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Latest Reviews
Metaphor: ReFantazio
Obviously I’ve spent a lot of this review talking about Metaphor: ReFantazio in terms of Persona. While that franchise set a high bar, and I think its audience is primed to like this game, Metaphor’s biggest achievement is just how different it is, both from the Persona franchise and from...
NHL 25
What I’ve learned as an adult trying to learn new things (I took beginner’s swim class a few years back when a lifeguard suggested I should stay out of the deep end at my local pool, too) is that a bit of struggle is OK. It’s why, I think, I...
The Plucky Squire
The Plucky Squire can’t compete on either count. It’s a fantastic concept but a lackluster design that neither surprises players nor meaningfully empowers them. It’s a classic example of a game that must have made for a thrilling half-hour demo at the pitching stage, but that never quite found itself...
Frostpunk 2
All of that said, the grittier art style in Frostpunk 2 is beautiful, and building the game on Unreal Engine gives it a level of polish that leaves me wishing I could see the original in the same way. Frostpunk 2 was built on Unreal, in part, because 11 bit...
I am your Beast
I Am Your Beast is a game I can heartily recommend, especially for people who enjoy titles like the aforementioned Hotline Miami and Superhot. The game is small, but mighty — it may end up being my personal game of the year. There’s no part of I Am Your Beast...
Star Wars Outlaws
What I think the continual march of the genre has made clear, though, is that “living” anywhere is often a repetition of boring daily tasks: going to work, doing the laundry, cooking dinner. I don’t think I want to be “immersed” (whatever that means) in an open world anymore; I...
Astro Bot
Thematically, Team Asobi revels in the freedom of the traditional platform game: not having to stick to a theme at all. Astro Bot’s levels are a restless parade of “what if [blank], but robots?” where the blanks are filled in by turtle temples, funky trees, construction sites, or the inside...
Fields of Mistria
NPC Studio said on its Steam page that Fields of Mistria, despite being in early access, has about 30 to 40 hours of gameplay. I’ve played more than 20 hours so far, and I’ve just made it into my first winter. I’ve reached the current end of the mines (60...
Black Myth: Wukong
All in all, Black Myth: Wukong is an astounding triumph, one that blends a story celebrating Chinese and other East Asian cultures with an original retelling that has resonant themes, all complemented by spectacular design and exhilarating combat. While the narrative is confusing at first — as I can personally...
The Crush House
I’m several hours (and seasons) into The Crush House at this point, and I find that it’s become more compelling to play over time; The layers of it all, be it the viewership demands or the creepy (and literal) underworld storyline, come together in a way that makes the game’s...
One Btn Bosses
So what do you prioritize? Well, that’s up to you. I’m the anxious kind of player who’s always tapping the button to dodge the boss; I don’t mind staying in a level longer so long as I’m playing it safe. But the speedrunners out there will want precise pushes that...
Throughout it all, Duck Detective is a silly little mystery game that leans into the absurdity of it all. There’s a button to make him quack. Lots of fake duck facts, like the fact that ducks sleep with one eye open to keep watch for crime, or that they can...