Pros:
+ more Dark Souls
+ great soundtrack and voice acting
+ crystal-clear hitboxes make fights feel fair
+ weapon durability is tied to bonfires
+ re-designed Estus system adds some new tactical choices
+ Firelink Shrine feels like a home that changes over time
+ tomes add new choices for personalized builds
+ some cool new boss ideas (High Lord Wjolnir, Yhorm The Giant)
+ DLC adds visually interesting areas with some new gameplay ideas (Lapp quest)
+ full of homages and callbacks for fans to enjoy ...

Cons:
- ... that ultimately feel tired and played out
- a general lack of new ideas or innovation
- Bonfire Ascetic system from DS2 has been effaced without replacement
- an abundance of bonfires makes exploration less exciting
- small, linear world map that is not as deeply connected as before
- just when you think it starts, the game is over
- by far the easiest DS if you are experienced (Life Ring + Knight Class are OP)
- bosses can be easily killed on the first try if you are agressive enough
- combat system has been noticeably speed up and lacks the classic DS feel
- entire game feels more like a successor to Bloodborne than to DS2
- greatly reduced number of bosses (while adding mini-bosses that don't feel as rewarding)
- one-shot boss attacks are cheap (Aldrich)
- little build variety compared to the previous one
- very few interesting areas and some recyled ones
- a general lack of memorable dungeons akin to Sen's Fortress
- cryptic narrative style has become stale and consequences of dialogue options are unexplained
- most quests are practically impossible without a guide
- bosses bore you with teabag monologues after you failed
- NPCs die off-screen without much of an explanation
- weapon stances and techniques have no actual bearing on gameplay
- item management is more cumbersome than before
- covenant system has been revamped without explanation and for no apparent reason
- glitches like enemies getting stuck in walls take you out of the experience
- offline invasions and summons have mostly become a tool for trolling players
- secret areas are more obscure than ever before (Dragon Shrine)
- invisible floors are janky and look goofy
- NPC summons for the final fight make it even more of an disappointment
- endings are anticlimactic and feel like an afterthought not worth the hassle
- trophies are locked behind the grind of NG+, which lacks changes to the game world (unlike DS2)
- abysmal technical performance on PS4 Pro (low frame rate, frame pacing issues, frequent pop-inn etc)


Best Boss Fight: Sister Friede, particularly with the help of Gael. Deacons of the Deep, because they display a rare fresh idea.
Worst Boss Fight: Nameless King, because the two phases are cumbersome and the boss area is confusing.
Playtime: 55 hours with all bosses and the entire DLC

Blahgic Moment: Entering Anor Londo and feeling like the series had truly run its course.

Verdict: Look what they have done to my boy! Dark Souls 3 is a tired, stale send-off to a great series of games that belies the uniqueness and originality that made the original a modern classic. Having played Dark Souls 2 and 3 back to back in a matter of weeks, it is clear that the development team were not interested in advancing the series, with most of the finished product feeling more like a cynical "gift to the fans" than a truely unique experience of its own. Instead, the influence of Bloodborne is felt at every turn, from the enemy design to the speed of combat, which feels like a intrusive digression instead of an innovation to the formula. The game world, which has always been the heart of the series, amounts to a loose collection of discarded areas and forgettable bosses without many secrets and alternate pathways to discover, while the increase in bonfires further diminishes the excitement and danger of exploring said world. To make matters even worse, the technical performance on PS4 Pro in particular is an insult to the players and a shocking regression compared the smooth, 60FPS presentation of DS2. All these aspects combined render Dark Souls 3 by far the worst game in the series and a huge disappointment to anyone expecting a worthy adieu to this beloved franchise.

Pros:
+ a huge Metroidvania that rewards curiosity and effort
+ sequence breaking is encouraged and rewarded with a variety of possible pathways
+ sign system offers helpful, wordless hints for traversal
+ soul trade-off system is a genuine innovation and perfectly executed
+ large variety of items and collectibles
+ combat system is perfectly executed and satisfactory
+ large variety of memorable, kick-ass boss fights that are tough but fair
+ a beautifully melancholic atmosphere with a distinct, hand-crafted art style
+ amazing soundtrack that changes depending on the context of the action (low health)
+ most NPCs have a life of their own and a story to tell

Cons:
- screen shake effect when taking damage is overdone
- Crystal Dash cannot be canceled
- foremost front layer tends to get in the way of the action
- world map unlock system is an acquired taste
- map marker is tied to a charme
- dreamnail waypoint system is tied to progress
- resource retrieval system after death is antithetical to the exploratory approach
- checkpoints are too rare and not placed well
- main character is a hollow vessel and completely uninteresting
- obscurantist writing in the DS style is played out and tiresome
- missing contours and outlines of the map are needlessly confusing
- notch system for charms feels limiting and some are simply useless
- spells are too weak in the beginning and too strong in the end
- in-game economy is not balanced well and superfluous by the half-way point
- story and the endings feel like fluff and not worth the hassle
- lackluster DLC that add little to the game as a whole (except for masochists)
- final boss is a disappointment
- Path of Pain is bullshit (although I completed it!)


