In a lot of ways, Arcade Spirits: The New Challengers is a very different beast to its predecessor. The first was a funny, heartfelt, optionally romantic visual novel about the daily lives of a game centre operator and their eccentric regulars; The New Challengers is all about arcade esports: competition, …
I know I’m not alone in my preference for vertical shmups, especially of the bullet hell variety. It’s hard to articulate well, but tracking bullets, reading patterns, and positioning your ship just feels so much more intuitive in a vert. But every now and then, a game will come along …
At first blush, Cotton Fantasy feels a lot like last year’s Cotton Reboot. It’s got a new story, new levels, new enemies and boss fights, but the same cute, playful vibe, same general approach, and similar (if slightly simplified) scoring mechanics to Reboot’s wonderfully exuberant revamp. It’s a sequel, after …
One of the best things about the wide net Koei Tecmo casts with licensed Warriors games is seeing the clever ways the Musou formula can be twisted. From Zelda-style items and puzzle bosses in Hyrule Warriors, to Dragon Quest Heroes and Persona 5 Strikers being a full-fledged JRPGs, the influence …
The mix of empire-building strategy and tactical RPG in Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia makes for a compelling hook. Like many a strategy game, the ultimate goal is to conquer the entire land—in this case, a fantasy continent called Runersia that’s home to six different kingdoms—one stronghold at a time, …
At chapter 5 of Shadow Warrior 3, I was met with my toughest challenge up until that point, the ‘Ancient Cock’. It was a boss so big, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Yeah, the fight offered its fair share of humour with its enemy’s design and the ridiculous second stage, …
You’ll finish the story mode of Gibbon: Beyond the Trees in an hour, give or take, but what a potent hour it is. It begins with a gibbon family frolicking in the forests of Southeast Asia, swinging playfully through the treetops, but that soon gives way to a more grim …
The fun of a management sim mixed with the endless charm and cuteness of our feline friends? A game about running a cat cafe seems like the perfect recipe, but it’s also one that could easily go amiss if the pieces don’t line up just right. Luckily, Cat Cafe Manager …
I’m actually surprised it took as long as it did for Kirby to go the 3D platformer route. While Mario’s been exploring (and consistently reinventing) 3D adventures since the N64 days, and even Donkey Kong dabbled a bit with Donkey Kong 64, Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards was still a …
The influence of samurai film classics on Trek to Yomi is abundant. The latest game from eclectic director Leonard Menchiari is a loving homage to the heyday of jidaigeki cinema in the ‘50s and ‘60s, with a distinctive tone and aesthetic that Yomi goes to painstaking lengths to authentically recreate. …
