Nepiki
2005
Positives:
- For me, the absolute best Mario Kart has ever been when appealing to solo players, partially due to mission mode but also just the amount of content there is from the cups.
- Great selection of maps (Tierlist: https://twitter.com/NepikiGaming/status/1489664567768723458?s=20&t=yPxZr-Vgkz4Zbk5qfgOdEw)
- Great controls, with a lot of cars- and characters to choose from.
Negative:
- The start of the Blue Shell Hell era.
- For me, the absolute best Mario Kart has ever been when appealing to solo players, partially due to mission mode but also just the amount of content there is from the cups.
- Great selection of maps (Tierlist: https://twitter.com/NepikiGaming/status/1489664567768723458?s=20&t=yPxZr-Vgkz4Zbk5qfgOdEw)
- Great controls, with a lot of cars- and characters to choose from.
Negative:
- The start of the Blue Shell Hell era.
Positives:
- Very characteristic, embracing the luchador culture and mythologies originating from South-America very well.
- Higher emphasis on combat, which makes stringing combos together a joy.
Negatives:
- 100% in-game completion is locked behind perfect scores on optional challenges. Nothing against challenging content, but it should not have affected in-game completion.
- Pretty linear for the most part.
- Very characteristic, embracing the luchador culture and mythologies originating from South-America very well.
- Higher emphasis on combat, which makes stringing combos together a joy.
Negatives:
- 100% in-game completion is locked behind perfect scores on optional challenges. Nothing against challenging content, but it should not have affected in-game completion.
- Pretty linear for the most part.
2018
Positives:
- Really engaging and unique story.
- Breath of fresh air with Robin having a lot of Metroidvania ''mobility options'' right from the start, with upgrades focusing almost exclusively on weapons.
- Excellent boss battles.
Negatives:
- The story loses steam near the end, starting to randomly introduce- or brush off characters without the deserved attention.
- More often than not, there is no visual indication when there is a collectable nearby. Doesn't matter too much for breakable walls, but it does matter for underground areas where a see-through platform or ladder is... somewhere.
- Didn't really care for the tweaks for the majority of the game, so my desire to explore wasn't too high.
- Really engaging and unique story.
- Breath of fresh air with Robin having a lot of Metroidvania ''mobility options'' right from the start, with upgrades focusing almost exclusively on weapons.
- Excellent boss battles.
Negatives:
- The story loses steam near the end, starting to randomly introduce- or brush off characters without the deserved attention.
- More often than not, there is no visual indication when there is a collectable nearby. Doesn't matter too much for breakable walls, but it does matter for underground areas where a see-through platform or ladder is... somewhere.
- Didn't really care for the tweaks for the majority of the game, so my desire to explore wasn't too high.
2017
Positives:
- Adorable take on the ARPG genre, making it a very good start for (young) people trying to get into the genre.
- Exploration is highly encouraged, and also very rewarding (as indicated by me accidentally stumbling across the most powerful weapon halfway through the game).
- Good gameplay combining magic and melee, with monsters indicating how they will attack.
Negative:
- Slightly overdoes it with the meta/fourth-wall breaking content, especially to build up a sequel.
- Until learning the ability to fly, getting around takes a bit too long.
- Mew Game, the post-game runs with additional modifiers, could have been made a bit more appealing by removing or allowing the player to skip cutscenes.
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''If someone came up to me and asked to be introduced to the ARPG genre, particularly the ones where looting dungeons for epic gear is involved, Cat Quest would definitely be one of the first games I would recommend, no matter the age of the player. The difficulty and plot are both very appealing for the younger audience, but none the less appealing for veterans like me. Not always the biggest fan of fourth-wall-breaking/meta content though, but it's a nitpick more than anything else. This game does have a big obsession with summoning demons from circles and all that though, not sure what to think of it. Almost feels like I'm playing Fullmetal Catchemist or something.
