2018 -- Finished
Games (from any year) which I finished playing in 2018.
List items
-
01/05 -- Super Mario 3D World features a curious mix of a handful of new ideas and lots of classic gameplay elements. It doesn't strike me as revolutionary, but it's a solid Mario game.
-
01/06 -- Clunky, dated and weird. Still, Phantom Dust grabbed me. The various powers, deck building and destructible levels probably had something to do with it.
-
01/08 (Seasons 1 and 2) -- Eh. I'll give Galak-Z a couple of style points, mainly for its humor and radio screens. Its gameplay is serviceable, with bland, overly long missions, arbitrary progression resets and long load times. Modern shooters (especially 2D ones) should at least be a joy to play, if not truly unique in some other way.
-
01/11 (Chaots, Kinects, Diamanda)
-
01/12 (131 missions co-op) -- I'm not sure why, but light strategy games like Door Kickers are a lot more fun co-op.
-
01/13 -- The more I played Outland, the less I liked it. I slogged through the back half because it seemed like a short game.
Outland is well-polished, but it's a little hard to say what its gameplay strength is. Probably platforming, although it's not a pure-platformer. Combat is not great, with a slow basic attack combo, long recoveries, same-y enemies and wait-and-see fights.
Outland's visual style may actually hurt its overall experience. The environments tended to be dark (and drab) to highlight the foreground lighting effects. I also had some issues with bullet hit-boxes, and occasionally losing the hero in various lighting effects.
-
01/15 -- Whew, talk about a game with "no right answers". Becoming royalty is surprisingly hard.
Elodie, your young crown princess, must prepare for her upcoming coronation in one short year. You decide her classes and activities, which shape her skills and emotions. Frequent events and court decisions will test your choices -- and possibly end your game.
At its core, Long Live the Queen is a classic (mostly text) resource management game, and its setting works well with its gameplay. Elodie begins the game Depressed (following her mother's death), an emotion which encourages self-expression (such as music). Various activities and events may see her Lonely, Angry, Willful or so on, encouraging various corresponding studies such as conversation, combat, military strategy or espionage.
The gameplay loop is pretty tough. Even understanding the likely events (after multiple playthroughs), I often struggled to keep up. One time I had quelled local threats through intrigue, only to find myself overwhelmed by a powerful foreign invasion. Another time, I used powerful magic to secure my borders, only to find my population in revolution. Yet again, I had suppressed a number of threats to end up carelessly poisoned due to a lack of internal court skills. There's a tightrope balance, and you definitely can't do it all.
The game's length is probably about right, although the pacing is pretty intense. An NG+ option might be fun for more easily exploring alternate event paths. Checkpoints or an auto-save system would also be nice to avoid replaying an unfortunate (or silly) decision outcome.
-
01/15 -- A free-to-play backlog item. Invisible Apartment has an OK visual aesthetic, but the gameplay and writing didn't really grab me.
-
01/16 -- I liked parts of Dex, although perhaps not enough to finish it. (The "Augmented Reality" hacking is kind of interesting, compared to the standard take on hacking gameplay.)
-
01/18 -- Sunless Sea is a game which requires (a lot of) patience. Give it a little time, and you might find the weird English humor and mix of trading, exploration and rogue-like events engrossing.
I encountered a few weird combat encounters which seemed poorly designed or even buggy -- an unpleasant bump when you're walking a gameplay tightrope.
-
01/19 (Traveler campaign) -- I wouldn't particularly recommend The Flame in the Flood, unless you have a serious itch for rogue-ish, resource-management gameplay. Scavenging while managing hunger and weather systems is interesting enough, but the gameplay and progression aren't that exciting.
-
01/23 (normal story mode) -- Flywrench is a combination of simple mechanics -- mostly gravity, flapping and color changing. The physics-based action is fun, but fiddly (probably very precise). I enjoyed it, but a late-game difficulty spike was a frustrating put-off.
Many of Flywrench's missions involve navigating short challenges with varying obstacles. The later missions often mix elements without checkpoints. I never felt like I mastered Flywrench's movement (controlling speed, cornering, and racing obstacles), so the extended execution was mostly tedious. I often felt more lucky than accomplished for completing these challenges.
