DeVuego

Blasphemous 2 is built on the back of the insanely funded Kickstarter success of the first game, with improved visuals, an even more cohesive art style that still evokes Francisco Goya and Spanish history, more fluid animations, and an extra step up in the music and voice acting. It really is an improvement in every way, and does so without forgoing what made the introduction special. While intimate knowledge of the original entry is not required, it serves to enhance both the world of Blasphemous and the story of the Penitent One. Throw in The Game Kitchen's house-made documentary for good measure, and you've got an enthralling franchise of mystery, misery, and history, capped off by not only one of the best games of its genre, but a fine entry in all of gaming. Any shortcomings be damned, as its stellar elements do more than repent for them.

In all, Sword of the Necromancer is a fun roguelite with a heartfelt story. The usage of the titular blade adds a whole new layer to the roguelite genre, in that gamers will need to strategize about what enemies to take out first in order to have them fight on their side. If the genre interests you but you need a good story to feel at all invested, then this game is for you.

Despite the immense annoyance at the decision to include hidden platforms as a requirement for progression, I loved Candle. Introducing point-and-click adventure game elements into platformers is sure to benefit both genres and as a point-and-click adventure geek, I have rarely enjoyed a platformer more than I did this one. It’s by no means perfect, but I can’t wait for the sequel. Please, Teku Studios, just make sure I can see where I’m going.

Super Toy Cars is not a game aimed towards adults, and yet it was still a rather enjoyable experience even for me. Though it lacked the challenge of big name racers, or the finesse and quirky attitude of games such as Mario Kart, Super Toy Cars still manages to shine where it matters most: Fun factor. It's also a very well put together little title, considering I didn't encounter a single glitch during my entire experience, which is very rare. For children looking for a fun racing game for the PC, I would definitely suggest looking into this game. For adults? I'd still suggest at the very least checking it out if you ever see it on sale.

Mind: Path to Thalamus would never have existed ten years ago. Its abstract, high-minded premise isn’t one we would have seen from a big publisher. Instead, a single man and his small band of compatriots deliver on one of the most creative ideas of this year, and arguably more than that. Mind is beautiful and its surreal environments will linger on with me longer after the story has faded. Exploration is its defining quality, even as the puzzle solving elevates above other exploratory games. For this reason, Mind: Path to Thalamus is an easy recommendation, even if its story falls a little short. This is a game that should be experienced.

All in all, Nihilumbra is a short, but fun, puzzle platformer. The puzzles you encounter aren’t all that difficult, but they do require some thought, particular in later stages. The platforming itself isn’t all that good, but the unique painting mechanics make up for it. Mobile games are becoming more complex, and simply better overall, and it is nice to see that some of the higher quality ones are making the switch over to PC.

There’s a lot to like about Randal’s Monday, from the excellent writing to the pleasant visuals, and there are a good number of laughs throughout as you guide Randal through his own personal hell, tearing everyone else a new one as you go. Look past the surface, though, and the picture isn’t quite as pretty. The gameplay is too slow, the pop culture references too many, and the puzzles too obfuscated.

Little Racers: Street is a game I could see myself coming back to. I have taken issue with a lot of its quibbles but here is the fact of it: Little Racers: Street is a faithful recreation of the classic top-down racer with a lot of modern twists. Races are short and curbs are a little too hard but it sure is fun racing through its neon city streets, punching that nitrous both to hold a lead and to come back from a poorly timed turn. And, quite frankly, for the grown-up far too old for Micro Machines, Little Racers is a fine alternative.

So AR-K: The Great Escape is an interesting one. Despite its lackluster opening and questionable delivery, it manages to grow on you. Through a combination of simple gameplay mechanics and solid world buiding, the episode draws you into its story without you really noticing. By the time I reached the end of the episode I found myself actually invested in the characters and wanting to know where they were headed. If the remaining episodes continue where this one left off, then AR-K could really be a game to watch.

Unepic caught my attention from the outset. What young gamer hasn’t imagined being whisked away into their favorite video game? Spanish developer Francisco Téllez de Meneses has finally answered this fantasy in an authentic way. Unepic smartly uses its setting to identify with its player. The frequent references to old video games and movies can sometimes be overbearing but often succeed in enticing a smile. Combat and platforming do sometimes feel stiff but never game-breakingly so. With over twenty hours of content and a paltry $8 price tag, Unepic is worth experiencing, even if to re-explore a childhood fantasy.

Playing The Spatials, I found myself thinking that this game should've been a mobile game. The way the navigation is set up, the minimal depth in activities and even the enjoyable but simplistic art style all seem to lend itself more to a mobile platform. The game starts off incredibly ambitious but then shows itself lacking the depth required to be a game that I would want to play for days or even weeks. Combat is too simple, missions are too repetitive, and even the space station itself becomes stale before long. The best way to describe The Spatials would be that it is a good game on the wrong platform.

Even though my friends had other things to do, Killsquad is the perfect 'dads' game. Each contract is only 15-30 minutes, which is the maximum amount of time you can leave your kid sitting on the toilet when they're waiting for you to wipe. So although I don't see myself spending a lot of time soloing in this game, I very much look forward to putting it on the big screen when my 'friends' come over, and I can imagine jumping online for a quick match every now and then for the foreseeable future.

Overall, it is difficult to say who this game is intended for. Perhaps partly to those suffering from inescapable spells of ’80s nostalgia and whose best memories of that era consist of bad dialogue and ill-explained plots? Perhaps the local co-op option will make the game more enjoyable in the long run. For the lone player, the few redeeming qualities include the music and visuals.

For many turn based strategy titles it is the combat that keeps you engaged. The Great Whale Road has some really great writing but ultimately that is not enough to carry the game. The combat is so intensely unrewarding that this is one story I’d rather have read in paperback format.

The slow, decaying end of the world coupled with a point and click adventure game should be a combination that could explore some very heavy emotional storylines. Dead Synchronicity does so quite well at first, delving into the tragic backstories of its characters and exploring a dystopian world that feels simultaneously alien and familiar while you wander through it. Those good first impressions eventually fall to the wayside however, as the game abandons plot threads on a dime and fails to create any form of logical progression in its puzzles. Which is a shame, because Dead Synchronicity has good ideas; they just don’t sync today.

It is theoretically possible that some of the issues mentioned here could be addressed, in some capacity, by the developers, but the amount of overhauling required to fully fix this confused and stumbling mess of a game is likely far greater than the effort this team of developers will realistically commit to. In their enthusiasm to race to the finish line, they produced a game that crashed and burned at launch. One can only hope that the developers take a few notes as they survey this smouldering heap of a game.

I could go on about various other small gripes, such as the barebones menu, the need for the game to cover the entire screen with sparkly graphics when you level up, or that your abilities are chosen for you. In many ways, Zack Zero is about removing the choice from the player. You cannot chose your abilities, where you will land after a jump, whether you will be able to latch on to that perfectly stable ledge, or what you will aim at. But I think I have adequately labeled my frustrations with the title. Normally these reviews end with “it has potential but...”. However, in the case of Zack Zero, rest assured, no such grace need be afforded. It is a convoluted mess, it is not fun to play most of the time, and its many sins overwhelm its scant virtues.

Blind Fate is a game of interesting ideas, both in setting and in gameplay. There is a sense that the developers held back in far too many areas for fear of overwhelming the player, and it’s detrimental at every step. Watching it in motion is pleasing enough, but rote gameplay and a completely unremarkable story really hamstrung a game that could have ended up being something special.