Ultimately, this game is an exceptionally charming and cute look at the life of a little girl and her family, and can tug at the heartstrings. The immense variety in minigames is fun, and there are so many little challenges to accomplish throughout the game that there is always something to work towards. There is a large selection of cosmetics as well, which provides an extra little boost of joy through getting to dress up Anya and do her hair, as well as other family members. Whether or not someone knows Spy x Family well, Spy x Anya: Operation Memories is a true joy to play for a relaxing, cozy experience.
Fruit Mountain is addictive, fun, and relaxing, but it hurts itself in being a bit too limited in gameplay and design. Even small, simple features such as unlocking outfits for the painter would have provided a little more to do. As it is, however, the game is good, with no glitches or problems, and presents a fun puzzle game for all ages to enjoy.
Other than a few issues with the camera, which were able to be adjusted in the options, Banana Rumble provides a nearly endless amount of fun. The laughter of playing in split screen with a friend is perfection, and the challenge levels of the game itself are well-balanced. I was impressed at how in-depth the Adventure Mode can be, as well as the different assistance features and motion-sickness-reducing options. Whether someone has played a Super Monkey Ball game in the past or not, Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble is absolutely one that should not be overlooked by anyone looking for a cheerful, fun time.
The gameplay is solid, and everything feels as though it is polished and fun, but without much to truly capture the attention of the community, there is a concern that after the initial hype dies off, the matches could begin to struggle with maintaining an active player base. That said, this game does have a lot to offer, particularly for Star Wars fans, being a well-crafted entry into the genre of competitive arena combat battles. Especially being free-to-play, Star Wars: Hunters is a fun game that is absolutely worth a try.
Each round lasts exactly the right amount of time, and each MultiVersus character has a distinctive enough set of skills that many players will find one they connect with. MultiVersus is definitely a game worth checking out, even if it wasn't free-to-play, and it's accessibility makes it an even bigger recommendation.
Overall, Endless Ocean Luminous is an incredibly beautiful and immersive aquatic game. Slow loading screens and some monotonous tasks can take away from the immersion some, but for a cozy simulation of underwater exploration, it is a tranquil and fun experience.
Any lover of intricate puzzles and unique game mechanics would be able to appreciate the clever approach that The Lullaby of Life takes for stimulating the brain. Its peaceful tranquility make it a wonderful form of cozy relaxation, with the only caveat being for people with severe depression to be mindful of their mental health in portions. The story, colors, puzzles, and, of course, the music in The Lullaby of Life are excellent in their craft and deserve to be appreciated.
Overall, the game is engaging and fun, and with it taking less than five hours for 100% completion, it also offers a great choice for those looking to get a quick PlayStation Platinum trophy. It can leave players with a pensive feeling at the games end, pondering many of the questions that are left unanswered at the conclusion of A Tale of Paper, but not necessarily in a negative way - other than, perhaps, the need to reevaluate having a Roomba.
The Planet Crafter truly captures the roleplay feeling of terraforming a strange new planet and offers a rewarding and immersive terraforming experience. It is well-paced, and multiplayer makes it an even better experience, with groups of friends being able to work on solo projects side by side or enjoy focusing together on completing goals. Though it would be nice to be able to have more direct interactions with other players and a chance to customize looks to distinguish one another, the multiplayer is well done in its execution of being able to feel like a team working on common goals.
Freedom Planet 2 is fun chaos at every turn.
Princess Peach: Showtime! is never truly challenging and could use a choice of a harder difficulty setting to keep things more interesting. Players will have to replay levels multiple times to get 100% completion, and one drawback is that missing one item will require playing the entire level again rather than being able to backtrack, which can get frustrating. Overall, Princess Peach: Showtime! is an extremely enjoyable game, offers a significant amount of content, and is something that could be enjoyed by anyone.
Throughout 130 levels, Nintendo's puzzle-filled platforming game has just the right amount of increase in challenge as the game goes on, and plenty of surprises for players to discover. The variety of game mechanics and ways to solve puzzles are engaging and fun, and the game is incredibly difficult to put down as it is too easy to want to try just one more level. Mario Vs. Donkey Kong is a must-play for puzzle lovers, and is a perfect example of what a remake should be.
Tomb Raider as a series is a beloved franchise and one that is sad to ever give a low score to. The problems encountered in this collection were painfully debilitating and would almost be better if one went and played the original game instead. Graphics are improved, but there is so much more that should have been updated that the original Tomb Raider 1–3 games should have had a full remake rather than remaster, or at least a bit more polish and attention given to the glitches and bugs.
There is so much good to say about Foamstars, with its quirky characters and cheerfully energizing feel. While at launch the matches do not feel entirely balanced, that will even out with time, yet the microtransactions look as though they could only get worse. Currently, Foamstars is free on PS Plus for anyone to try it out, but after March 5th anyone who does not already have the game downloaded will have to purchase it for $29.99. That price, combined with the costs of Premium Seasonal Passes and in-game store purchases can quickly add up and is overwhelming. Cosmetic items don't have to be purchased, of course, but to be faced with that many instances of trying to get players to spend money simply feels much dirtier than a soap-filled game ever should.
Each of the three games included in this remastered trilogy may feature the same story as their originals, yet the quality brought to the Nintendo Switch collection is worth a look. Those who may have missed the games the first time around, or who have never played any Phoenix Wright title will enjoy the narratives where each mystery is beautifully written and intriguing in its subtlety. The evidence suggests that the Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy is well worth the many hours of gameplay included, and is only guilty of being a wonderfully remade collection of mysteries.
Ultimately, Station to Station is a very relaxing experience and wonderful for anyone who likes solving puzzles. The style and feel of it all is calming despite sometimes suffering failure and having to restart or reset from a checkpoint. It is a short game, being completed in around 8–10 hours, but then the custom mode helps to add more for anyone who wants to keep going.
Silent Hope seems like a simple premise, but it is executed beautifully. The level of challenge is just right, the loot that is picked up with each run gives a very satisfying feeling, and the story is a journey, not only in what happened within this kingdom but also an exploration of mental health and pride. It truly becomes a dungeon crawler with hidden depths as the philosophy behind the story comes into play and the need to know more of what happened drives players to want to keep going and try to get a little further. Silent Hope is truly a well-crafted experience that offers much more than meets the eye.
Ultimately there is nothing mind-blowing about Horizon Chase 2, but there also really isn't anything negative either. The only drawback is that there isn't more of it, as the game is pretty quick to complete at roughly eight hours for the entire World Tour unless played on high difficulties that make it harder to progress. Horizon Chase 2 simply feels like a fun game that is perfect at giving a nostalgic feel of a 90s arcade racer, but with much better graphics to smooth it out.
Overall, Moonstone Island is a wonderful blend of deckbuilding, creature collecting, and traditional cozy life-sim. It is a game that makes it easy to lose track of time as players may be left feeling like they could do just one more day before logging out. The quickness of the passage of time, and the fact that the main story ends after one year is disappointing, but only because there is so much engaging content that Moonstone Island gives players to do that it feels like there should be more time to do it all, and more story to go along with it.
Ultimately, what makes NBA 2K24 wonderful ends up being negatively overshadowed by the level of pay-to-win that the game has. There are many cosmetic items for styling MyPlayer with fun clothing or having fancy new hoverboards and animations that all would have been plenty valuable as microtransactions, adding in the ability to improve actual game skills by paying money was an unnecessary and distracting feature. The game itself is fun, realistic, and addictive, and could easily be a must-play for any basketball fan if the in-game purchases can be overlooked.