Games Whisperer

The Sexy Brutale Review

The Sexy Brutale is a unique murder mystery puzzle game which starts off with the main character, Lafcadio Boone, waking up during a party. This party is set at Lucas Bondes’ mansion and casino, named The Sexy Brutale.

Once awakening, you’re greeted by a character known as The Bloody Girl, a women dripping in blood but appears to actually help you. This party that you awaken at is stuck in a time loop, and The Bloody Girl gives you a mask to take you out of the time loop to help save the party guests.

These particular party guests are all murdered throughout the 12 hour loop, and it’s your mission to stop these deaths from taking place. You’re also given a special watch that will reset the time back to 12:00pm once you reach midnight to try again. You can reset back to the starting time whenever to need to in case you mess up.

The Sexy Brutale — It’s useful to watch each scene all the way to its gruesome end.

Each mystery to solve starts off by revealing who needs to be saved, in which you need to seek them out and discover what’s killing them, and how to stop it. It’s a very interesting concept and basically the reason why I played this game in the first place.

Who doesn’t like time travel? It’s actually very reminiscent of The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, where the game also follows a time loop and you can help out certain people with their problems. For the movie fans, it also reminds me a bit of Groundhog Day.

I wouldn’t say this concept has been used very often throughout gaming but it’s great when it does. It obviously needs great preparation on the developer’s part, requiring them to create a routine for every single character, making sure they are no clashes and everything runs smoothly.

When you start each new mystery you’ll need to go through a routine yourself. I always started by walking around and unlocking each room of the map that’s now open to me. I’ll admit this was the most boring part of the game, but it was important so it needed to be done before every mystery.

I would also take note of any items I pick up that will help me solve the case. You lose most items once you reset the time, so you’ll have to remember where to pick them up again. Once I know the layout, it’s then time to search out the victim I’ll be saving.

This was probably the most interesting part of the game, simply spying from behind a door or inside a closet and watching what happens during the routine of the victim. It was always exciting to discover the full story of what happens, including the conversations they partake in.

The catch is you can’t be in the same room as anyone, so you must spy on them from the adjacent room or inside a closet. I really did like this because it adds tension and suspense to your investigation.

Though I’ll admit it does get a bit boring when you’re spying for long periods because you’re simply waiting for things to happen and most of the time they are just walking around the mansion.

Once you’ve done your investigating, it’s time to take action and solve the mystery! Unfortunately this was the biggest disappointment of the game where it should have been its strongest point. The solutions to solve each murder were so underwhelming.

Most of the time they just didn’t feel clever and were mostly nonsensical solutions. Most of the time the murder was prevented way before you expected them to. I thought solving them would be more elaborate, considering the process you go through from spying and exploring.

It usually involves you doing two or three things and the murder is already solved. I was left confused almost every time I prevented a murder because the game makes you feel that more needs to be done.

At least every time you do save someone, you’ll gain a new ability from them that helps you in future mysteries. They can give you access to new areas or even help with the investigation process. There were some abilities though that were ultimately pointless and only served to help with collectibles and not the mysteries themselves.

This was another disappointment because they were rarely used. But it was exciting to gain the abilities that did actually help you.

Another thing that annoyed me was the very slow movement of your character. Even when it’s clear he’s trying so hard to run, he still moves at a snail’s pace. I suppose it does create tension when trying to escape when you’re spotted, but when you want to go to a room that’s very far away, you’ll hear the inner groan inside of you.

The controls are not very responsive either, where I had to tap the button multiple times to get Lafcadio just to walk through a door.

The game’s art style is charming at the very least. All characters have over-sized heads which brings attention to their nicely designed masks. The art style does suit the location and the mood the game tries to give off. It also works well with the game’s camera, which is isometric to give you a full view of every room.

The music also suits the charming vibe of the game, but maybe wasn’t suitable for the murder/mystery aspect of it. I also found the music just a bit too loud and imposing, so I had to turn it down so it didn’t distract me so much.

Even though there has been a fair bit of criticism from me about The Sexy Brutale, I feel that it was all worth it for the ending and its plot twist.

Without any spoilers, the ending does shed light on all questions, even when you thought there weren’t many questions to answer. It didn’t really need any kind of plot twist, but it’s actually the part I’m going to remember most about the game, so I’m glad it was there.

The good thing is everything was explained really well, and I never felt confused about it, or felt the need to look up any explanations online.

Overall though, The Sexy Brutale was an average experience. There was a lot of potential for this to be great, but just fell short. The ending did make it all worthwhile, but the solutions for solving each mystery weren’t enough to enjoy it like I wanted.

Score: 7.3/10

Persona 5 Review

The Persona series has always been one of the most unique gaming series there is and there’s really nothing else like it, even if you are a JRPG veteran. The game’s story begins with the protagonist defending a woman from a drunk man’s abuse.

But unfortunately is then falsely accused with assault. He’s then put on a year-long probation, expelled from his school, and sent to stay with a family friend Sojiro Sakura. During this time you attend Shujin Academy, make friends with fellow outcasts, and form a group of close friends.

Not too long into the school year, you and new friend Ryuji activate a supernatural app on your phone which transports you to the metaverse- a sort of parallel world that represents the distorted desires of society.

For some individuals, their desires are so distorted and twisted that they have their own palace within the metaverse. Once you and your group discover how this world works (with the help of the game’s wise-cracking mascot Morgana), you form a group known as the ‘Phantom Thieves’, and together you infiltrate these ‘evil’ people’s palaces to steal their hearts and reform them to become more honest human beings.

The game’s story does touch on some heavy themes, such as sexual harassment and suicide. The game manages to carry a certain maturity with it despite the injection of Japanese craziness!

Persona 5 review — The subway is one the places you’ll visiting many times during your stay in Tokyo.

