Neue Rezensionen von Emblem Parade

Sigh. I got a lot out of this game, so I can't in good conscience give it a thumbs down. But it's in many ways frustrating and bad.

First, the good things are very good. I've never played an underwater game that gave me such an immersive sense of presence. You can feel the weight of the water, the loneliness, and even the cold. And some panic as well as your oxygen ticks away (there's always more close by). The story, too, is beautiful as a whole. Grief. Clinging to it. Letting go. And something about saving the environment, I guess. That part wasn't as well developed.

But the gameplay is not good. Controls are finicky and inconsistent, often slow to respond. The camera constantly works against you. Traversing the world and collecting resources is plodding and awkward. Even the dialog is halting and tiresome, working against the engaging story rather than in its service. I finished the game without all the collectibles and am very fine with that.

And the game designers seem to never have heard of affordances. The simplest missions become frustrating because nothing is properly indicated. Where to go, what to do, and even how to do it: all of these become irrelevant "puzzles" for you to solve. I had to look up "solutions" online quite a few times. And there is one maze-like level that serves no purpose except to highlight how bad the controls and camera are. I did not enjoy that one at all.

Under the Waves is the opposite of fun.

Of course, the subject matter doesn't demand fun. But it isn't helped by annoyance.

I don't know how to end this review. If the idea of the game calls to you, then maybe you should play it. But come in with lots of patience and leave your gamer rage behind.

Meh.

The visual and sound design are captivating, coherently portraying a weird world combining squishy organics with machine-precision transports. There's no story, though there are cut scenes that seem to say something, environmentally, but perhaps it's not intended to be specific. Think of it as an impressionistic or conceptual play or dance. Or maybe I just missed an obvious message.

And I must also commend the controls. A lot of work seems to have gone into calibrating them to feel properly responsive and fluid. Leaping between worlds, picking up spheres, and even just pattering around are all good.

OK. But this is a puzzle game. Indeed it's only a puzzle game. There are a few boss fights, but they are actually just real-time puzzles. And the puzzles are: meh. If you play puzzle games then you will find Cocoon's to be quite easy, with the addition of some optional collectibles, some of which are just a bit hard to find. But the level of difficulty is not, in itself, a problem. The problem is that the solutions become more and more annoying. New mechanics get introduced as the game unfolds (literally!), but they just add more busywork for you. There's no sense of progress or direction. No map, no indication that you're going deeper, farther, or anywhere really. The lack of a story is surely part of the problem, too: it feels like from beginning to end it's just you moving spheres around.

The world design wants you to be delighted. But the gameplay, instead, is relentless and even tedious. Especially the late game puzzles involve a lot of back and forth. For a game this short, that's a fatal flaw.

Pretty! But there are much more satisfying puzzle games out there. Sorry, but have to give this one a thumbs down.

It's as if the devs read all my criticisms of Zero Dawn and addressed most of them in this ambitious sequel. The result is a big fat satisfying package. It is burdened by having too many systems, which will inevitably result in some of them disappointing some of you. Still, as a whole, Forbidden West proves that in the right hands big budget AAA games can deliver astounding experiences. It's one the best games I've played in a while.

It looks and feels incredible to traverse this world. The design and technology work cohesively to achieve a world-building vision that is tactile, visceral, and very immersive. I often avoided mounts and fast traveling because taking the long way was just so pleasurable. And maybe I would discover a new secret along the way? Unfortunately, Ubisoft-style map markers for most of it rob you of much of the delight of discovery. Also expect red herrings and some empty areas. I'm OK with that: I'll always prefer less but better content. (*cough* Assassin's Creed: Valhalla *cough*) And even when there's no "stuff" to find, there is plenty of memorable atmosphere.

Tech side note: I did not have any crashes in over 130 hours of play. It took minimal tweaking to get over 60 FPS at 4K, and it felt fluid and satisfying throughout. HDR is non-gimmicky and really adds to the look and feel.

