Recent reviews by ' Æsir

As a long-time Tomb Raider fan, I’ve always held a lot of love for the franchise, although never to the point of turning a blind eye to its flaws. I have also always had a predilection for the original ones, perhaps owing to a mixture between nostalgia/emotional aspects and the notion that that’s the definition of the atmosphere and exploration hovering around Tomb Raider.

That said, it was undoubtedly heartwarming to see the original entries being remastered and to replay them. The devs have done a nearly flawless job remastering Tomb Raider 1 to Chronicles (5), yet, when it comes to Angel of Darkness (6)… Jesus Christ. Even they gave up on that crap.

Even the blind can see how much love and passion have been put into remastering the franchise, down to the details. The Last Revelation (4) and Chronicles (5) live up to the high standard set in the first trilogy remaster: the same Lara model, same mechanics, same level of accuracy, same attention to the details. One can only imagine how many hours the devs spent just reimagining and rebuilding each and every polygon, making them breathe with new life, sometimes changing our own interpretation or perception of those walls, figures, objects, environments, even foes.

Not only did they enhance the visual quality, but also added objects, quite like in the first remaster. The environments are denser, more immersive, and you can now fully make out what you’re interacting with. Therefore, be sure you’ll enjoy the same experience as in the previous remaster, while respecting what you recognize as the original Tomb Raider in all aspects, especially visuals and mechanics.

Well. The only TR game I hadn’t played before, due to the heavy criticism, which affected my interest all along. This remaster led me to give it a shot, and damn… what a disgusting experience. Tomb Raiders 1 to 5 were given a whole lot of dedication. Conversely, Angel of Darkness feels… unfinished, to say the least. The original one was already unfinished. So is the remastered one.

The devs barely touched it, making it hard to tell the difference between the original and remastered graphics, trust me. Also, I suppose there hasn’t been any tweaks in the mechanics. Such a slow, clunky, sometimes irresponsive gameplay, ugly models and scenarios, uninteresting lore… poorly implemented stealth, frustrating, infuriating shooting… Lara will simply stop shooting at times, just because. And it means death, because your foe won’t stop.

I feel the devs could have used the same Lara model and transferred the original mechanics to this game, or else, at the very least, in fact enhance it, throw in the same dedication as the one seen in the other titles. However, perhaps on the grounds of deadline or simply the hopelessness of this game, Angel of Darkness has been left to rot under the desert sun even in this remastered edition. This game should never have come out. That’s an offense to me.

The Last Revelation and Chronicles are delightful, whereas Angel of Darkness is a waste of time, utter garbage. If you regard one of them as your favorite, nevertheless, you’re sure to have a blast, since we’re talking about a legendary franchise here. I truly loved revisiting all those original games under new skin.

It’d be good to bear in mind that these games are meant to respect their original gameplays. Despite having an option to use modern controls, using the tank ones is strongly advisable. That’s the way they’re meant to be played, with levels designed for them.

That’s why I wouldn’t really recommend the remastered Tomb Raiders to younger audiences. They were designed for us 30+ or near 30 old. If you’re younger than that, it’s still fair to give it a shot, providing you bear that in mind and adjust your expectations.

I hadn’t read anything about the DLC Immortal Pillars before playing. I was only aware it would involve the Chinese pantheon and that’s all. There was no particular interest in this DLC because of the memories from the old expansion pack Tale Of The Dragon for the original game, which deserves nothing but to be buried and forgotten.

Supposing Immortal Pillars would only be Tale Of The Dragon under more modern paintwork, I was going to play it only to grab the new achievements as soon as possible to get that chore out of the way. I was quite unmotivated.

However, this man here was caught by surprise by a whole new campaign, totally made from the ground up. The devs couldn’t have gotten it more right.

Everything has been modified. The Immortal Pillars campaign isn’t the same as the Tale Of The Dragon one. It’s totally different. New lore, new characters, new units, new technologies, new buildings, new blessings, new everything, 100% reworked. The three major gods are still the same - Nüwa, Shennong and F.u.x.i. (why does Steam censor this god's name?) -, as well as some units like Chu Ko Nu, but now they really mean something and for the first time you really WANT to play as the Chinese.