Magic Moment(s): Entering Greenpath for the first time and falling in love with the music. Climbing up the path to the Colosseum.
Best Boss: Mantis Lords. A perfectly designed boss with clear tells, attacks and weaknesses.
Worst Boss: Nigtmare King Grimm. It just isn't worth it, and the amazing music is wasted on a boss that kills you in seconds.

Verdict: Hollow Knight is a great addition to its genre and a polished, exciting experience. It offers a huge, beautiful world full of secrets and rewards you for exploring it, thus helping you to improve and overcome the manifold tough challenges as you explore. The combat just works and the playstyle options are genuinely innovative and well-implemented. However, while being exceedingly difficult in parts, most of the frustration is not caused by the tough enemies and unique bosses, but by the lackluster implementation of the checkpoint system. Having to reclaim you resources after a death might work in Souslikes, but here, it becomes an unnecessary obstacle in traversing and exploring the world on your own accord. Despite these shortcomings, however, Hollow Knight is a great effort by Team Cherry and a must-play for every fan of the genre.

Pros:
+ the writing is often funny and remarkably irreverent
+ stripped down combat leads to smart inversions of RPG tropes
+ soundtrack is colorful and the final fight track slaps hard
+ original Final Fantasy sprites are a cute homage (but don't tell Square...)
+ Three Man fight is the best
+ battle sprites have a distinct style ...

Cons:
- ... but the character portraits are rough
- unwinnable fights cannot be skipped
- sprite layer issues and scrolling is choppy
- a word map would have been nice
- late stage story twists are pretty silly and lack cohesion

Magic Bit of Writing: "I see the makings of an autocracy, and have been branded a dissident."


Verdict:
This is clearly a labor of love by creatr Samanthuel Louise Gillson, who released this for free for anyone to enjoy. The homages to and inversion of 2D RPGs of the past will make fans of the genre rejoice and the attention to detail and just plain love for the genre is felt at every turn and every new suprise, of which there are plenty. However, as great as some of the early writing is, the ending feels like a missed opportunity to actually say something about the genre and its tropes and felt like a missed opportunity. If you can look past that, Franken is certainly worth a quick, 30+ minute playthrough.

Pros:
+ looting and leveling up never gets old
+ streamlined interface and controls on consoles work splendidly
+ dodge move is a welcome addition to the vocabulary
+ trap kills and other environmental elements are smart innovations
+ the quality of the loot is roughly estimated before pickup
+ the sound design and music are as great as ever
+ incredible technical performance on PS4 Pro

Cons:
- comic art style is unbefitting of the series and setting
- single player feels unfinished and generally neglected
- story mode and endless audio logs are forced upon first time players
- settings are mostly recycled from D2
- quests are mostly fetch quests and offer no variety
- no build variety and RPG elements are locked behind the level cap
- difficulty level is generally far too low, with options locked behind progress
- life restoration equipment and reworked potions make combat mostly trivial
- item durability has basically been made redundant, removing strategy from the gameplay
- most passive skills are just entirely useless
- damage number inflation is silly and breaks the immersion
- item management has been dumped down and is unrewarding (especially compared to the PC version)
- bosses are recycled from previous games and have become talky parodies of themselves
- final boss of Act V is a brick wall with cheap attacks
- animations are choppy and feel unfinished (attacks into thin air, rolling recovery etc.)

Blahgic Moment: Entering the same old desert from D2 and almost falling asleep from the boredom.
My Class: Crusader, finished at level 70 with a few Paragon levels.

Playtime: One long, tedious weekend in April, single player only.


Verdict:
Long before the spineless betrayal that was Diablo Immortal, Diablo 3 already watered down the core tenets of the franchise and chose mainstream appeal over quality: its streamlined approach to the classic gameplay loop and fantastic atmosphere created by the first Diablo and perfected by the second has been turned into a casual, tedious experience for the masses. Even with greedy ideas like the auction house removed from the console version, the game appears to be solely designed around multiplayer and the endless repetition of a handful of dungeon ideas, with solo players able to get through the entire campaign in a weekend. The laughably low difficulty makes suicidal runs into enemy positions a viable strategy, and with the exception of some of the later bosses, mindlessly circle-pushing the skill buttons will win you the game without even looking at the screen. In fact, I used my first potion at the end of Act I by accident, died for the first time at the end of Act IV because I wasn't paying attention and only ever got stuck on the boss of Act V because it is flatout badly designed. Additionally, there are no memorable set pieces or boss areas to be found, and the events on the overworld are rare and not worth discussing.

