Lillian King
The original game charmed people with its characters and premise but fell through on delivering a satisfying story. This game feels like it’s been mapped out from beginning to end, and this strength carries me through its weaker moments so I can experience events like the climax of Wastelands.
If you already have the Season Pass, I would say The Forge is worth checking out. If you’re thinking of just shelling out five dollars for the game, I wouldn’t recommend it without getting the whole kit and caboodle: it’s just not enough content for what you get, although it is fun if you’re already a fan of the game.
Get out your guitar and strum along to this one, because Wandersong brings a fun, meaningful story fully grounded in a colorful world that's worth saving.
I thought the emotional arc of Austin's story was fantastic, both narratively satisfying and visually stunning, and I personally look forward to playing the next chapter.
Hindsight struggles to find a place within traditional expectations of a video game, but aside from some finicky controls, it achieves what it sets out to do. It’s up to you to decide if that journey sounds like a worthwhile endeavor.
At first, Lila’s Sky Ark made me think I was getting sick of indies in this style in general, not just platformers. But the more I played it, I realized its weak opening was hiding a real gem. Once you dig into it, Lila’s Sky Ark is full of interesting characters, sweet story beats, and engaging gameplay.
As long as you don’t run into any major bugs, the most frustrating gameplay elements are the finicky controls, and if you don’t understand the intricacies of the plot, you might get bored waiting through the cutscenes. Despite that, Projection: First Light is worth picking up: it’s a stunning visual display with unique gameplay that usually succeeds in elevating its concept. Also, it’s fun to play. It’s pretty. I liked it.
Episode 2 might be a slower entry in the episodic series, but it gave me enough meaningful content and satisfying gameplay to enjoy playing throughout.
I’ve touched on the art style, but it really is gorgeous and unique, with paper outlines and great visuals. This, combined with the Flexisphere, which understands the limitations of modern gamers’ time better than any game I’ve seen, and with its streamlined mechanics and entertaining deck-building system, Book of Demons is definitely worth checking out.
Storm Boy: The Game’s biggest flaw is its length. The price point, as of writing this, is unreleased, but it took me less than twenty minutes to beat the game, and so I hope the game stays accordingly affordable.
While I don’t personally think it is the best introduction to the beloved franchise—I feel like I missed a lot of little things—it was never designed to be, and it is a strong title with good gameplay, fun comedy, and a lot of memorable scenes. For me, Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story (as well as Bowser Jr’s Journey, which, while aimed at younger children, is still entertaining) is worth the price tag.
Tropico 6 doesn’t need to reinvent the wheel—no matter what El Presidente claims—to be a great experience. There’s never been a better time to take a trip to the Caribbean
I really enjoy playing Sludge Life, and I plan to keep picking it up now and then to enjoy the atmosphere of the world that Terri Vellmann and doseone have created. It’s exciting, not disappointing, that there’s so much left undiscovered for me, and I can’t wait to pick up GHOST’s world again, only for some dour fast-food employee to tell me to get lost. Gladly, I’ll say, in this hypothetical scenario I have created inside a video game for myself.
It's a fun game both by yourself, with friends, and especially with strangers on the Internet. However, Wreckfest is also pricey, and any buyer is going to have to balance their desire to get in on the action with the knowledge that they can probably find much of the same somewhere else.
When The Past Was Around tells a story without uttering a single word of dialogue, using simple but beautiful music and a masterful, unique art style to communicate it.
With this fresh coat of paint, Assassin’s Creed III has never been more fun—providing you enjoyed it in the first place.
Lamplight City is the rare detective game where the mysteries are challenging to solve and satisfying to do so.
God’s Trigger was a blast to play. It is a gritty bloodbath that had fun with the tropes it played with and never sacrificed story or gameplay for its component parts. Harry and Judy made a great team in a corrupt world, and killing sinners, whether they’re cowboy body doubles or deranged cultists, has never felt so good.
Overall, Unforeseen Incidents occasionally stumbles in its accessibility through bugs or difficulty, but its story, humor, and art make it a great time piecing together clues in the world that Backwoods Entertainment has created. It might not have reinvented the genre, but given the opportunity, I'd grab a beer with Harper in this game or—we can hope—the next.
I love Eastshade. It was everything I wanted it to be and more.