Whereas Tale Of The Dragon felt uninspired and a chore both for us to play and the devs to develop, Immortal Pillars is engaging, detail-oriented and easy to enjoy. Not only is it focused on a Chinese mythological lore, but they also found a way to make it be an Age of Mythology game: they connected the story to the previous civilizations (Greek, Norse, Egyptian and Atlantean), allowing you to control Ajax and Setna too, who get involved in the plot.

Immortal Pillars has the quality an Age of Mythology game is supposed to do. You’ll definitely enjoy this DLC. If your expectations are low or null, your experience will be even more enthralling.

I only wish the campaign was longer.

I’ve always been a Ninja Gaiden fan – actually, since Ninja Gaiden 2004 for the original Xbox. Played it a lot, as well as Ninja Gaiden Black, the ultimate version of the first installment.

I spent years regretting the fact it had never come out for PC, or the fact that it had been abandoned by Team Ninja. And then, the Master Collection arises in 2021 and now we’re caught by surprise with the announcements of Ninja Gaiden 2 Black and the long-awaited Ninja Gaiden 4.

“Black”… this term holds a lot of weight in the Ninja Gaiden series, and it’s got to be respected. At all costs. Unfortunately, that’s not what necessarily happened about Ninja Gaiden 2 Black. I mean, the game is alright, you’ll have fun anyway, but old school fans know exactly what being a “Black” version means. NG2B didn’t live up to the name it bears.

In NG’s universe, it means ultimate. Supreme. Best. Untouchable. Unsurpassable. Ninja Gaiden 1 Black has better graphics, more areas, more modes, more enemies, more weapons. Seeing the name Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, at the very least I expected something like that.

That’s actually the Sigma version with enhanced graphics (beautiful, by the way). To be honest, while it’s true that the Sigma version of the game is being used instead of the original (due to lost code), I actually think that’s a positive. I played the original one and the number of enemies that swarm you is downright unreasonable, a joke. It takes forever for you to progress through the game due to the hordes. Therefore, being Sigma is good in my opinion.

However, now we’re talking about BLACK. They didn’t add anything extra. No new areas. No new weapons. No new enemies. No tweaks to the story or gameplay. Nada.

There are those who stand for Ninja Gaiden in its entirety, but let’s be honest, the gameplay sometimes sucks in key moments. The camera betrays you. You frequently don’t hit the enemy you really want to. They could implement a system to target specific enemies. They could have made the game more responsive. You press buttons and nothing happens sometimes, or else you are staggered but the enemy not.

They could have expanded some areas, rerouted a few others that are walking simulators. Also, they could have added or reordered the save statues, some of them are quite poorly placed. For the tag missions, they could have made it an online feature, first picking a human player and in case none is found, a CPU helps you.

Man, so much could have been done. It feels like a missed opportunity and disrespect for a game that so many hold dear. On the flip side, there are still things to appreciate.

Not at all! That’s Ninja Gaiden, dude. The game’s awesome! Some fans complained about removed content. That’s not entirely true – I mean, there's removed stuff, but things that in my opinion should really be cut. For example, the statue bosses. Dude, I’ve always found those bosses cringe, ridiculous, unnecessary, alien, immersion-breakers. I don’t miss them at all.

The graphics are beautiful now. They also added the option to ‘try again’ after you die in a boss fight, and the choice whether you want to use the talisman of rebirth or not –something that really comes in handy.

It’s a good hype-builder for the upcoming Ninja Gaiden 4, but it seems to me they didn’t give the product the attention it deserved and they have no idea what “Black” means. If I had a product, I’d want to present its best version to my customers and would want them to fill it with never-ending praise, so more and more people buy it. Team Ninja/Koei Tecmo seem not to give a flying “that word” for that.

Is it worth it? Well, yes. But not for that price tag. Wait for sales, or get the Master Collection instead. If you’re a long-time fan and don’t mind spending some money, purchase it then, but be prepared for an underwhelming experience depending on your expectations.

