In life there is an inevitable and natural conclusion to all. In the story of Graveyard Keeper, and now Graveyard Keeper 2, however, the end of a life just might be the beginning of another. The dark and morbidly humorous tale of GK2 comes to us at the beginning of fall and just in time to welcome the fast approaching spooky season.
Throughout history, or at least via 12th Century French literature, it's hard to imagine Sir Lancelot dive kicking a humanoid lizard, or Arthur pulling off a juggle combo against floating skulls. Still, Blades and Battles relishes in that absurdity and leans into it through the rough hour it provides, I only wish it had more going on.
With impeccable platforming and engaging combat and mobility, Well Dweller is joyous to control. Few Metroidvania games feel this good, with a map so big that you're constantly finding new challenges, secrets, and wildly impressive boss battles. Well Dweller is an absolute delight from start to finish.
Hot Wheels: Infinite Rush is an impressive representation of the classic cars existing in the big wide worlds we all imagined in our youth, complete with the variety of playsets and iconic vehicles that make it all come together. Is it perfect? Hardly, but it's the step in the right direction for the brand that I would love to see refined.
Streets of Survival has a foundation for a great series, but the lack of some quality of life features in its combat, and a lack of co-op make this hard to recommend, given the genre has so many other options that are simply better games. The Walking Dead is perfect for videogames, but few games have really hit that high mark
The easy and quick nature of what Port of Jumanah offers does allow it to feel different than most rogue-lite's, so I do give it props there. The visual style is certainly borrowed, but plays into the charm and comedic writing Red Dunes Games and Agate were shooting for. The Oxygen mechanic keeps you on your toes, and the mechanics and temporary shell boosts can make for some interesting runs.
While some may be disappointed at some of the changes to core systems, or further leaning into its rogue-lite elements, Moonlighter 2 feels just so good, and that isn't just toward its combat, but its shopkeeper aspect too. Systems may feel streamlined, and many are, but these changes are intentional and do a lot to make each run slick and easy to jump into.
Second Chapter did everything it needed to do, and more. While the game doesn't refine or add new combat mechanics, the story and character moments that take place in this follow-up are some of the best of the series. The Legend of Heroes series often puts its story and characters ahead of its gameplay, and given how memorable its characters are, this has always been the right call to make.
Bus Simulator 27 is in new hands with developer Simteract, but given their history, they felt like the perfect fit for the series. While they certainly have produced a solid entry here, certain systems and menus leave a bit to be desired. While it certainly is a deeper game than Bus Bound, I simply found Bus Simulator 27 to not always deliver where I wanted from it the most; the driving.
Lady Death is a character I've always wanted to see make her videogame debut, but Demonicron is just a sliver of the potential it could have been. The combat is fairly decent, but does lack some impact, especially as enemies rarely test you with knowing the entire arsenal to best them. With Brian Pulido being part of this to pen the story, I was really expecting more to come from this.
NHL 27 brings a solid presentation package to this year’s game as all 32 arena’s have been rebuilt, and new playbooks will change how teams take to the ice. With improvements to Be a Pro, Ultimate Team, and more under the hood, NHL 27 may not feel entirely new, but its improvements are clear as day.
In Lou’s Lagoon, you play as the nephew/neice to Lou, the owner of Lou's delivery service, who has asked you to come to the Limbo Archipelago to help fix things up after the storm first hits said archipelago. Once you get there you can tell that this is not going to be an easy task, as multiple islands in the archipelago are in need of your help.
