HIGH The atmosphere is superb, and the puppets are comically feral.

LOW Some severe frame rate drops. Plentiful healing dials the tension down.

WTF Have you ever seen a depressed puppet?

Many survival horror titles thrive off of unexplainable cosmic horrors, the aftermaths of outbreaks, and other unpleasant events. My Friendly Neighborhood challenges the norms of the genre with a setting that’s less than threatening — a TV studio for a children’s program. Hardly scary, right? But that’s where most players will be wrong.

In My Friendly Neighborhood, players assume the role of Gordon J. O’Brian, a handyman sent to a studio to stop the broadcast of the titular show from playing over the news and other programs. Upon entering the studio grounds, he finds that not only are things amiss technically, but almost all the puppets are moving around on their own and attacking anything that gets near them.

In typical survival horror fashion, Gordon has to navigate numerous areas from a first-person perspective while scavenging for limited supplies, weapons, and keys to open new paths. What sets MFN apart is that almost all the weapons are something other than ordinary firearms — they’re typically shaped like a normal firearm, but they fire letters instead of bullets. These give Gordon’s adventure a lot of charm, as it’s comical to watch letter B’s and X’s getting shot at the puppets.

The tokens I found during play were also interesting — they could function like an ink ribbon used to save the player’s game in classic Resident Evil, but they could also be used at healing stations to refill my health completely. They also acted as currency, being exchanged at vending machines for various boosts. This made these me have to use my one item for saves tactically. If I was low on tokens, I’d have to choose between being able to save and being able to heal if I was low on items.

As for the main antagonists, these manic puppets would chase me down the moment I got too close. If they caught me, I’d receive a harmful hug and then be tossed violently to the ground. In a nod to the subject material, the violence here has been scaled back.

While I wanted to avoid those hugs, the real threat came from the fact that puppets often reanimated after leaving an area. Thankfully, I could permanently restrain a downed puppet by using tape. However, tape was pretty rare, so I had to use it strategically — and within this scarcity lies MFN’s smart design.

With such so many puppets around but no way to permanently remove all of them, a threat remained. Even ammo was limited, so I had to take into account where and when to use items and weapons. For example, I could easily juke some of the slower puppets, but could spend my precious tape on those that were faster, and therefore harder to get away from.

Even when disposed of, the puppets would still chatter to themselves about topics ranging from the innocuous to the insane. This scripting gave them lots of character and juxtaposed them with the Sesame Street Muppets that they’re obviously based on.

Something else I greatly appreciated about MFN were its numerous secret items weapons and areas. Apart from these things, there were also hidden ways to permanently and peacefully deal with puppets, and this usually involved finding specific items or backtracking through previously explored buildings. For example, in the earliest area, a large Big Bird-like puppet will prowl an area and stomp on me if I got close. When I found an item that they were looking for, they stopped moving around and were no longer hostile, removing their threat to me. However, in some cases, I had to wait to help them until I was able to explore an area further with new items from other locations.

For those that finish My Friendly Neighborhood, there are cheats that can be used in subsequent playthroughs, enhancing replayability. One gave the player a one-hit kill weapon that violently jettisons puppets into the nearest wall. Another unlocked “Neighborhorde” mode which focuses on arcade-style score attack. There were also a number of unlockable characters with their own loadouts. Including a chicken man with grenades.

In general, MFN is well-designed and well-made, though there were a few issues.

The biggest offender was a drop in the frame rate in a couple of smaller, crowded rooms. Thankfully, these instances were extremely limited. There was also no way to auto-sort items in the menu, leading to me spending time rearranging things to make space — annoying.

Another issue is that healing items were a little too plentiful. I constantly had bottles of healing juice stuffing my already-crowded inventory. While having access to heals isn’t a bad thing, survival horror thrives when there are limitations. Between those items and a machine that could heal me to full health in safe rooms, I felt like the potential tension was dulled a bit.

Overall, MFN is an excellent survival horror title that attempts to, and mostly succeeds at, changing up the standard survival horror formula. While it could stand to have a few more teeth, I was still pleasantly on the edge of my seat the entire time. In a genre with too many developers copying each other’s homework, My Friendly Neighborhood offers a break from the norm with color and charm, and I suspect that fans of survival horror will want to play along.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Buy My Friendly Neighborhood — Steam — PlayStation — Xbox

Disclosures: This game is developed and published by John and Evan Syzmanski, and published by DreadXP. It is currently available on XBO/X/S, PS4, PS5, and PC. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher, and reviewed on PS5. Approximately 10 hours were devoted to the game, and it was completed with the true ending. There are no multiplayer modes.

Parents: This game has an ESRB rating of E for Mild Fantasy Violence. Most of the weapons are some sort of typewriter-like instrument that shoots out letters, rather than bullets. The characters are never killed, but temporarily incapacitated. When attacked, the player is shaken and thrown about. While the rating states that this for everyone, young children (particularly viewers of Sesame Street) could become scared by the content. The puppets will also occasionally talk about wanting to commit violent actions. There are also cigarettes and bottles of alcohol in one area. As such, I would say that this is a game better suited for older kids, possibly teens.

Colorblind Modes: There are no colorblind options.

Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: The game does offer subtitles, but only for cutscenes and dialogue from Gordon. Subtitles cannot be resized. There are no closed captions, which can make it hard for players to know that a threat is in the room. For example, all the puppets chatter when they’re conscious, and they’ll speak or vocalize differently when pursuing the player. This is a potential tell that could be missed by players with hearing issues. This game is not fully accessible.

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

The post My Friendly Neighborhood Review appeared first on Gamecritics.com.

HIGH I never knew a chainsaw leg power slide would be everything I needed in life!

LOW The grappling hook can be aggravating to use.

WTF You can fight a vending machine, because reasons!

