DeVuego ES_COR

Visually the game is truly stunning and packed with detail once again, fully embodying its pixel art tones and blending it with gothic and religious iconography… adding a real under-tone of gruesomeness and foreboding to it all.  Sound wise it’s outstanding as well from the epic soundtrack building to a crescendo in the heat of a battle, to it just ticking away in the background forging an atmosphere as you explore.  Blasphemous 2 takes what made the first game a hit, by amplifying and refining it all, movement and combat are improved, the world is deeper and bigger and the big bads are bigger and badder.  If you’re a fan of the first game you will love this, whereas newcomers will find a tough, but fair challenge if they can keep the faith.

Visually DE-EXIT has a striking voxel art style; similar in ways to Minecraft, where blocks and smooth shapes are the way… blending fairy-tale and sci-fi themes together.  This visual choice gives everything an almost childlike feel at times.  An interesting choice when you look at it given the games core theming, tale and subject matter.  Sound wise music is used sparingly, though there are some nice synth strings tracks to be found, but most of the time it heavily relies on ambient sounds and build an atmosphere with more than a hint of wonder.  There is also some voice acting for characters you’ll find along the way, which adds to the tale nicely even though you never speak.  DE-EXIT – Eternal Matters is an interesting and at times charming title that aims to bring up some real questions, that will have you thinking about what it’s asking long after the credits roll.  Although it’s a bit rough on the technical side at times and the puzzles never get too taxing, it holds together for the most part.

It’s not that Do Not Open doesn’t have atmosphere and chills – it does, and it builds them quite well through each of the levels – it’s just that it feels like you’re constantly being punished for being too slow, too stupid or too clever.  There’s something in Nox Noctis’ game that suggests they’re on to a winner with the escape room format, I would have liked the stalking element to have been reduced or ditched as it just doesn’t have the intended consequence after the first couple of encounters.  Maybe it’s because it so clearly has been built for VR that it just doesn’t quite translate to a flat 2D experience, but those who like to have their minds challenged once in a while may want to check it out for the puzzles alone.

Randal’s Monday is cynically dark in humor and intriguing in plot.  The game constantly breaks the fourth wall and acknowledges that it is at the same time.  Randal will ask questions that refer to the player and will blame you for his sociopathic behavior.  This unique style of comedy fits well in this game and it meshes perfectly with the old school styled adventure games.  On a disappointing note, the repetitive background guitar music slowly grates on you and muting it and playing your own tunes turns out to be a wonderful solution.  The writing and voice acting is great, but the way it is implemented is disappointing.  As a whole, Randal’s Monday is a success and rewards gamers of all types with nods to their childhood.  Sadly, it is held back by some things which could potentially be fixed.  If you enjoy laughing at games and solving absurd puzzles (with or without killing kittens) then give this game a go, it’s worth a buy.

Relicta is a nearly perfect example of how this genre should be presented – clean, clear and with just enough rope to hang yourself.  Whilst it doesn’t point in the wrong direction, it does make sure it’s possible to balls it up, and sometimes a full puzzle reset is the only option.  However, it manages to stick to the basics whilst elaborating on the mechanisms all around, so keeping it simple and not trying to boil the ocean pays dividends.  There are a few issues, the main ones being around polish and consistency in the rules in the environments (like some bits of rock can be used, some can’t), or the subtitles activating if you pause; though nothing that stops it all from working.  For the gameplay it’s offering you really won’t worry about any of the foibles – the reward is in the solution discovery and it’s got some very cool “Eureka!” moments buried within.  Buyer beware: it will make your brain hurt and you’ll dream of floating cubes and red/blue circles for days.  Probably.

Visually Star Trek Prodigy: Supernova looks good with a nice art style that mirrors that of the show, as for sound a lot of voice talent from the show returns; including Kate Mulgrew as Janeway, Brett Gray as Dal R’El and Ella Purnell as Gwyndala… to name but a few.  Although there are issues around audio mixing with the overall music being washed out by the sound effects and voice more often than not and oddly subtitles matching up with the actual spoken lines at times.  Star Trek Prodigy: Supernova is a light hearted outing that delivers a deeper dive into a world that fans will enjoy, serving up a solid experience and fun co-op along the way too.

The Knight Witch takes two unlikely genres and mixes them together to craft the most unique of titles.  It starts out easy, but soon ramps up the challenge once it’s got its hooks into you – visually stunning, tale strong and gameplay rich.  It’s well worth spending a few damp cold January evenings getting lost in the magical world of Dungeonidas.