It’s still an awesome game anyway, although Ninja Gaiden 1 is my favorite one by many miles for being the most fun, coherent one.

Have you ever heard of or seen any Mario Kaizo? Well, that’s what’s in store for you here. Celeste is a technical pixelated platformer that pleases those who seek a challenge without leaving behind those unfamiliar with it. That makes Celeste satisfying for masochists while still being welcoming for newcomers. I engaged with the game and had a blast. Such a wonderful, challenging experience!

So it was in mine. Always putting it off, prioritizing other stuff… Little did I know what I was missing. I strongly recommend that you play it as soon as possible and enjoy a memorable experience. Celeste is really outstanding and more than lives up to the ‘overwhelmingly positive’ reviews on Steam.

If that’s the case for you, don’t let the labels scare you away from Celeste. Trust me – you will get the hang of this. The game is designed to help players master the mechanics from the very beginning, even when you don’t come to realize it’s happening, due to its subtlety. That’s precisely what keeps you engaged with the game, what makes you feel confident, capable of climbing Celeste mountain.

In case your struggle persists, the devs offer a customizable assist mode, where you can set the game speed, how many jumps you can perform, stamina, among others. I wouldn’t recommend it because all the fun is overcoming challenges and the game naturally helps us out with that.

To be honest, I’ve never experienced an increasing difficulty in such a literal meaning. When playing games, we usually go through difficult stages but the next isn’t necessarily harder than the previous ones. However, in Celeste, the next stage is indeed going to cost you more attempts and time. The best of all? You won’t rage after dying – you will simply try again because you know what to do and how, needing only to try once more. And that’s what’s magical in this game! You feel challenged, but respected. Everything is pleasantly doable.

There are crazy challenges for masochists of course. They are optional, but if you ignore them and just beat the game, you won’t be getting the full experience. Hard stages involve a lot of skill and precision to overcome challenges with creative solutions. We're talking about the Dark Souls of platformers in a way. The devs made the helluvah job.

Not many, really. I’d say there’s nothing wrong when it comes to actually PLAYING the game. Perhaps, a weak spot could be the story. Madeline is a depressed, anxious ‘girl’, alright, but the story seems to be there just for the sake of it. The storywriter is possibly the one facing those issues and simply mirrored their psychological issues on the character. There’s no background, she simply is anxious and depressed and that’s all.

Celeste is all about proving yourself to be capable of doing anything despite mishaps and doubtful mind. The message is clear: never give up. You can make it. But… that message is passed on in a shallow, maybe childish way, not convincing the audience that’s really applicable to real life. Therefore, possible relatability ends up cracked.

Ironically, a game about overcoming anxiety and depression shows a big potential for triggering them in high difficulties.

There’s not much unsaid. Just take it off of your backlog and give it a chance – you won’t regret. The only regret will be not having dedicated to Celeste before. The game is amazing and unforgettable.

Although the high difficulty stages are insane, you will still be able to beat them because you hone your skills and grow with the game all along.

Not before 36 hours recorded on Steam (31 in game) and 7170 deaths did I manage to 100% it. Celeste has been awarded one of the best games I played this year – and plenty have been played!

Black Myth: Wukong was released under a lot of anticipation after gameplay showcases had been shown over the past few years, leading people to even question if the game would really come out like that. Thankfully, it really did – and overcame all expectations. The game is engaging, well made, fluid, has a fair dose of difficulty, is downright beautiful and is worth every penny and time you put into it.

I honestly find it hard to catch up with the story – at least without any knowledge on the classical Chinese novel The Journey To The West, where the developers have taken inspiration from. Still, that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the game, especially during a second playthrough.

The game isn’t the classical novel itself, but inspired by it. It’s set after Sun Wukong’s disappearance/death after his fight against the Celestial Court – event that serves as a prologue. You play as a monkey warrior referred to as The Destined One, who journeys through the land to recover Sun Wukong’s six relics, which were scattered across the land, in order to try to bring the famous monkey back to life.

