[blog] churros are fried until they become crunchy, and may be sprinkled with sugar

Saying that Dark Souls helps people cope with depression is almost cliche at this point. I was feeling not so great about my life some weeks ago and then I thought maybe it's the right time to revisit that game I've loved so so much back in 2011 (10 years ago!).

What an experience. As I was progressing in the game all the memories of it started to came back, when I suddenly realized that I remember everything. Every corner was a pleasant deja vu, always predicting exactly what's come next. This is probably the most memorable world map to me, an entire decade did nothing on those memories. For some boss fights, I literally could feel my heart raising at the last hits.

I was hooked. 65 hours later, beat the game from start to finish, but it wasn't enough. So it was finally time to play the infamous Dark Souls II, which I've own but never played. I hate the non-analog direction thing (the main character only walks on a 'digital' 8-direction), the frame rate was pretty bad (played on PS3), and the world interconnectedness of the first is surely missing. All that said, what a shame that this game has the fame of being the bad one of the franchise. Dark Souls II is amazing, I got hooked just as with the first, couldn't stop until I've beat it (72 hours).

Beat DS1, then DS2, and I was still hungry for more. DS3 would be the next logical choice, but I've decided to take a left turn and try Mortal Shell.

Well... I've played for a good 10 hours but ended up retiring it. It's not entirely bad, but it's far away from the quality of a From Software souls. It has an interesting take with the shells thing, but the map is confusing and I've hated so much the character progression and 'currency' of this world. It started to become a drag to play and I've to retire it. Playing it just after 2 amazing Dark Souls experiences didn't do any favors for the game for sure.

Oh, but the game graphics are great, really impressive for a small team.

Result: retired

Rating: 7/10

Pros:
+ beautiful graphics
+ great armor design
+ innovative souls-like ideas

Cons:
- cumbersome progression
- confusing map layout

Screenshots:


Isn't he cute?


MediEvil with realistic graphics.


One of the shells.

Saying that Dark Souls helps people cope with depression is almost cliche at this point. I was feeling not so great about my life some weeks ago and then I thought maybe it's the right time to revisit that game I've loved so so much back in 2011 (10 years ago!).

What an experience. As I was progressing in the game all the memories of it started to came back, when I suddenly realized that I remember everything. Every corner was a pleasant deja vu, always predicting exactly what's come next. This is probably the most memorable world map to me, an entire decade did nothing on those memories. For some boss fights, I literally could feel my heart raising at the last hits.

I was hooked. 65 hours later, beat the game from start to finish, but it wasn't enough. So it was finally time to play the infamous Dark Souls II, which I've own but never played. I hate the non-analog direction thing (the main character only walks on a 'digital' 8-direction), the frame rate was pretty bad (played on PS3), and the world interconnectedness of the first is surely missing. All that said, what a shame that this game has the fame of being the bad one of the franchise. Dark Souls II is amazing, I got hooked just as with the first, couldn't stop until I've beat it (72 hours).

Beat DS1, then DS2, and I was still hungry for more. DS3 would be the next logical choice, but I've decided to take a left turn and try Mortal Shell.

Well... I've played for a good 10 hours but ended up retiring it. It's not entirely bad, but it's far away from the quality of a From Software souls. It has an interesting take with the shells thing, but the map is confusing and I've hated so much the character progression and 'currency' of this world. It started to become a drag to play and I've to retire it. Playing it just after 2 amazing Dark Souls experiences didn't do any favors for the game for sure.

Oh, but the game graphics are great, really impressive for a small team.

Result: retired

Rating: 7/10

Pros:
+ beautiful graphics
+ great armor design
+ innovative souls-like ideas

Cons:
- cumbersome progression
- confusing map layout

Screenshots:


Isn't he cute?


MediEvil with realistic graphics.


One of the shells.

That's the one thing about soulslikes, they never reach the heights of actual souls games. I personally really enjoy the games, but they are all not without fault. Like you said Mortal Shell can be super confusing at times, to the point of where it can be cumbersome. I haven't really disliked any of the soulslike games that I have played, but that may change sometime when I check out Lords of the Fallen.

That's the one thing about soulslikes, they never reach the heights of actual souls games. I personally really enjoy the games, but they are all not without fault. Like you said Mortal Shell can be super confusing at times, to the point of where it can be cumbersome. I haven't really disliked any of the soulslike games that I have played, but that may change sometime when I check out Lords of the Fallen.

I have some bad news for you my friend, at least to me, Lords of the Fallen was even worst. So incredibly clunky and sluggish, I hate it. The Surge was sure better, but not quite there (didn't play the sequel though).

This will sound like blasphemy for Souls fans, but the one that actually achieves it's Nioh. I love Nioh as much as Dark Souls. The combat is super tight and the enemies' designs and animations are top-notch. I may be overthinking, but the fluidity of the combat may have some influence from them being a fighting game developer (Dead or Alive), you can combo attacks making the encounters feel less like a struggle and more like a dance.

I have some bad news for you my friend, at least to me, Lords of the Fallen was even worst. So incredibly clunky and sluggish, I hate it. The Surge was sure better, but not quite there (didn't play the sequel though).

