HIGH Surfing a missile into a building is rad as hell.

LOW There’s a suboptimal amount of downtime in the stage design.

WTF Joe’s eloquent way with words.

Are videogame bad guys deliberately stupid? It’s a question I’m sure nobody on the planet has ever asked before, but the bad guy in Shinobi: Art of Vengeance, Lord Ruse, comes across as a prime example of being a blithering dum-dum.

First, he’s a bad guy gunning for domination in a world where Sega’s premiere bad guy-killing ninja Joe Musashi exists. He then intentionally attacks Joe’s home while he’s chilling with his wife, dog and students, confidently relegating the killing of said super ninja to his most inept followers and leaving before the job’s done — so now Joe has to prioritize killing the bastard in a personal way.

Players will rely on Joe’s trusty katana during this 2D side scrolling quest, as well as a pocket full of throwing knives and an understated ability to dive-kick dudes in the face. Over time he’ll acquire new moves and additional gear, but don’t expect new weapon types. Blowing fire and summoning snake gods are all well and good, but Joe’s ultimately a katana guy through and through.

In his pursuit of vengeance, Joe will discover amulets that improve or modify certain abilities. He can equip some that cause enemies to drop more money or better healing items, while others offer rechargeable barriers that absorb a single attack or give significant damage buffs as his combo meter rises.

Naturally there are a ton of bad guys to meet and defeat along the way, from low level ninja to far more competent ‘elite’ demons, robots and skilled swordsmen.

Most enemies have two damage gauges to keep track of — their basic health and a stun meter that opens them up for an instant execution marker which will see Joe bullet across the screen turning every vulnerable enemy a into bloody mist. It should be mentioned that doing these instakills never, ever gets old and is heavily encouraged by showering players who use it with more resources than normal kills.

To get specific for a moment, there’s an excessive amount of hitstop on attacks, causing the action to briefly freeze as blade meets flesh. Most titles usually reserve this for heavy or perfectly-timed hits, but Shinobi: Art of Vengeance liberally applies it to pretty much everything. It’s a double-edged approach, with many combos feeling weighty and powerful in nature, but this staccato rhythm of sword swipes staggers the flow of combat and lingers just a little too long when the player takes damage from enemies.

With that said, for the most part the action feels solidly enjoyable with plenty of scope for player expression and experimenting with flamboyant combos that brutalize enemies halfway across the screen, their broken corpses flopping around like pincushions full of kunai. However, I’m also curious to see how the same combat engine would fare if the hitstop was completely absent.

Something that’s more of a clear issue is that Joe commits to certain attacks, meaning that he can’t roll or jump to safety until the attack completed. It leads to the master ninja feeling less sprightly than he probably should, tanking hits with his face instead of swiftly sweeping out of range, making performing certain moves more unsafe than they probably should be. Not that enemies are particularly deadly for the most part, many of them putter through their standard attack animations without much regard for what Joe’s up to.

Bosses are the usual motley crew of idiots who think that they can take on Joe Musashi and live, though series veterans will recognize a few returning faces. They’re fine, but rarely standout – most of them are punching bags, honestly. That’s not to say that they don’t have attack patterns that require avoiding, but Joe can absolutely body them for the most part.

In terms of presentation, Shinobi looks great — absolutely fantastic in places, even, with a hand-drawn art style that continually impresses from the first scene in a gorgeously sunlit field, all the way to later stages storming through rain-slick cities, towering mountain passes, underground secret bases and the welcome return of an awesome surfboarding section. That said, I do find the overly angular stage design to detract from things somewhat, though I’m sure the choice was made to make surface areas more easily recognizable.

Shinobi: Art of Vengeance takes a psuedo-metroidvania approach to level design. It isn’t all one large interconnected world to explore, but rather a bunch of levels peppered with secrets that can only be fully explored when bringing back tools and skills acquired in later levels — things like walls requiring climbing claws to scale, updrafts that necessitate the use of a glider, or anchor points that Musashi will need a grappling hook to latch onto.

Despite this, Shinobi: Art of Vengeance doesn’t take full advantage of the approach. Players will often return with new gear only to pick up a single item or perform a short platforming sequence instead of uncovering new areas to explore, enemies to kill and bosses to defeat. It’s largely disappointing when compared to other games that utilize the approach well, though there are portals known as Ankou rifts that offer more challenging subrooms filled with enemies or tougher platforming sections.

The puzzles on offer generally exist to slow the proceedings down. Flipping switches to open doors is rarely an exhilarating gameplay mechanic, and pushing heavy objects across a floor to block a laser or power a device doesn’t exactly scream high-speed ninja action. Little of this is significantly additive, instead leading to far more downtime than is desired.

I generally enjoyed Shinobi: Art of Vengeance just fine. On the upside, the combat engine is fluid and satisfying to experiment with, and for the most part Shinobi: Art of Vengeance generally offers a reasonably good time. However, as a longtime series fan I expected an absolutely awesome outing, and it never quite hit the heights I was hoping for.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10

Disclosures: This game is developed by Lizardcube and published by DotEmu. It is currently available on XBX/S/PS5/Switch and PC. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher and reviewed on the XBX. Approximately 20 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 Blood and Violence. The good stuff! The official description reads: This is an action-platformer in which players assume the role of a ninja leader trying to save the world from an evil corporation. From a 2D/sideways perspective, players explore levels while fighting various enemies (e.g., ninjas, soldiers, monsters). Players use swords, throwing stars, and dramatic special moves to kill enemies in frenetic combat; fighting is highlighted by cries of pain, brief slow-motion effects, and frequent blood splatter. One boss fight allows players to dive inside the creature and slash at a giant 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. I don’t recall any instances where lack of sound would be a problem. I’d say it’s fully accessible without audio.

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

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HIGH Deeply customizable builds.

LOW A grueling number of enemies.

WTF All that text on a single piece of equipment

Despite its title, Dragon is Dead is a lively experience.

Clearing a floor in this 2D hack-and-slash roguelite will see a player mash buttons to dodge, stab, and cast elemental spells in a delirious cavalcade of pixels that can be equal parts spectacular and overwhelming.

Roguelites are a crowded genre but, if for no other reason, the presentation of Dragon is Dead demands attention. Developer TeamSuneat brings their depiction of a world corrupted by dark magic to life with sublime pixel art and animation in every skill, foe and location.

The aforementioned combat has a strong frenetic flow, requiring a good amount of focus, timing and skill. Players have a basic slash, double jump, and dodge along with slots for spells and techniques as they climb the skill tree. Those techniques also require mana, which slowly recharges on its own, but is boosted whenever the player lands a hit with a basic attack. As an onslaught of enemies fill the screen, an engagement becomes a careful dance of timing and technique to count cooldowns and refill mana. 

The skill tree resets with each run and the starting town offers little in lasting upgrades besides potion effectiveness. Contrary to many other roguelites out there, progression in Dragon is Dead is primarily built on collecting equipment that doesn’t disappear at death.

