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Dariusburst AC EX Short Review

Dariusburst Another Chronicle EX
Developers - Taito, Pyramid, M2
Publisher - Square Enix
Switch, PS4

Coming from the gluttonous feast that was Chronicle Saviors, Another Chronicle EX is like showing up to a banquet and only being served an appetizer. Chronicle Saviors, the previous port, sported both a port of the ultrawide arcade game as well the titular CS mode, with a brand new campaign formatted for 16:9 widescreen, new songs, and an upgrade system, as well as extensive DLC support with shooter crossovers from other companies.

Another Chronicle EX is more or less a straight, no frills port of the arcade game, with the previously missing event mode restored, and the new ship from Chronicle Saviors added. None of the M2 gadgets have been added, and no concessions have been made for the 16:9 presentation, save a not so useful zoom function.

At almost the same price as Chronicle Saviors, Another Chronicle is charging full admission to eat another party’s leftovers.

Spelunker HD Deluxe brings a legendary kusoge wrapped up in a modern package

by Amr (@siegarettes)

Spelunker HD
Developer- Tozai Games
Publisher- ININ Games
Switch, PS4

Despite preceding it by decades, Spelunker is more likely to draw comparisons to games like Spelunky, which draws direct influence from Spelunker, than the other way around. Spelunker’s harsh, unexpected deaths can be seen as the predecessor to modern roguelike platformers, and plenty of the elements that made it into a cult hit continue to influence modern titles. Spelunker’s one of those titles that forms a missing link in the chain of history. A game like Lode Runner, or Wizardry, that had reasonable success in the West, but became the basis of plenty of imitators in Japan.

Unlike Wizardry or Lode Runner, Spelunker isn’t held up in popular memory for its compelling gameplay or endlessly replayable structure. No, Spelunker is remembered for being the ultimate kusoge, and with the release of Spelunker HD Deluxe, it’s finally wrapped around to drawing influence from its imitators.

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Hell Let Loose is a lesson in accepting the inevitable

by Amr (@siegarettes)

Hell Let Loose
Developer- Black Matter Studios
Publisher- Team 17
PC, PS4/5, Xbox

Most games try to give you some sense of your impact. You can construct stories about your prowess, about what you did to help bring your team to victory. You know how many kills you made, how many objectives you captured, and how you assisted your teammates. The numbers spell out plainly exactly what you’ve accomplished.

In Hell Let Loose, sometimes it’s an achievement just to stay alive. A bomb you had no chance to avoid might take you out seconds after spawning. Or you might run ten minutes to the next objective only to be killed instantly by an enemy you’d never seen.

Sometimes you play a key role in setting a well timed offensive that creates momentum for the whole team. And sometimes you wander around, separated from your squad with no objective, no direction, and wondering if you’re even going to contribute anything in the next 30 minutes of bloody attrition.

Hell Let Loose is both the most exhilarated and bored I’d ever been in a shooter.

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Space Invaders Invincible Collection Review

by Amr (@siegarettes)

Space Invaders Invincible Collection
Developer: Taito
Publisher: ININ Games
Switch, PS4

When Space Invaders Forever released here, I lamented the fact that we were getting a cut down version of an already lacking collection. Apparently, the sentiment was heard, because almost a year later, Space Invaders Invincible Collection, the previously Japan-only Switch collection, is finally here. Invincible Collection is an improvement on the previous bare bones collection, but as the basis for Forever, it shares plenty of the same strange problems and has plenty of shortcomings of its own.

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Short Reviews: Nirvana Pilot Yume

By: RJ (@rga_02)

Nirvana Pilot Yume
Developer - Dev9k
Nintendo Switch

What happens when you combine a running game with a visual novel? You get Nirvana Pilot Yume - a self-described cure for your “80s sci-fi anime nostalgia.” But no self-respecting doctor would want to prescribe this.

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Super Sami Roll is a joyous new 3D platformer that’s both familiar and fresh

by Amr (@siegarettes)

Super Sami Roll
Developer: Sonzai Games
Publisher: X PLUS Company Limited
PC

3D platformers are a genre that even it’s most prominent creators struggle to get right again. It’s not hard to look at the recent big disappointments in the space and see how difficult it is to bring back what people love about the genre, but for a modern audience.

Super Sami Roll isn’t one of those disappointments. Alongside games like Suzy Cube or Spark the Electric Jester 2, Super Sami Roll is part of the club of games that build their identities from a familiar base, but play with them in smart ways.

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Cotton Reboot Review

By Amr (@siegarettes)

Cotton Reboot
Developers - Success
Publisher - ININ Games
Switch, PS4

Combining RPG mechanics and aesthetics, Cotton proved to be a longtime resident of many lists of shooter recommendations, especially for the cute-em-up crowd. With so many other shooters finding their way onto modern platforms lately, it only made sense for Success to return to it. Reboot, as you might expect, reboots the series, with a remaster of the first game that brings new art, an arranged OST and mechanics that feel at home with modern shooters. Conveniently, the original’s X68000 port is included as a bonus, making it easier to see just how much has changed.

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Fallen Knight Review

By Amr (@siegarettes)

Fallen Knight
Developers - Fairplay Studios
Publisher - PQube
PC, Apple Arcade

Fallen Knight begins contradicting itself from the moment it begins. Equipping you with high speed dashes, air dashes and wall runs, it’s a game that feels most natural when moving fast. Then your stride is immediately broken by the combat–which not only steals away your movement options after the intro stage, but asks you to slow down even more to get them back.

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