First I need to talk about Persona 5’s masterful story-telling. The start of the game actually takes place many months into the story, but you are captured by the police and interrogated into re-telling all the events of the past year, in which you then start to play through.

It’s such a unique way to tell a story and this game does a great job of slowly building up to the present time. Each chapter of the story focuses on a new character, or ‘villian’, in which your Phantom Thieves group try to steal their heart.

There is an overall story arc to follow too, and it keeps you even more engaged while you’re enjoying every chapter’s particular story. Because this game takes place over a calendar year, the game does a perfect job of slowly pulling you along, but I don’t feel the game ever dragged on nor were any moments rushed.

The pacing of the story-telling was the game’s greatest strength because it gives you time to become so immersed and become a part of this Japanese world, and helps you form somewhat of a bond with the game’s characters. But because of this, the game requires a lot of your time.

It is a commitment that maybe not everyone is willing to make. Despite the story being slowly told, there are certainly layers upon layers of story to be told here, and all of it is so well told and is highly memorable. So if you’re dedicated enough to spend 100+ hours on it, be ready to be whisked away into a magical experience!

Persona 5 has a great cast of characters, and needs a great cast, considering how much time you’ll be spending with them. Each character has their own backstory and their own problems.

Ryuji is a troubled youth who caused his running track team to become disbanded due to his reckless actions, which still gives him grief throughout the game.

Ann is the kind-hearted but fiery friend who feels responsible for her friend nearly committing suicide. Then there’s Morgana, the cat-like companion who accompanies the protagonist at almost every point in the story. There is a real air of mystery surrounding Morgana, as even he doesn’t know who he truly is.

As you progress through the story and spend more time with them, you’ll get to know them more and really become attached! It might seem silly, but I still miss having conversations with these characters and learning more about them. In the process of getting to know them, you’ll be able to help them with their problems and inner turmoils, making this game an even more touching experience.

There are other benefits to hanging out with the many characters of this game other than learning about them and helping them. Each character has a rank (known as Confidants in this game), and the more you hang out with them, the higher this rank goes.

Higher ranks give you more EXP when creating new persona, and also perks such as gaining access to more items in shops, discounts when buying/selling, easier to recruit persona, and many more! Previous games never had these perks, and I think it gives even more incentive to spend time with these characters.

From a gameplay point of view, Persona 5 greatly improves in many areas from its predecessors. The main dungeons you explore are no longer randomly generated. They’re properly hand-crafted and are fun to make your way through.

They contain puzzles, shortcuts to unlock, and have treasure chests to find. I absolutely had a great time thoroughly exploring every inch of the palaces, then culminating with an awesome boss fight at the end. For those who like randomly generated dungeons, the game caters to those people in the form of Mementos, a large ever-growing dungeon that just focuses on the dungeon-crawling aspect.

While playing through this game you actually play through each and every day of the year (so you can see why it’s so long). During the day you attend school, and after school finishes you can decide how you want to spend your time, and the same goes for the evening.

For example you can study, work a part-time job, hang out with friends, or enter your next target’s palace in the metaverse to progress the story. The amount of choices you have can be overwhelming, and I believe Persona 5 has more choices than previous Persona games.

But regardless of what you decide, no choice is ever wasted because you benefit in some way. Performing certain tasks can increase your social stats, which consist of Knowledge, Guts, Proficiency, Kindness and Charm. For example, studying after school can raise you Knowledge, while taking on a food challenge at the local Big Bang Burger will raise your Guts.

Raising these stats allow you to progress with certain Confidant ranks. I love how everything is tied together, meaning you’re always progressing in some way, so you’ll always feel those small bursts of satisfaction every day of the in-game’s year.

The combat for Persona 5 has largely stayed the same as previous Persona games. You’ll still be wanting to find the elemental weaknesses of each enemy and exploiting it. This puts them in a weakened state, and once all enemies are in this state, your party can perform an all-out attack which causes high damage to them all.

No matter how many times you do this, it always feels good, and you’ll generally win the battle every time. If you’re familiar with turn-based battles in other RPGs, you’ll feel right at home with this battle system. What else I like is how quick it can be to win these battles.

It can be annoying in other RPGs how if you want to explore but are constantly having to do battle after battle. It can be really off-putting to explore but this game feels right with how many battles you do and the amount of exploring that can be done. It’s fairly easy to go stealthy and strike an enemy to ambush them, allowing you to make the first move and defeat them rather quickly.

Rather than simply leveling up and growing stronger like in every other RPG, in the Persona games you must obtain or create Persona, these are similar to ‘summons’, which basically dictate your stats, strengths, weakness and skills.

The process of creating them have been improved and streamlined. More additions have been added such as strengthening your current Persona, something you couldn’t do as easily as previous games, have made the whole Persona system so much better.

The visual style for this game is out of this world! When I first laid eyes on it, I was rather stunned. Even the menus look amazing. It’s sleek, sexy, and pure eye candy.

The music is also some of the best of the year, with its jazz-like sound or its upbeat battle music, the game always sounds great! It adds so much personality to the game, and fits the art style and tone of the game perfectly. I still get the music stuck in my head from time to time, and I still love it.

If there’s one thing that holds this game back, it would be its accessibility. This game is not only long and requires commitment, but there is a lot to learn. Having played through Persona 3 and 4 myself, I was able to comfortably slip into this game and relearn everything quick.

But I suppose if a game like this were to try to be more accessible, it may have to become more simple, and could also take away what makes this game so special. I do applaud this game for not conforming, but sticking to its guns and doing what it does best, even if that means less people being able to experience it.

At the end of the day, I want my games to be immersive and amazing experiences, something I will look back on as though I was the one in that world. These are the reasons I still play video games and Persona 5 achieves this just as well, if not better, as the very best games out there. This game is just perfect in every way, and is without a doubt the best JRPG in the last 18 years.