All joking aside, Cat Quest's more simple approach to the genre works to its advantage. There aren't classes to worry about, no skill trees, and no specific gear attributes aside from their stats--although a shop to randomly gamble for gear is still available. Instead, we're just playing as an adorable cat who has access to a sword and magic, clears every dungeon they can find once for the treasure chest inside, and helps out the inhabitants of this world with quests in each town. All done on a cutesy hand-drawn world that the cat can freely walk around on. It does take slightly long to get around though, specifically until you get an upgrade later on. But it was a really fun- and rewarding world to explore, as indicated by me getting some extremely powerful gear pretty early on that... kind of trivialized a lot of the game but hey, I felt rewarded!
The combat, as mentioned earlier, revolves around a sword and magic. The combat itself is pretty satisfying with the enemies indicating their attack and the cat being able to roll away at all times. While I limited my magic choices to only a few, they made combat a lot more fun as well due to having to balance mana usage. The maximum amount of mana never increases, and you have to physically attack the enemies to get mana back. A pretty good combat system that I feel I had to master for the optional challenge runs, also called Mew Game, where you had to limit yourself by not using gear, permanently being level 1 etcetera. Really enjoyed that mode too, though it would have been even better if it was made a bit more appealing by removing cutscenes and such, because those took up a surprisingly long time of those runs.''
- Adorable take on the ARPG genre, making it a very good start for (young) people trying to get into the genre.
- Exploration is highly encouraged, and also very rewarding (as indicated by me accidentally stumbling across the most powerful weapon halfway through the game).
- Good gameplay combining magic and melee, with monsters indicating how they will attack.
Negative:
- Slightly overdoes it with the meta/fourth-wall breaking content, especially to build up a sequel.
- Until learning the ability to fly, getting around takes a bit too long.
- Mew Game, the post-game runs with additional modifiers, could have been made a bit more appealing by removing or allowing the player to skip cutscenes.
----------------------------------------------------
''If someone came up to me and asked to be introduced to the ARPG genre, particularly the ones where looting dungeons for epic gear is involved, Cat Quest would definitely be one of the first games I would recommend, no matter the age of the player. The difficulty and plot are both very appealing for the younger audience, but none the less appealing for veterans like me. Not always the biggest fan of fourth-wall-breaking/meta content though, but it's a nitpick more than anything else. This game does have a big obsession with summoning demons from circles and all that though, not sure what to think of it. Almost feels like I'm playing Fullmetal Catchemist or something.
All joking aside, Cat Quest's more simple approach to the genre works to its advantage. There aren't classes to worry about, no skill trees, and no specific gear attributes aside from their stats--although a shop to randomly gamble for gear is still available. Instead, we're just playing as an adorable cat who has access to a sword and magic, clears every dungeon they can find once for the treasure chest inside, and helps out the inhabitants of this world with quests in each town. All done on a cutesy hand-drawn world that the cat can freely walk around on. It does take slightly long to get around though, specifically until you get an upgrade later on. But it was a really fun- and rewarding world to explore, as indicated by me getting some extremely powerful gear pretty early on that... kind of trivialized a lot of the game but hey, I felt rewarded!
The combat, as mentioned earlier, revolves around a sword and magic. The combat itself is pretty satisfying with the enemies indicating their attack and the cat being able to roll away at all times. While I limited my magic choices to only a few, they made combat a lot more fun as well due to having to balance mana usage. The maximum amount of mana never increases, and you have to physically attack the enemies to get mana back. A pretty good combat system that I feel I had to master for the optional challenge runs, also called Mew Game, where you had to limit yourself by not using gear, permanently being level 1 etcetera. Really enjoyed that mode too, though it would have been even better if it was made a bit more appealing by removing cutscenes and such, because those took up a surprisingly long time of those runs.''
2017
Positives:
- Surprisingly excellent monster designs.
- Plot is quite interesting.
Negatives:
- Annoying to collect every single monster because of bad in-game tools. Had to constantly criss-cross between excel and guides to find every single Nexomon.
- Status effects are really overpowered to the point they remove any challenge.
- Every Nexomon's experience curve is the exact same, and there are only 7 types, resulting in a slightly too simplistic combat system.
-------------------------------------------
''It's tough to talk about this game without addressing the elephant in the room: it is a clone of the popular media franchise Pokémon. Is that a bad thing? Absolutely not. But because of that, there are also some expectations begging to be met. Nexomon ends up meeting some... and not even coming close to others.