This will sound like blasphemy for Souls fans, but the one that actually achieves it's Nioh. I love Nioh as much as Dark Souls. The combat is super tight and the enemies' designs and animations are top-notch. I may be overthinking, but the fluidity of the combat may have some influence from them being a fighting game developer (Dead or Alive), you can combo attacks making the encounters feel less like a struggle and more like a dance.

Nioh is pretty good, but Nioh 2 is where it is at. Nioh 2 is easily the best souls-like that I've played and its even imo comparable in terms of quality to one of the From Software titles. With your reassuance, I can now say I'm more excited to check out lords of the fallen soon (blatant exaggeration).

Nioh is pretty good, but Nioh 2 is where it is at. Nioh 2 is easily the best souls-like that I've played and its even imo comparable in terms of quality to one of the From Software titles. With your reassuance, I can now say I'm more excited to check out lords of the fallen soon (blatant exaggeration).

Oh, that's awesome. I bought Nioh 2 but didn't play it yet (so many games!).

I didn't like that they are now working on a Final Fantasy game, I would prefer them working on something more original than such an already overused IP. Anyway, despite all the Final Fantasy cheesiness, I hope it's good.

I love this game but I probably wouldn't recommend it to anyone. Your are a program inside a computer, dealing with data processing tubes, anti-virus, AI, etc. The scenario is somewhat empty and ugly. The story is all told with datalogs, which are long texts in a monospaced font. The combat is serviceable, but not great (it's a crime not being able to jump and shoot).

Why do I love it? Some stages are incredibly vertical and wide, feels so free to explore. The powerup progression is quite well done, you start weak and slow and finish the game feeling like a literal god, almost breaking the game. Its latter stages feel like a boring adult Mario Galaxy. I love it.

Result: completed

Rating: 8/10

Pros:
+ great powerup progression
+ tight platforming
+ big vertical worlds to explore
+ unique world design
+ oddly soothing music

Cons:
- can't jump and shoot
- mediocre combat sections
- ugly world
- too long text entries

Screenshots:


World feels big. Well, at least bigger than you.


Can I say it's poetry?


Catch me if you can Kaspersky/Norton/McAfee.

I love this game but I probably wouldn't recommend it to anyone. Your are a program inside a computer, dealing with data processing tubes, anti-virus, AI, etc. The scenario is somewhat empty and ugly. The story is all told with datalogs, which are long texts in a monospaced font. The combat is serviceable, but not great (it's a crime not being able to jump and shoot).

Why do I love it? Some stages are incredibly vertical and wide, feels so free to explore. The powerup progression is quite well done, you start weak and slow and finish the game feeling like a literal god, almost breaking the game. Its latter stages feel like a boring adult Mario Galaxy. I love it.

Result: completed

Rating: 8/10

Pros:
+ great powerup progression
+ tight platforming
+ big vertical worlds to explore
+ unique world design
+ oddly soothing music

Cons:
- can't jump and shoot
- mediocre combat sections
- ugly world
- too long text entries

Screenshots:


World feels big. Well, at least bigger than you.


Can I say it's poetry?


Catch me if you can Kaspersky/Norton/McAfee.

I had a similar feeling. I find it hard to recommend this game but I absolutely loved my time with it. I only rated it a 70% but I stayed up 2 hours past my usual bedtime on a work night to beat it.

I ran into a plethora of bugs and glitched into a few areas that I shouldn't have been able to access and it just added to the fun. It has super annoying gameplay aspects like being unable to aim straight up which makes it awkward to kill some enemies, there's a weird controller acceleration and when you fall off a ledge you sometimes have to wait 15 second while you just fall.

Somehow it's still a blast.

I've checked out a bunch of demos on Steam from the Gamescom Indie Booth Arena Online thing (that's a long name!). Here is everything I've played.

(no screenshot)
Greak: Memories of Azur: You control two characters at the same time. Well, not necessarily, you can choose to control one at a time and swap them, or just control them both at once. It's pretty cool and works surprisingly well, better than it sounds. Unfortunately, I got tired of playing it. Playing with two characters is a lot of effort. I was extremely surprised to see that there's no coop in this game, it would be perfect for it.


No Place for Bravery: 2D souls-like. Controls are surprisingly tight, but moving around doesn't feel great, especially diagonally or dashing through platforms (no jump). Despite moving not being fun, looks polished. Glad to see that's a Brazilian studio.

(no screenshot)
White Shadows: This game artstyle is very pretty and the things happening on the background are all very interesting. I guess it's similar to LIMBO and INSIDE, but can really say for sure because I've never played those two. This game is very dark, no joke, the demo ends with a panel saying "kill yourself" to the main character. I will probably check it out when it comes out, it grabbed my attention.

(no screenshot)
Turbo Shell: It's similar to Super Magbot, the character having two 'magnetic poles' making it pull/push itself. It breaks my brain, I'm not that smart.

(no screenshot)
Rising Hell: A side scroller game with no joystick support. There is a lot of games that I'm able to play with mouse and keyboard just fine, but this isn't one of those.

