Towerfall: Ascension is one of those games you can't stop playing with friends. It can be descibed as a mix of several games like Jump 'n Bumb, PowerStone 2 (Dreamcast) or BattleBlock Theater. What's nice: The graphics, the music (really nice retro touch) and the fact that the game runs on Windows, Linux and Mac OS! The single-player is not really great and the coop-mode is ok, but not the real deal. Better battle for hours against three other friends! That's how the game should be played!
Shovel Knight is a magnificent game, a tribute to a gaming era, that builded the pillars of todays gaming. But Shovel Knight is not a cheap pixelated 8-Bit-wannabee. SK shows, that you can build an indie classic with 8-Bit style, wonderful chiptune music AND a flawless gameplay that feels not outdated: the pace is really well balanced and never stops because of motivating rewards for the player. SK borrows elements from several NES games like Duck Tales, Castlevania III, Mega Man 2/3, Super Mario Bros. 3 or Zelda, but it's really not a cheesy rip-off of those classics! Why? Because SK transforms all the gameplay elements to a new, well designed formula: The shovel combat is fun and offers various attacks with only two button and two moves (jumping, special attack) and the upgrade system is so well crafted that you don't want to stop playing. Beside, the difficulty is not too high like in other "retro indie games". SK never frustrates and is never unfair. Still, you can be challenged buy playing through the game one time or destroy checkpoint to loot gems. So yes, SK can be considered as an casual 8-Bit-reminiscence for todays "checkpoint gaming generation". But I think, it's a wonderful attribution to the GOG library and the game is worth 15 bucks. You will be entertained for hours (~10h one playtrough if you don't want to rush the levels) and you will go back once again for new challenges. And you will recognise all the elements you loved when you were a child, sitting in front of your NES: The memories definitively will come back!
"But this game looks like a Sonic ripoff!!!111111" Yes. And that's good! Freedom Planet started as a Kickstarter campaign in 2013. It started as an hommage to games like Sonic & Knuckles and other, most Mega Drive/Genesis era games. A lot of people wil first think, it's a mindless Sonic ripoff. But that's no the truth. Freedom Planet is a wonderful designed 16-Bit-hommage, with a decent gameplay, wonderful soundtrack and gorgeous art style. Yes, it has some glitches (some boses are frustrating hard) and the voice acting is ridiculous bad - but the hole package is a charming love letter to all fans of old days. For me, this is the Shovel Knight for Mega Drive/Genesis fans. Is it fun? Oh yeah! Is it worth the money? In my opinion: Absolutely! If you have no confidence in reviews, go to the developer homepage, grab the demo (~65MB) and see, if the game fits you. But don't make a 5 vs. 1 star battle over a game, that can be considered as a little gem in the GOG library.
