Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus Review (PC)
I am not that great at difficult games. I can’t tell you how much I stink at anything FromSoftware makes. But! I appreciate what FromSoftware does. I understand what they are trying to do, who it is catered to, and how they craft their difficulty that is more gameplay-centric than anything else. FromSoftware crafts the controls, the visuals, and everything in between well so that the player has th...[Read More]
Gestalt: Steam & Cinder (PC) Review
Metroidvanias should employ unique thematics, be it religious Castilian-inspired worlds, East-Asian taoism, to steampunk. Too many metroidvanias utilize grit and dark worlds in an attempt to set the player on an odyssey out of the depths of Tartarus. I can understand that familiarity breeds nostalgia, which in turn breeds happy players, but breaking the trend can lead to just as many happy players...[Read More]
Noreya: The Gold Project (PC) Review
Dreamirl’s Noreya: The Gold Project turned out to surprise me the longer I stuck with it. This 2D-platforming metroidvania reminded me of Astral Ascent in terms of its fluidity while masquerading as an exploration-focused adventure through beautifully designed biomes full of enemies. It functions like a normal metroidvania but transforms into something relatively unique, albeit not fully reaching ...[Read More]
Tevi (PS5) Review
Last year, I was given an opportunity to preview Tevi for the PC. At the time, it was in Early Access, meaning that much of the game was unfinished and the main goal was for me to test out its metroidvania meets bullet hell combat in a handful of boss encounters. At the time, I was solidly impressed with what I was given access to play. Tevi released last November on PC. I didn’t get to review the...[Read More]
Ultros Review (PC)
A gigantic tentacled monster floats in between me and my goal – a gestation pod containing a Shaman. I am to destroy the Shaman’s pod so I can continue my journey – to where, I am unsure. But all I know is destroying whatever is in that pod gets me one step closer. I slash the monster a few times before rolling behind it to give it a killing blow. It explodes into a fountain of blood. I walk forwa...[Read More]
9 Years of Shadows Review (Nintendo Switch)
Metroid Fusion is one of my most favorite and cherished metroidvanias from my childhood. It’s not the perfect metroidvania by any means, but it’s memorable because of how it told a mysterious and intriguing story set in the Metroid universe alongside tight platforming combat and rewarding exploration. That said, it’s a short game – the last time I replayed Metroid Fusion, I was able to complete it...[Read More]
The Last Faith Review (PC)
One of my biggest issues that emerge when reading video game reviews occurs when a reviewer will express disliking a genre, reviewing a game of that genre, and then holding genre-defining gameplay elements as reasons to complain about the game being reviewed. I get it, we can’t expect every reviewer to love every genre, but we should attempt to be fair and as unbiased as possible when assessing a ...[Read More]
Blasphemous 2 Review (PS4 | PS5)
When I think of Soulslike games, I often think of FromSoftware titles that are punishing for the sake of being punishing, encouraging players to share their stories of pain and suffering with others around the water cooler at work or sharing clips on TikTok. Players are often exposed to dark fantasy-themed tales through environmental storytelling and inconsistent save points that only add to the s...[Read More]
Ebenezer and the Invisible World (PC)
When most of you think of Ebenezer Scrooge, you most often think of the phrase of “BAH HUMBUG.” Or, if you’re a goose/duck expert like me, you think of Scrooge McDuck diving into a sea of gold coins. For those who think of the man behind the Bah Humbug, your experience with Dickens’ A Christmas Carol may cause you to think of the ghosts of Christmas’ past, present, and future attempting to change ...[Read More]
Rogue Legacy 2 (PS5)
The past few years have seen some fantastic roguelite releases. I think of Hades, RETURNAL, Have a Nice Death, Dead Cells, Slay the Spire, OTXO, and Crypt of the Necrodancer, just to name a few. These titles successfully innovated on the roguelite genre by creating highly engaging yet variable gameplay loops that kept me, along with many other players, interested despite the typical ticket to entr...[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]
Ghost Song Review
Developer Old Moon understood what it wanted to do when it put together its 2D adventure Ghost Song. It is a focused effort in creating a game that puts players to the test with clever puzzles and a heavy-hearted storyline, while at the same time giving an honorable nod to Nintendo’s Super Metroid in structure, difficulty, entertainment, and creativity. While it lives in the shadow of Nintendo’s p...[Read More]
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