Recent reviews by Spore

The sequel feels much larger than the original, focusing on themes of humanity as a group as opposed to humanity as an introspective quality. The levels are significantly larger now too, though this is mostly pretty environments for enjoyable sightseeing. The puzzles are much easier this time around, but that's not a terrible thing as the first went over the line occasionally. And performance and image quality is fairly poor, befitting the engine. Regardless, it is a fantastic sequel.

A short, but memorable game. It's visually gorgeous and the scale of the environments is rare. These environments are also incredibly fun to fly around in, and despite some levels having constant thunder, or meteors, or highs winds, is always bizarrely relaxing.

I've played 6 hours so far and have only enjoyed it more as it has gone on. While perhaps the combat aspect of the game prevalent in the trailer is slightly middling (outside of a few very fun boss fights), it's backseat to the overwhelming sense of discovery and exploration as you travel the very bizarre world this developer made. Over time the characters and enemies that looked garish at first become charming. The environments which started as interesting, but fairly simple shores, forests, and swamps eventually lead to genuinely beautiful tree-covered cliffsides, claustrophobic underwater forests, and oppressively damp flooded valleys. It's an adventure game that constantly keeps you curious for what you will find over the next hill. That alone should help you understand if this is a game for you. It's highly recommended.

Edit: I've beaten the game after a little over 10 hours of gameplay. The varied environments continue the whole way through. Great fun.

It's a puzzle game with the hook being walking on curved ramps to change the direction of gravity so you can walk over the many surfaces of structures as you try and find a way out. It's visually striking with great vibrant colors and lovely architecture, and a very zoomed out camera to let you enjoy the large scale of the levels. However, that large scale is also a problem for the gameplay since your character runs exceedingly slowly. Though the game may take 90 to 120 minutes to complete, there really is perhaps only 45 minutes of content as you find much of your time is wasted slowly walking from one side of the level to the next. The speed at which you can make decisions with the puzzles is severely limited by the your character's slow running speed. Even if the designers didn't want to increase your speed, the ability to rotate the level freely to mentally plan your route would have been very handy in helping players solve puzzles at a more comfortable pace.

It's okay despite this flaw. But for this reason it's only okay.

A great game to play with a friend and a great way to ruin a friendship.

I'm not a big shmup fan, but ZeroRanger transcends that barrier. Great art, better music, and fun game mechanics that you see more of over a few playthroughs. Trying and failing my first time at the last part of the game stung pretty bad, but it felt exhilarating to make it through the second time with my skills thoroughly sharpened. I don't have the genre knowledge to know how it stacks up against its peers, but it certainly stands out as an excellent game regardless of its genre.

This is a longer game than the first, and opts to have a limited open world compared to the tightly scripted linear campaign found in the original. In some ways, these are good things. More of this interesting world to explore is absolutely good, and the art quality is even more stunning than the original. But some of the mechanics buckle slightly under the weight of the increased game length. That said, the gameplay is by no means bad and the world exploration is still exciting from the standpoint of seeing what the incredible ACE Team artists have cooked up. Surprisingly, the story becomes far more involved and goes exciting places that slightly demystify the world, but luckily in a way that gets you asking even more questions. I don't know if full closure of the franchise story is likely anymore, but if you enjoyed the first there is a lot to like here.

Goofy Chilean made first person brawler that has always had a warm place in my heart. The relatively low budget is obvious through the short length and reuse of certain content, but the assets that are there are filled with a ton of creative energy. The world of Zeno Clash takes inspirations from many sources of art spanning centuries and is a mix that you've definitely not seen in a game. And despite the light jankiness of some mechanics, the game itself is actually good beyond its excellent art. Any shallowness in that respect is undercut by the short length and brisk pace of the game not letting anything linger for too long. And of course, charging a powerful uppercut and unleashing it to knock a naked man with an eyeball helmet 10 feet back feels great.

As of late-2020, Amid Evil is the most visually striking of the growing "boomer shooter" market, with fantastical architecture that really feels like what we might have seen if the Hexen developers had a more modern engine to work with. Though that is the highlight, all the other aspects are well done too. Satisfying magic based weapons, unique enemies for every world, and fun bosses (a rarity in the genre).

Tightly paced game similar to Hotline Miami but with a unique mechanic of each enemy becoming a weapon you can use against others either by holding them as a shield or throwing them. The frenetic gameplay is complimented by the jazz drum sample soundtrack that drives home the idea that you're playing as a powerful wild animal. It's neat ♥♥♥♥.