Bat Boy | PS5 Review

Not unlike Power Rangers, or Big Bad Beetleborgs of television fame, 'Bat Boy' comes at you with all that Sentai Saturday morning glory packaged neatly inside of an 8-Bit Metroidvania platformer. Presented as a sports hero focused fight against all things evil it pits a gang of heroic sports loving friends against neighborhood pests as well as invading aliens from another dimension. Including the evil menace that is Lord Vicious, and his cronies.

As bat wielding Ryosuke, the titular "Bat Boy", you find yourself, one fateful night, at the mercy of the maniacal mastermind Lord Vicious as he wisps away your brainwashed friends in arms to a mysterious trial of darkness. Following in hot pursuit you set out to save your friends, and best the baddies. Utilizing your baseball bat, and bat swinging skills as you take the lead of a talking amnesiac crow.

Dark Quest 3 | PS4 Review

Don't be discouraged by the numbered entry of this Dark Quest console release. While it may be the third in a series it is easily a standalone adventure still worthy of your attention. Melding the quest focused traversal of tabletop RPGs, light deckbuilding mechanics, and RNG based roguelike elements 'Dark Quest III" has you controlling a band of heroes or heroines as they battle against a malevolent evil in the guise of a power-hungry wizard. 

It is this wizard turned to the dark side in vague Voldemort fashion that is the adventure's master. Through his ongoing narration via multiple choice encounters and situations you will build up your troupe of mismatched characters as they continue to travel the lands to the point of confronting the vile wizard himself. Hopefully defeating him, and returning to claim the fortune and fame ...

Monster Menu | PS5 Review

 NISA's latest IP, "Monster Menu", brings to the player a pint sized dungeon crawling roguelike with 'Triple A' trimmings. It is a pick up, and put down style of turn based RPG adventure centered around fully customizable anime characters of different classes who have found themselves lost in a dungeon with no supplies. 

To survive, and escape this seemingly impossible ordeal they must become bottom feeders, or scavengers of sorts. Feeding off of dungeon offal, and beastly bits. Utilizing a combat system akin to that of Disgaea's while minding four base stats that will effect performance, overall. It is through maintained HP, Hydration, Happiness, and Calories that the party will either make it out alive, or repeat their situation via an odd Groundhog day reoccurrence upon each failed attempt. Gaining access to more powerful gear, and weapons while simultaneously losing any leveling progress made until they finally traverse all floors of the dungeon.

Undergrave | PS4 Review

Qubyte's latest game, "Undergrave" is a tough as nails turn based tactical roguelike indie with puzzle elements included. It features a nameless cloaked protagonist who finds himself ferrying around in the void realm for a place to land. Devilish denizens, of course, are there awaiting his arrival as he does so. 

Murtop | Switch Review

Flynn's Arcade is at it again porting a new fangled retro/modern arcade experience to the Nintendo Switch. This time around their developer mashes up two well known retro gameplay gimmicks. Using the bomb blasting of 'Bomberman', and the mining mechanics of 'Dig Dug' they have created the perfect quarter munching challenge. Instead of inflating baddies you'll take control of a white rabbit named Murti with bomb dropping abilities who is hellbent on blasting the fool out of carrot thieving moles who are busy digging holes. Perhaps as a metaphor of the dangers of going down a rabbit hole, but I wouldn't dig too deeply into it ...

Afterimage | PS5 Review

Being the first PS5 Metroidvania I've played, 'Afterimage' did well enough to impress me on the visual front. It is up to par with new-gen standards in both the visual and audio department. As a Metroidvania it features a mostly linear progress path with the occasional side routes and backtracking for finding the hidden items, and boss fights that you'd have missed otherwise. Filled with a constant back and forth narrative between the main Goddess blessed protagonist Renee, and her pint sized partner Ifree we are provided a constant reflection of past events as well as a catching up to speed of the current goings on between gameplay sessions. Almost to nauseam.

It seems the world of Afterimage is not unlike that of the fabled lost city of Atlantis. A world of magic, and mystique. A world where it's people are lost without the presence of their Goddess, and unable to pass from the living into the life stream without the assistance of specialized individuals. In fact that's where the playable protagonist Renee, and her tag along tot Ifree come into play. They act as a means to help wayward souls on their journey from the ruins of their civilization. Using bone relics from the deceased to do so. 

Deathwish Enforcers | PS4 Review

For those of you who are unaware 'Limited Run Games' released a physical, and digital version of "Deathwish Enforcers" recently for both last-gen, and current-gen consoles. This 4 player co-op arcade style brawler/shooter brought with it Hollywood cops, and porn era naughtiness. Hoes and pimps for days!!! Using the old sex sells adage as their marketing ploy the developer pushed the envelope of common decency and modern day censorship by including pixelated nudity that actually went uncensored. 

Alongside the porn star nods, and the homage to such Hollywood heroes as Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry, and Charles Bronson's lead detective roles we find a world of 60's cinematic influence. All the pimps and prostitutes one could throw their money at as well as infamous crime lords from every facet of underground society. It is through this risque amalgamation of adult themes and antics that the developer tries to sell said product. Sadly, it does fall short in the gameplay department though ...

R-Type Final 3 Evolved | PS5 Review

Jumping from 'R-Type Final 2' on the PS4 to 'R-Type Final 3 Evolved' on the PS5 is quite the evolution, pun intended. From a graphical standpoint the visuals are mind blowing this time around! It's beyond what I had imagined games looking like before becoming a PS5 console owner. Seeing it play out in 4K, on a proper 4K HDTV really makes this game look richer than ever before, presentation-wise. Even the soundtrack is vastly more impressive in scope and scale. 

The gameplay, itself, is super responsive, and also takes gameplay up a notch with an added controller voice feature. Though the game does carry over a lot of what 'R-Type Final 2' offered it adds to it on a grand scale by including extra customization options, a new competitive mode, and a new game that is "R-Type Final 3 Evolved". To say it is a mere upgrade would be an understatement.