HIGH Tutorials that help me get better at Lumines.

LOW Visual overload can make it hard to focus.

WTF How is the soundtrack this good?

TRANSCRIPT:

Hi everyone, Eugene Sax here with another review from GameCritics.com.

I haven’t played a lot of Lumines, historically.

The remastered version from 2018 was my first intro to the series, and honestly… well, I didn’t really enjoy that first pass at it. It felt too loud, both audio and visually, and I couldn’t wrap my head around the horizontal puzzle style. Knowing that the people behind Tetris Effect were also behind Lumines, though, I wanted to give it another shot and see if this new entry was a better way to get into this franchise.

Mea culpa, Lumines — I was wrong about you. (At least in some ways.)

Lumines: Arise is a block dropping puzzle in conversation with Tetris, but rather than the classic tetrominos filling horizontal lines, it instead focuses on asking the player to create 2×2 blocks anywhere on a horizontal plane. Blocks drop from the top of the screen, and players need to move them around in order to create 2×2, 3×3, or larger, in order to score points. A “timeline” moves across the screen and erases any complete blocks it comes across, clearing more room for players to create more blocks, and so on. There is also a rare “chain block” that will allow all linked blocks of the same color to be erased from the timeline, even if they’re not in the shape of a square.

The big mechanical addition to this version is “burst”.

As players create blocks, a meter will fill at the top of the playfield. At any point, players will be able to activate the burst, which then stops blocks from falling for a few moments. If players can create a block during this burst period, it will cause blocks of the opposite color to fly above the screen. Players can continue and make more fly up. All of those blocks come rushing back down once the burst is over, then creating a large chunk of squares to combo with.

Gameplay is broken up into a couple of modes for Arise.

Journey takes players through sets of stages (four or five, normally) with increasing difficulty as things progress. Playlist mode allows players to combine their favorite stages together in a custom order to play, or just to watch if they want to take in the visuals and music. Lastly, there’s multiplayer, which consists of some solo leaderboard competition or battle modes.

I also will shout out the tutorials specifically as Arise tailors them to new players and gives small missions that make it easy to understand and learn not only how to play, but also how to grasp more advanced techniques. These tutorials made me better in a way other puzzle titles haven’t.

At this point in the review, it feels a little like burying the lead to only just now mention the visuals and the music.

Since each stage only has two colors players need to match, this mechanical simplicity allows for some creative and striking ways to keep the play field visually interesting, and the developers lean hard into delivering over-the-top sound and graphics, far above what you might expect for a puzzle title.

One in particular that I enjoyed was a food-themed level. Blocks started as red apples and green melons, but then changed to broccoli and tomatoes as I got further in, while classical string music played in the background. Another had orbs of fish and hermit crab shells that changed color to reflect the sun setting on the beach landscape behind the playfield while listening to slow, smooth pop vocals. The visuals and music combine masterfully to pull players into Arise on a level above just block-matching, and it eats up time in a way that hasn’t happened to me in a long while.

With that said, some of the levels do get overwhelming as previous versions of the game. However, there is a moment of pause and the music fades out between each song, giving a welcome break to catch your breath and reset before going into the next stage. There are also a wealth of accessibility options that allow players to adjust any of the visual stimuli including background effects, particle effects on the playfield, and so on. If it’s too much to take in visually, it can be turned down.

While my memories of playing it in the past weren’t great, the masterful music and visual presence combined in Lumines: Arise really turned me around on the series. It’s not one to miss!

For me, Lumines: Arise gets 8.5 blocks exploding into glitter out of 10.

Disclosures: This game is developed by Enhance and Monstars, Inc. and published by Enhance. It is currently available on PS5, PSVR2 and PC. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher and reviewed on the PC. Approximately 6.5 hours of play were devoted to the single-player mode, and the game was completed. Around 1 hour was spent in multiplayer modes.

Parents: According to the ESRB, this game is rated E and contains Mild Fantasy Violence.  The blocks will explode into particles on screen, fantasy violence amounts to spiders and snakes that fight each other in the background (but these can be turned off in accessibility menus).

Colorblind Modes: There are multiple colorblind modes available.

Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: Sound is not needed to complete the game. Captions for character dialogue can be resized. The game is fully accessible.

Remappable Controls: The controls are completely remappable.

The post Lumines Arise VIDEO Review appeared first on Gamecritics.com.

HIGH  Greatly improved on-the-field presentation. Added features for Franchise mode

LOW Still suffers from wonky AI and bugs.

WTF Why did my center line up as a receiver?

The Axis Football franchise has had its share of ups and downs over the past few years.

2023’s incarnation was a standout featuring a new physics engine and gameplay tweaks that led to its highest score ever at GameCritics. Major setbacks plagued the 2024 campaign, including rubber-banding AI, graphical glitches, and inaccurate, repetitive commentary. After forgoing the 2025 season (a rebuilding year, if you will) wholesale changes were made to every aspect of the experience, and now Axis Football returns for 2026. 

On the field, players look even better than ever, with more detailed models including wrinkles on jerseys.  The new stadiums are lovely, giving the feeling of a real home team advantage, including new crowd chants and fans decked out in team colors. 

New animations make it much easier to see holes in a defensive line for a running back to slip through, or why a pass was broken up by a wily safety.  There are still times when it appears that a blocker can almost teleport to make a play on a ballcarrier, but the new instant replay mode often shows players behaving realistically, greatly enhancing the experience. 

New commentary has been recorded, including team-specific lines when scoring and so on.  It can still get repetitive, especially after playing a large number of games, but the new dialogue was certainly welcome.  Play calling has also been enhanced with a new create-a-play feature in case the current team playbook is too limiting.

Off the field, Axis Football 2026 still has one of the deepest franchise modes in videogame football, and as before, the player has complete control over the organization.  With a few button clicks, I can hire and fire coaches, scout future potential draft picks, and purchase upgrades for my stadium, such as luxury boxes and fitness and rehabilitation gear for my players. 

These things are key, as Axis Football makes players work to improve their teams, and the salary cap is no joke.  I often had to think long and hard about signing a stud free agent or saving the cap space for the offseason when I had to re-sign my core team.  Moments like this are exhilarating, and when I finally led my squad to the Axis Bowl Championship, I felt like I earned it with my shrewd decision-making. 

While the new modes, character models, animations, stadiums, create-a-play, and improved play-by-play are as impressive as an off-balance, one-handed grab in the end zone, Axis Football 2026 still has its share of problems that negate forward progress. 

As of the time of writing, the visuals are locked at a resolution of 1920 x 1080, even if a monitor is capable of much higher settings.  A controller and mouse tend to cancel each other out when manipulating menus, which is especially frustrating when trying to navigate settings or interact with the UI outside of on-the-field gameplay, such as accepting trades or drafting players.  Additionally, setting up a team’s 53-man roster can be more difficult than it should be — the option to place the best players on the field at all positions automatically should be included. 

On the field, the AI still struggles with basic concepts.  I’ve watched special teams’ players streak right past the return man straight into the endzone on kickoffs, allowing the ballcarrier to gain far more yards than should have been possible.  In one particularly bizarre scenario, I had a center line up as a receiver on multiple plays during a drive, eliminating a checkdown option for my QB. 