It's no wonder that this game is mostly ignored by the fanbase, which has largely opted to stay faithful to Diablo 2 instead, and I don't think there is any reason to play this ever again... or even once. What a fall from grace for this series.

Pros:
+ the overworld has a clean design and traversal is mostly seamless
+ the prologue is an intriguing counterpoint to the fantasy setting
+ very stable technical performance that vastly improves on the original
+ the character design is memorable, even if Kainé is hyper-sexualized
+ great voice acting by a fitting cast that is even better than the Japanese version
+ overworld dialogue is humorous and perfectly tailored to each specific event
+ items are limited to only useful ones and using them in combat is quick and easy
+ the camera changing to 2D in buildings is a great idea and well implemented
+ the changes in perspective and playstyles liven up the gameplay
+ combat is a unique combination of physical and magical attack options
+ missable side quests can be obtained from an NPC in the main hub town
+ boss fights are true highlights and range from bullet hell to puzzle challenges
+ the various endings recontextualise the story in sometimes revealing ways
+ the new ending in this version wraps up the plot in a creative and satisfying way
+ the voiced soundtrack is unique and most tracks will stay with you ...

Cons:
- ... but their constant presence is tedious and the vocals can get grating
- the color palette tends towards brownish grey and the general look is washed out
- the story is good but told in a convulted and incomplete style
- characters have great moments but no arcs: conflicts are introduced and solved simultaneously
- character memories are walls of text that talk about instead of showing the action
- the urgency of the story is at odds with the leisurely gameplay and pacing
- dialogue during boss fights cannot be skipped and boss's health pools are artificially extended
- diary entries on loading screen are a nice idea but repeat too frequently
- side quests sometimes lead to moral conundrums but are mostly boring fetch quests
- dungeons and landscapes are incredibly boring and lack suprises, loot or secrets
- the general difficulty is far too low and no battle feels actually challenging
- the combat system is fluid but shallow and common fights drag on forever
- weapon types make no functional difference in combat
- leveling up has no baring on gameplay and allows for absolutely no customisation
- there are only three towns with mostly mindless inhabitants
- invisible walls are arbitrary and render navigation in towns confusing
- fishing is joyless but takes forever and is far too important for too many quests
- gardening is tedious and tied to a real-world countdown
- tutorials are two-line sentences that just appear randomly during combat
- party members are useless in combat, but at least they are invincible
- the mid-game time jump comes out of nowhere and makes solving early quests impossible
- time jump changes nothing substantial about the world (even the rubble in town is still there)
- not all dialogue, cutscenes and none of the credit sequences are skippable on later runs
- the more revealing endings are locked behind expensive and/or missable items
- there is no indication for what scenes and elements are new to each playthrough and ending
- taken as a whole, the endings offer little value for the amount of time they require
- some trophy descriptions spoil later parts of the game

Best Character: It has to be Kainé and her foul mouth, even if her design is blatantly sexist.
Best Setpiece: The haunted ship and the subsequent fight. Especially on later playthroughs.Magic Moments: The true ending. Entering the haunted ship for the first time and actually being surprised by the dense atmosphere and change in style. Entering the Junk Heap for the 10th time, questioning my life choices and feeling a single outstretched hand: "You already have optained the item Memory Alloy".

Blahgic Moment: Seeing the additonal scenes again and again on subsequent playthroughs and realizing that I need to learn how to effectively button mash.

Playtime: 26 hours at level 32 for all quests, all possible weapons, and some farming and upgrading for the first playthrough. Roughly 2,5-3 additional hours for each subsequent playthrough. 40 hours at level 40 combined for all endings and quests except that one shitty farming quest.


Verdict:
Like its lead designer, NieR has a reputation as an odd game, and rightfully so. In fact, it's perhaps one of the oddest that I have ever played and reviewed. At times, it feels like Yoko Taro and his team set out to make a modern epic but never found the time to play a recent Zelda; Ocarina of Time basically does everything better than this game, including the mid-game twist and its effect on the world, but that game came out 12 years prior. In many ways, Toylogic shot for the moon before working on the basics of their game; instead of designing progress around exploration, puzzle solving and increasingly complex combat options, they chose to design all elements of their game around mindless repetition and bland action. It cannot be overstated that the combat is shallow and wholly unsatisfying, the gameplay is limited to a handful of verbs, the quests are tedious and forgettable, the story is good but badly told and the overworld is quite possibly the most barren, unfun hub area created during the 2010s. And yet, the slow revelation of the story through the multiple endings, various heartfelt character moments, a dense atmosphere, and some incredible voice acting frequently converge into weirdly satisfying moments of awe and emotional depth.

