If you were concerned that the new perspective may alter the gameplay formula, fret not, as Genesis feels quite close to the original title in terms of combat mechanics. The ability to play two different characters is new for the series, and if you are playing alone, you can freely swap between characters. War and Strife each come with their own unique fighting style, giving players plenty of options between the melee-focused approach of War, and the long-range style of Strife. As he was in the first game, War's attacks are methodic, slower-paced, but packing a punch, easily devastating enemies of all sizes. Being able to block and dash gives him plenty of defensive options to get close to foes and wreak havoc with his massive sword.

The more agile Horseman, Strife uses dual guns, giving an almost dual-stick shooter quality to his character. When up-close and personal, he can dish out melee combos that end with him dashing away to put some distance between him and his foes to unload with his guns. Each character has their own set of abilities and enhancements, such as a charge shot for Strife that can pierce through multiple foes, and War being able to release a massive wave of energy through the ground. Both characters are always viable options for encounters, so it is up to you how you'll want to tackle the hordes of enemies and bosses you'll be pitted against. Early on throughout the campaign, I frequently swapped between them, but by the end, I developed a favorite (Strife) and used him for the rest of the game.

As you always have the choice of playing two characters, Darksiders Genesis includes both local and online cooperative options; however, they are quite limited. Local multiplayer uses split-screen support, letting you play through the game with a friend, without limiting you to always be on the same screen at any given moment. Online, my favorite way to play cooperative titles does not include matchmaking at all. Instead, you'll have to invite a friend directly or have them request to join at specific co-op stones scattered throughout the environments. Souls and other items are split between the players, so you don't have to fight for any pickups. Some puzzles may require proper timing coordination between players to pull levers simultaneously, and more. Of course, these puzzles get a bit more complicated as you progress through the narrative. When you consider how the two characters' playstyles complement each other, co-op is by far the definitive way to play the game.

Besides the regular helping of blue souls to purchase items/upgrades from Vulgrim, green orbs to replenish health, and yellow ones for wrath, you'll come across creature cores that have a chance of dropping from foes. These bits of souls can be slotted into the skill tree to grand bonuses, perks, and stat improvements. There are 30 possible minor creature core slots and eight major creature core slots. Generally, the minor cores are from the smaller foes you fight throughout, and the major ones are attached to more massive bosses. For example, fallen hounds drop a minor core, which, when slotted, increases attack power. Others may grant bonus souls, an increase to max health, and increase the drop rate of various items. The major cores can provide a boost to the characters by granting more substantial gains for attack power, being able to block additional damage as War, and even being able to leave a trail of lava after dashing.

The area maps show current missions, both main and side, and a laundry list of collectibles and points of interest on the right side of the screen. However, there isn't any marker for quest locations or even for yourself on the map. Instead, the current section of the map glows, letting you know the general vicinity of your characters, but since it shows the locations of chests and items, it's up to you to figure out where you are in relation to them.

Airship Syndicate handled development for Darksiders Genesis, creators of one of my favorite RPGs from this generation, Battle Chasers: Nightwar. Although not as highly budgeted as previous titles, the game is beautifully crafted, given the environments an almost painterly quality to them. Sure, animations aren't spectacular, but serviceable given the isometric perspective. Even with an SSD playing on a PlayStation 4 Pro, there are moments of hitching/stuttering when moving between certain areas, but nothing that became a gameplay hindrance.

Simply Put

Darksiders Genesis may be one of the best games in the Darksiders franchise. The banter between War and Strife works on so many levels, and the added co-op support is the icing on the cake. Yes, I would have preferred to see matchmaking and positioning on the map, but neither are deal-breakers. The camera doesn't always cooperate with some of the platforming sections, but I mostly enjoyed the 15 hours spent playing through the campaign. You are free to replay any of the 16 chapters to collect any missing items/cores. The arena mode lets you take your characters into battle against ten grueling waves of enemies.

As mentioned above, the game is a roguelite, which is quite different from a roguelike. In a roguelite, there is some form of preserved progression from one run to another, whereas a roguelike generally resets everything after dying. In Nom Nom Apocalypse, you'll gain money during each run that is spent on perks. These perks (over 40 are available), can be swapped in and out after every level, with a maximum of three being selected at any given moment. You can equip faster dodge rolls, increase your maximum amount of health, hold more ammunition, and more. Until you get a feel for the game, you may want to increase your bullet supply, as I found myself running low during boss encounters.

After an explosion destroys a local diner, mutated muffins run rampant throughout, altering their biochemistry by ingesting anything they find. This produces a mix of disfigured food-like monsters, such as rampaging cheeseburgers that lunge towards you, nightmarish spider fries that shoot french fries, deadly flan, donut creatures, and other delicious monstrosities. I like the boss designs, pitting against larger than life creatures, complete with a title card befitting movies from a bygone era. For example, you'll be battling a giant mutated Chinese take out container of noodles, complete with dumpling minions, and chopsticks.

The top-down shooting feels very snappy, and movement is fast; however, the colorful and almost whimsy take on the real world feels hollow. Each level is broken up into large rooms, and as you move between them, the game fades to black, resulting in a jarring transition between sections. You'll need to dispose of any foes before moving on to the next area, but each level (there are only five) follows the same formula; kill enemies, collect the key, gain new weapons, and defeat the boss. It isn't necessarily a bad setup, but the environments are overly large, resulting in an empty sensation. The worst part is the broken parts of the environment that you'll most likely get caught on when trying to avoid enemies. You are unable to shoot above it, and getting caught has led to many cheap deaths. Occasionally, it also looks like bullets go through enemies without them taking damage.

The sweet and greasy foes come at you fast, and it seems like almost everything can move just a tad faster than you, making it harder to stay at a safe distance. When you first boot the game, you are given only a handful of the colorful cast of characters to use. There are plenty of unlockable characters that become available upon completing specific requirements, such as going on a 50 kill streak or killing a boss without using your unique ability. You'll want to choose your character based on their powers and perks, such as the delivery man's speed boost, or the hot dog vendor that can drop a turret and receive a discount at vending machines. All of the weapons fit within the game's theme, with ketchup bottles serving as a machine gun, mustard shotguns, and even a crossbow launching forks. Ammo is sparse, but you have an infinite supply of butcher knives to toss. These can also pick up items on the ground that replenish your health, the special meter, or increase your cash total. You should note that the dodge roll doesn't give you any iframes, so attempting to roll through incoming projectiles means you'll still be taking damage.

Simply Put

Nom Nom Apocalypse resurrects the fear of mutating food; however, the game lacks substance. A single run can be completed in an hour or two, and I fail to see anything to keep me wanting to play through a second time. The different areas are overly large and empty, and yet, the destructible parts of the environment don't appear to do any splash damage to enemies. I do feel the game mechanics are really tight and responsive.

There's not a ton to be said about the game's central gameplay aspect – run around Europe and kill undead Nazis. Honestly, that's a solid tagline for most games. Zombie Army 4 does an excellent job of making each location feel different (complete with some location-specific zombies), and it looks great in doing so. The game contains several collectible items in each set of levels, fun little challenges to complete, and the ability to invest upgrades into your weapons and level up for more perks (everything needs a little RPG flair now and again).

I think I've mentioned several times I'm a sucker for cooperative games, and I'm still impressed by Rebellion's handling of the cooperative gameplay. The shared pickup of collectibles, the ability to help each other out, etc. is something to be said. It makes for a great, enjoyable, and brainless experience to play with your friends. While maybe not quite as frantic as other WWII zombie shooters, it's one I can easily pick up and play with Kevin or other members of the SelectButton crew. But at the same time, I don't think it has a ton of meat. It's a great cooperative experience, but the singleplayer feels a little empty without having a buddy at my side to make sure I didn't end up as dead meat.