I’m also still not able to tell if the dreaded catchup AI from the 2024 campaign has returned — suspicions were raised when I noticed opposing teams coming back from serious deficits, even when my Philadelphia Express significantly outmatched them.  Since building my team of stars took six seasons’ worth of heartbreak and failure, it’s frustrating to win against obvious chumps, when I should have steamrolled them. 

The simulation mode has issues as well.  While losing one game by a point with seconds left on the clock, I ended manual play and allowed the computer to simulate the final moments.  Somehow, I wound up winning that game even though there was no possible way to do so.  (It was also snowing in Miami during that game in early October…)

While not quite matching its previous heights, Axis Football 2026 has made marked improvements over the last incarnation and shows that it’s still a title worthy of taking the field.  With the right bug fixes and continued improvement, it could once again become a solid contender in the increasingly-crowded football market.  Axis Football 2026 is worth the time and the price of admission, but there’s definitely room for this franchise to tighten things up.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Disclosures: This game is developed and published by Axis Games. It is currently available on XBO, XBX/S/PS4/PS5/PC. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher and reviewed on the PC. Approximately 11 hours of play were devoted to the single-player mode, and multiple seasons were completed. There are no multiplayer modes.

Parents: According to the ESRB, this game is rated E. The game is a realistic simulation of American Football.  Players are tackled and knocked to the ground, or may be pushed/shoved to the ground by blockers or a stiff-arm.  Injuries to players are briefly described in text form (such as Player X sustained a leg injury) and whether or not they will return to play.  There are no visual depictions of injuries.

Colorblind Modes: There are no colorblind modes available.

Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: This game does not offer subtitles. The game is playable without sound, as there are visual representations of all in-game activities.  However, there are no subtitles for any commentary or player chatter (snap counts, etc.).  While the game does provide a quick summary of the previous play (tackle for loss, rushing gain of 17 yards and so on) so much of the experience is lost.

Remappable Controls: No, this game’s controls are not remappable.

The post Axis Football 2026 appeared first on Gamecritics.com.

HIGH Great atmosphere, engaging story. Memorable companions.

LOW Frequent bugs and glitches. Crashes to desktop. Basic features don’t work.

WTF My Druid has a dinosaur as an animal companion!

In 2003, I was looking for a Dungeons and Dragons experience for my PC. 

I was interested in trying something like World of Warcraft, but hesitant about the subscription model and didn’t want to turn it into a part-time job.  I discovered Neverwinter Nights, determined it was exactly what I was looking for, and then happily spent dozens of hours playing through its campaign and the user-made modules. 

It’s fair to say I’ve always been a fan of the series, and I own multiple copies of both titles.  As such, I was overjoyed to review the latest remaster from Aspyr, Dungeons & Dragons Neverwinter Nights 2: Enhanced Edition to see how this seminal role-playing experience held up in 2025…  Spoiler: not well.

Near the city of Neverwinter on the Sword Coast of Faerun, evil forces have conquered and despoiled the lands.  As the adopted child of an adventurer in a backwater town, the player learns of their role as the Shard-Bearer — possessor of an artifact the Shadow King requires to complete his dastardly agenda.  Setting forth alone, the player must gather allies to thwart the Shadow King.  Will the Shard-Bearer be a savior, or a more powerful evil to blight the land?  Only the player can decide..

Dungeons & Dragons Neverwinter Nights 2: Enhanced Edition is an isometric, third-person role-playing game where the player selects or creates a character from one of the many races and classes available, ranging from a Half-Elven Rogue to a Dwarven Cleric of Tyr.  The player directly controls the character’s movement and then uses a hybrid menu system for combat where battles are strategic and turn-based. 

For instance, the player may click on a target or select one using the Enhanced Edition‘s newly implemented controller inputs to select the next action which will take place on the next turn.  There’s also a pause feature which allows more refined control over the character (or party) where the player can select several turns’ worth of actions to take place sequentially. 

Outside of combat, the player faces a multitude of dialogue choices, both large (should I aid the village in its time of need?) and small (should I demand a few more gold as a reward for my actions?).  There is no right or wrong answer, only what feels appropriate to the player.  It’s important to note that all choices feel important and have a lasting effect on the party members and any other characters the player meets along the way. 

Speaking of which, a cast of memorable faces are ready to travel with the player — some favorties included a Dwarven Fighter looking to become a monk, a Tiefling who steals whatever isn’t nailed down, and a cranky human sorceress with an inflated ego — but also with the fireballs to back it up. 

Party member interactions are a highlight of Neverwinter Nights 2, and learning more about them by gaining their confidence is always a treat.  Characters gain experience via combat and exploration, and can readily purchase or craft gear.  Progression is steady, and it’s generally easy to earn the coin needed for upgrades. 

While things get off to a roaring start and this version has a great base to work from, Neverwinter Nights 2: Enhanced Edition squanders the goodwill its writing and mechanics earn almost immediately. 

While the improved graphics make character models sharper and slightly more detailed, they still look tremendously dated. Worse, bugs are glitches are rampant.  Ten minutes after starting the game, my character got stuck in place and I had to try numerous fixes to continue on my way. Hardly an isolated occurrence, this ‘stickiness’ happens frequently during exploration and required me to quickly select a new character or click on a faraway destination to remedy. 

During combat, my character frequently teleported outside of any room I was in.  Also during combat, clicking an action doesn’t always work, even if the appropriate icon appears in the combat menu. 

Also, players need to spend a good deal of time micro-managing their party to get them to behave usefully in battle — dysfunctional behaviors like running around in circles, refusing to follow the main character into a room, or launching spells from nowhere near a fight. Even basic things like sound effects don’t work properly.  The clash of steel against armor or shield is notably missing from all battles, and I also suffered several crashes to desktop, causing me to repeat lengthy sections.

I will give the save system specifically a mixed review.  Neverwinter Nights 2 allows me to save whenever and wherever I want, which longtime readers will know is something I harp on constantly — so I approve.  However, when trying to load a saved game, I’m asked if I want to save first.  The first time this happened, I had just suffered a total party kill, requiring me to load an earlier save.  Not paying attention, I accidentally saved this graceless defeat over my good save I was trying to get back into! Why on earth would anyone want to save right after they’d been killed? 

Dungeons & Dragons Neverwinter Nights 2: Enhanced Edition could have been something truly special to share with modern-day players.  This classic does a great job of worldbuilding and gives a player true stakes, a sense of progression, and a realistic party of companions to interact with. Sadly, the rife bugs and glitches along with a general sense of being unfinished make it impossible to recommend, especially as there seem to be no patches incoming. 

It’s tremendously disappointing, and hopefully either Aspyr can do something about it in the future, or ardent fans will come to rescue and save this title from a fate worse than death.

Rating: 3.5 out of 10

Disclosures: This game is developed and published by Aspyr Media. It is currently available on XBX/S, PS5, Switch, Switch 2, and PC. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher and reviewed on the PC. Approximately 24 hours of play were devoted to the single-player mode, and the game was not completed. While there are multiplayer modes which offer features such as the ability to turn PVP on and off, I was not able to join any sessions. Player sessions are password protected, and I did not know anyone currently playing the game.

