Evan Norris's Reviews
The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island is a triumphant return to the Shiren series, roughly 14 years after the last mainline entry. It benefits from an ever-expanding story, a cast of colorful characters, a revamped asynchronous multiplayer mode, and, most essentially, the same challenging tactical gameplay and extraordinary replay value that has defined the franchise for generations.
Proof that the franchise has great potential for growth outside the bounds of its traditional mechanics.
Nobody Saves the World is a really good game — almost a great one.
Blossom Tales II: The Minotaur Prince is bigger and bolder than the first installment and even approaches the greatness of the better top-down Zelda titles.
Unlike a lot of games that pull together pieces from the Souls-like formula and the Metroidvania template, Afterimage manages to give equal weight to each half. Better yet, it mostly delivers on the best parts of both sub-genres.
If you missed the Nintendo DS original and the 2011 HD version, consider this your third and best chance to try a previously overlooked gem.
Combining the rules of Papers, Please with the whimsical sensibility of classic LucasArts games is far from an obvious choice, but the results speak for themselves. Lil' Guardsman is a lovely adventure game that succeeds mechanically, creatively, and comically.
The moment-to-moment action is terrific, level designs and boss battles are mostly great, character and weapon diversity provide high replay value, and customization options allow for an adventure as dangerous or approachable as you like. With a more interesting story, a less tedious progression model, and nicer artistic assets, it would enter that next tier of greatness.
On a technical level, it represents one of the better 1v1 fighters on the market, due to its approachable controls, tactical action, and balanced system of offensive and defensive maneuvers. Regrettably, the single player content and character roster that surround that strong mechanical core are lacking.
It still looks lovely and sounds spectacular, and traffics in some inventive physics-based puzzle-platforming.
Part far-future sci-fi, part Metroidvania, and part Shadow of the Colossus, The Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human is a worthy action-adventure title.
It has an artistic simplicity and mechanical purity reminiscent of Bill Rizer, Simon Belmont, and the Blue Bomber.
Where some re-releases and remasters are content to add a single extra mode or a graphical face-lift, Shantae: Half-Genie Hero Ultimate Edition aspires to more.
A nice little package that combines light management elements with survival-horror gameplay.
An engaging, enjoyable action-platformer with a strong story, a neat partner mechanic, a masterful soundtrack, and some opulent pixel art.
A worthy successor to the computer RPGs of the late 90s and early 00s, and a fine example of an electronic Dungeons & Dragons campaign.
There's a lot to like here, for folks who crave cerebral strategy, reflex-based racing, and a good sense of humor.
Blasters is a satisfactory take on a popular VR genre, elevated by the breadth of its weapon options and its physically demanding bullet hell action.
You owe it to yourself to play this hidden jewel of the sixth gen.
The heart and soul of the original Tokyo Xanadu is alive and well, buttressed with new characters, dungeons, monsters, features, and technology.