The game's controls follow kind of the standard expectation for third-person shooters – L1/R1 for stomping & grenades, L2/R2 for aiming and firing. Square handles reloading, circle crouching, cross is your interaction button, and triangle switches weapons out. It's also possible during aiming to toggle from a full third-person view to a scope view on your rifle – considering one of the main draws of Rebellion's sniper gameplay is the ability to stare down your enemies from behind your scope this should be a huge thing. It's also quite satisfying when you line up that shot perfectly and are rewarded with an excellent kill shot video (testicles exploding are brutal). D-Pad controls swapping between different types of explosives or for using medkits, while clicking down on the left analog stick handles sprinting, and the right stick handles melee combat. You're also able to do some fun, unique takedowns with circle or activate special abilities (depending on your weapon) with R1. Think Bullet Time or painting automatic headshots.

If I were to say there's a singular aspect of the game that actively turns me off from playing for more extended periods, it's the odd tactile feel of the movement. It's either too quick or too slow, and even after editing the sensitivity, I still found myself running into objects thinking I'd clear them or spinning and missing enemies. It was frustrating, to say the least, and I'm still miffed I couldn't find a sweet spot (if one exists).

On an unexpected side note, one of the absolute scariest parts of the game wasn't the game itself, but when I had my pause menu up while taking notes for the review. The game makes excellent use of the PS4's controller speaker throughout the game, notifying you when you pick up ammo, health, and other objects. It also, apparently, will have this ominous, raspy voice call out to you to come back and continue playing the game. In a somewhat quiet room, it caught me by surprise initially. It's a neat little addition to the game. The game also offers PlayStation 4 Pro support, with a performance mode focuses on frame-rate or a quality mode that locks the game at 30fps.

Simply Put

Zombie Army 4: Dead War is a solid if kind of empty title simultaneously. The cooperative experience is great, and I've enjoyed killing my combined favorite type of faceless enemy (Nazis AND zombies!). Still, without that co-op experience with someone else, it didn't feel as enjoyable on my own. That being said, if you and a few friends are down to shoot up some zombies and get some ridiculous kill cam shots afterward, this might be your title.

As an arcade-style twin-stick shooter, you and up to three friends are tasked with driving back the glowing neon-tinted aliens that have invaded the planet. The campaign is comprised of six missions as you progress across checkpoints (safe houses) in each level before reaching and destroying a massive alien egg to complete the level. The four difficulty options let players customize the experience. Still, I had no problems playing through the entire campaign (solo) on the medium setting without dying once (there is a trophy tied to your first death). I attempted one of the last levels on insane, and enemies are faster, tougher, and deadlier. Fair to say, I barely survived more than a few minutes solo. The missions are quite long and varied, as you travel across rooftops, trudge through a radioactive sewer, attempt to make your way through a medical clinic, escape the city by following a river through farmland, and more.

Although the locales are varied, the game's unique monotone visual style refrains from using color, except for highlighting light sources, giving you hope in these struggling dark times. Some of these light sources can be destroyed, providing items, temporary upgrades, or currency to purchase permanent upgrades (at least for that level). Maybe there is a bright glowing crack from a wooden crate left alone on a rooftop waiting to be shattered into bits and pieces, or you may find fire barrels in the darkened sewers. Players are brightly colored, with each player receiving a different color, but there aren't any customization options (player one will always be blue, for example). It's a good thing to note that there isn't any drop-in support; however, players can drop-out at any point. Also, note that multiplayer is accomplished through split-screen.

Just like players, enemies tend to pop against the grayish looking background environments. Most have neon glowing bits, but as you progress through the campaign, enemy variety changes, and you'll come across much more fierce foes (and ones that blend into the environments). The first couple of levels are pretty safe, but enemies can still outnumber you 20 to 1. Before you know it, the invading species changes/mutates, becoming shift moving foes that can avoid bullets with relative ease and surround you in an instant. The deeper you get, the more robust the enemy type, including those types that launch themselves towards you.

Every level from the campaign is self-contained (no real narrative besides slaughtering aliens), as in you don't carry any weapon progression over to the next. At the start, everyone starts with a barebones pistol and flashlight. As you slaughter the unknown beings from beyond, you'll gain points to spend on upgrades and unlocking additional weapons, such as a plasma gun, shotgun, machine gun, and more. For the most part, I've stuck with a single gun across a level. The reason that I recommend this approach is you'll want to fully upgrade it before reaching the end of the level. For example, the plasma gun becomes a multi-shot death dealer, covering a large area in front of you. At the same time, the machine gun turns into a single-handed mini-gun capable of dealing a consistent flow of damage.

Items can be found by destroying the aforementioned glowing parts of the environment. These can come in handy, especially when facing massive waves of foes. Medkits can provide a single heart (you'll have four in total), turrets can help clear sections of a level, and shields allow you to run through groups of foes without taking damage. You can only hold one item at a time, so you'll need to use the one that you are carrying if you want to pick up a medkit, for example. Temporary upgrades can be picked up as well, giving you a short period to test out an upgradeable weapon that you aren't currently using. There is a boost that can be triggered, but whether you use it for a split second or hold the button down until the meter is depleted, you can't use it again until it is completely recharged. It can save your life, however, especially when you find yourself getting surrounded.

Simply Put

It came from space and are our brains is an enjoyable local multiplayer twin-stick shooter. The gameplay mechanics are very smooth, with responsive controls, and a unique visual style that I adored. It is a bit strange that the game supports drop-out, but not drop-in, especially with the length of the levels. A wave-based survival mode exists outside of the campaign, with double the number of levels that the campaign contains. It does hurt that there is no online multiplayer, especially on PlayStation 4.

It is hard to describe 7th Sector, as even after completing the game (it does feature four different endings), the narrative isn't all too clear. Instead, you piece bits together by exploring the atmospheric world you find yourself in and discovering data points to read through the game's menu system. There isn't much in terms of a proper tutorial, as the game starts with an unknown trapped entity inside of a computer monitor. By holding down a face button, you transfer your essence into an electrical spark that can easily travel between the vast amount of cable encompassing the neon glowing dystopian society. Of course, there are a plethora of other objects, including circuit breakers, chunky looking monitors, various bits of machinery, spherical droids, and even a remote-controlled (RC) powered toy car.

The game world provides more than simple window dressing for the experience, as paying attention to the subtle (and some not so subtle) details in regards to how the human and robot kind live together paint a vastly different and tense narrative. There are clues everywhere about what appears to be an oppressive regime reigning over the human inhabitants. I don't want to give too much away, but it is best to keep your eyes open and read through the data that you'll uncover with the hope of peeling back the mystery.

The puzzles in 7th Sector are undoubtedly the highlight of the entire experience, although a handful will test your patience. Without much in the way of explanation, you'll need to decipher how to advance on your own accord. Sometimes this involves manipulating or scanning everyday background objects in the same room that don't seem significant at first glance. Overloading circuit breakers is one of the more accessible concepts, as you'll have toggles for a bunch of numbers with a sign showing 220 voltage, cluing you in to match the total from a sequence of numbers. This style of puzzle appears throughout, but each time is altered to keep you from flowing through the game without thinking. The next time it occurs, you may not see the current-voltage total, requiring you to keep tally in your mind, and another may not even show the number assigned to each activated dot, meaning you'll need to calculate everything in your head. That is only one puzzle type and some of the variants you'll come across, but others may test your reaction timing or require you to mash buttons.

One puzzle, in particular, became the bane of my existence, and while I avoid looking at solutions or walkthroughs for games that I'm reviewing, I had no choice. Even after seeing someone bypass the section with relative ease, my mind couldn't comprehend the necessary components needed to reach a solution. I will say this puzzle combines a flashing monitor with varying shapes and colors and a very annoying buzzer that I swear started to cause my right eye to twitch after spending 30+ minutes trying to progress through it. Oh, and solutions may be slightly altered across playthroughs, so trying to look everything up and breeze through the game will still challenge your mind.

Outside of that one puzzle, the hardest element in the game is trying to understand what you are being tasked with, and not necessarily moving forward. Many times, after trial-and-error, you'll try something new and have a eureka moment where you didn't even realize that was something you could do in the game. After flowing through an electrical wire coming through the window for a little girl's room, you reach an impasse, without any direction of what you need to do. It turns out, you can transfer your being into the remote-controlled car, given you full 3D movement in what is mostly a 2D side-scrolling experience.