Score: 10/10

Super Mario Odyssey Review

In Mario’s latest adventure, Bowser has done the unthinkable and kidnapped Princess Peach again! Rather than just holding her up in a castle, he plans to marry her, and Mario pursues Bowser across many kingdoms in an attempt to stop him. To help him along the way, Mario joins forces with Cappy, a ghost-like creature who possesses his hat and lends his abilities.

First I have to say that this game is pure joy and happiness! I had a smile on my face for every second I played it. If you don’t have a Switch, buy one for this game, and if you already own a Switch and don’t have this game, what are you waiting for?!?
Even just listening to the game’s main song “Jump Up, Super Star” fills me with happiness and is one of my favourite songs in any game.

Super Mario Odyssey review — Fun awaits you everywhere you go.

Let’s talk about one of the best features of Super Mario Odyssey- Cappy himself! When Mario throws his hat at certain enemies and objects, he’s able to ‘capture’ them and take control. This is needed to solve problems, reach certain areas, and ultimately collect power moons.

There’s a lot of variety in what you can capture, with over 50 things you can take control of and each has their own abilities and uses. There’s your typical Mario enemies like Koopa Troopers, Goombas, and Lakitu that you can control.

It’s a very unusual feeling being able to play as these characters after decades of trying to stomp on their heads. Then there’s the more unique captures like zippers, manholes, and spark pylons.

My personal favourites were the Tropical Wriggler and Pokio, with both offering some fun and unique gameplay experiences. It’s always exciting taking control of something new and it just adds so much more fun to the game.

The many kingdoms that Mario travels to are all unique in their own way- from their colour palettes, their design, art styles, and to the characters/enemies you encounter. They range from cities, to forests, to even a kingdom made of food!

Setting foot on each kingdom for the first time always filled me with a sense of discovery, and I couldn’t wait to head off to see what the new kingdom had in store for me. Most of the kingdoms are generally small though.

There are some exceptions like the Sand Kingdom and Metro Kingdom, but their size didn’t matter because every world is cram-packed with things to do! I liked how each kingdom served a purpose in the story and they all related to Bowser’s plans for his wedding.

I know Mario games aren’t strong in the story department, but the fact that every kingdom felt relevant shows the thought put into each one.

You’ll find doors that lead to separate platforming sections which were all a joy to complete. Once you’ve finished these areas you’ll be rewarded with a power moon. Hidden within each one though is another power moon, meaning you’ll need to be thorough if you want to find them all.

These sections were never too difficult, but I think their was more emphasis on them just being fun. They do get more difficult much later on, but by then you will be ready.

There are also your usual yellow coins to collect, and they actually have more of a use this time around. You can use them to buy a health refill, power moons, and plenty of different costumes.

I particularly enjoyed buying the latest costume that fit the theme of the kingdom I was in. It made me feel just a little more part of that kingdom. Apart from yellow coins are the new purple coins.

There’s only a limited amount to find in each kingdom so they are hidden well and are used to buy more costumes, souvenirs and stickers to decorate your Odyssey ship. It’s always nice to be able to take a little piece of each kingdom with you as you journey along.

The goal of Super Mario Odyssey is to collect power moons to power up your ship known the the Odyssey. This allows Mario and Cappy to be able to journey to each subsequent kingdom and to continue to chase Bowser. There are an incredible amount of power moons to collect but you will find them fairly regularly.

I liked Nintendo’s strategy here, getting power moons at a faster rate means you get that satisfaction on a regular basis, which keeps the game fun and exciting at all times! There are many different ways to find these power moons- they can be hidden in the ground, rewarded to you at the end of a platforming section, or capturing an enemy to reach them!

It’s that constant variety of collecting each power moon that always keeps this game feeling fresh, as I don’t think it’s actually possible to get bored of it. My only criticism is the fact that you can simply buy power moons later in the game.

This didn’t make sense to me as Nintendo has always made their players earn the rewards. Sure, some people might want power moons quicker to unlock content that requires them, but there’s plenty out there to find anyway.

One of my favourite inclusions were the 2D sections that look like they were taken straight from the old 2D Mario games. Every time I saw those pixelated pipes, I got excited to jump into the 2D world! Sometimes they would lead to a power moon, or just simply lead you further into the kingdom.

It might not be the most challenging game out there, but this game’s main focus is exploration, discovery, and good old fashion fun! There are of course some very difficult moments (certain post-game challenges for example) but they are still few and far between.

It’s a game you can still relax and play without feeling much pressure and stress, but will still challenge you enough to give you that feeling of satisfaction. Luckily Mario’s movement is fluid and responsive, so you’re able to get Mario through any challenge thrown at him.

There’s so much originality and creativity packed into just one game. I can easily say that this is Mario’s best game ever! But not only is it Mario’s best game, Super Mario Odyssey is a celebration of the entire Mario series!

There are so many references to all of the main Mario games, and while this game cleverly uses nostalgia, at the same time Nintendo has created something brand new, refreshing and unique.

I feel like Nintendo are well and truly back in the game and their home console is no longer the ‘side console’ to Sony and Microsoft.
From a life long fan- thank you Nintendo! THANK YOU!!!

Score: 10/10

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Review

The Legend of Zelda series is one of the most well known, and loved, gaming series of all time. The series has been around for over 30 years and every entry in the series is made with a high level of polish and quality. They almost all follow a familiar formula though, and while it has worked well this whole time, the team at Nintendo decided it was time for a major overhaul. This thought process gave us The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

Like in all Zelda games, you play as Link, a knight who has slept for 100 years in a restoration chamber. The game starts with him finally awakening, unaware what has happened to the land of Hyrule over the past century.

Not long into the journey, you’re told about Calamity Ganon, an evil being who has been sealed inside Hyrule castle, by none other than Princess Zelda herself. Calamity Ganon is gaining in strength though, and Link needs to act in order to stop him from escaping and causing chaos and destruction on the world.

