ARSLAN: THE WARRIORS OF LEGEND
This is one of those 4 / 10 sort of games.
It isn’t that I hate it, but I’ve played a lot of musou games and this isn’t a particularly good one.
Plus it is for an anime I’d never even heard of before and am unable to find anywhere even now.
Most other musou games are rather more fleshed out than this one.
There aren’t many characters, and quite a few of them have clone movesets or near enough to them.
Weapons can’t be significantly customised beyond picking an elemental moveset after unlocking them, and an annoying card collection is the substitute for character skills (but you’ll probably want exactly the same cards on every character anyway since some are overwhelmingly better than others).
– Real player with 48.3 hrs in game
Read More: Best Local Co-Op Hack and Slash Games.
I feel like I can review this now after 10 hours before I sink another 60 hours in.
Positive Remarks:
This game marks a turning point for KT and for all of us who love their Omega force games. This game needs more positive attention. I mean that in the most don’t fuck this up for us kind of way. I want more of this sub genre in their catalogue. Curse me, I even want more DLCs.
I knew before I started the game I would love it -the instant I saw it. Usually, that feeling is met by severe disappointment. Not so this time, Not so, Sir! There are unlockables in this game. Unlockables. Allow me to explain the gravity of that to the uninitiated: that’s stuff they could have just charged you for on DLC.
– Real player with 34.3 hrs in game
Dimension Drive
For about 20 years I’ve been waiting for that one game that could satisfy my latent Axelay needs. Konami promised us a 2nd part but we were left wanting. Many shoot em ups passed revue these latest year and they were delicious iterations on the R type or ikaruga games. The unique gameplay of axelay remained unique, there wasn’t a single shoot em up game that bought an extra dimension or dynamic or gameplay element to the game like there was in Axelay, and so it remained ….. until Dimension Drive.
– Real player with 63.3 hrs in game
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Dimension Drive is definitely a unique shmup, even in it’s early Access stage, coming across as a mix between your classic shmups and puzzle games like Portal. The dual-screen mechanic it uses a very simple in concept that, given proper exploration, has a ton of depth, something that the devs are clearly capitalizing on. It shows even in their current levels, gradually adding to each, either through obstacles, enemies, or even an additional mechanic. In fact, much of world 1 feels otherwise fairly polished, with some work still needing to be added to world 2.
– Real player with 60.2 hrs in game
Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds
Phantom Breaker Battlegrounds introduce you by giving you screenshots of how the game looks like, and they definitely nailed the presentation. And also, KURISU??!! Boy, I gotta get this!
Ahem…
This game is beat ‘em up game, a game where you control these 4 main characters with their own unique movesets and style. Although it seems like a simple premise, the gameplay has a greater depth in it.
You get to choose 4 main characters that has the similiar story but different dialogue for each story mode of the 4. There’s Mikoto, your typical swordsmaster; Waka, The Voloptuous Boobs Shrine Maiden; Itsuki, The Chuunibyou Protector of Justice (?), and Yuzuha, the flatty agile ninja. Each of them have their own attacks, button commands, and weakness.
– Real player with 32.5 hrs in game
Read More: Best Local Co-Op Hack and Slash Games.
Did someone say classic?!?! That’s exactly what was delivered in this Retro 2D Sidescrolling Pixelated Beat’em Up.
This game brings back the good old enemy killing spree gig. With over 8+ characters each with their own fighting gimmicks and combos the games brings hours of fun. The games also features musical DLC for the old Arcade cabinet feel. The online multiplayer and local co-op also allows for so good ol’ family fun.
Ok, Let’s get down to business. The replay value on this game is only worth as much as the player gives it. If your a completionist and/or love to play Sidescrolling Beat’em Ups then this game is definetly a game you should be playing. I recommend the game for action game veterans or old school gamers. You’ll really get your money’s worth. It’s not a game for you to sit and play through but to play over the course days and months. It’s a loveable classic that you can keep coming back to. The more you let it breathe the more it stays fresh.
– Real player with 20.0 hrs in game
Demon’s Crystals
Have struggled with the game. The graphics are nice enough and there are plenty of maps but its way harder than it needs to be. Can’t get past the second boss so will never see half of the games content.
Beyond that the game suffers from lack of content. All you can do is run around like a toddler blazing away at fleeting targets. Its somewhere between exciting and annoying. The least attractive feature four characters than can all be levelled but don’t seem to be especially different.
There are worse games out there, and can see how some people really like this but I wouldn’t recommend it.
– Real player with 15.1 hrs in game
Demon’s Crystals is a twin stick shooter. It has demon’s and well, crystals which you must collect in order to save the world. It’s a very simple yet fun top down shooter.
Graphics:
Even though the game has a top down view, the game looks gorgeous in my opinion. Colors and the art-style really stands out. There’s something about this type of graphics which really appeals to the eyes. I had no problems with performance in this game and I was constantly getting over a 100 FPS throughout the whole time I played the game.
– Real player with 9.3 hrs in game
River City Girls
TL;DR if you don’t want my extensive review;
+Presentation is gorgeous
+Gameplay feels right and responsive
+Combos are fun to explore and execute (speaking of non light-spam combos)
+Several playtroughs feel rewarding and I enjoyed beating the game 100%
-Entering an area, light attacks, and picking up an item are all mapped to X. Will be awkward to get used to at first, but didn’t feel clunky for me after a while
-Game’s story is rather short (this does make repeated playtroughs more bearable and fast-paced however, so it’s usually a minus sometimes a plus)
– Real player with 22.9 hrs in game
No one kidnaps our boyfriends!
