Phenomenal. This is one of the best games I have played in years. Treat yourself and buy this. Remember to read the manual and you will go far.
Faxanadu was the very first game I had ever beat. I must have been 7 at the time and it holds a special place in my cold freezer burned heart. Xanadu Next, a gaming artifact in its own right, would be the next game in this series I would play nearly 100 years later. I was surprised in how well it kept with the spirit of its paleolithic ancestor. The puzzling and dungeon crawling have much improved. The difficulty is middle of the road making for a competent and enjoyable hack and slash to unwind with. There are a few puzzles that require a diagonal movement that is not mentioned in-game which can lead to much frustration to the uninformed. I was not the biggest fan of the controller lay out and how the shield use was entirely passive. The sound track is surprisingly good, it is a mix of ambience, gothic chanting, romantic instrumentals. The story is uncovered through lore which is buried in text. There is only one town in the game and there are very few NPC's. The majority of the NPC's are detached from the lore and the surrounding environment so have little to offer in advancing the plot of the game or bringing any depth to the lore presented to you. It makes the game feel empty and somewhat disjointed. Xanadu is alright if only just to turn your mind off and crush a dungeon or two before hitting the sack. 6/10
I am at a bit of a loss as to why this game has some of the savage reviews it does. I think Narita Boy [NB] is an excellent game. It has solid storytelling, compelling art style, great musical score and dare I say --great game play. NB layers two stories together, similar to a Greek play, the hero’s journey layered with a family tragedy/redemption meta-story; it was an unexpectedly touching narrative without trying too hard. The paleo-techno art style with religious overtones was striking and is the signature of NB. I have not taken as many screenshots from a single game before. I often wonder as to what was the mindset that made some of the scenes. The music is this synth/vapourwave genre, it is good it fits well thematically with game plots lines, and it is not for sale. NB gameplay is a solid platformer/metroidvainia, and it is executed well. Other reviews malign the controls which I feel are severely misplaced. The game plays smoothly with the button set ups. It would be better if you could re-key, but it is a non-issue as far as I am concerned. I recommend. On discount, you cannot lose 8/10.
Grindea is the name and grinding is the game. Don't let you heart fill with dread. This isn't Darkest Dungeon. Grindea won't lie to you. Your character exists to solely to collect crap in a society that is centered around crap collecting. There is a story, it is quite pleasant, but it is only there to foster you to collect more and more crap. The Grindean system of grinding rewards is well layered. Obviously, you gain experience for the culmination of crap collecting chores you are coerced to complete. The various tid-bits, bobs, and nobs of crap you find go to crafting new and improved crap. You can feed your crap to your pet for stat boosts, and you can even get a crap-shack to fill with EVEN MORE CRAP! Plus there is an entire poke-dex dedicated to the beasts you have slaughtered, and if you have killed enough of them, you get a card (ie more crap) and a stat boost! I love it! This is a hoarders RPG dream. The Devs did a bang up job and nailed the polished 16 bit era ARPG look and mechanics. This game plays vitamix smooth. I have a great time unwinding with this game. My favourite part of this game is that you are not married your character build (I mean you could if you wanted). You are given an allotment of points, based on your level, which can be spent on a wide variety of skills and spells. You could start out as a melee based character and then swap out to to be a spell caster part way through the game. The skill/spell swaps cost gold, which is fairly abundant, so you can change your character as much as you can afford. It is the ultimate in customisation. There ain't nothing wrong with a little bump and Grind....ea 9.5/10 (92hrs on steam)
Batbarian is a good addition to the library of people who enjoy the genre. I don't think this holds a candle to some of the top notch Metroidvanias that have come out in the past ten years. Where I feel this game really shines is in its humour, challenging puzzles, and boss fights. Batbarian has this rough Cal-Arts style to it which is generally not my favourite but, there is a playful humour and storytelling to Batbarian that matches the art style perfectly. I really do appreciate a game that can put a smile on my face. Conversely, The music and sound effects are often unremarkable but there are small things that play into Batbarian's atmosphere: the sequence when your character dies for example or a distant sound of a water droplet in a section of dungeon. The bosses and puzzles were challenging and satisfying to solve. There is an excellent variety to the bosses; the general bestiary by contrast is limited and, you will run into similar enemies throughout your play through. Batbarian was not done any favours with its clunky and stiff controls. The Barbarian/Barbarianette is not a dynamic character. You cannot duck, dodge, dooblah jump, cliff hang, or block. Additionally, your attacks don't create that small temporary instantaneous buffer between you and your enemy so, you have to be careful not to take extra damage by ramming into an enemy when attacking them. I found use of items and supporting characters clunky to use and this shows in some of the puzzles or bosses where the timing of using pip imperative to your success. The game is a rock solid 7 out of 10. It has a good story line, good game play with controls that take some time to get used to. If you love the genre or you are looking for a Metroidvania to play because you have beat the others, get this. Not all of a band's best songs were played on the radio, Burgerlord
Shantae was a pleasant surprise to me. It has a cheeky 90's anime style that gave me a few hearty chuckles and the music was catchy to boot. If you were to take Monster/Wonder Boy as an analogue, Shantae is nowhere near as challenging; but as far as flirtatious anime fun goes, Shantae takes the cake. A cake is a type of burger right? Cake/Burger
I played 8 Bit Adventures after finishing the second installment; so, this played both as a graphical and narrative prequel. There is a marked decrease in graphical detail typical in the first instalment of a series however, the narrative charm is not lost. I enjoyed dust as the first villain of this series as it was the bane to cartridge gaming. The game is held back by its limited battle mechanics which, as another reviewer pointed out, plays like a colour coded rock paper scissors. Seeing the beginnings of 8 bit adventures gave me an appreciation for the improvements made in the sequel. I am curious to see the 3rd installment. Will it be the conclusion of the 8 bit trilogy? Will the heroes level up to 16 bits? What or who will be the next villain? Do yourself a favour, buy the bundle. This was a great series. I hope see more. 6.5/10