(no screenshot)
Harmony's Odyssey: Little puzzle game, really easy to understand how it works. It's like a diorama mixed with sliding puzzle. Seems perfect for the elderly and little kids at first, most of the puzzles are solved in seconds, but the last ones stole some good minutes from me.


TUNIC: Cute and polished Zelda game. The beginning reminds me of Link's Awakening, waking up on the shore. There's a mysterious non-human language in the game, I wonder if at some point we're able to read it. Its combat can be really hard when fighting multiple enemies at once. This game is incredibly charming and plays well, I'll surely play it when it comes out.


ANNO: Mutationem: I'm a sucker for low-resolution PS1/PS2 textures, I guess it's just nostalgia. The game hits all the right notes to me, walking around in the city is pretty cool, the artstyle, the dialogs are ok, except that the most important, the combat, it's no good. I'm not sure if it was intentional making the combat animation with such few frames, it feels bad. I wish this was a turn-based RPG instead of an action one.


Do Not Buy This Game: Thematically similar to There Is No Game. The demo is just a narrator interacting with you and shifting things on the scenario as much as possible for you to not press a button. Dialog was honestly funny, it hold me through the whole game. I'm still skeptical if the concept will grab me for a whole game though.

(no screenshot)
Blind Fate: Edo no Yami: Another cyberpunk Japanese themed game. Story starts convoluted and I ended up skipping it. The game has an interesting idea on paper of sound/smell/heat sensors (all of those displayed visually of course), but it's just not fun to interact with them.

(no screenshot)
Super Catboy: A little retro-style beat em up with cutsie characters, nothing special, would play best in a small screen (such as Nintendo Switch Lite), the pixel art felt too stretch on my full HD monitor. Looks fine for a 'podcast game' if it comes out cheap.


SANNABI: The Revenant: This. This is the highlight of all the demos I've played. It's kinda hard to explain, it's a fast-paced side-scrolling 2D action game, in which the main weapon is a grappling hook. You play it mostly with a mouse, the grappling hook it's used both for platforming and fighting enemies. Controlling is so fun and precise. The pixel art is gorgeous. I was genuinely interested to see how the story unfolds. The dialog is super charming. Everything is top-notch. The plot and the way the story is told reminds me of Katana Zero. Day one purchase for sure.

I don't know why I've bought this game. It's a roguelike, that immediately should repel me. I think the weird badass mutating tree look caught my attention. It reminded me of weird PSX/N64 era games I guess, like Biofreak.



But heck, I didn't even play Biofreak!

Combat is hack and slash, but slow and methodical like a souls game/monster hunter, but no stamina bar to manage. You go down into the tree floors (I guess), each time getting more difficulty, pretty much like Diablo 1.

Everything looks ugly. That's sure on purpose, but also makes it hard to distinguish what's an enemy, what's you, what's your weapon, etc. Everything has this muddy evil tree look. The worst part to me it's how many systems and mechanics there are, so many and they aren't creative or engaging at all, just number on top of numbers. To make it worse, the game is grindy and repetitive.

You recover your health with a smoking pipe that blows green smoke when used. I think there are more pot references in the game, but I wasn't really paying attention.

Result: retired

Rating: 4/10

Pros:
+ Creative world

Cons:
- ugly artstyle
- boring protagonist
- grindy
- few enemy variety
- shallow mechanics
- too many mechanics

Screenshots:


Any screenshot looks ugly, believe me.


This is a very important moment of the plot, the main antagonist finds this hat that makes him powerful or something like that. Sorry, I wasn't paying attention.


Hello handsome.

A wave-based game that for some reason got pretty popular some years ago. The game is good, I'm impressed that I've played this for straight two hours, considering how low content it is. You have to kill the spawning demons while fighting in a tiny arena, surviving the long as possible, that's it.

It's addicting, has that feeling of "just another run". My record time was 92 seconds. There's a single achievement in this game, which is surviving for 500 seconds. I can't really imagine how hard it must be.

Result: retired

Rating: 6/10

Pros:
+ addicting
+ controls well
+ great sound effects
+ runs on any machine

Cons:
- low on content
- lacks gameplay variety

Screenshots:


Start screen.


I died to take this screenshot.


Dead.

Indie Tony Hawk wannabe in which you play as a cute bird. Tons of appearance customization options, silly dialog with other birds and objectives, some hidden items. There are 5 big stages, no time limit in the stage, but there's a time limit after starting a 'quest' from each bird scattered around the stage.

What almost kills the game is how clunky it is. Movement is everything in a skating game and unfortunately, the controls feel a bit unpolished. Nothing that really ruins the fun, eventually you get used to its quirkness. The OST is pretty authentic, I've liked the selection.

Result: completed (8h)

Rating: 7/10

Pros:
+ lots of character customization options
+ fun premise
+ simple controls
+ decent ost

Cons:
- clunky
- unpolished
- bad animations

Screenshots:


Grabbing letters.


The crew together.


Skatebirding.

