Recent reviews by Spiketail

Tunic is an isometric 3D puzzle game with some hack & slash to liven it up. To be reductive, it's what a modern combination of the original NES Zelda and a Dark Souls-like would probably be. Where Tunic shines is the intersection of exploring the world and unlocking it to reveal it's secrets. The reference to a retro game like The Legend of Zelda is no mistake, as Tunic brings back a key element to that game era: The manual.

A world shrouded in an unknown mystery to be unlocked by the player. A soundtrack and sound design that just adds more to the world you have been dropped into and find out about. Puzzles littered across the game world, waiting to be found and solved.

But turn combat down to the easy mode. It's okay, but not a highlight for this game.

Take your time as you can only reveal it's secrets once.

If there is one thing that Hades clearly shouts out, it is the distillation of Supergiant Games' approach to game design that has been applied over the past decade and 3 previous games. Well, and the fact that the top-notch art and sound are once again layered on and multiply the quality of Hades out of this world. Taking the standard rogue-lite loop (Gain Knowledge/Skill, Die, Respawn, and Upgrade) and weaving it into the the Greek mythos is a master class of cognitive resonance.

But what is Hades? It is a isometric hack-and-slasher (Fans of Bastion will feel right at home!). You'll go through chambers collecting materials off defeated foes or broken scenery and eventually die to be respawned back in the Court of Hades. There, you can encounter some of the cast of characters that makes up Hades and choose to engage in dialogue, increase relationship bonds or ignore them all together. In your room is where you'll upgrade Zagreus to make it that much further in your ascent out of Hades once more. Repeat until satisfied.

Savant - Ascent.
$2.
A short, quick game with a time attack/endless mode that only gets better as you unlock more of the incredible (Heavy electronic mix) soundtrack. $2 just to listen to some of the songs is well worth it, in my opinion, and may change your mind to buy even more of the soundtrack. With Valve splitting the soundtracks into a separate category outside the previous DLC content constraints it previously had, this makes for some great music to be had.

Koji Igarashi & Team were given the chance to produce a spiritual sequel to Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, the Metroidvania genre and later handheld Castlevania games of its like. What was delivered is a game that 100% meets those expectations while exceeding the production quality previously established by the later Castlevania games. But you might want to take that with a grain of salt, as those words come from a long-time fan of SotN, the later handheld Castlevania games, and had been waiting for the next great Castlevania or similiar game from a familiar name.

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is a 2.5D hack-and-slash platformer in which the game world is gated by finding the next item/skill that will let you further explore more of the world. A Metroidvania, to put bluntly. Not a very interesting description, but it is the cycle you will repeatedly undertake as you make your way to the final boss. You'll get better weapons and armor from enemy drops, crafted or from chests in the world. A wide variety of 'shards' will allow you to attack and move in a different fashion or just buff your existing stats.

But the game isn't without some faults. Some of the progression is hidden a little too well to be casually found. The ability to get through water (-Aqua Stream shard-) and safely move through spikes (-Aegis Plate-) are key points that could easily have a player looking for hours when being forewarned about them will greatly help them.

Overall, it's an incredible game and well worth the multi-year Kickstarter wait. It probably helps to already be a fan of the Metroidvania genre, but I think the solid gameplay & mechanics, captivating music and quality art will pull in many a first-time player.

Enjoyed Doom 1 or 2? Continued to search for that FPS game that will breath new life into the genre? Right here! More glorious Doom action that'll leave you wanting more.

With everyone having a smartphone or tablet within easy reach, Jackbox Games solves the need for a box o' controllers just to have family and/or friends play a fun game together. A variety of games bundled together, including the classic "You Don't Know Jack", with plenty of content to keep everyone entertained for quite a while.

And when you run this one dry, there are newer Jackboxes to own (Now up to 7)! But if you are price conscious, the 1st Party Pack is still a great value.

Originally a iOS game, SB: S&S EP makes an incredible transition to the big screen. Capybara Games brings a unique art style while combining it with the musical mastermind of Jim Guthrie. The soundtrack alone makes this a worthwhile purchase. The gameplay is all point-and-click, making it a easy game for anyone to pick up and play. Fairly laid-back game with a handful of puzzles and timing battles with a sound design that all mixes together seamlessly.

Part puzzler, part music generator. Drop in pieces to fill the grid, which will influence the song being played. A very relaxing, laid-back experience.

Did I mention 5% of the monies goes to charity? Reason enough!

A worthy successor of the Elder Scrolls series!

If you have played and enjoyed Oblivion, then you know exactly what you're getting into. I could easily call it more of the same, but refined and improved upon in many areas and easily become the massive time sink that Oblivion was. If you haven't played Oblivion, pick up Oblivion as it's old and cheap now. Sink a dozen hours or so and let that make up your mind.

Skyrim is a open-world fantasy RPG with a use-based skill system built upon Bethesda's new Creation Engine and a improved Radiant A.I. for the NPCs. Play as a warrior, thief, mage or any combination depending on your play style.

And why pick the PC version over any of the others? One word: Mods. A dedicated fanbase of modders changed Oblivion with small changes to the UI or better textures and animations to gigantic changes with complete overhauls of the mechanics and gameplay or adding in new quests and quest lines. And it will only make Skyrim richer as time goes on.

Play as a Marine, Alien or a Predator! Each play significantly different with their own pluses/minuses for each race. Best played with a bunch of friends and be sure to try out each of the races. Single player campaign has plenty of heft to it and great way to get the general idea how to play each race.