Simply Put

7th Sector's atmospheric and immersive puzzle elements add a unique spin on the puzzle-platformer genre. Things can feel a bit too obtuse for its own good in an attempt to keep players mentally challenged. The wide variety of puzzle types keep things feeling fresh, as you progress throughout. The timing-based ones feel less imaginative, and without explanation, you'll frequently be restarting before even understanding what is being asked of you. I did enjoy being able to control various contraptions and how each one added a new variation to progressing through the levels. The immersive musical score hits home, especially when paired with the visually stunning, yet dark, cyberpunk dystopian world.

Skellboy evokes the essence of classic action-adventure titles; however, the world design is quite linear throughout the first few hours. Although you can wander around, places are gated off until you are supposed to be there. Without the inclusion of any minimap, it is quite easy to find yourself in the incorrect place, and therefore running around aimlessly until you reach the area that allows you to progress. This in itself is not necessarily a terrible design, but the slow-pace your character moves means it takes forever to travel. Not only that but playing on the Nintendo Switch, there is frequent stuttering when transitioning between zones. On multiple occasions, this had led to a death.

The second half of the game almost feels like an entirely different experience, allowing you to traverse easily and focuses more on exploration and side quests. The isometric fixed camera swings around as you move about the environments; however, it can be a tad finicky in specific areas, especially in the tight corridor sewer sections. The boxy, cardboard cutout visuals are a treat to experience, although it can be challenging to recognize items on the ground.

There are various weapon types, such as clubs that feature charge up attacks, dishing out extra damage, and destroying parts of the environment. Swords are perfect for close-range combo attacks. For example, the "cuttana" features a swift 3-hit combo, while "einszweidreihaender" (yes, that is the real name) is one of the best swords in the game, and has a combo that ends with a 360-degree swing. I got a chuckle out of swinging an old baguette, the longest sword in the game, but it crumbles after successful hits. Lances, once charged, can be thrown at enemies, but you need to wait for it to recharge before being able to attack again. Axes are best used to destroy the deadly red vines, but one of my favorite weapons is the "candy cone" wand. Comedically, it can turn one enemy into a walking cupcake, but the hit detection doesn't feel right. In fact, combat overall doesn't feel great. Enemies can instantly damage you, even when stunned. Multiple occasions that I got hit when on top of a table in the castle section of the game, also though the enemy swords shouldn't be able to reach. It's an exciting concept having 2D characters in a 3D world, but the mechanics don't seem quite ready.

The key mechanic in Skellboy allows you to swap out body parts from fallen enemies. Equipping the red knight's armor piece provides additional life, but slows your already pitiful walking speed down even further. There isn't any way to keep more than one at a time, so you'll have to decide on the fly which to use. However, as you approach the spinning items on the ground, there isn't any indicator of what it is or what effects come with it without equipping them first and pausing the game. Countless times, I've ended up equipping worse items, such as the cardboard sword (the first sword you get in the game), or boots that leave puddles of fire that can hurt you. Extra components can be added to your body, such as a "bellypumpkin," acting as armor to supplement your health. As you defeat enemies or destroy boxes/random objects, things can get quite cluttered, although most elements will eventually disappear over time.

There aren't many checkpoints in the game (where you respawn upon dying), and it can be quite frustrating when combined with the overly slow movement of your character. Yes, you can find specific items to equip movement speed, but even then, the pace is still unbelievably slow.

Simply Put

I thoroughly enjoyed the visual style of Skellboy with everything resembling thick cardboard cutouts. The concept of using 2D with a 3D world is fantastic, but the execution falls flat. The combat is cumbersome, the music is highly repetitive, and the performance on Switch is not that great.

Coffee Talk offers more than shelter from the endless Seattle rain and a steaming hot cup of joe or tea. It's a place about listening to your customer's job worries, family struggles, and their everyday life. As the owner and only barista, you'll need to lend more than an ear to your customers, as you combine up-to three ingredients to craft specific concoctions. You are free to experiment with any of the elements, and once you unlock a drink, you can refer back to the recipe at any point. As a visual novel, Coffee Talk flows through a set narrative without branching trees or necessary decision making. There are specific moments that may be slightly altered based on serving the properly requested beverage, or in one instance, finding something to calm the nerves of an angered werewolf. Still, you are just along for the ride. Across many of the days, you'll feel like a third wheel, watching conversations flowing between customers. While it may not seem like it at first, the love for a sweet, warm drink appears to bring people together.

Although easy enough to create, drinks must have at least one main ingredient and two additional elements. Strangely enough, the order in which you add these extra components does matter and will alter the drink you are making. On multiple occasions, I've gotten shade thrown at me from customers because I've swapped the order of the ingredients and produced the incorrect concoction. When first meeting new customers, you'll either be asked to serve something highly specific or to surprise them with something they will enjoy. Later on, your regulars will ask for their usual, requiring you to remember exactly what they want to be served, some easier to remember than others. You can toss a drink out up-to five times before serving. You can make latte art before serving lattes, something that is easier done with a mouse than a controller.

Simply Put

I had fun discovering all of the possible drinks to serve in Coffee Talk. The struggles and desires of each customer felt real. Although everyone's race is based on fantasy tropes, the issues surrounding them are grounded in the real world. You may listen to two young lovers caught between their family's desire for them to only marry within their respectful race, a struggling but talented writer, and more.

In Drawkanoid, as you might surmise from the name, there isn't a consistent paddle to move around the play area. Instead, you must draw one using your mouse, giving you complete freedom on the angle and size (up to a specific limit). If it still played like a traditional game in the genre, it wouldn't feel that much different, but in Drawkanoid, everything moves at a blazing speed. Thanks to the game's neon-colored visual style, all of the blocks that you'll be shattering brilliantly pop off the screen. Not only that, but the unbelievable fast movement means each stage only lasts for a matter of seconds. Before you realize it, the ball has shattered the glowing outlines of shapes, but there's a catch. As the ball approaches the drawable area, it enters a type of bullet time, giving you a brief moment to react. Now, the ball is still moving and will speed up and blow right past you if you take too long, but the window of opportunity is even to analyze the necessary angle.

The variety of the stages keep things interesting, as you'll come across those that resemble traditional throwbacks to the genre, to those that could be construed as bullet-hell shooters, complete with tiny bullet shapes moving about the play area. Gold/points earned based on your performance is spent customizing your loadout. At one point, I equipped the pierce ability that allows the ball to pass through a set number of blocks instantly but requires to be charged by bouncing off the wall 25 times. In the other two available slots, I equipped aim, and waveguide, showing where the ball will bounce, and allowing for a direct path be drawn for the ball to follow respectfully. There are even more things you can purchase with the currency, such as having bosses drop additional gold, the ability to draw longer paddles, and even two unlockable game modes. Zen mode removes bosses from the game, and the notion of the game always speeding up. Perfect for a more relaxing time, well, as relaxing as you can get with an insanely fast block breaker experience. On the other hand, countdown cranks up the tension, pitting you against the clock.

Simply Put

Drawkanoid is the most fun I've had playing a block breaker game in the last ten years, easily. It is a game that I can see being enjoyed in short bursts every few days, as you earn some gold and put it to good use. The two unlockable game modes add new life to the game, depending on if you want a slightly more comfortable experience or one that is much more high-strung.

In the closing minutes of the main game, Larry and BJ find themselves locked in cages. Larry, still oblivious to what is going on, attempts to convince Faith that he is worthy of her love, as he finally reaches his goal of 90 Timber points. Faith can no longer stay in the background of the company Prune, as it has been revealed that Bill Jobs has been a fraud since the beginning. Happy Ending expands upon this further through flashback sequences, showing how the tech world laughed at her ideas about future-proofing the industry solely because she was a woman. These misogynist business partners make openly sexist remarks that she should only serve as a secretary, or should go back to the kitchen.

