Checkpoint Gaming
HomepageCheckpoint Gaming's Reviews
SaGa Emerald Beyond provides an engaging RPG that takes you through five different stories and a complex battle system. By replaying stories and carrying over your experience, you can overcome previously insurmountable obstacles and view different endings. However, the emphasis on repetition and lack of information make this a hard game to master. You'll need to enjoy replaying stories multiple times and learning on the job to get real enjoyment out of the experience.
Not many experiences will take you on an emotional rollercoaster in the way that Lorelei and the Laser Eyes does. Like the best in the puzzle genre, it makes you feel unbelievably dumb one moment and like an incomparable genius the next. Its dark narrative takes you on a journey full of twists and turns, as its giant hotel full of riddles tests your resolve and brainpower in thrilling, unique ways. Lorelei and the Laser Eyes is a game that will stick with you, cementing Simogo as one of the most compelling and fascinating developers in the industry. Don't miss this one.
There's a lot to like in Echoes of the Plum Grove, the art style alone sets it apart from other games in the genre, the farming works very well and the focus on survival elements and lineage is interesting, it's just a shame that these two parts of the game don't feed into each other quite right yet. However, if you are just looking for a farming sim with a little bit more spice, Echoes of the Plum Grove might be just what you need, I'll just be waiting for something even spicier.
Read Only Memories: NEURODIVER has a lot to like for fans of 2064: Read Only Memories, but falls far short of the scope and impact of its predecessor. The gorgeous design, intriguing world, and charming characters create a huge amount of promise, but the lack of freedom, extremely simplistic puzzle design, and unsatisfying conclusion make for an experience that feels underwhelming and disappointing. If you're looking for a short, queer narrative with a cool futuristic setting then there's still enjoyment to be had, but temper your expectations going in.
Crow Country threw me back to my childhood days of sitting in front of a CRT TV with a controller in hand, while streamlining the less desirable, archaic sensibilities. Familiar elements and tropes are well-executed, and the perfect runtime of four to five hours allows it to end on a high before it overstays its welcome due to its smaller scope. Perfect for a weekend! I thoroughly enjoyed my time playing Crow Country and I am looking forward to what SFB cooks up next!
Uncover secrets, evade dangers, and embark on an eerie journey in ANIMAL WELL. Billy Basso has crafted a dark neon aesthetic and enigmatic gameplay that delivers a Metroidvania unlike many others. The mystery and cryptic puzzles won't be for everyone, but those who enjoy a challenge and a good platformer will be rewarded with a haunting adventure.
King Arthur: Legion IX is a decent strategy RPG experience, with an intuitive user interface, as well as cool abilities and gameplay ideas which strategy fans should find appealing. That said, with the game throwing waves of tanky foes at you while restricting the number of allies you can bring along, what starts as a fun and fair challenge begins to feel like an irritating slog before long. Couple that with a fairly unengaging and shallow cast and narrative and you're left with a fun combat system and some interesting enemy designs, but not a whole lot more to it. If you enjoyed King Arthur: Knight's Tale, then this Roman-themed additional campaign may be the new content which you have been waiting for. For anyone else, it is more of a tentative recommendation.
Tales of Kenzara: ZAU is a strong debut title for Surgent Studios, offering a short but solid Metroidvania experience. It's limited by its small scope, and is a little formulaic, but that won't stop you from enjoying the tight combat and gorgeous visuals. Pick this one up and enjoy the heartfelt, emotional story in a beautifully rendered setting that doesn't see enough limelight.
A lo-fi ocean adventure for those in need of calm, monotonous focus, Endless Ocean: Luminous provides an experience that is entirely low stakes, low risk, and low reward. It's incredibly soothing to dive in and chase down a huge variety of aquatic creatures through the game's diverse, atmospheric marine environments, but anyone looking for a deeper narrative will be left high and dry. Check this out if you've got the funds and don't mind fumbling through a bit of jank to reach your zen state of mind.
Hangar 13 did not try to fix TopSpin with this latest entry, but perhaps they should have. With less-than-desirable graphics, a lacking on-release pro player pool, and hard-to-tune difficulty settings which made picking up the game harder than it needed to be, the game is left with much to be desired. Despite that, the bones of TopSpin 2K25 are good, and hopefully, they will be built upon in future games.
Another Crab's Treasure is a Soulslike hit and another win for Aggro Crab. Proving the genre can be more than just darkness and grit, offering colour and whimsy all within a memorable nautical world. Though it might not always be the most original, that's easily forgiven thanks to damn good action RPG combat, a healthy dose of accessibility and thoughtful environment design you'll get lost in for hours. Ducking in and out of shells, toppling great big bosses and zipping around with a grappling hook is SO. MUCH. FUN. This journey to the deep is well worth the plunge.