It feels amazing! Black Myth: Wukong is a third person game that you can label under the soulslike banner. However, that doesn’t mean it has an excruciating difficulty. It’s more of a friendly soulslike with some elements of hack and slash – enemies are usually difficult, bosses are challenging, but you won’t lose anything if you die. It might take you some time to beat some bosses, but you eventually end up succeeding. The more you venture into the game, the better you get because you are earned more resources to fight, as well as you get naturally better at playing it. There practically aren’t hordes of enemies like in a hack and slash game, so you won’t be swarmed.

A magical iron staff is your main weapon, but there are also magical skills, transformations, three difference stances, potions to temporarily enhance your abilities and a skill tree to spend your points on according to your playstyle. There won’t be enough points (sparks) to buy all abilities, so be wise and understand what your playstyle is and don’t waste sparks on things you don’t use – although it’s possible to reattribute them.

Among the things that make this game appealing is the fluid combat. It’s not sluggish, floaty and clunky as most soulslike games. The movements are beautiful and fast-paced, satisfying to perform. And the bosses hardly ever have the same movements. They are pretty much all unique, which adds to the game. So you don’t feel you are facing a repetition of a previous boss under new skin, except for the elemental frogs.

Black Myth: Wukong is a ‘new’ generation game like no other. It features the best and most advanced technologies out there, and applies them very well. It’s not a poorly optimized game – it indeed is a heavy one. But even if you lower the presets, you are still going to have a beautiful game.

The game doesn’t survive on good graphics alone. I could say it’s absolutely one of the most beautiful games I’ve ever played. The details in the scenarios, the architecture, the clothes, the weapons, with all the rich Chinese ornamentations… how well detailed the enemies are when it comes to appearance, movements, attacks… how varied everything is… You can spend a lot of time just gazing at details, which contributes a lot to your immersion. Well, I could spend all day long listing how incredible the details are. Game Science didn’t have any laziness.

Of course, there are flaws. The game is so incredible to the point that the flaws aren’t a deal breaker, but they’re so silly they shouldn’t be there.

The most alarming of all are the invisible walls. Wukong is full of them, even at unnecessary places! We’re not talking about a totally linear game – there are areas of (semi) open world. It means there shouldn’t be invisible walls, even inside monk temples where you could walk to the temple wall. But you can’t because there’s another invisible wall before it. When it happens, it breaks the immersion a little bit.

Another grave one is the simply terrible lip sync. That disturbs our enjoyment a lot if we pay attention to it rather than notice other graphical elements. That's why I stopped looking at their mouths and began admiring the rest. They haven't used any AI to lip sync with English, so the English voiceover doesn't match the Chinese lip movements. Embarrassing.

Also, some lighting issues sometimes occur. When you walk into a new area, for instance, you may experience light sources changing, just popping from dark to clear sunlight all of a sudden, like inside some caves or other places in the desert.

I’ve also experienced enemies, NPCs and other elements popping in front of me in the scenarios, less frequently though. Maybe it could have been due to hours of session straight.

At least three or four times, I was forced to close the game and rerun it after some lags and huge fps drops – also after long hours of gameplay straight. You see, I got 32GB RAM, but maybe the game uses it so much that the memories are unable to erase unnecessary information. But, rerunning the game always fixed it.

It’s not any game that has some flaws yet its strengths eclipse them. The flaws don’t ruin your experience, and you definitely should play this game. Wukong is one of those games you can’t miss and will make you have an unforgettable experience.

Black Myth: Wukong is not groundbreaking, it doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but proves that if devs really want to create a game with competence and passion – and above all, a game that is supposed to be what it is: a videogame! –, they deliver wonderful experiences.

The price tag is fair for such a masterpiece. You don’t need to wait for sales. Grab it!

I was simply looking for some retro-inspired platforming game while waiting for major releases. Noticed Kaze and Wild Masks lost and forgotten amidst other games in my library and decided to give it a shot. I struck gold - that was definitely one of the best choices I could have made in pixel-art gaming!!

Well, (a big) yes and no.
Yes: Kaze and The Wild Masks is in fact DK-like. This experience was so close to the trilogy that it has brought tears to my eyes while playing. I really needed to play something as such and was unaware of it.