The OST is pretty cool, especially some of the early tracks.
-
----- MINOR SPOILERS -----
01/26 (normal) -- Alan Wake delivers a pretty cool story with both story and gameplay based around themes of light and darkness. It manages to create tension while still empowering the player, avoiding excessive cheap thrills and unexplained weirdness.
Alan Wake's core combat is pretty fun. It doesn't vary enough, although different settings and set pieces add flavor. Its non-combat gameplay feels somewhat bland and generic, although the story-telling, settings and supporting characters enhance some of the exploration and other tasks.
-
01/28 (Beginner campaign) -- Pretty good. Invisible, Inc. adds a stealth twist to the turn-based strategy genre, sharing plenty of information and avoiding unwanted surprises. Hacking and power management also add smart strategy layers.
Despite the learning curve, 10+ hours of main campaign content isn't exactly the tutorial Klei wants it to be (for me, at least). The progression also has some kinks -- finding complementary programs and equipment was uncommon, and my agents became more and more similar towards the end of the campaign.
-
01/29 -- This may be the first time I've picked up Hearthstone since I wrote about it in 2015. I'm putting it down once again because of frustrations, both old and new.
To be fair, Hearthstone is incredibly polished and there's a lot of content for free. Blizzard has also added new single-player content which was a draw for me. The new KnC dungeons, for example, let you choose uniquely powerful modifiers, "treasure" cards and class card buckets as you play against tougher and tougher AI bosses.
Randomness is at the heart of Hearthstone, and Blizzard has fully embraced it. Newer sets have added more cards which summon/create/draw random minions/spells/cards. This is built on top of the existing draft choices, online matchmaking and deck shuffling. "The boss's deck didn't really threaten me" isn't exactly a satisfying victory story, while "my opponent randomly generated the perfect answer to my board" is nearly always a frustrating loss.
-
02/02 (Shovel Knight) -- "Steel thy shovel!". At first glance, Shovel Knight looks incredibly pixelated and old-school... which it basically is, but in a good way. I saw inspiration from Mega Man, Castlevania, Mario, along with (probably) Kirby, Zelda and many other classics. The characters are also surprisingly charming, funny and simply cool. I never imagined a concept like "shovelry" could ever inspire me.
-
[Backed on Kickstarter]
02/05 -- Oof. I have... mixed feelings about Legrand Legacy. It's billed as a "love letter" to JRPGs, and it does deliver a traditional JRPG experience. Unfortunately, it also delivers some of the flaws common to the genre, as well as its own weaknesses.
On the positive side, Legrand Legacy's setting, combat and style form a solid potential core. Legrand itself has a unique flavor as a wounded and war-torn fantasy world. You begin your journey, for example, in a slave-trading desert city, populated by Legrand's race of lion-men. The main character concepts are likewise interesting, and a few of the character and dialogue moments I found genuinely funny or charming. Legrand Legacy's core combat includes a mix of systems: Magic is free, but may be interrupted by faster regular attacks. Character positions affect targeting options. There's a weapon triangle with strengths and weaknesses, and several elemental magics. The game's ACT system also ties a sort of quick time event to each action. At their best, the style choices support these elements, like the portraits during character dialogue, the classic FMV cutscenes and slow motion action during combat ACT.
Legrand Legacy's execution doesn't always build on its potential strengths -- too often it counters them, sometimes severely. Story threads appear without warning and disappear without resolution. Party members randomly change voice, speaking awkwardly, out-of-character or ignoring previous character development. Side quests also rarely take the opportunity to build the main characters (or the world). Gameplay-wise, Legrand Legacy includes many JRPG tropes and weaknesses. It's long, with repetitive combat, numerous fetch/combat quests and awkward mini games. The base combat itself isn't bad, but it isn't particularly balanced, strategic or varied.
