DeVuego

A worthy successor to the classic NES trilogy.

It must be a challenge to thread inspiration’s needle in a game like this one. Critics and players might point to Neva’s most obvious references as thematic shortcuts, but the game’s personality and careful sense of craft always shined through. I’m tempted to compare Neva to Playdead’s influential duology of Limbo and Inside, even though the tonal qualities remain quite different, primarily for the impeccable quality of its design and richness of its world, dialogue-free as it may be. It's a brief experience overall, but most players should feel compelled to happily join Alba and Neva in starting the seasonal cycle anew, their screenshot key on a hair trigger.

Eden Genesis has a rich pool of references to giddily point toward, but very little unprecedented innovation or personality to uplift its genre, and that’s a big problem. As a time-trials platformer, it’s only just about average in terms of control quality, creative hazards, and challenge level. For the latter, it leans more towards achingly precise triggers, but muddies this water with mechanics that are more frustrating than fun.

Song of Nunu: A League of Legends Story is a cute adventure about friendship with some darker details to flesh out its stakes. Its basic platforming is nothing special, but the few smarter puzzles should make players sit up in their seats at least, and they’ll leave the game with a better grasp of the main characters’ world. It probably doesn’t do enough to warrant much attention from non-LoL fans, but it’s a gentle and accessible game which can be completed in one or two sittings, and very few platformers let you hug a yeti.

Then again, this is exactly how isolation works. The world continues on outside the window at breakneck pace, leaving only stories and memories to cling to in the aftermath. The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood is about the forgotten, punished, and lost finding their footing once again, reclaiming authority and placement in their world. Do they feel vengeful towards their captors or betrayed by the lost connections who now casually darken their door with a smile? Do they punish themselves for their actions, or blame it on the broken system they now seek to change? Don’t allow the colorful outfits and smiling faces to fool you, as The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood can form a rather insidious narrative dependent on player input, to make for an entirely original and rewardingly rich adventure.

There were also a number of bugs which stymied review, including getting stuck inside level architecture and losing control of the left Joy-Con analog stick during harried sequences. Player mileage may vary on this front, and a version update will hopefully cleanse these issues on day of release. Beyond these misgivings, additional praise is due for a general absence of jump scares, that old standby which indie horror relies upon all too frequently. The occult themes, macabre designs, and that ambient audio prove much more effective at Lamentum’s goals. There are even a few different endings - two of which are not obvious - which bump up the replayability like other survival horror classics. Lamentum is a fine debut that happens to serve a very specific fanbase, the same players who will celebrate its lack of trusty modern gameplay conveniences.

Groundhog Day: Like Father Like Son should be praised for its devotion to the source material and bravery in its expansive approach to a time-honored classic film, but it fails in certain glaring areas that may frustrate its audience. Hampering player freedom in a sequel to a movie that was primarily about freedom seems drastically ill-conceived, and it’s hard to understand why the finished product was even made as a VR game in the first place. Fans of the film will still find it to be a worthy experience, mixing a similar blend of sarcastic humor and sincere emotional growth, but impatient gamers will probably grate against the clunky UI and unavoidable padding.