Nepiki
2011
Full review on my website: https://www.nepikigaming.com/reviews/super-mario-3d-land/
''I’ve been positive- and negative towards this game, mostly about the level design- and structure. I did have a blast with this game since the levels were at least good designed though, but I didn’t feel the need to play through it more than once. Spoiler alert, I had to. But at the end of the day, we still have a good Mario game here that I’m confident every 3ds owner that enjoys Mario should own. But um, probably think about it twice (heh, spoiler alert 2.0) if you want to complete it or not. Overall, it gets an 7.5 out of 10 from me!''
''I’ve been positive- and negative towards this game, mostly about the level design- and structure. I did have a blast with this game since the levels were at least good designed though, but I didn’t feel the need to play through it more than once. Spoiler alert, I had to. But at the end of the day, we still have a good Mario game here that I’m confident every 3ds owner that enjoys Mario should own. But um, probably think about it twice (heh, spoiler alert 2.0) if you want to complete it or not. Overall, it gets an 7.5 out of 10 from me!''
2017
Full review over at my website: https://www.nepikigaming.com/reviews/cosmic-star-heroine/
''Cosmic Star Heroine is a fresh sci-fi JRPG with an especially good battle system that kept me engaged throughout the entire game, constantly desiring to try out different team builds from the wide array of characters. All of them feel very different from each other with their own abilities and specialities that often compliment other characters as well. Not only that, but the battle system tests your strategic mind as well due to monsters getting stronger the longer a battle goes on, and your main form of attack going on cooldown after a single use. If this sounds overwhelming, you have nothing to fear as the title is very approachable with difficulties that can be changed at any point, grinding being obsolete and other quality-of-life improvements. But the amount of characters are also the game’s biggest flaw, as they usually have a single characteristic that does not get developed over the course of the game. Most characters aren’t even directly important to the plot and just happened to join the party by chance, which results in them having a lot less screentime as they usually don’t have a relation to any of the other characters in the party. The story is not really noteworthy either but granted, most of the issues surrounding the characters and the story are softened by the overall charm the game has, with Zeboyd Games’ trademark humour shining in the writing as always.''
''Cosmic Star Heroine is a fresh sci-fi JRPG with an especially good battle system that kept me engaged throughout the entire game, constantly desiring to try out different team builds from the wide array of characters. All of them feel very different from each other with their own abilities and specialities that often compliment other characters as well. Not only that, but the battle system tests your strategic mind as well due to monsters getting stronger the longer a battle goes on, and your main form of attack going on cooldown after a single use. If this sounds overwhelming, you have nothing to fear as the title is very approachable with difficulties that can be changed at any point, grinding being obsolete and other quality-of-life improvements. But the amount of characters are also the game’s biggest flaw, as they usually have a single characteristic that does not get developed over the course of the game. Most characters aren’t even directly important to the plot and just happened to join the party by chance, which results in them having a lot less screentime as they usually don’t have a relation to any of the other characters in the party. The story is not really noteworthy either but granted, most of the issues surrounding the characters and the story are softened by the overall charm the game has, with Zeboyd Games’ trademark humour shining in the writing as always.''
Full review over at my website: https://www.nepikigaming.com/reviews/ori-and-the-blind-forest/
''Just me telling you how beautiful Ori and the Blind Forest is in both graphics- and storytelling would not do it justice, but I can assure you not a single word here is a lie. The latter is definitely mention-worthy, as the emotional story of loss and revenge is told mostly through expressions and movements. Fortunately, the game is not just a visual marvel to look at. Ori controls very smoothly in a game where platforming is definitely the main appeal, with challenging aspects but not necessarily unforgiving ones. Especially with the ability to place checkpoints anywhere you want given you have the energy, but also with the flexible- yet optional skill trees. Combat is definitely on the weaker side though; it does the job, but nothing more as you’re basically just mashing a button with no regard to positioning. The world is also not my favourite due to it being slightly more restrictive in terms of linearity, and also less interconnected than other pioneers in the genre. Fortunately, the Definitive Version did fix an issue with the latter part and has many fast-travel points as well as unique abilities that make backtracking far easier to do.''