She hires BJ, who got the nickname from a barista based on his initials, to serve as the CEO for Prune, after winning the same business partners over with the same exact presentation. This time, the bigots applauded the ideas about moving forward and not becoming stagnant entities in the industry. After the final sequence, Faith gets conked on the head and dropped into a rowboat that heads out to sea. The actual gameplay picks up with her stuck in the middle of the vast blue ocean, alone, suffering from severe amnesia.

Being stuck in a rowboat, there are only two locations to search, the bow and stern of the boat. After a few moments, you locate your PiPhone, which you call a "glowing box "due to the amnesia (a neat throwback as that is what Larry originally called it). Pi confirms your name, but is unable to contact any emergency services due to low power, leaving you with the task of adequately charging the device. An approaching storm keeps you frantically looking for solutions, as every move you make draws it ever closer.

Just like in the main game, there are no accessibility options or hint systems, but I feel like the subtle bits of dialogue given when looking at specific items does lead you down the correct path (more so than in the main story). One of the best moments comes from the attempt of plugging in a USB cable, which, just like in real life, is never orientated correctly, even when it technically is placed the proper way. Many of the items don't serve any purpose other than to frustrate you into using every single one. Although there is a worm dressed like Larry Laffer, that got a chuckle out of me.

Simply Put

As a free update, Leisure Suit Larry: Wet Dreams Don't Dry - Happy Ending successfully serves as a brief epilogue to the main game. It does provide some necessary backstory for Faith and does leave things set up for a possible sequel, but the experience is over in about 20-30 minutes.

Waking up in a dark room underground, everyone's favorite sleazeball Larry Laffer, the series protagonist, miraculously arrives in the 21st century. Yes, he is still wearing his trademark white suit and partially unbuttoned blue collared shirt. Luckily while fumbling in the dark, he manages to activate an elevator that leaves him standing directly in front of Lefty's, or what is left of the rundown, decrepit, disgusting bar. One nice touch, the same pixelated nude poster of a woman, hangs above the wall behind the bar. While things look much different, this is the same point-and-click gameplay from the originals, complete with vulgar toilet humor, packed with male and female genitalia being integral to almost every conversation and background environment. For better or worse, Larry is still the same individual, a character frozen in time, and again motivated by the same thing he was over thirty years ago. He is looking to score.

It's not long before Larry, and stop me if you heard of this happening before, finds a missing prototype mobile device at Lefty's. After being instructed by the AI, he takes it to the nefarious Prune headquarters (a satirical take on Apple) to return it to CEO, Bill "BJ" Jobs. Of course, Larry is more concerned about hooking up with his attractive assistant Faith. With her busy schedule, however, she only has time to date men through the Timber app with a score of 90. After being rewarded with his own phone, he gets instructed on how to use it by two stereotypical tech support individuals. Larry sets out to complete tasks set forth by anyone he matches with on Timber to earn points to perform the horizontal-mambo with Faith, I mean, go on a "date" with her.

Wet Dreams Don't Dry still plays like a classic point-and-click adventure, compelling players to scour every inch of the screen. The experience is a bit more problematic when using the DualShock 4 on PlayStation 4, with the right stick emulating a mouse cursor. The touchpad which can smoothly simulate a mouse for other games, can not be used here. Lack of sensitivity options make things mildly frustrating, especially when objects you need to click on are tiny. Although the womanizer himself awakens in modern times, the game mechanics haven't evolved, with no hint system, or item highlighting to make the experience more accessible. This also means the game lacks an autosave, and on multiple occasions the game has frozen mid conversations forcing a complete reset of the game. Losing an hour or two of progression is never fun. Beware skipping your way through dialogue that you've already heard/read, as that can lead to the game freezing once again.

Much like the original, you'll either chuckle at the harsh and crude nature of the humor or be completely put off by it. Developer CrazyBunch has stuck to a formula that you'd expect from the series. It is a self-aware project, poking fun at current trends set in the digital age, social media apps, modern stereotypes (vegan hipsters), mixed with classic old-school point-and-click adventure gameplay. It's just a shame that everything around the experience wasn't performing better, especially the confusing menu system. The hand-drawn character art and backdrops look great, although you'll find genitalia plastered throughout. Heck, the Prune headquarters is a massive squirting phallus. Some of the interactable objects can be downright deployable, such as a cheese encrusted dildo, a rat trapped in an extra-large condom, and a butt plug shaped chess piece.

The narrative is quite linear; however, the order in which you tackle the tasks is up to you. You won't have a list of objectives to follow, so your order depends on what items you find first, or more so, figure out how to use those items and in what proper order. Larry can move around the environment manually through the use of the left stick; however, it's pointless. You'll still need to use the right stick to move the cursor to point at people/things to look at, interact with, or combine items.

Simply put

Without a doubt, Leisure Suit Larry: Wet Dreams Don't Dry aims at those that played the originals. The narrative is actually quite enjoyable, if you can look past the toilet humor. It's a very formulaic, paint-by-numbers, old-school adventure game with the same repugnant Larry Laffer, lacking many modern amenities. The throwback gameplay certainly has its appeal, but optional support could have led to the game being more widely accessible. No auto-save? Come on (pun intended).

This downloadable content introduces new mechanics, buildings, and ways of essentially handling your workload within the game - more than just the idea of survival itself is at hand. Instead, you're dealing with work deadlines, labor disputes, and a race against the clock to get lifesaving technology up and running. As I'm sure many people are already dealing with the hassles and frustration of this in real life; they are no less or different within The Last Autumn. While you're still hunting for food, supplies, and overall manpower, the game is not necessarily a focus on the survival of your little town, but instead the deadline to get a generator up and running before the big freeze itself. To do so, you'll be making decisions that make you question your own thought process on hard work and overall end goals.

During my first game, I didn't quite realize I had a set of defined objectives to complete other than "build the generator." It wasn't until completing a couple of the early progression goals – basically establishing the work camp – that I was given the ultimate goal of putting the generator together to save lives. Along the way, much of the main game's same mechanics come into play with random things to handle, laws being signed into existence, and dealing with pesky issues like a lack of resources. Yeah! But I was mostly annoyed by the absence of initial direction – I had a slow start getting it up and running. It wasn't until probably day eight or nine that I realized I had screwed myself by not pushing forward immediately. With that in mind, a restart put me on a better path where I was almost a day ahead of schedule. Well, that was until my first worker strike.

This time around, the game introduces another meter on top of the discontent meter. The motivation of your workforce is required to ensure they don't strike on the job. Since it's not a true matter of survival in The Last Autumn and the world hasn't yet frozen over, you have to remember the issue of motivating your workforce. Your decisions, overtime, will shape their response to the work at hand. Attempting to keep motivation high and discontent low gradually grows into a near-impossible task due to the deadlines and time constraint you're under as the work overseer. Eventually, you will manage to piss off the rowdy bunch of unhappy workers, resulting in a strike. These strikes can be seemingly easy to deal with at first, but eventually, your choice will come back to haunt you. I ended up losing three days after I both had the shaft blow from a buildup of gases, and then my workers went on strike in response, leaving me scrambling to build out safety-related buildings I had an opportunity for earlier. Oops.

The game forces you to step back and think of the best decisions – you're not making ones based on imminent survival, but instead, ones that are more at the interest of the greater good. Do you give the workers additional labor unions and rights, or do you instead bring in prisoners? I found myself making some pretty tough ones at times, hoping to quickly bypass a labor dispute and move on towards completing a stage of the generator. Things get progressively tougher as you continue, especially when your small plot of land is overcome with buildings, and you're scrambling to keep gaining resources. Thankfully, one of the new gameplay aspects is the ability to build docks and telegraph stations to continuously receive a steady stream of supplies from the homeland. Proper management of this additional intake is vital to have any chance of managing the project to completion.