Parents: According to the ESRB, this game is rated T and contains Blood, Mild Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol, Violence. The official description reads: This is a role-playing game in which players can create characters to engage in popular D&D campaigns set in the Forgotten Realms. From a third-person perspective, players explore fantasy locations while interacting with characters, performing quests/missions, and battling enemies. Players use swords, arrows, and magic spells to kill various enemies (e.g., ogres, bandits, animals, elves, dwarves). Combat is highlighted by cries of pain, small explosions, and large splatters of blood. A handful of walls/floors are also stained with blood. Female characters are sometimes depicted wearing low-cut tops that reveal large amounts of cleavage; players can develop relationships with others, sometimes resulting in suggestive dialogue (e.g., “I thought perhaps we could get some sleep. Together”; “I have no intention of letting you sleep.”). Tavern sequences depict drunk characters slurring and hiccupping; background characters also drink alcohol. Players’ character can consume ale, wine, and spirits, resulting in status/skill effects. The word “bastard” appears in the game.

Colorblind Modes: There are no colorblind modes available.

Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: This game offers subtitles. The subtitles cannot be altered and/or resized. All gameplay critical sound effects have a visual component.  However, characters casting spells, attacking, or making non-gameplay critical utterances do not have accompanying subtitles.

Remappable Controls: Yes, this game offers fully remappable controls.

The post Dungeons & Dragons Neverwinter Nights 2: Enhanced Edition Review appeared first on Gamecritics.com.

HIGH Addictive gameplay loop, fast action, slick controls.

LOW Backtracking. Some major gameplay elements need better explanations.

WTF If I time travel, shouldn’t my tech be shockingly over/underpowered based on where I go?

Is there anything less satisfying than defeating an enormous mob or particularly fearsome boss, only to see a bunch of trash scatter out from the death throes, instead of the lovely loot one was expecting? What if there were a game that understood the plight of players plagued by terrible loot and allowed players to say “No thank you, I’d prefer something else.”  What if it also allowed players to alter enemies on the fly or rewrite dialogue, allowing the narrative to progress in a different direction? 

Dream no more, fellow gamers, for it now exists in the form of the new space flight ARPG/SHMUP called Reality Break.

The game tells the story of an unsuccessful mercenary pilot escaping from raiders by the skin of their teeth.  With their ship damaged and funds at a minimum, our hero limps to a local starbase where a friend awaits with an offer to snag a piece of ancient technology from a mysterious region. 

After acquiring the “Fate Core”, the player gains the ability to reconfigure reality, adding boosts and upgrades to equipment, as well as changing events at key points. Luckily, our hero won’t have to go it alone.  Friendly scientists and starbase commanders aid the journey by offering missions and technology, snarky ship-based AI provides intel on enemies, and there’s a voice in the player’s head giving cryptic advice about the fate of the universe…

Reality Break is a fast-paced action roleplayer/loot collection roguelike. The gameplay loop is simple, but addicting and effective. 

The player begins by warping to a mission area, exploring that portion of the galaxy from a top-down perspective, destroying enemies, completing objectives, and finding a ludicrous amount of loot along the way, which allows for new and powerful weapons to destroy tougher enemies, which then completes more objectives, which earns more loot, and so on. 

Between sorties, the player returns to a hub area to buy and sell items, purchase upgrades (things like equipping drones or repairing damage more quickly) and learn more about the Fate Core — Reality Break‘s biggest hook.

For example, let’s say I found an item that was too large to fit on my ship’s frame but does a staggering amount of damage.  I could use the Fate Core to rewrite the item, making it small enough to fit my ship.  Or, say I encountered an unbeatable enemy during a story mission.  I could rewrite enemy dialogue, allowing me to skip the battle (at least, for the time being.) It’s a tricky thing to understand at first — and frankly, the tutorials could explain things better — but after a few missions, it becomes second nature. 

It doesn’t stop there, though — Reality Break offers even more customization. Using the Fate Core allows players to change the difficulty of play, as well as the amount and rarity of loot that can be obtained. 

At certain points in the narrative, the player completely breaks from the timeline and gains access to “Reality Points” which are spent on permanent upgrades that bend things even further, although in order to maximize the effect, the player might have to end their current run and being a new one with the changes in place — it is a roguelike, after all. On the plus side, Reality Break lets players skip all previous dialogue and gets to the good stuff faster on later runs, but those not used to this kind of structure may find it offputting.  

Otherwise, the controls in Reality Break are tight and the ship is incredibly responsive, there’s a ton of stuff to blow up at any time, and there’s loads of post-game content, including the ability to unlock the “proper” ending which will take… some time. 

Reality Break is simply a blast to play and fight/loot/repeat loop is incredibly satisfying, wheter it’s the first run or the fifth. For fans of roguelikes, shoot’em ups or original ideas, this is one break definitely worth taking.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Buy Reality Break: PC

Disclosures: This game is developed and published by Element Games, LLC. It is currently available on PC. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher and reviewed on the PC. Approximately 18 hours of play were devoted to the single-player mode, and the game was completed. There are no multiplayer modes.

Parents: This game is not rated by the ESRB.  The game features simulated ship-to-ship combat in space.  There are instances of humans implicitly being killed in the aftermath of an explosion, but no explicit violence takes place.  The word S### is used sparingly in dialog (I saw it once).  I’d be fine letting kids play this.

Colorblind Modes: There are no colorblind modes available.

Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: This game offers subtitles. The subtitles cannot be altered and/or resized.  All audio cues have an accompanying visual cue.  Some enemies spawn with a distinctive sound and begin attacking immediately.  The visual cue for this is perhaps a split second after the sound, but there’s no notable effect on gameplay because of this.  While the subtitles cannot be altered, the game HUD can be moved and resized. I’d say this is fully accessible.

Remappable Controls: Yes, this game offers fully remappable controls.

The post Reality Break Review appeared first on Gamecritics.com.

If I’ve taken one lesson from the Steam spring sale, it’s that there are a lot of deck-building roguelikes out there. In fact, there are too many for my wallet to handle.

Make no mistake, the subgenre has proliferated in recent years because the mechanics blend together so well. The luck of pulling the right card at the right time and collecting the best additions to a deck lends itself to the luck-based try-die-repeat formula of roguelikes. 

However, the genre is getting quite saturated, and new entries have an even tougher uphill battle to be noticed alongside megahits like Balatro and Slay the Spire – but based on the seven hours I spent with its demo, Shuffle Tactics might just be a real contender.

The kingdom of Asteria has been infected by a dark magic known as Glimmer, and it’s up to the protagonist (multiple characters are unlockable) and whatever motley sidekicks they can find along the way to save the kingdom. Shuffle Tactics applies the deck-building roguelike formula to the tactics RPG genre with enough personality and mechanical crunch to stand out from the rest.

The first big pull is presentation. Shuffle Tactics features 16-bit pixel graphics that hearkens back to the best tactics RPGS of yesteryear, or even some recent entries like Triangle Strategy. The animations are smooth and detailed, and I was especially impressed by the final blow cinematics that top off a boss battle – these flourishes are a nice little treat after typically grueling fights.