What it does meet is that I really enjoyed most of the monster designs in this game. Often I had a genuinely tough time sticking to just six Nexomon for my team just because I came across others that I also wanted to use. A subjective opinion, but I can say that I liked this set of monster designs more than what we've seen from the inspiration for a long time. Shout-out to my Robin Hood bird--it was just too bad that your stats were so underwhelming. Another positive that I wanted to mention is the story, which won't blow your mind at all but I thought it was an interesting take on how the Nexomon ended up in this world. Lots of 4th-wall-breaks too which I'm not a fan of but whatever, it's not that impactful.
But then we get to the gameplay, and here is where Nexomon succeeds at the very bare minimum. For example, I do like that instead of there being a limited usage to moves, there is a general stamina meter for all moves, and they can also be switched at any time for a maximum of 4 at once. There's no HM moves to worry about, and moving around the world is generally pretty quick. And that's unfortunately where most of my compliments end. The Nexomon all share the exact same experience curve and a mostly similar moveset, so the only thing that truly distinguishes them from each other are the stats. With there only being 7 types, it was also far less strategic as a result. What I also didn't always like was how a new enemy Nexomon got sent out and it attacks immediately, and switching your own Nexomon also causes them to attack instantly. This wouldn't be a problem, if all damage moves didn't inflict a huge amount of damage. But then again, status effects are so completely broken so you can just use that instead. It genuinely made supposedly tough or even unwinnable battles a complete joke.
But the absolute worst aspect was that there were no good in-game tools to learn what Nexomon's habitat was in what place of the world. I constantly had to criss-cross between an excel sheet to find the best locations, and it made completion a massive chore. But even ignoring that, if I saw a trainer use a Nexomon I liked, I just had no idea where I could get it. And that's just unacceptable for a monster collecting RPG, I'm sorry. I can look past most of the other issues but this one is just unforgivable. Also, no PvP or any other post-game content beyond the post-game story makes it kinda pointless to train and collect all these Nexomon.''
- Surprisingly excellent monster designs.
- Plot is quite interesting.
Negatives:
- Annoying to collect every single monster because of bad in-game tools. Had to constantly criss-cross between excel and guides to find every single Nexomon.
- Status effects are really overpowered to the point they remove any challenge.
- Every Nexomon's experience curve is the exact same, and there are only 7 types, resulting in a slightly too simplistic combat system.
-------------------------------------------
''It's tough to talk about this game without addressing the elephant in the room: it is a clone of the popular media franchise Pokémon. Is that a bad thing? Absolutely not. But because of that, there are also some expectations begging to be met. Nexomon ends up meeting some... and not even coming close to others.
What it does meet is that I really enjoyed most of the monster designs in this game. Often I had a genuinely tough time sticking to just six Nexomon for my team just because I came across others that I also wanted to use. A subjective opinion, but I can say that I liked this set of monster designs more than what we've seen from the inspiration for a long time. Shout-out to my Robin Hood bird--it was just too bad that your stats were so underwhelming. Another positive that I wanted to mention is the story, which won't blow your mind at all but I thought it was an interesting take on how the Nexomon ended up in this world. Lots of 4th-wall-breaks too which I'm not a fan of but whatever, it's not that impactful.
But then we get to the gameplay, and here is where Nexomon succeeds at the very bare minimum. For example, I do like that instead of there being a limited usage to moves, there is a general stamina meter for all moves, and they can also be switched at any time for a maximum of 4 at once. There's no HM moves to worry about, and moving around the world is generally pretty quick. And that's unfortunately where most of my compliments end. The Nexomon all share the exact same experience curve and a mostly similar moveset, so the only thing that truly distinguishes them from each other are the stats. With there only being 7 types, it was also far less strategic as a result. What I also didn't always like was how a new enemy Nexomon got sent out and it attacks immediately, and switching your own Nexomon also causes them to attack instantly. This wouldn't be a problem, if all damage moves didn't inflict a huge amount of damage. But then again, status effects are so completely broken so you can just use that instead. It genuinely made supposedly tough or even unwinnable battles a complete joke.