Ryan initially covered Turbo Overkill in his main review, and I tended to agree with many of his points. However, there were some additional aspects of this title I wanted to cover. While I also think the game is great, it’s not without some minor flaws.

As the cyborg Johnny Turbo, players explore the cyberpunk and neon city of Paradise, mowing down enemy after enemy in pursuit of the renegade AI Syn. Along the way, he has to traverse the city’s many dangerous sectors and roadways, dispatching the hordes of goons and monstrosities Syn has in its thrall. Over the course of three episodes, Johnny shoots, dices, and burns his way to closer to the menacing AI.

The combat, overall, is incredibly solid, and every level is frenetic. Using a variety of guns he finds along the way, Johnny has many options for decimating enemies, but he also has another secret weapon — a chainsaw leg (the Chegg). That’s right, Johnny’s leg is a chainsaw, and he can use it to power slide into numerous enemies. This saves ammo, of course, but it also looks cool as hell when he does it.

The Chegg isn’t the only cool weapon, though — every weapon has an alt-fire mode that expands its capabilities. The chain gun, for example, becomes a flamethrower. One of the shotguns can become a grenade launcher. It’s this kind of versatility is something I liked about Turbo Overkill. Having tons of great options for tackling waves of enemies is always a good thing.

Another cool feature is that in certain combat arenas, Johnny will become corrupted, which limits his weapon choices and initially seems bad. However, he gains infinite ammo for the entirety of the corruption’s duration, a neat trick that forces the player to learn all the weapons, rather than their favorite handful.

Maps are also interesting, colorful, and diverse. Many take place in Paradise’s city streets, but some add unique and interesting designs. My favorite was a section where I had to get out of my car in a busy highway and jump from car to car while pursuing a train.

Movement is super fluid and felt great for the most part. Johnny can double-jump from the get-go, dash, and after a certain point, slow down time. Like the versatility in weaponry, this agile quality gave a ton of options for getting around and avoiding getting trapped by enemies.

Without turning this review into a laundry list, there are a lot of things to like about Turbo Overkill — a great upgrade system also allows players to customize their Johnny, bonus items in each level that can grant upgrades, tapes that unlock secret levels, game mode modifiers, and an awesome soundtrack full of synth-heavy tunes that matched the atmosphere.

However, while all of that is great, there are a number of issues that hold it back, as well.

One of the most aggravating elements in Turbo Overkill is the grappling hook. It’s tricky to activate it correctly, and I had to have my reticle placed too precisely to use it. This was fine when I was stationary, but there are numerous climbs that require tight and consecutive uses of the hook. It’s too easy to miss in a tight spot and get sent hurtling into a pit.

There, are also a few UI elements that can are hard to see. The grappling hook activation icon is one of them, but the amount of armor Johnny has is also fairly tricky to see at a glance.

Levels can also be too long, many padded out with combat gauntlets. While it can be enjoyable to blast away at enemies left and right, these sequences made some levels last upwards of an hour at times, which turned them into a bit of a slog. The third episode of the game is particularly egregious with this.

In terms of production, I encountered some bugs. One kept trapping me under objects and in weird positions. Another prevented from progressing because some events wouldn’t trigger. In one instance, I had killed all enemies in an area, but the required door wouldn’t open, and I became unable to progress until I reloaded a save.

Despite these grievances, I still enjoyed my time with Turbo Overkill. It’s a reminder of the shooters we used to get on the reg back in the day, and it’s a great homage to those classics — it’s a must-play for fans of old-school fragging, for sure.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Buy Turbo Overkill – Steam – Epic – GOG – Xbox – PS5 – Switch

Disclosures: This game is developed by Trigger Happy Interactive and published by Apogee Entertainment. It is currently available on XBO/X/S, PS4, PS5, Switch, and PC. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher and reviewed on PS5. Approximately 18 hours was devoted to the game, and it was completed. There is no multiplayer mode.

Parents: This game has an ESRB rating of M for Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, and Strong Language. The Rating Summary states: “This is a first-person shooter in which players assume the role of a futuristic bounty hunter (Johnny [Turbo, initially written as Nitro]) trying to prevent a powerful AI from taking over a city. Players infiltrate building/facilities and use a chainsaw-like weapon, pistols, and electric shotguns to kill enemies (e.g., cyborgs, street punks). The frenetic run-and-gun combat is accompanied by realistic gunfire, large explosions, and frequent blood-splatter effects. Some attacks result in dismemberment/decapitation, causing bloody chunks to stain/litter the environment. Cutscenes depict additional acts of violence and blood/gore: a cyborg thug’s entrails used as a tool; a first-person view of a character’s hands blown off. The word ‘f**k’ is heard in the game.”

Colorblind Modes: There are no colorblind options.

Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: The game offers subtitles. Subtitles cannot be resized. The subtitles do work when playing audio logs, however, there is no closed captioning. This omission can make it difficult to understand some character logs and detect incoming enemies. This title is not fully accessible.

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

The post Turbo Overkill Second Opinion appeared first on Gamecritics.com.

HIGH The world is incredibly fleshed out.

LOW Some overly tight timing on puzzles grated on my nerves.

WTF The whole story is one giant WTF moment after another.

One day, Trevor Mills is living another day in his rather boring, but comfortable existence. The next, he’s running for his life. How did he get in this mess? By being the most unpopular resident of the city of Arcadia… Or, more accurately, by being the most unpopular character in the American Arcadia television and streaming program.

For his entire life, Trevor has been living a life constructed, not just for him, but for the millions of viewers of the titular program. Now, in this 2.5D puzzle-platformer, he has to flee an execution squad determined to bring him down. Along the way, he’ll have help from a mysterious benefactor going by the alias of “Kovacs”. As he flees, Trevor has to navigate obstacles, with Kovacs often intervening from afar by controlling electronics and machinery to assist Trevor.

