It's not the size of your open world, it's how you use it. Supraland showcases that perfectly with excellent puzzles in one of the best designed Metroidvanias I've seen. Great context clues, secrets around every corner and a creative list of gadgets really test you mind. Once you find one solution that in turn becomes a mechanic for later puzzles. It all really flows together seemlessly.

However, I do wish combat had either been more defined or left out of this adventue completely. I never really enjoyed it and avoiding it is next to impossible. It's a pretty big flaw, but thankfully one that doesn't bring down the adventure too much.

This is a really meaty game. Completionists will have a blast solving everything here and I look forward to checking out other games in this series. I would recommend Supraland to anyone who is interested in a good brain buster.

It's missing that variety element that makes rougelikes replayable. It's classes feel very limited. It's narrative feels undercooked. I managed to clear a full run on my 6th attempt. It then unlocked a harder difficulty and a horde mode. Doesn't seem like there is much more besides that.

But the moment to moment gunplay is great. It's very Doom 2016 and that is 100% a compliment. Abilities work great in tandum and I found the enginneer class to be my favorite. Visuals are nice and I enjoyed the music. I can see myself jumping back to it in the future to just play a couple runs but not consecutively. I don't feel that "one more run" sensation with this one.

Maybe if this was a full blown shooter campaign over a roguelike I would feel very differently. With runs over in a heartbeat and meta progression lacking it's tough not to think the idea of making this a rougelike might have been an afterthought.

I never played the original titles but I can see why friends of mine were excited when this was announced. It provides really great brain busters throughout of most of its campaigns. The different commanding officers all were really likeable on both sides of the conflict. Overall presentation is pretty good. Early on I was really fond of visuals and the segmenets that were fully animated were great.....the first few times I saw them.

I was a huge fan of the UI and the set rules each unit had. During the best battles it felt like one big chess board. Multiple solutions in front of you as you pick the best course of action. Really great stuff!

Not perfect though. I think the overall adventure lacks enough visual variety. By the end of the first campaign I had completely turned off the animations due to how they felt like padding. The other big complaint is I think the second campaign feels less interested in providing interesting battles. It seems more tuned to challenge your patience. The final three fights all had a gimick that really got on my nerves. I think a solution for this would be to have added a mechanic where the AI can surrender. It's frustrating to chip away at the enemy through what is basically a narrow hall way. There was no way he could come out on top but there he was...fighting to the end. I guess it fit the character atleast.

I liked Re-Boot Camp. Even with its flaws the game has more hits than misses, and if you are a fan of this genre I recommend you check it out.

Let it be said that being a product of its time isn't always a bad thing. Developed by the fittingly named Ska Studios, this is a edgy, violent and chaotic game. It's sure not to be everyones taste but it hit the spot for me.

It's style and tone really gave me a nostalgic feel for the weird late 2000s - early 2010s edgy internet odditities. Hell a few of the cutscenes had drawings that I could probably find in my old high school sketch book. Just a bunch of weird shit that I still have a fondness for.

The combat is snappy, fast paced and responsive. It's a 2D character action game with it's combos and dodge mechanics. There are two playable characters but unfortunately they don't feel that different enough from one another to warrant multiple playthroughs. Bosses are well designed and there is a solid variety of enemy types. Sometimes rapid screen shaking can make things hard to read during combat. It will absolutely lead to some deaths when you take a second to blink. But overall I had a lot of fun with this short little title.

I 100% recommend this game to anyone who grew up around that previously mentioned time and/or is into this kind of stuff. It's the kind of game that you will know just by the title if you have any interest in it or not. Love it or hate it, it's not afraid to be itself and you gotta respect that.

It's the first SteamWorld Game that just didn't ever click with me. I think the two biggest killers here are the pacing and combat design. I felt bored of the dungeon layouts and movement between areas. Battles move at snails pace making it feel like a requirement to hold down fast forward. It made the overall experience pretty rough.

The deck building and core strategies that come with it also leave a lot to be desired. It presents a decent variety of combinations that are limited by its rules. To simplify, for the 3 characters in your party each have a card limit that combine into your deck. The limit is very strict. It also doesn't help that when a character goes down you can't use those characters cards for the rest of combat. This can lead to boss fights where if one character in your party goes down you might as well wipe. The balance in this game is completely off.

It still has that SteamWorld charm that I love. Character designs aren't as strong but the artstyle is great, music is nice and the writing is charming. I made it halfway through the game before stopping. At the time of writing SteamWorld Heist 2 got announced and all I could think about is how much I would rather play that leading me to drop this one.

Batman: Arkham City is an absolutely incredible sequel. It improves combat, has a more interesting plot and expands the characters to include more of the Dark Knight's best villains. But the real standout is the open world. While small to todays standards it's dense and feels very immersive to travel around. Rocksteady Provided a really great title here that is desrving of 5 stars despite the Riddler being alive.

But this isn't Batman Arkham City. This is Batman: Return to Arkham - Arkham City. While the remaster of the first title only suffered a aesthetic downgrade this one comes with a host of problems. More visual pop in, some wonky animations and worst of all a combat desync issue. I read that a patch was released that fixed this. It didn't. It's absolutely still in the game, it is just now very uncommon.

I ran into these issues while going for the Platinum so I recommend imited exposure. If you are just looking to play through the main content I think you'll be fine. Problems became more apparent the longer I spent with it. But overall I think this version of the game is not as good as the original release, and I recommend you play that one instead.

I never could have imagined that this would be one of the most demanding 3D platformers I have experienced in a hot minute. It's not that difficult to reach credits, but to 100% this one you'll have to master it completely.

There is a level of mechanical depth here that is so infectious. Chaining jumps, quickly zipping around a level is so chaotic and fun. I hope the speedrunning community for this has a field day.

