Brian Seymour
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MonsterVineLatest Reviews
If you have someone to play with, It Takes Two is more than a worthwhile experience. As a game, it’s infinitely fun and full of environments you’ll want to get lost in. The story ends with a bit of turbulence, but it’s smooth sailing until you get there.If you have someone to play with, It Takes Two is more than a worthwhile experience. As a game, it’s infinitely fun and full of environments you’ll want to get lost in.
Loop Hero is exactly the sort of game that its publisher, Devolver Digital, has developed an eye for. It’s addictive, genre-spanning gameplay on top of a nebulous story that is open to interpretation. Side characters are sometimes too dismissive of what’s going on in the world and players will probably dip in and out of runs with so much fervor and anticipation that they won’t stop to examine the overall metatext. Loop Hero pokes fun at the grind players pursue to satisfy a game’s core loop. Rarely do we question why we do the tasks a game asks of us, but Loop Hero puts those questions front and center when the hero asks why they’re going down an endless road and whether their actions have any meaning. This idea is so much at the front of my mind when I play that I have to wonder if Loop Hero’s own shallow narrative logic is ironic.
Overall, it’s a marvelous game. And to be able to play it concurrently with a game that, to me, has been such an influence in my life was awesome. Super Mario 3D World is very much the game I remember it was: Wholesome, engaging, and an absolute delight that can make me smile on my worst days. Bowser’s Fury is every bit as delightful, albeit a bit more ominous than one might expect from a Mario game. There’s more in store for the precedent Bowser’s Fury sets, and I can’t wait to see exactly what that is.
Perhaps a lot of my problems extend from my unfamiliarity with the Warriors genre. Everything on display looks accurate, but it’s clear there are several mechanisms missing to really sell the illusion. Age of Calamity tells two incongruent stories: One where we’re constantly on the verge of defeat as Calamity Ganon besieges the land and one where we’re living out an indomitable power fantasy as we cut down tens of thousands of enemies with a single character.
While there are settings to remove any references and allusions to the first game, Monster Camp relies heavily on familiarity. Aside from a few characters, everyone is reprising their role from Monster Prom. Former relationships and interactions I had in Monster Prom sat on the back of my mind as I made new engagements with the same cast. There’s a strong sense of continuity in this regard, and it only helped to ground me further in this strange but welcoming world of spooky sex freaks. Newcomers, however, are likely to feel they’re missing necessary context. Having a history with the series makes Monster Camp all the better, but I’m not sure the same could be said if I didn’t have innumerable hours invested in its world beforehand.
Most people could leave a similarly styled game feeling like they’ve experienced its entirety before it’s ever finished. But well after I’ve beaten it, Disc Room still holds at least one secret I’m desperately trying to solve. Like the scientist I was in control of, Disc Room pulled me into its mystery and left me wanting more. It’s a great game, but frustrating and unfair sometimes. Regardless, it’ll feel right at home among Devolver Digital’s brightest.
I’ve waited some time for a new Crash game that falls in-line with that trifecta of original games. Crash 4 neatly fills a hole in my heart. It’s smooth sailing for the most part, but now and then a wave of frustration rocks the boat. Whether this is tedium or a callback to retro feel is for players to decide. It doesn’t receive a perfect score from me, though there were times when I thought it might. It’s unlikely to beat out narrative juggernauts like The Last of Us Part 2 and Final Fantasy VII Remake at this year’s GOTY awards, but a nomination amongst those titles is certainly deserved.
Cold Symmetry has truly done something grand. With a small team, they’ve created a well-polished and easy-to-play game in a space that would usually forbid it. Seasoned players are unlikely to turn to Mortal Shell for their intense gaming pleasures. But those sitting on the fence will have a nice first step.
Ori and the Will of the Wisps is an enjoyable experience. Thematically, it satisfies that itch Ori and the Blind Forest created and improves on the prequel’s monotonous combat. While I yearn for past mechanics and design, Ori and the Will of the Wisps is still very much a game I’d recommend.