I might not speak for everyone when I say this, but some would agree that the recent visibility of the beat-’em-up genre bodes well for fans of local multiplayer games. It’s a genre that I’ve found myself covering a lot in those same days, and I can’t say that I’m not enjoying its time in
I found myself with a fair number of feelings when it came to Hammerwatch II. None of them were perhaps the ones the developers wanted, but as I’ve said many times, what is far more important than what I think about a game personally is what the game is trying to be. And in no
When the term “Metroidvania” gets thrown around, the expectation of a quality title usually follows. It doesn’t matter if it’s an entry from its namesake or a well-loved and amazingly made entry from an indie developer. You really have to put your best foot forward. The amount of lofty expectations for this genre is a
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
Rhythm games are kind of my passion. If I’m not busy pouring time into a JRPG (or wasting away my days in Final Fantasy XIV), you can usually find me jamming away in some sort of musical experience. Project Diva, DJMax, Taiko no Tatsujin…hell, even music adjacent games like Tetris Effect get a ton of
Back in June, I had the chance to preview Soulstice, a character action game that stood out from its contemporaries for its dark aesthetic and hectic action, pitting its two protagonists against hordes of enemies as they traverse the ruins of a gothic city thoroughly inspired by anime and manga.
There are several matters of debate when it comes to the character action game, with discourse of the categorization often ranging from defining the term in the first place to establishing which title incepted the genre as we know it. And yet whether you think the genre began with the 2001 release of Onimusha: Warlords
Nightmare House is certainly a name that brings back memories. I played that way back in 2010 and, 11 years later, it still stands out as a memorable first-person shooter that managed to genuinely frighten me. So of course when I saw the folks behind it made In Sound Mind, alongside having music from The
Back in March of 2021, I took a look at a neat little game. Something of a parody on the earlier Grand Theft Auto games, the game trades a modern city for a humorous interpretation of a medieval setting, while keeping a modern (and coarsely-worded) take on much of the dialogue, story, behaviors and activities.
There’s no denying that Cris Tales is one of those games that immediately catches your eye. Regardless of how you first come across it, something about the art style adorning the videos and images promoting the game (like the one directly above what you’re reading now) draws you in to find out more.
Grand Theft Auto V remains a very popular game long after its release. But have you ever played it and felt like it was just a bit too… modern? Well, for those of you who may have, Jutsu Games is trying to solve that problem with their latest game, Rustler, currently in Early Access. Being
You know what’s kind of weird? Virtual On hasn’t gotten any kind of re-release on Steam or anything of the sort. There have been re-releases of the games on newer platforms in Japan, but apparently the franchise has slipped into the “no export for you” territory, which is kind of a shame. You’d think I
As someone who really does love horror as a genre, horror games are a tricky beast to get right. Even more than other media, video games seem to almost hate the idea of horror down to their fundamental structure.
There’s something to be said for expectations in a game. When I was approached to review Skully, I had been expecting something along the lines of your usual kid-friendly colorful platformer. Explore a variety of themed worlds, use abilities in different ways to traverse the levels, beat some baddies and do some light platforming. A
The Rock of Ages franchise is already a pretty creative mashup. Blending Super Monkey Ball-esque action and tower defense, it’s hard not to use the work “unique” when describing it.
One of the trailers that wowed me the most at last year’s E3 was for Cris Tales, an RPG with a stunning artstyle that immediately caught my eye. No release date was announced aside from “2020,” but a demo was released that helped tide me over.
