MonsterVine
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Latest Reviews
Children of Zodiarcs
There are so many ways to customize and build out your squad that it’s a shame the story missions are so blase. It is easy enough to level grind that some of the story missions become inadvertently funny. In one, a couple of my characters were supposed to escape while...
Even more cryptic than learning the combat is how the story of Phantom Trigger unfolds. It opens in a real world kitchen with the main character talking to his partner about breakfast, he then collapses and wakes up in the world where all of the combat takes place. It doesn’t...
Nidhogg 2 looks very different from its predecessor. The first game had a pixelated aesthetic akin to games from the 1980’s. For the new game, Messhof changed up the art style with a more absurd cartoon aesthetic which reminded me of Celebrity Deathmatch. Nidhogg 2 is visually over the top...
The gameplay in these scenes is mostly focused on light, environmental puzzles with the rare ‘don’t get spotted by this creature’ moments. Looking at the right part of a room, walking in the right sequence of doors and even occasionally connecting multiple objects together as imagery symbolism bombards the player...
Sonic Mania
The sound of Sonic Mania somehow manages to measure up to the visuals in every regard. Classic stages begin with subtle remixes to their original tracks that become more and more complex with each act, while new stages have music that fits right into the enormous pantheon of remarkable Sonic...
Namco Museum
A challenge mode to each of the games, except Pac-Man Vs., is included which is usually giving you three minutes to get the highest score on a particular level or quickly getting to a certain stage. Difficulty options, level select, and one save slot per game rounds out the package.
The second route, unfortunately, feels almost extraneous. Without fondness for Tamamo no Mae from the previous games, her story feels too much like repetition of Nero’s route, while the third route is when the story truly breaks away from that formula. There are also side stories for the allied characters,...
The TellTale engine still needs work, though if you’ve read any of my previous TellTale reviews, this isn’t news. This episode performed rather well compared to the previous one, outside of some audio balancing issues that made the music too quiet beside voices and sound effects.
Aven Colony
Outside of the campaign, sandbox mode provides ample opportunity to stretch out and relax, though there is the minor complaint that they do not allow picking a particular landing spot. Still, sandbox provides the same gentle nudges with missions to keep the colony growing, but also allows a little more...
The Lion's Song
Surprisingly the fourth episode feels the most disconnected from the rest, despite being the one that ties them all together. It is titled “Closure,” and that really is its purpose—rather than flesh out the new characters introduced, it provides an outsider’s look into the lives of the other three characters....
The sound in Ultra Despair Girls is astounding, as it can easily evoke the strongest emotions from players. The introduction of skills and new enemies is done in a “Microsoft Sam” voice, which is as jarring as it is fitting, while the music hops between heavy and suffocating to fast-paced...
Driven to Win has a soundtrack made up of forgettable songs that fit the Cars series, ranging from fast-paced tracks to more country-based tunes. The voice acting is an entirely different story unfortunately, thanks to the abysmal voice impressions. None of the actors seemed to return to voice their characters,...