Sand Land is ambitious, full of ideas, and clearly wears its admiration of Toriyama's work on its sleeve. Your ever-growing pantheon of Bots is a highlight, letting you explore the world and take on enemies as you please. The town-rebuilding aspect is deeply rewarding, and the game becomes more beautiful as you keep playing. However, the abundance of menus required for crafting, the monotonous out-of-vehicle combat, and the endless fountain of repetitive chatter mar an experience that's nonetheless worth experiencing. I think Sand Land is going to be the infrequent RPG I continue playing after review, but maybe on a better computer.
Despite boldly declaring "the JRPG is back" and then doing absolutely nothing new with the genre, Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes is a decent, traditional JRPG that will tickle anyone who adored the classic PlayStation titles of the late nineties. Its modern affordances in visual design and voice acting bring this nostalgic adventure into the present day, but it is let down by sluggish, repetitive combat and some missed opportunities when it comes to utilising its massive roster of characters. Fans of Suikoden will likely already have this pre-ordered - for everyone else, check this out if you're looking for a nostalgic romp and don't mind a few speed bumps along the way.
Stellar Blade bursts out of the gate looking stunning, full of jaw-dropping set pieces, intense action and gory violence, and maintains that pace throughout. Underneath this flashy action game are a lot of systems that we've seen before, but despite what can feel like a lack of innovation at times, it never feels stale or unenticing due to its overwhelming sense of style and polished, gratifying combat. For every familiar puzzle or annoying platforming section, there's a brutal boss battle or incredible over-the-top sequence that pulled me back in. Stellar Blade is a joy, a deliciously crafted adventure jam-packed with dramatic thrills.
Life Eater is a game I'm a little sad I can't rate on concept and premise alone. Snooping through timelines of activities of potential targets and investigating tidbits to try and correctly take down those requested is good on paper, offering the same highs of franchises such as Hitman. However, its execution is a little underbaked. The qualifiers for targets are equally too vague and too simple with little variety, leading to friction and distrust about whether or not you're on the right track. There is quality design in the way you're managing meters to avoid suspicion and maximising your time, along with some stellar returning performances from the likes of Xalavier Nelson Jr. However, Life Eater needed a little more time bunkering down, taking notes, and just getting every little thing right. The perfect hunt it is not.
Artificer's Tower is a cozy game for those who don't want to play yet another farming sim. It has its charm and gives the player a challenge to grow and build their magic school. While you may have to build your tower in a certain order if you want to survive, the game does reward you with the freedom of choice once you're settled in. Artificer's Tower does suffer from some issues and glitches (even if you're playing on a high-end PC), but the game is still quite addictive and will have you trying time and time again to perfect your build.
INSPIRE could have been great fun but it holds itself back in many ways. Despite having a nice soundtrack, beautiful environments, and a decent shooting experience, the many flaws drag the title down. It's too easy to get lost, difficult navigation feels like a deliberate design choice, and combat ends up being frustrating. It doesn't help that the non-existent story is confusing and is quickly thrown out the window. There's a lot of potential INSPIRE squanders, which is a shame given the promising ideas.
Broken Roads is a game that I wish I liked more. The authentic Aussie identity which shines through its dialogue, voice acting, and art is a joy to behold, and its exploration of morality through the application of classical moral frameworks in a post-apocalyptic setting is a terrific idea that brings a unique spin to played-out moral choice systems. Unfortunately, underwhelming combat and loading screen-laden fetch quests definitely hold it back, and the presence of game-breaking bugs make it only a tentative recommendation as long as you keep those aspects in mind.
Exploring Botany Manor is a great experience as everything feels beautifully interconnected and the puzzles are fun and engaging to tackle the whole way through. It makes up for its lack of difficulty with charm in spades and an interesting personal story happening behind the scenes if you know where to look. Putting together the Herbarium is a lot of fun, allowing you to grow some plants you'll never be able to kill.
Children of the Sun is an incredibly vivid and creative puzzler-shooter. It is thoroughly engaging to find the perfect thread of headshots to line up, poking holes in a setpiece cultist encampment, linking each bloody kill to the next with both finesse and inventive solutions. It is quite simply the best sniping game I've ever played and, better yet, it has a story, vibes and atmosphere you just want to bathe in, much like the blood of your enemies. In the plethora of 'cool' video games to have graced our screens over the years, Children of the Sun is near the tippy top.