Deck13 did their homework with The Surge. When compared to Lords of the Fallen, the developer's previous title, this new action-RPG has greater technical quality and is more polished. The game still has some inspiration on games from the SoulsBorne franchise, but it's good to see that the developer has found its own identity, bringing new mechanics that refresh the model created by FromSoftware. Combat is tactical, based not only on beating an enemy, but also on choosing which body part should be hit, being possible to remove pieces of armor that later can be added to your own arsenal. This is an action-RPG with a focus on the action part. The RPG aspects are a little bit simplified, but still detailed and deep enough to offer a personalized experience to the players and their character. Despite still having a generic protagonist and NPCs that you don't really care about, as well as places that can be a real maze to memorize, The Surge is a great game with high difficulty that should be on the radar for players who like real challenges and a sci-fi theme.
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What was already an excellent game reaches a new level with virtual reality. Superhot VR is a very entertaining and immersive title that, based on a simple idea, manages to deliver levels well designed and elaborated, placing the player in critical situations, where each movement is precious. Although tracking is not always perfect, the freedom of moving your hands and even your body is satisfying, especially when you feel like a hero in Matrix, gracefully dodging bullets in slow motion. It is a must-buy to every PSVR owner.
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Bringing an unusual proposal of being the person responsible for cleaning the mess left by criminals, Serial Cleaner is an isometric stealth game well-polished and entertaining. Each stage has a clever level design, responsible for creating moments of tension and the necessity of a good timing in cleaning the scene while dodging the field of vision of guards. Besides the campaign, which holds a good story, there are also bonus levels and a variety of challenges, contributing to hours of fun. The soundtrack is amazing, with each level having a well-fit theme, wrapping up a highly recommended game.
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Moss is yet another great example of how Virtual Reality can enhance traditional game genres, whether they are first person or third person games. Creating such a dynamic and creative exploration of the environment, as well as establishing a strong connection with Quill in such an immersive and engaging way are qualities that only Virtual Reality could provide. A sequel, bigger and as good as this first volume of Moss, is more than obligatory.
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Yoku's Island Express innovates by combining pinball mechanics to platform and metroidvania genres, blending them in a unique and fun way. Despite focusing too much on pinball and having few moments of action (that, when occur, are well-made and creative), the game has an interesting story and a dazzling world to be explored.
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The Solus Project is a survival game that mixes exploration with an entertaining space science fiction narrative. The player is the sole survivor of a spaceship crash, trapped in an unknown planet with a hostile climate, and needs to find food, keep a good body temperature, and seek shelter during various climate changes, while searching for a way to establish contact with the rescue team. To make matters worse, soon the player discovers that s/he may not be alone on this planet. Despite being developed by a small team, the game is surprisingly vast, with large areas to be explored and hundreds of secrets to be discovered, providing many hours of fun for a very affordable price.
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Blackwood Crossing is a touching coming of age story about overcoming losses. We watch two orphans siblings, Scarlett and Finn, in confrontation of emotions while they try to put differences aside and find again the strong bond that once united them, during a strange train trip filled with symbolism and surreal events. There's a strong focus on narrative, accompanied by puzzles of low difficulty. If you like touching moments, prepare your heart and embark on this journey.
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What Remains of Edith Finch grabs the player's attention until the end, to wonder what the hell happened with the Finch family. Along with Edith, the last Finch alive, the player experiences the last moments of various family members, going through different generations. Each memory fills in a tiny gap of the mystery, which, in the end, is not what matters the most. What's really important here are the rich experiences that each moment conveys, by means of the story itself or by the diversity of gameplay mechanics applied on each of them. It's a worthwhile title.
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PlayStation VR is a flexible technology, open to innovations and different approaches on game development. The Invisible Hours is a title that takes advantage of the VR device to present an unusual game: an immersive theater in which the player acts as a ghostly presence, free to explore and observe a series of interwoven plots, all centered on the murder of Nikola Tesla. Combining historical and fictional characters in a murder mystery play, the story is very well written, resembling Agatha Christie's novels, and keeps the player engaged. With many events happening simultaneously, the player is encouraged to go back or advance on the story, in order to discover new facts by following the footsteps of different characters, which delivers several surprises and an unexpected end.