''Just me telling you how beautiful Ori and the Blind Forest is in both graphics- and storytelling would not do it justice, but I can assure you not a single word here is a lie. The latter is definitely mention-worthy, as the emotional story of loss and revenge is told mostly through expressions and movements. Fortunately, the game is not just a visual marvel to look at. Ori controls very smoothly in a game where platforming is definitely the main appeal, with challenging aspects but not necessarily unforgiving ones. Especially with the ability to place checkpoints anywhere you want given you have the energy, but also with the flexible- yet optional skill trees. Combat is definitely on the weaker side though; it does the job, but nothing more as you’re basically just mashing a button with no regard to positioning. The world is also not my favourite due to it being slightly more restrictive in terms of linearity, and also less interconnected than other pioneers in the genre. Fortunately, the Definitive Version did fix an issue with the latter part and has many fast-travel points as well as unique abilities that make backtracking far easier to do.''
2013
Full review on my website: https://www.nepikigaming.com/reviews/typerider/
''The main objective of Type:Rider is to educate people of all generations about the history of Typography. At times it feels like going through an actual museum with how it thematically set itself up, using fonts and historical people- and events as actual level design. In-between there are books to read that go more in-depth about the history of Typography. On that front, I can say that the game does a splendid job, but unfortunately gameplay matters. Playing as two dots does not only sounds complicated; it’s a mess to control. It’s not really noticeable in early stages which are pretty bland and thus don’t require a lot of platforming, but when you are forced to do platforming you’ll notice quickly how frustrating it is to play the game. I will give praise regardless for being thematically a good educational game but with gameplay like this, I can’t give it any higher than a rather generous 4 out of 10.''
''The main objective of Type:Rider is to educate people of all generations about the history of Typography. At times it feels like going through an actual museum with how it thematically set itself up, using fonts and historical people- and events as actual level design. In-between there are books to read that go more in-depth about the history of Typography. On that front, I can say that the game does a splendid job, but unfortunately gameplay matters. Playing as two dots does not only sounds complicated; it’s a mess to control. It’s not really noticeable in early stages which are pretty bland and thus don’t require a lot of platforming, but when you are forced to do platforming you’ll notice quickly how frustrating it is to play the game. I will give praise regardless for being thematically a good educational game but with gameplay like this, I can’t give it any higher than a rather generous 4 out of 10.''
Full review on my website: https://www.nepikigaming.com/reviews/the-legend-of-zelda-a-link-to-the-past/
''I’m pretty sure the review has already made it clear enough but it’s no secret: A Link to the Past is one of my favourite games ever. I can’t stress enough how much I love exploring this world after you leave the sanctuary for the first time, and how much more becomes available for the player the more they progress through the game–especially in the second half. Combat has seen a good upgrade, especially with the great variety of items the game has. These shine even brighter in the dungeons they’re found in, which often have enemies- or mechanics designed specifically for these items. The dungeons themselves all feel really fun to go through, with the cherry on top being the bosses of each dungeon. Some are admittedly worse than others, but the good part is that they all have multiple ways to be killed without being limited to the item found inside the dungeon. All in all, I don’t think this will come as a surprise but I could only give the highest recommendation for this game.''
''I’m pretty sure the review has already made it clear enough but it’s no secret: A Link to the Past is one of my favourite games ever. I can’t stress enough how much I love exploring this world after you leave the sanctuary for the first time, and how much more becomes available for the player the more they progress through the game–especially in the second half. Combat has seen a good upgrade, especially with the great variety of items the game has. These shine even brighter in the dungeons they’re found in, which often have enemies- or mechanics designed specifically for these items. The dungeons themselves all feel really fun to go through, with the cherry on top being the bosses of each dungeon. Some are admittedly worse than others, but the good part is that they all have multiple ways to be killed without being limited to the item found inside the dungeon. All in all, I don’t think this will come as a surprise but I could only give the highest recommendation for this game.''
1988
Full review on my website: https://www.nepikigaming.com/reviews/super-mario-bros-3/
''I haven’t been secretive about it but it’s true; I consider Super Mario Bros. 3 to be one of the finest adventures Mario has ever been through, even after all these years. There is just so much love put into the great number of levels, and little improvements to stage mechanics make them just so much better than they have been before at that point. They have an identity, and every level felt different with their own unique stage hazards and enemies. I have small OCD problems with the overworld but regardless of my opinion, it is a brilliant addition and gives people a lot of freedom over what stage they want or don’t want to play without it being a hindrance to beating the game. There are many more ways to get 1-ups as well, and also an inventory to store many of the new power-ups introduced in this game. For me personally however, there are some weird decisions that prevent me from giving this game the perfect score. Checkpoints are completely absent, and (under)water mechanics felt worse than it should be for me. Regardless, I definitely recommend Super Mario Bros. 3 to any Mario, Platformer or Retro fan as it has stood the test of time very well.''