Simply Put

Much like the original Frostpunk game, this is a ridiculously tough, but rewarding challenge of a game. At no point did I ever feel fully in control of the situation, something I didn't think I'd have an issue with since I was no longer fighting just to live. However, I was more wrong than I care to truly admit. The game is still fantastic, and I'm surprised at how smooth it feels to play when I'm not fighting the cold absolutely ALL the time. There were a few stuttering points with my gameplay, mostly during shift starts, but otherwise, the game continued to run smoothly as well with a more varied landscape. I'm thoroughly impressed at the game and the new challenge this DLC brings.

There are three different game modes available in Hardcore Mecha; campaign, simulation (survival), and multiplayer. In the campaign, you fight as a mercenary who goes by the name of Tarethur, tasked with locating a missing U.N.F. intelligence officer on Mars. The presumption of her being kidnapped because painfully obvious, as you progress through the narrative complete with impossible odds, and a deep-seated conspiracy that you'll unwind across 18 stages. The highly varying and detailed environments, keep the action engaging, as you'll fly through the vast vacuum of space, engage on the planet surface, fight deep underwater, and even take control of a massive space frigate. Animated sequence emphasizes important events, seamlessly woven in between actual gameplay.

The game's single-player campaign can be played in either the normal difficulty or easy, but doesn't lock you into the selection. Easy is the best way to play the game if you are looking to unlock the survival mode (which doesn't open until completion of the story) or to just experience the narrative. You can always go back into any of the missions and replay them on either of the difficulties. If you select the easier of the two, you are given plenty of healing items, that instantaneously replenish your health, making you nearly indestructible as long as you use the item before you explode. As you complete missions, you'll earn points to unlock new equipable mods, such as improved shielding, faster reloads, new primary and secondary weapons, and more. Hidden weapon blueprints are scattered throughout, typically located in secret passageways given access to some of the cooler items in the game, such as firing massive balls of electricity that destroy enemy mecha without remorse.

As a platformer, the game emphasizes verticality, and mobility, using your mecha's ability to hover and boost through the air. It does keep levels feeling unique, instead of merely walking across a flat environment until you reach the end target. The old-school arcade-style space encounters are great, taking me back to the days where space shooters were about fast reflexes and backs with tons of enemies and bullets on-screen simultaneously. Auto-scrolling elements in a couple of the stages can be problematic, if you aren't paying close attention, as being stuck behind an enemy or parts of the environment can instantly kill you. There is even a stage where you take the helm of a slow-moving, but highly powerful frigate, attempting to dodge telegraphed enemy cannon fire and destroying multiple mecha at the same time.

There are times where you'll need to exit your mecha and explore interior corridors on foot, engaging with terrorists on the ground and rescuing hostages. During these moments, you are considerably more vulnerable but are equipped with the necessary firepower to handle any situation. You can even jump out during multiplayer fights, hopefully, to surprise your opponent with a handheld bazooka to dish out some damage.

Multiplayer can be experienced either locally or online, each type supporting up-to four players. The action becomes quite fast-paced, with mechas boosting through the air, setting up combo strings using supporting firepower, and finishing off opponents with melee strikes. Regardless of the number of players local, the screen always is split into four equal parts. This means, if there are only two-players, only the top half of the screen becomes usable, with the rest not being filled with anything.

There are free-for-all and team battle options, spanning six playable maps. The available mechas each have an assigned type, indicating their strength, such as assault, sniper, melee, etc. The weapon loadouts and base stats, separated across three categories, power, armor, and mobility, further emphasize how best to utilize each one. Unlockable colors and mechas become available as you level up and eventually reach paragon levels. Only online battles count, nothing is earned locally. Online has options for you to create your own game, join a room if you have a room id, or use matchmaking to enter anything available. At the time of the review, I have not been able to find a possible match on PlayStation 4; however, I did play multiple local games.

The final game mode, simulation battle, is essentially a wave-based survival mode, where you'll gain additional seconds on the continuously counting down timer as you destroy enemies. All 40 of the mecha in Hardcore Mecha can be unlocked and utilized; however, the grind to unlock everything is quite daunting. Each mecha starts weak but can be further enhanced by simulation points earned by surviving waves of enemies. Bosses that appear, indicated by a skull over their health, drop items (such as a healing item), and weapons to use on subsequent attempts. I would have liked to see an online or even local version of this mode, especially with the online popularity of horde based survival modes. It does add longevity to the game; however, it is missing the cooperative element that keeps you engaged with unlocking new items, equipment, mecha, etc.

Simply Put

Hardcore Mecha's engaging single-player narrative, fast-paced 2D side-scrolling action, multiplayer options, and sweet mecha designs produce a well-rounded experience. The game runs and looks excellent on a PlayStation 4 Pro. The lack of current players online is disappointing, but there is a discord channel where others are looking to group up, but mostly seems to be centered around the PC release.

With 291 episodes, CyberConnect2 has been a commendable job at condensing the multiple story arcs into a 35-40 hour package, with more story-based content coming through downloadable content. It certainly hits the high points from the anime, but specific moments that every fan will remember are missing. Where is the infamous "it's over 9000" line when Vegeta and Nappa scan Son Goku's power level (yes, it is a mistranslation and should have been 8,000), shattering the scouter in disbelief? Trunks' Ultra Super Saiyan form (also known as Super Saiyan 1.5 or 3rd Grade) doesn't make an appearance.

As a semi-open world action-RPG, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is a tale of two genres fused, except CyberConnect2 didn't need the help of potara earrings (a little DBZ humor). Between narrative episodes, you are largely free to roam any of the unlocked areas, which are connected via the world map. Load times when switching regions can be a bit long if you aren't making use of an SSD, either on PC or console. An upcoming patch is set to help reduce load times even further, and hopefully fix some the lacking polish to the overall experience. Voice lines while exploring are frequently repeated, and by the umpteenth time, you hear Gohan proclaim, "I think I can handle this," or Vegeta's lackadaisical desire to fish, you may look to turn down voices altogether. It is especially grating when it occurs within seconds of one another, with the same lines being spoken for hours at a time.

While exploring, you can opt to run incredibly fast on the ground, soar through the air (draining your Ki to fly even faster, but lose a bit of mobility), shoot Ki blasts in first-person, and collect scattered colored (red, green, blue) orbs. These orbs serve as currency for skill/ability upgrades for characters. They will respawn if you venture to another region and return, so don't go overboard trying to collect every single one, even though upgrades may cost hundreds to thousands to unlock. Most of the time, they are ideally placed for you to fly/run through rows of them, along with looping circles while in the air. Strong currents can whisk you away, locking you into a wind tunnel with the sole purpose of collecting even more orbs. Both story missions and side stories (red and blue exclamation points respectfully) are marked on the dragon radar, representing the map. Random townsfolk, and many of the familiar voices, such as Oolong, the shapeshifting pig (who had a more prominent role in Dragon Ball compared to DBZ and DBGT), can be interacted with and may offer ingredients.

Cooking meals at specified campfires provide both temporary buffs and permanent stat boosts to all of your characters. Higher quality items (or rarer items) yield increased bonuses, but in the grand scheme, a +1 Ki stat bonus vs. +3 isn't going to matter when simply leveling yields much stronger results. When visiting Chi-Chi at Goku's house on Earth, you can gorge yourself on full-course meals that combine stat boosts from different dishes, granted you have to provide all the ingredients. One of the nice touches that may be easily overlooked happens when Piccolo joins you at the table, and only subjects himself to a simple glass of water. Namekians are not opposed to eating food for pleasure (as seen in the anime), but only require water for sustenance.

The simplified third-person combat system priorities Ki management over memorizing long combo strings or complex move lists. The basic one-button combo can be ended three different ways by using a point-blank Ki blast, a finale strike, or by releasing an outward bit of energy, slightly refilling the Ki meter in the process. The inclusion of the tension gauge can alter the course of a fight, allowing you to activate the surge effect, boosting your stats, and letting you perform unique attacks or cancel super attacks and combos into additional moves. Trust me, try unleashing multiple Kamehameha energy attacks one after another! Transformations, such as Kaio-ken and going Super Saiyan, significantly increases stats, but slowly drains both the health and Ki meter. It does pay off when you activate a "super finish" and watch a cinematic finishing off your opponent in dramatic fashion.

