DeVuego

It is likely the best James Bond game ever, but there's some qualifiers that drag 007 First Light down from being a complete knock-out.

If I could slash its frustrating level designs in half, focusing on the character and intrigue its eccentricities added while sifting out the gameplay impurities they come with, Blades of Fire would be an easy recommendation for anyone looking for a cool hack-n-slash. Instead, it’s plagued with unforgivable wheel-spinning that undermines a lot of what I liked about its satisfying gameplay loop. I still think this distinct, innovative combat loop is worth checking out for anyone in the mood for something new, but even then, I recommend anyone but the most dedicated fan proceed with caution.

Puzzles are a divisive element in many Survival Horror games. When you need to justify and expand game time for an experience mostly driven by vibes and avoiding awkward combat, what else can you do? Clearly, one easy answer is to add backtracking in order to sniff out keys and doohickeys to fit into mysterious slots powering absurd door-locking mechanisms. It works for Resident Evil, at least. But there’s a balance in making this stuff actually work. A balance the subject of today’s review struggled with, to say the least.