Slide, run on walls, jump, and shoot. All incredibly fast, you die with very few hits. Reminds a bit of Ghostrunner (but no sword, just guns) and the bullet-time mechanic of F.E.A.R.

I've kinda liked the game despite its repetitiveness, but I had to retire once I've found a boss that was one of the most frustrating things in my recent gaming memories.

Result: retired

Rating: 6/10

Pros:
+ addictive gameplay
+ost

Cons:
- broken boss fight
- poorly balanced
- poor gameplay variety
- poor scenario variety

I've tried some of the demos from Melbourne International Games Week on Steam. Unfortunately, I didn't like any of the demos I've played.


Hot Brass: It's like a 2D SWAT game, but the characters are actually icons? Not only that, it felt like it uses almost the entire keyboard as commands. Feels very complete in terms of features, but it's just not fun.


Completely Stretchy and Uncomfortably Sticky: Looked like just my thing. Color palette easy on the eyes, weird and wacky, and moving around seemed fun. That is until I've played. I could use some guidance, the demo pretty much throws you into the game without instructions. Traversing by extending your arm almost like Spider-Man is ruined by the terrible framerate. This game is so poorly optimized, I couldn't enjoy myself with the FPS all over the place.


The Last Stand: Aftermath: Generic twin-stick shooter zombie survival game. Lots of stuff to interact with scattered around the environment, crafting, saving resources, you know the drill. The shooting felt off, which is really a bummer for a game about making every bullet count.


Video World: Synth-pop rhythm game, low poly graphics, walk with WASD, and rhythm with arrow keys. Tongue-in-cheek dialogue, which was ok. But the rhythm part of the game is incredibly dull.

In anticipation of Metroid Dread, I’ve decided to play a bunch of Metroids.



Another Metroid 2 Remake. Amazing fan-made game. Even though the game was officially taken down, because "Nintendo", you can easily find a copy out there on the web (thanks Internet Archive!).

Result: completed (5h 6m)

Rating: 8/10


Mommy?



What else to say about Super Metroid?

Well, seeing 1994 on the start screen of Super Metroid is jaw-dropping.



Oh, and for this playthrough, I'm playing the game as gourmet as possible: real SNES, authentic cartridge, on an amazing CRT TV.

Result: completed

Rating: 9/10

Pros:
+ memorable level design
+ subtle tutorials
+ amazing pixel art and color palette
+ one of the best soundtracks of all time
+ two types of normal jumps
+ atmospheric
+ environmental storytelling
+ timeless game
+ genre-defining game

Cons:
- easy to get stuck
- some unfair item placement
- platforming can be frustrating at times

Screensho... err, I mean pictures:


Japanese cartridge. Glady, there’s so little text that the Japanese version has an English text option.


Playing on a good CRT TV is priceless.


Did I mention how much I like playing it on CRT?



Another Metroid 2 remake (ha!), this time officially published by Nintendo. I love this game, especially the counterattack that they introduced to the combat. Also, the environment scanner is just a time saver. Oh, and there’s one of the best boss fights in the entire series (if not the very best!).

Even though is a very highly regarded game to me, it isn’t perfect. The art style and music are some of the most forgettable in the series. Also, the Metroid encounters could use more variety.

Oh, and I kinda like MercurySteam. Even though Lords of Shadow didn’t felt like Castlevania, it was a great game. Rooting for them once again with Metroid Dread (hype!).

Result: completed

Rating: 9/10

Pros:
+ runs well
+ environment scanner
+ inventive boss fight
+ counter-attack
+ lore

Cons:
- repetitive bosses
- repetitive scenarios at the beginning
- bland visuals


Mommy?



This is probably the greatest remake of all time. The pacing of the game is almost perfect, the environmental storytelling it's probably the best in the series, and the way the game ends is on par with any high-budget AAA title. Seriously, the ending is so cool, a prime (no pun intended) example of the series getting out of its comfort zone and succeeding spectacularly.

Oh, and all the Metroid Fusion control refinement is present here, making the game delicious to control.

Minor complaint of being too bright on some places, but maybe that's on purpose due to the GBA screen not being the brightest thing in the world (I've played on an emulator). Could also use some more tunes (but again, GBA cartridge size might be the culprit). Quality always tops length, but I wouldn't complain if the game were an hour or maybe two longer.

Result: completed (3h 39m)

Rating: 10/10

Pros:
+ great pacing
+ great controls
+ great secret placement
+ amazing ending
+ incredible environmental storytelling

Cons:
- can be too bright
- could use more tunes
- maybe too short

Screenshots:


That comforting feeling of a save room.


I love this little scene.


Poor space pirate.



Result: completed (4h 20m)

Rating: 10/10

Pros:
+ pacing
+ lore
+ tense moments
+ beautiful color palette
+ big controlling improvements
+ memorable moments
+ character progression blends with the story

Cons:
- some dialogs could be shorter

Screenshots:


The art in this game is awesome! Notice the sense of depth and how the color palette is simultaneously beautiful and easy on the eyes.


A tense moment.


Spooky.

In anticipation of Metroid Dread, I’ve decided to play a bunch of Metroids.



