MonsterVine

“Donkey Kong Bananza’s DK Island and Emerald Rush DLC have the potential to be a lot of fun, but the bundle ends up being a little bit underwhelming. I wish DK Island were more robust and rewarding to explore, and the price point is a bit steep for a fairly straightforward and repetitive mode like Emerald Rush. If you’re desperately looking for more Donkey Kong Bananza to play, this is alright, but I wish it were either cheaper or more extensive in its new content.”

“Bubsy in: The Purrfect Collection is an odd case. As a collection and as a piece of digital preservation, it’s brilliant. There are lots of interesting bits of bonus content, tight emulation, and pleasant visuals. It’s just that the Bubsy games themselves aren’t very good to begin with.”

“Little Problems: A Cozy Detective Game is cute, and its puzzles really put your comprehension skills to the test. Beyond that, however, it doesn't have too much else to offer. It's an interesting experience, but one that ultimately ends up feeling rather bland.”

“There really isn’t much more to say about Tamagotchi Plaza. It feels like a throwback to the cheap cash-grab minigame collections of the Wii era—a game trying to skate by on name recognition and little else. Who needs fun when you have a Tamagotchi, right?”

“Catto’s Post Office is an adorable, pun-filled, heartwarming, and sincere game, aware of how aspects that might seem small or microscopic in the grand scheme of things can still be extremely important to certain individuals, especially to a sensitive Postcat like Catto. The game made me feel as if I was watching an animated show on TVOKids, Treehouse TV, or Teletoon–sometimes your soul just needs that sort of nourishing game experience.”

“Varlet feels like a turn-based RPG that is simultaneously doing far too much and far too little. The story is overly complex and long for the game's 16 hour run time, which also takes away from the development of its cast of characters. On the other hand, the dungeons lack personality and variety, and the combat is truly one note, leaving a ton to be desired. I cannot recommend Varlet for anyone, as it doesn't have anything it truly excels at, and far too much that it utterly fails in.”

“Time Flies is a profoundly poignant game, allows you to look within yourself and especially with factors that are at play for each person, to hammer down that sonder, if you still have yet to obtain that sense of clarity, or if that sliver of reflection needs to continue growing. Being able to mix gameplay hilarity with the looming death that is ever approaching in this stylistically hand-drawn black and white world fascinates me. Just because you are as tiny as a fly in this game, does not mean your impact on its world is also tiny.”

“Fans of Western RPGs, Dungeons & Dragons RPGs, and CRPGs will find much to enjoy about Dungeons & Dragons Neverwinter Nights 2: Enhanced Edition. Players new to the game and preferring to play on console, this is the only way to play it, and it’s a deal considering how much content is in this game. But if you’re on PC, a modded version of the original might be better.”

“All in all, my time with Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War Definitive Edition was nothing less than spectacular. I understand now why a larger portion of the Warhammer community praises this game. It has a lot of heart and offers a lot to both the RTS and Warhammer communities. Each expansion provides something different and unique; the supported multiplayer is a nice cherry on top. If you've ever been curious about Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War, I couldn't think of a better way to play it than with the Definitive Edition.”

“Those looking for experimental games made with minimal budgets and offering deep human stories and experiences, Camille and Laura is the game for you. Camille and Laura is short and sweet.”

“Abyssus is another roguelite that could be balanced much, much better. While I’m sure a friend group could have fun as is, the sheer amount of gameplay-related things (weapons, mods) that must be unlocked could lose players’ interest before they even get to them. There is also an enhanced difficulty setting, which I’m not sure how players will tackle unless there are some extremely powerful hidden charms. The awesome aesthetic (minus the player characters) would’ve made for a great adventure into the depths, provided there were fewer jokes, but maybe a game about colonizing an ancient Aztec/Mesoamerican-inspired civilization shouldn’t think too hard about what it’s actually saying.”

“Hunter x Hunter: Nen Impact is a bit of a mess, despite some fun being present throughout. If there were better visuals, more content, and less exploitable gameplay, it would be a blast to play casually, but what’s present is simply a bit too busted to really get into.”

“Ra Ra BOOM is a beat ‘em up and a short experience that doesn’t ask too much of you. Unfortunately, it doesn’t draw interest beyond the great introduction to what could’ve been a group of characters that people started to cosplay as and look forward to wherever they showed up next. The game even has an odd moment where it pokes fun at itself, which feels entirely unearned. The game also has a number of moments that feel like a cutscene or animation of a boss terrorizing the ladies or lurking in the environment are missing, breaking the rule of “show, don’t tell”. As a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles mark, I should’ve been ecstatic when I encountered what was effectively an entire level devoted to the franchise, only to feel nothing upon completing the level.”

“Atmospheric but not scary or interesting.”

“I can think of no reason to play this game.”

“Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader Lex Imperialis is the DLC I never knew I needed. From the very start, players are thrown into intense situations and are forced to make even harder decisions. The Adeptus Arbites fit the world of Rogue Trader perfectly, and it's hard to imagine a version of this game without them.”

“Shuffle Tactics has a good game somewhere in it, but that isn’t what it is presently. I wish the beautifully fluid art style matched the RNG-based gameplay. After my lack of success, I searched and saw player feedback again and again regarding the game’s balance, as well as some of the pain points I’ve brought up in this review. Shuffle Tactics may have been made in reverence to games like Slay the Spire and Final Fantasy Tactics, but Club Sandwich must revisit the game if they hope for it to be spoken in the same breath as those greats.”

“Alien Hominid Invasion is a blast of a side-scroller that looks great and plays in a very satisfying way. There’s a huge amount of replayability with all the different cosmetics and weapons, the art style is charming and nostalgic, and the gameplay feels great all around.”

“While Etheria: Restart has solid worldbuilding and aesthetic appeal, its outdated free-to-play mechanics, tedious progression systems, and heavy reliance on gacha tropes hold it back from being a standout. It’s competent, but ultimately fails to respect the player’s time in meaningful ways.”

“Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Battle Destiny provides a decent enough framework for fun, but the battle system's flaws become more and more apparent under any amount of pressure. Pressure you will most assuredly feel unless you feel comfortable grinding out hours of short missions required to level up and pass the numbers check to do things like finish the story of the first anime. It’s not a bad game, but it’s a game that should mostly be considered by big-time enthusiasts of this kind of game with time to burn.”