DeVuego ES_COR

Enchanted Portals copies almost everything about Cuphead, except for the precision of its mechanics, the tightness of its design and the enjoyment gleaned by mastering it. All the good bits really…

The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood drinks deep from the well of creativity, shattering whatever narrative mould you may have expected to deliver a magical fortune telling experience you’ll find hard to forget.

Unreliable performance and some underdeveloped mechanics do hurt the impact and atmosphere of After Us, but its intriguing post-apocalyptic world and satisfying movement still make for a worthy adventure.

There are more polished, quality roguelites out there that will engage you for a longer period than Death or Treat, but that says less about its own achievements and more about the incredibly high bar set by its predecessors.

Curse of the Sea Rats’ charmingly nostalgic art direction can only partially hide a Metroidvania whose mechanical shortcomings are numerous, and whose substandard technical stability is irredeemable in its launch state.

A simple, yet enjoyable puzzle platformer, Scarf is a beautiful title that plays around with the tried and true tale of the hero defeating evil.

Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX is a fine enough remaster if you have fond memories of the original. It looks and sounds great, but stumbles in its translation and will likely do more to frustrate newcomers than convince them the Master System classic was any good.

Godstrike fulfils that baseline need all boss rush games do – the thrill of overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds. Its primary mechanical hook of entwining health and battle time into powerful abilities creates fantastic, tense battles. However it’s the smaller things that hold the experience back. A distinct lack of characterising flair for the bosses through story or music hurt their memorability, and the unrelenting difficulty amongst the chaos, while exhilarating to overcome, is still (at times) overbearing. Regardless of its rough edges though, Godstrike is enjoyable as a quick hit of intense action.