But the absolute worst aspect was that there were no good in-game tools to learn what Nexomon's habitat was in what place of the world. I constantly had to criss-cross between an excel sheet to find the best locations, and it made completion a massive chore. But even ignoring that, if I saw a trainer use a Nexomon I liked, I just had no idea where I could get it. And that's just unacceptable for a monster collecting RPG, I'm sorry. I can look past most of the other issues but this one is just unforgivable. Also, no PvP or any other post-game content beyond the post-game story makes it kinda pointless to train and collect all these Nexomon.''
1990
Full review over at my website: https://www.nepikigaming.com/reviews/actraiser/
''Quintet did the unthinkable and grabbed not one, but two completely different genres and combined them into a truly memorable experience. And not only that, but they synergize really well with each other–both through themeing- and gameplay. A weakened God has to restore the world by taking out demons in the platforming stages, while restoring his power by having more believers in the simulation part. Both of these aspects are also easy to understand, as the platforming has a satisfying difficulty curve to it where patience- and observance is always rewarded. Surprisingly, the simulation part might actually be my favourite aspect of the game as it is pretty easy to work with for someone not usually a fan of the genre, and it also has some engaging combat while the digits go up. Due to it being relatively easy to understand, neither of the gameplay are necessarily deep. The simulation part does have some advanced tech to it that you most likely won’t even know about unless you are a completionist, and the platforming does allow for a lot of situations where just whaling at enemies will do the job–particularly when it comes to the fun-but-not-very-difficult bosses. And while deeper gameplay could possibly have made the game even better, I am already highly satisfied with the amount of fun I had playing through the game, which is the most important part to me.''
''Quintet did the unthinkable and grabbed not one, but two completely different genres and combined them into a truly memorable experience. And not only that, but they synergize really well with each other–both through themeing- and gameplay. A weakened God has to restore the world by taking out demons in the platforming stages, while restoring his power by having more believers in the simulation part. Both of these aspects are also easy to understand, as the platforming has a satisfying difficulty curve to it where patience- and observance is always rewarded. Surprisingly, the simulation part might actually be my favourite aspect of the game as it is pretty easy to work with for someone not usually a fan of the genre, and it also has some engaging combat while the digits go up. Due to it being relatively easy to understand, neither of the gameplay are necessarily deep. The simulation part does have some advanced tech to it that you most likely won’t even know about unless you are a completionist, and the platforming does allow for a lot of situations where just whaling at enemies will do the job–particularly when it comes to the fun-but-not-very-difficult bosses. And while deeper gameplay could possibly have made the game even better, I am already highly satisfied with the amount of fun I had playing through the game, which is the most important part to me.''
Full review over at my site: https://www.nepikigaming.com/reviews/the-twisted-tales-of-spike-mcfang/
''A casual, fun and characteristic experience is how I would love to describe The Twisted Tales of Spike McFang, yet the gameplay doesn’t always reflect the casual side. That’s for the simple reason that underneath that cute appearance, you’ll be caught off-guard by a massive grind fest. And there is no option other than to accept it because the levelling system makes it so that the damage done and taken is drastically adjusted with every single level. No matter how skillful you may be, even a random enemy can take minutes to kill when underlevelled, compared to a few seconds when being only a few levels higher. And while I don’t dislike grinding, the main issues here are that grinding is not only inconvenient to do because of inconsistent save point placements with no healing, but also because it’s the majority of an already short adventure. And that it a massive shame because the adventure itself, ignoring the grinding, was really fun. It is really charming when it comes to the humour, and our cute protagonist controls smoothly with a lot of useful magic spells to cast. I will always have fond memories of those humourous charming moments, but unfortunately I will also always be reminded of what could have been versus what the game actually is.''
