Tiago Sá

“Worms Armageddon: Anniversary Edition is a faithful remaster of a great strategy party game, complete with four retro bonus games and intriguing snapshots of the series' history that mark it as an excellent effort to preserve and celebrate Worms. It's also a testament to the timeless quality of the source material, still enjoyable after more than a quarter of a century—however, the remaster's conservatism that proves its resistance to time is also what leaves us lamenting the lack of new content and quality-of-life tweaks.”

“I wish I could recommend Ever 17 - The Out of Infinity to you with all my heart. Its story is excellent and mesmerizing, featuring fascinating revelations that are as bold today as they were twenty years ago, and its presentation and accessibility are better than ever. However, I can only do so with a glaring disclaimer: for all its positive additions, the newest version of the game has a nauseating dose of foreshadowing, which lessens the impact of its biggest twists. Ever 17 doesn't live and die by its surprises, but its brilliance isn't as splendid without them.”

“Once we overcame its grating romantic clichés, we found Never 7 - The End of Infinity to have an intriguing plot filled with stimulating themes that linger in our minds long after the credits roll. Combining thought-provoking concepts with a calmer and more detached setting than its successors, Never 7 retains a unique charm that keeps it captivating even 20 years later, despite being noticeably inferior in scope and memorability. However, this remaster would have benefited from a more refined English localization, deeper graphical enhancements, and the inclusion of the exclusive TIPS entries from the PSP version.”

“Where we could see a genuine and enthusiastic recommendation, we ended up finding “just” a solid option to spend two or three hours. With a prosaic plot and fun but basic combat, Rose & Collection is a “diamond in the rough”, a solid base to snap and cry for more, which leaves us with a bittersweet reflection on the number of possible directions to take the narrative potential, ironic and mechanical in addition to the already competent half-league on display.”

“Splatoon 3: Expansion Pass appeared to be a guaranteed victory for Nintendo, after the developers of the shooter series discovered the perfect formula for this style of content in the previous game. However, a respectable search for a new direction and format for the solo campaign culminated in a gigantic drop in the quality and quantity of content, in practically all aspects - and the inclusion of Inkopolis Plaza does little or nothing to dampen it. Still, I'd be lying if I said that playing Side Order wasn't fun; Even though the merit comes mainly from the solid base game, the novelty factor and an irresistible experimentation component help to ensure our fun in an adventure, otherwise, with extremely obvious flaws.”

“With an anemic minigame selection and insufficient depth to diversify gameplay, Everybody 1-2 Switch! completely exhausts its appeal in two or three hours. On the current supreme console for local multiplayer, this proposal is unable to hold a candle to the countless superior alternatives present in the vast Nintendo Switch catalogue, which is a shame given that it is, at its limited core, an accessible and intuitive experience for everyone and more.”

“I didn't find in ANONYMOUS;CODE the fascinating characters and development arcs that won me over in other SciADV experiences, but this continuation of the saga mitigates this omission with an exciting sci-fi narrative, mature explorations of intriguing themes and the introduction of a save/load mechanic which gives the player an active role in events.”

“With a nontraditional protagonist, quite intriguing mysteries, shenanigans and a meticulously considered cadence of events, CHAOS;HEAD NOAH delivers an intriguing story that's impossible to put down before the credits. While the content of this work remains excellent almost 15 years after the original release, this release is hampered by a series of problems inherent to the work of conversion and localization, such as the impossibility of completing the true ending of the game and the censorship of moments in the story, important for understanding its mysteries.”

“With a special emphasis on real-time management, a nostalgic presentation/narrative tone, and a diverse array of supernatural monsters and weapons, RESEARCH and DESTROY is a unique turn-based/tactical RPG that encourages speed of action without diminishing the process of decision making. However, the game's reliance on recurring enemy spawns in random positions is problematic to promote any strategy development and contributes to a feeling of repetition, a feeling also associated with the scarcity of unique objectives and bosses.”

“With intuitive mechanics, a calming sound environment and an uncomplicated design, Mini Motorways is the perfect game to relax and at the same time work our gray matter. It's always rewarding to raise our high scores, while our losses are entirely attributable to our lapses in most cases. In the end, this is an addictive and cozy game that deserves the attention of all enthusiasts of the genre and will reward you for the time you invest in it.”

“Nothing in Lila's Sky Ark is offensive or frustrating to the player. Still, likewise, nothing is remarkable or exemplary. Our adventure through the beautiful world of Lila regularly leaves us to think of the potential that this game would have, if it have been studied or developed more deeply in regards to its challenges, mechanics and its a more appealing story. As such, this game ends up being a harmless way to spend a few hours, without anything that significantly distinguishes it from other games of the genre.”

“Each of the short games included in Short Games Collection #1 delivers truly different experiences, and generally fulfills Nerd Monkeys' stated purpose of quickly giving the player something to think about. However, the value of this set is affected by the existence and accessibility of the PC versions, and because there are no major additions. A larger amount of games in the set or extrinsic bonuses such as "making of" videos would be fundamental to make the package more appetizing.”