Graphics aside, I think the big sell are the mechanical systems in Shuffle Tactics. Each card is accompanied by a bevy of keywords that indicate buffs or debuffs that can be chained together in effective combos. These buffs don’t just add strength, but often more complex interactions like “Bloodlust,” which increases the power of a card based on how many enemies have been damaged, or “Sadist,” which means the card will do more damage to a target if they’re below half health.

There are also elemental interactions — ice becomes water, and water makes enemies ripe for an electric attack. On the other hand, fire can warm them up and take off that “wet” status, but it can then give them some burning damage. 

These interactions can be daunting at first – players will need to take time to read the descriptions for keywords by highlighting them on each card, and figuring out how to maximize buffs and debuffs to maximum effect takes some effort. Keep in mind, so far I’ve only explored the first character — the next character to be unlocked has a completely different scheme involving totems and elemental effects.

Of course, as a roguelike, the player will unlock additional cards and charms that add even more effects, and this is where the real joy of roguelikes comes in– figuring out ways to absolutely break the game.

For instance, starting character (the Doberknight) has a sword he can throw and call back. The cards for each the throw and the return – two separate actions – always appear in the card draw. Add a charm that gives “Aegis” (a keyword that blocks the next attack) and you can stack up a near-invincible killing machine.

Figuring out how these systems work together is a skill the player will need to work on, but it fully aligns with the spirit of the genre, with players growing more powerful with each subsequent run due to their knowledge and cleverness expanding with each attempt.

As the current build is a preview, I did run into a few bugs and balancing issues (enemy numbers and their buffs can get wildly out of control) but these are things that I imagine developer Club Sandwich will nail down before a full release. It’s also obvious that there’s a lot more content than what’s on offer in the demo, but there’s enough meat in this slice to get a good taste of the full meal yet to come.

Shuffle Tactics is shaping up to be a treat for fans of deckbuilders, roguelikes and tactical RPGs. Its mechanical complexities and unique keyword systems offer satisfying depth that won’t hold the player’s hand. For anyone who enjoys this sort of challenge, it’s one to take notice of.

Download the Steam demo on PC now

The post PREVIEW Shuffle Tactics appeared first on Gamecritics.com.

HIGH Stellar worldbuilding, story and voice acting.

LOW The gameplay has not aged well.

WTF Why are there so many block pushing puzzles?!?

25 years ago, a game was brought forth that felt so far ahead of its time, it was almost unbelievable. 

Serving as a spinoff and sequel to the incredibly dark isometric RPG Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, the aptly named Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver introduced players to a new anti-hero named Raziel, as well as graphics in the third dimension and polygonal art. 

It also featured a deeply intelligent story about the nature of good and evil, personal choice, revenge, and sacrifice while also allowing players to explore an open world to face challenges as they chose. It was amazing. 

For those unfamiliar, Raziel is a vampire in thrall to Kain, the supreme vampire who destroyed the world in Blood Omen. By daring to surpass his lord in terms of vampiric evolution, Raziel raises Kain’s ire and is hurled into a pit to suffer eternal damnation.  Raziel is then saved by a mysterious force and given the ability to subsist on souls rather than blood, and charged with vanquishing Kain and all of his minions –a task he readily accepts. Throughout the journey, Raziel is forced to reckon with his own purpose, weighing what it means to be a reluctant savior. Sharp dialog and clever writing make this tale stand out in the annals of game writing.

For 25 years, Soul Reaver and its sequel Soul Reaver 2 have lain dormant.  Aspyr has now taken up the mantle to bring these classics back from the un-dead with gorgeous new character models, quality-of-life controller improvements, and access to previously-unreleased features.  Unfortunately, 25 years is an eternity in videogame terms, and despite being remastered, these originals have not aged well.

I want to start with the good, because there is a lot of good to be found. 

First, in the name of preservation efforts, it’s wonderful to have access to these titles again on modern systems.  Hearing Michael Bell voice Raziel after so long was a wonderful present to receive in these dark times. 

The new character models — especially for Raziel and his nemesis Kain — instill them with new life thanks to added details like the folds of Raziel’s cloak, or the scars on Kain’s body. It’s great stuff. 

The ability to flip back and forth between new and classic graphics with the press of a button is a nice feature, and I’m glad Aspyr took the time to include it. 

…If only playing the Soul Reaver titles were as mesmerizing as enjoying the upgrades and watching the story unfold. 

Raziel is handled from a third-person perspective as they explore the ruined land of Nosgoth.  Raziel can go back and forth between physical and spirit form at-will, and doing so changes the landscape around him — a trick that aids in navigation and puzzle solving.  For example, an unreachable ledge in the physical realm might warp and shift location to become accessible while Raziel is a spirit, and so forth.

Unfortunately, while this is still a solid idea, it’s quite rough by today’s standards. In one section I spent 30 minutes unsuccessfully trying to climb the same structure, as Raziel needed to be in the exact right spot for the jump. The climb animation wouldn’t register otherwise, causing me to fall from a jump that I should have easily cleared, leading me to start the entire process over again. 

Frustrated, I quit only to find on my next playthrough that saving doesn’t start me exactly where I left off, but back at the beginning of the game.  Granted, I kept all the abilities I’d unlocked, but such design is almost like a bad joke these days. 

During a puzzle sequence I was required to move blocks from one location to another, but the game refused to accept the correct input to properly move the block.  I struggled with it for ages, eventually assumed I wasn’t pursuing wasn’t the correct solution, and then wasted even more time trying various other ways to solve the problem.  I finally gave up and watched a walkthrough only to see that I had the solution correct the first time, I was just slightly out of position and the right animation never triggered.  Feeling vindicated but annoyed, I pressed on and encountered several more finicky block puzzles in a row, followed by a puzzle that gave no clues as to its solution.

At this point, I had reached my limit with Soul Reaver and moved on to Soul Reaver 2.

Soul Reaver 2 is more combat-forward than its predecessor, with a greater number of weapons and animations, but Raziel’s power is so limited that it’s unsatisfying to play — combat lacks any weight as enemies barely react when struck. 

The ‘open’ world also causes irritation by having too many paths constantly gated.  Raziel often needs specific abilities such as phasing through solid objects or survival underwater to progress, so players are forced to progress on a linear path, but that path is presented in a nonlinear manner, leading to backtracking and frustration. 

To its credit, Soul Reaver 2 has a slightly better save system, but the lack of navigational aids still leads to so, so much backtracking and aimless searching for the correct way forward. 

Honestly, I’m glad The Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1&2 Remastered exists.  I know longtime fans will rejoice at playing on newer hardware and the story is still to be relished. I am truly hopeful that this reappearance will entice a new generation of fans and perhaps inspire the creation of a true finale for the series overall.  As for me, I’ll be content with my memories of playing these games new, as I find them too frustrating on multiple levels to genuinely embrace them today.

Rating: 4.5 out of 10

Disclosures: This game is developed by Aspyr and Crystal Dynamics and published by Aspyr.It is currently available on XBO/X, PS4/5, Switch and PC. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher and reviewed on the PC. Approximately 9 hours of play were devoted to the single-player mode, and the game was not completed. There are no multiplayer modes.

