The Carapace Must Hold
HIGH Superb animation, tight controls, wonderful world design.
LOW Some of the bosses are deeply demoralizing.
WTF The world is so open, I went more than 25 hours before finding a *crucial* starting vendor!
Tag: Metroidvania
Yoku’s Island Express Review
Flipping Delightful
HIGH Getting that Bee suit
LOW Backtracking
WTF I have a fish attached to my derriere
Dandara Review
Historical (Science) Fiction
HIGH Dandara’s world is a joy to explore.
LOW The final battle is disappointingly anticlimactic.
WTF I still don’t fully understand what Salt is.
Iconoclasts Review
One Concern-Ed Citizen
HIGH Creativity and inspiration suffuse every aspect of the game…
LOW …though players will need to chew on the writing to get its full flavor out.
WTF It is utterly bonkers that all this was developed by one person!
The Mummy Demastered
The Mummy: Redemption
HIGH The Castlevania-tribute Clock Tower level.
LOW Seriously, how is the shotgun this well-hidden?
WTF Hey, why can’t we get Aliens Infestation on Steam?
Dead Cells Preview
Stop me if you’ve heard this before — a 2D platformer borrowing from Metroid and Castlevania which also has roguelike elements just hit Steam Early Access. This time, though, the game already feels finished, and has been nearly impossible to put down for the past week. Dead Cells manages to go beyond genre pastiche and freshens up one of the most crowded spaces in gaming. It’s well worth checking out even in its “unfinished” state.
Shantae: Half-Genie Hero Review
Stunted Beauty
HIGH The most bangin’ hub world theme in the history of hub world themes
LOW So. Much. Backtracking.
WTF “Gracing the fabric of leisure-time and blowing away human kind in a sea of heavy weave 100% cotton comfort”
Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight Review
Reverence for Castlevania
HIGH The boss battle against Pardoner Fennel.
LOW A particularly dark level making instant-death spikes tough to see.
WTF Money being called “munny.”
Headlander Review
Allergic To Laser Beams
HIGH The concept and aesthetics are tops.
LOW Forgetting that higher color sentries can pass through lower-color doors
WTF It took hours to realize Circle had a non-combat function.