Up front, I want to admit I'm biased towards the cinematic action-adventure genre. The PlayStation-exclusive type of game design is not my thing, and I find it to be lacking as a a genre when it comes to producing an actual video game, which is what we're here for. However, some of them do hit for me, and I get some enjoyment out of them. Hellblade 1 was one of those. I thought it was good and I liked it.

I do not like Hellblade II.

I already knew something was up when reviews were left until release day, and how reluctant Microsoft seemed to be to market the game. I saw that Hellblade II reviewed "good" at a Metascore of an 81 or so, but it was a significantly lower mark than the first game.

After playing it, I'm not too surprised. Hellblade II gives you a garbage first impression by essentially being a walking simulator for the first 20 minutes, after which Senua picks up a sword and you're given a rude awakening by being introduced to the plodding, dull, and mind-numbing combat.

This is why I don't like "cinematic" games like this, because the combat and gameplay always feels stiff. There's so much effort put into cinematography, sure, but when every combat encounter results in the same 10 or so canned animations, with little to no variation whatsoever, it becomes a snoozefest. I can't count how many times I've seen Senua get knocked on the ground after parrying a strike with the same animation each time, or using one of the same selection of execution animations. And you'll see these often too! Especially since the combat amounts to building a charge for what is essentially a one-shot, which means that combat encounters can be breezed through fairly quickly so long as you charge up that execution move. By the way, the final boss uses the same canned combat animations you've seen for the whole game.

One thing you'll notice right away while playing Hellblade II is how stunningly beautiful it is. It is one of the best-looking games you'll ever see on a console thanks to the power of UE5. I can't take anything away from that - but Hellblade II's confusing, hollow, and bland experience is not helped at all by the graphic fidelity.

It is worth mentioning that Hellblade II only runs at 30fps. Which is fine, because you're likely going to be playing this off of Game Pass. My personal belief is that if a game is $70, there should be a performance mode. If the game is on Game Pass, however, I'm only paying $15 at max, so that's no big deal. For me.

Another minor technical issue: Hellblade does not work properly with Xbox Game Streaming. The Focus button, which you need to progress the game's numerous puzzles, does not work while streaming. I was able to work around this by turning the stream off and on. Later I reached a section where you MUST sprint to survive the level's design, and Senua just wouldn't sprint because the LB button didn't work properly while streaming. Since I like streaming my Xbox audio to my PC, I had to plug in an Elgato to proceed with the level. This is only going to be a problem for maybe 1% of people who play Hellblade, so I won't give it flak for this... but this is an XBOX game. Shouldn't XBOX Game Streaming work for it at launch?

What makes Hellblade II mediocre beyond the combat? Unfortunately, it's the story.

I beat Hellblade II in only 7 hours. Originally I thought it was 5, because it didn't feel like 7, but then again my console was on pause for what added up to an hour... so let's say 6 for good measure. Those reviewers and tweets you see weren't joking about its length. It is a very short game. Nowadays playing a AAA game that is so short is an anomaly, sure, but this game was in development for FIVE years, wasn't it? How did 5 years of development result in a 5 hour game?

Hellblade 1 had a story built around Senua's psychosis, and I think that's what made it excel, and it's why I liked that game despite my aversion to the genre.

Hellblade 2's story does not feel like it is built around Senua's story. After meeting some NPCs on her journey, Senua instead ends up hunting down giants that are ruining the land after spelunking in a cave to be proven worthy. There you go, that's the plot. I don't know how Senua's psychosis is relevant to that, because I don't think it is. The point is that Hellblade 2's story is extremely generic compared to Hellblade 1, and is a concern I had almost immediately within the first hour of playing.

Hellblade 1 really shined by being a solo experience built around Senua. Hellblade 2 features multiple companions and NPCs, which doesn't really lend itself well to using Senua's psychosis in the plot. Senua's psychosis no longer feels like a relevant portion of the game's themes and story, and instead is reduced to a background element of a dull story - a story that is somehow confusing and boring at the same time. Why? Because when the story is said and done, it's not even really clear on what happened for the most part or what it even means. While Hellblade 1 had a similar feeling, you at least got the idea and thought-provoking thematics they were trying to express.

Hellblade 2's ending presents itself as if the creators believed they had just made something profound, but instead you're just left scratching your head. What's funny about this is that the first line you hear in the ending cutscene is "All the questions answered." NO, THEY WERE NOT.

