driven horror games, with potential for improvement in future installments.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Outcast: A New Beginning revives the universe of its predecessor with new adventures, offering deep storytelling and engaging gameplay, albeit hindered by outdated mechanics and limited production values.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    A metroidvania adventure with immersive atmosphere and slow-paced gameplay, The Mobius Machine offers solid action in labyrinthine maps with a variety of enemies and platforming challenges. Despite minor flaws like delayed map acquisition and floaty jump controls, its striking graphics and sound design enhance the otherworldly experience, making it a noteworthy title in the genre.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Colorful, endearing, and detail-rich, Bandle Tale offers a notable artistic aspect. Its humor-infused world and unique mechanics blend farming simulation with RPG elements seamlessly, providing a delightful experience for players regardless of their familiarity with League of Legends lore. However, it could benefit from clearer explanations of skill relationships and more gameplay variety. In summary, Bandle Tale stands out for its charming visuals, humorous narrative, and relaxed gameplay, making it a highly recommended experience.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    A metroidvania adventure with immersive atmosphere and slow-paced gameplay, The Mobius Machine offers solid action in labyrinthine maps with a variety of enemies and platforming challenges. Despite minor flaws like delayed map acquisition and floaty jump controls, its striking graphics and sound design enhance the otherworldly experience, making it a noteworthy title in the genre.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 77 Critic Score
    Despite its focus on exploration and strategy, Expeditions: A Mudrunner Game offers a captivating and accessible experience akin to its predecessors, yet its simpler mission design and lack of cooperative play may disappoint fans. However, its beautiful landscapes, solid performance, and extensive content make it a worthwhile adventure.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    As Dusk Falls delivers an interactive drama with branching narratives, allowing for a deeply engaging experience despite its familiar storyline and simplistic gameplay mechanics. Its inclusive control options and accessible themes make it suitable for a wide audience, but lack of technical improvements or additional content leaves it feeling unchanged from its original release.
    • 90 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Balatro ingeniously transforms the familiar concept of poker into a fresh and captivating experience, offering a plethora of strategies to explore through its innovative mechanics. Despite its minor flaws, such as occasional unfair boss encounters, the game's depth, accessibility, and addictiveness make it a standout title in the roguelike card game genre.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 92 Critic Score
    Unicorn Overlord delivers a deeply engaging tactical RPG experience with nods to classics like Ogre Battle and Fire Emblem, boasting a vast world to explore and rewarding strategic gameplay. While the main plot may feel predictable and clichéd, the game excels in its varied battles, intricate formation system, and stunning visual and audio design, making it a must-play for tactical RPG enthusiasts.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 85 Critic Score
    Boasting an extensive roster, varied match types, and immersive modes, WWE 2K24 delivers the most comprehensive wrestling gaming experience in years. Despite some minor gameplay tweaks and inherited bugs, it excels in content, especially with its WrestleMania Showcase and Universe mode, making it a must-have for WWE fans.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Promenade offers a charming and accessible platforming experience, drawing heavily from classic inspirations like Super Mario Odyssey, yet struggles to innovate beyond its references. While its simplistic mechanics are engaging and its progression smooth, it falls short in offering a truly unique identity. Despite its shortcomings, it's a delightful entry point for newcomers to the genre or a pleasant diversion for platforming enthusiasts.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Pacific Drive blends survival, horror, and driving elements effectively, creating a tense and immersive experience. While its meticulous car management system adds depth, it can also make gameplay repetitive at times. Overall, it's a compelling adventure offering a constant sense of tension and survival in hostile environments.
    • 44 Metascore
    • 45 Critic Score
    The game disappoints with its lack of content and subpar combat mechanics, failing to capture the essence of the anime despite its appealing character roster. Additionally, its online-focused approach limits its longevity, making it a hard sell even for die-hard fans.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 68 Critic Score
    A Void Hope presents a dystopian love story with nods to Carpenter and Cronenberg, offering an intriguing premise but failing to fully deliver on its potential. Despite its beautiful pixel art and captivating soundtrack, the gameplay mechanics feel underdeveloped, resulting in missed opportunities for deeper engagement and storytelling. Overall, it's an enjoyable experience with moderate expectations, reminiscent of Hotline Miami's cinematic and abstract qualities, but it leaves a desire for more depth and execution in its gameplay.

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