This facet of play is obviously inspired by Diablo, as if the red health and blue mana pools that adorn the screen weren’t enough to give it away. Whether dropped by enemies or in the chests that appear at the end of a stage, players will gather a ton of loot with randomized buffs to sort through. Certain NPCs back in town will also help tweak gear, although always with a degree of randomness.

As such, choosing equipment is determinative of the player’s build. For instance, I’m currently rocking the Glacier Crusher axe as my main weapon. It’s level 16 gear that does 21 Damage and proffers +0.95 Weapon Speed, +18 Dexterity, +1% Mastery Skill Damage, +27% Projectile Damage. It also buffs the Glacial Split technique by casting an additional shockwave that deals 170% damage. I’ve paired it with a talisman that buffs the Cold Amplification skill. So yes, I’ve tailored my gear towards climbing up the ice elemental tree.

It’s a system that offers the player extreme customizability, if at an incremental rate — and here’s where I have to say that, as a reviewer, I personally prefer progression to be a simpler and more streamlined affair. However, for the type of player that digs this kind of cumulative min-maxing, Dragon is Dead will likely hit all the right buttons.

As a death-die-repeat roguelite, it’s not particularly punishing. Yes, a player will die, but deaths always feel fair and progression is easily demonstrated as early-stage enemies and bosses get easier to breeze through. There is a weakness in this, though.

To clear a stage, a player is required to kill a certain number of enemies of increasing difficulty and number. There’s no ability to simply skip past or fast travel further down the line (or none that I have yet to find, anyway) making some of those early stages a chore when I can one-hit KO most early enemies. After a certain point, this easy steamrolling of early enemies left me feeling more exhausted than elated.

I think there’s also a missed opportunity in the platforming. Despite being blessed with a double jump from the start, the stages and boss battles don’t require much cleverness in traversal, perhaps a result of the procedural generation. And maybe it just isn’t that kind of experience, sure, but even aerial combat is weak – with only a few ranged spells, controlling the character in mid-air can feel clunky and frustrating.

These are relatively minor gripes, though. Dragon is Dead is a solid hack-and-slash roguelite elevated by the attractive pixel-art presentation and a plethora of options for customization. Players willing to invest in its dearth of systems will be rewarded with a hero all their own.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Disclosures: This game is developed by TeamSuneat and published by PM Studios, inc. It is currently available on PC. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher and reviewed on the PC. Approximately 8 hours of play were devoted to the single-player mode, and the main storyline was not completed. There are no multiplayer modes.

Parents: This game has not been rated by the ESRB. However, it does contains violence, blood, and some gruesome imagery. It is not recommended for children.

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. There are no audio cues or effects necessary to play. The game is fully accessible.

Remappable Controls:

The post Dragon Is Dead Review appeared first on Gamecritics.com.

HIGH The story feels both boundless and handcrafted. 

LOW Some reused art assets here and there.

WTF A girl who wears a tomato mask  

I keep asking myself, have I really beaten The Hundred Line?

Sure I’ve completed the story — I’ve reached the end credits a little under 40 times now, acquiring nearly half of the 100 available endings. But those 60-or-so endings that remain… they vex me, I tell ya. Not only do they make me second-guess whether or not I’ve really completed The Hundred Line in any meaningful sense, but they also make me wonder whether I’ll ever fully conquer something this vast and labyrinthian.

In general, I hate how bloated games have become. I’m just not interested in titles that prioritize endless Content — to me, they feel like a futile and demeaning attempt to numb the player’s brain and senses. The Hundred Line is different, though. Its endless length is filled to the brim with a number of story routes which vary wildly in tone and genre, acting as a veritable index of modern videogame storytelling, and genre storytelling in general. I continue to be entranced by The Hundred Line’s endless possibilities, in awe of its gutsiness and ambition. 

Despite the bizarre turns the story takes over the course of its gargantuan runtime, the setup is (relatively) simple. The protagonist, Takumi Sumino, is living a blissful (yet boring) existence in the Tokyo Residential Complex, a futuristic, sealed-off metropolis. One day, Takumi and his childhood friend Karua are accosted by mysterious, cartoonish alien creatures called ‘Invaders.’ Takumi is then prompted by an equally mysterious robot to use a special power to fight these Invaders.

Afterwards, Takumi is transported to the titular ‘Last Defense Academy,’ a school that seems to stand within the ruins of a devastated Earth. Awaking at the academy with the robot, Sirei, and a group of quirky fellow students, Takumi is told they must defend the school for 100 days, protecting ‘something’ within the complex that is ‘critical to humanity’s survival.’ 

It’s difficult to summarize The Hundred Line without spoiling anything, given the ways in which the setup is expanded and twisted throughout the initial playthrough and all subsequent runs (which then allow the player to make choices that drastically alter the course of the story). However, to put it in a nutshell, it largely summed up as a combination of Visual Novel and Turn-Based Tactics.

As The Hundred Line cannonballs through different genres and tones, even plot elements that were initially relegated to the background take on new dimensions of significance and pathos. The characters, who can initially feel like caricatures (a ditzy samurai, a morbid goth girl obsessed with lurid videogames, etc.) acquire additional texture as the player spends more time with them, many acting as a sort of secondary ‘star’ of their very own route. It all feels like staring at a painting from different angles, a ritual that becomes comfortably familiar while still having the capacity to surprise and delight. 

This dizzyingly panoramic effect is increased by the fact that, in many cases, the individual routes feel so distinct that each is like a self-contained story unto itself. Certainly, some routes and some endings feel more like ‘True’ endings and routes than others, but The Hundred Line seems open to the idea that the player should shape their experience, in a manner that can only be accomplished in the medium of videogames. Even if the player decides to move on before clearing all 100 endings, they will undoubtedly find a route that feels like a cathartic stopping point.

The Hundred Line’s gargantuan visual novel story is frequently broken up by tactical RPG sections. Players have a pre-determined number of moves each turn, called ‘AP’ with which they can move any unit as many times as they like. This shared pool of moves is the key to The Hundred Line’s excellent gameplay, enabling its best feature — a sort of Shin Megami Tensei-esque extra turn system. By killing larger enemies, the player can gain AP. Also, every attack contributes towards building a ‘Voltage’ gauge, which, when full, grants the player’s units the ability to launch powerful Area-of-Effect attacks at no AP cost, among other possible effects. 

It’s easy to see how these pieces fit together. Combat revolves around efficiently targeting sets of elite units, gaining Voltage, and looping powerful attacks. Often, the player can burn down a huge wall of units in a single turn, which feels both joyously appropriate from a narrative perspective (defending a lone human outpost from an endless barrage of Invaders) and continuously novel from a gameplay perspective. Even though there are a limited number of enemies in The Hundred Line, the play continues to engage as the challenge to ‘solve’ enemy setups with greater efficiency ramps up. It’s a freeform and highly encouraging form of player experimentation — more like a puzzler than tactical RPG, almost. 