I don't know what Senua's plot or story arc is supposed to be here. Does she even have a character arc in this game? I don't think she does! The game tries to toy with this idea of Senua feeling guilty for people dying... when we just spent a whole game where Senua was all alone? Senua feels like the deaths of others are her fault, and the voices in her head try to remind her of that. (Which they do a good job of. The psychosis portrayal when it comes to Senua herself is still very well-done) It just comes across as forced and doesn't really suit the kind of character arc that Hellblade 1 concluded with. Senua's story felt finite and this attempt feels aimless, a vainful venture to continue a character arc that was already concluded.

Here's an example. At the end of The Witcher 3, Geralt's story is pretty much done. This is why many speculate that The Witcher 4 will feature Ciri or a custom protagonist. Because what else is there to tell? Geralt did everything he can possibly do and his arc is at a satisfying end, so any further attempts to tell stories for Geralt will feel forced. Same thing here. Senua's story felt done already, so her arc in Hellblade II is most comparable to a D&D DM who is struggling to continue a campaign after his players hit the end of the planned Adventure.

I'm at a loss of what else to say since the experience is so short of an acid trip that I'm grasping at straws here. It's not even good acid!

I guess I can mention that it's voice-acted pretty well. I'm surprised Senua's VA hasn't gotten more roles.

All in all, Senua's confusing mess of a plot and lack of steady direction only reinforces my own personal belief that Hellblade didn't need a sequel at all.

Score: 66

I got DDP Resurrection because I watched a review for a switch release of DDP DOJ, and then bought the wrong game. This game feels so WILD, you're pushed to be super aggressive, something the generous auto-bomb system seems to hint at... in the few stages I tried to learn (just 1-1 and 1-2) it felt like you had to be really preventative, like quickly managing all the escalating risks that would fly onto the screen - on top of the actual bullet avoidance. Being able to hyper your way out of a situation or to play it safe felt really cool.

I appreciate all the thought that goes into the design, the subtle ways in which bullet patterns escalate and build on each other, the fun of learning stages and then pulling the whole thing off in the end.

Of all things, shmups remind me the most of being a kid and trying to memorize songs on the piano, working through harder sections one at a time to try and pull the whole thing off ("Playing for Survival") and then going back and actually working in personal flair/expression ("Playing for Score"). Sort of like with shmups, I never really got too much into that hobby as a 'soloist' beyond playing in orchestra/band. And I don't think shmups and playing music are really that alike, but there does seem to be something similar in how you have to train/learn at both, and the way in which stuff that feels impossible slowly becomes possible.

Actually, it's hard not to try and compare shmups to many things in life! They (like other arcade games) really distill the whole difficulty/learning thing down to some pure essence. But in particular, these bullet hell shmups feel like they're compressing that essence even further - it's an interesting design space to learn from and experience.

This one surprised me. I was worried about the impressions stating the game being too grindy. While the game is definitely considered one, it’s incorporated in such a genius way, that it really depends on how you play it. This game is trying to be an arcade game like the classics from the past. Those games are known for making you die and repeat again. This is combined with the F2P nature but without the silly hooks. It’s basically encouraging you to play the campaign mode once a day. You get XP (stars in this game) to upgrade your character, moves and weapons. You also unlock costumes, music, new game modes and more. All the upgrades and unlocks are put together in a world map where you select what you want to get and you have to make some choices along the way. The levelling up system is similar to Final Fantasy X’s sphere grid. I’ve played the campaign once a day for almost a week and I almost unlocked 90% of the upgrades. I did try to focus on upgrades and ignore the rest though. Getting other weapons and their upgrades is more expensive than anything else. The game allows you to try other weapons before you purchase them through a different currency.

The game is balanced so well that I looked forward to the next day with my new upgrades. When you die, you get 2 credits to try the stage you were on again (12 stages total). But I always preferred ending my run after dying and try again the next day. The rest of the package is pretty impressive. It looks and sounds really well. The soundtrack is so weird and unique. The graphics/style remind me of Panzer Dragoon Orta slightly. There is even an in-depth bestiary of lore, enemies and bosses. Honestly, I didn’t care about the lore and don’t think it’s needed for a game like it but it’s there if you want more. The game also has ‘challenges’ with too many game modes that you can unlock. I didn’t give any of them a try. I’m happy with how the game ended. But there is definitely content if you want more. I might return to try the other modes someday but ending the campaign mode felt like the right time to stop on a happy note. So the game is slightly grindy but it really becomes a big deal if you try to unlock everything. If you only care about the gameplay/main campaign, then the grind feels very appropriate. It even feels less of a grind compared to the games of the past. The upgrades make you so OP and the campaign is not really long.