This game really does a great job of setting up the story, and makes you feel what’s at stake for the journey ahead. Once you’ve completed your initial tasks, the game takes off your leash and you’re free to go about your quest how you see fit.

Breath of the Wild review — The views in Breath of the Wild are spectacular, and you can practically go anywhere you can see.

First thing I need to mention is the land of Hyrule itself- it’s possibly the best designed open world in gaming history. It’s without a doubt set a new gold standard for open world design. It just feels alive and you’ll definitely feel something special and magical about it.

Whether it’s the realistic weather effects, the people going about their business, or the beautiful art style, this game does an amazing job of transporting you to this new vision of Hyrule.

The game’s music also helps elevate the immersion and it makes the world seem peaceful despite the dangers that await you. The gentle sound effects also help give this game personality.

Also what makes it feel so great is that it’s like every little part of this world has been carefully crafted. There’s secrets everywhere, and unlike a lot of open world games, Hyrule is actually fun to explore!

There’s no markers on a map that shows you where things are. The game wants you to explore it and it’s such a refreshing feeling! Every other open world game shows you what there is to do on the map and to me it generally feels like to ‘To Do’ list, which usually feels like a chore.

This game gives you a fresh canvas, only showing on the map what you’ve discovered to feel like a list of achievements.You’ll find treasure chests, shrines, little puzzles that lead to Korok seeds, and so much more.

There’s a variety of ways to get around the land of Hyrule. Apart from walking, you can catch and tame your own horse. Then you can register them at stables and mount them from any other stable in the world. Link has this Spiderman-like ability to climb up most surfaces, but you must watch your stamina gauge.

Early on you’ll be given a paraglider so you can glide through the air from big heights. It’s a very fun and exciting way to travel. With all these ways of travelling, it adds to all the freedom this game tries to give you, and it’s all executed so well.

Another part of the level design I love is the fact that Hyrule Castle sits right in the middle of the world, so almost wherever you are, you’ll see a constant reminder of your ultimate goal. Once you’ve completed your main goals for your quest, and you’re ready to enter Hyrule Castle for the final battle against Calamity Ganon, it’s a surreal feeling you won’t find in any other game.

All of your hard work and everything you’ve prepared for comes down to that moment, and it’s one I’ll never forget.

The next best thing about this game are the shrines. They were definitely the highlight for me! Previous Zelda games had about 6-8 big dungeons, whereas this game has decided to do things differently, spreading out over 100 shrines throughout the world and each containing essentially a bite-sized dungeon. Each shrine will generally focus on a particular mechanic and base the puzzle on that.

Occasionally there are shrines dedicated to combat, so you’ll need to come back at a later time if your equip isn’t up to par. At the end of each shrine you’ll receive an orb, and once you’ve collected 4 of these, they can be traded to extend your maximum hearts or your maximum stamina.

There are 4 main dungeons too but they are still smaller than your regular dungeons. These 4 particular dungeons are your main focus for your quest. At the end of each one you’ll face a boss, but I will admit these bosses were a slight letdown.

They weren’t really memorable and felt more like a hack and slack affair. Previous Zelda games had you solve each boss, as though they were like a puzzle, but in Breath of the Wild, it wasn’t really the case.

The main thing Breath of the Wild focuses on is freedom. You’re allowed to do things in whatever order you want, whether it be the main quest, exploring, etc. This is what really separates this game from the previous games in the series. Of course there are limits.

Some areas might be too cold, or too hot, and not equipping the appropriate gear can slowly damage you. Also some enemies may be too strong for you too handle. But the thing is this game doesn’t stop you from going to those places and trying your luck.

Combat has stayed fairly similar to previous games and feels as good as ever. Though more has been added to this game such as stealth attacks, flurry rush and parry. The game even gives you multiple options when approaching combat with things like explosive barrels placed nearby, rocks sitting on cliff edges right above your enemies, or even enemies all having a nice nap allowing you to stealth kill them one by one. But this is certainly the most difficult Zelda yet, with some enemies being able to kill you in one hit.

Luckily an RPG element has finally been introduced to the game by being able to purchase (and upgrade) your gear to increase defense. Upgrading gear requires you to collect materials scattered around the world. and it’s always a great feeling getting that extra defense because you’ll need it. There’s also different weapons to collect with varying strengths and uses.

One of the more divisive aspects of this game are that all weapons are breakable, and once they’re gone, they’re gone for good! I hated this at first but eventually got used to it and it made me get excited about finding new weapons. It also ties in well with being able to expand your weapon inventories.

This game has already won most of the Game of the Year awards from a lot of websites and award ceremonies, and while I fully understand why (and it is deserving), I just don’t think I can give it that same honour, and here’s why:
I feel that the main questline simply needed more ‘meat’. There’s really not a whole lot to it, and it’s the travelling that stretches it out. I just think if a game aims to be an epic journey, the main quest and objectives need to follow suit.

The world of Hyrule is absolutely huge- why not make the most of it!? I just wish the game was a little more narrative-driven, and I know that goes against what this game is trying to achieve, but it would’ve helped me feel more engaged in the game and the journey Link was going on.

Also most of the side quests were just fetch quests, which I don’t understand why Nintendo would take this route with them. I would’ve preferred less side-quests, but them being more fleshed out and memorable. There were a few side quests like this (like the Tarrey Town quest), but collecting 10 Luminous Stones or Crickets for people just feels pointless and uninspired.

If it wasn’t for those main criticisms, I would also be calling this game one of the best ever made. But don’t get me wrong, I still consider this game a masterpiece and an achievement in game design. I will definitely be playing it and exploring Hyrule for many more months to come.

The attention to detail, love, and care that went into making this game brings a huge smile to my face. You can really tell that Nintendo want the best experience possible for us gamers.