At certain points, players control Kovacs to navigate the behind the scenes, while avoiding detection from Walton Media, the business that broadcasts “American Arcadia”. The company has basically created a legal groundwork to keep the citizens of Arcadia ensnared in the city, while broadcasting every moment of their lives to viewers around the world. It’s the reality TV show from hell.

The worldbuilding, writing, and commentary are all excellent, and the contrasting viewpoints of Trevor and Kovacs give a sense of what was going in both “worlds”. The ’70s aesthetic of Arcadia really pops and gives the dystopian nature of the program its citizens are enslaved in some weight — they live in a gilded cage while having every human right destroyed, all for the entertainment of people they will never see or meet.

The story and gameplay were compelling, and I wanted to know more and more about this world. At times, I almost felt like a viewer of the show. This was definitely helped by smart action sections that required me to think about both Trevor and Kovacs. One excellent scene was when I had to guide Trevor through a stealth section, while also playing as Kovacs getting interrogated by Walton security. It was moments like this when the genius of American Arcadia shines through.

The commentary about the parasocial relationships that the viewers of the program have with the Arcadians was also well-thought-out. Especially later, during the climax, when viewers begin to watch Trevor in droves. Most are still driven by the need to be entertained, even though they know Trevor’s pain and suffering is real. Only a few begin to realize that the show may not be as benign as they thought, and cheer on Trevor’s escape. However, regardless of which side of the fence they’re on, they all continue to watch.

While American Arcadia shines in many parts, there are a couple of bits of static in the feed.

On the PS5 version, there were some shimmering effects that looked a bit ugly. This always happened during the cutscenes, so at least it was limited. However, it was still distracting. There are also a few puzzles and chase scenes that have strict timing — they were difficult to figure out at first, and the time limits led to numerous (and annoying) restarts.

American Arcadia manages to tell an incredibly compelling story that makes its world feel a bit too close to our own, accompanied by smart gameplay and an incredibly well-written story, along with a stellar cast of characters. Trevor’s wild and suspenseful escape from Arcadia is guaranteed to give him (and the show) a much-needed ratings boost.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Buy American Arcadia – Steam – PlayStation – Xbox – Nintendo

Disclosures: This game is developed by Out of the Blue Games S.L. and published by Raw Fury AB. It is currently available on XBO/X/S, PS4, PS5, Switch, and PC. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher and reviewed on PS5. Approximately 8 hours was devoted to the game, and it was completed. There is no multiplayer mode.

Parents: This game has an ESRB rating of M for Strong Language and Violence. Throughout his adventure, characters will swear. Trevor can also be shot by drones, as well as by his pursuers. At one point, Kovacs, another playable character, will shoot an NPC with a stun gun.

Colorblind Modes: There are no colorblind options.

Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: The game offers subtitles. Subtitles can be resized with three levels of font size, and a black background can be added to subtitles. In addition, closed captioning is available for sound effects from characters and environmental effects. This game is fully accessible.

Remappable Controls: Yes, this game’s controls are remappable.

The post American Arcadia Review appeared first on Gamecritics.com.

HIGH Fantastic improvements and modernizations.

LOW There are still some rough spots, despite said changes

WTF The music track that plays in the nightclub level slaps hard.

Last year, Lara Croft’s earliest adventures were given a chance to shine again in Tomb Raider I-III Remastered. These classics featured numerous improvements, such as a new optional control scheme and a photo mode that allows players to capture moments from Lara’s classic adventures. Now, a second collection has arrived offering Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered, which contains The Last Revelation, Chronicles, and The Angel of Darkness respectively, and iterates upon the first compilation’s tweaks.

TR 4—6 are action-adventure puzzlers that were published between 1999 and 2003, and they were the last titles developed by Core Design before the franchise was passed on to Crystal Dynamics. However, many at this time believed that Lara’s adventures had become stale, so these latter three changed up the gameplay.

As with the previous collection, players can toggle between a set of classic and modern visuals. In TR 4 and 5, the visual changes are sharp and gorgeous. In TR 6, the changes are a little more subtle, but many character models and background elements are still greatly improved.

While all the last collection’s improvements are applied to these titles, there are also new features like the “Retro FPS” toggle, which allows for a new first-person view at either 30 or 60 FPS. In addition, players will find many small quality-of-life tweaks, like being able to see hotkey shortcuts for the controller without opening the menu.

Additionally, the FMVs in this collection look mush better this time around. TR 1—3 Remastered’s new visuals had a ‘smeared’ look when the movies would play. In TR 4-6, however, they’re great.

However, the most important changes in this collection are found specifically in the sixth installment, Angel of Darkness. The original content was pretty bare, and it was hard to figure out the plot at times, resulting in widespread critical pans on release. Now, it’s better than it’s ever been, mostly due to the restoration of the original’s cut content.

For starters, a missing portion of the tutorial area has been added back in, covering a section for the commando crawl move. This gives new and returning players a choice in how to get through that specific section, each route giving its own rewards.

Additionally, the pawn shop and herbalist in Paris will now sell items to Lara for the first time. Before, she could only sell valuables or ask for info. This change is incredibly helpful, since it provides players a way to stock up on healing items and ammunition early on.

The later sections of the adventure where the player controls a character named Kurtis have also been updated. This includes a new throwable weapon and a psychic shield to help make his sequences a little easier, and helps preserve his scant resources.

All of these changes and expansions make AoD feel more complete and give players a glimpse at some of the elements the original development team had originally wanted to include.