You can play the game with either the touch screen or controller. At first I thought touch screen was a nuisance because it made it harder to avoid damage compared to a controller. But it’s so much easier/quicker to attack with the touch screen, especially when you upgrade your lock on for more enemies. Stick with touch screen, it’s worth it.

Yu Suzuki really did it. If you’re fan of his games or those quirky Sega games, then there’s a high chance you’re going to like this.

I played on an iPad Pro 2020 12inch.

The grandaddy of rail shooters is back! His breath stinks, he's got no budget and he can't stop posting on Facebook.

While Yu Suzuki may never slide into my DMs, he certainly slid into the inbox of Queen-inspired Dutch musician Valensia. (Like for real, Yu Suzuki asked him if he'd like to soundtrack his new game over Facebook). Game is filled with over-indulgent rock opera nonsense and I can't help but love that nonsense. Whether or not it is quality music, I cannot say, but it's certainly memorable.

From a gameplay standpoint, Air Twister is by-the-books railshooting. Nothing that will particularly rock your world, but a steady and sure throwback to a niche genre. It's greatest success within this genre is ensuring its levels and worlds are bizarre and exciting. Rail shooters are often journeys through strange worlds, a visual treat of vistas, badlands and starry skies. With Air Twister, you will not be able to predict what happens next, each new level a surreal space concluding with some of the most freakish boss monsters I've seen in a long time. Game is a psychadelic trip, but from someone who smokes weed yet hasn't taken mushrooms.

Double-down on this with a progression system that reveals the games bizarrely deep lore and story (the skeleton dragons you fight in Level 2 are a father and his twin children. obviously), and you have a game that is certianly filled with a lot of reverence and passion. In spite of this passion, the game can feel a bit unfinished. A fast-forward button persists in cutscenes, some stages appear twice and as brilliant as that soundtrack is, songs get repeated, are sometimes in sync with the level and the whole thing can start to grate after repeated play sessions.

Air Twister is a labour of love. Yet, not the kind of serene romantic love you'd usually think of. This game is a big sloppy kiss from your smelly grandad, and you should be thankful for his love.

The extra half star is purely for the visuals and the ideas that were presented in this game.

Everything else about this was so boring / bad it wasn't worth me trying to keep playing. The game opens with story beats that are meant to feel emotional but just happen suddenly and without much exposition or time to even get invested that it just feels like a weird joke, the voice acting is not good, the magic gunplay seemed like it would be fun but you're just cycling through red, blue, and green magic and color coding them to enemies in ways that never really feel fluid or that they're making sense all while the FPS eventually tanks once there's too many different colors on screen. I was slightly interested in the background of the world but even that got ruined once I realized the red, green, and blue magic were called exactly that, everything here is surface level. I feel bad for anyone that paid full price for this and could not get a refund.

2-hour refund deadline review.
- There's a serious disconnect between platforming and combat elements: jumping can't dodge most attacks and dodge-rolling is useless in platforming sections. The game immediately feels cluttered as a result, I have to constantly switch between 'platformer mode' and 'fighting mode' in my mind.
- Fighting multiple enemies at the same time is near impossible, but most of the areas are still densely packed with bad guys. There aren't many ranged attacks early on, so it's hard to put distance between you and any enemies. The camera doesn't help- at times it's hard to see what's to the right of your character, let alone behind you.
- Enemies deal too much damage. I'm usually dying before I even realize how much danger I'm in- there's a lot of attacks that kill you in one or two hits.
- Since the game is so punishing, it's hard to engage with the main mechanic- shells. There are good ideas here: Light shells are good at dodge-rolling while heavy shells are good at blocking attacks. Blocking is a little bit easier than dodging, but shells break if you block with them too often, so you'll need to regularly change shells if you prefer blocking to dodging. The problem is that I never consciously thought about these mechanics while playing the game because the difficulty curve always felt several steps ahead of me: what does it matter if I dodge or block an attack if failing either instantly kills me?
- I got stuck on random level geometry once and had to restart the game.
- Everything besides the gameplay is pretty good. The character designs are decent, I like the variety of shell designs, even within the small part of the game I actually played. Moving around the game's environments is pretty fun.