Legrand Legacy hits on some of the unique style that it aims for, and I stuck it out until the end. It was frustrating to see any number of immersion-breaking problems. SemiSoft tried including so many different things, but I suspect this new JRPG would have benefited from a smaller scope with a focus on its core.
-
02/06 -- Not feeling Mirror's Edge after three missions or so. Its controls and levels miss at least as often as they hit. (The enemies with guns miss even worse, kind of like stormtroopers.) The paper-thin plot also actually hurts the game.
-
02/12 -- Wow. I do not like Spelunky. Rogue-like elements and challenging platformers often click with me, so a blockbuster like Spelunky seemed like an obvious match.
The big issues for me are the basics. I found myself stumbling over Spelunky's controls, including automatic ledge-grabs, wild throws and slow/super-fast run speed toggles. Monsters can damage you outside of their sprites, while your own whip attack has a delayed animation with a narrow hit area. These kind of controls make navigating the environment painful, with fall damage, powerful arrows traps, hidden monsters and insta-kill boulders and spikes present from the first world. The aesthetic also didn't click with me.
Spelunky has clever interactions, although I didn't find the gameplay variations meaningful. The first level seemed to have a pretty consistent set of challenges, and most of the items weren't particularly new or helpful.
-
----- MINOR SPOILERS -----
02/13 (PS4 Remaster) -- Pretty good. Longer than I expected for a PS Vita original.
Gravity Rush's core "shifting" gameplay is a little clumsy, but often in an entertaining way. Press a button, and you'll float. Press another, and you'll "fall" forward. There are a few interesting layers on top of it, like standing/sliding along walls/ceilings, a "gravity" meter and a meaningful upgrade system. The third-person combat is not bad -- sometimes it's straightforward beat-em-up, sometimes it's cool aerial attacks and other times it's awkwardly trying to reorient and lock-on. Quests play around with both the movement and the combat (to varying degrees of success), but my favorite activity was often simply exploring the hub worlds -- "flying" around, managing the gravity meter and collecting upgrade crystals.
Story-wise, Gravity Rush is in sort of an odd place. There's something of a relatable core story about a young girl new to a big city. Kat, the protagonist, is gifted, helpful and a bit naive. Some of the quests reflect this: she meets people, finds a place to stay, helps the locals, etc. The storytelling (via dialogue, narration, quests and short comic strips) was also straightforward but effective. The odd part is the many bizarre, abrupt set pieces. Amnesia, dream sequences, god-like "creators", gravity monsters, alternate realities, steampunk technology and martial law (as major examples) appear as elements of Gravity Rush's story.
-
02/15 -- Dishonored didn't really grab me in the hour or so I played it. It felt rough around the edges, with dated first-person stealth gameplay.
-
02/19 (Chapter 7) -- I'm a little disappointed to drop Valkyria Chronicles mid-campaign. The mission design is what does it for me, although I had some basic gameplay and control issues as well.
Valkyria Chronicles' third-person shooter/turn-based strategy gameplay hybrid is unique in some neat ways: soldier classes, terrain/cover/walls and free attacks against active enemies in sight, for example. It doesn't always work. VC's shooter view offers much less information (position, range, accuracy, etc) than a typical turn-based strategy. It's frustrating to misjudge an action, and even worse when the controls for moving a tank or snapping into cover are fiddly.
Campaign scenarios are fairly long, not unlike other turn-based strategy games. Your hero must survive, but a major tank weakness can easily lead to an instant game over. The later scenarios I played also included unexpected enemy reinforcements and super-units -- thematic, perhaps, but also disruptive and/or tedious.
Its story is in a bit of an odd place. The initial setting is very heavily inspired by World War II, to the point of seeming like a historical fiction. It takes place on the map of Europe, in a nation like Switzerland, invaded via blitzkrieg and even with a scattered, hated race of people. However, the story leans very anime as it progresses in many of its set pieces, characters and style decisions.
-
03/28 (Normal) -- I never really fell in love with Dead Space. On the contrary, I didn't enjoy the majority of my time with it. (A couple of promising mid-game battles encouraged me to finish it out.) There are cool ideas, like Stasis and Kinesis, but Dead Space leans heavily into creating slasher-flick moments rather than fleshing out unique gameplay.