However, all elements considered, the bad aspects sadly outhweigh the good ones, and it is very difficult to recommend anyone to sit through hours upon hours of running forwards for a few remarkable moments per playthrough (which can easily be looked up on online). The guys from "Watch Out For Fireballs" called the game a "gemmed flaw" instead of a flawed gem because of this severe imbalance, and that is why I argue against playing this.

If you feel like you have to play this regardless to spite me or because you are a fan of NieR Automata, this is my strongly recommended way of playing:

1. Ignore the trophies.
2. Avoid spoilers at all costs. There is absolutely no point in playing this if you know the twists.
3. Play on easy difficulty. It changes nothing about the story or the trophies but speeds up progress, and the game is far too easy at every difficulty.
4. Follow a guide to spend as little time as possible to get all endings. Shuffle around the save files for maximum efficiency.
5. Memorize which scenes to skip on subsequent playthroughs and develop a sense for whenever new elements are introduced.
6. Ignore most, if not all side quests. You need money for late game progress, but there are combat options available at a certain point.
7. Don't upgrade your weapons. Don't spend time on fishing or gardening. In fact, ignore everything not related to the main quest.
8. Memorize the quickest way through areas like the Junk Heap. Don't pick up collectibles aside from weapons. Look up their locations.
9. Use your items and edit your words as soon as get them to get through fights quicker. Memorize the answers and grasp the logic of the text riddles.
10. Seriously, ignore the damn trophies! Don't be the guy who farmed for materials for 20 hours on end for a blinking icon. Time is short and you will die one day.

Pros:
- thick atmosphere and fitting soundtrack
- background layers are detailed and well-designed
- world is surprisingly large
- bosses are memorable and real challenges
- boss runs are mostly quick and seamless
- most enemies require specific combat approaches
- upgrade tree is large and varied
- magic attacks are satisfying and pack a real punch

Cons:
- the whole game is buggy and prone to crashes
- there are no autosaves (which is a terrible combination)
- technical performance is subpar: gameplay freezes or slows down frequently
- teleporters and reloads frequently glitch you through nearby walls
- picking up items or using teleporters locks up the controls
- enemies can aim and attack through solid walls
- dropped souls can spawn in faraway or unreachable places
- standard button layout is awful (and could not be changed initially)
- pixel art lacks detail and presentation is generally of low quality
- limited color palette makes most areas look alike
- interface is confusing and slow to navigate
- there is no low health warning or indicator
- map is useless: dead ends and locked doors are not identified, markers are limited
- death is a triple punishment: you lose spite upgrades, souls and gain Moonhunger
- plattforming is often frustrating and vertical paths are unclear
- standard weapon use pushes character forward into hazards
- special attacks are lost after each tedious doppelganger fight
- magic system is unbalanced and far too expensive to be useful
- speed upgrade is not implemented well and often gets triggered by accident
- only one rare currency is used for most upgrades and important mechanics
- final boss is a huge letdown compared to other bosses
- Statue Gemstone is completely imbalanced


Playtime: 10 Hours with 2/3rds of the upgrade tree unlocked and many collectables found. Played on version 1.0 shortly after release.

Blahgic Moments: Getting crushed to death by a giant cogwheel, only to find that your dropped souls are now unreachable and forever lost.


Verdict:
There is no other way to say this: Moonscars is an outright failure. It adds no ideas to the - already packed - genre of 2D Metroidvanias, copies elements from Soulslikes without understanding their function, and is cursed with an ugly, undetailed presentation. Apparently, the creators even decided to rebuild major aspects of the game following its release, changing the spite upgrade system from an annoyance to a much more workable element. However, releasing the game in such an unfinished state does not reflect well on the initial release of the game, and the myriad other flaws, both technical and in terms of base design, are impossible to ignore.

Skip this one and play Death's Gambit instead if you like the moody art style and combat feel, or just play Hollow Knight again.