Another Metroid 2 Remake. Amazing fan-made game. Even though the game was officially taken down, because "Nintendo", you can easily find a copy out there on the web (thanks Internet Archive!).

Result: completed (5h 6m)

Rating: 8/10


Mommy?



What else to say about Super Metroid?

Well, seeing 1994 on the start screen of Super Metroid is jaw-dropping.



Oh, and for this playthrough, I'm playing the game as gourmet as possible: real SNES, authentic cartridge, on an amazing CRT TV.

Result: completed

Rating: 9/10

Pros:
+ memorable level design
+ subtle tutorials
+ amazing pixel art and color palette
+ one of the best soundtracks of all time
+ two types of normal jumps
+ atmospheric
+ environmental storytelling
+ timeless game
+ genre-defining game

Cons:
- easy to get stuck
- some unfair item placement
- platforming can be frustrating at times

Screensho... err, I mean pictures:


Japanese cartridge. Glady, there’s so little text that the Japanese version has an English text option.


Playing on a good CRT TV is priceless.


Did I mention how much I like playing it on CRT?



Another Metroid 2 remake (ha!), this time officially published by Nintendo. I love this game, especially the counterattack that they introduced to the combat. Also, the environment scanner is just a time saver. Oh, and there’s one of the best boss fights in the entire series (if not the very best!).

Even though is a very highly regarded game to me, it isn’t perfect. The art style and music are some of the most forgettable in the series. Also, the Metroid encounters could use more variety.

Oh, and I kinda like MercurySteam. Even though Lords of Shadow didn’t felt like Castlevania, it was a great game. Rooting for them once again with Metroid Dread (hype!).

Result: completed

Rating: 9/10

Pros:
+ runs well
+ environment scanner
+ inventive boss fight
+ counter-attack
+ lore

Cons:
- repetitive bosses
- repetitive scenarios at the beginning
- bland visuals


Mommy?



This is probably the greatest remake of all time. The pacing of the game is almost perfect, the environmental storytelling it's probably the best in the series, and the way the game ends is on par with any high-budget AAA title. Seriously, the ending is so cool, a prime (no pun intended) example of the series getting out of its comfort zone and succeeding spectacularly.

Oh, and all the Metroid Fusion control refinement is present here, making the game delicious to control.

Minor complaint of being too bright on some places, but maybe that's on purpose due to the GBA screen not being the brightest thing in the world (I've played on an emulator). Could also use some more tunes (but again, GBA cartridge size might be the culprit). Quality always tops length, but I wouldn't complain if the game were an hour or maybe two longer.

Result: completed (3h 39m)

Rating: 10/10

Pros:
+ great pacing
+ great controls
+ great secret placement
+ amazing ending
+ incredible environmental storytelling

Cons:
- can be too bright
- could use more tunes
- maybe too short

Screenshots:


That comforting feeling of a save room.


I love this little scene.


Poor space pirate.



Result: completed (4h 20m)

Rating: 10/10

Pros:
+ pacing
+ lore
+ tense moments
+ beautiful color palette
+ big controlling improvements
+ memorable moments
+ character progression blends with the story

Cons:
- some dialogs could be shorter

Screenshots:


The art in this game is awesome! Notice the sense of depth and how the color palette is simultaneously beautiful and easy on the eyes.


A tense moment.


Spooky.

This all makes me very happy to see. Glad you enjoyed these!

In anticipation of Metroid Dread, I’ve decided to play a bunch of Metroids.



Another Metroid 2 Remake. Amazing fan-made game. Even though the game was officially taken down, because "Nintendo", you can easily find a copy out there on the web (thanks Internet Archive!).

Result: completed (5h 6m)

Rating: 8/10


Mommy?



What else to say about Super Metroid?

Well, seeing 1994 on the start screen of Super Metroid is jaw-dropping.



Oh, and for this playthrough, I'm playing the game as gourmet as possible: real SNES, authentic cartridge, on an amazing CRT TV.

Result: completed

Rating: 9/10

Pros:
+ memorable level design
+ subtle tutorials
+ amazing pixel art and color palette
+ one of the best soundtracks of all time
+ two types of normal jumps
+ atmospheric
+ environmental storytelling
+ timeless game
+ genre-defining game

Cons:
- easy to get stuck
- some unfair item placement
- platforming can be frustrating at times

Screensho... err, I mean pictures:


Japanese cartridge. Glady, there’s so little text that the Japanese version has an English text option.


Playing on a good CRT TV is priceless.


Did I mention how much I like playing it on CRT?



Another Metroid 2 remake (ha!), this time officially published by Nintendo. I love this game, especially the counterattack that they introduced to the combat. Also, the environment scanner is just a time saver. Oh, and there’s one of the best boss fights in the entire series (if not the very best!).

Even though is a very highly regarded game to me, it isn’t perfect. The art style and music are some of the most forgettable in the series. Also, the Metroid encounters could use more variety.

Oh, and I kinda like MercurySteam. Even though Lords of Shadow didn’t felt like Castlevania, it was a great game. Rooting for them once again with Metroid Dread (hype!).