As for other extras in the collection, there’s a bonus level for TR4 that’s available right away — The “Times Exclusive Level”. This was a collaboration between Core Design and The Times of London. Using the discovery of another section of Tutankhamen’s tomb as the catalyst for the adventure, Lara is tasked by then-senior editor, Peter Strothard, to track down and recover objects from the tomb. It’s a rather unique (but brief) adventure, lasting only around 15—30 minutes. Despite the brevity, it’s an interesting cultural snapshot of how popular Lara was. So popular, in fact, that a major newspaper was willing to take part in the creation and distribution of a videogame level.

Unfortunately, it’s the only bonus for this collection. While I understand that there weren’t any other expansions released for TR 4-6, there are certainly other Core designed games that were made during this period. There are two Game Boy Color TR games, for example, that would’ve been a welcome treat, and a fantastic way to experience some of Lara’s handheld adventures.

Another gripe I had with this collection was the remastered visual mode’s lighting engine, which was also a problem in the last collection. It’s often so dark in certain areas that I’d have to switch to the original visuals to see — a big issue when looking for switches, especially those on the ceiling that Lara has to grab. I’d contend that if a new lighting engine is going to be made, it should match how the original was lit. However, that isn’t the case here — it’s commonly too dark to see anything, with Lara’s flares or without.

While I’m glad all the original Tomb Raiders are available on modern platforms, there were plenty of problems with these titles back then that a simple polish-up can’t really address. Chronicles’ shorter collection of stories meant they can’t make a big impression before it’s time to move on. Angel of Darkness is still fairly janky, even with improvements. I also encountered numerous bugs as I made my way through, such as unintentional clipping and fiddly movement, even using the modern controls.

The last issue — and it’s a big one — is the lack of auto-saves. Tomb Raider titles can be difficult thanks to various traps, hazards, and enemies. If a player dies, they have to backtrack from their last manual save, if they remembered to save. While the new, modern convenience of being able to save at any time is nice, the lack of an auto-save feature feels like a relic today.

Despite some baked-in gameplay issues, the lack of auto-saves, and sparseness in the collection’s content, this remains a fantastic way for modern players to enjoy Lara Croft’s classic escapades. While this trio may not be everyone’s favorite, the efforts to smooth them out are excellent overall, and modernize these titles in a meaningful way.

Rating: 7 out of 10

Buy Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered: Steam, Epic, GOG, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo

Disclosures: This game is developed by Aspyr and published by Aspyr and Crystal Dynamics. It is currently available on XBO/X/S, PS4/5, Switch, and PC. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher and reviewed on PC. Approximately 21 hours were devoted to the collection overall, and it was not completed. There is no multiplayer mode.

Parents: This game has an ESRB rating of T for Blood and Violence. There isn’t a detailed description from the ESRB, but the content features the player fighting monsters, animals, and humans who shed blood when shot. The player can be killed in a variety of ways including impalement, falling, gunshots, being crushed, set on fire, animal attacks, and more. In one instance, a man engages in an act of self-sacrifice by using a truck full of explosives to kill a monster.

Colorblind Modes: There are no colorblind options.

Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: The game offers subtitles. Subtitles cannot be resized. There are no closed captioning options for sound effects, such as enemy sounds or environmental effects (like noises for traps) so this game is not fully accessible.

Remappable Controls: Yes, this game’s controls are remappable.

The post Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered Review appeared first on Gamecritics.com.

HIGH Superb atmosphere and aesthetic — it creeped me out!

LOW Some of the spotlight placements felt unavoidable.

WTF What is it with survival horror games trying to make us put our hands in toilets?

Lately, there have been a ton of survival horror titles experimenting with old-school formulas. Some have adopted aesthetics reminiscent of past eras, while others try to nail down older gameplay themes. Fear the Spotlight attempts both, and succeeds wonderfully.

Fear the Spotlight is a survival horror experience where players control high schoolers Vivian and Amy, who get caught up in alternate worlds after a séance gone wrong. Each character will navigate the world while looking for items needed to progress to the next area. At the same time, they’ll dig into a unique story in each chapter (two total) related to either the school itself or Amy’s past.

As I traveled throughout the high school and other areas, navigating these places felt both familiar and strange. For example, a gym decorated for an anti-bullying fair suddenly felt very hostile as it was abandoned, and some objects had been strewn across the room. This was symbolic of the reasons events like these are held, as discovered in many of the notes in the school — they’re a hollow attempt by officials to evade the responsibility of taking care of students properly.

Graphically, I loved the filters that let Spotlight feel like an undiscovered VHS tape playing on an old CRT television — it definitely feels like a forgotten gem from the PS1 era. However, for those who don’t care for it, the filter can be reduced or turned completely off, ideal for players who want greater visual clarity.

The titular spotlights are indeed things to be feared, and one of the worst is the roaming Spotlight Head — a walking monstrosity both of man and stage light. It excels in dialing up the horror and keeping encounters tense. As neither character has weapons, I had to evade Spotlight Head and hide from the other moving, sentient spotlights that would appear from ceilings to patrol the area. This meant taking refuge under tables or behind walls and objects — such as trashcans — and, importantly, being wary of open spaces where I could be caught.

Each time I did get caught, Vivian or Amy would lose health, and they can only take a couple of hits before hitting a game over. Each character can restore health with healing items, but these items were always in short supply. This scarcity increased the tension and made me feel extremely vulnerable. Don’t fret, though — Spotlight features a pretty generous save system, so players generally won’t lose much progress.

While there’s no combat, there are puzzles, and they can be tricky to solve, but never obtuse — most can be figured out with a bit of thought and some clues, such as finding a diary entry or an item to help decipher something. The developers aren’t interested in bringing the proceedings to a halt with brain-busters, so the pace is good overall and there’s never much backtracking. It’s a fairly short experience, but this is not a bad thing. Each chapter lasts exactly as long as it needs to, and they’re both about the length of a classic horror film — Spotlight never overstays its welcome.

