3 months ago
0

Review: HunterX: code name T

As the gamut of Metroidvania games continues to expand at an exponential rate, so too does the need for them to somehow delineate themselves from their contemporaries. Be it through unique game mechanics, a slick visual style, or quality of content, a certain je ne sais quoi is required to really engage the player in
4 months ago
2

Review: The Last Faith

Nothing beats getting stuck into a great metroidvania. The non-linear exploration, the progression of new abilities, challenging boss fights—when prepared properly, all of these elements confect one of gaming’s most satisfying, addicting experiences. The appreciation I have for this genre is on my mind with every metroidvania I play, but it’s especially true for those
11 months ago
0

Review: Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

I am a bit of a curmudgeon when it comes to the Star Wars franchise, but not in the way that a lot of people are. There’s a certain curmudgeonly streak of people that have existed more or less since 1983 with a very specific idea in their minds about what the films, books, games,
1 year ago
0

Preview: Afterimage

It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who has read more than a few of my reviews to know that I like games in the general metroidvania sub-category. That having been said, they are also still a genre I tend to be critical of; just like any other sort of game, it’s possible to
1 year ago
0

Review: Asterigos: Curse of the Stars

One of the recurring problems that has plagued the Soulslike genre basically since the beginning is that there isn’t a very good pipeline for getting into the games. Even if you’re someone who absolutely adores these titles, you had to get into it by just finding a game that really clicked for you and then
7 Sep 2022
0

Review: Steelrising

It goes without saying that many developers have tried their hand at the Soulslike genre over the years. Generally speaking, the most successful of these attempts are those that take the familiar staples of the genre and reinterpret them to create an experience that’s fresh and engaging while still staying true to player expectation. If
23 May 2022
0

Review: Dolmen

While I tend to lean more towards fantasy over science fiction in video games, there has been the odd franchise or two with the latter type of setting that I’ve gotten into. The Metroid series comes to mind here, along with some sci-fi based shooters. Bearing in mind the relatively neutral perspective I have on
10 Feb 2022
0

Preview: Achilles: Legends Untold

There’s no shortage of games that have taken inspiration from From Software’s Souls series. Following the breakout success of its second title, Dark Souls, many developers have crafted titles of similar feel and seen them across not only unique boundaries of gameplay, but unique boundaries of setting as well.
13 Dec 2021
0

Preview: Dolmen

I swear to whatever deities you care to name, there was a time when “action RPG” did not mean that you were making a game specifically to take on Dark Souls. And I’m going to be honest here when I say that the flood of these particular titles is starting to wear on me. Now,
29 Oct 2021
1

Review: Unsighted

I’m going to die. I don’t care about that. I care about what it means. It happens. I consider myself decent at video games, and I rarely get particularly angry with games. It’s part of my job. Sure, it might be a bit annoying to get stunlocked and killed, but there’s no reason to get
18 Oct 2021
1

Preview: Salt and Sacrifice

In the wake of the massive success that was Dark Souls, a whole crop of imitators popped up with gothic tones, corpse run mechanics, and expectations that you will die a lot. Few were quite as successful and memorable as Salt and Sanctuary by Ska Studios. With a shift to 2D platforming and a style
2 Jul 2021
0

Preview: Lost Epic

After playing the current early access build for Lost Epic, I have mixed feelings. Or perhaps more accurately, my feelings about the game varied a lot depending on whether I was at a part of the game that felt particularly polished or one that still felt like it had most of the game’s rough edges
8 Feb 2021
0

Review: Nioh 2 – The Complete Edition

Nioh is one of those series I’ve been a big fan of that rarely seems to get the love it deserves. It takes a familiar action RPG formula and layers complexity after complexity onto it. It’s full of depth, interesting monsters, ties to historical figures in Japanese history… so of course I was excited when a
10 Dec 2020
0

Review: Morbid: The Seven Acolytes

In a way, Morbid: The Seven Acolytes is a very simple game to review. This is a game somewhere on the greater Soulslike spectrum, so the question is just a matter of whether it succeeds on that spectrum or not. If you like that point on the spectrum and it works, you’ll like this. Simple!
14 Aug 2020
0

Preview: Eastern Exorcist

You know what’s kind of a shame about Demon’s Souls? For all the influence that it has had on the game industry in a positive way, a lot of that influence seems to have learned entirely the wrong lessons from its existence. Instead of learning that there’s a place for games that take a difficult