Result: completed

Rating: 9/10

Pros:
+ runs well
+ environment scanner
+ inventive boss fight
+ counter-attack
+ lore

Cons:
- repetitive bosses
- repetitive scenarios at the beginning
- bland visuals


Mommy?



This is probably the greatest remake of all time. The pacing of the game is almost perfect, the environmental storytelling it's probably the best in the series, and the way the game ends is on par with any high-budget AAA title. Seriously, the ending is so cool, a prime (no pun intended) example of the series getting out of its comfort zone and succeeding spectacularly.

Oh, and all the Metroid Fusion control refinement is present here, making the game delicious to control.

Minor complaint of being too bright on some places, but maybe that's on purpose due to the GBA screen not being the brightest thing in the world (I've played on an emulator). Could also use some more tunes (but again, GBA cartridge size might be the culprit). Quality always tops length, but I wouldn't complain if the game were an hour or maybe two longer.

Result: completed (3h 39m)

Rating: 10/10

Pros:
+ great pacing
+ great controls
+ great secret placement
+ amazing ending
+ incredible environmental storytelling

Cons:
- can be too bright
- could use more tunes
- maybe too short

Screenshots:


That comforting feeling of a save room.


I love this little scene.


Poor space pirate.



Result: completed (4h 20m)

Rating: 10/10

Pros:
+ pacing
+ lore
+ tense moments
+ beautiful color palette
+ big controlling improvements
+ memorable moments
+ character progression blends with the story

Cons:
- some dialogs could be shorter

Screenshots:


The art in this game is awesome! Notice the sense of depth and how the color palette is simultaneously beautiful and easy on the eyes.


A tense moment.


Spooky.

Wow that's a lot of Metroid. Happy to see your enjoyment of them all!

Thanks! Originally my intention was to play only AM2R (first time playing it), but I couldn't resist playing just one more Metroid game, then one more, ...

Steam Next Fest is up again. There are so many demos, I wish I had free time to check them all.


Into the Pit: Roguelike FPS with retro graphics. It's floaty, but in a good way, like Painkiller. Or should I say, like Devil Daggers, because the artstyle (except that is colorful) and the demonic themes remind me of it. Decent gameplay but not enough variety.


Clid the Snail: I've hated playing this. It doesn't feel nice to either move around or to shoot. The bloom effects are so intense, almost like the game is trying to hide how ugly it probably is. Its cover is cool though (I guess you should judge a game by the cover, eh).


Fallen Aces: It's a first-person beat 'em up. Combat can get chaotic but in a good way, throwing barrels and trash cans on enemies it's pretty fun. Well, until it isn't, it got repetitive at some point (and that's just a demo...)


Ex-Zodiac: A well-made SNES Star Fox clone. Day one purchase.


Aztech Forgotten Gods: It's like a weird indie Platinum Game. Over-the-top boss fight, combat-focused game, clever traversal mechanic of dashing with your mechanical fist thing. It looks too ambitious for an indie studio, but it grabbed me. Fingers crossed for a polished (enough) game.


Haiku, the Robot: Cutsie, yet a little boring, Metroidvania. Even though the combat and the scenario don't feel really special, I really like the color palette and how easy to digest the map is, I'll end buying this one at some point.


Ultra Age: This game looks beautiful and runs pretty smooth, I was impressed. Nothing really special about the combat or the character design though, looks realistic but generic. The controls respond well and do their job, but I hate grabbing crystals for everything though. I'm on the fence about this one, will probably skip it.


Soda Crisis: It starts as a 3D Metal Slug, but then it becomes much more than that, it's a good blend of platforming, dashing, and shooting around. Plays really nice and responsive, the game almost begs to be played like a speedrun. Wishlisted.

Action heavy, side scroller, pixel art, on sale. Sign me in.

The good? Plays really well and has tons of weapon variety. The bad? Bad story and the visual effects can get too chaotic in battle (so many different projectiles).

I was having fun and planning to beat it until I've died for the first time and realized that it's kind of roguelike.

Result: retired

Rating: 6/10

Pros:
+ controls well
+ addictive combat
+ weapon variety
+ charismatic characters

Cons:
- roguelite
- convoluted visual effects
- bland music
- confusing story

Screenshots:


Convoluted story, as usual.


Characters have an anime look.


Crucifixion in an anime mecha game, wasn't expecting that.

Gorgeous pixel art, amazing retro soundtrack, plays really nice, and a lovely grappling mechanic. I'm surprised how well made this game is and how little attention it got. I also love how there are some Mega Man X and Contra inspirations, but this thing is not a clone game. It is its own thing.

The only downside is how short it is, took me slightly over an hour to beat the first time. I get it, it's an arcade game, replaying it's the name of the game, but still feels short.

Result: completed (1h 10m)

Rating: 8/10

Pros:
+ amazing pixel art
+ zipline mechanic
+ precise controls
+ creative boss fights
+ crt filter

Cons:
- short

Screenshots:


Boss fight.


The portraits before fighting a boss are sweet, just like a fighting game.


There is a story... I guess.

