Jordan Brown

“Arknights: Endfield undeniably is a visual masterclass with an easy to learn but fun to master combat system and world to explore. However, it struggles with pacing by throwing tutorial after tutorial at you with its overly complicated base-building and factory mechanics.”

“Although I wouldn’t say I enjoyed a large portion of the games in this collection, I still think what Simogo has done here is important. Instead of letting its catalogue of games get lost to time, the team has found a way to preserve them for anyone to have access to. Too often, we see games abandoned with no way for them to be recovered or played unless you have access to the original hardware they were created for. How many games were made for mobile or Xbox Live Indie Arcade that are just lost now, either due to licensing issues or their stores closing down? Hopefully, other developers take notice of the work that Simogo has put into preserving its games and put together their own collections in the future.”

“Kingdoms of the Dump is a wonderful RPG held back by some glaring technical issues. Despite this, it still stands tall among other indie RPG throwbacks over the last decade, deserving the attention of anyone looking for a cozy game to envelop themselves in this Winter.”

“Consume Me is a game about eating disorders, family trauma, and religion, but its repetitive and monotonous mini-games make it frustrating to play. While the personal story is bold and vulnerable, the late-game religious shift feels jarring and underdeveloped. Ultimately, the game’s narrative and sensitive topics are overshadowed by tedious gameplay and an unsatisfying conclusion.”

“Super Robot Wars Y succeeds as fan service for those who want to see their favorite mech or pilot fight side-by-side, but fails to deliver a rewarding narrative to go along with it. Add on some subpar production value, and you end up with a game that is unremarkable in most areas but also inoffensive. Only the most hardcore of the Super Robot Wars series will get the most fun out of Super Robot Wars Y.”

“Shuffle Tactics fails its art style and interesting game mechanics with an unpolished UI and a multitude of bugs. There is an interesting game to be found here, but asking players to trudge through the horrible camera, visual and mechanical bugs, and poor UI decisions to get to it is inexcusable. Hopefully, after a few patches and a camera overhaul, Shuffle Tactics will be worth the time and effort, but as it stands now, there are too many other strong roguelike/deckbuilders on the market that your time would be better spent playing.”

“Battle Train has a fun cast of characters, a solid story, and a lot of love put into it. The core gameplay is strong, but the lack of build variety leaves a lot to be desired. Hopefully, some future updates will add some more deck themes down the line, because I would gladly return to Battle Train if they play their cards right.”

“POPUCOM surprised me by giving a well-crafted cooperative adventure that has just enough curveballs to keep you on your toes. Anyone looking for their next co-op adventure would be hard pressed to find a better option, especially at only $20.”

“Throes of the Watchmaker looks to improve on the issues that some had with Sea of Stars, but fails to move the needle one way or the other. Those who enjoyed their time with the base game will probably have a great time with this free DLC, while those who didn't gel with the original release won't find much to win them over.”