Richard York
Despite being "horror-themed", I was honestly laughing way more than anything during the game. The fish-head villain isn't particularly scary, just kinda dumb looking, the characters and their motivations are either shallow or unexplained, the interface was occasionally extremely aggravating, and some of the puzzles can be extremely unintuitive, given a certain mindset. Honestly, I've seen better "escape" style games for free on my phone, and even the paid ones are better and cheaper. I really can't recommend this game unless you're in dire need of an escape game that isn't for your phone.
Summary Ultimately this feels like something you would find off of Newgrounds a few years ago, just a little longer than normal. As a game, it certainly functions, although not particularly well or with much depth. Did I have fun? Surprisingly yes. I've played worse. I've played a lot worse. Unfortunately, that doesn't particularly allow me to call this "good". It functions as a game, and it accomplished the main reason for existing, but it doesn't swing too much in any other direction, whether good or bad.
If you’re using your switch as a mobile or handheld device, I can definitely see picking up Into the Dead 2 as a quick game while you’re on public transit, or perhaps between classes, but it definitely isn’t something I would pick up as a “console” title. Considering it’s also free to play, although at reduced content, on mobile, you may want to reconsider the platform that you’re looking to play this on.
Ultimately, XEL currently has way too many issues for me to seriously consider suggesting it, which is a shame considering the promise it shows. While updates are being made, at the moment it can be an absolute struggle to get through, and even when it isn’t, the little things start wearing on you pretty fast. I highly suggest to wait at least a month for some fixes to the issues before you consider picking up XEL. I really hope the issues get resolved and the developers continue making games, because I’d really like to see more refined titles from them.
So, how does Taxi Chaos stack up? Well, it's definitely not going to make you go praise it out on the streets. It was certainly fun for a period of time, that period being about an hour, after which it loses its novelty. I never really played Crazy Taxi as kid, but Taxi Chaos doesn't really instill in me a desire to play Crazy Taxi. Taxi Chaos isn't very chaotic, but there are taxis. There is a bit of personality in the interactions your chosen cabbie has with the passengers, but these get reused so quick you'll know them by heart after about twenty minutes. There isn't nearly enough draw for the game to really warrant much attention. Yeah, I might have had fun with it for about 15 to 20 minutes, but it isn't something I would suggest for anyone looking to really invest themselves in.
Overall, while I'm actually quite a big fan of the series in general, there is hardly any way I can really justify suggesting this game to anyone given the lack of polish, content, and effective gameplay given the price. Is It Wrong to Try and Pick Up Girls in the Dungeon? Familia Myth Infinite Combate is a huge disappointment, and unless it drops to five or ten bucks on sale, I wouldn't consider it.
Hoo boy, where to begin with School Girl/Zombie Hunter. I suppose I should start off by mentioning that it’s like some weird cross between Resident Evil and Onechanbara, as weird as that may sound. While I have no doubt the developers set out to do…something, it feels as if they stuck their hands in too many pies, while not really committing to any of them. It has all the bases to be: a fan service game, story driven, an action game, or a comedic parody, yet I found it to never really settle on any of the options it had going for it. Oddly enough, the game isn’t really “bad” per se, more of a weird genre limbo type deal.
Admittedly, I don’t normally play the style of games that Bad Apple Wars falls under, mainly the “dating sim” style games. Even more so when it’s also female oriented, so this is a step in a new direction for me, so bear with me a bit. That being said, the game isn’t bad, even from a male perspective, but I wouldn’t say it’s all that great either. The music is good, but the storylines and characters could definitely use some work.
Overall, Hentai vs. Evil was better than I was expecting. It definitely wasn't good, but it certainly wasn't as bad as I was expecting it to be. On the plus side, it's also pretty dang cheap. The game has a lot of room for improvement, but it isn't broken or unplayable. If you can stand the potential embarrassment of having this title in your library, you may as well take a look at it!
Ultimately, Kingdom of Arcadia feels more like something you'd find on a random internet website as opposed to a console title. It isn't bad, but it definitely doesn't do anything to really put itself out there as particularly outstanding or interesting. While the gameplay is rather smooth, levels begin to feel tedious after a while, and I found myself quickly losing the drive to really explore the locales. You don't really feel fulfilled walking away from Kingdom of Arcadia. If you want to introduce your kid to platforming games or something in those lines, sure why not, but don't go expecting this to fulfill any craving or empty hole you may be feeling.