A fun and well-made kart racer with Hot Wheels cars. Well, maybe not kart racers because they aren't karts, but you know what I mean.

There are hazards on the stages, but other than that there are no throwable items or powerups like with games such as Mario Kart or Crash Team Racing. That makes the game a little less engaging and also more skill-based. All the fun relies on earning boost while drifting, the concept is pretty familiar but the way it feels requires some getting used to (weirdly, for how easy it is).

The car variety is really nice, but I've played most of the game with a great one that I've luckily got early on. I wish there were excuses for using the others, like tournaments tied to specific Hot Wheels collections or something like that.

I'm only retiring because there are some really challenging time trials and I already enjoyed quite a lot what I played so far (around 20 hours).

There are loot boxes, but only purchasable with in-game money.

Result: retired

Pros:
+ attention to detail
+ fun tracks
+ track editor
+ car variety
+ easy to control

Cons:
- irritating ost
- irritating boost sound effect
- grindy
- every car plays the same
- secret stages blocking campaign progression

Screenshots:


Real Hot Wheels cars.


Hi.


Close call.

I've tried my best to see a silver lining in this overall bad game, but it's been hard to. Everything is bland and generic. Everything is visually beautiful yet so forgettable. The scenarios, the loot, the enemy designs, the story, the hub... everything is paper-thin.

What stands out in the game is the combat, which is good. Is really easy to parry, throw your shield, perform takedowns, etc. However the blandness of the enemies you are fighting making using most of your abilities mindless.

The armor designs looks cool, but it's hard to feel excited about upgrading it when every single armor set looks equally amazing from the very beginning of the game, there is no sense of progression.

I've never played Warframe, but from the little I've seen on videos about it, I think the idea of switching entire armor sets and the way the camera is positioned comes from that game, but I can be wrong.

Result: completed (13h 52m)

Rating: 6/10

Pros:
+ armor designs
+ skill tree
+ shield throws

Cons:
- boring
- repetitive
- uninspiring world and characters
- bland music
- bland enemies

Screenshots:


A tale of two god brothers fighting for ultimate power, or something like that.


See that tower? It's just a room with a half-dozen of enemies, like every other place in the entire game.


Shiny and overly designed armors is the name of the game.

A Metroidvania platforming indie game from a Brazilian studio. Such a nice surprise, this game is awesome!

Both the audio and visual feedback of jumping around, defeating the enemies, and clearing objectives are so charming. The game is structured into levels, which is split into rooms having a layout (and a map) similar to a Metroidvania. Every room has a set of purple things to collect and a set of enemies to defeat.

The game loop is to clear each room and progress through the stage map. Clearing a room is so easy and quick, and the gameplay so fluid, that the game has an addicting feeling of "just one more room".

I've found most of the game fairly easy, almost like a Kirby game sometimes, but fun nonetheless. Except for the last stage, in which I've died more than once or twice for sure (and was still super fun!).

There's a bit of a Metroidvania aspect to it, since some stuff to collect requires you to have a specific powerup to reach it, but thankfully they are few and far between and backtracking is quick, making it more of a "metroidvania-lite".

Result: completed (5h 40m)

Rating: 9/10

Pros:
+ addictive gameplay
+ fun powerups
+ fun sound effects
+ great pixel art
+ great level design
+ the light metroidvania structure works well

Cons:
- map doesn't update until entering a new room
- music is a little bland
- fire dash is overpowered

Screenshots:


Our hero.


Gorgeous pixel art.


Grab all the purple things.

I was in the mood to play a 'character action' game, so I've played a bunch of Ninja Gaiden games from the recently released Master Collection.

I know that there are dozens of different versions of this game (Sigma, Black, ...), but the opinion below is solely based on the versions present in the Master Collection. While I've played 15 minutes of one of its games in the past, I pretty much consider this my first experience with the franchise.



The combat of this game is really good, it has a good mix of button mashing and skill. I was surprised by how simple the combos were and how the game focuses on defending/counter-attacking instead of just dodging all the time.

Another good surprise is that at some point it almost feels like an old Tomb Raider game, you are solving small puzzles, backtracking for keys, pulling levers, raising bridges, etc. It's not just a hallway of bad guys to slash.

However the story is completely non-sensical, you have an over-sexualized blonde partner in spandex that joins you to save the world from demons. And your village is destroyed. And the blonde girl has an evil sister. And she is the chosen one or the key or something to unleash ultimate power. Or something like that.

Maybe I just need to 'git gud', but the boss fights are completely off. While fighting normal enemies is pretty satisfying, bosses had bad tells, weird hitboxes, and unclear vulnerability periods. I've managed to get through most (if not all) boss fights by abusing healing items.

I don't mind sexy girls in my games (Bayonetta 😍) but it's indefensible how vulgar it is in here.

Result: completed

Rating: 7/10


From the creators of Dead or Alive.


A spandex Ninja on Egypt tombs!?



Not too different from the first when it comes to the satisfying combat but horrible boss fights. The normal difficulty felt way easier (maybe that just me after beating the first game?).