There are a few specific frustrations I can point to. The core combat of precise aim -- and slow controls -- was often unsatisfying. Line up the first shot or two, and many fights are trivial. Otherwise, there's an often-awkward dance of backpedaling, ineffective body shots and/or trading health or stasis. Dead Space's survival horror aesthetic and expensive weapons and upgrade nodes also discourage progression, to the point where I settled on the basic Plasma Cutter. Then, around the mid-game, I found myself with an increasing surplus of unused ammo types and other resources.
-
03/30 -- Pretty fun, with core gameplay similar to Overcooked. Overcooked is better in several ways, but props to No Heroes Here for supporting online co-op.
-
04/01 -- The Fall had a unique atmosphere and story, so I wasn't sure how well a continuation would hold up. The Fall: Part 2 hits close to home, with its own great moments and interesting characters. (One, in particular, is awesome.) The gameplay is still mostly rudimentary, but it felt a bit more streamlined with a new combat mode I enjoyed.
-
04/28 -- It's a little hard to say when an open-ended game like Monster Hunter: World is "done", but now's a good time for my write-up. At over 160 hours, I've hunted some of the toughest "tempered" monster variants, experimented with mixed weapon/armor sets, caught up on several events and, of course, finished the story campaign. I haven't done everything -- maybe I'll write a follow-up if I enjoy a new way to play.
MH:World's main story may be a little silly, but the swashbuckling set-dressing is great. From the opening cut-scene, you find yourself on an expedition arriving at a bright, untamed island. Cutscenes highlight the fantastic-looking monsters and locales along with your hunter, clad in your hard-earned (or cobbled together) armor sets, at the center. It helps that MH:World's graphics, character models, monster designs and weapon and armor designs are top-notch. These elements create a fantasy highlighting the central gameplay loop -- the hunts.
MH:World wouldn't hold up for 100+ hours if its core gameplay loop wasn't excellent. Hunts feature precise combat in something like an environmental simulation, with enough thematic ARPG elements to keep an interesting sense of progression. Souls' franchise analogies are cliché at this point, but MH:World's deliberate (but faster-paced) third-person combat, specialized weapon mechanics and end-game equipment trade-offs are aptly compared. The environmental effects add another, sometimes-unpredictable, dynamic to hunts -- other monsters, smaller wildlife, the terrain and even vegetation and rock formations all can play a role. In one particularly tough hunt, the local buffalo-like creatures distracted me to the point where I took a KO hit. Later, the same creatures unbalanced the target monster when I desperately needed a moment to recover.
Capcom has also done an excellent job with community support. More than once, as my interest started to wane, they released a new monster, a new event and/or new equipment. Rotating events, optional challenges and multiplayer support add a lot of variety to the core gameplay. As a newcomer to the series, I've heard that previous Monster Hunter titles had a lot of tedious gameplay design. MH:World seems to have streamlined some of the consumable grinds, while still offering plenty of depth.
I don't have too many major complaints, considering my time invested. Multiplayer is one, particularly syncing up for main quests (each player is required to view all the cutscenes). The PS4 loading times are also long. I often didn't mind when winding-down from a long hunt, but it's noticeable for a faster pace of play. Also, MH:World is a lengthy ARPG and part of the main path (low-rank/high-rank) is basically repeated content. The progression and loop did drag occasionally, but I still enjoyed most of my time spent.
-
04/28 -- Vermintide 2 still follows its predecessor closely. That's not a bad thing -- the first VT had fun core gameplay (and felt like it had potential to be even better). Fatshark has bumped up the graphics, added plenty of new content and retooled the progression systems in interesting ways. If you're a fan of the original, VT2 is still a great time -- with a few caveats. Bring a friend, ideally three, who are comfortable with teamwork and a challenge.