As for the story itself, it’s fantastic. Each of the two chapters focuses on different traumas, either those that occurred in the school many years ago, or in Amy’s messy home life. Each excelled in creepiness and dread. For Vivian, it was the dread of navigating a high school hellscape, alone and scared. In Amy’s case, it was exploring a long forgotten former home, punctuated with sour memories and trauma.

Both settings are twisted, and they created a sense of anxiety that hit home for me in a lot of meaningful ways. I had a similar experience to Amy, moving around from house to house as a kid. The sense of the familiar and comfortable suddenly becoming alien and hostile, not knowing where any friendly faces or voices could be, was too real a feeling and thanks to this, Spotlight nails its sense of dread.

While what I’ve described is a fantastic horror experience, I do have a couple of small nitpicks with Spotlight, however. One was that in a couple of instances, spotlights activated quite suddenly, giving me very little time to react. As such, I would frequently take damage that felt unfair. This was a pesky annoyance in only a couple of areas, so thankfully such occurrences were limited.

There were also times when the visuals would get ‘fuzzy’ after taking damage. This could make it difficult to see some things when examining them closely, especially if the TV Filter in the options is set to max (which it is by default). This can make it tough to read notes that contain clues to puzzles, so it may have been better for the devs to set the default filter lower for the sake of readability.

Fear the Spotlight is a brilliant take on survival and psychological horror, instilling a real sense of vulnerability and dread in me — the developers took good lessons from classic titles and made something unique and fascinating. Players who love classic and retro-style survival horror absolutely must check this one out.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Disclosures: This game is developed by Cozy Game Pals and published by Blumhouse Games. It is currently available on PC, PS4/5, XBO/S/X and Switch. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher and reviewed on PS5. Approximately 5 hours was devoted to the game, and it was completed. There is no multiplayer mode.

Parents: This game has an ESRB rating of T rating for Violence. There is no official description provided by the ESRB. However, the game has a monster that will violently toss the player if discovered. There are also themes of bullying found in discovered notes. Finally, the story focuses around unraveling the past of a major tragedy that killed a number of students prior to the events of the game. There is also evidence to suggest one of the characters was a pedophile who filmed and killed innocent students.

Colorblind Modes: There are no colorblind options.

Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: The game offers subtitles. Subtitles can be resized. However, closed captioning for environmental and sound effects are not present. This game is not fully accessible.

Remarkable Controls: Yes, this game’s controls are remappable.

The post Fear the Spotlight Review appeared first on Gamecritics.com.

HIGH Prosecutor’s Gambit had some great twists and turns…

LOW …but the first entry definitely didn’t have as many.

WTF Wow! The second title’s initial case sure feels timely!

Fans of the Ace Attorney series have been asking for ports of the back catalog, and Capcom has been listening. This time, the Investigations subseries is being given its time in the sun.

While the Ace Attorney titles typically focus on defense attorneys in courtroom-focused legal battles, the Investigations Collection puts players in the shoes — and the cravat — of Miles Edgeworth, one of series protagonist Phoenix Wright’s main prosecutorial rivals. Instead of going in front of a court of law, this 2D adventure title had me investigating crime scenes myself, gathering evidence, cross-examining witnesses, and figuring out how disparate pieces of complex puzzles fit together.

What’s great about this collection is that it has both games in the Investigations subseries — Miles Edgeworth and Prosecutor’s Gambit, the latter of which was never released outside of Japan. This makes this collection a must-have for fans of the Ace Attorney series. It also provides a unique perspective not often seen in the series, that of a prosecutor and a crime scene investigator.

This new formula makes for an interesting break from the rest of the series, which most often focuses on the courtroom. This time around, it was refreshing to be the one bringing a case to the court, rather than simply working with defendants. Each scenario also features new types of areas to explore outside the usual courtrooms, such as the inside of an airplane or even Miles’ office, which was very appreciated.

Each of the two titles in this collection has five scenarios, each consisting of (typically) three acts and an overarching plot that ties each investigation together. What’s nice about this collection is the ability to select not just which episode to start with, but also which chapter. This gives players the ability to jump in during a favorite scene without having to play the entire game or episode. There’s also a generous checkpoint system that allows one to reload without losing too much progress — great if someone bungles a clue or botches an examination.

As the entry that US players haven’t seen before, the second half of the collection expands the narrative of the first by providing additional background to Miles’s motives as a prosecutor, which make him more relatable. Also, since it’s set only a couple of weeks after the first title, it builds to create a bigger story for the attorney.

The gameplay is wonderful, as it allowed me to get into the head of a crime scene investigator. There were lots of things to look at in each area, such as items found in safes, objects hidden under chairs, and the like. Some clues, however, may not be relevant or — worse — red herrings to throw one off. Ace Attorney as a whole is a logic game of putting together individual pieces of a puzzle in order to bring the right people to justice.

For those looking for a more relaxed experience, a “story mode” is available and will automatically progress through each chapter, including answering questions and presenting the evidence for players. This comes with the trade-off that specific achievements are disabled. For newer players, this may be the preferred way to play, as cases can get fairly complex — even the first episodes of each title had some head scratchers.

Longtime fans will notice that the new hand-drawn art looks fantastic. Each character is rendered with an exceptional amount of care, often highly detailed. (There’s also an option for an old-school pixelated look, for anyone nostalgic for the Nintendo DS, where the series debuted.) Thanks to this high-quality work, these versions do look and feel like definitive versions.

I’d be remiss not to provide some objections to this collection, however. I found that Prosecutor’s Gambit was the stronger of the two in this collection because the pace of delivering information to players was much slower — an important aspect that the first didn’t nail. For example, the first case in Miles Edgeworth reveals who the murderer is during the first scene of the first case. It felt like I was reading a book’s last chapter, then going back to read the rest, and it’s not my preferred way to engage with crime content. Other cases which made me work to find out the truth were more enjoyable due to the thrill of the chase, false leads and finally nabbing the culprit. It’s the more exhilarating approach, if you ask me.

