Joseph Allen

“Hotel Barcelona is plenty weird enough for an overnight jaunt, but it's too janky and stiff to recommend an extended stay.”

“Metal Eden hits some spectacular highs, but a lackluster story and a dearth of content prevent it from achieving true transcendence.”

“Ruffy and the Riverside's swapping mechanic is great fun, but I wish it would shut up and give me more organic opportunities to use that mechanic.”

“Robobeat has a great soundtrack and its combat ticks all the boxes, but uneven balance and boring level design puts this one out of step with its peers.”

“Sludge Life 2 is a second verse that feels much the same as the first, but it's still got a bouncy, vivacious, and utterly unique sound.”

“Otxo is streamlined almost to a fault, but its got incredibly rewarding combat, fluid movement, and a great horror-inflected aesthetic. (Review Policy)”

“Bleak Faith: Forsaken's interesting art design can't save it from its glitches, bugs, and myriad terrible game design decisions. (Review Policy)”

“Elderand is, for better and worse, a fairly by-the-numbers Metroidvania. It does nothing exceptional, but it rarely slips up badly either.”

“Despite a promising setup, Red Tape accidentally embodies the concept of the banality of evil thanks to its boring gameplay and poor writing.”

“Squad 51 vs. the Flying Saucers occasionally overcommits to its retro vibe with punishing and unfair difficulty, but its action is tight and it's charming enough to overlook the flaws.”

“Whether or not you vibe with Restless Soul's comedy will entirely determine whether you have a good time with it. I'm growing rather tired of self-referentiality in-game humor, and I also like my jokes to come from real characters, so Restless Soul's comedy didn't entirely work for me. If your sense of humor is different to mine, you may find the comedy more tolerable, and if you do, there's a perfectly agreeable quasi-bullet hell adventure to be had here. The whole experience is rather insubstantial and lacks a solid core gameplay mechanic to hang everything else on, but it's got a lot of heart, and that counts for something.”

“Kingdom of the Dead has solid combat and good level design, but it's let down by an absence of challenge and some severe performance issues.”

“A beautiful comic book aesthetic can't save Foreclosed from its mindlessly repetitive combat, poor story and characters, and overly linear levels.”

“Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights starts out promisingly, with a massive map, compelling exploration, and solid combat. Unfortunately, it collapses into frustrating, overly difficult repetition by the end.”

“Shadow Man Remastered infuriates as often as it delights, but it's a solid experience, and Nightdive has done an excellent job preserving it.”

“Paradise Lost may bring nothing new on the gameplay front, but its excellent atmosphere and heartbreaking story make it essential for fans of the narrative adventure genre.”

“At its core, Dogworld is a satisfying, cathartic shooter. It's let down by difficulty issues, wonky core design, and some lethal bugs.”

“Pascal's Wager has a truly terrible story, but its exploration, combat, and enemy design set it apart.”

“Shattered - Tale of the Forgotten King is brimming with potential. Unfortunately, it's too buggy, boring, and repetitive to realize that potential.”

“Skul: The Hero Slayer is a delight. Despite some bullet sponge-y enemies, the varied combat and surprisingly engaging story make each run a joy.”