Both the story and the gameplay, in fact, are united in a sort of easygoing, confident attitude — they both welcome the player into a playful garden of limitless variations, inviting them to take their time and experiment with the systems and narrative possibilities at their own pace. Unlike many modern titles, The Hundred Line is huge content-wise because the developers just felt that it should be, and it’s not attempting to hoodwink the player with hours upon hours of empty, padded content. Each writer for The Hundred Line’s numerous arcs clearly had their own vision, each slice feeling like a necessary part of The Hundred Line’s grand mosaic. 

Even if I never completely beat The Hundred Line, even if I’m never able to see what that entire mosaic is supposed to look like, I’m just glad I got to play around in its world for a while. 

Rating: 9.5 out of 10

Disclosures: This game is developed by Too Kyo Games and Media.Vision, and published by Aniplex. It is currently available on PC and Switch. Approximately 115 hours were dedicated 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 Blood, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, and Violence. The official description reads: This is a role-playing game in which players follow a man recruited to an academy tasked with protecting humanity from destructive invaders. The game contains visual novel elements largely presented as still-screen images and sound effects. Cutscenes sometimes depict instances of violence and blood: characters stabbing themselves with swords as blood erupts from their wounds; a character decapitated off-camera; a knight figure cutting its own throat, resulting in large spurts of blood. Gameplay combat is turn-based, with players selecting movements and attacks from a menu screen to battle colorful demon enemies; players use swords, axes, bats, and fantastical guns to defeat enemies. Some scenes depict/discuss sexual themes: a woman covered in cake imploring a character to eat it off of her while she moans; a character telling players’ character “let me grab them b*obs!” A handful of scenes depict characters partially nude, with hair/arms/weapons covering their breasts; one character is depicted with partially exposed buttocks. The word “f**k” 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 the dialogue (and other essential information) is delivered via subtitles. In addition, there are no essential sound cues within the combat system. Thus, all elements of the game are fully accessible without sound. 

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

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HIGH Satisfying combat and addictive metroidvania mechanics.

LOW Short runtime and lack of truly fresh ideas.

WTF The fairy queen’s sprite is basically Dark Souls’ Gwynevere…

As the fifth installment in a series I’ve never tried before, Momodora: Moonlit Farewell was revealed to be a competent 2D metroidvania set in a dark fantasy world brimming with themes like sacrifice and maternity, all presented via a captivating art style.

As a priestess of the order in charge of protecting a village from evil forces lurking both below and above,  Momo Reinol is one of the few beings capable of stopping the approaching darkness in its tracks.

Armed with a magical leaf whose reach and damage potential extend at the final stage of its three-hit combo, she embarks on a journey across several biomes to collect items and parlay with deity-like beings to secure mankind’s (or at least, the village’s) survival. Moonlit Farewell’s art direction fits the setting with a carefully chosen color palette and memorable enemy designs. It all fits together beautifully.

Another of Moonlit Farewell’s most notable strong points is how approachable it is, especially for genre newcomers.

While most metroidvanias are keen on keeping the player stuck until that “a-ha!” moment finally presents itself and allows us to unlock the rest of the content, here the map clearly tells us which parts we have yet to explore and exactly which areas still hide a secret. Thus, as we slowly navigate through combat and platforming challenges, we can quickly consult with the map to ensure we haven’t missed anything along the way. The breadcrumb trail of power-ups evolves organically and logically, arming the player with just enough power to never let Momo’s fighting prowess come up short.

So, as is the case with most metrodivanias, gameplay consists of three segments — combat challenges against enemies with deadly melee attacks, molotov cocktail-throwing smarties, and disturbing entities that explode on death, platforming sections where we’ll have to manage our stamina bar, the longevity of our jumps, and the use of other abilities later unlocked, and screen-filling boss encounters, which round up the campaign’s “acts” and often bestow Momo with a new power upon defeat.

Aside from those core elements, Moonlit Farewell is brimming with hidden power-ups that, if successfully unearthed, will expand Momo’s health and mana pools, as well as the stamina recovery which allows her to sprint and dodge.

Despite all the power-ups and items to find, difficulty isn’t the point of Momodora: Moonlit Farewell — there aren’t any wild spikes or overpowered bosses hell-bent on punishing even the slightest mistake. Instead, the power-ups seem more about granting benefits that synergize with each other, and selecting the right array for a given challenge.

For instance, by donning an ability that granted a barrier upon healing myself, I was able to more confidently charge in by synergizing with powers that boost melee damage. In another instance, I combined the “exploding arrows” ability with one that allows Momo to fire three projectiles at once, and suddenly turned into Legolas, feeling pretty good about myself!

Of course, the most powerful abilities are hidden behind demanding obstacles, but hunting for them isn’t necessary to roll credits. Everything Moonlit Farewell throws at the player is well-balanced and solvable simply by using observation, rationale, and the abilities one will naturally come across on the critical path. 

As such, the only real complaint I want to raise is Moonlit Farewell’s lack of innovation. While it offers a nicely curated experience, it never tries to challenge or alter established genre boundaries in any way — there are no big surprises, nor any or game-changing abilities that might’ve enticed other developers to copy from Momodora: Moonlit Farewell in the future.

Ultimately, Moonlit Farewell is a game that excels at what it sets out to do, though it doesn’t try to achieve anything too surprising or outside the norm. Even so, it kept me glued to my console from start to finish, and no fan of this genre will find much fault with it.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Buy Momodora: Moonlit Farewell – PC – PS – XB – SW

Disclosures: This game was developed by Bombservice and published by Playism. It is currently available on Switch, PS5, XBX/S, and PC. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher and reviewed on the Switch Lite. Approximately 18 hours of play were devoted to the game, and it was completed 100%. This is a single-player-only title.

Parents: This game has received a “T” (“Teen”) rating by ESRB and contains Blood, Fantasy Violence, and Suggestive Themes. The official rating summary reads: This is a platformer game in which players assume the role of a priestess embarking on a divine mission. From a side-scrolling perspective, players traverse environments, interact with characters, and battle human bandits and demons. Players use magic and arrows to defeat enemies in melee-style combat. Battles are highlighted by impact sounds, colorful light effects, and small blood-splatter effects. Some environments contain bloodstains on the ground/walls. One female fantasy creature is designed with exposed breasts, though with no discernible details (i.e., no nipples); another character is depicted in a revealing outfit (e.g., deep cleavage).

Colorblind Modes: There are no colorblind modes available.

Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers:  All dialogue in this game is shown via textboxes, so they’re easy to keep track of at all times. Text cannot be altered or resized. All enemy attacks are clearly telegraphed on-screen with enemies signaling when they will strike next and in which general direction. No audio cues are needed for play. This game is fully accessible.

