Ninja Senki DX is an arcade game, and with that comes some baggage. For it's incredible controls, it has balancing issues that seem easily rectified. Cheap kills can be made up for by an incredible world, and there seems to be some of it here. For the rather low-key graphics, it still manages to work. It would be foolish to miss out on Ninja Senki DX's retro charm, but if you have a hefty backlog, it's not something you need to rush into. So, in summary, it should definitely be experienced by fans of the genre, but it can wait.
Ookibloks really is a tremendously fun experience. It never feels too hard or too simple. While it is possible to fail, it requires running into enemies, and for a lot of the experience, it's harder to do that than to avoid them. Ookibloks holds up enough to be worth exploring, even if it begins to show cracks later on.
Retro aesthetics are starting to aim for the 90s, and Shutter brings that beautiful, low-res polygonal structure to the forefront. The problem is that it doesn't feel like a full experience. With annoying and clunky controls, a handful of subpar jump scares, and little to actually do, this is more of a trailer for missed opportunities than a fully realized game. The concept of taking photos of creepy areas could have been more, but Shutter seems content just letting the whole thing be.
Adventure Time: Finn and Jake Investigations' biggest problem is that everything just feels bland. Quests are bland, the act of investigation is bland, and the combat is either fast and fun or slow and arduous. For fans of the series, this should surely delight and be a nice way to kill some time. For the rest of you, this might not quite scratch the itch you have for if you've longed for a good point and click brawler. At the very least, the developers should get respect for trying out two very different genres together, even if they failed to make them a good match.
Difficulty is hard to review, and most of Kalimba's issues stem from poor balancing. Running into devious sections only to find the follow-ups to be almost rudimentary is jarring. Fortunately, the core mechanic is very enjoyable. While Kalimba could have spent more time under the microscope, the interesting mechanic and beautiful visuals should be enough to convince even the most dismissive PC gamer that there's much more to explore here, and, for that, Kalimba should be applauded.
SpeedRunners is the very definition of couch co-op excitement. Getting together 3 other friends and racing around a track, with physics and controls this tight, is thoroughly enjoyable. While the art may be a miss, and some further explanation of the game would definitely help, this is a game that is definitely meant to be explored with other players. Get a group together, and get ready to take off, because SpeedRunners is doing anything but slowing down.
Beautiful setpieces and a great atmosphere don't make up for the same old gameplay. While it doesn't need to reinvent the wheel, Layers of Fear should at least aim to do the same old thing as well as it can. It would seem that "as well as it can" is very much a "means justify the ends" approach, and the ends are stale mechanics done just well enough that they work.
Tinertia feels like a mixed bag of experiences. The short sections make everything manageable, but unless you have a controller, expect to get irritated more often than you get surprised. The game is challenging, and even with a controller, the controls could definitely be tightened. It's hard to say stay away, because the game really hinges on this single mechanic. Still, it manages to feel fresh, and perhaps being so different is why it doesn't feel quite right. Getting Tinertia is a paramount decision, and if you can find a demo, definitely see if it's up your alley.
Kumoon would make an excellent training program for better physics in gaming. Everything else seems bland and uninspired, and leaves the game a collection of objectives that are somewhat fun to complete, but not for too long. Kumoon: Ballistic Physics Puzzle is simply a long exercise in tedium. Even if the puzzles were more varied, it may not make up for how boring the rest of the experience is.
Hyposphere could have some interesting ideas somewhere, but good luck finding them. As it stands, it's a series of metaphysical questions better left unasked. Even if the game worked as frequently as it should, it gives way to boring design that never feels like anything other than the designer bragging about how deep they are.
Brigador is, at the end of the day, a board game about carnage. In a landscape of games that either make you feel bad for seeing these atrocities, or turn you into a legitimate sociopath, it is a rare gem that manages to make you forget that what you just blew up was someone's home. Reaching each goal is satisfying, and for that, Brigador should feel very proud of what it's accomplished.
Rogue Stormers just isn't a package that can be easily recommended. The difficulty is largely unfair, including enemies who don't die when they should, and come at you in groups of 30 strong. While there's nothing wrong with the controls or artwork, there's nothing really noteworthy either. Rogue Stormers is a bland experience when it works, and a hair pulling experience when it doesn't.
Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair is a visual novel that toys with other genres with liberal regard to convention. Part murder mystery, part game show, all visual novel, it manages to be the most fun when the player has to piece everything together. While the game is bland to look at, it's not always about the look. It takes a bit to get to the juicy core of this creepy title, but once you're there, you may not want to leave.
For those who persevere, Prog.1 will no doubt challenge most gamers in ways only a handful of platformers ever do. Still, for the seamless speed that this operates on, it focuses too deeply on cheap tactics and even deception to really feel fun. Long story short: only the seriously committed need apply.
Layers of Fear: Inheritance will not edify those who found the base game didn't have enough action. However, it's a more honest horror experience. While the original tried to wow the audience with it's crazy hallucinations, Inheritance clearly just wants to remind you there's a person under there, suffering through them.
Phantaruk is a mixed bag of both off-putting and exciting ideas. It would be a stretch to say it's one of the scariest games around, but it's definitely not a chump. Any survival horror purist should put up with the myriad of issues, because underneath them is a haunting experience.
Hue has gotten plenty of press, but it manages to be an absolute indie juggernaut that far exceeds its hype. It's a haunting accomplishment, and manages to be just short of a perfect title. Any gamer, whether a fan of puzzle-platformers or not, needs to dive into this. With any luck, Hue will become an instant indie classic.
It's obvious there's something here in Unbox people may find entertaining. Even with the clunky controls, there's little nuggets of fun to be found in this throwback to 90s platforming wonders. It's just clear that it also brings a lot of the frustrations of that era with it. It's a bit late in the gaming industry to still be figuring out 3D controls, but if you can look past it, there is enjoyment to be had here, after all.
N++ wants you to let your guard down, but that's not always the most fun. While the level design is the closest to perfection many could ask for, the game frequently feels cheap or downright apathetic. Because it comes from a different era of gaming, it doesn't always feel like it cares if you succeed. Fortunately, a friend can be brought along, but it is still watching, waiting for the slightest failure.
SEUM: Speedrunners from Hell is a love letter to all things metal and game. It's fast, like a bass drum hitting 200 BPM, and it's clearly inspired by the world of gaming today. While its idea may be old, it's clearly highly inspired. While it could definitely use more polish, the experience is absolutely worth it as-is. Let your inner Iron Maiden out, and go for a run.