Pros:
+ the first act creates a brooding, foreboding atmosphere
+ biomes are distinct and the open areas are well designed
+ surprisingly good lightning, shadow and particle effects
+ technology equipment system is a smart and fresh new mechanic
+ Dolmen boss mechanic is a good idea that mostly works well
+ the reactor/elemental mechanic adds a lot of complexity to the combat
+ ranged attacks add a lot of options and gunplay is pretty satisfying
+ equipment crafting is quick and can be tailored to specific challenges
+ the (very limited) voice acting is pretty good
+ the relatively short playtime is quick and dirty
+ the cutscenes are stupidly enjoyable
+ performance mode is mostly stable

Cons:
- let's be honest here: the title is pretty terrible
- lack of polish: there's heaps of glitches, typos, clipping issues etc.
- the whole UI is flatout terrible and gives the game a cheap look
- damage numbers look amateurish and have an awful font
- enemy AI is mostly non-existent and bosses can easily be cheesed
- the various combat options can get confusing (7 buttons!)
- most animations are barebones and look unfinished
- close combat has no weight to it and hit feedback is weak
- enemy placement feels random and unintuitive
- most enemies have unreliable, unclear hitboxes
- many boss runs are far too long and tedious
- the camera freqently gets in the way of the action
- lock-on system is barely working at a greater range
- energy meter refills extremely slowly
- using a beacon (bonfire) does not refill batteries (flasks) in full
- crafting materials are not itemized in the menu
- the main antagonist is completely forgettable
- the music is bland and of low audio quality
- loading screens are in bad taste
- the final segment and the ending are short and laughable sequel bait

Magic Moment: Following frosty ranged attacks with a timed reactor hit and barely killing a big, wormy enemy in time.

Blagic Moment: Reading a random YT comment on how running in circles around a certain boss to kill him without resistance and asking myself: Is this fun?

Playtime: 17 hours at level 60 with all beacons, roughly half of all crafting items and all bosses, some killed repeatedly in Dolmen mode. Played in single player mode only - the multiplayer seems to be dead anyway.


Verdict:
Dolmen is a weird game. This debut by a Brazilian studio feels remarkably aggressive in its contradictoriness: with each new situation, it becomes clearer that this is not a good, or even a finished product, and yet, for some reason, it keeps you engaged through its relatively quick runtime. Each fresh new gameplay idea - of which there are many - is offset by subpar production values and lazy design decisions. The audio-visual quality oscilates between terrible and surprisingly decent, the atmosphere is involving until the broken enemies and mindless boss fights appear, and the combat is a collection of unfair but sometimes also incredibly satisfying situations. It almost feels like the team uncovered a lost PS3 game with bonkers PS2 cutscenes and added modern combat mechanics to it, while also, somehow, offering a surprising amount of fun to anyone willing to grind their way through a whole lot of jankiness along the way.

Most people should probably skip this, but if you are a die hard fan of Soulslikes and would like to know how the genre is evolving at the moment, take a look at it. However, finishing it is not really necessary to get something out of it and one playthrough is absolutely enough - there is no New Game+ anyway.

Pros:
+ the setting is a respectful homage to the first game
+ graphics and assets have been greatly upgraded
+ handling of objects has been much improved
+ facility level designs are as great as ever
+ portal creation is now a guided, seamless mechanic
+ orientation after entering portals is much quicker
+ the new puzzle elements change up the gameplay
+ the writing is still funny and memorable throughout
+ Weasley is a good addition to the plot
+ the credits song is surprisingly good
+ the lore has been greatly expanded upon...

Cons:
- ...but the story is basically a repeat of the first game
- GLaDOS has been relegated to a supporting role and...
- ...only interacts with Chell at set, bite-sized moments
- the pacing is off and the increased length is noticeable
- middle act veers greatly from the core design of the game
- middle act puzzles are often cumbersome pixel hunts
- long sequences of inaction, listening, and walking
- new mechanics are clumsily or not at all introduced
- white gel introductory puzzle is probably the worst in the series
- the credit sequence is jarring deviation from the rest of the game

Playtime: 9 hours for the single player, with roughly 60% of achievements. No guide usage except for one level.

Magic Moments: Learning about the background of Aperture Science and understanding the relationship between its creation and present moment of the facilities. The final fight and creation of the final portal.

Blahgic Moment: Doing the first white gel puzzle over and over again until looking up a solution and finding that there actually isn't a genuine one. What were they thinking?


Verdict:
Coming to this game for the first time since its release and right after playing the original, Portal 2 is a peculiar experience. All the elements that made its predecessor an instant sensation are present: the seamless puzzle mechanics, the smart and funny writing, the clean visual design. However, the team behind its creation seem to have been more interested in expanding on the lore and characters of the Portal world than in extending the vocabulary of its puzzle design. The gels add up to some expansive, vertical sequences based on quick movement, but it does feel like fan mods and custom levels provided more fresh new applications of the Portal mechanics over the years than this actual sequel. For being an "impossible sequel" to a classic, widely beloved game, though, Portal 2 is a perfectly fine addition to this universe that offers hours of head scratching and plenty of genuine laughs.