''I haven’t been secretive about it but it’s true; I consider Super Mario Bros. 3 to be one of the finest adventures Mario has ever been through, even after all these years. There is just so much love put into the great number of levels, and little improvements to stage mechanics make them just so much better than they have been before at that point. They have an identity, and every level felt different with their own unique stage hazards and enemies. I have small OCD problems with the overworld but regardless of my opinion, it is a brilliant addition and gives people a lot of freedom over what stage they want or don’t want to play without it being a hindrance to beating the game. There are many more ways to get 1-ups as well, and also an inventory to store many of the new power-ups introduced in this game. For me personally however, there are some weird decisions that prevent me from giving this game the perfect score. Checkpoints are completely absent, and (under)water mechanics felt worse than it should be for me. Regardless, I definitely recommend Super Mario Bros. 3 to any Mario, Platformer or Retro fan as it has stood the test of time very well.''
Full review over at my website: https://www.nepikigaming.com/reviews/oceanhorn-monster-of-uncharted-seas/
''It’s hard to believe that Oceanhorn is a port of a standalone mobile game, given its impressive soundtrack and fun gameplay. Unfortunately though, I am reviewing the ported variants of this game which leaves me with a few annoyances that were more understandable for the original release due to limitations. I’ve mentioned it through this review a lot, but there are a lot of gameplay mechanics that I’ve mostly called “harmless but not spectacular”. Sailing doesn’t have a lot going for it due to its simplicity, but also doesn’t do much wrong. Combat isn’t my favourite and puzzles are okay at best, but they work. Vertical traversing is the bane of my existence, but the game is built around this limitation. But despite my annoyances, I can’t understate how much fun I had with exploring the game and all the islands that popped up, including the dungeons and the many challenges that came with them for a levelling system. The mechanics may not stand out, but they did still work in providing me with a fun journey.''
''It’s hard to believe that Oceanhorn is a port of a standalone mobile game, given its impressive soundtrack and fun gameplay. Unfortunately though, I am reviewing the ported variants of this game which leaves me with a few annoyances that were more understandable for the original release due to limitations. I’ve mentioned it through this review a lot, but there are a lot of gameplay mechanics that I’ve mostly called “harmless but not spectacular”. Sailing doesn’t have a lot going for it due to its simplicity, but also doesn’t do much wrong. Combat isn’t my favourite and puzzles are okay at best, but they work. Vertical traversing is the bane of my existence, but the game is built around this limitation. But despite my annoyances, I can’t understate how much fun I had with exploring the game and all the islands that popped up, including the dungeons and the many challenges that came with them for a levelling system. The mechanics may not stand out, but they did still work in providing me with a fun journey.''
2015
Full review on my website: https://www.nepikigaming.com/reviews/jumpjet-rex/
''I had a really good time with JumpJet Rex, as my constant praises have probably already given you the impression. But honestly yeah, there is very little negative I can say about the game because it’s a very solid experience from start- to end. Rex is easily one of the better controlling main characters in games that pay homage to the 8-bit and 16-bit era. He’s not the best as combat but he can make spiky hallways not that scary, and not a lot of platforming heroes can say that. Furthermore, Rex can brag about how accessible he is to all kinds of gamers. The game is forgiving to casual players, and can be made difficult for people who want to try their hand at no-death runs. Levels compliment this accessibility, as they are short overall and can thus be easily replayed- or mastered by the player. There is a good amount of collectables and objectives as well but they’re completely optional, yet again enforcing accessibility. You’re probably tired of what word by now so let’s wrap it up. It’s not often that I give a random platformer indie game a high score like this, but I truly believe JumpJet Rex deserves that 8.5 out of 10!''
''I had a really good time with JumpJet Rex, as my constant praises have probably already given you the impression. But honestly yeah, there is very little negative I can say about the game because it’s a very solid experience from start- to end. Rex is easily one of the better controlling main characters in games that pay homage to the 8-bit and 16-bit era. He’s not the best as combat but he can make spiky hallways not that scary, and not a lot of platforming heroes can say that. Furthermore, Rex can brag about how accessible he is to all kinds of gamers. The game is forgiving to casual players, and can be made difficult for people who want to try their hand at no-death runs. Levels compliment this accessibility, as they are short overall and can thus be easily replayed- or mastered by the player. There is a good amount of collectables and objectives as well but they’re completely optional, yet again enforcing accessibility. You’re probably tired of what word by now so let’s wrap it up. It’s not often that I give a random platformer indie game a high score like this, but I truly believe JumpJet Rex deserves that 8.5 out of 10!''