Remappable Controls: This game offers a controller diagram and players can freely remap any action to any button. 

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HIGH Witty, offbeat dialogue steeped in queer culture, Grammy-worthy soundtrack.

LOW Boss fights.

WTF This game is hornier than a Renaissance faire, so how are there no sex scenes?

Sorry We’re Closed, a new survival horror title published by Akupara Games, is a startlingly strong debut for developer Ã  la mode games whose creative team is more of a dynamic duo — one person wrote the code and another created the lore, world, art and music. From the moment I laid eyes on footage and stills of it, I knew it would be something special, and I was glad to be proven correct.

The story beats mostly deal with the unique challenges of navigating queer relationships, made even more complicated when they are between angels and demons.

SWC’s protagonist, Michelle, has a fraught relationship with love due to her history with another woman, and she clearly suffers from depression as a result. As Michelle works the closing shift of her dead-end job at a convenience store, the player has to decide how to respond to NPCs who complain about their relationships or share conspiracy theories about demonic activity in the area. However, SWC isn’t just a depressing store clerk sim. 

The player soon finds that the strange theories she hears are more than rumor once she meets the neon-pink Duchess — an archdemoness hellbent on making Michelle love her. Things get even weirder when Michelle discovers that a third eye has appeared in the middle of her forehead which allows her to switch between reality and the parallel demon dimension with a snap of her fingers. From here, Sorry We’re Closed quickly shifts into something resembling a fever dream, and the player is met with a nightmarish alternate reality where the rules of time and space are blurred.

Gameplay is dynamic and varied, allowing the player to alternate between the fixed isometric camera of survival horror classics and the perspective and combat mechanics of retro first-person shooter titles — and knowing how and when to switch between the modes is important as it allows for some interesting puzzle-solving.

For example, a wall in a crypt that has a gap, but the player can’t see it unless they’re in first-person. In another section, the player must maneuver around floor spikes that can only be seen by activating Michelle’s third eye. By the final act, the player will have navigated a variety of head-scratchers, the most challenging of which use a combination of all the techniques they will have learned by that point.

Another important aspect of the third eye is how it relates to the real-time combat. Using it while in first-person causes the screen to turn hot pink and reveals enemy hearts which act as weak points — the player can dispatch foes at a much faster rate if they can successfully shoot each one as it appears. This also charges up the Heartbreaker — a one-shot-kill gun that doubles as the only weapon capable of bringing down bosses. Bosses have at least three giant hearts, which means that the player must find a way to charge up the Heartbreaker (usually by shooting their extremities like tentacles or hands) before they can finally do away with them.

Unfortunately, the boss fights are one of the weakest points of Sorry We’re Closed. The first boss is woefully easy — just a few moves for the player to memorize and then wait for an opening to hit its vulnerable points. Others called for more skill and precision as well as multi-tasking (endgame bosses force the player to dispatch waves of enemies at the same time in order to be able to use the Heartbreaker) but they were all more or less achievable using the same strategy.

In terms of creature design, however, the bosses are thoughtfully realized as they often reflect certain qualities of the people they began as, such as the aquarium level boss, Matilda. She was a pop singer before turning into the towering, tentacle-slinging monstrosity the player finds at the end of the level, and they’ll know it’s her from her signature lavender bow which can be seen comically resting on the back of the monster’s head as it emerges from an overflooded tank.

Speaking of design and style, the neon-soaked PSX aesthetics are on-point and the attention to detail is undeniable, from the blocky, dreary environments to the flashy, anime-inspired character models (the Duchess resembles a classic shoujo villain, replete with a posh-sounding laugh that accompanies every line of dialogue) and the enemies are pure nightmare fuel. One bloodied, angular creature sent a chill down my spine the first time I encountered it, and many offer a considerable challenge, especially in groups when the player must sometimes hold off multiple waves of enemies while waiting for an objective, like a power generator that needs time to charge, in order to be completed.

It’s worth mentioning Sorry We’re Closed‘s music, courtesy of the Okumura Collective — a group of singers, rappers, beatmakers and producers who also worked on the soundtrack for No More Heroes 3. Their music effectively complemented the atmosphere and echoed thematic elements. For instance, the refrain, “the more I start to change, the less I see myself,” reflected how Matilda became a monster by succumbing to her desire for personal gain at the cost of her own humanity.

Despite its underwhelming bosses and somewhat awkward FPS mechanics (which I actually found endearing as a PSX nostalgist) Sorry We’re Closed presents one of the most singular gaming experiences I’ve had in recent memory. I was charmed by its low-poly graphics, hearkening back to the classics while maintaining its own distinct visual style. It also had me constantly on the edge of my seat, not knowing what to expect in terms of the varied, hybridized gameplay and the unconventional story filled with queer-centered subject matter and a delightfully warped sense of humor.

For players looking for something a little outside the usual fare, Sorry We’re Closed is the offbeat survival horror genre-blend they didn’t know they’d been waiting for — and as one of that number myself, I can say that it was an experience unlike any other.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Disclosures: This game was developed by Ã  la mode games and published by Akupara Games. The game was obtained via publisher and it is currently available on PC. It was obtained via publisher and reviewed for PC. Approximately 13 hours were devoted to the campaign mode. The game was finished. There is no multiplayer mode.

Parents: This game is not yet rated but there is a considerable amount of violence, blood and gore, explicit language (f-bombs are dropped several times) and sexual innuendo so I would rate it M if it were up to me.

Colorblind Modes: There are no colorblind modes available.

Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: This game features dialogue presented in text format or audio but only as a way to highlight the emotions of a particular text e.g. sighing or screaming. In addition to sound, incoming threats are indicated by different markers and there are no other sounds that affect accessibility for members of the Deaf community which makes it fully accessible.

Remappable controls: The controls can be remapped.

The post Sorry We’re Closed Review appeared first on Gamecritics.com.

HIGH A riveting supernatural story with a legendary legacy.

LOW What do you mean the other half is still in production?!

WTF The tonal shifts when encountering a bad ending and reading the cast commenting on your failures.

Frankly speaking, the mere thought of being able to draft a review of the official English-language international release of Tsukihime feels unreal. For nearly 24 years, it seemed like Type-Moon’s legendary visual novel would forever be Japan-exclusive, never to appear in English without the help of fan translations — but it’s here now, and all is well.

To be accurate, the subject of this review is not, strictly speaking, the Tsukihime that I first played a fan translation of in high school. Instead, I’m reviewing Tsukihime -A piece of blue glass moon-, a remake developed by Type-Moon and released in Japan in 2021. It features a fully rewritten story and new original art from Type-Moon co-founders Kinoko Nasu and Takashi Takeuchi.

Though the story has been rewritten, the core premise hasn’t changed. As before, the narrative is told almost entirely in the first person, experienced through the very special eyes of Shiki Tohno, a young high school student.

