So Many Games
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There’s so much potential and promise baked into Fallen Tear that with all the rough spots ironed out and improved narrative beats, I can see this being one heck of an experience, and I can’t wait to see what state the game is in 6 months’ time. But until then, it might be best to stick this on your wishlist and watch its progress from afar.
Swan Song is a story told through letters and audio revolving around the actions of a small family dealing with a terminal illness. The presentation is cozy and pretty. The story chronology is disjointed, and the characters are difficult to connect with. The puzzles are simple, numerous, smartly iterative, interactively frustrating, and unrewarding. The game did not reliably engage my attention during the nearly six hours it took to complete.
For Berangin Creative’s debut game, Keejora is good first attempt. Even with the game’s problems, there’s still just enough here to make for a worthwhile playthrough, but the game’s unutilised potential brings down what could have been something quite special.
A stylish exterior hides a game that tries too hard to blend gameplay styles, leading to a fast-paced roguelite built around slow, weighty combat; Atomic Owl is glamorous, with incredible visual design backed up by a stunning synth-wave soundtrack, but without a solid gameplay loop, it fails to hook players in, prompting frustration instead of incremental improvement.
Fans of Aragami and other stealth-action games will find plenty to enjoy in Ereban: Shadow Legacy – an engaging story is wrapped up neatly in stealth mechanics that can be very engaging, but sadly the issue with responsivity in the controls, gameplay that quickly becomes stale and a morality system that needs to justify itself in a world where it feels unnecessary drags the experience down; the game itself is fun, but would definitely benefit from some major tweaks and changes.
As I played, it became clear that I was chasing a ghost. There’s a lot of brilliance in the game design and general moment-to-moment puzzling. Without its defining crank characteristic from its debut on the Playdate, some of its flaws rose to the surface and overrode the joys in its classic, dungeon-solving gameplay. Enthusiasts for the genre or players strapped for time will likely enjoy the quick pace and short dungeons in Ratcheteer DX, but others will fuss over its sticky controls and obtuse tutorialisation.
The lack of any connectivity makes Anthem#9 feel more like an arcade game, which hurts, as this world is ripe for exploration. The deep and robust battle mechanics and bright visuals help to feed your attention, but even those are not enough to maintain long-form interest. Passionate roguelite players will find a game that will sing through its unconventional ways of handling the genre, but the rest of us might need to look elsewhere.
This cosy crafting survival game has a charming storybook art style, but its gameplay and associated systems turn it into somewhat of a slog. The fiddly inventory management, the lack of a map, the painful combat, the repetition, the less than compelling characterisation, and the general grind of it all eventually wore me down over my 14-hour playtime. However, for those who love the world enough – and there’s certainly plenty to love – and who enjoy its mode of storytelling, these elements might be much easier to forgive. Unfortunately, this wasn’t quite the case for me, and I’ll content myself with the never ending toil of my own household drudgery back in the real world.
Sharing only a name and a concept, Frostpunk 2 does a great deal to distance itself mechanically from its precursor, a choice that is both bold and a little bit disappointing. A polished veneer and interesting gameplay interactions do very little to make up for a marred UI and a host of visual glitches. In time this could become an incredible sequel, but in its current state it remains lacking in substance.
I went into Herdling fully prepared to love it based on the developer’s previous work and applying that foundation towards a game about shepherding a pack of muppet elks across various biomes, but a lack of any real attempt at subversion, surprise, or strife makes the game feel disappointingly toothless. There’s still a lot to enjoy about the game, especially on the presentation end of things, but nothing that’s likely to stick with you for longer than it takes to play through it.
FREERIDE is a heartfelt and imaginative journey that prioritises emotion and introspection over traditional gameplay. Its dreamlike world and memorable characters leave a lasting impression, even when clunky mechanics momentarily break the spell.
Despite its flaws, Cat Detective Albert Wilde remains a fun and entertaining adventure for fans of noir storytelling. The strong writing, immersive atmosphere, and witty humour make it a worthwhile experience, even if the sound design choices hold it back from reaching its full potential. If the developers do indeed address the audio distractions in future updates or sequels, this game could easily become a true hidden gem in the detective genre.
YOUR HOUSE is a strong, inventive experience that stumbles occasionally along the way due in large part to its ambitious design. Though the rough edges sometimes take away from the enjoyment and impact of the story, the strong portrayal of the lead character, Debbie, helps make this a mystery worth unravelling.
Come to Sacre Bleu looking for an above-average, speed-focused platformer with some extremely satisfying movement, and I basically guarantee you’re in for a good time, despite all the technical issues doing their best to drag you down. It won’t change your life, but it’ll make for a good weekend, and potentially much more than that if you’re the type to get swept up in speedrunning.
Seafrog has reeled me back in time and time again with its upbeat, humorous writing and stellar animations. It’s such a joy to watch our skater-mechanic seafrog do whatever they’re doing in any given moment. The various characters you meet along your journey conform to their game’s nonsensical but hearteningly silly atmosphere, leaving you with a smile, even if behind that you grit your teeth spending more time platforming and less time skating.
Momento isn’t changing the entire landscape of the genre or anything, but it’s an incredibly well-made and well-rounded game. If you enjoy cozy games broadly, or room decorating, dioramas, light puzzles, environmental storytelling, and tracing branching paths, then you will enjoy this game. I am docking it half a point for the disappointing audio—it might be just a ‘me’ thing (read my bio to see why), but I was really stumped on that. But I’ll just throw on a little cozy gaming podcast episode (No Small Games? Geeks and Grounds? How about some Slow Burn Podcast?) and enjoy the ride? The stories are lovely, and the puzzles are pleasantly delightful.
Much like sausages and ice cream, Bubsy 4D tries to mix together two great things to make something less than the sum of its parts. A good Fabraz game hindered by Bubsy and fun Bubsy dialogue which is hindered by a game designed without much to talk about. A great experience without a doubt, but one that feels lacking in places.
Hollowbody runs the line between “inspired by” and “clone of” survival horror games of the late 90s and early 2000s. Overall, it’s a very effective game with a simple story and gameplay that anyone can pick up. With a few issues here and there, Hollowbody transitions from PC to console effectively. If you’re a fan of this genre, you’ll get a great few hours of what you like. Can you ask for more?
The console launch of Slots & Daggers brings the acclaimed bite-sized roguelike to more players, with those who play on handheld likely benefiting the most. Progress is streamlined with smart design decisions that make it a breeze to play, but in long stretches the game’s luster dulls with repetitive gameplay.
There is clearly so much affection for the franchise in R-Type Dimensions III – the renewed graphics give a more polished look, the soundtrack is superbly made and the quality-of-life changes make a huge difference. Sadly, the new graphics also bring a fairly drastic change to the overall visual style, which can make gameplay more challenging.