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video game reviews

Headbangers Rhythm Royal already needs a discount

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I was sent Headbangers Rhythm Royal for free to review for my blog. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest review. If you enjoy my reviews, please leave a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends. You can also always buy me coffee.

Headbangers Rhythm Royal is a quirky rhythm game out on PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, and Steam. Play as stylish pigeons just groovin’ and trying to have a good time. Compete against people around the world in a series of rhythm-based party games. Do you have what it takes to be the grooviest pigeon in town?

There is no denying that Headbangers Rhythm Royal is a cute game. It has a fun art style, cute characters, and a solid soundtrack. When you get past the charm, you are left with a game that isn’t worth $20.  

Headbangers Rhythm Royal promises this massive party game experience that pits 30 people against each other in quirky and fun mini-games. The game fills the game with bots if not enough humans queue up. Most of the games you play will be full of bots, except for the few humans grinding for accessories. A lobby full of humans wouldn’t have made this game any more fun, but it would make the stakes real. Most of the time you’ll make it to the top 5 unless you’re unlucky and get a room with six or more people. This game isn’t dead, but it desperately needs more people.

Games are split into four randomly selected mini-games. Half of the round’s population is eliminated based on performance. Once you get into a game, you might get trapped in a minigame you hate. Not all of the games are fun, but that is to be expected from the genre. I wish there were a way to vote for a game, but the amount of bots would complicate this system. Nothing is worse than being stuck in a boring mini-game, waiting for it to be over, only to be trapped in something worse. There are a few delightful and fun games, but not enough for $20. 

Headbangers Rhythm Royal is a cute party game that you’ll play until the novelty wears off. It’s not bad, but it isn’t worth $20 either. You can pick it up on PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, and Steam, but I’d wait for it to go on sale.

video game reviews

Warhammer 40,000 Rogue Trader is as fantastic as I expected

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I received Warhammer 40,000 Rogue Trader for free to review for my site. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest review. If you enjoy my reviews or the rest of my content, please leave a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends. You can also always buy me coffee.

Rogue Trader is the cRPG you should be playing right now. As the newly appointed Rogue Trader for the Imperium, you must brave the uncharted reaches of space, face its terrifying dangers, and make that money in the process. Face off against heretics, fight off bloodthirsty Xenos, and make the choices that will determine your future. Do you have what it takes to survive the grim-dark horrors of the 40k universe?

Owlcat Games has done it again by creating another game you want in your collection. If you enjoy Tabletop Roleplaying games but need that fix off the table, you can’t go wrong with any of the Owlcat Game titles. I love their Pathfinder games, but Rogue Trader has easily become one of my favorites. I love the flavor of the 40K universe, and I prefer the combat system in Rogue Trader. 

Rogue Trader is an amazing-looking game. Warhammer fans will appreciate the amount of effort put into creating such an authentic experience. New fans will be left wanting more. The story is a nice dive into a fantastic universe, and I struggled to pull myself away. Everything from the dialogue, the music, and the gore all worked together to create an atmosphere you’d expect from a game set in the 40k universe. 

The gameplay is where Rogue Trader earns its love and reputation. I love playing TTRPGs, and this game provides the perfect substitute outside my weekly sessions. I love that there are failable skill checks and social interactions. I even love that my attacks can fail. The randomness of the dice rolls makes everything more exciting. Most of all, I enjoyed that I could roleplay my character how I wanted. Want to take charge and treat everyone like the lowly scum they are? Want to be an overzealous devoted follower of the Emperor? The choice is in your hands and the choices you make matter. With the amount of customization and choices available, this game has a good amount of replay value.

The combat is my favorite part of this game. I don’t normally like strategy games, but Rogue Trader does it right. I played on normal difficulty and found it perfect for my skill level, but you can get as hard-core as you want. The mechanics are easy to learn, and combat is engaging enough without becoming complicated. But mostly, I enjoyed watching enemies explode.

My only complaint about the game is that some objectives are hard to see. To avoid this, press the tab to highlight all clickable items on the map. This was never a deal breaker, but it is a cruel reminder that I am getting old. 

I loved everything about Warhammer 40000: Rogue Trader. If you are looking for a new game, check out Rogue Trader. You don’t need to be a Warhammer fan to enjoy this game. The story is pretty straightforward, and the game translates any words you might not know in an easy and convenient format. The only downside is that you’ll want to know more about the universe, but there are a lot of great videos on YouTube to help fill the gaps. Keep in mind that there is a bit of reading and random chance involved if that matters to you. Otherwise, Rogue Trader is a fantastic 40k RPG. You can pick up your copy for $49.99 on Xbox, PlayStation and PC via Steam, GoG, and Epic Games.

video game reviews

Tevi: The cute metroidvania game that almost could

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I was sent Tevi as a review code. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest review. If you enjoy my reviews, please leave a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends. You can also always buy me coffee.

Tevi is a cute bullet hell Metroidvania releasing on Steam later today, but you can try out the demo in the meantime. You play as Tevi as she fights her way through intricate dungeons in search of ancient tech.