It's also just a visual treat. It's another game proud to be a video game and I wouldn't be surprised if it ends up being the best soundtrack of 2024.

It sticks the landing and my biggest fear is that people either avoid this one for how simple it appears, or abandon it before the gameplay really clicks. If you love 3D platformers don't skip this one.

From 2014-2022 Rick Remender released "Deadly Class." It was a graphic novel series that spanned 56 issues abouts youths whose lives were molded and twisted through the horrors committed by the adults around them. Setting them off on a path of self-destruction and violence.

Anyone familiar with that work will feel a sort of connective tissue with Children of the Sun's presentation. If not for the supernatural element it would be easy to mistake it as apart of that world. Color choices, cutscene framing and of course sound design feel very raw. The act of setting up your shot, pulling the trigger and making contact with a target all have a massive impact. The bullet piercing through the air has this drone noise that overpowers the action. I found myself holding my breath at times, only realizing it when a level was finished at that triumpant exhale.

The story is simple but incredibly effective. Your motive is clear from the start. You are a woman on a mission that can only be accomplished by leaving a trail of bodies in your path. I found myself pulled along for ride not wanting to put the game down.

The main idea of bouncing your bullet between targets adds an addictive arcade feel. On the fly decision making tests your metal with great level design and an effective/straight forward mouse only control scheme.

I highly recommend this one. It's short but it takes its simple concepts and ideas and just runs with it. It's a wild, violent and strategic time.

The original title didn't have any additional content aside from the PS3 exclusive playable Joker and a few challenge maps. So this is basically just a higher resolution version of the 2009 epic. It's probably the definitive way to play this game moving forward but I will admit I miss the hazy visuals of the original. It added an almost grimey texture to the whole experience.

Despite sounding negative here this is still an excellent time and I'm happy I finally went and got the platinum. I'd be inclinded to do it again with the original release if Batman would just break his no kill rule on the Riddler.

While you'll see everything the game has to offer in a very short amount of time, the level of mental manipulation going on here is incredible.

It's the classic case of the house setting you up for failure. Building your expectations, giving you satisfying wins all in the name of taking it away from you when you get too cocky. Whether it's a blank or live ammo every time that trigger is pulled you feel impact.

If you're looking for that high stakes rush of betting all on red, without the real life consequences than I strongly recommend Buckshot Roulette.

Its presentation is all aces. The narrator is captivating, the colors fantastic, the environments beautiful. It's a treat for the eyes and ears as the score matches everything so perfectly.

It's a curated experience that allows for some solid weapon pairing. You're not limited to a melee and ranged option. You can mix and match abilities, passives and weapons and that really adds to the experience. It doesn't drastically change gameplay but it adds more variety which is always a plus.

It starts and ends on a real high note. Strong intrigue echoes throughout the adventure and I loved its ending. Supergiant's first game is still a great one and it shows clearly from the start that this studio knew what they were doing. I highly recommend Bastion.

Sable is a beautiful and often brilliant adventure that tells a gripping coming of age story that forces you to reflect on the quiet moments of life. It's sense of exploration is strong and it's ending feels like it meaningfully confronts you on the memories you have made. Visually it's stunning, with colors especially captivating you while you travel across the waste. With all that said I really do love what this game accomplished, but it's in a state that is hard to fully recommend.

I ran into a ton of immersive breaking bugs. Nothing absolutely game breaking but some things that just pulled me out of it. Two of the quests I was unable to finish, audio crackling, NPCs walking into walls while talking. Your Mileage may vary but you'll likely run into at least a few of these issues.

If Sable was more polished it would be an easy 5 stars and a highly recommend. It's an incredible journey that is partly undermined by its technical state. I am disappointed that my first experience with this title suffered from these issues, but it is an adventure I will return to one day for more because what is here is just that good. Overall I recommend Sable despite the problems.

Dead Estate is a really strong Twin Stick Roguelike that I would highly recommend to some and passively recommend to others.

If you're looking for a chaotic, fast paced and unhinged time you'll find it here. Impressive sprite work and memorable characters perfectly punctuate the experience as a worthwhile one. I was especially a fan of Chunks, the nemesis like creature that stalks you if you spend too long on a floor.

But if your looking for an especially polished time I would say look elsewhere. UI elements get in the way sometimes and it can be difficult to understand your positioning. Additional weapons also felt kind of useless. I mainly just stuck with the starting weapon for whatever character I chose to play as.

But overall I had a blast. It provided that "one more run" feeling I love and at the time of writing I've achieved the true ending with best girl Cordelia. It's a game I'll periodically jump back to and one I highly recommend you give a shot.

Industria is a really short and rather uneven adventure that presents a lot of great ideas, but doesn't really provide a conclusion to any of them. This feels like a really great first chapter in a longer game.

I did like it but overall the experience will be mixed for many. I think if it focused on its mystery more and provided a concrete resolution to its story this would have been an easy recommend. As it stands it's more of a "maybe check it out on sale" and that's a shame because what's here is really good.

While Chroma Squad may be a casual recommend as a strategy game due to its repetition, it's an absolute must play for Power Rangers or Kamen Rider fans.

What starts as a fun parody of the entertainment industry turns into a pretty compelling Sentai love letter. Filled with all the tropes, references and over the top personality you'd come to expect. You'll feel like a kid again watching your team flip over each other to battle incredibly goofy enemies.

If Sentai isn't your jam I'd say look elsewhere as the strategy gameplay isn't deep enough to carry this alone. This is a game by fans for fans. It's not here to convince you it's cool, you kind of have to go in already thinking it is. Personally I love this shit. If you do too pop in that old Power Rangers VHS to set the mood and enjoy.