VT2's difficulty, unfortunate situations and high bar of required teamwork can be frustrating, but (to a degree) that's the nature of the game. Other issues aren't as understandable. Inherited from the first game, missions still have no checkpoints. A bug, glitch or connection issue (too-commonly encountered) can mean losing or simply disconnecting a mission 30 minutes or more in. The new progression systems also don't keep up with clearing the difficulties. At a point, this slows down progression to a grind and loses the flexibility of swapping heroes on challenging content.
In maintaining VT's strengths, VT2's combat still feels great -- even better with the added variety. Skaven are squishier than ever, but now have beefy allies to complement them. New elite enemies might carry shields or be suicidally aggressive, new special enemies include teleporting sorcerers and there are three new "tanks" (including one who can eat you). The heroes also have new variety, including specializations with passive perks, trait choices and a powerful "career skill" on cool-down. (There's also still plenty of great banter to go around.) VT2's new progression system does start off engaging, and its randomized equipment drops and gear crafting are much more targeted -- a major issue from VT1, arguably fixed.
-
05/19 (Campaign) -- I picked up BattleTech for the single-player campaign, understanding that the campaign was a KickStarter stretch goal. Despite enjoying the story beats and many of the battles, more than once, I almost walked away. There are solid core elements -- I'd like to see more polish and gameplay cohesion.
For me, BattleTech had a problem with immersion. A big part of it was pacing -- the long campaign, slow battles and lack of built-in skips take a little too long to keep things engaging. It gives you time to notice any number of issues -- from load times and technical issues, to the generic campaign structure and frustrating mission outcomes. There are also two major random elements which don't fit well in a long strategy campaign -- regular missions can be much, much harder (or easier) than the game suggests, and your 'Mechs can be killed almost instantly (by stray head shots). You could argue that the XCOM games have similar issues, but XCOM may have done a better job of communicating challenges, building campaign progress and controlling random elements.
On the bright side, BattleTech's combat is solid and captures some of the complexities often found in a miniatures game. There's a bit of an up-front learning curve, but many of the systems are thematic and supported by good UI. Each decision can be affected by your (or your enemy's) 'Mech loadout, armor loss, pilot's skills, heat management, range, line of sight, evasion and so on. The combat systems also create satisfying moments, like 'Mechs fighting on with both arms blown off, or an opponent dropping to a clutch shot. Harebrained Schemes also does an impressive job of character and world-building in a strategy game. You get a sense of MechWarriors as gritty mercenaries, fighting across diverse planets for private, political and international interests. The salvage system and managing 'Mech loadouts are also pretty cool.
-
05/21 (~95K rhythmia, all Ultimate S-rank) -- Tapping along to Final Fantasy's excellent music already sounds like a winning concept. Theatrhythm takes that and runs with it, layering on interactive stages, party management, RPG elements and plenty of cool FF references. I wasn't expecting Curtain Call's rhythm game/RPG mash-up, but it hooked me.
Well-executed rhythm hybrid games like Curtain Call and Crypt of the Necrodancer are incredibly fun, and make the rhythm genre more interesting for a casual fan like me.
-
05/26 (Summit) -- Celeste is easy to recommend. Its basic jump/dash/grab platforming is snappy, with a variety of mechanics and optional challenges along the way. It also has a fun and quirky sense of humor with a pretty cool setting. Celeste tries a few things (both mechanically and thematically) which didn't click with me, but it was a good time more often than not.
-
06/03 (A New Home, Normal) -- Frostpunk was an impulse-buy to scratch a strategy itch. That it did. The setting and challenges didn't strike me as overly oppressive, but they certainly will keep you on your toes. Frostpunk features classic strategy game elements, like resource-management and building, with its own layers. It also has a great, personal aesthetic, with solid UI and good up-front information about many of your options.
I remember having some frustrations with This War of Mine (different games, but same developer and shared sensibilities). Frostpunk seemed to better communicate its mechanics and offer varied strategies. It's still tough, it's still an investment and it throws a couple of major curveballs. Maybe for me it was more flexible and better at letting me know exactly what was happening.
