Spartacus. Lawrence of Arabia. Lord of the Rings. These presentations across various mediums can be tied together into a common thread with one word: Epic. In 2022, Sony Santa Monica’s God of War Ragnarok joins this thread as one of, if not the most epic video games in history, and …
I’m just going to say this up front: I don’t really care about Batman. To me he’s always been a vehicle for stylish action movies or cool open-world video games. Aside from that, he’s just a libertarian power fantasy—a moneyed man that will do what that state can’t. And it’s …
Saints Row isn’t entirely devoid of merit. The vehicular gameplay is awesome. The visuals are splendid. The narrative is infinitely more grounded compared to its immediate predecessors. But for all of its strengths, the experience is brought down exponentially by tiresome side content and a mediocre cast who fail to …
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. …
The “Simple Story” subtitle for Arise is fitting: there’s a beautiful simplicity to Piccolo Studio’s heartfelt adventure. Through the eyes of elderly man moving on from this world to the next, reflecting on most important moments in his life—from the most joyous to the most heartbreaking—it weaves a tale of …
At a glance, Moo Lander bears a striking—and intentional, I’d assume—resemblance to Ori and the Blind Forest. Beautiful hi-def 2D scenery with the use of natural colours, corrupted plant life that feels both organic and slightly alien, and level design built around flow and momentum create a similar atmosphere of …
“What if witches gave up magic in favour of big effin guns?” I’m not sure if that’s exactly the elevator pitch Rainbite used to sell publisher eastasiasoft on Trigger Witch, but it can’t be too far off. And you know what? It works: a twin-stick shooter with a light action-adventure …
Shibuya is a place that a lot of videogames have taken us to over the years—in fact, I think we might be close to running out of three-digit numbers for fictional versions of the Shibuya 109 building. Of all the interpretations of it, few leave the mark that Ghostwire: Tokyo …
I always get a little… suspicious when non-Japanese (and Western, especially) developers claim to be trying to capture the spirit of Akira Kurosawa in their work. Too often, what that means is a generically Japanese-looking thing with a grainy black-and-white filter slapped over the top, maybe with some shakuhachi in …
The original Submerged was a remarkable game, if a divisive one. It set out with the singular goal of crafting a relaxed yet thought-provoking experience, as you explored the submerged ruins of a climate change-affected city and played witness to a bittersweet story of survival and togetherness. Some found it …
