I played some neat games the past couple months, of which I have not already spoken about. This list aims to do just that. So thanks to the publishers who sent these games to me and let’s start with the first game.
Resident Evil 4
So the only Resident Evil game I have played before was the fifth one, and maybe for just a few hours before dropping it because I found it to be boring. Given that, I was kinda blown away by how much I have been enjoying RE4. The gameplay that expertly mixes stealth and action sequences, the combat that has actual weight behind it with its emphasis on melee weapons, the level design with all the little paths you can take with loot to find, and of course, the story and atmosphere that really sell the whole experience. It is dark, oftentimes cinematic, sometimes difficult, but never not fun.
And special shout-out to the optimization. The game looks beautiful running at 4k and I can’t say I’ve had issues with fps, freezing, bugs, or really anything like that. It has been a buttery smooth experience and I am looking forward to finishing it up in the coming weeks. Definitely recommended, even for those that aren’t that into the series like myself.
Resident Evil 4 retails for $60 USD and is available on Steam. It is also available on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. You can get an official Steam key 14% OFF using code LEON and support the channel using my Gamesplanet partner link. This also applies to the deluxe edition.
Terra Nil
I’ve seen Terra Nil described as a reverse city builder – given that your goal is to turn a wasteland back into a thriving, balanced ecosystem – and while that is a good description, there are some things to note. For one, this is more of a puzzle game than a city builder. You have a limited amount of resources to work with and must make as few placements as possible to bring about life, including terraforming, biomes, wildlife, and then cleaning up all of your work when you are finished.
The gameplay advances in stages, focusing on balancing different aspects of the level as you progress instead of just infinitely scaling up like you would normally expect from such games. You have to make sure the terrain is set before advancing to biomes and then have the biomes all balanced before introducing wildlife, for example. It’s a fairly unique take on the genre though and kinda gave me Mini Motorways vibes, given the puzzle-strategy combo and the relaxing aesthetic. I can’t say it’s for every fan of this genre, but it’s worth a look if any of what I just described sounds interesting.
Terra Nil retails for $25 USD and is available on Steam. It is also available through GOG and on iOS and Android. You can support the channel by purchasing a Steam key through my Gamesplanet partner link.
Hi-Fi RUSH
The fact that this game dropped out of nowhere and is this good is honestly kinda insane. Hi-Fi Rush has a lot going for it: the vibrant aesthetic, the energetic music, the no-nonsense storyline and pacing, and of course, the gameplay that uniquely incorporates rhythm elements into hack and slash combat. They pretty much took the recent trend of rhythm shooters, adapted it to melee combat, slapped a Jet Set Radio style on top, and rolled with it and I can’t deny, I’ve been having a lot of fun with it.
I like how the combos are more than just button mashing, I like how the environment and enemies also move to the beat, and I like the sheer polish on top of it all. The game looks great, runs well, has a plethora of customization options and accessibility features, and is just an overall fun package that definitely didn’t need a long term marketing plan to justify it. It’s rare we get such experiences these days and I highly recommend it.
Hi-Fi RUSH retails for $30 USD and is available on Steam. It is also available on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. You can get an official Steam key 10% OFF and support the channel using my Gamesplanet partner link.
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty was one of my most anticipated games of the year. Having now played it, I can’t say it really lives up to that. I guess I was expecting something like Nioh but Three Kingdoms and while that description is still kinda true, it feels more along the lines of a child between Nioh and a Musou game, bringing a lot of the problems from the latter while dropping several elements from the former that made it so good. The combat is far more robotic, without the depth offered by a game like Nioh. You’ll be doing the same basic combos over and over, the weapon variety is lacking, the enemy variety is even more lacking, the equipment system is tedious, the level up system is just confusing, and the story is even more surface level than Nioh somehow.
I’ll give the game some credit, the fights are still flashy and the emphasis on parrying attacks was kinda cool, but I just haven’t been enjoying this one as much as I thought I would. I’ll still probably finish it, but for a game I had hoped would be a contender for game of the year, I can’t say I’m impressed.
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty retails for $60 USD and is available on Steam. It is also available on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. You can get an official Steam key 15% OFF and support the channel using my Gamesplanet partner link.
Deliver Us Mars
It was nearly four years ago that we got Deliver Us The Moon, a nice little indie walking sim that I gave a positive review for back then. Here we are in 2023 with the sequel to that very game, and unfortunately I cannot say it is quite as good. Deliver Us Mars maintains some of the elements that made the first great – including its expansive, detailed environments and relatively interesting storyline, but falters one some other aspects I remember not having much of a problem with in the first game.
The gameplay is far more tedious this time around, with puzzles built into the most menial of tasks and oftentimes in a way that comes off as forced. The story – while interesting at its core – is told much more directly, without using the environment as much and it kinda dulled the overall atmosphere a bit. I liked the sense of discovery offered by the first and this sequel doesn’t quite deliver on that, even if it may not be outright bad.
Deliver Us Mars retails for $30 USD and is available on Steam. It is also available on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. You can get an official Steam key 10% OFF and support the channel using my Gamesplanet partner link.
Dead Cells
Yeah I’m a bit late on this one, but I only recently got this game and yup, it’s pretty much just as fun as everyone else says it is. The combat is fast and fluid, the animations are top-notch and look great running at 144 fps, the upgrades are genuinely fun to use and synergize with each other, and the level design and enemies are fairly fleshed out on top of that. There’s probably not much else I can say that hasn’t already been said about Dead Cells, so if you’re an action roguelike fan in the slightest, it’s probably one of the easiest recommendations to make.
Dead Cells retails for $25 USD and is available on Steam. It is also available through GOG and on PS4, Xbox One, Switch, iOS, and Android. You can get an official Steam key 10% OFF and support the channel using my Gamesplanet partner link.
And that’s all I got for this short little list of mine. Again, all the links and such for the games are in the article, so do check them out if you are interested and thanks to you all for reading.
cublikefoot 