Sometimes, a great story is enough. Masquerada: Songs and Shadows, for example, stays on the shoulders of its fascinating protagonist and central conflict, as its simple, straightforward combat system would never carry a game on its own. We play as Cicero Gavar, a man who is summoned back from exile to assist in an investigation into the whereabouts of an …
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Astral Chain
Astral Chain is a curious action game that’s constantly mixing genres to try and offer something new to the player alongside its complex combat system. However, it ends up cluttered, suffering from too many underdeveloped ideas, and a story so shallow that it makes the original Bayonetta’s feel like Primer in comparison. In Astral Chain, we control a cop in …
Read More »Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
Developed by Starbreeze Studios, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is a poignant adventure that combines dramatic and fantastical elements to tell a captivating story. With a simple control scheme that’s brilliant in the way it reflects the relationship between the main characters, A Tale of Two Sons fails only at one precise moment: the twist that leads to the …
Read More »The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
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 …
Read More »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 …
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