If nothing else, Tevi will be one of the cutest games you’ll play this year. I am a huge fan of the art and ethics, but the story didn’t do enough to hook me. I found the story a bit generic as it spent more time hitting certain anime tropes than developing an interesting story. There is voice acting, which is nice, but it is much more efficient to read through the cut scenes. If you aren’t already skipping them.

The main draw to this game should be the gameplay. The game runs great, and the gameplay has a retro vibe that I enjoyed until the novelty wore off. The game starts to feel repetitive after a bit, even when new bosses and skills are introduced to shake things up. I like how the game slowly introduces new combos and abilities as you progress through the game. It makes progression feel more fluid and manageable.

Combat is simple, but it has its charm. After memorizing enemy patterns, this turns into your traditional Metroidvania with the occasional boss to mix things up. Bosses are unique in flavor and strategy, and they never felt unwinnable. I played the game on Normal difficulty and found it too easy, but the game offers an easy way to change the difficulty in game when you need to. 

Honestly, I am somewhat in the middle when it comes to Tevi. While I enjoyed the casual retro vibe, the pacing of the combat, and the cute aesthetic, this isn’t a game I can spend too much time on. I certainly wouldn’t finish the game if I bought it with my own money. The problem with Tevi is that if you don’t care about the aesthetic, there are simply better options. Even then, I would wait for a sale and play something like Frontier Hunter: Erza’s Wheel of Fortune if you want to play some good Waifuvania, or Nocturnal for something more serious. Don’t get me wrong, the game isn’t bad, but you have better options.

You can pick up Tevi on Steam later today. There is also a physical collectors edition available for $106.39 on the official website. 

The Collectors edition includes:

  • Original Soundtrack SteelBook x1 (4 discs with a total of 72 tracks)
  • Enamel Pin x1
  • Art Board (Shikishi) x1
  • Astral Gear Wireless Charger x1
  • Commemorative Number Card x1
  • Collecter Box x1
video game reviews

SteamWorld Build A Cute New Casual Village Builder with a Twist!

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I was sent SteamWorld Build as a review code. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest review. If you enjoy my reviews, please leave me a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends. You can also always buy me coffee.

SteamWorld Build launches on Xbox, Switch, PlayStation, and Steam on December 1st. If you enjoy village builders or are in the market for a new game, you need to buy this game.

Take command of a group of robot settlers as they make their last-ditch effort to escape a dying planet. Together, they must build a settlement, recruit new citizens, and mine for the materials that will lead to salvation. But getting off-world won’t be easy. Can you find a way off the planet before the monsters destroy your settlement?

SteamWorld Build is an adorable addition to the SteamWorld universe and a must-have for any fan of the series. The game does a wonderful job of capturing the quirky and delightful vibe of the franchise without sacrificing any of the fun. You don’t need to have played any of the other games to understand the story, but you are going to want to after. SteamWorld games are always a quirky good time and a fantastic addition to any library.

The art, graphics, and animation for this game are adorable. The scrappy design reminds me of the Warhammer 40k Ork Aesthetic, and I love it! If you are a fan of the SteamWorld games, you’ll appreciate the attention to detail put into capturing the essence of the series. If you aren’t a fan, you’ll appreciate the amount of detail put into bringing this world to life. Little details like watching them walk through the wash or getting a drink at the saloon as they carry on their tasks make the experience feel vibrant and alive.

Be prepared to lose a couple of days as you scrutinize the most efficient way to grow your settlement. I had so much fun with SteamWorld Build that it became an addiction. I restarted a few times as I tried the different maps and strategies until finally forcing myself away long enough to write this review. The casual gameplay yet engaging gameplay, the cute and quirky gameplay, and the pacing all come together to create an experience worth having.

SteamWorld Build is a fantastic blend of village building, resource management, and tower defense. It starts like any traditional village builder, with limited resources and a space to build. As the settlement grows, new mechanics are introduced to keep the game feeling fresh. Each world is split into four levels, each with unique gameplay and design. At the top is a basic settlement game where players recruit new citizens, keep them happy, and trade with the passing train. Lower levels introduce a mining game where players dig for resources, maintain the mine’s stability, and defend against oncoming threats. The lower you go, the more dangerous it is. It feels like playing three games at once, but it never becomes overwhelming. Building inefficiently does impede your progression, but I wouldn’t worry about that until your second or third playthrough. I recommend you go into this game as blindly as possible before looking up guides because learning from your mistakes is half the fun.

I love SteamWorld Build and recommend anyone looking for a new game these holidays to pick it up. It’s cute, it’s casual, and an addicting amount of fun. SteamWorld comes out on Xbox, Switch, PlayStation, and Steam on December 1st. Don’t forget to wishlist if you haven’t done so already!

video game reviews

Howl: The Beautiful folktale strategy puzzle game you need

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I was sent Howl as a review code. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest review. If you enjoy these reviews, please leave a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends. You can also always buy me coffee.

Howl is a turn-based strategy game you can pick up now on Switch and Steam, and PlayStation, Xbox, and Epic Games on January 23rd.

