Latest Reviews
Should you possess a particular affinity for Taito’s arcade past and the shooters, platformers, and fighters from their heyday, then a second Milestones collection is probably right up your alley. The online leaderboards offered by the Arcade Archives versions here add to the replay value, but it’s again a little...
There's a lot about Sea of Stars that I want to shout from the rooftops about. Were I to do that here, though, I'd be robbing you of the joy of discovering an RPG experience for the ages. I've come across a miniscule number of video games I have the...
It’s easy to glance at Bomb Rush Cyberfunk and see a cheap imitation. A work whose value is found in what it takes rather than what it creates. But Team Reptile has proven that derivative art can surpass its inspirations. I can recall nearly half a dozen instances of...
Despite the numerous additions and subtractions, I found myself addicted to Blasphemous 2. I was constantly scouring the map for new paths or hidden items and enjoying the smooth new movement. The gripes don’t take away from what a vast improvement Blasphemous 2 is from its predecessor. It’s slightly less...
Vampire Survivors is not an especially challenging or substantive game, but it is one that feels good to relax and unwind with for a half hour at a time. A podcast that I listen to once described the game as “my favorite slot machine”, and it’s a moniker I think...
Original: “Give me an ounce of civit, good apothecary, to sweeten my imagination.” Modern: “I need a freaking drink to write this.”
Marble It Up Ultra is exactly the type of sequel that the original release needed. It takes the excellent foundation and builds a deeper and more fulfilling game around it. This is packed with more challenges and a greater variety. While the multiplayer might not be something that stays populated,...
Pikmin 4 is everything I could’ve wanted from a new Pikmin game and more. It is simultaneously a return to form with a heavy focus on Dandori and also a leap forward with entirely new mechanics and big improvements to returning mechanics. There are some flaws—nighttime missions are a drag...
All of that being said, Tiny Thor still manages to charm and bring new mechanics to an old school genre of game. The boss battles are clever fights that are feasible with practice. The music and art style is top notch, and the main mechanic of angling your shots works...
Venba
Venba packs an emotional punch, but it also pulls its punches a little bit, too. There’s more to this narrative and this family that deserves to be included in the experience, and while the cooking segments definitely sing, I’m ultimately left feeling like I’ve been served an appetizer rather than...
Dordogne
Dordogne is an interesting, imperfect game with some phenomenal design and visuals. The watercolor graphics make for one of the most stunning games I’ve seen for a while, and some of the interactive choices worked incredibly well, such as the activity of putting photos and poems together to make the...
I’m blown away by Disney Illusion Island. In a sea of hard-as-nails Metroidvanias like Hollow Knight or Metroid Dread, it stands out as being just as well-crafted but skewing towards a different, gentler experience. This is the platonic ideal for an entry-level platformer because it is filled with smartly designed...