Shiki possesses the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, causing him to see supernatural “lines” drawn all over everything around him. Cutting along those lines instantly kills almost anything… or anyone, unless Shiki wears a pair of special magical glasses that hide the lines from his sight. After years living in exile away from his aristocratic family, Shiki is called back to the massive Tohno mansion following the death of his father. A shockingly violent encounter with a mysterious, beautiful woman named Arcueid kicks off the story proper, drawing Shiki deeper into a mystical world that lies just beneath the surface of the urban ordinary. It’s a world where vampires war in the city streets under cover of night, all the while dodging monster hunters empowered by the church itself, and where seemingly anyone, from the family doctor to one’s own classmates, might be hiding some kind of supernatural secret.

Adventure stories with a horror twist aren’t new, but it’s notable that Tsukihime -A piece of blue glass moon- is also, at its core, a romance.

Alongside the vividly rendered passages describing magical battles and vampire hunts are meet-cutes straight out of a romantic comedy playbook. In these instances, the writing bubbles with a sweet puppy-love vibe, full of dramatic teenage infatuation rendered in flowery, heartfelt passages. Thanks to an top-class English-language localization, the mood of reckless teenage romance is perfectly captured. It’s even thanks to this localization that segments where Shiki essentially ogles his female conversation partners come across as cutely awkward, rather than creepy — immensely helpful considering the large number of pretty girls that interact with Shiki. That said, the story of Tsukihime does focus on two main narrative branches, each centered around a different heroine.

One of the biggest departures A piece of blue glass moon makes from the original Tsukihime is in the writing of the second branch, which focuses on Ciel, Shiki’s mature, reliable, enigmatic upperclassman.

The original game presented Ciel as an alternative romantic “route,” as is the custom for games in the genre, though the bulk of written material and development was clearly concentrated on Arcueid as the “main” heroine. The result was a Ciel route that felt like a variation of Arcueid’s — an alternative path included less as an equally valid option than a value-add for players seeking replayability.

By comparison, Ciel’s route in Tsukihime -A piece of blue glass moon– truly feels distinct, with its own plotting, cast of characters, and and exploration of a different side of Tsukihime‘s setting and lore. If Arcueid’s story route largely involves vampires and other supernatural kindred, Ciel’s dips heavily into the holy church, a vaguely Christian organization that defends human society against supernatural threats and violently suppresses the ones that come too close to revealing the magical world’s existence to mankind at large. In their way, the two main routes in Tsukihime‘s remake feel like genuinely equal options, fitting well with Type-Moon’s permissive attitude towards what counts as “canon” in its various properties.

With that in mind, players must read through Tsukihime -A piece of blue glass moon- multiple times to get the most out of the story. Thankfully, it includes plenty of tools to ease exploration. Players can save and load anytime, and a handy “flowchart” system not unlike the one seen in Vanillaware’s 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim allows players to jump back and forth in the timeline, checking the results of choices at their leisure. The main routes and their endings are also unlocked sequentially, so there’s no danger of making the “wrong” choice and being forced to reload or wait until the next playthrough.

There are even more than a dozen different “bad endings” to acquire for completionist players. Bad endings are very much the “wrong choices,” usually in the sense that picking them results in Shiki’s death, described in gruesome, embarrassing detail. These are usually played for laughs, though, and invariably conclude with a post-credits classroom sequence where the characters discuss what just happened and advise the player on what choices to pick after they reload.

Outside of the occasional typo and an odd bug where a small amount of voiced Japanese-language lines aren’t properly subtitled in other languages, Tsukihime -A piece of blue glass moon- is larger in scale than the original, polished to a mirror sheen, and convenient almost to a fault. Its writing expands the story in an appealing way that’s conscious of Type-Moon’s status as a company at the top of its field managing its own multiverse of related stories and projects (such as the Fate/Grand Order mobile game and more besides). It doesn’t supplant the scrappy, rough-hewn, original Tsukihime, but rather compliments it, presenting the visual novel equivalent of a breathtakingly costly but inimitably entertaining triple-A blockbuster to contrast with the original’s history as an out-of-nowhere indie hit.

The only wrinkle in this otherwise perfect remake story is that A piece of blue glass moon is just the first entry of the Tsukihime remake project. The two routes contained in this release are just the “Near Side” routes. The original game’s three other “Far Side” routes — routes that were more psychodrama-focused and starred supporting characters like Akiha, Kohaku, and Hisui, are due to be included in another installment, Tsukihime -The other side of red garden-, which is still in production. This isn’t to say that the experience feels incomplete without the additional routes, but it’s an acknowledgement that those who want to know more about certain other characters and see how Type-Moon will address their respective stories may end up waiting a while for the second half of the remake project to release.

Nevertheless, as it is, Tsukihime -A piece of blue glass moon- remains a superlative visual novel, and a must-read for any fan of Type-Moon’s work, as well as a great potential entry point for those looking to get into visual novels as a medium.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Disclosures: This game is developed Type-Moon and published by Aniplex. It is currently available for the Switch and PS4. This review is based on a paid download and reviewed on Switch. A PS4 code provided by the publisher was tested. Approximately 47 hours of play were devoted to the single-player mode and acquiring all main endings. There is no multiplayer mode. The game was completed.

Parents: This game is rated M by the ESRB, with content descriptors for Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, and Suggestive Themes. The rating description is as follows: “This is a visual novel in which players follow the story of a high-school student who encounters vampires and ghouls in Japan. As players progress through the narrative, they view stylized story sequences (mostly still images), some depicting violence and blood: blood splatter; pools of blood; characters killed off camera; a character’s hand repeatedly stabbed. The text includes descriptive details of violent acts (e.g., “I stab, I cut, I slice, I carve. Severing piece after piece until nothing is left…”; “After listening to the weakling beg for its life, she begins her meticulous work…Once the other arm is gone too, she swaps her tools and sets work on its inside.”). Some sequences depict severed limbs and dismembered body parts in large pools of blood. A female vampire is depicted partially nude, with exposed pelvic area (no genitalia), and her arm covering her breasts. The words “f**k” and “sh*t” are heard in the game.”

Colorblind Modes: The game has no colorblind modes.

Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: The gameplay is not reliant on audio cues. All voiced dialogue is represented by on-screen text. There are no options for text size or readability configuration, but detailed options exist to manage text display speed. This game is fully accessible.

Remappable Controls: This game’s button controls are not remappable.

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HIGH New gameplay mechanics updates and characters.

LOW What story mode?

WTF Divide! 2nd Clause! Immortalize! It’s the standard Arc System Works word salad.

As a fan of the original UNDER NIGHT IN-BIRTH, I was curious to see how UNDER NIGHT IN-BIRTH II Sys:Celes changed up the formula.