I'm not a fan of the Horizon backstory. It's at once too convoluted and too reductive: The downfall of humanity ends up being all about the eye-rolling drama between a handful of immature people on the one hand, and an all-powerful and yet stupid Greek pantheon of AI on the other. It's all quite Marvel-esque and trite. The living characters are also severely one-dimensional over-the-top caricatures. Happily, again, the design and technology come to the rescue. The facial and gesture animations breathe so much life into the blandness that the first game, Zero Dawn, could never overcome. Aloy is an uninteresting protagonist, but at least you're able to experience and sympathize with her single-mindedness, lack of patience, and passive-agressive Midwest nice. I don't especially like her. But I can't help but respect her.

The best stuff is in the littler stories: the inter-tribal politics and intrigue, individuals and their passions and losses. The themes do get a bit repetitive in a game so big, but I still experienced many surprising and delightful moments.

As I said, there are too many systems, though you can safely ignore anything you don't like. There's a lot that's not my cup of tea: I avoided most weapon types, potions, and the cooking system. Also, Forbidden West copies from The Witcher 3 by introducing an in-game board game, but it's so ill-conceived despite being so elaborate. It's not worth complaining about specifics here, but the bottom line is: it sucks. Another annoying piece of side content is the various combat challenges. Look, combat is generally fun and emergent in Horizon, but when push comes to shove it falls apart. Uncooperative cameras, getting stuck in terrain, enemies that can throw you into stun loops, all lead to chaos and frustration. You can brute force your way through this crap in the main quests, but the challenges won't let you avoid the worst of it. They're very not fun and shine an unfortunate light on the game's weakness.

But enough complaints. What a beautiful and great game. And it's big: Even the Burning Shores DLC is big. A gripping and enjoyable experience pretty much from beginning to end. Two thumbs up from me.

Delightfully big and wacky, creative and diverse. There is just so much to do and explore and collect in this sequel.

But this game is not as good as it should be, which, I acknowledge, is a weird thing to say.

The first game was an immensely charming—and immensely frustrating (more on that later) 3D platformer. And it was very popular. This sequel is religious at being a sequel, catering to fans who loved the first game and have been begging for more. And so, other than the upgraded graphics tech, it is crafted as if it were released soon after the first, rather than almost 16 years later. The concept is the same, the systems are the same, the design language is the same, and even the drab color scheme is the same. It almost feels like a loyal remake for a game that could have been released, say, 15 years ago.

And this is a problem because the first Psychonauts was annoying. Its 3D platforming, a mechanic that's extremely hard to get right, was atrocious. There was an opportunity here to take what was great and fix some of the flaws, but that would have risked disappointing the hardcore fans who haven't changed their minds since 2005. Yes, things are a bit smoother this time around. The camera is not as bad. There are not as many precision-based platforming sequences. The stakes of making mistakes are minimized, as you're not thrown too far back. But I still often found traversal to be aggravating, triggering rage that I have not felt since the original Psychonauts.

The bottom line is that this is a great game. But it's disappointing in that it doesn't stray enough from a flawed formula.

Immortals of Aveum is an action adventure in the style of God of War (2018) and Star Wars: Jedi, meaning that it's narrative-driven, mostly linear, has skill trees and item upgrades, metroidvania elements (locked areas open up later), and lots of lots of optional collectibles and challenges, most of which can only be accessed in the late game.

My main complaint about the implementation of this structure is that there are just too many optional challenges and they are too often hard just to be hard. Giving a boss a zillion hit points does not lead to a satisfying fight. They are also not indicated well on the map: I found myself again and again scouring every area looking to see if the locked chambers would open. Otherwise, the main story line is action-packed, exciting, and paced well, so if you focus just on that and maybe do a few challenges then you'll see the best of what the game has to offer.

