#PC
#PC
by Amr (@siegarettes)
NG Dev seem set on single handedly changing my mind about the Euroshooter. Born of the European PC scene, the genre is notorious for tossing away all the arcade conventions that STG fanatics appreciate, instead rooting itself in the demoscene mentality and using the shooter as a medium to flex their technical prowess and deliver overwhelming sights and sounds.
Gunlord X inherits every one of these problems. Touchy, ambiguous, and honestly a bit sloppy at points, Gunlord X carries all the hallmarks of the European PC shooter, despite its origins as a posthumous Dreamcast and Neo Geo game. In spite of that, it remains enjoyable throughout, making a case for a more relaxed take on the genre.
by Amr (@siegarettes)
It must have been hour two before I met my demise the first time. An unavoidable bad ending where my character, Haruaki, was mauled with no choices you could make to escape it. Turns out death is the only way to make progress. By dying and returning to the beginning, Haruaki gains new knowledge he can use to avoid his fate next time. Several more hours in and I’ve only unlocked a few other choices, and the true game has only just begun. The game’s first “good” ending is a melancholy one, and has Haruaki searching for a new path that will give him more agency in influence the story’s events.
by Amr (@siegarettes)
Sydney Hunter wastes no time diving into every adventurer trope, then immediately lampshading them. The titular Indiana Jones imitator drops right into an ancient temple, meets the native people, and sets out to prevent an ancient curse from stopping the progress of time itself. Sydney doesn’t understand the local language, so the first stop is to pick up an ancient artifact to let you understand them. Sort of. Turns out they understand you, and the whole ancient artifact thing is just a bit of fun they were having with you. They even point out that “Mayan” is incorrect, as the people themselves are called the Maya.
by Amr (@siegerettes)
Debuting at the Sonic Amateur Games Expo, Polyroll isn’t shy about its inspirations. Its mix of blue skies, urban vibes and geometric landscapes pay homage to SEGA aesthetics, and the spin dash takes a prominent role. Unlike other momentum platformers, however, Polyroll focuses on exploring the ball mechanics rather than pure speed. It gives the game a more exploratory feeling, one that recalls DOS PC platformers like Jazz Jackrabbit or Charlie the Duck, and bring back memories of early Sonic fangames built through Klik n Play and The Games Factory.
by Amr (@siegarettes)
I was a bit cool on Roof Rage when it first released. Its original cast felt a bit disjointed, pulling primarily from East Asian martial arts with some left field additions, and its variations on the platform fighter’s directional specials made it difficult to get to grips with. Those initial criticisms still stand, but my time since the original review, alongside numerous improvements, have allowed me to appreciate the unique take Roof Rage brings to the platform fighter genre.
Namely, Roof Rage is a platform fighter that channels the spirit of traditional 2D fighters, with big combos, fast movement and a focus on turning a good read into big damage.
by Amr (@siegarettes)
Made in the mold of CAVE’s DoDonPachi shooters, Ghost Blade HD takes on its familiar shooter staples, and replaces its anime schoolgirls with cheesecake pinup girls in lingerie. But that’s about as much color you’ll see from Ghost Blade. The problem with imitating the best in the genre is that you’ll be judged on the same standards. By comparison, Ghost Blade can come off as the bar top touchscreen version of a game you already know. Its fine–entertaining and solidly made, but otherwise aggressively average.
by Amr (@siegarettes)
Charming and inventive, Sky Racket’s synthesis of cute-em-ups and Arkanoid immediately won me over. There’s still nothing quite like the arc of a tennis racket, or the escalating tension of long rally, and Sky Racket builds on both beautifully. The crack of a racket and shatter of barriers is satisfying enough on its own, but the game builds on these with inventive mechanics and level design that kept me dancing across the screen.
by Amr (@siegarettes)
Bathed in blood and neon, Valfaris presents a vision of the heavy metal apocalypse that’s lush and overgrown. Machines are as likely to have arteries as they are circuits, and the industrial environments are infected with prismatic wildlife. The overdrawn, overstimulated flora and fauna can sometimes obscure your path, but your objective is always clear: slaughter everything in your path.
