Alex Fuller's Reviews
Offering an incredibly welcome refresh for the series with its story, cast, and gameplay, The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak is a delightful way to re-enrapture existing fans while being an excellent opportunity for newcomers to get on board.
An appreciably speedy yet deep combat system combines with some entertaining character interactions and a fun gameplay loop. All of its parts work nicely in tandem and many players will find the game to be a fine way to unwind.
Although it might be hard for Atlas Wept to stand out among the flood of games currently available, it offers strong bang for its buck. The dozen-hour playtime is perfectly judged and fits in nicely with the depth of gameplay and breadth of its story. It’s a worthwhile experience, offering a touching tale that examines humanity with a vital spark of hope at the end.
Despite a weaker presentation than contemporary titles and a last third that meanders without the urgency of what came before, the game is a pleasing experience and one that those with even just a passing interest in the life and crafting sim genre are likely to enjoy their time with.
Larian Studios has shot for the sky in the creation of Baldur’s Gate III, and regardless of anything else must be celebrated for the achievement of rolling such an ambitious title out of the door after keeping the faith to do it properly.
Many players will be enraptured by the game’s style and will desire to get the bottom of its mysteries, as well as enjoy the risk versus reward element driven by Elise’s desires. If the game was more welcoming of players who can’t quite grasp its subtle puzzles and the precise reactions needed to get past certain sections, it would be an unqualified recommendation, but at present that does make for a significant caveat.
For younger gamers, particularly those just getting into the Pokémon series, the game and its predecessor could be a fine fit. However, the more experienced fans hoping for some engaging mystery solving and more interesting examination on casual life with Pokémon are almost certain to find the game lacking in both its storytelling and gameplay departments.
Fans of the series will certainly be able to appreciate its take on the formula and how it connects to the wider series, and despite the game’s weaknesses, its story should be more than strong enough to get new fans into the franchise.
CD Projekt RED has admirably stuck with the game past its launch troubles, offering patches and upgrades in the two years following as it looks to finally near towards its full potential. That work has reached full fruition through the arrival of both its vaunted Update 2.0 patch and full story expansion Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, which combine to give the game an excellent new lease on life.
Anonymous;Code may not quite reach the same heights of Steins;Gate, but its exciting pacing and more intuitive path towards its ending makes for a highly engaging story. Despite some preposterousness, it readily captures players’ attention with its take on the near future, successfully blending wider ideas about the nature of the world and science with some traditional and modern conspiracy theories.
Unfortunately, while it brings some neat ideas to the ring, the execution places far too many roadblocks in the way. Repetitive combat, slow exploration and progress, and a pretty one-note cast fails to inspire the sort of hype that the game hoped to provide.
While its cases might not quite have the same level of twists and zaniness as its obvious inspiration, Tyrion Cuthbert still offers an enjoyable romp through its five cases across a little over a dozen hours.
While some of the deeper world-building feels increasingly convoluted, and it's time for the series to move on to new pastures, it is great to have one final episode of glory with most of the cast as the game celebrates the series's combat evolution and at least partially ties up some of its numerous unresolved plot points.
Creating something with a greater draw than the Breath of the Wild was always going to be a challenge, but Nintendo has taken lessons learned from and systems established in it to create a glorious follow-up that fully deserves the plaudits that have already come its way.
Boasting an emotional tale with an intriguing take on player choices, Harmony: The Fall of Reverie makes for a highly thoughtful experience worth its time.
Ash of Gods: The Way is a solid strategic deckbuilder; its strength very much lies in its ability to generate a puzzle-solving feel through a straightforward base ruleset and a wide variety of combat scenarios and conditions.
Monolith Soft has executed it superbly, providing an emotional treat that acts as a highly satisfying coda to everything that has come before.
The Outer Worlds sets a solid, if unspectacular, base that has plenty of room to improve.
As a love letter to the series’ soundtracks it heartily succeeds, and every play session is bound to come away with players fondly humming at least one of the tracks they’ve played through for hours ahead.
The way the mysteries work with each other, the cast, and the atmospheric direction and presentation creates an enthralling tale that keeps players ready to unravel the next twist.