Overall, Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories is rather lacking as a whole. While there isn't really anything that makes it unplayable, it certainly doesn't help you out a whole lot either. The concept ins interesting, but it just couldn't take off the way I had hoped it would.
Ultimately, Gun Gun Pixies isn’t really something that I would be interested in picking up on its own. Part of a pack or on sale? Perhaps, but it feels more like a rushed novelty title than a full production. The controls feel super clunky and awkward, the text is chock full of spelling mistakes, and the hitboxes on the shots can get a little weird sometimes. While there is an interesting premise and the game could have been pulled off rather well, it just feels sort of halfway there. There isn’t really anything making the game unplayable, but there isn’t a whole lot to really keep you playing either.
I haven't been this disappointed in the first ending I got since…geez, I don't even remember the last time I was as disappointed as I was with the ending I got. Ultimately, Song of Memories had some pretty solid potential, but ultimately squandered a bunch of it with generic characters and poor rhythm gimmick. If a little more though was put into explaining unanswered questions and making the characters a little more unique, this could've been a real gem.
Two anime/manga/light novel franchises come together in Accel World vs Sword Art Online in the form of an action RPG that has an interesting premise and gameplay, but is severely lackluster as a port. While AWvSAO may have a solid basis in gameplay and environment, at least on the PC it's bogged down by a lot of lag and the often-times infuriatingly stupid enemy AI.
Overall, I have to say I had a surprising amount of fun with Touhou Mechanical Scrollery. The stages weren't too long, and the game finishes before it starts wearing on you too badly. Yes, it is rather short at only four chapters with about ten or so missions per chapter, but it was a nice pace. The graphics are decent, and the soundtrack quality isn't bad. You get enough material drops that you won't be farming a stage for six hours trying to get an azure dragonsphire equivalent, although the amount of money you'll need is a little aggravating. Weapon trees are pretty decent with a variety of options, and I didn't have the game crash while playing. That being said, it's very clunky and could use a lot of refining. As a step away from the standard 2D fare, I'd say it is a nice refreshing step. As a whole however, it falls flat in some key areas, although not to the point that it causes any critical issues.
Overall, Operencia does a lot of interesting and new things to the genre. Unfortunately this is bogged down by some infuriatingly annoying fights, cringey dialogue, and some very aggravating skills from enemies, it's easy to lose the magic that the game starts out with. The synthesis is a nice break from the tedium and frustration that can set in, which is a shame given how hopeful I was when I started. While I really did want to like Operencia: the Stolen Sun more than I did, that doesn't mean it's bad, just probably not what a veteran dungeon crawler would really drive for.
Overall, the experience from The Inner Friend felt distinctly lacking, if not at least positive. The game is way too short, some of the areas felt either way too long (the ruins) or way too short (the mall literally took me less than 2 minutes to finish), and more often than not, just when a stage was reaching its end did I really start getting into it. The Inner Friend also suffers from a bit of a "genre disorder" halfway through, as it turns into less spooky, more weird mini games and escorting without the same eerie feeling, and some rather clunky handling on occasion. There was a lot that felt unfurnished and unexplored, and The Inner Friend would have really benefited from some refining and expansion to the different themes explored.
Ultimately I would have to call Orangeblood rather lacking as a package deal. There are tons of concepts there that could really rule, but just get pummelled and that ain’t cool. A game with a focus on music and hip-hop, should have some rhymes that just don’t stop. Instead what we get is some sub-par translations, I swear I’ve seen better in MTL stations. While combat and gameplay provides something unique, it just isn’t quite enough to get a winning streak. So while Orangeblood is definitely worth trekking, it certainly needs some quality checking. So while a somewhat subpar score I’m contriving, I really do hope these devs keep on striving. Peace out homes.
Labyrinth of Lost Souls definitely wouldn’t be my first suggestion for someone either new to dungeon crawlers or a veteran, but I’d probably lean more towards getting someone used to the genre before getting them on a different title, unless you really have a dungeon crawler hole you need to fill.
Overall, Earth Defense Force: Iron Raid is rather lacking as a whole. While the gameplay is ok and I don’t particularly mind repetitive stages (heck, I finished Robotron 64), some of the unfair situations you can get into really put a damper on it. While not unplayable, the combination of choppy frame rates and frustrating mechanics leave you feeling like Iron Rain can often feel like more of a demo than a full game. While I would recommend picking it up if it’s on sale or packaged with something else, I would be a little more reserved about getting it flat out, unless you’re a fan of the series or are looking for a multiplayer game to play with your friends.