-
----- MINOR SPOILERS -----
06/07 (Normal) -- Iconoclasts is not one I'd recommend. even though its core doesn't necessarily have glaring flaws. Its music is pretty good, pixel graphics are great, controls are snappy and various gameplay elements (exploration, combat and puzzles) are mostly fine. On the other hand, Iconoclasts isn't particularly strong in any gameplay area. The combat might have satisfying moments, but it isn't particularly varied or deep for Iconoclasts' dozen or so hours. Likewise, exploration tends to be within linear segments with sharp transitions.
One area where Iconoclasts might have stood out is its story, often told via its expressive pixel art. Unfortunately its story isn't good. The setting and overarching plot are already bizarre with plot movements that are often quick and confusing. The game's levity and light-hearted tone is punctuated by dark, grotesque or brutal moments. This bouncing around also affects the characters, whom I mostly found unrelatable.
-
[Backed on Kickstarter]
06/13 (Hard) -- Moonlighter is more of a straightforward action-RPG than I first expected. Its core gameplay follows a pretty simple formula: explore, sell, craft, repeat. The progression loop is catchy, and the audio/visuals are pretty good, but I found many of the gameplay elements to be simple or even a little tedious.
Moonlighter's combat -- a major part of its gameplay -- did hold up relatively well for me. It's quick, with a dodge roll, a handful of varied weapons to choose from, satisfying combos and reasonably good enemies and bosses. Other elements, not so much. The randomized dungeons are fine, but they offer fairly little variety or novelty. Collecting materials is interesting and thematic, but inventory management and rare-material hunting quickly become tedious. Upgrading weapons, armor and the shop are OK, but the progression is generally predictable and linear. Moonlighter's shop layer was particularly disappointing -- guessing item values (once per item) is neat, but otherwise there isn't much interaction.
-
06/24 (Normal, 4 Island, Riftwalkers/Zenith Guard/Steel Judoka/Blitzkrieg) -- Into the Breach is a lot of fun, and feels like it has more depth and optional challenges to offer. It has neat twists on the grid-based tactics genre -- the combat focus is on protecting objects and meeting side-challenges as much as killing, and using movement, redirection and terrain effects create some really smart moments. It also offers (mostly) good starting baseline squads, semi-randomized upgrade choices and a variety of interesting weapons. Into the Breach feels a little more puzzle-y, but a lot of its design elements remind me of FTL.
I'm putting a pin in Into the Breach to keep up with other releases, but it's definitely on my short-list of replayable 2018 titles.
-
07/04 (Android phone, all maps Normal 3-stars) -- I'm a fan of the first two Kingdom Rush games, but Origins might follow the formula a little too closely -- it holds up okay, but is starting to feel like playing the same game.
One thing I did notice is that Origins seemed to lean into surprise and active interaction mechanics more than the previous games, to mixed effect. Hidden paths, changing routes and surprise enemy upgrades mid-map creates some pretty lame moments in a first attempt/casual run, even if those elements can make the maps more interesting, dynamic or thematic.
-
07/12 (Give me a challenge, all side challenges) -- A new God of War game normally wouldn't have caught my eye, but this one was a little different. This is my first game in the franchise, and it's excellent.
At its core, God of War is something of a cinematic story following Kratos and his son Atreus. The story arc is great, and the character development is particularly good. Despite its epic, mythological veneer, the tone manages to stay reasonably clever and down-to-earth (with its fair share of awesome, mind you). God of War also has top-notch production values supporting all aspects of the game, including brilliant environments and the excellent "feel" of swings, slams and smashes. There are a couple of fresh gameplay mechanics (in the form of Atreus and the Leviathan Axe), and I found plenty of the fights fun, either as a satisfying beat-em-up or a more precise combat challenge.
I have a handful of minor complaints and nit-picks. Of note, the loot system often didn't work. While I did find some cool ideas and decisions in there, it was mostly ignorable (even a little confusing) during the main story. The combat balance (and tutorialization) also wasn't always spot-on. (Maybe due in part to the loot system?) For example, I found early battles safest by almost completely avoiding melee.
-
07/14
-
----- MINOR SPOILERS -----
07/26 -- I'm dropping off Subnautica, even though I'm probably only a handful of hours away from the end. I'm happy with the game overall but I've had my fill of the navigation and backtracking for now.
