Indie developers have learned that layering roguelike elements into gameplay modeled after the classics can yield remarkable results. 20XX’s injection of procedurally generated stages separated the title from a crowd of more straightforward Mega Man ...
Read More »Incredible Mandy review
Putting the word “Incredible” in the title of your game kindles lofty expectations. With the release of Incredible Mandy for the Nintendo Switch, Tianjin-based Dotoyou Games almost makes good on that pledge, at least during ...
Read More »New Super Lucky’s Tale review
Like many three-dimensional platformers, New Super Lucky’s Tale is about beating the odds. Make your way through the title’s hub-world of stages and you’ll scale soaring environments, leap across an abundance of chasms, and confront ...
Read More »Mononoke Slashdown review
What is the concept? Mononoke Slashdown puts you in the role of Kagemaru, a roaming ninja who returns home to find his rural village besieged by masses of mythical creatures. Favoring action over exposition, the ...
Read More »Gun Gun Pixies review
If someone ever created a softcore send up of Toy Story, it might be a lot like Gun Gun Pixies. Here, the banter between protagonists Buzz and Woody is recreated in the oft-uneasy pairing of ...
Read More »Xeno Crisis review
Bitmap Bureau’s Xeno Crisis is available on PC and Switch, but more remarkably, the title is also releasing on long-dormant consoles like the Genesis/Mega Drive, Dreamcast and Neo Geo. The unusual undertaking undoubtedly helped draw ...
Read More »Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 review
When Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games came out for the Wii in 2007, it was stunning to see the two rival mascots unite. During the sixteen-bit era, the Plumber and the Hedgehog embodied ...
Read More »Door Kickers: Action Squad review
2014’s Door Kickers offered an intriguing take on SWAT-style tactics. Using a top-down, two-dimensional perspective, the title pushed players through a succession of close quarters battle (or CQB) challenges, which blended real-time strategy with the ...
Read More »Disgaea 4 Complete+ A Promise of Sardines Edition review
When Disgaea 4 was originally released for the PlayStation 3 back in 2011, its subtitle had a dual meaning. A Promise Unforgotten referenced not only the protagonist’s unwavering devotion to his word, but it also symbolizes Nippon Ichi’s tacit ...
Read More »Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD review
The traces of whimsy and retro-game adoration found in the Yakuza series can probably be traced back to Toshihiro Nagoshi’s developmental roots. Before directing Kazuma Kiryu’s underworld saga, Nagaoshi was head of SEGA’s Amusement Vision ...
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