UNDER NIGHT IN-BIRTH II Sys:Celes (UN2) takes the captivating universe of its predecessor and amplifies it with new characters and enhanced mechanics. It also feels like an incremental update over the original, now with less story, though it ‘finishes’ some plotlines the prior left open. Developed by French-Bread and published by Arc System Works, UN2 is ultimately a strong entry to the series for fans of the original, and those looking to get into it as a pure fighting experience won’t be disappointed.

Visually, UN2 has the same beautifully-drawn 2D character sprites as the original. Simply looking at it, I would be hard-pressed to tell that it was a new game — it seems to be all the same sprits and assets, but this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as its predecessor had some of my favorite designs in a 2D anime fighter. The animations are fluid and dynamic, breathing life into each character. Whether it’s the swift strikes of Linne or the powerful spells of Hilda, every move feels impactful and satisfying.

Speaking of which, the UN series has great character diversity, and with 24 faces currently on the roster, there’s something here for everyone. With the same characters from UN1, UN2 then adds three new playable characters, Tsurugi, Kaguya, and Kuon. All of them feel strong and complement the cast well. Tsurugi wields a shield in combat, and hits harder. Kaguya is a speedy gun kata fighter. I enjoyed playing her quite a bit, and imagine she might become a fan favorite. Finally, Kuon is the new “boss” character, as he’s featured in the story as such. Out of the three new characters, he felt the most powerful thanks to some brutal moves and floating swords. While there will always be tier lists and characters who are stronger than others, UN2 feels balanced to the point that someone who devotes time should be able to have a good shot in competition, no matter who they choose.

Some of the key mechanics in UN1 have been improved. For example, the Grid system still adds an engaging tug-of-war style mechanic. Represented by an on-screen “Grid” (GRD) at the bottom of the screen, the Grid is based on retreats, blocked attacks, and using the “concentration” ability which is simply holding down a button to charge it. When a character’s grid bar is filled up. the character will enter “GRD Vorpal”, which gives a 10% damage boost.

Likewise, “Chain Shift” is a state the player can enter if they have Vorpal and press the “D” input quickly twice. The player will gain EXS (their meter) depending on the amount of GRD they have. All movement stops for just a moment, but then players in Chain Shift can cancel all of their attacks into each other. UN2 also features other mechanics such as “gatling” inputs to chain normal combos into one another, as long as it’s not the same normal in a combo.

If it wasn’t made clear by the paragraph above, UN2 is a very technical fighting game. Unlike some that might be more approachable to newcomers or casual fans such as Mortal Kombat, those who aren’t ready for this level of complexity might be a bit daunted. However, UN2 does have an auto-combo system, seen elsewhere in recent titles like Granblue Fantasy Versus. This system lets the player mash the light attack button and perform a simple combo if they land all of the follow-up hits. While an experienced player will be able to compensate and overcome it, it helps bridge the accessibility gap for new blood.

There are also other useful tools in the Tutorial and Challenge Mission modes to teach virtually every mechanic UN2 offers, and many that are generally key to competing in fighting games. This is a good touch, though they are relatively dry — essentially, the player just reads and does what they instruct. Depending on one’s learning style, they can potentially be a great help.

At this point I’ve covered UN2‘s systems, but what about that story?

Most fighting game players I know don’t come to the genre for the story. Me? I’ve put almost 80 hours into Guilty Gear Strive in the past few months and I’ve never experienced the story. UN2 seems to realize this truism, and doesn’t devote much time or effort on changing it. The singleplayer story mode is essentially just an arcade mode with little narrative, but this stands in contrast to the prior installment. The first had a full visual novel (of sorts) with detailed stories for each character. Despite not generally being in the market for fighting game stories, I would have liked more plot here.

In terms of performance, it runs great on the Playstation 4 and I had no problems playing with friends on that system. It does have Rollback netcode which should reduce the input lag and visual stuttering that affects some other online fighters. Lacking crossplay, I was unable to play with friends on PC — a factor for prospective players to keep in mind for those who might not have friends handy.

I believe UNDER NIGHT IN-BIRTH II Sys:Celes is a strong entry in the series and I’m happy to see it get a sequel, even if it feels more like a small step forward instead of a substantial shift. However, something that’s broken shouldn’t be fixed, so this level of refinement clearly has a lot to offer to fans and newcomers alike.

Rating: 7 out of 10

Disclosures: This game is developed by French Bread and published by Arc System Works. It is currently available on PS4/PS5 /PC. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher and reviewed on the PS4. Approximately 10 hours of play were devoted to the single-player mode, and the game was completed. 9 hours of play were spent in multiplayer modes.

Parents: According to the ESRB, this game is rated T and contains Language, Mild Blood, Suggestive Themes and Violence. The official description reads: This is a fighting game in which players engage in one-on-one combat by selecting amongst human and supernatural characters. Players use kicks, punches, and weapon attacks (e.g., sword slashes, claw strikes) to drain opponents’ life meter. Characters can perform special attacks, resulting in brief animated sequences that depict fiery blasts and brief blood-like effects. One character is depicted with blood covering his hands and arms. Some female characters are designed with revealing outfits (e.g., deep cleavage); the dialogue also references suggestive material (e.g., “…I thought you’d be satisfied with having seen me naked”; “Shame on you, subjecting this girl to your vices“; “…you little perv…”; “What on earth are you doing? She’s naked, for crying out loud.”). The word “sh*t” 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. The entire game can be played without sound and contains no informational dialogue (audio sounds are mostly reaction noises during combat). As such, this game is fully accessible.

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

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HIGH Combat, quests and core gameplay.

LOW Enemy variety, difficulty, and lack of story co-op.

WTF Why can’t I play the campaign with my friends in a co-op focused game?

I’ve been anticipating Granblue Fantasy: Relink (Relink for short) since I first got my hands on it for a preview last year. It’s the new realtime Action RPG game by Cygames and it feels like a mix of Final Fantasy XIV and Monster Hunter — yet as much as I want it to, in its current state it doesn’t surpass either. The director, Tetsuya Fukuhara, has worked on several Platinum titles and has nailed the combat that makes each character a joy to play... The fast-paced, yet tactical action kept me engaged well into the endgame hours of questing with friends. However, while GBF:R was a ride I loved, it ultimately left me wanting more of what it could be.

The game’s (short) story picks up suddenly and places the player in the role of Gran or Djeeta as captain of the Grandcypher airship. As a successor to Granblue Fantasy, Relink expected me to be familiar with the cast and story of the original mobile title which has yet to be released outside of Asia. There is an anime — available on Cygames’s YouTube channel for free — for those who want to know the preceding story and characters, though. Having watched part of it myself, it did help somewhat, but isn’t necessary as one can understand the characters and their motivations relatively quickly thanks to Relink’s standard plot.

Frankly, there was barely a single breath of character development throughout the story, and nearly all character beats were relegated to text-based “Fate Episodes”, which I feel should have been seamlessly integrated into the plot. Not having actual conversations between characters during the story was disappointing. Some localization choices made in the style of a Saturday morning cartoon was odd, and didn’t help engage me either.