2014
Full review on my website: https://www.nepikigaming.com/reviews/toybox-turbos/
''Toybox Turbos is not a bad game regardless of how critical I was throughout this review, but your expectations should not be higher than a budget Micro Machines. The game controls good and the maps are lively and fun to go through albeit short, but it’s also extremely limited in what you can do. There is literally only the campaign for single player; no single races or time trials. And while online plays seamlessly from what I’ve tried, the only mode you can play is elimination races in a very barebones setup. You can have a fun time with Toybox Turbos as the core game works well, but you should match your expectations to what the game is priced at. I’ll only recommend this game if you’re looking for an easy game to complete or to have fun with friends for a short amount of time.''
''Toybox Turbos is not a bad game regardless of how critical I was throughout this review, but your expectations should not be higher than a budget Micro Machines. The game controls good and the maps are lively and fun to go through albeit short, but it’s also extremely limited in what you can do. There is literally only the campaign for single player; no single races or time trials. And while online plays seamlessly from what I’ve tried, the only mode you can play is elimination races in a very barebones setup. You can have a fun time with Toybox Turbos as the core game works well, but you should match your expectations to what the game is priced at. I’ll only recommend this game if you’re looking for an easy game to complete or to have fun with friends for a short amount of time.''
1988
Full review on my website: https://www.nepikigaming.com/reviews/super-mario-bros-2/
''I’m glad to say that I’ve finally beaten Super Mario Bros. 2, as I can now conclude that it’s a pretty fun game overall even though I’ve never beaten it when I was younger. Despite not initially being intended as the sequel of the original Super Mario Bros., it’s a worthy follow-up with ideas that are still being used in the franchise today. Most of the game revolves around the grabbing mechanic which is unique to this game when it comes to the Super Mario franchise, and it works pretty well with the ability to destroy other enemies or fun bosses. They aren’t simple ”jump over Bowser, hit the axe” bosses anymore, and are definitely one of the high points of this game alongside overall good- and smart level design. Furthermore, there are a total of four different characters to choose from after every level- or game over, giving you full control over how you would like to play this game. As for what version to play; I feel both stand on equal grounds to each other, so it mostly comes down to how difficult you want it to be for yourself. Regardless of what version, I would definitely recommend this game to any fan of the Super Mario franchise who hasn’t played this game yet, or (retro) 2D platformer fans in general.''
''I’m glad to say that I’ve finally beaten Super Mario Bros. 2, as I can now conclude that it’s a pretty fun game overall even though I’ve never beaten it when I was younger. Despite not initially being intended as the sequel of the original Super Mario Bros., it’s a worthy follow-up with ideas that are still being used in the franchise today. Most of the game revolves around the grabbing mechanic which is unique to this game when it comes to the Super Mario franchise, and it works pretty well with the ability to destroy other enemies or fun bosses. They aren’t simple ”jump over Bowser, hit the axe” bosses anymore, and are definitely one of the high points of this game alongside overall good- and smart level design. Furthermore, there are a total of four different characters to choose from after every level- or game over, giving you full control over how you would like to play this game. As for what version to play; I feel both stand on equal grounds to each other, so it mostly comes down to how difficult you want it to be for yourself. Regardless of what version, I would definitely recommend this game to any fan of the Super Mario franchise who hasn’t played this game yet, or (retro) 2D platformer fans in general.''
Spyro 1 full review: https://www.nepikigaming.com/reviews/spyro-the-dragon/
''The start of this legendary platformer franchise was definitely a strong one, already making Spyro one of the most satisfying protagonists to control with more to come in future instalments. Gliding around feels good, and the fire breath will take care of most adversaries with ease. This control scheme makes obtaining all collectables a non-issue as well, even if there is little reason given to do so aside from the minimum required amount due to them serving no purpose until the very end with an admittedly satisfying reward waiting for the player. I can’t stress enough how much fun I had trying to find all the collectables though, since I feel that’s what makes 3D Platformers special. Spyro the Dragon does lose a few points in level design due to a formulaic setup however, with almost none standing out from the other due to the objectives being the same for every stage: get the collectables and get out. Even if the themes and enemies are unique to each stage, they are hard to remember due to simplicity. The boss stages have it even worse with them being pathetic in an already easy game, which is saying something because the low difficulty has not come at the cost of enjoyment throughout the entire game for me. The free-roaming flight stages do balance out the bosses fortunately, and are definitely some of the most fun levels I’ve experienced in this game.''
Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage full review: https://www.nepikigaming.com/reviews/spyro-2-riptos-rage/
''While I tried my best to give Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage its independent review without comparisons towards the first game, most of the arguments I’ve made directly show how much the developers have taken critique into account. Some elements feel like a natural evolution such as Spyro’s improved mobility and the much-improved boss battles, but most of my praises go to the original ideas made to further distinguish each level from each other. Not only have they gotten more personality by having unique enemies- and NPCs for each as well as starting- and ending cutscenes, but they are more memorable due to the multiple objectives each stage has. You could be playing ice hockey in one while shooting down UFOs in the other, with all of the objectives complimenting Spyro’s standard gameplay. Collectables now also have more purpose, as gems are more commonly used to unlock parts of a level or even new abilities, though the latter also leads me to what can be considered my sole negative: stages resetting upon entrance. While this doesn’t matter in some stages, a linear path has to be followed in others which results in unnecessary padding–especially if an ability is needed that you didn’t have beforehand. All in all though, even this nitpick was not able to harm my overall enjoyment of the game.''
Spyro: Year of the Dragon full review: https://www.nepikigaming.com/reviews/spyro-year-of-the-dragon/
''Spyro: Year of the Dragon definitely took some risk with the introduction of a lot of different gameplay styles, but with the exception of a few, the results were definitely favourable. Unfortunately with most negatives, they are remembered more often when reminiscing about the game, and I am not looking forward to playing as Bentley again or going through the several skateboarding sections. This is arguably the biggest issue with this game as several of the unique gameplay styles just don’t compliment Spyro’s moveset, but the majority of these different objectives at least control nicely so it merely depends on personal preference. I genuinely enjoyed playing as Agent Nine who takes on all variations of the Shooter genre, but I also understand other people will not. Fortunately for them and arguably for me, Spyro himself remains the main character and everything about him and the stage design remains consistent throughout the entire game. There is a slight loss in personality as the bosses don’t really feel memorable and there are no cutscenes before- and after stages anymore but that’s just a slight nitpick, as everything else about the game lives up to the quality we’ve seen thus far from our favourite purple dragon.''
''The start of this legendary platformer franchise was definitely a strong one, already making Spyro one of the most satisfying protagonists to control with more to come in future instalments. Gliding around feels good, and the fire breath will take care of most adversaries with ease. This control scheme makes obtaining all collectables a non-issue as well, even if there is little reason given to do so aside from the minimum required amount due to them serving no purpose until the very end with an admittedly satisfying reward waiting for the player. I can’t stress enough how much fun I had trying to find all the collectables though, since I feel that’s what makes 3D Platformers special. Spyro the Dragon does lose a few points in level design due to a formulaic setup however, with almost none standing out from the other due to the objectives being the same for every stage: get the collectables and get out. Even if the themes and enemies are unique to each stage, they are hard to remember due to simplicity. The boss stages have it even worse with them being pathetic in an already easy game, which is saying something because the low difficulty has not come at the cost of enjoyment throughout the entire game for me. The free-roaming flight stages do balance out the bosses fortunately, and are definitely some of the most fun levels I’ve experienced in this game.''
Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage full review: https://www.nepikigaming.com/reviews/spyro-2-riptos-rage/
''While I tried my best to give Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage its independent review without comparisons towards the first game, most of the arguments I’ve made directly show how much the developers have taken critique into account. Some elements feel like a natural evolution such as Spyro’s improved mobility and the much-improved boss battles, but most of my praises go to the original ideas made to further distinguish each level from each other. Not only have they gotten more personality by having unique enemies- and NPCs for each as well as starting- and ending cutscenes, but they are more memorable due to the multiple objectives each stage has. You could be playing ice hockey in one while shooting down UFOs in the other, with all of the objectives complimenting Spyro’s standard gameplay. Collectables now also have more purpose, as gems are more commonly used to unlock parts of a level or even new abilities, though the latter also leads me to what can be considered my sole negative: stages resetting upon entrance. While this doesn’t matter in some stages, a linear path has to be followed in others which results in unnecessary padding–especially if an ability is needed that you didn’t have beforehand. All in all though, even this nitpick was not able to harm my overall enjoyment of the game.''
