Forward to the Sky

Forward to the Sky

Help a sword-wielding princess take on the skeletal enemies and traps of the sky tower in this third-person title by Animu Game. The visuals and audio are decent, but the game is just way too short and simple. It can be completed in less than two hours and most of it will be spent solving some basic puzzles along with the occasional bit of combat. With a bit more polish and a few more levels Forward to the Sky could have been great, but as it is there are much better options available.

Gameplay: The controls could definitely have been tighter and the overall experience is very short.

Graphics: Bright and colorful, but not much in terms of variety.

Sound: Passable background music and voice acting

Alien Scumbags

Alien Scumbags

Alien Scumbags is an action-packed platform shooter filled with action, blood, gore, and pop culture easter eggs. It’s short enough to complete in one session, but the low asking price coupled with the high replay value makes it a no-brainer for fans of the genre.

Gameplay: Lots of monsters to shoot and secrets to find.

Graphics: A nice throwback to the era of pixel art platformers.

Sound: Great music, sound effects, and voice acting

Furi

Furi

In Furi, the jailer is the key, and killing him will reward you with freedom. Unfortunately, your captors are a weird and violent bunch that will stop at nothing to thwart your escape efforts. Furi is an action-packed game that mixes elements of the hack and slash as well as bullet hell genres in one very challenging explosion of violence. It is frequently frustrating and often feels unfair, but it is gratifying when mastered. Unfortunately, all the things that make it great for some players will also tempt others into snapping their controllers in half.

Gameplay: Furi is very challenging and has frequent difficulty spikes, but it is also rewarding to master.

Graphics: The game features great character designs and some nice retro sci-fi elements.

Sound: The soundtrack is incredible, and the voice acting is very good

Gal*Gun Returns

Gal*Gun Returns

Help Tenzou Montesugi fend off lovestruck girls with his pheromone gun while pursuing true love in the game that started the Gal*Gun franchise. While it lacks some of the features and enhancements introduced in sequels, Gal*Gun Returns is still a fun title with plenty of humor and lots of fanservice. It’s rather tame by the standards of the series and can become repetitive after a while, but it is definitely not lacking in content. As a bishōjo rail shooter game, it is a very niche title, but players who can appreciate the tongue-in-cheek humor will enjoy Gal*Gun Returns.

Gameplay: A straightforward rail shooter with plenty of girls and modes.

Graphics: The character models look great, but the backgrounds are a little plain.

Sound: Full Japanese voice acting and some nice tunes too

Thumper

Thumper

Thumper is a rhythm-action game unlike any other and will test players’ reflexes to the maximum. It features a unique metallic-chrome style for the visuals, which makes for a slightly unsettling playing experience even without the disturbing bosses. The aggressive music and unforgiving speed of the game further amplify this. There’s no doubt that Thumper is a very challenging game, but it always draws you back in with the feeling that you can do slightly better with each try and finally conquer that one section that is preventing you from progressing.

Gameplay: It starts relatively simple, but the speed and challenge ramp up very quickly.

Graphics: The surgically clean metallic look of the game is actually rather unsettling.

Sound: While not catchy, the music and sound effects perfectly fit the game

Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2

Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2

Like its predecessor, Curse of the Moon 2 emulates the classic 8-bit Castlevania titles, particularly Castlevania III. It looks, sounds, and plays very much like an NES title, but unfortunately, this means that it is also frequently very unfair and unforgiving. The increased amount of enemies during the platforming sections makes for a more frustrating experience than the first game and the playtime is also padded out by having to repeatedly complete all the levels to experience all the endings. As a sequel, it makes some improvements but also stumbles a few times, which is disappointing. It’s certainly not a bad game but loses some of the magic and novelty that the original had.

Gameplay: Very challenging, but also a little too frustrating at times.

Graphics: Great sprite work and once again very true to the 8-bit Castlevania era.

Sound: Authentic, but doesn’t come close to the Castlevania titles in this regard

STAR WARS™: The Force Unleashed™ II

STAR WARS™: The Force Unleashed™ II

The Force Unleashed 2 is set a few months after the original game but offers a very disappointing continuation of the story. Playing as an overpowered Jedi that can annihilate everything in sight is quite fun initially, but once the novelty wears off the game becomes quite repetitive. Even worse, despite being very short the game has very limited environments and features lots of unnecessary padding. Worst of all the PC port is rife with bugs and annoyances that sap even more fun out of the experience. Hardcore Star Wars fans might still enjoy the game, but it definitely does not live up to its potential.

Gameplay: Fun at times, but ultimately very repetitive.

Graphics: The game can look great, but has a lot of technical issues.

Sound: The soundtrack and sound effects are very authentic

Rot Gut

Rot Gut

Rot Gut is a very short platformer featuring a gun-totting agent taking down bad guys during the American Prohibition. There’s virtually nothing in the way of a storyline and each of the six levels on offer can be completed in a matter of minutes. The art style is unique, though, and the soundtrack pretty decent, but even with the cheap price-tag, there’s not a lot of value for money to be found here.

Gameplay: Lots of jumping and shooting, but it’s over before you know it.

Graphics: The noir pixel art aesthetic is not too bad actually.

Sound: The chiptune jazz soundtrack is the highlight of the game

Killing Floor 2

Killing Floor 2

Killing Floor 2 takes everything about the original game to the next level in terms of visuals, speed, and sheer fun. While the enemies remain mostly the same they look better than ever and the inclusion of new character classes, along with all the old favorites, means there’s plenty for players to master. The frequent updates with new maps and modes also contribute to the continued popularity of the game. Some players might find the wave-based enemy slaying repetitive, but once you get hooked few other games come close to the sheer visceral thrill that Killing Floor 2 can deliver.

Gameplay: Kill wave after wave of enemies while staying alive.

Graphics: Some interesting levels that can be decorated with the blood and gore of your enemies.

Sound: The industrial metal soundtrack is very fitting and the weapons all sound great

Need for Speed™ Most Wanted

Need for Speed™ Most Wanted

Need for Speed: Most Wanted might share a name with the 2005 original and feature police chases, but that’s about where the similarities end. The single-player mode feels bland and empty while the multiplayer mode has more in common with Burnout Paradise than Need for Speed. In fact, the entire game feels like an inferior Need for Speed themed imitation of Burnout Paradise, which makes it hard to recommend.

Gameplay: Very lacking compared to previous entries in the series.

Graphics: The graphics are good, but the overall style of the game is very bland.

Sound: The usual selection of licensed tunes, but nothing exceptional