''A casual, fun and characteristic experience is how I would love to describe The Twisted Tales of Spike McFang, yet the gameplay doesn’t always reflect the casual side. That’s for the simple reason that underneath that cute appearance, you’ll be caught off-guard by a massive grind fest. And there is no option other than to accept it because the levelling system makes it so that the damage done and taken is drastically adjusted with every single level. No matter how skillful you may be, even a random enemy can take minutes to kill when underlevelled, compared to a few seconds when being only a few levels higher. And while I don’t dislike grinding, the main issues here are that grinding is not only inconvenient to do because of inconsistent save point placements with no healing, but also because it’s the majority of an already short adventure. And that it a massive shame because the adventure itself, ignoring the grinding, was really fun. It is really charming when it comes to the humour, and our cute protagonist controls smoothly with a lot of useful magic spells to cast. I will always have fond memories of those humourous charming moments, but unfortunately I will also always be reminded of what could have been versus what the game actually is.''
Full review over at my website: https://www.nepikigaming.com/reviews/kirby-and-the-amazing-mirror/
''Kirby & The Amazing Mirror was an interestingly fun attempt at an open-world structure, though my initial confusion will linger in the back of my head. This doesn’t only have to do with some admittedly baffling design choices, but also with the game wanting to be something else without taking into account the limitations the core franchise has. The platforming, ability-based gameplay is still here in its full glory, but the level-to-level structure has been replaced by an open-world where ability management is a bit more important. It absolutely sucks losing an ability that is required for an optional path after taking one measly hit, especially if a replacement isn’t nearby or it’s locked behind a one-way room. The worst part is that you don’t know when a one-way room happens because the map is a complete mess, only slightly improved when finding the map item in an area. But wherever they are is not only a mystery, but I didn’t even feel encouraged hunting for chests because the reward was either just some food items, or collectable items that are locked on a screen not even selectable while in-game. These are all definite issues, but don’t misunderstand my criticism: I still had a lot of fun with the game, especially when the world is completely open after the first boss has been beaten. This game feels like one that will become more fun on consecutive playthroughs, simply because I can work around these initial confusions I had. The replayability is definitely there at the very least!''
''Kirby & The Amazing Mirror was an interestingly fun attempt at an open-world structure, though my initial confusion will linger in the back of my head. This doesn’t only have to do with some admittedly baffling design choices, but also with the game wanting to be something else without taking into account the limitations the core franchise has. The platforming, ability-based gameplay is still here in its full glory, but the level-to-level structure has been replaced by an open-world where ability management is a bit more important. It absolutely sucks losing an ability that is required for an optional path after taking one measly hit, especially if a replacement isn’t nearby or it’s locked behind a one-way room. The worst part is that you don’t know when a one-way room happens because the map is a complete mess, only slightly improved when finding the map item in an area. But wherever they are is not only a mystery, but I didn’t even feel encouraged hunting for chests because the reward was either just some food items, or collectable items that are locked on a screen not even selectable while in-game. These are all definite issues, but don’t misunderstand my criticism: I still had a lot of fun with the game, especially when the world is completely open after the first boss has been beaten. This game feels like one that will become more fun on consecutive playthroughs, simply because I can work around these initial confusions I had. The replayability is definitely there at the very least!''
2018
Full review over at: https://www.nepikigaming.com/reviews/aggelos/
''Aggelos is a title inspired by the good ol’ Wonder Boy games, and it succeeds exceedingly well at capturing the feel of this era in gaming. This world is a joy to explore, with secrets to find around every corner and it being generally easy to navigate even without fast travelling. Everything regarding combat is pretty simple to understand, but that’s how it should be for games like these. The collectable elements also add a nice variety to the combat, specifically for the fun and challenging boss battles. In general, I can say that the game is fairly challenging, but some of it is also artificial due to the purchase of new gear which turns it all around. I would say that the light RPG elements also help turn around the difficulty, but I honestly couldn’t tell because this game has some issues when it comes to the UI. There is no status screen indicating what levelling actually does beyond guessing that my stats increase, and the map is good looking but not even functional in the slightest. The Steam port makes it even worse as accessing the menu feels scary to do with it constantly feeling like it’s going to crash. All of these are definitely valid issues, but fortunately didn’t hamper the overall enjoyment too much.''