Being able to cancel out of your primary combo means can extend it almost indefinitely by electing to teleport before continuing to strike, chipping away at your opponent's health, and increasing the chance of stunning them. You are auto-locked to enemies by default, which you'll face in groups 99% of the time, by flickering the right stick left or right, easily keeping track of targets mid engagement. Kakarot heavily focuses on defensive positioning, with perfectly timed dodges place you directly behind your foe. The only option, surging energy around you to push your opponent back, consumes a large amount of Ki but could provide you with the necessary breathing room. The third option of blocking works well enough to defend against combo attacks, but over time your defense can shatter, leaving you in a stunned state.

Battles against high-profile characters are fierce, more so than anything I've faced in any of CyberConnect2's previous titles (and I've recently played through the entire Ultimate Ninja Storm series). In those titles, there were highly scripted and cinematic events but were filled with quick-time events. The rest of the fights felt the exact same as every other encounter, even when you decide to face other players locally or online. In Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, there is no need to balance anything for multiplayer, so here, the bad guys are tough and enjoy unleashing nigh-on-impossible to dodge/block superpowers. They also have a habit of stunning you multiple times and quickly negating any of your damage while charging up (indicated by glowing red energy). These well-crafted sequences are what I expect from a DBZ title, especially seeing Lord Frieza attempt to destroy an entire planet with a massive death ball, and even Goku's older brother Raditz unleashing dual-energy waves spinning around his body.

Community boards allow players to place earned soul emblems onto preset grids, with each pillar having a set leader, such as Goku, Mr. Popo, and Chi-Chi. The z-warrior community emphasizes attacks and support characters, the adult community can decrease the cost of items, and the community of the gods deals with items earned from successful battles. Once received, you are free to place emblems on any of the boards; however, each one has a set rating that corresponds to each respectful community. The higher the level, the better the boost. On top of that, gifts can be given increasing the base stats on emblems, yielding friendship rewards. There are further incentives to link specific emblems together, as you'll hear a brief back and forth between the character and earn extra boosts. It may make sense to place Mercenary Tao and Master Shen together on one grid, while Kami and King Yemma remain connected on another.

Not everything in Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot revolves around fighting. Yes, combat is paramount to the franchise; however, the deep connection between the characters, especially the lesser-known ones, shine through the optional side quests. Some can feel repetitive, requiring you to fight the same xenomorph looking red ribbon robots until your knuckles bleed, while others require you to gather specified ingredients, such as fruit, meat, or fish. The more engaging quests add new dimensions to the characters, including seeing Goku and Piccolo try to acquire their driving license and one in particular to involve Yamcha's spirit and a misunderstanding between Yajirobe and the Demon King.

Simply Put

Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is an incredible way to experience the entire DBZ saga, for newcomers and fans alike. The game offers both the English and Japanese voices customizing the experience; however you desire. The RPG mechanics are a bit on the lighter side, and I do wish CyberConnect2 went even further into the realm of an action-RPG. The game's visuals are quite stunning, especially during critical moments when special effects surround the engagements. The sound effects and music are ripped straight from the anime, with Cha-La Head-Cha-La headlining, and even more songs from the anime coming for Ultimate edition owners. The side stories help develop character interactions without resorting to violence, but there is still room for improvement.

The veteran team at White Elk has worked hard bringing the game to PC (I tested using an Oculus Rift S on Steam VR), PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch (releasing January 30, 2020). The PlayStation 4 release is intriguing, as the game can be played with and without owning a PSVR headset. Although I would say that VR is the ideal way to experience the title, you can play the "flat" version of the game (the non-VR build).

The game opens on an unknown ethereal world, as a spaceship crash lands, becoming caught within the sentient planet's grasp. Before you lay a hand, breaching through the planet surface, grasping a mystifying glowing orb with almost supernatural abilities. This Artifact represents your salvation, serving as the chief puzzle mechanic in the game. With it, you can demolish parts of the environment to clear a pathway, activate ancient technology left from the remnants of a long-forgotten civilization, and more thanks to its extraordinary mix of technology and biology. No matter where you toss it, it can instantly return to your hand. The control mechanics are quite forgiven, as directly aiming towards predetermined locations sends the sphere flying off into the distance. Distinctive textured surfaces produce a platform for you to climb when the orb comes in contact, and you can even direct the local fauna to smash open blocked off areas. Using the power of the Artifact to move massive statues across the floor to activate switches is best handled in VR, as you can physically turn your head to change your viewpoint. In the non-VR version of the game, your view is locked in place while moving these objects, resulting in many moments where you have to readjust your positioning.

As you progress through the desolate landscapes, the Artifact unlocks new abilities as you collect fragments. At the same time, the events that transpired on the surface begin to take shape, as you hope to uncover the mystery and find a way to save yourself and leave the planet. Along the way, you'll scan massive statues, stone tablets, and random objects left behind, filling in lore and information about the previous religious society. With the scanner firmly attached to your survival suit, you'll physically scan these objects by moving your head up and down until completion. Many of these objects and messages are tucked away in hidden locations, so those that take the time to explore will step away with a better understanding. Although the planet's gravity is much weaker than Earth's, you'll need to use your jetpack to reach new heights in the vertically designed landscapes. While it recharges freely when not in use, there are fauna clinging to the canyon walls that your travel across that extrudes green particles that replenish your fuel instantly. What this does is allow you to continue moving through the air without having to reach the ground first.

White Elk has included a handful of comfort options for the locomotion movement system in Eclipse; there is no teleportation option. By default, turning is accomplished at a jarring 90-degree interval. There are smaller interval options (15 and 45 degrees respectfully), but as a VR veteran, I opted to play with entirely smooth turning. The turning itself also has multiple speeds. Other comfort settings add a visor/helmet surrounding your entire viewpoint (which works in VR and the "flat" version of the game). It indeed can "ground" yourself, but I found it took up way too much real estate.

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The entire experience in Eclipse: Edge of Light is over around the two to three-hour mark, but what you extrapolate out of the game depends on how much effort you spend exploring and reading by scanning every possible artifact left behind. Eclipse is best played in VR, but I played through the game without VR as well. If you play without VR, you'll need to look down a lot to see your floating arms to verify if you are holding the orb or not. It's a bit odd controlling on PS4, as the options button doesn't open the start menu, which is instead controlled by a face button on the DualShock 4. The Oculus Touch controls (with a Rift S) don't match the button prompts at the beginning of the game, resulting in moments where I spent too much time trying to figure out how to activate specific functions. Andrew Prahlow, the game's composer, has done an excellent job with an atmospheric score for the title.

One aspect that defines the game is the lack of competition, whether from another player or an AI-controlled opponent. For this reason, there is never a sense of urgency, and instead, the experience feels light-hearted and relaxing. It is a nice change of pace compared to other games, letting you work on your creativity, instead of worrying about someone else swooping in and stealing your coffee beans. In Transport Fever 2, currency is nearly limitless, even in the campaign mode.

Unlike city simulation titles where you are building and designing entire urban landscapes, Transport Fever 2, tasks you with filling in the blanks in between cities. As the game spans across multiple centuries, technology is limited based on the selected era. As you begin the campaign, you start in the mid-nineteenth century, where railroads were revered for their ability to unite nations. Need to move citizens across a bustling town? Build multiple bus stops, and create a new line for busses to follow, linking each location. Of course, "buses" during this timeframe refer to stagecoaches, horse-drawn carriages and the steam engines.

Regardless if you are building service lines across roads, rail, sea, or air, you'll need appropriate depots to purchase and assign vehicles. Similarly, you'll place stops near resources and where you'll want to move the materials. For example, a "truck" stop stores coffee beans, when placed near a plantation. You'll then connect it to another stop placed near a city that is looking to import the goods and assign carriages to travel between the stops. All vehicles have various stats, such as cargo capacity, cost, speed, wear, and tire, etc. as well as what goods can be picked up.

