Comprehensive Game Reviews

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From AAA titles to indie games, we cover it all. Our comprehensive reviews provide detailed insights to help you find your next favorite game.

Tempest Rising Review - Multiplayer

IGN PC ReviewsApr 29

Review: Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves Has Excellent DepthFatal Fury: City of the Wolves has visuals that draw your attention and plenty of systems to make every fight feel interesting.

Reviews Articles and News - SiliconeraApr 29

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered Review

IGN PC ReviewsApr 28

Skin Deep Review - System SnarkThe immersive sim is arguably gaming's worst-named genre, as it really doesn't tell you much. Aren't most video games designed to immerse you, and aren't they all, in a sense, simulating something? Trying to define what makes an "immersive sim" has long been a running bit among creators and players. I've previously joked that it's a game in which you can flush the toilets, due to how oddly ubiquitous that feature is in games like Prey, BioShock, and other genre standouts. Sincerely, though, I think of immersive sims as games that give you a puzzle box with a multitude of solutions, and it's up to you how you solve it. In that sense, Skin Deep is a great immersive sim. In the sci-fi comedy Skin Deep, you play Nina Pasadena, an Insurance Commando whose job is to save cats who have been kidnapped by space pirates--so long as their coverage is active. One crew, The Numb Bunch, is causing all sorts of havoc, commandeering a number of ships and keeping Nina busy saving her feline policyholders. If the setup sounds ridiculous, that's on purpose. Eschewing the dystopian darkness and unflinching seriousness of many, if not most, "im-sims," Skin Deep is reliably laugh-out-loud funny, whether it's the quips enemies grunt as you sneak around various spaceships, or the emails you read from rescued cats in between missions. Each time you save a cat, they launch out of their crates with an emphatic and goofy-sounding meowwww! Played in first-person, Skin Deep flexes its im-sim muscles in levels that feel excitingly open-ended and demand careful planning, while still asking you to improvise on-the-fly when things go awry. Each mission has a number of locked-up cats to save and enemies to evade or eliminate, and there's no one right way to complete these objectives. A cat's lockbox needs a key, for example, and you can find those by pickpocketing guards, reading memos and tracking one down some place, finding a Duper--a ranged device that instantly duplicates whatever item you've shot at--and doubling an otherwise hard-to-reach key, or via other methods I won't spoil. Continue Reading at GameSpot

GameSpot - Game ReviewsApr 28

Bionic Bay Review - Physics Trap Reviewed on: PlayStation 5 Platform: PlayStation 5, PC Publisher: Kepler Interactive Developer: Psychoflow Studio, Mureena Oy Rating: Everyone 10+ Drawing on some of the best traditions of precision platformers and physics-based puzzle games, Bionic Bay is a surprising and novel release managing the rare feat of consistent and rewarding gameplay from beginning to end. Stack in a speedrunner’s dream of an online mode, and there’s a lot packed in. While the purposefully enigmatic world-building and overpowering industrial theming didn’t land for me, the slick traversal and clever puzzle design make the game an easy recommendation, so long as you don’t mind a challenge. Bionic Bay opens with a fateful lab accident, after which a hapless office worker finds himself in a catastrophically dangerous world of spinning blades, crushing boxes, freezing rays, and sudden shifts in gravity. Despite occasional diary-like text entries you uncover along the way, the story is almost non-existent. A broader mystery is alluded to, but I was disappointed in the absence of a meaningful follow-through. It’s not that I need all the answers, but the total abandonment of any attempt to illuminate what and why things were happening let me down. Thankfully, the core experience of 2D platforming is remarkably fun. While moving across fallen beams, strange organic growths, and the remnants of half-built tech, the running and leaping is fast and usually precise, even if I was frustrated by specific one-off movement sequences like one through water. Players gradually gain a suite of otherworldly powers that manipulate the physical environment, like teleporting and trading places with an object, slowing time, or even tweaking the direction of gravity. Alongside these powers, numerous strange (and usually deadly) effects litter the environment, like bounce pads and cryo-rays that freeze anything midair when touched. With those tools, the player must puzzle their way past seemingly impossible gaps and drops; solutions often require both imaginative thinking and extremely tight platforming timing. Death is common and often frustrating since there are frequently enough physics variables on screen, such as a pile of wildly spinning crates, that it can be hard to progress past a puzzle you have already solved. Luckily, in the early part of the game, new respawn checkpoints are set at virtually every major hurdle. It was only in the later levels that I sometimes grew tired of repeat jumping sequences set around more extended checkpoint cycles. The puzzle designs revolve around physics concepts like magnetism, momentum, and the flow of time. I was impressed by how many clever twists were explored within the limited constraints of a given power. Many levels exhibit brilliance that recalls classics like Portal or Inside, with that same high satisfaction when you finally nail the completion. The visual direction plays heavily with the contrast between dark shadows in the foreground and brilliant colors in the backdrops and effects. It’s a highly detailed use of pixel art that is often breathtaking. However, the constant industrial noise of slamming metal plates and crackling electricity, alongside your protagonist’s constant, repeated grisly deaths, combine to make the sci-fi factory vibe feel oppressive over time. Upon completing the single-player campaign, dedicated players should be delighted by the online game mode, which offers remixed levels that are more challenging and a chance to race through at high speed for a shot at the global leaderboard. I like these challenges’ dynamic nature, which deserves a special call-out for the speedrunning community. Bionic Bay’s high difficulty and top-tier approach to 2D traversal are an ideal fit for anyone who likes to challenge themselves to improve a level’s run time. I hope that corner of the gaming community finds this game and embraces its potential. While the severe environment and sound design didn’t always work for me, and some of the puzzle solutions were stymied by wildly unpredictable onscreen variables, I was thoroughly impressed with Bionic Bay’s high challenge and ingenious twists on real-world physics. It’s a tight, fast-moving, and no-nonsense adventure that demands careful observation and strong thumbstick control in equal measures. You already know if that’s the vibe that lands for you; if it is, this mysterious journey should be on your list. Score: 8.25 About Game Informer's review system