Another issue is that there are some confusing leaps in logic at times. During testimony phases, there were often obvious openings to make an accusation or to present a piece of evidence, but the game wanted something else to be said or done first. In one example, I was able to match a specific piece of evidence to an accused person, but the game wanted me to go through a different prescribed step first before it would allow me to move on, even though my hunch was correct.

Despite some small issues, the Ace Attorney Investigations Collection will be a wonderful experience for any Ace Attorney fan. It shines a much-needed light on the prosecutorial side of the courtroom, and leads players through the questions that have to be answered before a case can be brought to trial. Miles Edgeworth is also strong, holding his own as both a protagonist and Phoenix Wright’s rival, and I’d love to see him get a starring role more often!

Rating: 8 out of 10

Disclosures: This game is developed and published by Capcom Co., Ltd. It is currently available on PC, PS4/5, XBO/S/X, and Switch. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher, and reviewed on PS5. Approximately 7 hours was devoted to the game, and it was not completed. There is no multiplayer mode.

Parents: This game has an ESRB rating of T rating for Blood, Mild Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, and Mild Violence. The official rating states: “This is a collection of two mystery-text adventure games in which players help a prosecutor solve a series of murders. As players investigate crime scenes in detail, cutscenes briefly depict characters shot (off-camera) or held at gunpoint. Murder victims are depicted with bloodstained clothing and gunshot/knife wounds; some corpses are sometimes shown lying in pools of blood. One female character is depicted wearing a low-cut top that reveals deep cleavage. The word ‘bastard’ appears in the game.”

Colorblind Modes: There are no colorblind modes.

Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: The game offers subtitles. (See examples above.) Subtitles cannot be resized. Since the text cannot be resized, and this title relies so heavily on reading, this may hinder a player who needs bigger text.

Remappable Controls: No, this game’s controls are not remappable. There is no controller diagram. The game uses simplie one-button controls, as most of the experience revolves around dialogue. X is used to progress dialogue, L1 is used in specific sections to access clues and some profiles about the case, R1 is used to access information about evidence and actors in the case, Square is used to review the dialogue history, Triangle is used in some cases to deduce what clues meant, or to pin an accusation on a suspect.

The post Ace Attorney Investigations Collection Review appeared first on Gamecritics.com.

HIGH A final boss worth waiting the whole game for.

LOW Three of the Dragon levels are ridiculously difficult.

WTF “Earth Defense Force 7 Begins”

Sporting almost 150 missions, Earth Defense Force 6 isn’t just epic in scope, it’s one of the biggest action games ever made.

For two decades now, the developers have offered variations on the theme of ‘soldiers fighting giant monsters’, and every time their work grows more impressive. This isn’t a series that strives to completely reinvent itself — that’s left to spin-offs like Iron Rain or World Brothers. No, Earth Defense Force is built around cautious iteration. It’s the developers coming back every four years to day ‘okay, let’s do it a little better this time,’ and while that might not be ambitious enough for some, the results are undeniable.

Set three years after the end of Earth Defense Force 5 in which 90% of the Earth’s population had been destroyed by an alien invasion, EDF6 finds players locked in a brutal war of attrition against the last remnants of of dwindling, unsupplied enemy forces — the player sports tattered armor, and seeing 20-foot-tall frogmen walking around with sheets of corrugated metal crudely strapped to their body for protection is a great way to let the player know that all bets are off — things are going to get weird this time.

Large strides have been taken to ensure that the experience feels more accessible and modern. Players can now automatically clamber over the shattered environments, rather than having to rely on hilariously floaty jumps. The air raider — previously a support-focused class — now has drones and improved vehicles to increase its viability for single players. A new damage counter proves surprisingly helpful when testing loadouts, as the player can see just how much damage they’re doing with attacks, while also seeing how resilient their foes are.

Speaking of foes, EDF6 has the largest lineup of enemies the series has ever offered. There are multiple types of ants, spiders, and pillbugs as usual. The flying drones, frogmen and armored aliens also make return appearances, but the real standouts are the new-to-series squid-themed aliens. Coming in huge walking and flying varieties, these bizarre aliens have completely new techniques built around their multiple stretchy arms. While every other enemy has to reveal itself to attack the player, these things can duck behind obstacles and send their limbs out to do the shooting — and while those limbs can be blown off, they’ll be regenerated in just a few moments.

There’s a degree to which the best strategy in most EDF games is for the player to put as much space between themselves and the monsters as possible, constantly firing while backpeddling. The squids completely upend this with super-accurate weapons and the ability to block attacks with shields. The only viable strategy is to get in close and do huge damage before they can heal it. (Or use air strikes, but air strikes work in most situations.) This gets even more treacherous on higher difficulties, where their shields gain the power to reflect damage back at the player, forcing them to totally rethink their strategy yet again.

This transformation at the highest difficulty levels is one of the most impressive things EDF6 has to offer — where the first three difficulties simply increase enemies’ health points and damage output (along with the value of the random weapons they drop) the top two, “Hardest” and “Inferno” transform the layout, number, and types of enemies that appear, to the point that there are enemies that players will only see when playing the hardest settings. The result is a de facto remix version of every level for players who feel a need to challenge themselves.

Speaking of remixes, the developers have found a brilliant way of continuing the previous story without trapping players in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. After all, one of the key elements of EDF is blowing up buildings with rocket launchers, so a world where all the cities come pre-destroyed has little to offer. Just a few levels in, after the story has thoroughly established just how utterly ruined the world is, the villains’ plan is revealed — they’re not happy with how badly the war went for them, either, so they’re going to send troops back in time with knowledge of the humans’ defense plans to win more decisively.

