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Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn is a competent soulslike game. For its modest price point, there’s a lot of enjoyment to be had. However, some technical hiccups and game design choices put a few dents on its armor. Despite that, A44 Games achieved its objective of creating an approachable soulslike that doesn’t overstay its welcome.
Despite the warning about the gambling mechanics, I still very much enjoy playing it every day and do recommend playing the game. The combat is some of the best I have experienced in years and think the more mellow moments between the very engaging story is worth your time. It currently has over 50 million downloads, and that success is very much earned from the game’s sheer quality, and breadth of content. To the finer details, like the stellar voice acting from the entire English voice cast, amazingly expressive animation, and top-notch soundtrack. It is free-to-play, so if you can restrain from falling prey to the gambling mechanics, you have nothing to lose.
I recommend Sand Land and enjoyed the combination of different elements. The vehicles remained varied. Gameplay systems combine together to create a simple and effective piece. The open worlds are large and there’s a ton of quests to complete, and there’s a diverse set of enemies to conquer. Sand Land sustains blemishes, but it serves as a wonderful sendoff to Toriyama while being a good nostalgic romp.
Reject modernism, embrace Hypercharge: Unboxed, as it is the definition of fun. The campaign doesn't take itself seriously and has free roam and difficulty options to offer you an experience you can customize. With so much enemy variety and a collection of great bosses that spice things up. Every level is filled to the brim with so much detail and extra stuff to do. As well as a ludicrous amount of customization you take advantage of for your character. Despite some of the menu clunkiness and the reusing of bosses, and the default controller scheme being weird. It is an experience I cannot recommend enough, especially at its very generous price tag on each platform. You owe it to yourself, as you can feel like a kid and just have fun, and in the end, that is what games should be.
I do recommend this experience however, as Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 is almost everything I wanted in a sequel to Hellblade. The original game’s graphical fidelity for its time in 2017 matched the AAA space 1:1. With the level of graphical fidelity in this game to set a benchmark that will be very hard to top in terms of realism across the board. However, the combat, while having a better presentation, did feel mechanically stripped down in places that feel questionable. While the puzzles are mostly similar but still very enjoyable at times. This game will still feel niche, yet unique, which I feel is not a bad thing. Considering it feels designed to be the next evolution for the experience that only Hellblade can offer.
The Way of the Blade is a difficult journey and tenacious. Despite Die by the Blade sporting an addictive and pulsating one-strike-kill combat, it is not enough to gloss over the other glaring shortcomings. From unpolished graphics, stingy reward payouts to the lack of game modes, the game has a lot going against it. However, the blade isn’t dull yet, and Die by the Blade can sharpen into a formidable contender with time.
The Lullaby of Life exemplifies everything that a cozy and relaxed game should be. The art style and sound design are impeccable, and the difficulty curve is gradual and well-designed. Best of all, the game doesn’t hold your hand and lets you figure it out on your own. Dare I say, The Lullaby of Life is one of 2024’s coziest games.
Ereban: Shadow Legacy is a game that tries to do a lot, but is only at its best in being a great game to play. While having a story component that feels mostly unnecessary to the experience and is not going to be what I recommend buying the game for. The shadow form mechanic is so interwoven into the entire game, from the enemies to the gadgets, and upgrades in-between. With so many awesome open area levels and expertly designed closed-in ones, I loved my experience in Ereban: Shadow Legacy. I just wish there was less noise, and more allowing me to just slither around and enjoy its gameplay endlessly.
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes does a great job of bridging JRPG fans of the past to the present day. It provides an engaging story that immerses the player and evokes different emotions. Every single character is detailed and designed with the utmost care. There is so much to do in this game that you can put hundreds of hours into it and the replayability is endless. As a huge Suikoden fan, this spiritual successor gets my stamp of approval. This was Yoshitake Murayama’s last project before he sadly passed away and he can be proud he created a gaming masterpiece and an all-time masterclass in JRPGs.
There is a lot to love in Rise of the Ronin and it is a valiant first crack at an open world for Team Ninja. The gameplay and combat shine the brightest here. It does a good job of keeping you in the flow of combat. The side content is a checklist of things to do, but it serves its purpose to supplement the combat, which is a frenetic and brutal dance.