''Aggelos is a title inspired by the good ol’ Wonder Boy games, and it succeeds exceedingly well at capturing the feel of this era in gaming. This world is a joy to explore, with secrets to find around every corner and it being generally easy to navigate even without fast travelling. Everything regarding combat is pretty simple to understand, but that’s how it should be for games like these. The collectable elements also add a nice variety to the combat, specifically for the fun and challenging boss battles. In general, I can say that the game is fairly challenging, but some of it is also artificial due to the purchase of new gear which turns it all around. I would say that the light RPG elements also help turn around the difficulty, but I honestly couldn’t tell because this game has some issues when it comes to the UI. There is no status screen indicating what levelling actually does beyond guessing that my stats increase, and the map is good looking but not even functional in the slightest. The Steam port makes it even worse as accessing the menu feels scary to do with it constantly feeling like it’s going to crash. All of these are definitely valid issues, but fortunately didn’t hamper the overall enjoyment too much.''
2018
Full review over on my website: https://www.nepikigaming.com/reviews/the-messenger/
''While The Messenger may look like your regular ”indie game inspired by the classics at first”, the complete package easily surpasses that expectation. This is mostly because the argument can be made that the game changes how it progresses halfway through. At first, it already satisfied me with a platformer that had fun level design, boss fights that kept getting better, and especially the smooth controls that feel satisfying to master. Upgrades to the kit of our ninja were relevant at all times, all working together to make cloud stepping work very well. And the game also gives you enough opportunity to master the mechanics, with minimal punishment on death and unlockable abilities that… may be a bit too helpful, and also very cheap to unlock with the in-game currency. Halfway through the game however, progression switches from a level-to-level basis to a 16-bit Metroidvania with time travel. This gave us the ability to revisit all of the levels but in our own desired order, which was generally fun to do as they hadn’t seen just a graphical upgrade, but entire layout changes. However, the Metroidvania aspect of the game isn’t very good, mostly due to the world being linear instead of interconnected, forcing us to go through entire stages just to reach a destination. It also didn’t really give much of an incentive to explore beyond the required story-locked upgrades that are only used in a specific part of the world. Granted, I did still have a lot of fun exploring these levels again, especially with the reward gained from the free DLC that, in its own right, was a fun experience for those looking for more content from this game.''
''While The Messenger may look like your regular ”indie game inspired by the classics at first”, the complete package easily surpasses that expectation. This is mostly because the argument can be made that the game changes how it progresses halfway through. At first, it already satisfied me with a platformer that had fun level design, boss fights that kept getting better, and especially the smooth controls that feel satisfying to master. Upgrades to the kit of our ninja were relevant at all times, all working together to make cloud stepping work very well. And the game also gives you enough opportunity to master the mechanics, with minimal punishment on death and unlockable abilities that… may be a bit too helpful, and also very cheap to unlock with the in-game currency. Halfway through the game however, progression switches from a level-to-level basis to a 16-bit Metroidvania with time travel. This gave us the ability to revisit all of the levels but in our own desired order, which was generally fun to do as they hadn’t seen just a graphical upgrade, but entire layout changes. However, the Metroidvania aspect of the game isn’t very good, mostly due to the world being linear instead of interconnected, forcing us to go through entire stages just to reach a destination. It also didn’t really give much of an incentive to explore beyond the required story-locked upgrades that are only used in a specific part of the world. Granted, I did still have a lot of fun exploring these levels again, especially with the reward gained from the free DLC that, in its own right, was a fun experience for those looking for more content from this game.''
2015
Full review over at my website: https://www.nepikigaming.com/reviews/yakuza-0/
''This was my first endeavour into the Yakuza franchise, and what a sublime experience it was, providing me with a feeling like there is nothing else like it on the market. And this feeling all has to do with multiple strong points that synergize really well with each other. The game had a constantly engaging story that wasn’t just written really well, but also had plot twists around every corner that did not feel forced at all. It is further complemented by the colourful characters that are not only part of the story, but also of the substories that show the more characteristic side of the franchise. And really, I cannot understate how much character this game has, from the super-serious moments to the hilariously awkward cutscenes that blend seemingly well together. Not to mention the lively cities of Kamurucho and Sotenbori, filled with activities such as minigames around every corner, or thugs looking for a fight in the solid beat ’em up gameplay style with many beautiful gory heat actions. Going for completion did make me look more critically at minigames, specifically for the western audience as the western board games have very poor in-game explanations to them, but I don’t feel the issues I had with the minigames were enough to hinder the overall pleasure I had completing this game. I just wouldn’t quickly do it all over again, but given that I am very hyped now to explore more of this franchise, that will happen… sooner or later.''