The player is thrown back in time as well, their consciousness zapped back into the middle of Earth Defense Force 5, and what follows is a chance to replay classic missions from the previous iteration with entirely new enemy arrangements, including a beautiful moment in which a Kaiju’s iconic reveal is interrupted by the arrival of a fire-breathing dragon from the center of the earth. Things start strange and just get more bizarre from there, with enemies trying to alter the past over and over, and the player force to go back in time again and again, winning ever-more-dire battles against increasingly desperate foes. Earth Defense Force 5 had one of the best alien invasion narratives in videogames, with a series of radio broadcasts chronicling the collapse of human civilization — and while EDF6‘s time travel madness doesn’t quite compare, it’s hard not to love the zeal with which the developers embrace how unhinged time travel narratives can get.

While it might be going a bit far to say that this is the biggest action game ever made, some math might make the point more clearly. There are around 150 missions on offer, each coming with a remixed super-hard version. Each of the four soldier classes play so differently that they’re effectively a completely different experience. Consequently, it’s not a huge exaggeration to say that Earth Defense Force 6 has 1200 missions to enjoy — and that’s all before the DLC comes out. This might be the most gameplay ever, and such a huge amount of it is so flat-out great that it can be called one of the best games I’ve ever played.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Disclosures: This game is developed by Sandlot and published by D3. It is currently available on PS4/5 and PC. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher and reviewed on the PC. Approximately 40 hours of play were devoted to the single-player mode, and the game was completed.  10 hours of play were spent in multiplayer modes.

Parents: According to the ESRB, this game is rated M and contains Blood and Intense Violence. This is some next-level violence on display. Just as in EDF5, a huge component of the strategy involves blasting the limbs off of enemies as they scream in pain and their blood fountains everywhere — and with squid-monsters present, it just means more limbs to sever. Maybe keep it away from younger players.

Colorblind Modes: There are no colorblind modes available in the options.

Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: There are no audio cues that will affect gameplay, and there are no nasty surprises because every enemy, ally, and airstrike is visible on a convenient map. The game is subtitled, but the subtitles cannot be customized. The game is fully accessible.

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

The post Earth Defense Force 6 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.

The post Tsukihime -A Piece Of Blue Glass Moon- Review appeared first on Gamecritics.com.

HIGH It always feels great to play my boy Donnie…

LOW …But bland gameplay and repeated voice lines test that theory.

WTF What’s with these Slendermen-looking dudes?

Over the past few years, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have seen a revival in the videogame scene via the wonderful Shredder’s Revenge and the classics of the Cowabunga Collection. Now we have another port to modern systems, 2017’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles by Raw Thrills.

For nearly its entire history as a videogame franchise, the TMNT series has consisted of mostly beat-’em-ups, and this one is no exception. Wrath of the Mutants is a 2.5D side-scrolling beat-’em-up where players must traverse levels while engaging with Shredder and Krang’s forces.

There are six stages in total (five are selectable from the start) and fans will be glad to know that classic areas such as the New York City streets and the Technodrome are here. Being able to pick my own path in any order was nice and they’re all fairly short, with two boss fights each. Classic enemies like Bebop, Rocksteady, Baxter Stockman, Foot soldiers and more show up, along with some enemies from the 2012 TV series, like Krang’s robots. A couple of the levels also borrow elements from older titles, like the sewer surfing section of Turtles in Time, where the crew fought aliens while riding surfboards.

No matter which area they’re in, the turtle boys will cut ’em no slack while finding various powerups that help in the fight. These range in effect, but usually clear the current screen of enemies by summoning Leatherhead or Metalhead to attack enemies, allow the use of temporary special moves such as a spinning attack with Donatello’s bō, add energy to the special attack meter and so on.

These screen-clears helped out when there are lots of enemies on screen, but… they’re everywhere. The frequency at which they can be fired off had the impact of making Wrath a bit too easy, and in fact, I never felt like I was in much danger. With powerups constantly spawning, it was simple to keep clearing out foes. As a result, play felt unbalanced. With fewer of these across each level, the challenge would be elevated a bit.

In addition, there isn’t any nuance to the combat — only a standard attack, jump, and defensive move. This made the action repetitive and dull, and I was wishing for something to spice it up, like contextual inputs that might trigger different actions based on the situation. Without anything else in the formula, it’s just slapping (mostly) one button and jumping occasionally.

Likewise, enemies are unintelligent. If I set a trap, they’d run headlong toward it, rather than trying to avoid it. There’s also no flanking of any kind. Some enemies shot projectiles to change things up, but they were fairly uncommon. More variety in the enemies and going up against a wider array of gimmicks would have been a nice inclusion.

There also isn’t any plot to speak of until after the final boss has been defeated. Yep, Wrath saves all of its story for the absolute end of the game. Even in the earliest TMNT arcade entries, there was a basic plot driving the characters forward. Here, it’s absent for… no reason? A brief story segment would have been a nice treat to get the end of each level, at the very least.

One good thing about Wrath is that the characters are voiced by the actors from the 2012 version of the TV series. Rob Paulsen, my favorite of the bunch, voiced my main man Donatello (he also voiced Raphael in the original 1987 series) so it was nice to hear him again. However, the same voice sampled phrases and catchphrases are repeated over and over, to the point that they become irritating.

Unfortunately, Wrath of The Mutants also falls down in the one most crucial aspect that a beat’-em-up has to nail — replayability. The campaign is quick, just an hour or so, and there aren’t any extra characters to find or unlock. Where are Splinter, Casey Jones, and April? Where are the bonus goodies, extras or anything that might make someone go through this mediocre experience again? The only thing unlocked after beating the campaign on normal is a hard mode. These omissions feel like a huge missed opportunity to enhance the appeal of this re-release, and it further underlines the sense that Wrath is a quick port of a barebones arcade title. For $30 at launch, I expect more.

