Venetica is an action rpg that puts you in the roll of a young woman named Scarlett who is tasked restoring the balance between life and death after her home town is attack. The story is simple but has a variety of moments that were either unexpected or interesting and I enjoyed the it overall even if it lacks nuance at times. The graphics look nice and the cartoony artstyle has aged well. Animations are on the stiff side for cutscenes but combat and effects is fine. Combat is straightforward emphasizing the use of the right weapon for the occasion rather than elements or status effects although Scarlett has a variety of skills both physical and supernatural at her disposal to help out and spice things up a bit. Venice is a very well realized city that is large with plenty of nooks and crannies to explore with either quests or treasure chests to find. This was probably what I enjoyed most about the game. It is a character all its own and one of the highlights. You'll unlock new sections of the city as the city progresses from chapter to chapter. My few issues are that the game is a bit buggy with some collision detection issues here and there as well as some very minor flickoring shadows. The quest markers are damn near useless at times. I do wish it was more obivous what actions or conversation choices impact your reputaion and the ending you get,which there is two of. Good solid game well worth playing.
With fun and inventive turn based combat alongside charming likable characters and vibrant graphics Steamwold Heist is great. I had a few issues with the balancing in some missions depending on the characters you choose for your party and felt like the constant timers were a crutch to maintain challenge but otherwise it was a relaxing pleasant experience throughout. This a an easy recommendation.
While being a remake of the 1996 release Anniversary also offers enough changes to still be its own experience. The gameplay is in the same style of Tome Raider Legend but with a slight twist to combat involving a slo-mo attack to deal heavy damage. Level design is based on the originals levels with some areas being streamlined but honestly this is for the better. It is otherwise very faithful in its recreation with every level being easily recognizable with a few exceptions. The story is essentially the the same with Lara getting caught up in Natlas scheme and ending up saving the world. Graphically its very good on par with Legend with a little refinement but lacking the next gen features which is okay in this case at the art design is top notch and it run great.
Tomb Raider Legend tells the story of Lara Croft searching for the truth to what happened to her mother after and incident at a relic sight as a child. Its a failry straight forward story that ends on a cliffhanger. Lara is full of personality and manages to be a great combination of charming and badass that suits her perfectly. The gameplay is very smooth especially the combat which is the biggest upgrade from Core Designs games although the platforming holds your hand a bit too much which would only get worse with the survivor trilogy but here and in Anniversary and Underworld it is still satisfying. Graphics look good and hold up nicely of course showing age but the style and art design holds up well across the whole trilogy though. The soundtrack is great especially the main theme. Voice acting is quite good too no real complaints here.
Note lock the game to 60 fps. the physics and AI are tied to the fps so when it runs above 60 they break. While the story has its rushed moments this was a good albeit somewhat flawed sendoff for the Legend trilogy. Graphics still look quite good for its age and the voice acting is well performed across the board. Gameplay follows a similar control and movement scheme found Anniversary and Legend but with a few changes that make it feel a bit more unique to them. This is mostly due to Lara's animations and the timing for he movements having more weight to them. She can also kick attack as a melee option and wall jump. Has some fantastic set pieces and level design with decent puzzles and some combat sprinkled in here and there. The motorcycle is fun to ride despite only being used in a few levels and underwater levels will never be to my liking in any game. The story finishes up Lara looking for answers as to what happened to her mother while dealing with Amanda and Natla. There is an over the top cheesy feel to the story at times that works well and fits the series that still has enough drama and good characterization for me to actually care about what is going on. If you like Legend and Anniversary there is no reason to not give this one a go.
Presentation is fantastic across the board with great voice acting and beautiful graphics. Environments are linear but still full of atmosphere with small amounts of explorations for some collectibles. The story is about Amicia and her younger brother Hugo surviving both an ever encroaching infestation of rats across France while avoiding soldiers who are looking to kidnap Hugo due to his connect to the rats. Along the way You will meet and be helped by other kids all impacted differently but the plague. There is a supernatural element that I really enjoyed and the supporting cast were mostly likably or charming in their own way. The ending with Melie was very abrupt and felt rushed but I enjoyed the story otherwise. Gameplay is mostly stealth but a few levels narrative based with minor puzzles and character interactions. The stealth is fairly simple but satisfying know that Amicia cannot fight back, she can attack with her sling but if enemies get too close they will instantly kills her. This is not a big issue as the level design is built well for this mind. There are some boss battles which work well mostly with Amicia having to hit the boss in weak spots or use the environment to her advantage. The one boss I had issue with was the final one that utilizes the rats, I founds it clunky overall and not the most engaging but I understood what they were going for. A plague Tale has ended being a favorite of mine in recent years and worth checking out it you like stealth games especially in alternative history settings with the supernatural elements.