But it's a worse game not only because it still has the same problematic boss fights of the first games (healing item abuse again), but it ditches the puzzling and backtracing that were really good in the first game and, somehow, it double downs on the over-sexualized women fighting demons thing when it comes to story.

Result: completed (9h 17m)

Rating: 6/10


Yes, this guy talks like a human.


I don't like this game, but fighting the Statue of Liberty was awesome.



The graphics look more realistic and the story is still non-sense, but at least they have toned it down a little bit when compared to the previous games.

The first boss is pretty well designed so it gives an impression that it finally learned how to create good boss fights, but nope, that's just the first boss. And you can't fix the unbalanced boss fights in this game with healing items because there is none.

The combat takes a turn for the worst, they flood the screen sometimes with enemies and it becomes button mashing with dodging instead of defending and counter-attacking. I do like painting the screen with blood while dismembering multiple enemies at once in crowded fights, but they went overboard with it to the point of making it hard to see what's going on sometimes.

I've almost completed the game, but it became such a drag to play that I've just abandoned it on the last stage.

Result: retired

Rating: 5/10


I hope you like blood.


It's a noticeable jump when it comes to graphics when compared to the previous games.

In anticipation of Halo Infinite, I’ve decided to play a bunch of Halos.



In a lot of ways this game aged incredibly well: the fun and wobbly warthog, the weapon variety, the aggressive AI, the wide-open green fields like the Windows XP wallpaper. The new graphics of the anniversary treatment only makes it better.

But there are some rough spots still, mainly how big, empty, and without any guidance some parts of it feel. It's nice to drive around a big mountain with a blue sky, not so nice to walk for many minutes in a huge metal hallway.

The idea of a ring-shaped planet is really cool, the designs of the alien races, and an AI partner that acts like a human being, the blank slate yet badass main character, all great. But the story itself, it's poorly told. I wanted to care, but it was hard to get what's really was going on without resorting to a YouTube video.

Sadly, no compass or a map, and no sprint button. Oh, and the main theme is the best song of the OST by far, it's awesome: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jXTBAGv9ZQ

Result: completed (8h 55m)

Rating: 7/10

Pros:
+ good controls
+ ai aged well
+ level design variety
+ sticky grenades
+ vehicles
+ memorable sound effects

Cons:
- ost can feel out of place
- terrible platforming section at the end
- no map or compass
- some places feels too big
- no sprint button

Screenshots:


Welcome to the field.


Run!



A really impressive sequel, everything feels bigger and better. Flying combat vehicles and dual-wielding weapons are the best. The anniversary treatment here feels even more impressive, the FMV cutscenes are gorgeous.

But the best part is the introduction of the Arbiter character. While most of the story beats it's still poorly told, the Arbiter character arc was well done. It was the only character that I really cared about as the story unfolded.

The game ends with a cliffhanger, which I feel that it probably sucked for people at the time, but since I'm immediately jumping to Halo 3 after beating it, it's all good with me.

Sadly, still no compass or a map, and no sprint button. Main theme still the best, this time with a guitar version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCxv2daOwjQ

Result: completed

Rating: 8/10

Pros:
+ dual-wielding
+ level design variety
+ flying vehicles
+ arbiter character arc
+ beautiful cutscenes
+ good graphics
+ good ost

Cons:
- no map or compass
- no sprint button

Screenshots:


2004.


2014.



Everything is big and better. Another great sequel, this time with one generation jump.

Sniping guns are more useful than ever. New ways to control the field with bubble shields and new grenade types. Impressive set pieces and huge battles on the campaign. The story still poorly told, and no real interesting character is introduced, feels like a rehash of what was already told.

Finally, I can properly see the health bar now, it's bigger and in the middle of the screen. Main theme still the best, this time with a piano version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiIltLoN-6Q

Sadly, still no compass or a map, and no sprint button.

Result: completed

Rating: 8/10

Pros:
+ epic battles
+ engaging combat
+ weapon variety
+ vehicle variety
+ scarab fights
+ end game escape sequence
+ good ost

Cons:
- fragile vehicles
- bad checkpoints

Screenshots:


I want a racing mini-game.


Partners now.



The game starts really well. It has beautiful graphics and you can immediately see the improvements on the gameplay, like the crosshair indication of the bullet spread, the more visible hud with a helmet feel, and finally a sprint button.

However, the story is more convoluted than ever, with the introduction of 'Prometheans' now. I hate everything about them, the way they teleport, how bullet spongey they are, their terrible weapons, the boring scenarios where you fight them.

The chatty (and now 'human') Master Chief and the overly emotional Cortana don't work at all. I'm not sure if it was an attempt of a soft reboot, but these two characters worked way better in the previous games.

Result: completed

Rating: 6/10

Pros:
+ sprint button
+ beautiful graphics
+ hud improvements
+ improved crosshair

Cons:
- Prometheans enemies
- Prometheans weapons
- indoors section
- repetitive
- bad level design
- convoluted story
- Master Chief and Cortana dialogues

Screenshots:


Looking good.


You can see details of the Master Chief visor on the HUD, maybe some Metroid Prime inspiration.