On that note, I'm baffled by the negative reception of this game. Is it a masterpiece, a genre-defying work that re-imagines what video games can be? No. Is it an original story that will make you ponder the nature of morality, loyalty, and perseverance? No. Does it do anything groundbreaking at all? No.

But it's a blast. Literally. Combat is fast, tactical, and exciting. It looks awesome, especially in HDR, which retains natural tones while generously sprinkling wow-factor highlights and particle effects. It's also technologically impressive, with lots of UE5 bells and whistles and an ergonomic settings page that guides you through the GPU and CPU costs of turning things up. Dial in what works best for you.

It seems some reviewers' days were ruined by the game's bad writing. I'm a sucker for stuff that raises the bar, but nothing here offended me. It's the same fare you would expect in a high-budget summer blockbuster movie or a streaming TV show. It's not Fellini, but it's good popcorn entertainment that does what it needs to do to get you into the action. And the voice actors do a good job, even if the characters and dialog they were given don't push the boundaries of their craft.

The bottom line: This is a very fun game. Can you ask for more? Sure, and I definitely do. But Immortals of Aveum scratches a lot of itches for many hours. If you enjoy a melange of action, adventure, puzzles, and secrets, then this game more often than not does not disappoint.

A wonderful sequel to one of my favorite games. That said, it has some problems that might rub some of you the wrong way.

First, it's so great to be back in this world. It looks awesome and feels awesome to traverse it, with some areas being truly breathtaking and exciting. However, it can feel a bit empty at times, as if it's a technological throwback. Remember how cities in Skyrim were really just a handful of houses and a dozen people? Yeah, same here. Also, as enticing as the world looks it's unfortunately not very interactive. I wish there was more to do with the intriguing objects you see everywhere.

The strongest aspect of the series's world building is its depiction of alien culture. There's alien language, alien emotions, and lots of dialog and detail. The tone is somewhere between serious and self-deprecating, with a nice sprinkling of incidental humor. The protagonist is likeable, as are many of the characters.

The story works well. The main quest is engaging and the side quests often delightful. It all starts a bit slow and plodding, but things really ramp up around the mid game as you explore more of the map.

I played on normal difficulty and found combat to be quite easy. It might not be the deepest, but things do get more challenging and tactical later in the game. There are some really cool and surprising set pieces. They are so good that they make the less interesting locations seem disappointingly bland. The bottom line is that location design is inconsistent. Maybe a few more years of development could have raised the bar everywhere?

Where A New Beginning falters, and may garner some negativity, is in its tired, Ubisoft-like formulaic implementation of the open world. The map is littered with optional "challenges", which are repetitive, annoying, and meaningless. Just stuff to do to "clean up" the markers and get achievements. Many of these involve 3D platforming, which is never great. It feels good when you get a nice parkour-like flow, but it's very frustrating when you don't land a jump due to poor spatial indication. Without a doubt, these "challenges" detract from the game's many strengths. It wasn't enough to ruin things for me, but it might for you. If you're not a completionist then you can and should just do a few and ignore the rest.

There's a bit of a lack of polish, too. The devs are patching issues, but things still weren't 100% smooth for my playthrough. I had lots of audio issues, with cutscene volume being very low sometimes, or disappearing completely, and sound effects sometimes get distorted. There were also a few crashes to desktop. Nothing major here, but could be better.

I had a great time with A New Beginning. Despite some inconsistencies and annoyances, it was a marvelous experience, and the passion behind making it was obvious throughout. Happy to recommend it.

Well. It's nice, but disappointing.

Wavetale is an easy and short game. The story is OK, but there's just not much of it. Controls can feel imprecise but the stakes are so low that it doesn't matter too much. They do one job well: the game is best when you can get into a flow of jumps and swerves. Wee! There's just no real challenge in it. Combat is also so trivial as to be superfluous.