Spending many hours speeding through raceways, I can safely say this is more of a hole-in-one than a boogie. Strong game feel, enjoyable mechanics, and well-designed raceways give Turbo Golf Racing a firm place in the ball-focused racing genre.
Anyone who played the original Final Fantasy 7 must check out this game. Likewise, anyone who enjoyed Remake back in 2020 should continue that story here. Rebirth serves many roles very well. It excels as a JRPG, a sequel, and a modern-generation video game. We may still be early in the year, but this is an instant Game of the Year contender.
When I heard about Berserk Boy initially a few years ago, I instantly was curious. Strong art direction and gameplay channeling two franchises, Sonic and Mega Man, is such a strong concept. Building on X’s Dash ability and giving it that Sonic attitude, I couldn’t wait to play this. Being given the opportunity to review this was amazing and it lived up to my lofty expectations. Minor audio issues with the voice action do very little to stop this storm. Strong core gameplay, impressive level design, striking 16-bit art direction, and an amazing score all come together to create one of 2024’s best games. I can’t wait to see how Berserk Boy Games builds on this strong foundation for their next classic in the making.
Despite a long hiatus, the Alone in the Dark remake is a solid offering in a long-dormant franchise. It does borrow heavily from modern survival horror titles but still manages to create its own distinctive experience. It’s clear that a lot of attention went into rendering both David Harbour and Jodie Comer into their characters. Fortunately, that gambit paid off well in a concise package with decent gameplay and story beats to match.
Going into this charming indie game, I was excited by the strong visual identity and musical score. But I came away feeling flat. The strong presentation, great audio design, and unique mechanics do not make up for unfair challenges and needlessly punishing players for playing on lesser difficulties. If you are willing to give Popslinger a chance and fight back against the foam, you might enjoy the otherwise sweet soda beneath.
Persona 3 Reload more than exceeded my expectations. Its original emotionally charged story, themes, and setting were followed to a T with new moments throughout that fleshed out its villains and various members of SEES was a welcomed surprise. Its renewed combat system was refreshing and Tartarus felt more alive and enjoyable to explore. There is a ton of replay value with its new game plus and an emotional ending I can never forget. There is not a single thing I would change about this game in the slightest and I wholeheartedly recommend it.
Sonic Frontiers takes lessons from games across the industry and puts its own spin on them. For the first time in many, many years Sonic Team united varied elements into a cohesive package. Breathtaking soundtrack, bold steps forward on a core formula, and spectacular boss fights dash past pop-in and difficulty issues to create the best Sonic game in many years.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth feels like the culmination of developer Ryu Ga Gotoku’s efforts over the past decade to create a bombastic franchise that is rich in personality and action. The game’s engaging combat, stunning locales, and a dense assortment of side content and mini-games, all help to ensure Infinite Wealth is a good time from start to finish. Some issues with the story’s pacing are quickly forgotten when players begin to immerse themselves in the game’s world, and not a minute of time spent feels wasted. It’s not easy for a franchise to continuously reinvent itself while keeping things fresh and modern, but Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth does exactly that. The series is going from strength to strength, and Ryu Ga Gotoku’s biggest problem right now is likely trying to figure out how exactly it will raise the bar even further next time.
Banishers Ghosts of New Eden adheres to a scope that DON’T NOD is comfortable with and sticks to it well. The game has decent combat with cryptic haunting cases to solve. Despite a lot of attention placed on the post-mortem love story, don’t expect it to be the next Romeo and Juliet any time soon.
It’s clear a lot of love and attention to detail that went into creating Suicide Squad. Despite some narrative shortcomings, the game has that tried-and-true world-building and characters that Rocksteady is known for. The moment-to-moment gameplay is phenomenal and feels great with a performance to match. The end game seems promising and has a solid foundation. Though some technical issues persist, mission/enemy variety and interesting loot and designs will only propel the game further. With a clear year-one roadmap already established, Suicide Squad is undoubtedly Rocksteady’s most ambitious and deepest game to date.