At first glance, I was ecstatic about Fox n Forests. This is a 16-bit style side scrolling adventure that screams Sega Genesis or Super Nintendo platformer. This was the generation that started me down the road of gaming. My chance to feel like a kid again. But I was forewarned about this. Fellow Handsome Phantom, Phil Neyman recently wrote about how our "Nostalgia Is Lying To Us".
Imagine yourself surveying a museum full of artifacts and relics of a time gone by. A time, in fact, that you wish you could have been a part of in its heyday. Further, imagine that you are making your way toward competing in a trial that embodies the spirit of that time and allows certain abilities to be within your reach.
Killing Floor: Incursion is one of the most immersive games to date on Sony's young VR platform. An impressive feet for a franchise that started as nothing more than a mod of Unreal Tournament over a decade ago. At first glance it looks like an easy game to pigeon hole, but the deeper you dive into Killing Floor: Incursion the more you find exactly how much is below the surface. The best way to describe the game is by starting off with the obvious - Resident Evil. Stopping there though wouldn't do it justice at all. If it's one part Resident Evil you could also say that Incursion is equal parts Unreal Tournament, Assassin's Creed, and The Vanishing of Ethan Carter all rolled into a nice and neat, functioning, VR package.
Tomb Towers is a puzzle adventure game that has you exploring rooms in various towers searching for the evil Necromancer with hopes of finding him and presenting him to the king. Gameplay is fairly simple - moving from room to room you'll find yourself exploring each level collecting coins and keys in order to advance to the next room.
There's an immediate sense of familiarity to Marie's Room for anyone who is a fan of story narrative "Walking Sims." A feeling you can't shake, like you've finally made it back home after a long journey. Though the story is new, you can't help but feel as though you've been here before.
The Behemoth, a studio known for its own unique wacky style, has returned for its fourth title, a turn-based strategy game. Pit People has players creating a squad to battle it out on a hexagonal battlefield. A giant bear has made contact with the Earth's surface, creating a post-apocalyptic world. You start as a blueberry farmers named Horatio, who's defending his family from a group of cannibal. Despite his best efforts, his house is crush by the giant bear, thus starting his journey for revenge.
Monster Prom is a new dating sim developed by Beautiful Glitch and published by Those Awesome Guys with one twist - you're a monster, duh. Due to the nature of your species and the species of those around you, things can get pretty interesting. Just when you think things can't get any weirder, well they just do.
The Swords of Ditto does not offer players anything new. It is heavily inspired by modern roguelike games and classic Legend of Zelda titles. At no point did I find myself feeling like I was experiencing something new and ground breaking in my time with the game. And I did not care.
Just about one year after its original release on PC, Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality has arrived on PSVR from Owlchemy Labs and Adult Swim Games. Virtual Rick-Ality gives fans of the show a new way to hang out with Grandpa Rick and his pitiful grandson Morty, and has plenty of creative ideas for the still new medium of VR.
In a post Dark Souls world, there is a fine line between a challenging game and a frustrating game. The former succeeds in making the player feel as though their failures are a direct result of their own mistakes. The game gives you just enough of a sniff or taste of the carrot to make you feel as though you were just that close to overcoming an obstacle to entice you into one last try. The latter corners you into a feeling that the game is just not giving enough to make the drive forward appealing.