Parents: According to the ESRB, this game is rated M and contains Blood and Gore, Violence. This is a collection of two adventure games in which players follow a banished vampire on a quest for vengeance against his former master. From a third-person perspective, players traverse a fantasy realm to battle vampires, evil spirits, and human vampire hunters. Players use claw strikes, swords, and spears to impale and decapitate enemies in frenetic combat. Enemies emit large splatters of blood when killed. A handful of areas depict impaled bodies and heads on spikes; one cutscene depicts a vampire hunter ripping out a character’s heart.

Colorblind Modes: There are no colorblind modes available.

Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: This game offers subtitles. The subtitles cannot be altered and/or resized. All dialogue is fully subtitled.  All audio cues have a visual marker as well.  The game is fully accessible.

Remappable Controls: Yes, this game offers fully remappable controls.

The post Legacy Of Kain Soul Reaver 1&2 Remastered appeared first on Gamecritics.com.

HIGH Great variety of playable characters with interesting abilities. Tense combat.

LOW Some poor AI. Hard to track some enemies. Lackluster ending.

WTF The big bad had relations with robots???

Legend tells of the Drifter — a spacecraft appearing to those in need, offering passage to a paradise known as the Homestead. The ship has decided to gather up an infamous gang known as the Wild Bastards, but why it wants them and the truth of where it’s going are a mystery. All the Bastards know know is the evil Jebdiah Chaste (hater of all things alien, robot, and criminal) is hot on their tails, looking to end them permanently.

Wild Bastards is an amalgamation of FPS and tactical roguelike play brought into existence by the same crew responsible for 2019’s Void Bastards. Players are tasked with traversing multiple star systems on the hunt for missing members of the Wild Bastards gang, of which there are 13 playable in total, each with unique abilities and playstyles. 

The basic gameplay loop is broken up into three distinct phases — a navigating-the-galaxy map portion, a turn-based tactics portion, and finally an FPS portion. While all the phases have randomized elements, the basic loop follows a consistent formula.

Things start on a galaxy map. As the player’s ship enters a new system, they must choose a path through a series of waypoints in a style similar to other roguelikes of the current era, evaluating each stop along the way for potential threats such as dangerous weather conditions or increased enemy damage. Each planet has a maximum number of characters who can beam down to the surface, forcing the player to strategically assemble their away team based on the characters’ abilities and possible synergies. accordingly.  Overuse of a particular character increases their exhaustion level, which nullifies certain abilities until they rest or are healed with beans (it makes sense in context.) 

Once on the surface, a turn-based tactical map opens.  As with similar isometric tactical titles, players direct their Bastards to locations where they may be able to find temporary upgrades such as increased damage or better armor, as well as permanent “Aces.” These act like a tech tree for permanent abilities or buffs.  Players are given a finite number of movement points each turn, and then enemy forces on the surface (representing Chaste’s bounty hunters) take their turn.

When the Bastards are forced to deal with enemies, combat ensues. and this is where the FPS portion of kicks in. Once combat starts, the only way to successfully complete an encounter is by finding and eliminating all enemies. A handy counter keeps tabs of the number of baddies hunting the gang, allowing players to know how badly outnumbered they are, or how close they are to winning a fight.

In FPS mode, players control one Bastard at a time, though they travel in pairs when they can.  It’s possible to swap between teammates at the push of a button, based on personal preference or on which character’s abilities work best in a given situation.  For instance, Hopalong (my favorite) has a lasso that freezes opponents while dealing DPS and an ability where he can freeze every enemy on the map for a short period. In contrast, Casino’s special ability instantly kills a random foe. 

Each Bastard also has distinctive movement rates, sneakiness levels (how easily they’ll be detected by enemies) and weapons such as Billy’s custom six-shooters, Judge’s sniper rifle, and Roswell’s “mason ray” — basically, their fancy name for a big, honkin’ laser cannon.  Learning the ins and outs of each character’s attacks and abilities takes some time, but makes combat encounters easier once mastered. 

If a combat encounter is successful, the team can continue exploring the planet.  However, there’s some risk/reward here — if a team stays too long, strong foes begin appearing.  Each one is increasingly difficult to defeat, and if the team keeps defying the odds, the final foe is literally indestructible. This mechanic means players wont be able to hoover up 100% of the loot and should wisely beam back to the ship at opportune moments rather than face these enemies. 

Adding to Wild Bastards‘ difficulty is that some characters might refuse to work with others while on a run. These fallings-out are random and might put a crimp in the player’s strategic plans. On the other hand, characters members may also become pals, which grants them additional boosts in battle — the Bastard known as Smoky will incinerating any enemy who damages his friend, as an example.

Overall, combat is fast and satisfying.  The weapons are a joy to use, and the array of abilities cater to any playstyle.  there are a few small hiccups with enemy AI, though. Once in a great while, the AI forgets to move an enemy around, leading to some incredibly easy kills and sometimes it’s difficult to locate the final enemy on a map, leading to some less than inspiring searching. However, the overall feeling of being both hunter and prey is exhilarating.   

In terms of narrative, Wild Bastards tells an interesting story about loyalty, betrayal, and even the nature of faith.  It deftly uses humor in even the most serious situations to keep the overall tone lighthearted — it’s a bit like an extremely profane, old-timey Western. The interactions between characters were also a treat, such as Sarge’s pontificating about his war record, or Preach’s sermonizing/lusting after Roswell.  I just wish there had been a more definitive final battle, as the ending sequence was a bit too abrupt to be a satisfying conclusion to the tale, and despite the roguelike nature of the gameplay, there are definite objectives and a clear endpoint along the way.

Wild Bastards was a joy to play.  Despite a few small rough spots with enemy AI and the general scourge of RNG, I looked forward to each play session. Even after the campaign credits rolled, I found that the game offered a staggering number of challenge mode missions, and I plan to put more time into it as the completionist in me looks forward to unlocking the achievements while conquering every map and mission.

Wild Bastards sounds like it shouldn’t work. Its foundation is a patchwork of different genres frankensteined into a single title and the frenetic FPS portions are broken up by long stretches of slow-paced tactical movement and galactic navigation. Despite all this (and the damned RNG) I can’t deny that it all works. The story is filled with fascinating and funny (if not likable) characters I wanted to see succeed. The tactical portions present interesting choices, and the FPS sections are fast and furious. if there was ever a game where the whole was more than the sum of its parts, it’s this one — and it comes highly recommended!

Rating: 8 out of 10

Disclosures: This game is developed by Blue Manchu and published by Maximum Entertainment.It is currently available on XBX/S, PS5, Switch, and PC. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher and reviewed on the PC. Approximately 16 hours of play were devoted to the single-player mode, and the game was completed. There are no multiplayer modes.

Parents: According to the ESRB, this game is rated M and contains Strong Language, Violence. The official description reads: This is a first-person shooter in which players assume the roles of surviving members of an outlaw space gang on the run. Players travel from planet to planet completing quests, recovering lost gang members, and engaging in firefights with enemies (e.g., other outlaws, robots) across western-themed towns. Players use laser pistols, shotguns, blaster rifles, and explosives to kill enemies in fast-paced combat. Battles are accompanied by realistic gunfire, explosions, and cries of pain. Enemies disappear amid smoke and colorful light effects when killed. The words “f**k,” “c*ck,” and “c*nt” are heard in the game.

