Couple of games I've played recently:
Spiritfarer - The third game by Thunder Lotus Games and the second one I've played after Sundered. A very different game to say the least. They describe it as a "cozy management game about dying", and that's exactly what it is. I loved the chill vibes this had and some of the early characters are wonderful. It does outstay its welcome by the end and turns into a serious grind for materials, but I mostly enjoyed my time with it. Has a couple of heartbreaking moments. I've gone ahead a bought their first game Jotun, I really like this studio.
Narita Boy - This was a massive disappointment. I'd seen it recommended by several sources, not least by Skill Up who gave it a strong recommendation. On the surface it has everything I would love, a strong 80s inspired retro aesthetic, lovely synthwave soundtrack and metroidvania-adjacent gameplay. What I actually got was a dull hunt for keys to open doors to find more keys, really sluggish movement that never felt good to control, boring level design, mediocre combat and nonsensical technobabble story. Dropped it after 2 hours, which is rare for me. I don't understand what other people see in this beyond its stylistic presentation.
Evil West - Just started this and I like what I'm seeing. It's the sort of no nonsense, unsophisticated, simplistic fun game that would feel right at home in the PS360 gen. Fun, tactile combat, unlockable skills, weapon upgrades, some light exploration to find optional caches and bits of lore, gruff characters, cool boss fights. It has that double-A energy while still looking pretty decent. I'd never recommend something like this at full price, but at a discount (or in my case as a monthly PS Plus Essential game), it's definitely worth a try.
Spiritfarer - The third game by Thunder Lotus Games and the second one I've played after Sundered. A very different game to say the least. They describe it as a "cozy management game about dying", and that's exactly what it is. I loved the chill vibes this had and some of the early characters are wonderful. It does outstay its welcome by the end and turns into a serious grind for materials, but I mostly enjoyed my time with it. Has a couple of heartbreaking moments. I've gone ahead a bought their first game Jotun, I really like this studio.
Narita Boy - This was a massive disappointment. I'd seen it recommended by several sources, not least by Skill Up who gave it a strong recommendation. On the surface it has everything I would love, a strong 80s inspired retro aesthetic, lovely synthwave soundtrack and metroidvania-adjacent gameplay. What I actually got was a dull hunt for keys to open doors to find more keys, really sluggish movement that never felt good to control, boring level design, mediocre combat and nonsensical technobabble story. Dropped it after 2 hours, which is rare for me. I don't understand what other people see in this beyond its stylistic presentation.
Evil West - Just started this and I like what I'm seeing. It's the sort of no nonsense, unsophisticated, simplistic fun game that would feel right at home in the PS360 gen. Fun, tactile combat, unlockable skills, weapon upgrades, some light exploration to find optional caches and bits of lore, gruff characters, cool boss fights. It has that double-A energy while still looking pretty decent. I'd never recommend something like this at full price, but at a discount (or in my case as a monthly PS Plus Essential game), it's definitely worth a try.
Sometimes playing a couple of shorter games is the perfect palate cleanser.
️