Play it and enjoy it, but do not expect giant leaps in new directions - or a satisfying conclusion.

Pros:
+ gameplay offers a genuine innovation
+ detailed art style and cozy atmosphere
+ the game manages to tell a complete story with static pictures
+ architecture of the different living spaces is believable and logical
+ the contents of the removal crates are carefully designed
+ music is sweet and simple
+ the final moments are memorable and heartfelt

Cons:
- the mechanics stay the same for the entire game
- cursor is a bit too slow
- some items are difficult to identify
- the logic of placing items is not always apparent
- graphics lack quality when zoomed in too much
- the achievement system feels a bit misplaced
- you could tidy up your flat and basically have the same experience

Playtime: 5 hours, with roughly half of all collectibles acquired.

Magic Moments: When my girl finally gets a stand for her Ukulele. Moving into a fancy new place and seeing red flags everywhere. The final image.

Verdict:
Unpacking's low-key impact on the gaming scene is no surprise. With the help of a cutesy art style and simple mechanics, the creators manage to tell a meaningful story with ups and downs without ever identifying a main character or outright formulating a story arc, which is a daring and memorable approach to game design that depicts the possibilities of the medium. At the same time, there is no false bottom or hidden feature to be found here: what you see is what you get, and the gameplay loop repeats from the first moment to the last, with frequent moments of questionable logic and repeating situations of issues with the placement of items.

Giving this game a score or recommending is therefore very difficult. It does exactly what the creator's set out to do, but as someone who values mechanics in games, I found myself underwhelmed towards the end. But even if I do not think I will every revisit this and do not consider myself the target audience, there is a specific subset of players that will love this experience, and the creative approach Unpacking exemplifies is certainly memorable.

So play it if you like what you see, but keep your expectations in check.

Pros:
+ cute pixel art animation and great character design
+ core golf mechanics are simple and easy to learn
+ ace card system adds a lot of gameplay options
+ unlockable abilities are permanent
+ binder system allows ace cards to carry over between runs
+ biomes interact with ace card abilities: fire burns vines etc.
+ maps are hand-crafted and offer various routes to the hole
+ practice course is a fresh idea and always available
+ curse holes are creative and satisfyingly challenging
+ save scamming is possible (and highly encouraged)

Cons:
- extremely high difficulty curve
- mid- and endgame difficulty is just too high to be enjoyable
- roguelike design feels tacked on
- camera cannot be zoomed out during play...
- ...so the ball is always played blindly over the map
- map overview menu is extremely slow and buggy
- map introduction cutscene is useless and shows no viable paths
- teleporter routes are not transparent and amount to gambling
- not every position of the ball can be meaningfully played
- no way to slow down the ball or angle selection in play
- most ace cards are timing-based and too tough to control
- spinning move is helpful but exceedingly tough to control
- shops cannot be re-entered
- buggy on release and still glitchy after the most recent updates
- no post-game content or replayability options

Playtime: 5 hours for one playthrough, with plenty of save scamming during boss fights.

Magic Moment: Using an elemental card for the first time and understanding courses and shrubbery in a new way. Discovering save scamming and realizing that the game works best without the frustration of its tacked on roguelike design.

Blahgic Moments: Using the spinning move to just slightly push the ball over the edge and right into a body of water - many, many times in a row. Playing the ball from an impossible position and not even ace cards offering a viable option.


Verdict:
Cursed to Golf is one of those games that you want to love but you grow to dislike the more you play it. While most other golf games define themselves by the transparency or simplicity of their mechanics, the creators of Cursed to Golf opted to artifically inflate the difficulty with a crippling, close, and ultimately limiting camera perspective that turns actually playing the ball over a course into a needlessly frustrating challenge. While the ace card system allows for plenty of options to move the ball over the handcrafted but randomized courses, the constant lack of information on how to best proceed in any given direction - what teleporter to use and where to end up after using them, what TNT to explode, guessing which path is the quickest in boss fights - is a severe limitation that greatly diminishes the enjoyment of the mechanics.

There is some fun to be had here for bleeding edge fans of golf games and players willing to save scam, but anyone with a low tolerance for frustration and randomness will bounce off of this quickly and should skip this game.

Pros:
+ combining Mega Man with roguelike design is still a great idea
+ builds on its predecessor in plenty of ways
+ art style is more refined and detailed
+ background art has been much improved
+ controls are tight and dash move feels great to use
+ character hit box is lenient
+ CP equipment system is a smart addition and mostly well-implemented
+ core upgrades allow for divers builds
+ difficulty smartly scales over the course of a run
+ challenges and bonuses are no longer timed
+ plenty of optional challenges in each level with managable difficulty
+ meta-upgrades feel empowering and rewarding
+ technical performance on Switch is rock-solid
+ auto-charging can be toggled on and off
+ bosses are diverse and colorful...