Hand it to Unknown Worlds for creating something novel. Subnautica's deep-sea setting is pretty unique. They nailed the "feel" in many of important areas -- being stranded, orienting yourself, trying to survive, gathering resources, (carefully) exploring stranger, deeper areas and discovering new tools. A lot of the game's survival mechanics fit perfectly with the themes. Also, piloting the vehicles is great.
Subnautica's hands-off design led to some personal frustrations for me. Several times, it took too long to find something which I already knew to look for. This generally meant a lot of scouring and re-treading (especially given Subnautica's relative lack of mapping tools). Inventory management similarly necessitated some tedious commutes. Finding yourself even one key item short while building, crafting or exploring might mean the quickest solution is a trip to base and back.
-
[Backed on Kickstarter]
08/05 -- The Banner Saga 3 stays true to form for the series, featuring great art, meaningful choices and a focus on character stories. While the over-arching plot at this point involves monumental, world-shaking events, the characters and their goals (alongside the build-up from the previous games) keep things relatable and reasonably understandable. The combat is also still generally fun, with a few smart updates. (It can still be a little straightforward, tedious or harshly affected by story events.)
Overall, a solid entry in a solid series.
-
08/12 (Normal) -- I'm glad to see Dead Cells finally released, after the early access hype. It really does blend elements of Metroidvania and rogue-like genres in a unique ways. There are a variety of weapons and items with distinct styles. There are also a lot of meaningful traits, potentially with powerful interactions -- starting with (or finding a powerful version of) something unfamiliar can push you into experimenting with new combat styles or builds. Dead Cells has varying rewards for pace and exploration, which can change the tone of a given run. Add in some interesting level mechanics, unique "keys", smart quality-of-life design decisions (e.g. teleporters), permanent progression, scattered storytelling and some pretty cool music, and the game has a lot going for it.
Dead Cells' runs are pretty long and the permanent progression seems pretty slow. Levels and enemies are also somewhat predictable once you're used to them. The gameplay variety is still pretty good between runs, but I have found Dead Cells a little less exciting to replay than some other rogue-likes.
08/25 (Hard) -- The core gameplay is still solid, although I (still) have mixed feelings about the rogue-ish elements and difficulty scaling. I found myself pretty much always leaning into a specific strategy, eventually avoiding equipment unlocks. The higher difficulty also makes certain mechanics, like traps in clusters of enemies, and the brutal boss fights more punishing. A few cells towards unlocking an unknown (usually equal or inferior) new weapon feels like small consolation for the final boss ending your hour-long run with a three-hit combo.
I plan to stop here, but clearing Hard feels like an achievement.
-
08/18 (Braveland: Wizard) -- A fun little mobile game in the style of Heroes of Might and Magic. It's a little light and simple, but that's not a bad fit for the price point and platform.
-
09/05 -- Monument Valley has a polished, minimalist aesthetic and generally easy puzzles with few options. It sort of feels like a puzzle box or a pop-up book -- a light curated experience with curious shapes and colors.
-
09/17 (one major quest) -- Pretty cool. Avernum definitely feels like a throwback to old-school RPGs, but it (mostly) isn't too arcane or outdated. It's a little campy at times, but has plenty of cool story beats and quest ideas.
-
09/24 -- Given Door Kickers' tactical nature, I wasn't sure how a 2D version would play. It was surprisingly fun and varied. And 80's.
-
----- MINOR SPOILERS -----
10/26 -- Dragon Quest XI is classic JRPG -- and classic Dragon Quest -- through and through. It's a commitment and a grind at times, but there are a lot of fun and charming moments along the way.
I could complain that DQXI is a little *too* Dragon Quest, but that's arguably at least as much a strength as a weakness. That said, it is a long JRPG, and it leans into its roots. There are plenty of ways to spend time fetching, scrounging and playing mini games. It was often refreshingly lighthearted, but occasionally a little silly or cheesy. My main complaint specific to XI might be with the pacing of the gameplay systems. The skill trees and forging system didn't always feel flexible or fleshed out along the main story paths. I often spent time collecting or stealing available resources for crafting, for example, only to find the next weapon or armor upgrade exclusively in the shop.