While you don't have direct control over how cities develop, you indirectly influence expansion based on transportation advancements. Connecting all corners of a city, and even a neighboring location is an excellent way to boost the economy. However, as you aren't in control, issues may arise with new buildings popping up around your well oiled transporting systems complaining about emissions, excess traffic, or noise. All of your transportation lines or routes are color-coded (you can even alter the colors of vehicles), making it very easy to distinguish them from one another. Naming them comes in handy, to easily select the ones you need without clicking through a list of generic names. When problems occur, such as not having enough stops to warrant keeping a route open, you'll be alerted, taking you directly to the stop in question.

One issue that occurred during the third mission of chapter one, which seems to be an ongoing issue based on Steam discussions, revolves around setting up the first water transportation system. For one reason or another, the boats that should have been transporting whiskey from the distillery, became stuck looking for metal. Stops aren't explicitly designated for specific resources but instead are based on proximity to source locations (mines, plantations, etc.) and where the resources need to be delivered — no amount of bulldozing and reconstructing fixed this issue and forced me to restart the entire mission.

Every building that you place down can be expanded and customized in a modular fashion. Additional waiting rooms can be added to a train station, along with new waiting platforms, underground passages, and more. Upon selecting a new addition, you'll choose from possible placement locations, and it will instantly appear. While I found this element to be quite engaging, actually placing the main structures can be frustrating. Rotation is accomplished through preset intervals, often clashing with nearby roads or other buildings. Not designing the mechanic to operate smoothly using a mouse is beyond me. There is even further customization before placing structures controlling the dimensions, and things like the amount of tracks/piers. All of these results in roads and rail tracks that are a bit finicky to place appropriately.

The campaign objectives are designed in such a way that it becomes almost impossible not to complete them. Instead, the challenge comes from how efficient you became at finishing your tasks. These tasks can take longer than expected if you aren't paying attention to the desires of the populace. For example, you may be tasked with connecting two cities by rail and having twenty residents visit between the two cities. If your cities are lacking in public transportation to get to the train system, it may take dozens of trips for you to complete the challenge.

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Transport Fever 2 forgoes fail conditions and instead lets players focus on the beauty and elegance of designing the perfect transportation system. The campaign, which has its own narrative for each mission, spread across three chapters (complete with voice narration). Still, it only functions as an introduction to each of the methods of transportation and the game's mechanics. The sandbox mode builds a procedurally generated map based on your selected options and lets you chose the styling of the buildings and equipment between the USA, Europe, or Asia. With Steam Workshop support, you'll find hundreds of maps, vehicles, stations, trucks, and more already implemented thanks to the engaged community.

Tools Up! can be played by yourself; however, just like in real life, these types of DIY improvements are best handled by a group of friends. In similar fashion to Overcooked, where you frantically operated in fantastical kitchen environments Tools Up! tasks everyone to cooperate in tight corridors to complete all the necessary tasks before time expires. Unlike Overcooked, you have to complete all of the jobs to complete each of the 30 levels. Your overall score and subsequent star total are dependent open tidying up the workplace, ensuring not to leave any materials, spills, or trash lying around.

The control mechanics are reasonably simplistic, using the face buttons to pick up and apply paint, wallpaper, etc. using a combination of taps and button holds. You can throw objects you are holding, moving them around the space swiftly; however, the mechanic barely functions. Most of the time, you’ll notice your character twists his body and head to the side, indicating that they can’t do what you ask. This results in a highly frustrating experience when you are unable to toss a carpet or a bucket into another room with nothing blocking your path. Items can also become stuck on top of walls, resulting in them disappearing. Each level has a single set of blueprints, indicating what work needs to be completed. It can be slightly confusing, as the yellow and orange color of paint and carpet looks eerily similar, especially when viewing the blueprints. Not only that, but unless you are holding the plans, the game’s camera is locked.

Often, you’ll need to do some amount of preparation, either ripping down existing wallpaper or placing mortar/cement on walls or prepare the floor for tilework. When dealing with wallpaper, you can only do one section at a time, requiring you to place the removed materials in a bucket or the floor. Piles on the floor can slow you down and cause you to slip, not to mention the piles themselves can quickly fill up entire rooms, making it a nightmare to continue working. Targeting walls and floors can be tricky if anything from garbage to paint cans are in the room or too close to the wall. You’ll need to juggle the placement of the supplies as you finish each room. One careless move and you’re newly finished floor could be covered in paint, chewing up precious seconds to clean it up.

Of course, you won’t have all the necessary supplies once you start, and you are at the mercy of deliveries that appear at random intervals. Deliveries may be sent to the wrong apartment number, forcing you to chase after them before they leave the floor. Yep, they grow increasingly impatient and don’t wait long if you don’t take the items from them fast enough. With the overly stylized character designs that barely fit through doors, which can be knocked off their hinges, there isn’t much room to maneuver, especially with four players. You try moving furniture in a room that is just barely larger than four bodies. Placing new flooring requires precise coordination with your friends, as each square becomes unavailable to walk across for a few moments. More than once, players have become trapped, and while it is temporary, the race against the clock is ever-present.

Simply Put

Tools Up! is a local-only cooperative four-player game that doesn’t quite hit the mark with all of the mechanics. Throwing feels useless when your character refuses to complete the action, and targeting can be a concern in tight corridors. Playing alone can best be described as frustrating, to the point where I wouldn’t even recommend the game at all unless you are planning to play with others. The lack of online multiplayer doesn’t help either.

You begin with two primary weapons, a weaker one that doesn't require ammunition (ranged or melee), and a slightly more powerful one that can only be used a limited amount of times. Along the way, you'll replace current weapons with new ones, and eventually, you'll succumb to your wounds, or your heart explodes after 18 minutes. There's no saved progression; instead, you are working to unlock new weapons, buffs, or perks that have a chance of appearing in subsequent run. Not only that, but you'll need to move fast to snag every bit of money, ammo, and health that drops from fallen foes. If you take too long, Skymelt absorbs the drops, making itself stronger in the process. Leave too much on the ground, and environmental hazards, more capable foes, and hunters (basically mini-bosses) spawn to track you down.

Each floor in Skymelt is comprised of randomly generated interconnecting rooms. All enemies in the current room need to be killed before you can move on. A skull icon lets you know precisely which direction leads you directly to the floor boss, but with multiple pathways, there are many paths for you to take, at the cost of time. When every aspect of the game is working against you, it keeps the overall pace of the game fast. You'll most likely make poor decisions in an attempt to move through each room as quickly as possible ( I know I have). Some of the most potent weapons in the game even uses time as ammunition. Although they can certainly come in handy, I never ended up using them more than a couple of runs due to the risk of using up all your time.

You'll gain buffs after defeating bosses, such as gaining access to an extra dash as soon as you kill an enemy or longer dashes that can heal you if used to go through bullets, which comes in handy with the increased difficulty as you climb higher and higher. Repair stations offer upgrades, such as increased firing speed or taking less damage from explosives. Obelisks can be located to install curses, such as being able to turn blood into ammo, dashing through walls, and even become fireproof if our combo is high enough, at the cost of time. Picked up cash is spent in shops, where you can buy ammo crates or new weapons. Luckily, time is paused in these locations, so you aren't rushed with making a poor decision.

Initially, there are two playable characters, one that begins with a pistol and another that has a badass sword. Aiming in Black Future '88 is accomplished automatically, focusing on the nearest foe within your line of sight. Things can be a bit tricky when you are dealing with multiple enemies surrounding you, especially with the game's focus on verticality. Still, generally, it does an excellent job of understanding who you want to attack. As you continue to level up after each death, you'll unlock the remaining three characters, along with a slew of new upgrades and weaponry.

Simply Put

Black Future '88 is a thrilling roguelike that eventually feels like you are in a side-scrolling bullet hell shooter the higher you climb. Once you reach the top, you'll begin once again, just with a harder difficulty. The included assist mode and two-player local co-op make things more interesting, but there isn't enough variation in runs. There are plenty of unique weapons to unlock, and eventually, you'll find which ones work best for your style of play. For me, the teleporting pistol combined with self-healing when dashing through bullets was enough to carry me through Skymelt.

