When I saw that Devolver was publishing another nostalgic 8-bit inspired game, I must admit it caught my attention. I’ve generally been a huge fan of the games they support such as last year’s Cult of the Lamb, and I’m always a sucker for games with a strong aesthetic choice. So, of course I had
I am in love with the fact that indie developers have begun to unabashedly explore stories that were not at all common 20 years ago. There is something so refreshing about seeing an obscure narrative come to life and I hope with all my heart this trend continues.
Retro-style games are all the rage these days. And side scrolling platform games were one of the things retro systems were best at, right? I know I like them, at least. So it only makes sense that lots of these are still being made today. And just like the old days, there is a wide
You know, I could kick off this review by talking about the history of the Trails series, or its developer Falcom, or how long fans of the series have been waiting for the opportunity to play the game we are discussing here today (previous fan translation notwithstanding). However, I’m pretty confident that if you’re here
Cyberpunk. An evergreen aesthetic beloved by many, especially those of us in “geeky” communities such as gaming and anime. A genre and/or theming that has birthed both greats in their respective mediums, as well as some impressive flops. In some cases both at the same time, what with the reception Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is receiving and
“This looks just like old school Persona!” That’s the reaction I heard ringing out from everyone who saw Demonschool on the PAX West show floor. And, to be honest, it’s hard to blame them. An inferred school setting, the isometric camera view present in many screenshots, battle screens with large tall sprites…it does look vaguely
It’s been a while since I’ve played a true visual novel. By that, I mean a game that’s entirely text-based with no choices to make. There is something kind of nice about a title that has its own story to tell and just wants to do that, with the only deviation being who you want
I’m a sucker for a good narrative adventure game, especially if it has a compelling story to tell. However, not all games within this genre are created equal, and titles like South of the Circle make this quite clear. That isn’t to say I had a bad experience during my playthrough, but suffice it to
Twenty years ago (holy crap has it really been that long?), the development studio Inti Creates got their start working on the Mega Man franchise with the much-beloved Mega Man Zero series. After producing a number of games in various different subseries in the franchise, Mega Man went into its famous content drought. But that
As you may well know, Monster Hunter Rise was one of our top games of 2021, earning one of our coveted 10/10s. Many Monster Hunter titles get followed up with an improved “G” (for “guild,” in Japan) or “Ultimate” (in the US), and with the advent of the ease of patching that comes with modern
You really had to be a certain age to fully understand the absolutely monstrous chokehold that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles had on younger kids at the time. Since then, to a certain extent, many other IPs popular with their target audience have had a hard time replicating at the height of its popularity. Save
I’ve never been what one would call an avid card game player. Sure, I know which hands beat what in poker, I can count for blackjack, and I’ve bluffed my way through a game of sheepshead or two. But I have no idea if holding out for a flush is wise and I’ve never known
I got into collecting retro games a few years back. Both to reexperience the NES era that I grew up with, and to try out games from other consoles I never owned when I was younger. I’ve managed to build complete collections of three of my favorite franchises (Tales of, Ys, and Fire Emblem), and
There is nothing sadder than waiting almost a decade for a game, just to be disappointed by it. I still remember how excited I was when Rune Factory 5 was first announced. On the one hand, it was scary to think back on all the hours I poured into Rune Factory 4, but the anticipation
At the tail end of last September, I had the opportunity to check out the demo for Young Souls, a previously Stadia-exclusive beat ‘em up developed by 1P2P and published by The Arcade Crew. By and large, the general takeaway from my several hours with it was an exceedingly positive one, and I found myself
You know, it’s really hard to call something niche when a series has been receiving regular entries for what’s now been decades. It may be hard to believe that the Atelier franchise as a whole has been a long standing presence reaching right back to the original PlayStation, but there’s something to be said about
Few games have made me more excited over a simple trailer than Infernax. As someone who grew up with 8-bit action games, I eagerly covered a preview of it last month, where I was pleased with what they had and could only speculate on where it would go. When I heard I’d have the opportunity
One thing that being a game reviewer for nearly a decade now has taught me is that it’s not really possible for me to dislike an entire genre. Sure, there are some genres out there that I’m not much a fan on – fighting games for example – but then the occasional game comes along
Some may accuse me of clinging to nostalgia, but I still think there’s still value in the formula of certain simplistic old school arcade game mechanics. There’s something appealing about the ability to quickly understand how to play and be able to hone your skills as you do so. I’m sure it’s also fun as
It can be a wonderful thing to stumble on a game that just lets you turn your brain off and have some fun. There’s a unique catharsis to it, even; sometimes you simply don’t want to worry about concerning yourself with the finer details of a brainteasing plot or mastering complex inputs with precise timing.