Game Informer ReviewsApr 25

Review: Tempopo Is Another Charming Witch Beam GameConsidering what Witch Beam did with games like Tempopo, Assault Android Cactus, and Unpacking, I’m starting to wonder if the team can’t miss.

Reviews Articles and News - SiliconeraApr 25

Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered ReviewThe Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered added facial hair. Yes, the original version of Oblivion did not have any scruff in sight. No beards in the character creator and not a single mustache can be found in the enormous province of Cyrodiil. Adding beards to a handful of NPCs throughout the world doesn't change Oblivion's core experience. In fact, even with the facial hair and improved graphics, half of the characters I met during my adventure still looked unsettling. To some, this may be off-putting--especially when juxtaposed with the remaster's otherwise astounding visuals--but for me, Oblivion isn't Oblivion without some truly uncomfortable character models. It's all part of that "charm" that game director Todd Howard mentioned in the reveal stream. The folks at Virtuos seem to understand that trademark Oblivion "charm," too, because the remaster keeps the best of the Bethesda jank intact while gently reworking some of Oblivion's more dated mechanics. Purists will certainly find things to nitpick, and first-timers may scratch their heads at some of the jank that was left in, but Oblivion Remastered feels like the most logical compromise. The visuals have been entirely recreated to take advantage of Unreal Engine 5, but the characters still don't look quite right. The attack animations have been redone, but the combat is still generally bad. The streamlined leveling mechanics retain the class system, but it's much harder to get soft-locked. The UI and menus have been consolidated and refreshed, but Oblivion's iconic map screen is identical to the original. For the most part, Oblivion Remastered manages to walk that thin line of familiarity and freshness. Continue Reading at GameSpot

GameSpot - Game ReviewsApr 24

Review: SaGa Frontier 2 Remastered Is Unwelcoming, but IntriguingSaGa Frontier 2 Remastered is set apart by its distinctive features, but its complexity makes it a tough recommendation for newcomers.

Reviews Articles and News - SiliconeraApr 24

Review: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Embraces Its PremiseI absolutely recommend Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and think it’s a gorgeous game, even if it has a few quirks.

