James Carr
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Writing For
MonsterVine 
GameSpot 
KeenGamer Latest Reviews
Mafia: The Old Country is by no means bad, but lackluster gameplay and good but not great writing make it unremarkable. The atmospheric early hours and the lovingly detailed Sicilian valley it’s set in make for a world that feels immersive, but the latter half of the narrative can’t help but go through the motions of every trope of the Mafia genre, even when the gameplay offers potential story deviations. Instead, it sticks with the tropes, resulting in a flat ending you’ve been expecti...
FBC: Firebreak is a tedious co-op shooter, lacking in moment-to-moment fun gameplay and rewarding progression. The mission objectives, while unique, are deeply boring to actually engage with, and the shooting itself doesn’t meet the standard set by other games in the genre. The story connections to Control are easter eggs at best, making FBC: Firebreak an experience not worthy of your time.
Blades of Fire is a mess of an experience, with many of its elements not working well with other parts of the game. The story feels ripped straight out of game design of two decades ago, with loud, deeply unfunny jokes making up far too much of the dialogue. The weapon crafting and directional combat seems promising, but it doesn’t fit well with the hardcore soulslike action games it tries to emulate.
Clair Obscur: Expedition is a fantastic take on the turn-based RPG, offering deep characters, a unique world, and visceral story moments. It manages to take itself seriously and feature some truly devastating moments, while also still including moments of levity that the genre is known for. The combat is wildly deep, and offers deep customization and build choices, while tuning itself to be difficult. The parry and dodge system feels like the star of the show, but a lack of quality-of-life fe...
The First Berserker: Khanzan misses the mark when it comes to difficulty, creating spongey boss fights that take far too long, regardless of how good you get. These tanky fights weigh down an otherwise great experience, with a reactive and fun combat experience that asks you to maximize your perfect blocks and dodges, along with a fun if shallow narrative that provides just enough interest to see it to its conclusion, despite the tedious boss fights.
Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land suffers from a complete lack of friction. Its systems feel designed to be easy to engage with, but that results in a lack of depth. For an experience as long as this one, that easy reading quickly turns into tedium. Combine that with a bland story that does have at least likable characters with good chemistry, Atelier Yumia has little to offer outside of having a ton of content.
Knights in Tight Spaces tries to marry a few too many ideas together, resulting in clashing systems. The set in stone narrative and campaign-style of each run results in you seeing the same levels with the same enemies far too frequently, and a brutal economy in each run prevents you from truly experimenting. Meta progression is gated by some obscure requirements and improvements that feel like they should make your run smoother, like getting a second party member, instead over complicates an...
Monster Hunter Wilds walks a tight rope, offering the most approachable Monster Hunter experience to date, while still finding ways to give veterans of the series more to chew on. This balancing act is successful, with new focus attacks giving smart ways to target monster parts while adding another tool to use in combat. The regions feel lively thanks to changing weather and the streamlined experience for starting a hunt lets you get back into the action as fast as you want.
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.