Overall, though, those are relatively minor complaints. DQXI was a great time, with a core that works: plenty of high story notes, several smart tweaks to the JRPG gameplay formula (several inherited from its predecessors) and excellent production values. Even if it's par for the AAA RPG course, I still found myself impressed by some of DQXI's graphical moments, orchestral music, voice acting and level of overall polish.
-
10/29 (Zangyou mode) -- Cave Story+ could easily be on a list of my favorite games, so I was curious about Daisuke Amaya's more recent Kero Blaster. Kero is its own game, sharing some of the same sensibilities, but lacking some of the polish, depth and "magic" of its predecessor. It didn't always click with me -- at times I found the controls a little floaty, the humor a little disconnected and the retro design a little tedious and frustrating.
That isn't to say that Kero Blaster is a bad game. It is charming (if bizarre), and the game design is deliberate and often smart. In some ways, Kero Blaster could be a Japan-only Famicom title -- highly stylized and fun, but not necessarily standing on the level of today's action games.
-
11/04 -- It's ironic that I panned Kero Blaster just a few days ago for being a little too retro. Bloodstained is an unapologetic throwback. And it's great.
To be fair, Bloodstained is arguably the deeper game. It offers the player a lot of variety and control -- thanks in part to Bloodstained's smart level design, one choice or approach can make the game feel much different (and more or less difficult). Bloodstained also captures a lot of Castlevania's classic gameplay and enemy design.
-
11/11 -- Overcooked! 2 follows closely in its predecessor's footsteps. In some ways, a little too closely. Overcooked! 2 sometimes leans into unpredictable changes and loose controls to create a challenge. The larger stages also seem designed for at least three players. It's probably great for laughs in a casual party setting, but sometimes frustrating for two players looking for a cooperative execution challenge.
Overcooked! 2 is still a fun game. It just doesn't polish or iterate on Overcooked!'s unique charm as much as I might like.
-
11/17 -- Simple (and cheesy), but a lot of fun.
-
11/22 -- Forgotton Anne is possibly as much (or more) an animated movie as a game. Its darker themes reminded me of The Secret of NIMH, although I've seen comparisons to Miyazaki's work as well.
I liked Forgotton Anne, but I personally didn't love it. For me, the story dragged at a few points and the gameplay dragged at a few others.
-
----- SPOILERS -----
11/25 -- In several ways, OneShot reminds me of my favorite small-team indie games like Cave Story, Undertale and Axiom Verge. OneShot has a unique hook, balances humor and gravity, develops a small cast of unusual characters, has well-executed audio and visual styles and makes thoughtful or unexpected gameplay decisions. You can also see hints of the development story along the way.
It's hard to talk about the hook without spoilers, so be warned.
OneShot breaks the fourth wall early. You (the player) are a part of the game's story. Niko (the protagonist) is aware of you and occasionally has direct dialog with you. This storytelling genuinely encouraged me to think about my relationship with her and the world.
The method is more than a little creepy, though -- the first encounter called me by my real name in a Windows pop-up. The premise wasn't initially obvious, and similar tricks can indicate a virus or malware.
-
12/16 -- Spider-Man is incredibly polished and easy to pick up and play, with a few swings up and down along the way. Insomniac set out to create a core Spider-Man experience. They nailed some parts -- like swinging and the constant quips. The photo mode is one of the best ever (with spidey suits, filters, stickers, a more flexible camera and cutscene support). It's also cool to see all the places and references in Spider-Man's New York, and the many polish touches are impressive.
Spider-Man's greatest weaknesses might actually be its AAA design. Part of it is familiarity -- a version of many of its core gameplay elements can be found in past titles. Part of it is padding. Spider-Man's New York is stuffed full of content which doesn't always play to its strengths. The filler eventually stretches its stronger gameplay a little thin while the side content tends to be mediocre mini-games.
Load Comments