Score: 9.7/10

Resident Evil VII Biohazard Review

In recent times, the Resident Evil series had been in decline. It started taking more of an action-oriented approach, but in the process became like any other third-person shooter, and it lost what made this series special in the first place.

Resident Evil 6 was panned by critics and fans, and sales weren’t great for it either, so Capcom had to do something to overturn this slide. Thankfully with this entry, they’ve returned Resident Evil back its roots, and at the same time kept it fresh with a new first-person perspective.

But wow has this series returned to form, and as a long-time fan, this made me so incredibly happy!
Previous protagonists of the series no longer take centre stage for this game (sorry Chris, Jill, and Leon fans), you now play as the faceless Ethan, a man in search of his long-lost wife Mia and must travel to Louisiana to find her.

Your search has led you to a seemingly abandoned house which you soon discover is home to the creepy Baker family. But these aren’t your ordinary hillbilly residents, as they seem to be infected with a virus which has made them very violent and deranged, but also given them regenerative abilities and super strength.

Resident Evil VII — The creepy Baker family.

Even though you control Ethan, I would say the Bakers are the real stars of the show. Jack is the father and the patriarch of the family. You’ll encounter him more than the other members in the family. He’s not afraid to be as brutal as possible to make you suffer.

Then there’s Marguerite- the caring mother who just wants to feed you with her huge feast of disgusting entrails, intestines, and who know what else! Her screeching voice is a sound that’ll haunt you well after you’ve finished the game!

And finally the son Lucas, the creatively thinking young man who takes a different approach from his parents. Rather than take you head on, he’d rather have you struggle through his tricks and traps, all while watching you from afar.

Every encounter with each family member, whether it be in a cutscene or boss fight, is always a memorable one.

Resident Evil VII has thankfully ditched the action-oriented approach of the recent Resident Evil games, and has gone back to the exploration and survival approach of the earlier games. This is what made them great and I really hope Capcom stick with this formula from now on. Conserving bullets is a must as enemies don’t drop them and you can’t simply buy more if you run out.

You can craft more, but even those materials are limited. The same goes for health items, as you’ll want to save as much possible for boss fights and tougher enemies later on. On the Easy and Normal difficulties, you won’t have too much of a problem, but on the hardest difficulty it’s a different story altogether.

Speaking of going back to being about exploration, this game delivers, but maybe not strongly as the previous games in terms of key items and puzzles. There’s a lot to find and pick up but it is mostly ammo, health, and crafting materials. There is the occasional puzzle here and there, but I do wish there were more.

Another major change is its shift to the first person perspective. This allows for more immersion which also increases the fear-factor too. Seeing through the eyes of Ethan really makes you feel like you’re in that creepy house, and it’s certainly not a house you want to be trapped in! It’s dark, messy, moldy and cramped.

Not being able to see all around you, unlike the previous games, really fits in with this style of horror. It also makes it more difficult to take down enemies because you’ll need to aim at specific body parts. With previous Resident Evil games you simply need to aim in their general direction to kill them.

To me, this is definitely the scariest Resident Evil game ever. The setting for this game is also unique to the series, and looks and feels more gory than ever. You never know what’s around the corner, and even if there’s nothing there, the game’s atmosphere creates so much tension you can’t help but get scared.

Combined with the fact that you’re very vulnerable and can’t mount too much of an offense really raises the tension even further. The game does a great job of playing with your mind too, with constant little sound effects like footsteps and banging sounds, it makes you think something is there when it’s not.

There’s not too many enemies in the game compared to the previous games, but this makes every encounter more scary because they are tougher and take more bullets to kill. But being a survival game, bullets are rare and you have to make them count!

This series is known for containing many zombies coming after you, but this game has a more unique type of foe, besides the Bakers that is. Known as the Molded, these enemies come in multiple shapes, but most of the ones you encounter are human shaped.

There’s not much to them in terms of how they look. They’re all strange, skinless dark coloured beasts and can come out of the ground, walls, and large piles of the mold that they’re made out of. I do wish Capcom made each type of molded look more distinct from each other, other than just their shape. They’re surprisingly tough- both in offense and defense.

You’ll need to aim at their limbs if you want to stop them with minimum bullets. Facing more than one at a time could spell trouble. There is an annoying section involving them about a quarter of the way through the game which was a massive difficulty spike and something I wish Capcom addressed before the game’s release (or patched out).

Anyone who has played this game should know what I’m talking about, but I won’t mention for spoiler reasons.

Like all the best Resident Evil’s, they have great replay value, as I can play them over and over throughout the years and never get bored of them. This game is no exception!

I put Resident Evil VII down as one of the very best among them. It remains true to what makes this series great, but keeps it fresh and unique, and the future of this series is promising once again!

Score: 9.5/10

Nioh Review

Nioh belongs to the ever-growing ‘Souls’ genre, and to me, this game is the best one of the lot (with 2015’s Bloodbourne coming in a close second). You play as William, an Irishman journeying through a dark fantasy version of 1600’s Japan. A war between factions is taking place in which William becomes involved, all the while pursuing an enemy who has stolen William’s spirit guardian Saoirse.

I’ll admit the story was fairly difficult to follow, with all the Japanese names being thrown around, I did sometimes get lost with what was going on. But I did not play this game for its story, I played it for its amazing action and gameplay!

If you’ve played a ‘Souls’ game before, or anything else like it, you know what to expect here. The combat is brutal and challenging, but very fair and skilled-based. If you play well and avoid the enemies attacks, while waiting for your chance to strike, you’ll be able to survive each encounter.

If your careless and impatient, you’ll pay dearly for it. I love the balance this game strikes with it all though. Where Bloodbourne was very fast paced and all about evading, and the Souls games being a bit slower, Nioh gets it just right somewhere in the middle.

It easily caters to so many playstyles, whether you want to attack fast but weak, or slow but strong, there’s many different weapons that allow for whatever works for you. To add to that, there’s three different stances to coincide with your playstyle too.

