James Carr
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Writing For
GameSpot
MonsterVineLatest Reviews
The themes of grief, perseverance, and fighting for a better tomorrow, not only for yourself but for those who come next, resonate deeply during the journey. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 swings from pure levity to some of the most devastating imagery I’ve seen in a video game. Unfortunately, the narrative shifts gears heavily in the later part of the game, and while the new focus of the story is compelling, it deflates the narrative I was so invested in, in such a way that it was hard to recover from. I’m ultimately fine with the conclusion we reach, but not just shifting away from the story I was invested in, but deflating its stakes just left me far less excited for the final chunk of the game.
The damage issue is made even more painful by the loot system. There are colored loot and full item sets with special abilities. While I never found the loot cumbersome, it also isn’t exciting. Even if it changes stats and appearances, it never meaningfully changes how you play. This means that The First Berserker: Khazan has visible damage numbers, which makes the chip damage in boss fights even more frustrating. You can see plainly that you do over a thousand damage per hit late in the game, but it makes such little impact that it feels like a pointless piece of information.
The saving grace here is the characters that join your party. You start with Viktor and Isla, siblings, quickly adding a few more members as the game goes on. Each character is one dimensional when it comes to motivations and personality, but they have fun interactions with each other. A few genuine emotional moments between them in the middle-to-late part of the game had me caring more than I expected for the party, although the main narrative never gets there. The tone for most character interactions is a bit silly, but that fun at least brings some interest to the cutscenes outside of the fine story.
You can recruit additional party members at taverns in a run, but it’s another high gold cost purchase, so you are forfeiting the opportunity to improve your gear or heal to make the grab. You also only get one additional momentum from having another party member. This creates an issue where you have to constantly be moving both characters to avoid damage, taking away chances to deal damage, prolonging fights even longer. You can have three total party members, but it feels like a poor strategic choice to recruit them.
Monster Hunter Wilds does an incredible job of balancing quality-of-life improvements and a streamlined system with the by design grind-focused gameplay loop. Newcomers will find this entry more approachable than previously, and veterans will find the new combat additions and combos offer plenty of depth to justify a new entry. The constantly changing environments make the world feel alive, and it creates a seamless connection between preparing and initiating a hunt. It’s a tad easier than some will like, and the story is bland as hell, but the hunting is great, and at the end of the day, that’s all that matters.
Donkey Kong Country Returns HD feels antiquated and outdated, which would be acceptable in a more appropriately priced port. But instead, it’s a full priced game, offering only updated graphics and the removal of motion controls to justify that price. Beyond that, the platforming simply feels too imprecise for what’s being asked of you and tedious boss fights make finishing each world feel like a slog instead of a triumph.
Ultimately, Cuisineer is a cozy experience that offers some simple roguelike combat and management gameplay. Neither is particularly great on their own, but together they do create an engaging, if ultimately shallow, experience. I can’t recommend this to anyone who loves a challenging and deep roguelike, but if you enjoy cozy experiences and don’t mind some slightly tougher combat, Cuisineer is a good enough time.
Marvel Rivals is a refined take on the hero shooter genre that offers more than just being a comic-themed clone
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle offers deep stealth and massive open areas to explore, with secrets, documents, and photo opportunities at every turn. Not only does it feel like a grand historical adventure, but you get to capture that journey in your notes the way a real archaeologist would. It still has plenty of big action set pieces to enjoy, but much of the joy found here is the quieter moments exploring a catacomb or solving an ancient puzzle. If you have any affinity for stealth, puzzles, or Indiana Jones, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle delivers on those fronts in full.
Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake is an excellent recreation of a classic JRPG, using the spectacular HD-2D art style to create a gorgeous modern look without sacrificing its original pixel form. The narrative is strong, but a bit quaint in terms of its story beats, although it’s enough to propel you across its many continents. The boss fights disappointingly don’t feel tactical the way the rest of the combat does, and combat animations don’t feel on par with the rest of the HD-2D art, but these minor issues don’t entirely deflate an excellent RPG.