I enter a hallway, at the far end stands a lone chess pawn. As I approach, the object becomes larger in my vision, but as soon as I stand right before it, I realize it was never there. Instead, stands before me, a painting of an object, plastered across the floor and wall, teasing my mind, but at the same time, attempting to open my mind to alternate realities. At this point, I realized that Superliminal is something special and not just another first-person puzzle title. Superliminal isn't about what is real, but more so, what could be real. As you progress through the game, which only lasts a couple of hours, if you become stuck, otherwise the game can be completed in under 90 minutes, there are clear signs that something has gone wrong. Instead of waking up, you are forced to push forward as your dream world deteriorates, becoming more and more unstable. There are quite a few tense moments where the game's vibe turns a turn towards the horror genre. Even so, you won't interact with any other characters, besides a female AI explaining how you are failing, and prerecorded messages from the doctor administering the test.

The game is broken up by levels, which, unless you return to the main menu, you'll never realize besides the type of puzzles that you come across changing. In the narrative, you are merely reaching and entering an elevator, which, in turn, takes you deeper down the rabbit hole, almost resembling a dream within a dream (within a dream, etc.). At first, you are toying with perception, being able to alter the size of anything that can be picked up. Using your hands, picking something up from afar, and bringing it towards your feet can shrink it down based on your new relative perspective of the world, which is directly beneath you, but when you grab something up close and look out across a room, the object appears much larger. Once dropped, the object takes on the new size by either growing or shrinking. It takes a little bit to understand the mechanics, to free your mind, as it were, to play tricks upon your self.

Later in the game, things get even more mind-bending, such as toying with optical illusions, using shadows, a smart play on portals, entering new worlds through a dollhouse, and more. I was smiling during a discovery during a level where clicking an object no longer puts it in your hands but instead makes an exact duplicate. Altering your perspective then changes the size of the newly cloned object, and before long, I had an entire room filled with different sized apples. In an ingenious touch, a switch to open the exit exists at the top of a slope. After failing to push the apples up the slope, I took a second and thought about how to solve it by detaching myself from reality. I won't spoil the solution, but it was a eureka moment if I ever had one. Then there are moments where you must stand in a precise spot, correctly aligning the painted outline of an object, allowing you to reach out and touch it, making it a tangible object to use.

Simply Put

The more profound life lesson that Superliminal attempts to convey throughout becomes quite apparent in the final monologue from Doctor Glenn Pierce in the last few minutes of the game. Not only does it connect everything that you have done in the game with a higher purpose and meaning, but it has connected with my own life. Perspective is a powerful sentiment and one that many take for granted. Dropping an enlarged exit sign over two pressure plates to open a door is one thing, but understanding how you can become a better person, by looking at all the possible angles and outcomes, is a life lesson I was not expecting from a video game. Some may walk away from this game, thinking it was just a game, but I would say that they missed the theme entirely. Bravo, Pillow Castle Games.

While there are the occasional jump scares, Moons of Madness's genuine passion comes from psychological horror and torment, building suspense through darkened interiors and an atmospheric musical score. Like many other games of the genre, you don't have access to any weaponry or ways to defend yourself from the one-hit death sequences (besides running and hiding). Most of the adversaries you'll come across are tentacle horrors fitting in with the Lovecraftian setting, although deadly robotic enemies hunt you down near the game's climax. You'll need to know how to react to each one to survive. For example, one requires you to stare it down (don't stop looking directly at it), preventing it from attacking; however, as soon as you turn you back to it, you're going to regret it. The opening dream sequence certainly is foreboding, especially when the hideous creatures are no longer limited to being in your mind.

There was a certain sense of uneasiness as I explored through the base's corridors and eventually on to the Martian surface. As an explorer, Shane attempts to understand his nightmares, by piecing together all of the ugly things he encounters, such as the nameless horrors, mysterious voices, and more. He isn't alone on the Red Planet (and many others are experiencing the same nightmares), but most of his interactions come through his radio. Although encountering real monstrosities, he tries to hide his genuine emotions by continually cracking jokes over the radio at the expense of his coworkers. However, when we start to discuss the game's puzzles, some highly appreciated little touches show how his outgoing personality is only skin deep.

One of the fundamental mechanics is Shane's ability to scan the environment and hack into various devices. Between plot points, you'll be required to solve puzzles, generally things that you'd expect an engineer on a remote planet to do. These include reconnecting pipes, locating missing parts, and inserting/rotating objects into proper positions, aligning solar arrays, and more. Nothing is overly complicated, but it does seem like they do overstay their welcome at times. Air is a limited resource, and although you'll have to be cognitive of the level (filling it up as necessary), I can't recall many times where I felt like I was struggling with the mechanic. As you progress through the narrative, and you pay close attention, you'll notice Shane slowly becomes clumsier and uneasy with his actions. Look, if I were in his shoes, my hands would be trembling too much to open doors after being chased by cosmic tentacle horrors also. This isn't a tale about some seasoned space marine used to blowing the heads off terrible monsters, and it shows.

Simply Put

A Lovecraftian horror title, Moons of Madness, is tense, and at times genuinely frightening. It does focus a bit too much on basic puzzle-solving. I did enjoy the stunningly haunting and interactive environments that you find yourself in. What other game allows you to escape from Lovecraftian cosmic horrors, and then proceed to pick up and fill a mug with coffee?

Megaquarium already released on PC in 2018; however, it is just now coming to home consoles; PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. In the sandbox mode, you can fully customize the experience by removing any monetary requirements, have every fish unlocked from the start, and more. You can even turn on side objectives, and alter the frequency for merchants. The campaign tasks you with following necessary objectives across various locations. Most of the time, you’ll be building out the ideal space for one or more specific creatures, and the rest of the time, you’ll have goals based on being profitable without specific requirements. The campaign is highly recommended if you haven’t played the game before, as the first aquarium you build takes you through all the essential tutorial information.

Building aquariums in Megaquarium is fully customizable, from freestanding expandable ones, to those that can be set within walls. Decorations, heating/filtration equipment, and of course, the local wildlife can be added based on your preferences. The first few that you design will be small, maybe featuring a handful of one type of fish, a couple of rocks, and perhaps a plant. Without a heating element, the tropical fish will not survive in the small glass box of frigid waters. Similarly, proper filtration is needed to ensure contaminants are filtered out. Staff must be hired to keep the location operating, from providing equipment performs at a satisfactory level, cleaning the floors, and feeding and caring for your new swimming buddies. The longer your staff stay employed, the more efficient they become at their job, gaining specializations that can really come in handy. Before long, you’ll be expanding your building, adding benches for guests to sit (who doesn't want a massage chair), vending machines, gift shops, and restrooms.

Without a doubt, these types of management sims typically don't get released on consoles due to having to development a new control method using a controller. Now, I’m not saying that there haven’t been games in the past that have pulled it off. Games such as Frostpunk (a strategy game) and Jurassic Park Evolution (a theme park game) prove my point. Heck, I even enjoyed playing Command & Conquer and even Theme Hospital back in the day on a Nintendo 64 and PlayStation controller respectfully. The use of the directional pad (d-pad) to navigate through the menus and keeping the analog sticks for camera control is easy enough to understand and operate. Not only that, but simply hovering over an object, opens contextual options to pick things up, rotate, or even delete. Grabbing an entire exhibit moves everything attached to it, both inside and outside of the tank. There’s a handy undo option if you delete the wrong item, and yes, it happens to the best of us.

Simply Put

Megaquarium is a robust management simulation game, and the only one allowing you to build your own aquarium. While PC players have been perfecting their exhibits for quite some time, the transition to consoles has been quite smooth. I thoroughly enjoy how the game operates using a controller, although without going through the tutorial, you may be a bit lost. Many advanced elements slowly creep into the experience, such as ensuring your bigger fish don’t eat the smaller ones, properly decorating aquariums to keep skittish fish calm, balancing the amount of a single species to keep them happy.