The high stance increases your attack power but drains your Ki (stamina) faster. Dodging and blocking in this stance is also limited, so you may need to be careful with the high stance. The low stance allows you to move faster but will lower your attack power.

The low stance would mainly be used for escaping tough situations. The mid stance is a combination of both, striking a balance between good attack and defense. I used this stance the whole way through my time with this game.

To make this genre even better, this game has loot! Not just items, but tiered gear too, just to add more depth and addictiveness to an already fun game. Every time you defeat an enemy, whether it be an ordinary enemy or boss, scavenging their dropped loot is always fun.

Then when you have some breathing space, scrolling through what you’ve picked up to see if it’ll raise your stats, is always an exciting moment. There’s quite a lot to consider when equipping new gear. Do you go for higher defense? Higher elemental defense?

There’s plenty of other perks gear can contain, so deciding what you want will vary from player to player.

Nioh may not have the strong atmosphere that previous games in this genre has, but it makes up for it in its great locations. There are villages, battlefields, forests, temples, and more. Who doesn’t love the look and style of ancient Japanese temples?

The enemies also look amazing too! Known as Yokai, these enemies ranges from small demonic heads, to large and powerful ogres. Each of them bring their own unique attacks and strategies you’ll have to learn to get through them.

Facing them one at a time is always preferable, but occasionally you’ll have to face multiple enemies, and prioritizing will be important as battles can get chaotic. I personally like to take out the smaller, weaker foes first so I can concentrate on the bigger, stronger foes.

The bosses of course bring a whole other level of challenge. You’ll need to be on your toes from the start to survive the bosses and the battles can feel like an eternity at times. Finally defeating the boss at the end of each level brings that huge sigh of relief, following by joy as you grab all the loot that they dropped.

Another thing that separates this game is its level structure, opting for self-contained levels, rather than one continuous world.

I surprisingly really liked this, because I always wanted to complete each level thoroughly and find all its collectibles (love those little Kodamas!) before moving on, which was always very satisfying. I still liked to fully explore other games of this genre, but my exploration never felt complete, which irked me but I never felt that way with Nioh.

This game also has fairly long replay value, with multiple side missions, post game content, and DLC, this game will keep you going for a long time!
Nioh’s difficulty is always going to put people off, but if you love these sorts of games, you must play this one!

Score: 9.5/10

SteamWorld Dig 2 Review

There were quite a few good indie games released in 2017, though maybe not as many great ones as last year, but SteamWorld Dig 2 to me is this year’s best indie! You play as Dot, a robot in search of Rusty, the protagonist of the first game who has mysteriously disappeared.

Dot travels to Rusty’s last known location at El Machino, in which she learns that Dusty had been mining underground and has yet to return. From then, you begin your journey down below the earth.

As you progress you eventually learn about earthquakes that have started suddenly, and you’ll have fun dealing with a crazy cult along the way. But this game is all about digging! Like the original SteamWorld Dig, digging down into the earth is what you will spend a lot of time doing.

The underground area is basically blank canvas, in which as you dig, you create the map as you go down. Meaning you’re essentially creating your own levels, which gives it a personal touch.

There’s also a fast travel system, where you’ll find tubes that connect back to El Machino, so there’s not too much back-tracking to deal with. It’s always a nice relief when you find them.

But there is more to it than simply hacking away at dirt. You’ll find plenty of gemstones, gold, and all sorts of treasure buried away. As you collect these, you’ll need to take them back to the world above and trade them in for money, which can then be used for upgrades.

This is where the games starts to get addictive. Anytime I see treasure in the dirt, I always feel compelled to grab it. You feel this compulsion to seek out every bit of treasure you see around and it’s so satisfying collecting everything you see, even if it’s not worth much.

There’s plenty of things that you can upgrade- such as your pickaxe strength for digging quicker, your capacity for carrying treasure, and upgrading other weapons as you unlock them. That feeling of bringing up a haul of treasure and upgrading is so fun and satisfying.

Being a game that takes many influences from the Metroid games, you’ll be acquiring new abilities along the way in order to progress underground. It’s always exciting when you unlock a new ability! Combine this with the fact that most of these abilities can be further upgraded just adds to the fun.

One of my favourite parts of this game are the caves that lead to separate platforming sections. They do a great job of testing your skills and use of abilities. They’re really well designed too and I enjoyed every single one of them. You’ll always get rewarded well by the end of it, and maybe you’ll receive a bonus if you explore well enough.

Everything about this game just felt so polished, from Dot’s movements, jumping, wall-jumping, etc. just everything felt so good and responsive. And that’s important especially for the more intense platforming sections.

There’s a nice variety in what will try to destroy you too. Different types of enemies with charge attacks, projectile attacks, etc. will mindlessly try to kill you. Combat is probably the only weak point in this game, as a pickaxe has very limited range, but can at least be upgraded.

There are other weapons to use, but the pickaxe is so much more convenient and efficient. Not only are there enemies out to get you, there’s the environment you’ll need to watch out for too. If you’re too careless in your digging, you can get crushed by rocks/boulders.

There’s acid, lava, and spikes all scattered throughout each area for you avoid (or fall into). So digging will involve a bit of foresight to find as much treasure as possible, all while avoiding the tricks and traps.

Throughout my entire playthrough, I was never bored. Even getting 100% collectibles and completing every challenge was always fun and never felt like a chore like it is with many other games. It’s also a bit longer than its prequel, so it never felt too short or never dragged on.

If you love the ‘Metroidvania’ genre, fun platforming, gathering treasure and having the addictive hook of upgrading yourself, then you must play this game!

Score: 9.4/10

Middle Earth: Shadow of War Review

In this sequel to 2014’s Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor, you continue the story of Talion to keep the forces of Sauron at bay. While the first game showed a lot of ambition and almost makes it there, this sequel finally reaches that full potential in the form of more regions to explore, more story to play through, and more mechanics to learn.

