Nick Mangiaracina
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MonsterVine 
KeenGamer Latest Reviews
Echoes of the End is a character action game that incorporates a lot of 3D platforming and puzzle-solving. While the game itself looks okay and, from the outside, even seems like an interesting, if niche, indie title, I found a considerable amount of flaws in its design.
Over ten years ago, I remember playing Orcs Must Die! and thinking it was a fun twist on the standard tower defense formula. Since then, the series has grown and received a roguelite spin-off game, Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap. Featuring a mix of roguelite elements, four-player co-op, and a slew of player/map modifiers that keep every game fresh and interesting. But as Robot Entertainment pushes the boundaries of their comfort zone, so too do they push the technical boundaries of their engine.
Maybe it’s a bit surprising we’ve taken so long to get to a The Lord of the Rings style life sim, but Tales of the Shire is finally here. Players take on the role of a hobbit in the burgeoning village of Bywater as it seeks to become an official village in the magistrate’s eyes. Along the way, you’ll be cooking, fishing, foraging, and gardening your way into the hearts of your fellow hobbits.
Maybe I like racing games? I signed up to review Wheel World because it looked like an interesting game with a bizarre story, and I thought Nidhogg was pretty darn good. I ended up getting an open-world racing game and was disappointed for about eight seconds. While I was hoping for a little bit more of a story-focus and a mission-structure that felt more off-the-wall, I got an arcade bike racing game that was really fun to play.
Most known as a manga and second as an anime, KONAMI has taken it upon themselves to make a video game out of EDENS ZERO, the second of Hiro Mashima’s works to make the jump into gaming. Woefully, like Fairy Tale 2, EDENS ZERO has an immense amount of source material to work with, but refuses to take the jump into video game land seriously.
Winston obviously had something important go on in his past. He has space posters all over his messy apartment, letters from various governmental entities, and he spends lots of time building rockets on his own. Unfortunately, we live in the United States, and that means we need a job to support ourselves, so Winston, hearing a radio ad, does what anyone in the 1950s does and heads down to the We Deliver building with a smile and a firm handshake. Boomer dads of unemployed children are just b...
When I first booted up Tape 1 of Lost Records: Bloom & Rage, Dontnod Montreal’s latest entry into Dontnod’s already stellar catalog, my expectations were a little high. These types of narrative experiences, essentially Choose Your Own Adventure movies, hit really well for me. I had always planned on it touching me, reaching into my soul and reminding me that for the duration of this story, my mood and general well-being would be in their hands. In Tape 1, I felt comforted by the fact that...
I’m surprised I’m not getting sick of these low quality-of-life improvement RPG remasters getting ported to modern hardware like Lunar Remastered Collection. I like playing them on the console of my choosing, and I like that I can get achievements for them and play them on my couch. That rules! It’s also nice that the translation and dubs were updated. And truthfully, that’s all you need to make one of these remastered collections work. I still have some druthers, but overall, this re...
I have no nostalgia for PC-88 visual novel games. I grew up at the perfect time to play them but, alas, I’m just some silly American rube. My background comes from King’s Quest and Wolfenstein, I didn’t have access to the NEC 8-bit home computer device. Back then, I didn’t even know it existed. Eventually, I’d end up playing games like Policenauts and Snatcher and develop a deep reverence for the flavor provided by those games. I jumped at the opportunity to review Stories from Sol:...
Swann sits in her car begrudgingly listening to her mother drone on about how she never comes to visit. It’s unlikely anything is getting through, Swann has something a little more pressing on her mind. As she hangs up frustrated with her mother, a feeling I can relate to all too well, she looks around at the scenery around her. Velvet Cove, Michigan hasn’t changed much since 1995, that summer when she met her best friends. You remember those days, I hope. Long summer nights just hanging ...