What's really disappointing is the lack of polish. There are little bugs everywhere. Graphical settings are very basic and I'm not even sure if the game has anti-aliasing. Sometimes there is voice acting and sometimes it's just text, as if the budget ran out at some point. Maybe that's why the game is so short, too.

I had a fairly nice time with it. But it's hard to recommend unless you've really run out of better games to play. Or maybe you're just in the mood for something short and easy? Wavetale can scratch that itch.

Goofy, sweet, and fun.

Most of the game is about collecting adorable and hilarious—and weird—critters. They start easy, but as the game progresses you'll have to use your tools, and wits, and patience creatively. It's not very hard but it's not a casual game either. I was challenged.

There's actually a story and characters and they're fairly fleshed out and elaborated, at least within the ridiculous logic of Bugsnax's ridiculous world. Do you gay? Yes. There is gay. The kind of gay that is just taken for granted: portrayals of same-sex love and non-gender conforming folk. And those are just inconsequential details in the story, as they should be in real life. Do you therapy? It normalizes that, too.

Most surprising is how many hours of fun you will have. Or will you? Beyond the main quest there are a few optional quests and also a great many optional challenges. My one criticism of the game is that there are just too many of them. More than 100! Optional does mean optional, but the game unfortunately doesn't warn you or tell you how many you have left. Once you start going down that road you might stubbornly decide to see it through, and ... well, there are really too many. As much as I enjoyed the game, it felt very repetitive and tedious getting to that "100% achievements" finish line. I don't regret it, but, yeah, 50 instead of 100 would also have been great.

But don't you worry your fruity, chocolatey, crispy little head over a minor flaw. Bugsnax is not just a surprisingly good game, it's a good game, period. I had fun, laughed, and learned a valuable lesson about getting along with people with difficult personalities. Oh, and to avoid eating foods that turn you into themselves.

Bugsnax!

A lush, cinematic experience with gorgeous graphics and a spellbinding orchestral soundtrack.

Indeed, it feels more like an interactive movie than a game. Yes, there are things to do and linear levels to traverse, but all the puzzles and stealth sequences are far too easy and dare I say: boring. Luckily, it's not long enough to become tiresome.

Come with the right expectations and there's much to enjoy in this beautiful little story. I had a wonderful time with it.

A good metroidvania packed with puzzles, secrets, and challenging platforming—and no combat. It has distinct visual and audio design and a quirky, mysterious atmosphere. There is no handholding and much of the fun is in discovering on your own how to use tools and navigate the environment.

Difficulty is up to you ... kinda. You can "finish" the game with just moderately difficult puzzles, though note that you won't be able to avoid some challenging platforming, so if you hate that, then this game is not for you.

The bottom line is that these "basic" puzzles are excellent and very satisfying. Even when they are not too hard, just solving them is fun and cool and delightful.

But the optional secrets get much, much harder. Like, super extreme obscure detective work hard. People are still wondering whether we've discovered them all. And that's where the game gets less fun, at least for me. Combing the world for potential clues involves lots and lots of backtracking, basically trying every tool in your toolbox on every pixel on the screen. Actually, just getting to the "basic" ending will likely involve considerable tedium of this sort. After getting as far as I could, I turned to online guides and found that I had barely scratched the surface on my own. And even following the community-found solutions was tedious and frustrating.

There's definitely a group of players who considers solving very hard puzzles to be rewarding enough to be worth the frustrations. Indeed, one puzzle is designed to be only solvable through the collaborative efforts of such a community. Those people clearly had an amazing, rewarding time with it. But I imagine that the vast majority players would be more like me: I find it annoying that cool game content is basically inaccessible without getting out of the game and into the forums. The dev is even on record saying that he didn't think people would ever discover some of the solutions. This is just not what I was signing up for when I booted this combat-less metroidvania. I did not expect Myst.

OK, but still. If you are OK with not seeing everything, and/or looking things up, then there is so much to enjoy here. I had a good time with Animal Well and tip my hat to the dev for putting it together with so much passion and attention.