The creator of the One Ring, Celebrimbor, is still infused in you and acts as your guiding voice throughout your quest. In this story, Talion and Celebrimbor forge a new ring, one that can allow Talion to amass an army of Orcs, Uruks and even Ologs.

By creating an army, Talion’s main goal is to conquer each region of Mordor to prevent Sauron from completing his goal of world domination.

Shadow of War review — You’ll usually be fighting multiple Orcs at once.

Instead of having one main quest though, Shadow of War divides its story into multiple quest chains, each with their own individual stories but still in some way ties into the main narrative. The great thing is you’re free to choose what storylines you want to follow.

Each quest within the quest chain spreads out over the various regions, so it’s best to only do the ones within the region you’re in. The individual storylines are hit and miss, some are interesting to follow, while others are just a bit bland.

There’s a lot of other activities you can do too. There’s challenges to complete that represent Celebrimbor’s past, there’s the Online Vendettas for avenging the death of other players online, and aiding your dominated Orcs in their own quests. Let’s not forget the collectibles too! This is an open-world game after all.

But the core of Shadow of War and what really got its hooks into me, was the ability to build your own army to take down the enemy’s fortress, in order to claim the region as your own. In order to do this, you’ll need to fight the Orc/Uruk/Olog of your choice and once their health is low enough, they go into a state known as ‘broken’.

Once this happens, you’ll be using your Dominate skill to convert them to your side. Once they’re in your army you can use them how you see fit. You can have them fight by your side, but risk them falling in combat. You can send them off on their own quests.

You can make them stronger by fighting other Orcs. Or you can just leave them in your army to be used for the assault on that region’s fortress.

What I loved about this was that the game allows you to do it how you see fit, and doesn’t hold your hand through the process. It was so liberating and felt so fresh. You can also seek out the Warchiefs of each fortress and kill them off individually to make your invasion easier.

Then when the moment comes to invade, and you eventually kill off the fortress Overlord, it gives you such a great feeling of accomplishment!

The combat mostly stays the same as the original game and is still as fun as ever. Like games before it that used the same type of combat, you’ll need to be ready to counter and dodge when you see particular symbols appear above the enemies heads.

You’ll need to be looking around you as well as looking at your direct opponent if you want to survive. I’ve always loved this type of combat and glad it remained for this sequel. Every Captain or Warchief you face has their own set of strengths and weaknesses you’ll need to look out for.

Every Captain needs to be approached differently if you want to be successful in your battles. This makes every fight feel different if you feel the need to take advantage of weaknesses, and the game gives you a lot of variety to work with.

There’s even gear to earn for Talion just to add more depth to it all too. While it doesn’t feel as exciting as earning gear as other games, it’s still a welcome addition. Being able to add gems into your gear allows you to enhance certain stats, like health, attack, and XP gain.

The only real downside to Shadow of War was the final act, which was so repetitive and dragged on way too long! You needed to get through this act to see the game’s final ending (which is worth it) but really waters down the experience by how unnecessarily long and tedious it is.

It’s essentially defending your fortresses one after another, going through different stages, and defending more fortresses within each stage as you go along. This game probably would’ve rated higher for me if that act was either omitted or severely shortened.

Apart from that main criticism, this game was still an epic experience that I enjoyed for most of the way through.

Score: 9.2/10

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle Review

In this unlikely alliance, Mario and his new Rabbid heroes team up to take out the troublesome Rabbid villains, in a world that has seen Mushroom Kingdom twisted by these insane critters. Guided by Beep-O, Mario must travel through this new distorted Mushroom Kingdom to find his missing friends and save the day.

I’ll admit that at first, I didn’t care much for this game when it was first announced. I never really liked the Rabbids, and while I like strategic turn-based combat, I wouldn’t exactly call myself a massive fan of it. It was a hard sell for me. And wow was I silly to not get more excited about it!

It turned out to be surprisingly good, teaching me not to judge a book (or this case, a game) by its cover.

Kingdom Battle review — You control Beep-O through the twisted version of Mushroom Kingdom.

As I mentioned before the combat in Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle is strategic and turn-based, and is surprisingly deep and challenging! The rules are simple- defeat all the enemies on the map before they defeat you.

To do this, you’ll need to think about various things before you even start the battle. Do you have the right team? Where are the best places to position your team members? Based on the enemy types, what would be the best approach to taking them down?

There’s plenty to think about but it’s always enjoyable. There are other objectives apart from conquest such as simply making it to the end of the map, escorting a weaker character, or taking down a boss. This kind of variety keeps things fresh, but most of the time it is all about conquest.

Over the course of Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, you’ll unlock more characters to experiment with. Characters like Mario and Yoshi are more focused on offense, while Peach and Rabbid Peach are more focused on defense/healing.

Characters have their own unique abilities while at the same time can share abilities with other characters. It’s finding the balance in your strategy and what characters to choose that can determine success or failure. I found myself having a go with every character as I unlocked them, and I felt that all characters were worthy of being chosen.

But I always found it helpful to have two offensive characters and a healer, but that’s just me. Everyone has their own way of doing things and that’s what makes this game fun, as there’s no one right way of winning.

You can also upgrade your team’s equipment with coins found inside and outside of battle, so you may want to stick with a small selection of characters so you can afford to buy all the equipment they need. It’s advisable to buy the best gear for your chosen team as higher attack power will be needed as you progress.

There’s an upgrade tree for every character too which improves characters abilities such as movement range, increasing health, and each character’s attacking abilities.

Almost every chapter throughout the game, new enemy types are introduced, forcing you to adjust any strategies you might be comfortable with. Some will hide behind cover, some will move closer to you when attacked, and some can throw you back to the beginning of the stage.

