Kyle Hilliard
This author account hasn't been claimed yet. To claim this account, please contact the outlet owner to request access.
Writing For
Game Informer 
GameSpot 
IGN Latest Reviews
Despite Shovel Knight’s myriad spin-offs and continued ubiquity in the indie game space, it’s been more than a decade since developer Yacht Club Games delivered something wholly new. And maybe calling Mina the Hollower entirely “new” is a misnomer, as it is a reverential showcase of beloved game design and visual ideas from the past and present, all arranged into something that manages to be unique and nostalgic at the same time. Mina is not without its frustrations, but its density o...
I adore the 1995 Super Nintendo game, Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, but I am mature enough to admit that each new Yoshi game is worth examining on its own terms. Yoshi and the Mysterious Book has no obligation to be a new retread of that 30-year-old game and it isn't. I admire the willingness to try something different. This adventure plays more like a unique puzzle game with Yoshi aesthetics, and the result is a largely rewarding experience that rarely challenged me, but didn’t have...
When Until Dawn was released in 2015, it felt novel. Telltale had popularized a specific formula of interactive narrative, but Supermassive’s teen-slasher horror game took its ideas and applied an impressive layer of creativity and production value on top of it alongside casting choices that only look more brilliant with time. Successive entries in the The Dark Pictures Anthology series, however, have increasingly failed to live up to the promise of Until Dawn, and Directive 8020 is the lat...
Discovering a powerful (and profitable) new element on a faraway planet is a sci-fi staple that is especially prevalent in modern media, but Saros embraces this trope by making Lucenite’s home planet, Carcosa, the stuff of inescapable but wholly engaging nightmares. Protagonist Arjun fights to maintain his sanity, find a lost love, and stay alive (failing often) against an onslaught of lasers and monsters while the people around him descend into vague madness. All this while your AI-driven ...
The cinematic platformer was popularized by the 2010 Xbox Live Arcade game, Limbo (though its roots extend from 1991’s Another World), and as a result, the genre has primarily offered dark and moody experiences with thoughtful, but opaque stories. Darwin's Paradox sets itself apart in the genre by being colorful, silly, and narratively transparent – think Pixar animated short as opposed to Brothers Quay animated short. The goofy angle and unexpected production values help Darwin feel dif...
Fatal Frame II’s reputation has always been intriguing. Hyperbolic phrases like “the scariest game ever made” have often been associated with the 2003 PlayStation 2 game, and I can frankly understand why after playing the remake. Fatal Frame II is frightening with its near-constant jump scares, oppressive atmosphere, difficult enemies, and arguably too much darkness. But more so than fear, the emotion I frequently grappled with was frustration.
Scott Pilgrim EX represents a reunion of sorts for developer Tribute Games. Members of the team worked on 2010’s Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game at Ubisoft and later formed the current studio that developed the well-regarded Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge and Marvel Cosmic Invasion. Tribute has become skilled at creating visually nostalgic beat ‘em ups, and its return to the Scott Pilgrim franchise is no exception. It is, however, light on surprises or mechanical i...
I’ve been following the exploits of Kratos and his terrible, no good, very bad life since 2005. The God of War franchise has maintained an impressive level of action game quality for over 20 years while delivering an engaging, often emotional story. Sons of Sparta doesn’t fill in any important narrative gaps. It does offer a worthwhile look at a point in Kratos’ life before the gods decided to put him through hell (often literally), but the gameplay is frustrating and competing in a gen...
I’ve been following the exploits of Kratos and his terrible, no good, very bad life since 2005. The God of War franchise has maintained an impressive level of action game quality for over 20 years while delivering an engaging, often emotional story. Sons of Sparta doesn’t fill in any important narrative gaps. It does offer a worthwhile look at a point in Kratos’ life before the gods decided to put him through hell (often literally), but the gameplay is frustrating and competing in a gen...
Suda51’s role on Romeo is a Dead Man is producer, but his fingerprints and tone are all over the journey. The story follows space and time-travelling FBI agents who drink cream soda (hold the soda) and battle villains in violent displays with the help of zombies grown in a spaceship garden. The premise is ridiculous and fun, and it looks and feels like a different game every few minutes thanks to all its disparate art directions. I have my annoyances with Romeo is a Dead Man and its insiste...