Colorblind Modes: There are no colorblind modes available.

Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: This game offers subtitles. The subtitles cannot be altered and/or resized. Story-based dialogue is completely subtitled.  In game, a visual signal indicates the direction from which enemy movement/speech can be detected, but in-game dialogue does not have subtitles. This dialogue does not affect gameplay, but it does represent banter between characters that assists with world-building. The indicator is not always on screen, but upon detecting an enemy’s movement or speech, a second indicator appears on the player’s compass, approximating the direction of the enemy’s location.  Despite these two indicators, it is possible to be surprised by enemies.  The game is not fully accessible.

Remappable Controls: Certain functions are remappable. Keyboard controls are completely remappable, but controller functions are not remappable.

The post Wild Bastards Review appeared first on Gamecritics.com.

Today GameCritics is happy to present this video covering Gestalt: Steam & Cinder from guest contributor Arlyeon. For more from Arlyeon, you can check out their YouTube channel or their Discord. Also, you can support them on Patreon!

TRANSCRIPT: Hey Folks! My Metroidvania binge continues- since I’ll be tackling Metamorphosis Games’ Gestalt: Steam & Cinder – which takes a narrative heavy approach to the genre. But that begs the question, doesn’t it? Was Gestalt a whole lot of hot air, or was it more than the sum of its parts? I’m your host Arlyeon, Let’s find out together.

To say that the world of Gestalt is troubled, is to put it lightly. First, the Calamity leveled the world- reducing it to a post Apocalyptic state. That said, it was then followed closely by the opening of the Abyss, a nigh-literal gate to Hell. Oblivion seemed all but assured- until humanity built a bunch of friggin Sentai, fueled by the Abyss to fight back. There were definitely no repercussions to this. Surely, these Abyssal Knights didn’t become corrupted by their power, kicking off a rebellion which tore the remnants of society apart. And, a generations long civil war? Unfathomable.

So, yeah- the world of Gestalt is in pretty rough shape, to the point that it’s honestly surprising they’ve reached steampunk levels of technology. Not that it’s doing much good, given that a -third- apocalyptic event is potentially due, and an attempt at a truce fails -right- out the gate.

Terrible stuff, really. Which makes it a relief that the focus of this story is Aletheia- a Soldner (*Cough*Mercenary*Cough*) who’s just trying to get by. Or, she would be- were it not for the fact that she finds herself in the wrong place at the right time- and soon finds herself embroiled in a conspiracy that will determine the fate of the city, and reveal her own forgotten path.

All in all, it’s a fairly neat premise- and one that the game puts a lot of work into telling. Only- the way it’s executed frequently comes at the expense of the gameplay. Let me explain myself here. In and of itself, the cutscenes do a decent job of laying out the overall premise of the game- but, they’re extremely intrusive, often queuing up as you’re progressing through an area. And I do mean often, since if you’re moving at a relatively steady clip (see: not exploring/grinding excessively)- it’s entirely possible for the game to wrench you out of playing the game not even 15 or 20 minutes after an earlier scene. And this can just *chain* together, given the sheer number of scenes lodged in Gestalt.

Which then brings me to the next point. Because as jarring as that is- what finally broke any semblance of immersion for me, was how more than half of Gestalt’s story wrench the focus away from the protagonist, and settle it squarely on the machiavellian plots that are currently happening behind the scenes. Much of which, I should mention, boils down to a combination of exposition, and foreshadowing for some fairly belated pay offs.Ultimately, I came away feeling that the story is less a matter of organically discovering the events at hand, and more a matter of sitting through the synopsis of a plot.

A sometimes repetitive synopsis, given the dialogue will echo itself- as though it has little faith in the players ability to follow along. But, honestly- despite everything, I do have to give it credit. At the end of the day, Gestalt had managed to build up some fairly central questions- which I was legitimately looking forward to seeing answered.

And then the game ended. It’s hard for me to describe how abrupt the conclusion feels, but if I have to: Shameless Sequel baiting feels the most accurate. I felt -robbed-, both by the ending itself, and the sheer lack of closure, or answers. It’s just more ominous foreshadowing and the promise that the player will eventually get answers, if only they’d poke at the sequel. Yeah. Sort of a grim note to finish the story segment segment on, but, here we are.

So, let’s shift gears and talk shop about Steam & Cinder’s gameplay. Which, given its nature as a Metroidvania, means it’s about time to tackle its’ exploration elements. Aaaand the awkwardness I ran into here. Now, I do want to be clear here- I am rather fond of the Gestalts stage design, as venturing through the regions felt nice enough the first time around, and I couldn’t help but appreciate the manner in which they each harbored their own distinct obstacles and enemies. And I will never complain when a game takes steps to enable efficient shortcuts for a diligent player. That said- for a title that exists within this genre, the experience felt fairly linear.

When I explored a region, I generally found myself guided through the bulk of its content, to the point that it began to cultivate a sense of almost being on rails. While this does mean you’ll get to see the gist of the puzzles and obstacles that will define each of the regions, and in fact, would be hard pressed to bypass what it has in store for you- this ultimately makes the game feel closer to an action platformer, rather then the exploration focused endeavor I was hoping for.

That’s not to say side paths didn’t exist, but, the majority of them felt quite shallow, to the point that there were only a handful of times where I found myself rewarded with anything more than a new shortcut, or a small nook with a chest or collectible, after I’d backtracked to a location with the double jump, or air dash.

And even when it did provide -something- it’d be extremely limited in scope- to the point that I’d only really encountered a handful of solid optional puzzles by the time the game had run its’ course, and the crux of those were near the finale.

So, yeah- again, I was *super* grateful that the shortcuts were as robust as they were, because between that, and early access to a fast travel system- it meant that backtracking was less painful than it might otherwise have been, given the pay off.

But, okay- I’ve said my bit on navigating its world. What I haven’t addressed is the combat and character building- and this is where Gestalt has a bit more to offer on a mechanical level. Take the basics of combat- while you’re initially limited to a brief sword combo, a 1 shot pistol, and a pair of (stamina-limited) evasive options, it wastes very little time before introducing the stagger meter, and a secondary pistol shot which eschews direct damage in favor of chunking it. – Given that a staggered enemy is disabled for a decent amount of time, loses any existing defense they may have -and- takes extra damage- this small change already provides players with more choices, such as whether they should focusing on disabling an armored enemy to finish it off, or to pick off potentially squishier enemies while it’s disabled, or even just use the guns normal shot to just vaporize something small to facilitate maneuvering around. (And Gestalt’s ammo system adds another strategic layer entering the equation, since the bulk of your energy is generated by hitting enemies who -aren’t- staggered- forcing you into the fray in order to make use of the mechanic).

Something, I should note, that worked incredibly well during the boss fights, since their health and defense ensured fights will drag on by default, forcing a player to find the gaps in their attack patterns to generate the energy needed to stagger and melt them.