Cons:
- ...but have to be beaten in full in each run
- hub area is badly designed and needlessly confusing
- even with procedural generation, areas mostly feel alike
- mini bosses do not have a visible health bar
- no health loss indicator on hit
- successful runs clock in at around 1,5 hours
- only two playable characters from the first game
- refilling health without proper items is very difficult
- Save Laboratory upgrades are as useless as in the first game
- auto charge does not trigger the core updates related to charging
- Scrap Dealer and shop items tend to be too expensive
- final boss gauntlet is basically impossible without the right equipment

Playtime: 22 hours with one complete run with both characters.

Magic Moment: Combining various core upgrades that seem to have nothing in common to find suprising synergies.

Blagic Moment: Dying to the final boss and realizing you just lost over 90 minutes and can only afford two meta-upgrades.

Verdict:
To be honest, it is no apparent to me why 30xx spent so many years in early access. The base design is directly lifted from its predecessor, the two protagonists have the same move set, the level creation algorithm seems to be not overly complex and the story is barebones. That being said, the core gameplay loop and controls are as motivating and tight as ever, and the moment-to-moment action is still satysfying enough to go for that "one more run".

Anyone who liked 20xx will have plenty of fun with this one as well, but anyone craving new impulses and surprises is bound to be a bit disappointed.

...this was recommended late last year by IGN's Rebekah Valentine on the Axe of the Blood God podcast. Me being the sucker for time loop games that I am, I simply had to take a look at it.

Pros:
+ makes the most of its Game Maker origins
+ monochrome art style is unique and memorable
+ rock-paper-scissors combat system is easy to learn
+ enemy designs are memorable and change over time
+ optional equipment heavily affects the combat tactics
+ time loop mechanic is implemented mostly hassle-free
+ some of the music themes are really good
+ the characters are engaging and grow on you
+ different playstyles lead to differing story paths
+ gameplay and storytelling get closely intertwined towards the end
+ the story does become more intriguing as it goes on...

Cons:
- ...but lacks subtext, and any ambiguity is smothered by the verbose writing style
- even meaningless objects get two screens of meaningless text
- text font and animation shenanigans feel juvenile
- 4:3 aspect ratio feels weird...
- ...and the painted bezels impact the quiter, darker moments
- even at the fastest setting, dialog still requires constant button inputs..
- ...and are frequently interrupted by meaningless dialog options
- culture war aspects are too obvious and blatant for my taste
- combat can only be skipped after it has started
- the reasons for further loops get really flimsy towards the end
- requirements for progress are not always clearly indicated
- even with an optional item, the final fight seriously drags
- playing for longer leads to serious, repeatable visual glitches
- the internal gametime clock continues when the Switch is on standby

Playtime: 18 hours, with a lot of optional content and dialog explored, but still a lot of paths untaken. A complete playthrough requires at least two playthroughs as far as I know.

Magic Moment: Meeting Loop for the first time. Winning the last fight and not knowing where it would lead to.

Blagic Moment: Searching for specific documents in the castle without being given clear instructions where they are. Using an optional item against the final boss and seeing it land like a dud.

Favorite Character: My girl Mirabelle. Please never grow up.

Verdict:
It's clear that In Stars and Time was created with great care and an eye for character and storytelling. However, with the creative team clearly being influenced by games like Earthbound, they somehow refused to implement the anti-frustration features of those games. Avoiding combat is tedious, the later loops send you back to the beginning for miniscule reasons, and having to fight enemies to loop forward in time is a deliberate but time-consuming design decision that really becomes a problem the longer the game goes on. The writing was also really not my style, but your milage may very much vary on that. Still, the technical aspects are troubling, and the gamebreaking glitches during longer play sessions are verboten for a finished product.

I believe this would have worked better as a straight visual novel instead, and if you are a fan of those, In Stars and Time could well be worth your time. Fans of RPGs however will not find much to enjoy here.

But then again...

Rarely has a combination of game and logo been more fitting: Froggie is a simple retro platformer with a cute frog jumping around, not more, not less. And sometimes, that's just what you need.

Pros:
+ a short and sweet retro platformer
+ restarts after death are quick
+ checkpoints are placed fairly
+ difficulty curve rises slowly

Cons:
- screen transitions are slow and juddery
- hitboxes are a little rough
- enemy behavior is sometimes erratic
- jump mechanics are a bit too floaty
- EDM soundtrack is completely out of place

Playtime: 1 hour, 30 minutes, all levels cleared.