Spyro: Year of the Dragon full review: https://www.nepikigaming.com/reviews/spyro-year-of-the-dragon/
''Spyro: Year of the Dragon definitely took some risk with the introduction of a lot of different gameplay styles, but with the exception of a few, the results were definitely favourable. Unfortunately with most negatives, they are remembered more often when reminiscing about the game, and I am not looking forward to playing as Bentley again or going through the several skateboarding sections. This is arguably the biggest issue with this game as several of the unique gameplay styles just don’t compliment Spyro’s moveset, but the majority of these different objectives at least control nicely so it merely depends on personal preference. I genuinely enjoyed playing as Agent Nine who takes on all variations of the Shooter genre, but I also understand other people will not. Fortunately for them and arguably for me, Spyro himself remains the main character and everything about him and the stage design remains consistent throughout the entire game. There is a slight loss in personality as the bosses don’t really feel memorable and there are no cutscenes before- and after stages anymore but that’s just a slight nitpick, as everything else about the game lives up to the quality we’ve seen thus far from our favourite purple dragon.''
1985
Full review on my website: https://www.nepikigaming.com/reviews/super-mario-bros-all-versions/
''As to the question that originally led me to create this article; I’m surprised to come to the conclusion that in my opinion, the original 8-bit version is still the best. The 16-bit version is just as good but feels a little bit floaty in comparison, and the Deluxe port has the most content by far but suffers heavily from screen crunch. I do think all versions can be enjoyed regardless but if you have the option to choose between all versions when wanting to play the core game, picking the most accessible version is also the best experience. And while Super Mario Bros. does not offer anything special by today’s standards when it comes to level design and gameplay overall, it is undeniable how much of an impact this game has not only on its own franchise but on gaming as a whole. It still controls good and can easily be picked up by anyone, even by those who have never once played a video game in their life. It truly showed that there was potential in the home console market by giving us an arcade-like experience in our own living room. As always I do give this game a score even though it feels unfair given how much this game has done, but remember that I rate a game on how much I enjoy playing it in the current day. And while I “only” give it a 7 out of 10, I still think this is a game that can very much be enjoyed today!''
''As to the question that originally led me to create this article; I’m surprised to come to the conclusion that in my opinion, the original 8-bit version is still the best. The 16-bit version is just as good but feels a little bit floaty in comparison, and the Deluxe port has the most content by far but suffers heavily from screen crunch. I do think all versions can be enjoyed regardless but if you have the option to choose between all versions when wanting to play the core game, picking the most accessible version is also the best experience. And while Super Mario Bros. does not offer anything special by today’s standards when it comes to level design and gameplay overall, it is undeniable how much of an impact this game has not only on its own franchise but on gaming as a whole. It still controls good and can easily be picked up by anyone, even by those who have never once played a video game in their life. It truly showed that there was potential in the home console market by giving us an arcade-like experience in our own living room. As always I do give this game a score even though it feels unfair given how much this game has done, but remember that I rate a game on how much I enjoy playing it in the current day. And while I “only” give it a 7 out of 10, I still think this is a game that can very much be enjoyed today!''
2018
Full review on my website: https://www.nepikigaming.com/reviews/city-of-brass/
''I highly enjoyed my time with City of Brass. I mainly have to thank the perfectly customizable difficulty for this as I often get frustrated at how a lot of roguelike games pretty much force RNG and consecutive playthroughs on you. This is not the case with City of Brass as you can choose from the get-go whether you want to play just to have a good time or get challenged as much as you want to. The 3-wishes system is a brilliant addition to this as well as you don’t have to start every playthrough from the very beginning if you so desire and of course, all of this is optional. The randomly generated world is also handled pretty well as every level feels just different enough every new playthrough. I won’t deny that traps do eventually become an annoyance more than a hindrance over time though, as I always had to remain careful instead of being able to speed through the game with my gained experience. The only thing I can give them credit for is that they’re fun for luring enemies into, which is a strong point of the game as the combat overall feels very satisfying with a total of five different characters. With high replayability, I definitely recommend doing at least one full playthrough of City of Brass, and if you enjoyed it definitely check out the other characters as well!''