And that feeling was further reinforced when I unlocked the crunchy heavy attack, which provided a short range option to spend ‘ammo’ on. But even with that, it didn’t actually take all that long for Gestalt’s combat to feel as though it had plateaued for me.

The biggest factor simply boiled down to how its fights pan out, because, sure, there may be a decent array of enemies to fight- but a lot of those normal enemy encounters boil down to them spamming one of two attacks, generally only leaving enough time to roll through, take a slice, and back off. And I do mean needing to back off, because enemies do not have any form of hit stun, disincentivizing attempts at trying to do more elaborate combo-chains, if you don’t want to trade hits. (And remember that whole- ‘Estus Flask’ thing?).

No small wonder, then, that I began to cheese the encounters as best as I could. Such as sitting on a platform below an enemy, and tickling their feet with standing or jumping slices until they died, or smacking one through a wall.

Still, what’s weird about all this, is that it runs afoul of another of Gestalt’s systems- specifically, Aletheia’s leveling tree. While the majority of it is composed of stat nodes that boost her health, or damage- there’s also a number of skill nodes, ranging from passive extensions to light combo, or ammo capacity, to more active options- like new heavy attacks. Which sounds like it’d be neat, but- well, I never found a point where attacking out of a backstep was more efficient than rolling behind an enemy. It certainly didn’t leave me as vulnerable.

And this is only compounded in the case of the alternate heavy attacks, because while they’re pretty- they also tend to be situational, to the point that I never really found myself leaning on any of them organically. Their case also wasn’t helped, by the skill nodes which further ramped the power and utility of the safer gun options. If you cap out the skill tree, they are powerful to an unhinged degree- and well, Gestalt makes it easy, since even after maxing out the tree & emptying the skill point shop, I had leftovers.. (But then, it is kind enough to grant them for leveling, completing quests, and for certain collectibles).

Not that this enables you to break the game early on, since Alethia’s leveling tree is gated, with portions of it only unlocking once she’s acquired the relevant progression ability. Also, this weird bit of generosity isn’t just limited to your skill points- since it also provides you a few backup materials to improve your healing item. …and by a few, I mean- there came a point where I was hoping to see something else would pop out of a chest. Seriously, even with potion upgrades costing more with each new improvement, I had enough to boost it again, and still have change left over. Which is sort of busted, because the boosts to healing efficiency you unlock in the skill tree are additive, making each one practically a full heal by the end of the game.

No, what I was hoping for was more accessories, because- well. Accessories are perhaps the only real difference most players will see in their characters’ end game builds- being a set of up to 4 items you can equip to our stalwart Soldner. And they are certainly useful, being able to reduce damage you take by a percent, or boosting your damage.. Or- um. Yeah. No, the vast majority of them really do boil down to being stat sticks that you slot in. That’s not to say there aren’t a couple novel ones in there, like one that makes potions faster to use,, but- it’s mostly a matter of crunchy numbers. – Not everyone’s cup of tea- but, I enjoyed building a semi efficient Crit Build. And it’s not like you’re disincentivized for messing around, given there isn’t a death penalty. (Yet another merciful mechanic, just Like Gestalt choosing to eschew pits as a source of instant death. Hence why I finished the game with only 4 fatalities by the tail end.)

Anyways, that’s gameplay- so, here we are. The aesthetics. The thing that caught my intention in the first place, because- yeah. Gestalt is a great looking game from start to finish. Whether it’s the enemy, the world, or the protagonist- everything looks -great-. I mean, yes, the maps themselves can be a little bit hazy at times- but, frankly, this is offset by the fact that you can put down relatively precise markers for points of interest to explore later.

Really, the only lingering flaw that stuck out in my mind by the game’s end, is the way that the dialogue portraits can sometimes clash with a scene that’s playing out. Because each character only has 1. Still, what we’re given instead is a world where the actual characters are animated during the scenes you’re seeing- so, I think it’s a worthwhile trade, however distracting it may be. Oh, and audio wise? The music slaps. It does such a great job of breathing a bit more life into the world, and building its ambience.

But, it doesn’t change my final thoughts on Steam & Cinder. And what those thoughts are, is that Gestalt is ultimately in a bit of an odd place. It’s a metroidvania that doesn’t really provide all that much on the exploration angle of things, an action platformer that can’t help but constantly interrupt its own action with multiple cutscenes, and a narrative experience that kneecaps its finale, while offering an empty mystery to mull over.

That’s not to say I particularly dislike any of these elements as a whole, but they’re all a bit off the mark. Working at odds with each other, rather than synergistically. Which is a shame, because I came into this title -wanting- to like it more than I do. But when I think about the 9 and a half hours I spent fiddling through it- it’s not exactly the sort of thing I’m excited to talk about. 

At the end of the day, I think Gestalt is an adequate experience- but, It’s not something I’d find myself immediately recommending to someone in search of a Metroidvania, Or an action platformer, or even a narrative oriented game – unless I couldn’t think of anything else off hand – or they absolutely needed a post apocalyptic steampunk aesthetic.. So, yeah, in my book, Gestalt: Steam & Cinder is a beautiful, yet bizarrely fumbled experience.

Also, it sorta pained me to realize that the bulk of Gestalts’ side quests are literally MMO-tier Filler goals. I.E. kill 5 or 10 of a given trash mob, or farm drops from a given biome. Woo.
P.S. if anyone has considered commenting on how Corgi accessory would push my crit past 100%. I know. But It also enforces god mode. So, nah.

Anywho, Thanks for tuning in. If you have something ta’ say, leave a comment. I’ll catch you on the next episode of Crit Hit. Take Care till then, Folks.

The post CRIT HIT VIDEO – Gestalt: Steam & Cinder appeared first on Gamecritics.com.

HIGH Adorable adventure. Clever minigames as combat. Robot dog!!!

LOW A bit too much backtracking for an experience so short.

WTF Did I just dress up like a pinball machine?

Major Daaia has every reason to seek vengeance. 

Her parents, as well as millions of other humans, were slaughtered by the evil Rolars. She’s been raised since infancy to become a perfect killing machine and she’ll be in control of humankind’s greatest weapon, the Shikon-X — a fighter capable of modular transformation, with weapons and shields powerful enough to take the fight to the Rolar forces.

On her first mission, she receives an encrypted communication.  While she can’t translate it, something tells her that she must investigate…  And then she plays some pinball.

OK, Shikon-X is a bizarre little title.  The opening crawl parodies Star Wars, then immediately interrupts itself to worry if the developers might be sued.  Our protagonist, Daaia, is more focused on playing pinball and talking to her robot dog than she is about the war raging throughout the galaxy.  Between moments of absurdist humor, the narrative takes a dark turn for a few minutes to deal with genocide and child warriors.  It’s tonally all over the place, but that’s part of the charm. 

The plot moves briskly, but it doesn’t really have a choice, as the entire campaign can be completed in two hours with two different endings.  Except for a minor interlude involving a lecherous officer trying to spy on a woman taking a shower (which is, sadly, required by the plot) Shikon-X is harmless popcorn-movie-style fun.