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DOOM VFR brings a new and exclusive campaign to Virtual Reality. Combat is still fast-paced and rewarding. Fortunately, motion sickness and visual fatigue hardly ever happen when played in small sessions. Enemies and most of the scenarios are well-known, but seeing them up close, in a scale close to real, provides a much more fascinating and terrifying feeling. While the game is playable with a pair of PS Move and Aim VR, I recommend using the good-old DualShock 4.
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Despite not bringing any shocking moment, Above The Law keeps the good quality of this season of The Walking Dead. We find out that the New Frontier is not only a bunch of ill-tempered tattooed armed thugs, they have quite a peculiar way of organization. The scenes with Javi and David keep the player tense in choosing the dialogues and take unexpected turns. The story has a good progress and keeps the player curious on how it will resolve over the next episodes. Luckily, we hope our choices make more of a difference to what comes next.
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The adventure continues for Jesse and his/her gang of old and new friends. The second episode for this season of Minecraft: Story Mode introduces the new villain: the Admin. This all-powerful being will put the characters to the test in deadly challenges, in order for them to prove their worth and save, once again, Beacontown from destruction. The story is well-paced, with small surprises and twists throughout the episode, making it far superior when compared with previous ones.
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Shiness: The Lightning Kingdom is an ambitious action RPG, developed by a small indie studio that struggled a lot to make this project happen. There are several references to 90s animes as wells as JRPGs. The combat system is the highlight of the game, a mix of action and traditional fighting games, creating a dynamic environment and fast paced combat. The story ends abruptly, leaving the gamer wanting to know more about it. Despite some technical problems and graphic limitation, this is a game that provides several hours of entertainment and it's worth the purchase, supporting the developer into making sequels of the game.
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Theseus has some elements and characters from the greek myth 'Theseus and the Minotaur' in order to create its own narrative, adding philosophical reflections on the perpetual cycle of life and death, good and evil. It is an example that third-person games work well in virtual reality, albeit there's still room for improvements and refinements in order to avoid weird angles. The player should keep in mind that the focus here is on the narrative, with a small touch of exploration and a combat with basic mechanics. The game has colossal environments and the figure of the Minotaur is terrifying, making this experience, yet short, very positive.
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After revealing his true identity (so far), the Admin throws Jesse and the gang into a prison, surrounded by a maze full of bizarre mutations of the monsters from the Minecraft universe. Breaking out of this prison will bring new revelations and also a tough decision right in the middle of the adventure. Most of the episode focuses on developing the story, but the player is rewarded at the end with good moments of action, including a boss fight.
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With its interface and features redesigned, Just Dance 2018 brings a breath of fresh air to Ubisoft's dancing game, more modern, lean and accessible. The Kids Mode, a section specially designed to children, is a very welcome addition to the game. Even though this edition does not bring any incredible new feature, the small modifications, along with a set list very up to date and a generous three-month subscription to Just Dance Unlimited, justify the purchase.
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A Walk in the Park is the expansion for The Surge that takes the player to explore CREO World, an amusement park inside CREO's facilities. Just like in the main game, something went wrong and the new region is destroyed, with its employees acting hostile - including the park's mascots. Although it does not include any structural change or new mechanics, there is a fair amount of new enemies and a good deal of weapons, armor and implants that make the expansion worthwhile.
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The third and last installment of The Pillars of the Earth invests heavily in its narrative, bringing a cohesive closure to the story, filled with struggle, surprise and emotion. On the other hand, this also results in little interactivity for the player, limited to making dialogue decisions and a few opportunities for exploration. As a whole, the game is a positive recommendation due to the beauty in its art and good story, a bold adaptation to the epic saga created by Ken Follet, changing events and even the destiny of some characters when compared to the original work.
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Between ups and downs, we arrive at the end of the third season of The Walking Dead: A New Frontier. 'From the gallows' is an episode that provides constant fear for the life of each character, which will be put in critical situations. The Garc'a family has a closure in their journey; however, the game ends with a loose end that will upset some players. It's obvious the story will continue, either by an epilogue DLC or as a beginning to a fourth season.
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Tiny Trax brings nostalgia to older players by recollecting the fun provided by slot-cars from past decades. Although easy to play, the game takes time to be mastered until the player feels comfortable against an AI that almost never commits a mistake. There is little variety in tracks and cars, however, each track is unique and surrounds the player in a fun and immersive way, taking advantage of virtual reality.
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