Having to consider all the different types of attacks that can get thrown at you just adds even more depth to the action. This means considering the positioning of your team is absolutely crucial. If you make one wrong decision, you could very well lose a team member, and they cannot be revived.

This all just builds up to such a satisfying victory, if you can think your way through each stage. The great thing is if you do fail, you’ll feel like you can learn from it, and try again with maybe a different approach. This happened to me quite a few times in the second half of the game.

In between battles, you can explore more of the world to collect coins, solve puzzles, and find hidden treasures. It’s a nice, and fun, distraction from all the battles because there are a lot of them! The puzzles aren’t too difficult but it is nice just to have a bit of variety.

All the coins you collect during these stages you can use to upgrade your team’s gear, so it’s worth taking the time to explore. Other rewards such as the game’s soundtracks, 3D models, and artwork didn’t really interest me that much, as I may have let out a slight disappointed groan whenever I found them in treasure chests.

It’s still worth seeking treasure chests out to unlock more weapons to buy, and orbs for upgrade abilities.

While there are better Switch games out there to enjoy, don’t let Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle slip away through the cracks! It may look like a cutesy game, but it’s not afraid to kick your butt. It’s challenging and deep, but also an extremely fun and satisfying game!

Score: 9.1/10

Horizon Zero Dawn Review

A new open-world adventure, set in a post-apocalyptic world teeming with dangerous robots roaming all corners of the land. You play as Aloy, a woman banished from her tribe at birth, on a quest to discover the secrets of the world, and to find out about her mysterious origins.

In the world that Aloy lives, humans have regressed to living in tribes, and gives the game a unique prehistoric vibe. Despite this, technology is what rules the world, in the form of dangerous robots.

These robots depict all kind of creatures such as birds, crocodiles and giraffes. They look great, move realistically, and really bring the world to life despite not being living creatures themselves.

Horizon Zero Dawn review — The battle are intense and exhilarating.

Fighting these robotic beast where the highlight of the game for me, and it’s probably the best combat in an open-world game to date! The game doesn’t want you to rush into battle though as the combat can be difficult.

Horizon Zero Dawn emphasizes stealth and preparation, and allows you to plan traps around before getting the beast’s attention. Nothing is more satisfying than laying down a heap of exploding wire traps and watching your enemies running into them, either killing them in the process, or damaging them enough to allow you to finish them off.

I loved some of their clever designs, such as having tall grass to hide in featuring red tips on the top to match Aloy’s red hair.

Every robot has their own unique attacks which you’ll need to learn. They also all have their own weaknesses to exploit, making battles with each type of robot a unique one. The combat is always fast, fluid, action-packed, and sometimes even breath-taking! My first battle with a Sawtooth was one of my best memories in this game.

Like most RPGs, or games with RPG elements, you’ll need materials from the robots out in the wild in order to craft new gear. Different pieces of armour can increase physical defense, elemental defense, so you’ll need to craft and equip what you’ll need for certain battles.

Some pieces of armour contain slots for even more customization. There’s also a whole range of weapons to use, each with their own purpose. You’ll have your trusty spear for melee combat. Rattlers are your close range shotguns.

Then there’s my favourite- the Tripcaster which allows you fire wires between two points to cause various effects when enemies run into them. These effects include stunning with electricity, dealing damage with fire, or causing non-elemental explosions.

There’s plenty more weapons to choose from, but as can only equip four at a time, you’ll need to decide what works best for your playstyle.

There’s also an upgrade tree to gain and improve skills in three different areas. The Prowler tree improves your stealth and mobillity. The Brave tree is for those who like to play more offensively and helps with combat.

The Forager tree is a more diverse tree and helps with overriding your robot opponents, increase healing speed, and gaining more resources. This all just adds more depth to turning Aloy into a more powerful warrior.

The world that Horizon Zero Dawn is set in is stunningly beautiful. Every time I had a chance to admire the great views this game has, I always stopped and just admired. There are a few different types of locations to enjoy- forest, rocky mountains, snowy regions, and they all look amazing!

Everything about this game is just so polished from the weather effects, changes from day to night, to the grass and trees blowing in the wind, you can tell so much work was put into making this world feel so realistic.

As great as it all looks, in terms of things to do, it’s all a bit familiar. Being an open-world game, it features all the things we’ve all done before in this type of game.

There are plenty of collectibles to find, and while they can be fun to find, you can buy maps that show roughly where they are on the map. It does kind of take the exploration side of things away because you’ll know exactly where to look.

There are sizable bandit camps to clear out, and these side quests can take a while, especially if you take the stealth approach. But once you clear them it is immensely satisfying because they contain quite a few bandits, but some good rewards.

There’s also the training grounds to test your skills and you must complete unique challenges. Normally I wouldn’t care about these kind of activities and usually ignore them in most games, but they were surprisingly fun here.

Despite having fun side activities, still not a whole lot is done to evolve the genre, and while I do love open-world games, it is starting to get a bit stale doing these same kind of activities in every single one of them

Aloy herself is a great character. She’s full of drive and is dedicated to her quest. She has a very memorable design and I can see her being here to stay in the group of popular Sony characters.

It’s just a bit of a shame that Aloy is really the only memorable character in Horizon Zero Dawn, whereas everyone else just feels like cardboard cut-outs.

Another criticism I have is that the main questline really is nothing too special, as most of the time you’re just travelling from one place to another just to unravel more and more information about the world’s secrets.

Walking from point to point isn’t exactly exciting story-telling, but the secrets that you do discover are actually pretty amazing! So it’s the backstory/lore of the game that is brilliant, just the actual story of the game is a bit average.

Despite these criticisms, its amazing combat, jaw-dropping visuals, and brilliant back-story make this game a must play! I can’t think of another open-world game that does combat better in terms of intensity, fluidity, and excitement.

Score: 7.3/10

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Score: 9.5/10

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