The beat ‘em up genre is one genre that I barely stick my hand into. I guess none of them really caught my eye lately and I never was interested in them as a kid (well except the Scott Pilgrim game, but I was late on that front) nor were any of my old friends. I do vaguely remember playing one in an arcade, but that’s it. I never really thought about beat ‘em ups unless someone else brought them up. However, once I saw the trailer of River City Girls it immediately caught my eye. Despite (obviously) not ever playing a River City title before, I just had to play River City Girls.
– Real player with 21.1 hrs in game
Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition
This game is not a “modern” JRPG. This game is not for people that want to briskly play through the game and then never touch it again. This game is not for people that want to mash through every fight. This game is for people that enjoy experiencing absolutely everything a game has to offer, and exploring all of its gameplay systems and mechanics. If you are willing to put in the time learning its mechanics, unlocking altered artes, learning how different characters play, doing many of its sidequests etc — you are rewarded with one of the most satisfying experiences you will ever get in a JRPG.
– Real player with 357.4 hrs in game
If you want:
JRPG Plot where the world doesn’t revolve around the main character
Engaging, evolving battle system that grows as you progress
Multiple playable characters with varying fighting styles
The choice of easy, straightforward fighting or complicated takes-hours-to-master techniques
A cast of characters who while at times are a bit trite, are engaging and memorable
Multiplayer battles! I’ve beaten this game with many friends, multiple times, with us using different characters
A world well built with lore to discover that still doesn’t hand you every answer and asks you to piece some together yourself
– Real player with 312.7 hrs in game
SAMURAI WARRIORS 5
This is a new engine. It doesn’t have the plethora of models that the old workhorse of WO2 and 3 had. So it’s a smaller roster. That being said, it still feels like SW game. I enjoy it more as I play more of it.
Each weapon does have a basic moveset. But each character brings a couple special moves to their weapons. For instance Saito’s spear has very basic moveset up to C5. Toshiie’s spear has an unique C1 and unique C5 barrage and a max of C6. Tadakatsu’s spear has an unique C1 and an unique C6 move also.
– Real player with 241.1 hrs in game
Koei has taken a huge risk here, effectively rebooting the Samurai Warriors franchise, and it amazingly works.
I’ve been a fan of the Warriors series for most of my life, starting with DW2, I’ve seen the highs and lows of this franchise, and the start of the Samurai side series. I consider DW8XL one of, if not the best of the series, and everything about 9 was a complete failure to reimagine and reinvigorate. So when news broke of Samurai Warriors 5 and it also attempting to reimagine the series, I like many, dreaded the worst. Now, 16 hours in, I can confidently say Koei has a massive success in this rebooted franchise.
– Real player with 59.6 hrs in game
Stardust Galaxy Warriors: Stellar Climax
I’ve had half of an eye on Stardust Galaxy Warriors since it hit Steam Greenlight. I bought it, and my impression of it then was that it was an alright introduction to shmups. I’d hoped to get some of my friends into shmups by playing this with them, but due to my IRL friends being non-gamers, this didn’t pan out. I’ve attempted to get myself through some of the achievements every now and then, so I’ve put an hour into this game “here and there,” and then I put the game down again because I wanted to play something else - I must admit that this game was not made for someone like me. Yet somehow, I keep finding myself playing this game alone, and every time I pick it up I am not disappointed. This game has, so far, been the highlight of my quest through my backlog.
– Real player with 36.5 hrs in game
To start off, I highly recommend anyone that enjoys side scrolling shooters to purchase this game, it is a must have. Feel free to keep reading if you want to know my reason.
I’m not a hardcore fan of shoot-em-ups, I didn’t even know what the word “shump” meant until today, but what I do know is that this game is really fun.
The game is very easy to pick up and play, the controls and mechanics are simple and none of that convoluted stuff, which I feel is a great thing. I don’t want to spend an hour learning about wierd game mechanics when all I want to do is just destroy enemies.
– Real player with 21.4 hrs in game
Super Puzzle Sisters
A well polished puzzle action game with plenty of variety. It’s definitely strongest when played in local multiplayer, as the game gains a lot of depth from the player interactions and there are more multiplayer game modes. However the single player is also fun to play as a more traditional puzzle game, whilst keeping its unique twist of allowing the player to re-arrange the blocks as they move up the screen. Recommended for anyone looking for a unique take on match three/tetris like puzzle games, or anyone looking for a light, fast, competative local multiplayer experience.
– Real player with 6.2 hrs in game
It’s a very different puzzle game, but it doesn’t take long to get used to things, and from there it sets out to do everything it aims for. Highly addictive and charming, it’s really quite the throwback to 90s puzzle games many of us grew up with, while being an equally chaotic-yet-controlled game in multiplayer. Wide mode Co-Op in particular is loads of fun!
Keep in mind that 1 hour of play allows for a lot more games than you may think. Like I said, addictive, and great for “Just a quick round” plays :)
– Real player with 3.1 hrs in game
Aces Wild: Manic Brawling Action!
A couple years back I was playing one of my favourite games: Street Fighter, with my friends, and I had a vision.
I saw a group of us playing a game with lots of colourful flashes, nice fast chip-tune style music, and even faster gameplay. We were all having tonnes of fun, and were really focused on the game, it looked awesome.
The image of the game was not apparent, all I saw was rainbows, and so I had no idea as to what this mystery game may be.
I searched and searched for a long time and found nothing.
– Real player with 41.3 hrs in game
I playtested this, bought it on Humble Store, and now am playing and loving Aces Wild on Steam. Since its Humble Store release I’ve spent dozens and dozens of hours playing, and my time with this game is far from over.
The controls are easy to pickup but are incredibly precise. You can do crazy combos and fly around the screen with your aerial-powered fighter using a minimal amount of buttons.
The game is challenging but fair. Cliche statement, yes, but true in the case of Aces Wild. Nothing that the game throws at you is outside is unbeatable if you’ve got the skill.
– Real player with 40.9 hrs in game