When taken as but a sampling of the entire experience, there does still linger some joy to savor in the combat and manner of challenge posed in Sifu. Set-pieces that unashamedly kick off with questions being asked and players put on the back-foot, even if said sequences never evolve beyond such basic a pitch as clearing out groups of foes.
If one were being picky, you could argue Drinkbox's focus this time on repeated dungeon-crawling may not have the same wow factor the studio's past projects have garnered on first glance.
The amount of criticism dished out here may paint a negative picture, but White Shadows is by no means a terrible product and so evidently houses a clear visual style and competent-enough execution of puzzle-platforming.
It's a mystery on whether you can deem it a positive or a negative that if you were to take away its meager narrative implications, Exo One would still be the exact same game.
Even in the context of notably high-quality "short" games of this year, ElecHead's three-to-four run-time and sparse replayability may look like it doesn't do the game any favors in convincing you this is a run-time to bother investing in.
Despite its missed opportunities and ideas that don't gel with the core gameplay, developer Fabraz's foray into three-dimensional platforming remains a fun-if-flawed hearkening to the genre's glory days.
The weak attempt at narration or storytelling on the basis of its animation may be off-putting, but toss its lacking narration (and hard-to-hear audio) to the side and what you're left with is a puzzle game with a charming-enough gimmick that's just as much about substance as it is style.
While the daily ongoings of Rainy Woods and its surrounding environment can rustle up a brief oddity or two, Swery and co's latest round of eccentric antics with The Good Life sadly doesn't go far enough in its set-up to feel all that compelling.
For as long as the Metroid series has existed in both 2D and 3D planes, it has long been held that Retro Studios are the only team outside of Nintendo to have approached Metroid with such admirable care and passion for the series, while at the same time understanding how best to build on the foundation.
The idea that ACE Team's less-appealing efforts are those that feel too conformed to expectation best surmises why The Eternal Cylinder is as successful a new IP for the Chilean studio as it is.
Coming away from any title in the Yakuza universe, to remark glowingly about its story and all the many characters and spots of exposition that entails, has become somewhat of a given.
Arguably one of the original Aragami's greatest strengths, it's nice to see Lince Works broaden the scope of their level design.
On the surface, Recompile might look and sound like an interesting, potentially unique, proposal.
Even in its most tepid of opportune changes, WRC 10 still finds ways to vex and test in ways that are both punishing but enjoyable to see through.
For a game so favorably-regarded and closely-monitored in its build-up to release, it's hard to shake off the minor disappointment and frustrations that Cris Tales generates in its final form.
Though there may be a whopping fourteen year gap between the first and second game, NEO: The World Ends With You makes easy work of slipping into the role of seemingly-direct follow-up to the events prior.
Without the unique interpretation and translation of combat, Fallen Flag should already take comfort in the knowledge that their crafted series of boss fights are at least visually and mechanically-attractive enough to warrant a punishing trudge through to the credits screen.
Clearly The Forgotten City is a game that speaks to those who revel in conversation. Those RPG fans who’d prefer not to fight or lash out, but converse and take a more steady, expository approach to finding a solution. It’s no exaggeration to say that the mythos Modern Storyteller both utilize and borrow from here is both surprising and satisfying with where it ends up heading. And while the narrative’s conclusion can come off too immersion-breaking or plain ridiculous for one’s taste, the caliber of writing for the most part is no less impressive for a game of this physical scale.
Boomerang X isn't the lengthiest venture and for a game whose attraction lies solely in its gameplay, so one's enjoyment will naturally come down to how embedded in its mechanics you end up becoming.
Though Minute of Islands is far from bland or unoriginal on the visual side of things, it's the game's lack of an equally-committed drive to its gameplay or even its delivery of a narrative where Studio Fizbil's efforts falter as a result.