Reviews Articles and News - SiliconeraApr 23

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 review – A gorgeous new tomorrow for RPGs, built upon yesterday It's not often a new gaming IP catches my eye from its debut, gets more and more exciting with each reveal, and then actually lives up to the hype. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is one of these rare games, which is even more impressive considering this gem of an adventure was crafted by a team of about 30 people. The turn-based RPG and debut title from French studio Sandfall Interactive completely delivers on its promise in refreshing the genre, taking inspiration from games of the past and the Belle Époque era of French history to craft a beautiful, tragic, and memorable experience that will likely go down as one of the best games of 2025. Like a painting come to life Screenshot by Destructoid Expedition 33's world is vivid, gorgeous, and hauntingly beautiful, much like its storyline. The concept is dark but simple: a mysterious, giant enemy known only as the Paintress wakes once a year and paints a number on a giant monolith that can be seen across the world. And each year, everyone who is of that age dies in an eerie, heartbreaking manner in what is called the Gommage (which is apparently a French word meaning to "erase" or "rub out") as all those painted to die wither and disappear forever. The game begins with the Gommage for 34-year-olds, illustrating how disturbing and bleak it feels as the citizens of the world gather together to celebrate the lives of those who are about to die, say goodbye to them, and then ready another Expedition to attempt to take the Paintress down, no matter how futile. Along with the imagery of painting ( Clair Obscur translates to chiaroscuro, which is an "art technique employed in the visual arts to represent light and shadow as they define three-dimensional objects"), one of the themes of the story in Expedition 33 is learning from the past, not repeating mistakes, and the mantra of "tomorrow comes." For the several dozen expeditions that came before 33 and your playable characters—such as Gustave, Lune, and Maelle—it's all about taking what was learned prior and acting on it, as the expedition heads off towards the Paintress to try and use the teaching of the dead expeditioners before them to figure something out. A quote from Metal Gear Solid 2 , "building the future and keeping the past alive are one and the same thing," immediately sprang to my mind while playing the game. It was my high school yearbook quote, actually, so this kind of theme resonates a lot with me. Screenshot by Destructoid The theme carries through with the combat; you'll need to study enemy moves and time their attacks to properly dodge them, learn the muscle memory of the button presses, and eventually parry instead for bigger damage to keep yourself alive and pushing forward with the group. You will quickly learn parries, although difficult to master, become necessary for many of the game's more difficult battles. "When one falls, we continue," the expeditioners say. The people of this world have come to expect death and failure, pushing forward in fruitless attempts to conquer the Paintress and her rule of death over them. But "for those who come after," they continue. And I feel like there's a real-world lesson in that sentiment. Turn-based evolution Screenshot by Destructoid Even with a voice cast boasting Hollywood talent , the real draw in Expedition 33 is the combat and everything that goes into the gameplay. Injecting Final Fantasy -style turn-based RPG combat with QTEs, dodging, parrying, and even a little bit of aiming and shooting at weak points, creates one of the more engaging playstyles I've enjoyed in quite some time. Each battle throughout the 30-plus hour story and dozens more via sidequests and exploration is a joy, keeping you locked in through every fight with every enjoyable perfect dodge or devastating parry. The grotesque Nevron enemies require your full attention, including both pre- and post-battle. At its toughest parts, Expedition 33 requires planning, strategy, and build-crafting for each of the game's playable characters, rewarding those who take the time to level up, unlock skills, and combine them between party members to devastate foes. Several fights take a lot of wipes and restarts to truly master the timing of enemies and their varied attacks. The change-up in cadence of attack speeds is reminiscent of From Software boss fights in games like Elden Ring or Dark Souls , so you need to be at the ready at all times. As a lifelong fan of turn-based games, with early Final Fantasy titles being some of my favorites, this feels like it needs to be the norm for turn-based titles moving forward. I know Sandfall didn't exactly invent the mechanic in this style of RPG, but it has been mastered here. Screenshot by Destructoid Character builds have the potential to be fun and flexible, allowing for unique combinations of abilities that, when utilized correctly, are incredibly satisfying to pull off when it comes to executing a game plan against a familiar enemy or boss fight that raked you over the coals prior. Like traditional games in the genre, Expedition 33 also doesn't include much when it comes to tracking quests in the world. Sometimes, an NPC will mention something to you once, and that's all you have to go on. There's no way to track the quests, and I often found myself forgetting that I progressed one and had to talk to someone else, but it didn't detract from the overall experience too much. But that makes exploring the open world, fighting its twisted creatures, and meeting new whimsical friends that much more worth it. All the stars Screenshot by Destructoid One of the biggest initial selling points for Expedition 33 was its cast. The game features the voice talents of Charlie Cox (Marvel's Daredevil ), Jennifer English (Shadowheart in Baldur's Gate 3 ), Ben Starr (Clive in Final Fantasy XVI ), and Andy Serkis (Smeagol in The Lord of the Rings , Klaw in Avengers: Age of Ultron , and much more) to flesh out the world with top-tier performances. But in the end, I felt so engrossed by the world of Expedition 33 that I stopped hearing Matt Murdock and Smeagol and Shadowheart, and instead felt myself invested in the characters and their seemingly hopeless journey, all set to a stellar soundtrack on top of everything else the game boasts. And that includes some genuinely funny moments on top of all of the dread. I felt compelled to explore as much as possible in my time with the game, and I will do so more now that my review is completed, but Expedition 33's world map is reminiscent of classic RPGs in the past. As the story progresses, you can explore more of it, encountering towering and powerful enemies as part of increasingly more challenging fights, along with the allure of trying to find whatever else is hidden in the visual feast of a map while traveling with your party and companions. Unfortunately, some amount of the characters' backstory and exposition takes place within optional cutscenes while at camp, but I feel it's necessary to further flesh out the world to find out just how bleak life is for those who are born knowing exactly when they will die as the Paintress's countdown continues each year. I would suggest players make sure to exhaust all dialogue options to get everything out of these characters and their world, because the main story doesn't add enough of the worldbuilding and character moments on its own. Screenshot by Destructoid The ongoing mystery of the Paintress, its creations, and the game's expanding cast of characters unravels more with each battle and cutscene, as Expedition 33 builds to a crescendo and solidifies itself as one of the more memorable, unique, and exciting RPGs in recent memory. And as for what tomorrow brings, with Sandfall Interactive at the helm, I think RPG fans are in good hands. The post Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 review – A gorgeous new tomorrow for RPGs, built upon yesterday appeared first on Destructoid .

Reviews Archive – DestructoidApr 23