The irreverence doesn’t stop with the narrative.  Some of Daaia’s missions are stylized versions of old-school brick-breaking action, like one would have seen in ’80s arcades. Think classics like Breakout or Arkanoid, although the twist is that she’s using her ship to protect a wall, rather than destroying it. 

Another mission plays exactly like a top-down arcade shooter along the lines of another ’80s classic, Galaga.

When our hero has to take on a part-time job (it makes sense in context… sort of) the player enters a minigame analogous what could be found on an old-school LCD watch, and an incredibly important plot point revolves around getting a high score in pinball.

All of the missions control well and are a blast to play, though skillful handling of the shield ship takes a little bit of finesse, as it doesn’t quite control the way one would expect. During these Breakout-inspired missions, the ship circles around the items to be defended. Pushing left and right mostly moves the ship as expected, but pushing left when the ship is at the bottom of the circle continues to move it left from the ship’s POV. For some reason that threw me every single time, but I was eventually able to compensate.

Between combat encounters, Shikon-X plays like any standard point-and-click adventure game, but without the point-and-click. As Daaia navigates around the screen, items with a purpose will automatically receive a caption, identifying it (such as “coffee maker”) and eliminating the pixel-hunt frustration commonly found in point-and-clicks. These objects are important to the plot or solve puzzles, and they’re all activated by pressing X. It’s honestly a bit refreshing to use such a streamlined interface, and to know in no uncertain terms what can and can’t be used while playing.

There are also simple puzzles that follow the internal logic of Shikon-X‘s universe, even if that logic is skewed by normal standards. For instance, I had to construct something by dropping blueprints on an easel, triggering another character to stop what he was doing and build it for me. It was a bit silly, but it made sense in the moment. I was only stuck once during my playthrough because I didn’t realize a maze I was in required me to find the correct person to ask for directions.

Several puzzles can be solved by revisiting past locations to see if anything has changed, or if someone new has shown up to talk to. In fact, this relates to my only complaint about Shikon-X — there’s a bit too much backtracking for an adventure that only takes a couple of hours to finish.

However, this is just a minor quibble. Even with the backtracking, Daaia doesn’t outstay her welcome. In fact, I wish there had been more content. By the time credits rolled, I wasn’t ready to leave this crazy universe, and I wanted to know what happened next. Shikon-X leaves itself wide open for a sequel and actually begs players to tell their friends about it so the developers can fund their next project. I hope they succeed — I can’t wait for more!

Shikon-X Astro Defense Force is delightful. People may find it brief, but the brevity is more than made up for by ample charm and a clear love of the source material it parodies.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Disclosures: This game is developed by Kindermann Corp. and published by Treasure Boy.  It is currently available on PC and Switch. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher and reviewed on the PC. Approximately 2 hours of play were devoted to the single-player mode, and the game was completed.  There are no multiplayer modes.

Parents: According to the ESRB, this game is rated T and contains Drug Reference, Fantasy Violence, Mild Language, Suggestive Themes. The game features mild drug references (primarily alcohol), and there is a scene depicting lecherous behavior concentrated on a female crew member in the shower. 

Colorblind Modes: There are no colorblind modes available.

Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: This game offers subtitles. The subtitles cannot be altered and/or resized. All dialogue is text-based, and all sound cues are accompanied by a corresponding visual cue.  The game is fully accessible.

Remappable Controls: No, this game’s controls are not remappable.

The post Shikon-X Astro Defense Fortress Review appeared first on Gamecritics.com.

HIGH Premise is simple. Bosses have great pacing.

LOW Not a lot of depth.

WTF The boss obsessed with printers.

TRANSCRIPT:

Hi everyone! Eugene Sax here with another review from GameCritics.com.

Bullet hell games are usually known for filing the screen with noise, bright lights, and a million projectiles while demanding precise, perfect play for success. One BTN Bosses is certainly a bullet hell, but it goes in a different direction by taking out the mechanical dexterity usually required to pilot a spaceship between waves of incoming fire while activating shields and weapons, and instead distills the experience down to a point where it can be played, literally, with a single button. 

In One BTN Bosses, a ship orbits around a central enemy. As players move faster, bullets will fire toward the enemy boss automatically and start taking down its health while the boss fires back. Incoming attacks can range from things like bullets and bombs, to wilder things like shapes that grow in size before disappearing. When the player changes direction to dodge attacks, the ship’s fire slows, and this has the effect of slowing damage output. As players defeat bosses, they’ll unlock movement options and new weapons that change play. 

For example, players start with the ability to change direction and fire single bullets as they move around. One upgrade changes movement by limiting it to a single direction, but also allows players to dash through enemy attacks without being hit. Players can also modify their offense with things like like a laser that fires faster as the player moves faster, and so on. Also, if they player ends up with a loadout they don’t care for, all ship options can be changed between levels. 

The campaign serves as a training mode for players to learn the ins-and-outs of the mechanics. Players will have a couple of fights against a starter boss which serves to teach players about the different types of attacks. Then players will fight against the main bosses which combine multiple attacks in different ways. Once they’ve got the hang of it, players can go into the other mode, which serves as a roguelike version of the game. Players can’t change their movement or attack option between levels here, but each victory grants the player a special ability like increased weapon damage, increased top speed or acceleration, or shields they can pick up in each level. 

Regardless of which mode players are in, One BTN Bosses has fantastic pacing, easing them in with a slow ramp of ever-more-complicated bullet patterns. Starting with bullets firing directly at the player and the danger being telegraphed ahead of time, things soon escalate into multiple bullet waves and deadly shapes. One BTN Bosses also incorporates different challenges like smaller orbits, different shapes or a single curved line with portals to mimic an orbit without actually being a connected circle. 

Honestly, it’s hard to find anything wrong with One BTN Bosses, but if I had to pick something, then it would be that I wish there was more to it — more weapons, more movement options, more bullet patterns. Just more of everything, I suppose? The campaign ran for a short three to four hours, and by the end of it, I felt like I’d seen everything it had to offer.

In the end, One BTN Bosses could easily serve as a gateway to get players into the bullet hell genre without overwhelming them. It still requires the same skills needed for other bullet hells like timing, precise movement, and balancing attack movement with dodging enemy fire. However, it makes everything happen with a single button press, so players can focus on practicing those skills in a more limited, controlled way. It might not convert those who already know they don’t like bullet hell titles, but fans of the genre and even people on the fence might find a lot of excitement in how masterful it is at minimalism. 

For me, One BTN Bosses gets a 8.5 out of 10.

Disclosures: This game is developed by Midnight Munchies and published by Midnight Munchies and Outersloth. It is currently available on PC. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher and reviewed on the PC. Approximately 4 hours of play were spent playing the game, and the game was completed. There are no multiplayer modes.

Parents: There is no rating according to the ESRB. Players shoot colorful bullets at bosses that are different polygonal shapes. No blood, no foul language, lots of jokes from the characters in the game that revolve around office humor. In my view, it’s approved for all ages.

Colorblind Modes: Colorblind Modes are present.

Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: This game offers subtitles, but subtitles can be altered and/or resized. Music serves as atmosphere only. There are no relevant audio cues. The game is fully accessible.

Remappable controls: Controls are completely remappable. Players can select a specific key, or use the mouse click.

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