The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom marks the first time the series’ titular character is the main playable one: it’s finally Zelda’s moment to shine, and she doesn’t disappoint, for her game manages to blend the modern Zelda ethos of favoring player expression with the series’ classic dungeon template even more successfully than the recent 3D outings. Her game …
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Batman: The Telltale Series
This review contains some general spoilers. Batman: The Telltale Series offers a great take on the Batman mythos, focusing its attention on Gotham and the role the Wayne family has in shaping it as a hopelessly corrupt and violent city. Despite following Telltale’s uninspired formula, the game’s story shines by framing politics and wealth disparity as the core reasons for …
Read More »Haven
With a wholesome vibe and some simple mechanics, Haven is a cozy game that celebrates friendship and love. Successful at developing its central relationship, the game is only occasionally hampered by an overall lack of obstacles and conflict: things here can be just too nice. Haven is about two runaway lovers, Yu and Kay, who have managed to escape together …
Read More »The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening
The remake of The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening presents an old classic with a new but problematic coat of paint. It still offers the same adventure set in a memorable setting that is both mysterious and tragic, but now with an art style that robs the narrative of some of its impact. The game opens with Link sailing alone …
Read More »Close to the Sun
Close to the Sun is a narrative adventure game that falters when it comes to its most fundamental component: its narrative. With shallow, boring characters and undeveloped themes, the game even commits the modern sin of foregoing a proper conclusion in favor of leaving doors open for a sequel. The story takes place in 1897 in a reality where Nikola …
Read More »AI: The Somnium Files
AI: The Somnium Files is a fascinating adventure game whose convoluted plot is easily outshone by the quirky characters that inhabit its absurd world – which is a great thing, as the story by itself is a bit shallow and quite, quite repetitive. On a rainy day, a woman called Shoko Nadami is found dead on a merry-go-round with an …
Read More »Bayonetta 2
Somehow managing to be even more insane and frenetic than the first one (which is saying a lot) Bayonetta 2 is a unique action game that, with its fascinating heroine and engaging combat system, excels at wowing us with increasingly insane set-pieces. The story begins when Bayonetta’s dear friend, Jeanne, is attacked and taken to hell by a demon that Bayonetta …
Read More »Earthlock
Earthlock is an unpretentious RPG that, unfortunately, fails to leave any sort of mark. The biggest fault lies in the story, which is basically non-existent, with paper-thin characters and a severe lack of tension and thematic purpose. So, even though its combat system is dynamic and engaging, it’s not complex enough to save the game all on its own. It’s …
Read More »Metroid Prime
One of gaming’s advantages over other kinds of artistic media is its ability to tap into the feeling of wonder through exploration directly: since we are the ones moving the camera, and choosing where to look, where to go, and what to investigate, games can turn us into intrepid explorers venturing into the unknown. And, to this day, few games …
Read More »Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is hands down the best entry in the franchise to date. It’s true that the game doesn’t try to reinvent the… wheel, but it more than makes up for it by offering some outstanding track designs and a truly stellar presentation. Mario Kart 8 makes use of several elements introduced in Mario Kart 7 and the …
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