Fábio Castanho Emídio

“Milano's Odd Job Collection is a charming, forgotten fifth-generation adventure, with little ambition but plenty of charm. A few silly mistakes don't detract from its personality and charm, bringing back nostalgic feelings from a distant era, yet with games whose premises are so similar. Many re-releases are necessary for the preservation and introduction of old IPs to new generations, and I believe this was a great success for HilltopWorks, known for translating other previously exclusive gems to the global market.”

“Shujinkou is one of the most pleasant surprises of the year, teaching a beautiful language without seeming like a product that's only meant to be educational, delivering a rich plot, beautiful visuals, well-done soundtrack and charismatic characters.”

“Bad Cheese is nothing more than a game that simply exists, mediocre and uninteresting, making the experience less memorable than a good retro horror like Alisa or Fear the Spotlight, but simply boring and uncreative, not even worthy of pity. Mickey's first real cartoon was Plane Crazy, a cartoon not as well-remembered as Steamboat Willie, and I assume that will be the fate of Bad Cheese: forgotten in its own empty sarcasm.”

“No Heroes Here 2 is definitely a game that exists. It doesn’t try to reinvent the genre but fulfills its purpose. Playing with friends is extremely fun, and that’s its main focus. However, the disaster of coordinating everything alone and the visibility of its simplicity and lack of purpose make it a title hard to recommend or even mention as an example in discussions about national games, being overshadowed by Mark of the Deep or its predecessor. At the end of the day, it’s just a castle to defend, work for coins, and that’s it.”

“Hitman World of Assassination - Signature Edition is a great entry point into third-party games on the Switch 2. It's lacking in a few important aspects, but it's a high-quality product that offers everything it had before and more, even with exclusive Mario-themed costumes. An intriguing story, excellent voice acting, a masterful soundtrack, and an absurd amount of gameplay freedom make this one of the best Hitman installments ever.”

“Is Super Technos World: River City & Technos Arcade Classics worth the investment? I would say yes, but with caution. Despite the meager collection of games and its minimal preservation factor, it is still a collection of solid games and some of Kunio-kun's most entertaining secondary titles. It's not the best way to pay respect to Kunio-kun's legacy, but it is an intriguing selection to see a bit of Technos history.”

“Quick, fun, memorable and, above all, hilarious, this is an adventure that leaves you wanting more, especially as its ending leaves some open ends for yet another misadventure.”

“I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream is available in good shape for a new generation, one that is finally discovering the magnitude of its legacy and forming a fanbase around IHNMAIMS. Of course, some additional content, translation and touch support would be welcome, but just having this classic in your hands (literally) is already an achievement.”

“Despite the dire issues with performance, I can't say I didn't have fun with On Your Tail. It's an adventure in which there's nitid care in the world and narrative building, be it for its comfortable ambiance, charismatic characters, pleasant and intuitive gameplay or cool music. I hope the development team can fix these small hindrances soon because, when the game is looking pretty, it's as if we were in a vacation trip or, when it comes to artists, an art retreat.”

“I've been following Laika: Aged Through Blood for two years now and eagerly awaiting its release on the Switch. As soon as I saw its premise and trailer, I fell in love with the idea, and once I got my hands on the bike's handlebars, I had an ethereal experience. I admit that the engine failing a few times was quite frustrating (having to wait a few minutes to continue the journey and then stopping again), but I don't regret all the landscapes I saw, the monsters I killed and seeing the daughter once again, after a long day of blood and death. It's a beautiful, unique adventure that will keep the persistent player engaged, even with slips and skids.”

“Pine is a simple product derived from affection and [a] deeply personal [project], recreating powerful feelings from an artist who has faced pain looking for a new reason to live.”

“Slay the Princess - The Pristine Cut plays with, destroys, and rebuilds stereotypes and other elements. Small issues that can be easily fixed don't diminish the value of this creative and impactful visual novel.”

“Loco Motive arrived suddenly, without much announcement or fanfare, promising nothing and delivering everything. A picturesque story, colorful characters, solid gameplay and glorious visuals, it is one of the best point and click games currently available.”

“Dagon - Complete Edition is one of the best works that draw inspiration on the divisive author, even humanizing him and bringing curious details of his life, with jokes and hobbies with friends (without delving into his retrograde thoughts, though). Even with a somewhat disappointing sound direction, slow loadings and a rather abusive price[...], it's a nightmare that fans, both new and old, will want to revisit to feel the thrilling goosebumps.”

“This is a lost title from the old floppy disc era, with an interesting concept, but that lost a good chunk of its identity due to questionable choices in its rerelease. It's a kind and beautiful game stuck in a thread of bugs. If the development team's goal is to finalize Twinsen's saga in a trilogy and remake LBA2, it'd be better to think about the present and fix the mess the game is in.”

“We live in the most important era for communication. Words have never had so much power as they have now. It's possible to ruin people's lives with a few incriminating words, be them from themselves or someone who lives with them. Great God Grove conveys this zeitgeist we're living in, aligned with a very charming story and an impeccable presentation. It's a necessary and crazy game for the insane days we've been watching. Sometimes, the divine drama needs intervention from a nobody to solve the mess, the opposite of a deus ex machina. Even with the language barrier [of it not being available in Portuguese], it's a unique and fun narrative to see and experience.”

“FAITH: The Unholy Trinity is one of the best low-poly games (I'd even call it EXTRA low-poly) in recent times, presenting a unique graphic choice, different themes of current horror and paying homage [to other stories] but keeping its own identity. There are small issues that could be easily fixed but don't affect its quality and value. It's a slightly late treat for Halloween, but it definitely will cause fear and horror to the faint of heart.”

“The Last Shot is a simple puzzle that doesn't dare revolutionize like its anonymous hero, but it's a fun game to spend some hours. Its graphic beauty and quick entertainment are a good way to kill time. [It's] A little of a wasted opportunity to develop such an ample and interesting subgenre like dieselpunk but it offers a horrible world to live in but beautiful to think about.”

“The Hokkaido Serial Murder Case: The Okhotsk Disappearance ~Memories in Ice, Tearful Figurine~ is one of the best remakes I've seen besides being one of the best visual novels I've played. A mighty plot, charismatic characters, and immersive ambiance (both in the 1980's or nowadays). It's an excellent pick for the genre's enthusiasts. Its issues are evident and could have been easily fixed but it'd be disrespectful to not see the merit in one of the first works in the visual novel genre. A good pick for investigators looking for strange cases.”

“The Karate Kid: Street Rumble is the best game in the franchise. That's not a very high goal to reach, but it does its job. Its beautiful graphics and simple gameplay are its greatest asset, and playing with friends makes the experience even more fun, providing hours of fun. However, the simplicity can get tiring after a while: the lack of genre foundations (like picking up weapons and a more challenging difficulty), no online co-op, and little representation of the franchise make this just another game that exists, without its own identity beyond “that Karate Kid game.” As a big fan of the series, I'm satisfied but feel like there could be more.”