Nightmare Reaper (Switch)
Several years after its release on PC, Nightmare Reaper has made its way to consoles to let more players participate in its chaotic yet engaging retro-inspired shooting and looting. Nightmare Reaper places the player into the life of a seemingly nameless protagonist who is locked up in a mental hospital. When she goes to bed, she’s teleported to a land of her nightmares chock full of blood, ...[Read More]
DOOMBLADE (PC)
Metroidvanias can be formulaic in their progression. You begin in a new place, your movement is restricted, your power is minimal, and your path is determined mainly by where you can’t go rather than where you can go. As you play, you unlock additional abilities that grant you access to areas that were once blocked off, be it a double jump, dashing, super jumps, wall running, and so forth. M...[Read More]
CONVERGENCE: A League of Legends Story (Switch)
I may be low health, but I have some fight in me yet. I’ve been jumping from platform to platform, some disintegrating within seconds, to a safe haven of a rooftop. I jump down into a gang of neon-clad enemies wielding clubs, hammers, and bombs, unaware of my presence or any threats from above. I strike one, blink away to another, then roll out of a third enemy’s bat swing. Unfortunate...[Read More]
God of Rock (PS5)
Experimental titles deserve the attention of players because of how they push boundaries and expectations involving how gameplay should be experienced versus how gameplay _can_ be experienced. In the rhythm game space, this can mean integrating gameplay mechanics, like combination inputs, from other genres into the traditional gameplay loop. God of Rock is one such experimental title being as it m...[Read More]
Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Series (Switch)
It’s merely April, and 2023 is shaping up to be a fantastic year for gamers like me wanting to relive their childhoods. So far, we’ve seen Resident Evil 4, Metroid Prime Remastered, Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection, and as of earlier this month, Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Series for the Nintendo Switch. To say that I am happy would be severely understating my excitement in n...[Read More]
OTXO (PC)
It’s very rare to find a visually striking roguelite that checks off the boxes of tight gameplay, high replayability, challenging yet rewarding, and a thrilling story. Often, I see roguelites lean heavily into one of these values, or sometimes two, in order to stand out from the pack. Difficulty spikes are often a result of luck (or lack thereof) and requiring more precision than normal. Ove...[Read More]
Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection (Nintendo Switch)
The Mega Man Battle Network (MMBN) series is an interesting example of a spinoff series done right, albeit underestimated and woefully underrated for its time. Those of you familiar with the Mega Man series may be familiar with tight platforming as Mega Man, defeating difficult enemies with buster shots and dodging bullet hell patterns, and absorbing bosses’ signature abilities to take down ...[Read More]
Octopath Traveler II (PS5)
Octopath Traveler II is less of a direct sequel to 2018’s Octopath Traveler and more of an anthological entry into the series, featuring an entirely new cast of eight characters and a new setting. Semantics aside, this is the first Octopath title released for the PlayStation, so there may be some folks who are unfamiliar with the series and/or the old-school JRPG path that Octopath Traveler ...[Read More]
Have a Nice Death (PC)
Growing up, my idea of the workplace was the idea of going to a highrise in the middle of Los Angeles, everyone wearing a suit and tie, and a lobby/elevator that would be playing Kevin Macleod’s Local Forecast – Elevator on loop. Things would be dreary, there would be a shoddy coffee machine that would only make Folger’s, and I would sit in a dimly lit and frankly uncomfortable c...[Read More]
The Outer Worlds: Spacer’s Choice Edition (PS5)
In 2019, our Ben Sheene originally reviewed The Outer Worlds on the PS4 Pro. Ben’s review score of a 9.25/10 praised its stellar writing/worldbuilding, the gameplay choices, and the depth of character-building, and to that end, I absolutely agree with his assessment at that time. I myself invested a good 60 hours or so playing through it in Winter 2021 during one particularly cold spell, and...[Read More]
Blanc (PC)
Nonverbal storytelling in videogames often connects with thoughtful, touching, intriguing, and something saddening tales. Titles like Journey, Limbo, and Inside tell emotional stories by utilizing mood, nature, and static pictures to build a world around you and establish its lore. Sometimes these tales pique your imagination, others they pull on your heartstrings. Either way, the implementation o...[Read More]
Rhythm Sprout (PS5)
It feels like more and more rhythm games have become relegated to in-person arcade spaces rather than available for wider consumption. Of course, it doesn’t help that many of these games require extra (and costly) peripherals, be it a guitar controller, a turntable, to even an entire VR setup, in order to play. But my point still stands: I miss having accessible, affordable, and fun rhythm t...[Read More]