Tales of Vesperia is a competent JRPG that suffers from a lack of focus: it presents a complicated protagonist with a narrative arc full of potential but builds the story around other unrelated subjects. It still offers some great moments and scenes, but could have been a much better experience with a tighter script.
The protagonist is Yuri, a young man that left knighthood after realizing that a police force works not for the people, but for those few in power. Yuri’s hometown, Zaphias, is marked by stark social inequality: “To lack nobility is to lack humanity,” a nobleman scoffs. This explains why no one seems to care that the local fountain in the Lower Quarter has [...]
To better understand Immortals Fenyx Rising – the action-adventure game developed by Ubisoft about a Greek warrior named Fenyx, who is trying to stop a Titan from ruling the world – it’s important to compare it to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. This is not because of their many superficial similarities – as it blatantly borrows many ideas, mechanics, and even the general art style from Nintendo’s behemoth – but because of their stark differences in structure. At a first glance, they may appear to be very much alike, but the core of both games couldn’t be more distinct.
Breath of the Wild is all about the exploration of a fully realized post-apocalyptic fantasy world. [...]
A Plague Tale: Innocence is a stealth-adventure game that greatly succeeds in setting up an intriguing story and building an engrossing, oppressive atmosphere: it’s a game that excels in mood and tension. Unfortunately, it’s also one that is bogged down by an increasing amount of silliness and an underwhelming ending.
Our young protagonist, Amicia de Rune, is the daughter of a French lord and lives with her family in a wealthy state in the 14th century. She’s introduced to us as a hunter, going out with her father and her dog, Lion, to look for game. Eventually, they come across a bizarre sight: a destroyed area of the forest, where a dark hole seems to hide some vicious [...]
“Time marches on and sooner or later you realize it is marching across your face.”
Lake is a game about a specific time in some people’s lives, usually when they are in their thirties or forties and suddenly realize that everything has passed in the blink of an eye. It was just yesterday that they were going to school, worried about grades and homework, and now they’re adults with bills and responsibilities. Their childhood friends are now married and with kids, living in another town. They were so busy working, studying, producing, and meeting deadlines that when they finally stop to take a breath, they realize that more than a decade has gone by. It’s a game about nostalgia [...]
Chorus is a competent space combat shooter that offers fast-paced action and a fascinating if underdeveloped story. The lack of mission variety can hold the experience back, but the game’s space dogfights are usually exhilarating enough to make up for it.
The protagonist is Nara, a former ace pilot of the Circle, a religious group that is wreaking havoc in the galaxy, trying to make people submit to their doctrines by force and killing those who refuse. She is a deserter in hiding, working as a simple scavenger for a man named Sav in the reclusive settlement of the Enclave.
Nara chose a job that wouldn’t let her forget her past deeds: while scavenging, she often comes [...]
Battle Chasers: Nightwar, a turn-based RPG based on Joe Madureira’s fantasy comic, boasts a beautiful art style and a serviceable, if repetitive combat system. Unfortunately, its barebones story leaves much to be desired: Nightwar may look and play alright, but the narrative element that could have improved the experience is just not there.
The story follows a group of misfits, led by a girl named Gully, who wears a pair of magical gauntlets from her dead father, who was once a great hero. This puts a target on her back, but fortunately, she has some friends (the swordsman Garrison, the golem Calibretto, the rogue Red Monika, and the wizard Knolan) to protect her. These [...]