When compared to all the love the Turtles have been receiving lately, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade: Wrath of the Mutants feels like a big step backward. The gameplay is dull and offers little variation, the prevalence of screen-clears highlight the poor combat design, and there’s no real replayability or any rewards to encourage players to come back. Wrath? It’s more like a whimper.

Rating: 3 out of 10

Disclosures: This game is developed by Cradle Games and published by GameMill Entertainment. It is currently available on PS4/5, XBX/S, Switch and PC. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher and reviewed on PC. Approximately 1 hour was devoted to the game, and it was completed. There is an online co-op multiplayer mode.

Parents: This game has an ESRB rating of E for Fantasy Violence. The rating summary states: “This is an action game in which players control Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles through levels of enemies. As players attempt to foil Shredder’s evil plans, they use various weapons (katanas, staffs, nunchuks) to defeat cartoony enemies (e.g., soldiers, droids, mutant creatures) in beat-em-up-style fighting. Characters can also use special attacks (e.g., tornadoes, fiery blasts, electric surges) to inflict wider damage. Some enemies can shoot stylized lasers, flames, or energy bursts at players’ character.”

Colorblind Modes: There are no colorblind options.

Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: The game offers subtitles. Subtitles cannot be resized. There are no audio cues needed for successful gameplay. This game is fully accessible.

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

The post Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade: Wrath of The Mutants Review appeared first on Gamecritics.com.

HIGH A pretty solid soundtrack.

LOW A comparatively weaker second half. 

WTF A girl with a humongous rifle!

I hope it doesn’t sound like too much of a diss when I say that The Glass Staircase feels more like a mood board than a videogame. It’s a short collection of combined elements from different genres and mediums that the creator is clearly passionate about — their Itch page states that it’s “an homage to PS2 survival horror and Italian zombie movies” — and designed to appeal to a subset of nostalgic indie fans. 

Now, I’m usually not big on nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake (I think it’s a crippling emotion, to be honest) but I have to admit that The Glass Staircase recreates the low-poly survival horror aesthetic accurately. Characters look satisfyingly crunchy and pixelly when far away, the minimalist music filled with midi thrumming recalls Akira Yamaoka’s Silent Hill soundtracks, the third-person perspective utilizes old-school Resident Evil-style tank controls, and so on. 

In fact, it recreates the aesthetic so faithfully that the first half of The Glass Staircase — which features no combat, allowing the player to wander an empty mansion and its immediate vicinity as the score thrums on — creates a kind of Uncanny Valley effect via withholding just enough of the genre’s hallmarks to make the player feel like there’s something off about the experience. There’s not even a save room or manual saves in general, just a few autosaves. 

The Glass Staircase’s story, mainly delivered through letters found by the player, is both familiar and vague in the same slightly askew manner. The affair takes place in the early 20th century, and is centered around some girls trapped in a decrepit mansion and given various ‘tasks’ through a mysterious intercom system. As it turns out, the mansion belonged to a mysterious man conducting sinister experiments after his return from the Great War, where we worked as a combat medic. 

The story hits many of the beats the player will probably be expecting, but the storytelling style (along with the dialogue, which is almost entirely delivered in short, cryptic bursts) feels strange and mysterious due to its brand of offbeat indie minimalism. The first half of Glass Staircase feels lonely, longing and degraded in an interesting way — in the same manner that, say, vaporwave does.

That may seem like a bizarre comparison, but I genuinely felt that loneliness and longing, not menace, in The Glass Staircase‘s first half. For about an hour, I was quite enthralled by the willingness to force the player to inhabit a survival horror world exhausted of all its customary elements like a nostalgic gamer returning, time after time, to a set of aesthetic ideas that no longer hold the same fascination. 

Unfortunately, the second half of The Glass Staircase plays things far straighter. The player gets a gun basically out of nowhere and the shift into emulation of classic survival horror’s combat and puzzling was far less interesting as its cracks began to show.  

The handful of bossfights were particularly aggravating to me. The fixed camera angles didn’t add suspense — they simply impeded accurate movement and changed angles so frantically that it became irritating. Also, due to the dodo-brained boss AI giving chase, the player typically runs in a circle for most of the encounter while accidentally slamming into objects they can’t properly see. 

In one odd circumstance, a boss (the first one) didn’t seem to function at all! The few times I fought them, I shot them once and they immediately ran out of my camera’s view. Either they’d suddenly begin running at me again when I approached, or they’d sit still on the other side of the room while I calmly pelted shots at them.

Of course, this is a small Itch title, seemingly developed by one person — I hardly think it’d be fair to judge it too harshly for its rougher edges. Nostalgia-driven retro horror players don’t come to these sorts of projects for triple-A polish, anyhow. No, they’re looking for ideas and styles that bring the back to a moment that was popular a few generations ago. Yes, the style of The Glass Staircase is predicated on nostalgia, like so much of our current cultural output, but there’s clearly a craving for this sort of old-school design and aesthetic, and it’s a craving that The Glass Staircase will undoubtedly satisfy for an hour or two.

Rating: 5 out of 10

Disclosures: This game is developed and published by Puppet Combo. It is currently available on PC, PS4/5, XBO/S/X 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 Blood and Violence. There’s a decent amount of fairly explicit gore in the game, as well as some brief moments of nudity. 

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 encountering any puzzles or enemy encounters that relied on audio. In addition, the little dialogue that the game has is all communicated via subtitles. I believe this game is fully accessible.

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

The post The Glass Staircase Review appeared first on Gamecritics.com.