While Relink’s story never surprised or felt deep, it was charming enough and did entertain until the end of its 10-hour run. At that point, it turns to its real focus — questing. Questing and action setpieces are where Relink shines, and playing with friends felt like how the content was meant to be experienced. Once I realized what the actual goal was, I was more okay with the scant script. The misstep, though, is that the narrative is not co-op. This meant that I was forced to have my friends rush through their own story modes to join me in the ‘postgame’ of Relink, as most content unlocks upon completion.

Each character controls in a snappy and polished way, though I was disappointed that I couldn’t change or remap the controller, and it somehow only shows Xbox controls. This is a small gripe, though, as Relink’s character roster and gameplay gave me enough fast-paced action to last another ten or twenty hours after the credits rolled.

Quests function similarly to Monster Hunter in that they revolve around the player undertaking increasingly powerful foes and boss fights to gain XP and materials to upgrade characters. The game currently hosts 20 playable characters, and more are already planned. Thankfully, the developers skip out on gacha-like random draws to unlock more characters despite its gacha roots. After over 30 hours in, I was able to unlock almost all of them and could have earned the last one had I tried harder to obtain him in my endgame grind.

Speaking of endgame, the quests here are both the best and worst part of Relink. The best because they’re legitimately enjoyable, and fighting bosses with friends was something I wanted more of. The worst, because the enemy variety is severely limited. I only encountered one unique boss that wasn’t in the campaign, and many encounters felt like recycled palette swaps. This trend continued throughout the “difficulty” modes I unlocked in multiplayer, though they never felt like they got harder.

Technically, Relink ran well for me on PC. Outside of crashes while loading endgame quests, I never had any issues, and with some tweaks it ran great, even on my Steamdeck.

The player base seems to be growing quickly on Steam, but for it to succeed in the long term, I believe it needs to focus on expanding the endgame considerably, with harder difficulty settings and a wider variety of monsters and bosses. I can see some potential as a long term co-op multiplayer experience with raid groups and serious challenges, but whether it will receive that content remains to be seen.

As a nine-year-long passion project of its developers, Granblue Fantasy: Relink oozes promise and style boosted by addictive action gameplay, a large cast and engaging mechanics. However, without more to offer endgame players and perhaps a bit of buffing in the narrative side, it’s likely to fizzle out and be eclipsed by larger titles. I can only hope the developer shows the same labor of love in supporting it, as they have in crafting it.

Addendum: After the original text of this review was written but before it was published, many people — myself included — have found that Granblue Fantasy: Relink has been corrupting, overwriting or otherwise deleting save files. This happened to me after almost 40 hours — suddenly all my saves were simply gone. I contacted support and also attempted to restore the files, but it wasn’t possible from my end. The devs said that they would have no information to share with me, and that they would not make any efforts to restore saves. Losing so much time invested without recourse or support from the dev side just isn’t acceptable.

Until the issue is solved I absolutely can’t recommend this game.

Rating (prior to losing my data) : 7.5 out of 10

Disclosures: This game is developed by Cygames, Platinum Games Inc. and published by Cygames, XSEED Games, and Plaion. It is currently available on PS4/5 and PC. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher and reviewed on the PC. Approximately 37 hours of play were devoted to the single-player mode, and the game was completed. 26 hours of play were spent in multiplayer modes.

Parents: According to the ESRB, this game is rated T and contains Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, and Violence. The official description reads: This is an action role-playing game in which players assume the role of an airship captain battling monsters across a fantasy realm. From a third-person perspective, players control their character and other party members through melee-style fights against various enemies (e.g., wolves, goblins, robots, boss characters). Characters use swords, magic, and guns to kill enemies in fast-paced combat; fighting is highlighted by light and slow-motion effects. Some sequences allow players to control mechanized armor suits in battle; these scenes depict frequent gunfire and explosions. Some female characters are designed with revealing outfits (e.g., deep cleavage); camera angles can focus on characters’ revealing outfits and/or anatomy (i.e., upskirt detailing). The words “sh*t” and “a*shole” appear in the game.

Colorblind Modes: Colorblind modes are present.

Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: This game offers subtitles. The subtitles cannot be altered and/or resized. The game can be played entirely without sound, and everything relevant is conveyed through visual cues. This game is fully accessible.

Remappable Controls: Mouse and keyboard are remappable, the controller layout is not.

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HIGH It’s a fine franchise choice to work out to.

LOW There’s no Japanese voiceover option, and the alternatives aren’t great.

WTF Kenshiro claiming that my punches are every bit as good as his. Uh… no.

Oh God! I’m not sure if anyone’s aware of this, but NUCLEAR WAR OCCURRED AT THE TURN OF THE CENTURY AND MOST OF THE PLANET IS NOW A SCORCHED WASTELAND! Oh no!

Bandits! Pillaging! Wanton slaughter! Bad words! Survivors rummaging through the wreckage for irradiated rats to feast on! It’s horrible, and only the successor to the Divine Fist of the North Star Kenshiro and his knowledge of boxing exercise techniques can save the day for all the wafer thin, malnourished victims tottering around the ruined Earth scavenging for meagre scraps of food.

Well, sort of. It’s made clear during the introduction that players are rediscovering the lost art of pre-apocalypse exercise instead of the murderously explosive art of Hokuto Shinken, so don’t expect to be able to waltz down the street blowing up passers-by at random in real life after a few sessions on the Switch.

In gameplay terms, anyone who’s played any of the Fitness Boxing titles should be able to slide right in here. Standing upright and holding the Switch’s nunchuck controllers in each hand, players will mimic the actions of their chosen onscreen instructor as they follow an exercise routine from start to finish, optionally warming up and cooling down at the end of each session. Sessions typically last between twenty to forty minutes depending on player choice, and range from “This Isn’t Bad, Actually” to “Oh Sweet Jesus I’m Gonna Die Help Me Help Help Help” in terms of intensity.

After the workout, each instructor will give out some advice or observations on the player’s performance. Kenshiro mentioned that I had an amazing jab and he couldn’t do better himself — and considering he can punch through someone’s skull and atomize the person standing behind them, I found this to be quite a compliment. Either that or he just lied straight to my face.

Players are also graded on their performance and how well they kept up with the onscreen action and given a bunch of stats showing estimated calories burned, punch success rate and the like. It all gets jotted down into a permanent gameplay record so users can track their exercise sessions over time, and each workout also doles out a little cash for buying new music, instructors and outfits along the way. Want characters like Mamiya or Raoh to teach fitness boxing instead? Go for it.

The other, more original, half of this package revolves around battles where Kenshiro works his way through multiple rounds of bad guys to square off against enemy bosses such as Shin and Southe… sorry, Thouzer. This mode isn’t that different from standard workouts as far as gameplay goes, but there are new victory conditions attached to the workout. Perform combination instructions correctly and the bad guys get defeated, get it wrong and they stay on their feet.

