Leo Faierman
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There are optional objectives dotting the map as per usual, with the upgrade/knowledge system carefully tempered to decelerate main quest progress and force grinding for XP. The open-concept quest menu is confusing, and some forgettable activities round out the game’s more uninspired elements, but the overall attention and focus feel noticeably sharpened from Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla. If you loved all or parts of those games, you’ll probably become fast friends with Assassin’s Creed Shadows, but this never comes off as the history-fueled sandbox game set in Japan to rule them all, and it’s hard not to wish that it were so.
Little Kitty, Big City may be low on drama, but there are still a bunch of tasks to complete. Over a small range of a few short city blocks, the cat will meet an industrious tanuki installing portals under manhole covers, a duck searching for their distracted ducklings, and a shrewd crow hawking hats out of a capsule machine for “shinies.” Said hats represent the majority of collectibles, all of which are adorable, swappable, and often inspired by Japanese culture, with bao bun, daikon radish, and taiyaki designs, with dozens more to unlock.
Children of the Sun garnered plenty of attention on its (still freely available) demo’s strong Steam Next Fest showing back in February, and it’s a thrill to see the game already prepped for release. Its grim tone and novel approach make for a perfect match with publisher Devolver's stable, lining up nicely alongside stylish action riffs like Hotline Miami, Heavy Bullets, and My Friend Pedro, among many others. Its violence abstract and its visual presentation outlandish and odd, Children of the Sun feels like a clever exploration of murder, with excellent sense of feedback that makes it an easy one to recommend.
Seemingly every common sandbox system eventually manifests in Rise of the Ronin, including faction mechanics, glider challenges, crafting and gear upgrades, and outpost-clearing. They all have an additional level of polish, though, an ease-of-use mustered from careful observation of the genre’s tropes. For example, any missed item drops are immediately collected when completing a section of a mission or clearing out a bandit camp, and players can drop a marker on the map at will and order their steed to pilot them there hands-free, automatically hoovering up any nearby crafting materials on the way.
Despite an unsteady script and some questionable performances, it’s to the game’s ultimate credit that the plot is compelling enough that the push to see it through overcomes these faults in the end. Even though a few plot arcs are discarded in such a way as to imply cut content, The Thaumaturge’s narrative has some genuinely enjoyable events and unexpected scenarios. In one memorable example, Wiktor finagles his way into a séance to secretly match wits against an enemy thaumaturge, all while the stressful backdrop of a formal dinner party of elites surrounds them. Cunning Kabbalists, cruel Cossack soldiers, and a notable Russian mystic infuse the story with weight and dynamic color, emphasizing The Thaumaturge’s greatest asset: its darkly beautiful and culturally-rich historical setting.
Beyond those effects, though, it’s all about the complexity and randomness of bonus cards, the myriad shop items, the lucky joker pulls, these random prompts which can spin the most compromised run into gold. There’s a convenient seed system where players can challenge randomness, repeating their attempts with different choices (but without the opportunity to unlock achievements, of course). The path to success almost always seems within reach, with sufficient visibility in the design and interface that helps players make smart choices, once they’ve better learned what those are. The setup plays nicely with controllers and on the Steam Deck as well, and Balatro’s lightweight sensibility pairs perfectly with a lengthy flight or commute.