Paratopic PC Game Reviews

Paratopic

Paratopic is a game about smuggling VHS tapes across the border, but how it presents itself is more like a fever dream than a traditional adventure. To unnerve players even further, the visuals look like they are straight from the 32-bit era of horror titles, and the distorted speech sounds as creepy as can be. Even the story is split between three characters and plays out in disjointed vignettes that abruptly cut between each other. Despite all this and the short length of the game, it is a memorable experience and will definitely find an audience amongst certain players. 

Gameplay: Paratopic is short, baffling, unnerving and somehow also very compelling and memorable. 

Graphics: The 32-bit visuals look like they wouldn’t tax a Playstation One, but the frame rate is smooth, and the low-poly aesthetic really fits the game’s style. 

Sound: The soundtrack consists of silence punctuated by synthesizers and droning sounds, while the distorted speech is unsettling, to say the least. 

Blackwell Unbound PC Game Reviews

Blackwell Unbound

Blackwell Unbound is the second title in the Blackwell series, but it is a prequel instead of a sequel to The Blackwell Legacy. Instead of Roseangela, players take control of her aunt, Lauren Blackwell. Along with her spirit guide, Joey, Lauren must track down two ghosts and help them move on to the afterlife. However, to do so, she must first figure out what is keeping them from doing so themselves. Blackwell Unbound is short but entertaining, and despite some flaws, it will appeal to fans of classic point-and-click adventures. 

Gameplay: Players must talk to various NPCs and gather clues to piece together the mysteries of Blackwell Unbound.

Graphics: The visuals are designed to look like low-res titles from the DOS era and succeed in this regard.

Sound: The quality of the soundtrack and the voice acting are good.      

A Short Hike PC Game Reviews

A Short Hike

A Short Hike invites players to spend a day in Hawk Peak Provincial Park with a small blue bird named Claire. The primary goal is to reach the mountain’s summit to get cellphone reception, but there’s plenty to see and do along the way. The park is filled with charming characters, and players will also find a surprising amount of activities to keep them occupied. The game is as wholesome as can be and provides a cozy, entertaining experience suitable for players of all ages.

Gameplay: A Short Hike is a very casual experience that features plenty of optional challenges that are fun to complete.  

Graphics: Players can adjust the amount of pixelation to their liking, but the vibrant visuals look good on any setting.

Sound: The adaptive soundtrack and clear sound effects make exploring the park more atmospheric. 

BIOMORPH PC Game Reviews

BIOMORPH

Biomorph is a dark Metroidvania game with beautiful 2D hand-drawn visuals and animations. Playing as an amnesiac character named Harlo, players must explore a massive interconnected world to recover their memories, upgrade their arsenal, and unlock new biomorphs. These biomorphs, which involve killing enemies to turn into them, is one of the most unique elements in the game, but doesn’t feature as prominently as we expected. Instead, access to new areas mostly depends on unlocking traditional Metroidvania-style skills and abilities. Having said that, the game is still very entertaining, and its fascinating world is a joy to explore.

Gameplay: Biomorph features all the traditional Metroidvania elements along with the ability to morph into fallen enemies and use their abilities to traverse the game world.

Graphics: The 2D sprites and backgrounds look great, and there are plenty of different biomes to explore.

Sound: The Biomorph soundtrack is good, and the game also has decent sound effects

Fallout 4 Nuka-World PC Game Reviews

Fallout 4 Nuka-World

For the sixth and final Fallout 4 DLC, players are invited to embrace their inner raider and help some gangs take over a pre-war amusement park. Nuka-World is a massive place with plenty of interesting locations and a ton of things to do, but the story is very thin on the ground compared to Far Harbor. This is sure to divide players, as many will love the diverse environments and unique locations while others will find the endless killing and searching for hidden items a chore. Nuka-World also offers much fewer role-playing elements, which could leave players who prefer playing as a virtuous character feeling a bit short-changed. We enjoyed our tour of the park, though, even if it is a bit of a bittersweet farewell to Fallout 4.

Gameplay: Nuka-World is packed with interesting locations and has plenty to do, but most of it involves killing or finding hidden items instead of following engaging storylines.

Graphics: Each section of the park has its own unique look and feel, and there are even some new variants of enemies to battle.

Sound: The addition of a new radio station is great, but it can become repetitive after a while

Fallout 4 Far Harbor PC Game Reviews

Fallout 4 Far Harbor

What starts as a missing person’s case from Valentine’s Detective Agency quickly becomes an eerie adventure on a desolate island in this Fallout 4 DLC. In contrast to the previous DLC for the game, Far Harbor adds a massive new area to the game, along with plenty of story content. While there’s still lots of exploring to be done and things to kill, this DLC also takes more creative risks and requires players to make more meaningful choices. In addition, the atmosphere is quite different from that of the Commonwealth, and the island offers a nice change of scenery.

Gameplay: The greater emphasis on story elements and choices should make Far Harbor more appealing to old-school Fallout fans.

Graphics: The foggy environments of Far Harbor make for creepy exploration, and there are plenty of memorable locations to discover.

Sound: While there are no new radio stations, the music in Far Harbor is quite moody, and the voice acting is good

Between Horizons Releasing March 25, 2024 News

Between Horizons Releasing March 25, 2024

Publisher Assemble Entertainment and developer DigiTales Interactive have announced the imminent release of their highly anticipated narrative-driven game, Between Horizons, for PC

CODE VEIN PC Game Reviews

CODE VEIN

Code Vein is an anime-flavored action role-playing game where players step into the shoes of a vampire like Revenant with the gift to save the world. The similarities to Dark Souls are immediately apparent, but Code Vein has enough of its own unique quirks that prevent it from feeling like a straight-up copy. The story is interesting, as are the various companions you meet along the way, but levels that are boring in both layout and design detract from the experience. The game still has plenty to offer for those willing to put in the time, but there are better souls-like titles on the market.

Gameplay: Code Vein sticks closely to the soul-like formula of fighting enemies, collecting materials to level up, and defeating bosses to unlock new areas.

Graphics: The character designs are great, although the game is heavy on fan service, and some levels look very drab.

Sound: The soundtrack features a couple of memorable tunes, and the quality of the voice acting is generally good

Penko Park PC Game Reviews

Penko Park

Penko Park hands players a camera and encourages them to take photos of weird critters that dwell in the park. It’s an on-rails experience, but various unlocks keep things engaging. The charming visuals, which live up to the promise of being creepy and cute, will draw players in, but although short, the game is still a lot of fun to play.

Gameplay: The premise of Penko Park is straightforward, but capturing photos of critters in various poses is a fun challenge.

Graphics: The visuals look like a children’s storybook come to life, and the designs of the Penko are pretty imaginative.

Sound: The game lacks music during levels, but the ambient noises compensate for this

Kena: Bridge of Spirits PC Game Reviews

Kena: Bridge of Spirits

Help a young spirit guide named Kena reach a sacred Mountain Shrine by freeing the spirits trapped in a forgotten village. The game features a combination of exploration, combat, and puzzle solving but doesn’t offer anything terribly unique or original. However, the visuals are beautiful, to say the least, and the soundtrack is exceptionally well done. Even with multiple difficulty settings, the combat can be challenging, and the story is much darker than the visuals suggest. Kena: Bridge of Spirits is an impressive debut title, but it can feel a little shallow for players expecting a full souls-like experience.

Gameplay: The combat is enjoyable and challenging, but apart from the Rot, there’s not much that players haven’t seen done many times before.

Graphics: The stunning visuals can put many AAA titles to shame.

Sound: The game features a stellar soundtrack and excellent voice acting