''This was my first endeavour into the Yakuza franchise, and what a sublime experience it was, providing me with a feeling like there is nothing else like it on the market. And this feeling all has to do with multiple strong points that synergize really well with each other. The game had a constantly engaging story that wasn’t just written really well, but also had plot twists around every corner that did not feel forced at all. It is further complemented by the colourful characters that are not only part of the story, but also of the substories that show the more characteristic side of the franchise. And really, I cannot understate how much character this game has, from the super-serious moments to the hilariously awkward cutscenes that blend seemingly well together. Not to mention the lively cities of Kamurucho and Sotenbori, filled with activities such as minigames around every corner, or thugs looking for a fight in the solid beat ’em up gameplay style with many beautiful gory heat actions. Going for completion did make me look more critically at minigames, specifically for the western audience as the western board games have very poor in-game explanations to them, but I don’t feel the issues I had with the minigames were enough to hinder the overall pleasure I had completing this game. I just wouldn’t quickly do it all over again, but given that I am very hyped now to explore more of this franchise, that will happen… sooner or later.''
2017
Full review over at my website: https://www.nepikigaming.com/reviews/arcade-moonlander/
''Arcade Moonlander is a fun casual pick-up-and-play game with an emphasis on gameplay that’s easy to understand, and hard to master. This is because the levels are both designed to be tough with many obstacles that you need to take your time for, but are ultimately designed around speedrunning, with many risky alleyways and shortcuts to take for the fastest time. Furthermore, the explorative crowd can also go wild as the levels have secrets in them, though don’t expect to be rewarded for your curiosity. That’s what we have the Adventure mode for fortunately, which is one big map with multiple ways to your destination. Though unfortunately, it is also the only map, and I definitely would have liked to see more as the game itself isn’t very long. And despite the game being focused on speedrunning, there are few in-game options that would benefit speedrunners. The leaderboards are only in the Steam client for example, and there are no ghosts to race against or for the purpose of training. But the game has seen updates in the past few years as well as a new mode called Procedural mode that randomly generates new stages so who knows what more is in store for us? But regardless of what’s ahead, you can’t go wrong with this short charming arcade title.''
''Arcade Moonlander is a fun casual pick-up-and-play game with an emphasis on gameplay that’s easy to understand, and hard to master. This is because the levels are both designed to be tough with many obstacles that you need to take your time for, but are ultimately designed around speedrunning, with many risky alleyways and shortcuts to take for the fastest time. Furthermore, the explorative crowd can also go wild as the levels have secrets in them, though don’t expect to be rewarded for your curiosity. That’s what we have the Adventure mode for fortunately, which is one big map with multiple ways to your destination. Though unfortunately, it is also the only map, and I definitely would have liked to see more as the game itself isn’t very long. And despite the game being focused on speedrunning, there are few in-game options that would benefit speedrunners. The leaderboards are only in the Steam client for example, and there are no ghosts to race against or for the purpose of training. But the game has seen updates in the past few years as well as a new mode called Procedural mode that randomly generates new stages so who knows what more is in store for us? But regardless of what’s ahead, you can’t go wrong with this short charming arcade title.''