Bosses are slightly different, with both Kenshiro and adversaries like Shin having a health bar as well as attacking and defending phases. Hit the combos precisely during either sequence and Kenshiro’s opponent will get smacked and whiff their attacks, fail and he’ll be the one getting hammered into the ground instead.

Like I said, it’s basically the same mechanics as in the standard workouts, but there’s definitely something more engaging about ‘winning’ the workout as enemies fall by the wayside. That said, this is an all ages title. Adversaries seem to collapse in a weird sweaty explosion when defeated as opposed to having their intestines rupturing like they accidentally scarfed down a pack of military grade semtex.

The music seems mainly comprised of original pieces, though some of the more recognizable themes such as Tough Boy and Ai wo Torimodose also make an appearance… minus their lyrics, which is slightly disappointing. Songs can be set to each individual phase of the workout, so there’s also no danger of being forced to listen to a single song on repeat for more than half an hour.

Annoyingly, there’s no option to choose the Japanese audio for dialogue and the English voiceovers are inconsistent to put it mildly. Kenshiro and Raoh sound pretty much okay, even if their line delivery lacks dynamism. Toki sounds like he’s reading entries out of a phonebook and Rin’s performance simply confuses me, like it was meant for another character entirely. There are French and Italian options, but it’d have been nice to get the original Japanese dialogue given the origins of the franchise.

Included with our review copy was a code for some DLC — essentially, a few side games which can be played to unlock music and outfits for instructors. One of these minigames involves repeatedly punching Kenshiro’s rotund adversary Heart a multitude of times to blast through his blubber, then keep doing it over successive rounds until fatigue causes failure. The other event involves taking control of Raoh and punching bandits as far into the distance as possible through a combination of correct timing and swift punch speed. They’re a neat addition to the package that add some variety, but they’re hardly vital.

In summation, Fitness Boxing: Fist of the North Star delivers on its given premise. It’s still an exercise program first and foremost, so don’t expect the game aspect to distract from the fact that players are working up a sweat and fatigue is setting in as continual combinations of hooks and uppercuts slowly take their toll.

Even so, there’s definitely something to be said for performing fitness routines to visuals of rambunctious post-apocalyptic punks being smacked in their stupid faces to keep players engaged. And hell, if Kenshiro himself can’t get players to burn off some excess calories, who can?

Rating: 6.5 out of 10

Disclosures: This game is developed and published by Imagineer. It is currently available on Switch. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher and reviewed on the Switch. Approximately 15 hours of play were devoted to various workouts. There are no multiplayer modes.

Parents: According to the ESRB, this game is rated E (10+) and contains Mild Violence and Language. The official description reads: This is a rhythm/fitness game in which players perform boxing exercises by following timed prompts along with music. Players match an on-screen character’s movements (e.g., jabs, uppercuts, dodges) to earn points and achieve fitness. In a Battle Mode, matching movements correctly results in players punching opponents (e.g., outlaws, rivals) until they are defeated. Players can also use special techniques to unleash a flurry of punches against an opponent. The word “bastard” appears in the game.

Colorblind Modes: There are no colorblind modes available.

Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: This game offers subtitles. (See examples above.) The subtitles cannot be altered and/or resized. There are no audio cues needed to successfully play the game. This is fully accessible.

Remappable Controls: No, this game’s controls are not remappable. There is no controller map. Most motions are performed using the player’s body to punch, with very little typical use of the controller outside of menus and the like.

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GameCritics was recently invited to a preview event in LA to sit down with both the singleplayer and multiplayer content of Granblue Fantasy: Relink (GBF:R). I was not disappointed.

Disclosure: Accommodations for the trip were paid for by Granblue PR.

A new action-RPG from Cygames, GBF:R feels like a mix between a story-rich JRPG and Platinum action
titles — which isn’t surprising since the director, Tetsuya Fukuhara, has worked on
several other Platinum games. The fast-paced (yet tactical) combat kept me on the edge of my seat and was perfectly intermixed with a story that I was sad to put down when we ran out of the time allotted for singleplayer story content.

GBF:R is divided into two parts.

The first is the singleplayer story content. The demo slice picked up in the middle of what felt like a new adventure with the main character and their airship crew. I was happy that I could choose between a male and female protagonist who I was able to rename.

Incidentally, these choices are from the original mobile game Granblue Fantasy — GBF:R is a continuation of its story. While the mobile game isn’t available in the US, there is an anime adaptation. Those looking to jump in may want to track it down to become familiar with the characters and their motivations.

Things picked up quickly, and I was able to get a grasp of what was going on without too much effort, thanks in part due to the handy glossary that was available with a button press. After a short tutorial in the form of a monster attack on the airship, GBF:R pivoted into a grand summoning of Bahamut, which then went awry and damaged our airship.

After this prologue I was introduced to new characters, a primary town, and what seems to be the initial plot of the game, as “Primals” (creatures of power similar to the summons in Final Fantasy) are going berserk. Before the preview was over, I was able to defeat one of these in a boss battle which left
me wishing I could see what happened next.

Gameplay itself consisted of linear stages, like many RPGs and action games. That doesn’t
mean the game itself is linear, however. Just in the first town alone, there were a good deal of
side missions and quests which were reminiscent of multiplayer content like online hunts in Capcom’s Monster Hunter, or raids in Final Fantasy XIV. Up to four players can engage in a boss
fight taking place in an arena-like area that seemed to be a location taken from the singleplayer campaign. The game’s AI can take control of up to three supporting characters to help keep
them balanced, though for an extra challenge it is possible to play with less than four. (The devs said there are no bonus rewards for doing so, however.)

Combat in both the main story and multiplayer is real-time, with a focus on dodging, combos, and high mobility. As characters level up, they gain additional skills, up to four equipped at a time, and each are on
cooldowns. Party members also have a kind of ultimate ability that builds as they attack and is the unleashed to deal even more damage via exciting and flashy animations.

In addition to the player’s character, at least 20 recruitable characters have been announced so far, with more on the way, each with their own style and flavor.

Finally, I have to respect to the visual style in Granblue Fantasy: Relink. A beautiful feast for the eyes, the
game uses a cell-shaded, watercolor-esque palette that stands out for the franchise in both character and world design terms — from the kinetic combat animation to the gorgeous clouds and islands in the sky, every frame was interesting and engaging.

While every moment I spent with GBF:R had me wanting more, I did create a short mental wishlist before my time with it was up — things like the ability to play in split-screen co-op, and possibly a full recap of the story for those of us who haven’t been able to play the prior game or see the anime.

That said, I look forward to exploring the full game in more detail once I get my hands on it early next
year. Until then, I stand poised to start my journey!

Granblue Fantasy: Relink is developed by Cygames, PlatinumGames Inc., and published by Cygames and XSEED Games. It will be available on PS4/5 and PC on January 29th, 2024.

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