''I highly enjoyed my time with City of Brass. I mainly have to thank the perfectly customizable difficulty for this as I often get frustrated at how a lot of roguelike games pretty much force RNG and consecutive playthroughs on you. This is not the case with City of Brass as you can choose from the get-go whether you want to play just to have a good time or get challenged as much as you want to. The 3-wishes system is a brilliant addition to this as well as you don’t have to start every playthrough from the very beginning if you so desire and of course, all of this is optional. The randomly generated world is also handled pretty well as every level feels just different enough every new playthrough. I won’t deny that traps do eventually become an annoyance more than a hindrance over time though, as I always had to remain careful instead of being able to speed through the game with my gained experience. The only thing I can give them credit for is that they’re fun for luring enemies into, which is a strong point of the game as the combat overall feels very satisfying with a total of five different characters. With high replayability, I definitely recommend doing at least one full playthrough of City of Brass, and if you enjoyed it definitely check out the other characters as well!''
2018
Full review on my website: https://www.nepikigaming.com/reviews/grip-combat-racing/
''There’s a reason my review chart now includes a “fun meter”, because I don’t think Grip: Combat Racing is a bad game at its core. If you play this game online for example, you won’t have the issues I described. The same goes for the single-player mode as you can customize the various events to your liking. But someone like me plays a game for the main campaign, and this is where Grip fails very hard. The first half of the campaign forces you on the lowest difficulties and allow you to place close to last to proceed, and the second half shows some aggravating problems with the game. A.I. love to rubberband, and weapons are too overpowered to actually be considered fun as they don’t just stun you; they completely make you go off-course and in worst case bump you off the map, and there’s very little you can do to prevent it. This is also due to the cars having almost no weight and despite there being so many, none make you have more weight and the differences are minimal aside from cosmetics. The racing itself is for the most part fine though, and therefore my recommendation is to carefully consider it with my critiques in mind.''
''There’s a reason my review chart now includes a “fun meter”, because I don’t think Grip: Combat Racing is a bad game at its core. If you play this game online for example, you won’t have the issues I described. The same goes for the single-player mode as you can customize the various events to your liking. But someone like me plays a game for the main campaign, and this is where Grip fails very hard. The first half of the campaign forces you on the lowest difficulties and allow you to place close to last to proceed, and the second half shows some aggravating problems with the game. A.I. love to rubberband, and weapons are too overpowered to actually be considered fun as they don’t just stun you; they completely make you go off-course and in worst case bump you off the map, and there’s very little you can do to prevent it. This is also due to the cars having almost no weight and despite there being so many, none make you have more weight and the differences are minimal aside from cosmetics. The racing itself is for the most part fine though, and therefore my recommendation is to carefully consider it with my critiques in mind.''
Full review on my website (Geofront patch): https://www.nepikigaming.com/reviews/the-legend-of-heroes-trails-from-zero/
''It comes as no surprise that I absolutely fell in love with The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero. Gameplay-wise it’s a nice improvement over the original Sky trilogy with a good amount of quality-of-life enhancements for an even better experience. But obviously when it comes to games like these, the world-building, story and characters are the driving force behind the game. Trails from Zero delivers on all three fronts with a good story that keeps the action going, a loveable cast of diverse characters and excellent world-building. Particularly the last part is noteworthy, as Crossbell uses its smaller region size to keep relations with citizens and important characters very consistent. You also learn straight away just what kind of messed-up state Crossbell actually is due to a strong start, and the game keeps being strong right till the very end with its characters and story. For a game this consistently good, it should come as no surprise that I give this game my highest possible rating: a 10 out of 10!''
''It comes as no surprise that I absolutely fell in love with The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero. Gameplay-wise it’s a nice improvement over the original Sky trilogy with a good amount of quality-of-life enhancements for an even better experience. But obviously when it comes to games like these, the world-building, story and characters are the driving force behind the game. Trails from Zero delivers on all three fronts with a good story that keeps the action going, a loveable cast of diverse characters and excellent world-building. Particularly the last part is noteworthy, as Crossbell uses its smaller region size to keep relations with citizens and important characters very consistent. You also learn straight away just what kind of messed-up state Crossbell actually is due to a strong start, and the game keeps being strong right till the very end with its characters and story. For a game this consistently good, it should come as no surprise that I give this game my highest possible rating: a 10 out of 10!''