2003
Full review over at my website: https://www.nepikigaming.com/reviews/sonic-heroes/
''It was great revisiting the title in the Sonic franchise I’m probably most nostalgic for, but my opinion has slightly changed due to seeing the game through the eyes of a critic. The reason for that slight change is pretty simple: the controls. Sonic Heroes is a game that punishes you for going fast with the speed character, because any momentum is killed when very slightly tilting the joystick. And that’s not the only part of the game that can kill momentum, as the enemies found later on in the game can end that pace quite easily as well with how long it takes to beat them. Couple this with awful pinball controls in Bingo Highway, rail grinding being unreliable, and power characters sliding five feet ahead while on the ground and you got a game that’s not fun to control… for 10 to 20% of the time. These are definitely issues, but I don’t feel like they impact my overall fun too much. The team mechanic itself was fun to work with after all, with every class having their own strengths- and weaknesses, and switching between them being immediate. And of course, the game uses the team mechanic to its full advantage, resulting in really fun level design overall. That said, I would have liked to see more differences between each campaign as they are virtually the same, with the only changes being how long the levels are. I’m not objected to playing all of these campaigns, but unless you are a completionist, you’ve practically seen everything the game has to offer with just one playthough. And really, I feel that’s the approach you should have with Sonic Heroes: if one campaign is satisfactory for you, don’t force yourself to play the others. ''
''It was great revisiting the title in the Sonic franchise I’m probably most nostalgic for, but my opinion has slightly changed due to seeing the game through the eyes of a critic. The reason for that slight change is pretty simple: the controls. Sonic Heroes is a game that punishes you for going fast with the speed character, because any momentum is killed when very slightly tilting the joystick. And that’s not the only part of the game that can kill momentum, as the enemies found later on in the game can end that pace quite easily as well with how long it takes to beat them. Couple this with awful pinball controls in Bingo Highway, rail grinding being unreliable, and power characters sliding five feet ahead while on the ground and you got a game that’s not fun to control… for 10 to 20% of the time. These are definitely issues, but I don’t feel like they impact my overall fun too much. The team mechanic itself was fun to work with after all, with every class having their own strengths- and weaknesses, and switching between them being immediate. And of course, the game uses the team mechanic to its full advantage, resulting in really fun level design overall. That said, I would have liked to see more differences between each campaign as they are virtually the same, with the only changes being how long the levels are. I’m not objected to playing all of these campaigns, but unless you are a completionist, you’ve practically seen everything the game has to offer with just one playthough. And really, I feel that’s the approach you should have with Sonic Heroes: if one campaign is satisfactory for you, don’t force yourself to play the others. ''
2011
Full review over at my website: https://www.nepikigaming.com/reviews/sonic-generations/
''Sonic Generations definitely is a game that would be enjoyed most by actual fans of the franchise, but I’m of the opinion that newcomers can also have a great time. This is because more than anything, both Classic Sonic and Modern Sonic are very fun to control which is accompanied by great level design encouraging alternate pathways. The former doesn’t exactly control as he did in the Genesis era due to a difference in physics, but I had a lot of fun playing as him still. The skill shop also definitely had an influence over how much fun I had controlling these characters, sometimes making a major difference. Fans of the franchise will have an even better time due to the amount of references made to past games, with the levels all being from games all across the Sonic timeline, and challenges taking place in said levels but usually referencing other games in one way or another. Doing these challenges also unlock music that can replace any level music, which is an underappreciated feature I highly enjoy. Sonic Generations is unfortunately on the shorter side though, which is a shame because I really wanted to see more. Fortunately for me and many others, replayability is high due to how fun speedrunning is and how active the modding community is on PC. The latter isn’t necessarily a compliment to the game itself but hey, at least Sega acknowledges mods and fangames being a thing.''
''Sonic Generations definitely is a game that would be enjoyed most by actual fans of the franchise, but I’m of the opinion that newcomers can also have a great time. This is because more than anything, both Classic Sonic and Modern Sonic are very fun to control which is accompanied by great level design encouraging alternate pathways. The former doesn’t exactly control as he did in the Genesis era due to a difference in physics, but I had a lot of fun playing as him still. The skill shop also definitely had an influence over how much fun I had controlling these characters, sometimes making a major difference. Fans of the franchise will have an even better time due to the amount of references made to past games, with the levels all being from games all across the Sonic timeline, and challenges taking place in said levels but usually referencing other games in one way or another. Doing these challenges also unlock music that can replace any level music, which is an underappreciated feature I highly enjoy. Sonic Generations is unfortunately on the shorter side though, which is a shame because I really wanted to see more. Fortunately for me and many others, replayability is high due to how fun speedrunning is and how active the modding community is on PC. The latter isn’t necessarily a compliment to the game itself but hey, at least Sega acknowledges mods and fangames being a thing.''
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.''