Verdict:
A perfectly fine platformer without new or unique ideas that simply does what it sets out to do. However, if you need a palate clenser between more complex games, you could certainly do worse.

Pros:
- unique art style and great visual presentation
- character design is creative and animated expressions are charming
- overworld and dungeons are well-designed and hide secrets in plain sight
- puzzle writing is smart and effective
- bosses are fun and have secret weaknesses
- checkpoints are frequent and backtracking is generally fast

Cons:
- the difficulty is unforgiving and the death screen is aggravating
- health recovery system is unique to a fault and at odds with the exploratory design
- music is hit and miss, with most tracks getting grating quickly
- not all movement and attack options are explained in the tutorials
- hub area is confusing and has little bearing on the gameplay as a whole
- collectable weapons are interchangeable and barely affect combat
- combat is unfair: enemies don't get staggered, attacks are barely telegraphed
- movement speed is far too low and there is no practical dash or sprint move
- roll has practically no I-frames and is useless for avoiding damage
- upgrades are far too expensive and have no noticeable effect on gameplay
- final boss is a tedious trial-and-error challenge and a huge letdown compared to his peers
- collectathon requirements for the true ending are laughably high
- true ending is basically just more text and not worth the trouble
- the story is far too prominent for what it tries to achieve

Blahgic Moment: Dying to the final boss, only to repeat a prior platforming section again. And again. And Again.

Playtime: 10,5 Hours, with 89% completion.


Verdict:
Death's Door is the perfect example of a high-class dazzler: At first, the presentation, character design and promising overworld pull you in with their impeccable design; then, after a short while, the unfair combat system and unforgiving difficulty slap you in the face and dare you not to throw the controller against the nearest wall. The upgrade system and collectable weapons promise a variety in playstyles that never manifests, and the starting weapon emerges as a boring but workable choice for an entire playthrough. Even after a few expensive upgrades, enemies still take forever to kill, and bosses have tiny punishment windows that will aggravate you just like the annoying "wroom" sound and splash screen after each death. Because of this, exploration of the overworld and hunting for secrets becomes senseless, as the loot does not make the combat challenges any easier and is never actually worth the effort. The post-game makes this experience even worse, as it turns the game into a terrible collectathon for masochists who, after hours of tedium, are gifted quite probably the worst hidden ending in the recent past (that you can easily watch online of you actually care about it).

In conclusion, Death's Door is a huge disappointment that overpromises on its presentation and underdelivers in all of its most essential gameplay elements. Even if you like how it looks, you shouldn't play this and certainly shouldn't buy it - and don't go for all the endings or achievements under any circumstances.

Pros:
+ PS1 era graphic style is distinctive
+ impressive backgrounds and partical effects
+ guard mechanic is a unique selling point that just works
+ boss fights are creative and frequently surprising
+ the missions never outstay their welcome
+ levels have frequent checkpoints
+ story can be quickly skipped
+ movement speed can be adjusted mid-game
+ option to disable collision damage with floors and ceilings
+ large amount of customization options
+ ships can be customized mid-mission...

Cons:
- ...but most weapons feel alike
- attacking backwards is only possible with certain upgrades
- second playthrough becomes a bullet hell
- dying is a double punishment
- restarts don't refill upgrades or smart bombs
- upgrades are generally too expensive
- smart bomb gets refilled too slowly
- enemy debris effects add a lot of confusion
- the tutorial only explains half of the mechanics
- default button configuration is useless

Playtime: 3 hours, two playthroughs on Normal difficulty. Roughly half of all upgrades acquired.

Magic Moment: Seeing each of the planetary backgrounds for the first time. Entering the Credits scene and being surprised by the story twist.

Blahgic Moment: Dying to a boss and realizing that death is a double punishment that makes progress extremely difficult.

Verdict:
Drainus is an old-school, arcade vertical shooter with a distinctive guard mechanic. While it offers high production values, it also shares the core issues that plagued arcade shooters since their inception: the difficulty is frstratingly high, deaths are often cheap or even unpreventable, and the punishment for dying is brutal. Loosing not only weapon upgrades but also your smart bombs is a frustrating double punishment that makes the game harder the longer you are stuck in a section, when it should actually be the other way around. The architecture of some sections and bosses makes it practically impossible to avoid damage on your first attempt, and the later levels and second playthrough devolve into frantic bullet hell parcours. Even though it is possible to change loadouts between and even inside of missions, most primary weapons feel alike, even though the shooting mechanics itself feel satisfying.

Play it if you crave the olden days of the arcades and like the art style, but one playthrough is certainly enough and there are many similar games that offer this type of experience.