It's undeniable - the game isn't original when it comes to ideas. All of them are taken from the source: level design; moves (such as the helicopter glide thingy or the spinning attack); how to defeat enemies; animal transformations; bonuses; how to beat the bonuses; how to hide bonuses and coins, and so on. Wouldn't be surprised if an eventual Kaze 2 implemented a co-op system between two characters, like Diddy Kong and Dixie Kong. If you lived the SNES era, you will notice some ideas taken from Super Mario World too. Is that bad? Can't tell for sure what you guys would expect, but as of me, not at all. That's a huge pro!

No: at the same time, being a DK-ish isn't exactly downright copy-paste. The Brazilian developers have managed to explore extremely well the possibilities and the resources at hand, creating a totally fluid, engaging game through a gameplay experience that takes you back with absolute competence. That means at the same time you see and feel the inspiration, you get a new experience, tough to be created. It's crystal clear they had a clear insight of what Donkey Kong is like and how to reproduce the ideas. They've surely spent hundreds or thousands of hours of their lives playing the trilogy.

I've had a blast with Kaze and The Wild Masks and simply couldn't put it down. That got me regretting the game was too short. Wish it were longer - and deserved that, because I haven't had enough of it. The devs have put a lot of their hearts and dedication into it.

Kaze and The Wild Masks is probably the best 2D DK-like platforming game you will find up to this day. Just play it!

Really competent brawler. Good to kill some time in between major games while playing something new, nostalgious, taking inspiration right from the 90's. At the same time, Mayhem Brawler brings some interesting fighting elements: combos both on the ground and airborne, blocks and counter attacks. Pickups are also present for filling up your stamina and life gauges. Weapons and barrels are throwables too and inflict a good deal of damage.

You can also choose paths and have different levels that lead to three alternative endings.

All in all, nothing wrong with this excelent beat 'em up. You do enjoy it a lot, although that's too short. Having 5 characters to choose from expands the replayability factor, however there's not a huge difference between them, except for Dolphin, who is a heavier character.

I see people tending to compare Mayhem Brawler to Streets of Rage for some reason. I tend to disagree. Well, okay, they're both beat 'em up, but I don't know why people leave Final Fight out of the comparison arguments. To me, Mayhem Brawler takes a lot of inspiration from Final Fight too, especially the character Dolphin, who is simply a new-skin Haggar, even performing the same moves.

Wait for sales and have fun.

This DLC is unarguably way better than the base game campaign, which kinda s**ks. The quests are great, the lore is full of emotions and the pace is excellent. But my opinion is focusing on the DLC as a standalone case. That's because all along the main campaing we see an Alexios with no personality, and all of a sudden, with this DLC, Alexios shows strong personality and a deep emotional side (I play as Alexios).

All in all, excellent DLC.

At first I thought people were just being rough on the duration of the game, which is less than 3 hours. I'm the kind of player that always enjoys everything on my first playthrough of any game. I gaze at the details, at the graphics, I walk slowly, check every single corner, backtrack before moving on and so on. So I thought players were unfairly complaining after rushing through the game. Despite my slowness on first playthrough, yet, it took me only 2 hours and 40 minutes to make it to the end of the DLC. That's incredibly insane for that price and the reused assets.

We don't have any reason to replay the DLC, so I wonder... how long would it take to beat it if we rushed through the game? 45 minutes? Jeez...

However, it's still a real good DLC. Predictable, sure... easy, but good. I had fun while playing this, even though Rose doesn't need any effort for anything. All the things are hand-given to her, such as the handgun and its ammo, shotgun shells, meds, etc.

We are clearly going to see more of Rose in the future.

However, this DLC is not worth the price.
Wait for a big sale if you're not dying to know Ethan's whereabouts and Rose's abilities.

I thumbed up because there's no 'whatever' option.

I was supposed to own this game, and I really did until not long ago, before it was mysteriously removed from my library. Not that I even care. Not only that was ridiculous, but also this game is a waste of time. Just saying.