A strange disease spreads through the land, turning anyone who hears it into a violent beast. It is now up to one lone girl to brave the dangers of this new world and find the cure. Fight monsters, save survivors, and forge your destiny. Do you have what it takes?

Howl is such a beautiful game with a unique concept. I am a huge fan of the living ink art style. It reminds me of old Germanic folktales and makes for such a magnificent vibe. It has beautifully voice-acted narration, a phenomenal score, and some neat animations. I recommend you at least check out the demos to appreciate how pretty this game is.

Most importantly, Howl is a fun game with unique gameplay that would make an excellent addition to your library. While Howl does have unique strategy elements, the game feels like a puzzle. 

Each stage has a limited number of turns, actions, and resources you can use to clear the stage and collect all of the loot. Each stage awards players with nodes of light or skulls that players will need to level up the prophet. These upgrades unlock or power up new spells and give you more turns per action. You’ll need these upgrades to 100% clear some stages. 

The action economy is what makes this game unique. Where other strategy games separate hero and enemy actions, Howl combines them. Players have a set number of actions they can perform per turn. They can move a space, attack with an arrow, or use magic. Enemies perform their actions in reaction to a player’s. Players need to queue up all available actions in a turn while guessing how the enemy will react, turning this game into a puzzle. Players must manage their resources efficiently while guessing or memorizing enemy patterns effectively. There is an assist mode that lets you see enemy movements, but it is much more satisfying to solve correctly on your own. 

I loved Howl because of how unique and manageable it is. If you are looking for a beautiful casual experience with enough of a challenge, this game belongs in your library. It looks cool, sounds great, and the gameplay is fun. You can pick up Howl on Switch and Steam today, or wait till January 23rd to get it on PlayStation, Xbox., or Epic Games. There is a demo available for Steam, Switch, and Xbox.

video game reviews

Fabledom is the adorably wholesome village builder you should be playing

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I was sent Fabledom as a review code. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, this will be my honest review. If you enjoy my reviews, please make sure you like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends.

Fabledom is an adorable city builder available on Steam. The game is in early access, but it certainly doesn’t feel like it. It’s also got a healthy roadmap, and I am sure the game will get better. If you are looking to get into the genre, or simply looking for a new title to get into, Fabledom is a fantastic place to start.

Players start with a small population of peasants, limited resources, and an easy-to-follow tutorial. As your village grows, you unlock new mechanics. Fabledom lets players practice diplomacy with neighboring kingdoms, raise renowned heroes and armies, and find their true love.

Don’t let the adorable fairytale facade fool you. You’ll need to be tactical about how you grow your village. While I never hit the point where my village failed, I did hit bottlenecks in my progress that stemmed from my mistakes. I am sure there are guides designed to play Fabledom optimally, but I like learning from my failures. I always recommend going into these games as blindly as possible. It’s more fun that way. 

I am obsessed with this game. The gameplay is relaxing yet engaging, the art style is cute, and the music is such a vibe. This is one of those games you need to try at least once, especially if you are curious about the genre. You can pick up Fabledom on Steam for $11.99 (normally $15.99) until October 30th. It’s worth it at either price! 

video game reviews

Labyrinth of Galleria: The Moon Society, its cute and fun, but not for everyone

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I was sent Labyrinth of Galleria: The Moon Society as a review code. I am very grateful for this opportunity because this game has been on my Wishlist since it was announced for the Switch. That said, I won’t let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest review of the game.

Labyrinth of Galleria: The Moon Society is a retro-feeling dungeon crawler available now for the PlayStation, Switch, and PC via Steam. Eureka has been hired by Madame Marta to search the mysterious Labyrinth of Galleria for the nine mysterious Curios d’art. With the help of puppet warriors, you must delve into the labyrinth and uncover its secrets. What will your adventure hold?

This game is cute, but it feels unfinished. The deeper I got into the game, the harder it was to finish. The story was fine, but the gameplay loop started to feel repetitive. I enjoyed this game in small bursts. The exploration and combat were soothing, and I enjoyed the story. The problem is that there wasn’t enough to keep me engaged. Labyrinth of Galleria isn’t a bad game. I enjoyed it, but it doesn’t do enough to be worth $50. If you like retro dungeon crawlers and don’t mind how heavily it falls onto anime tropes, the game is fine. It has a pleasing art style, terrific voice actors, and a solid story. If you don’t, maybe wait for a good sale.

The gameplay loop is simple. You move through the dungeon in a first-person view one square at a time, and fight monsters with dolls you collect. Combat runs like a traditional RPG and unlocks new dolls and abilities the deeper you get into the game.

The problem I have with this game lies with the gameplay. The game is fun until the grind gets stale. There are settings you can mess with to make the grind manageable, but it got harder to keep playing the longer I sat with it. This is a game that is tricky to recommend because of how niche it is. 

You can pick up Labyrinth of Galleria: The Moon Society for PlayStation, Switch, and Steam for $49.99. Steam currently has it on sale for $39.99 for their NIS publisher sale, but unless you like retro dungeon crawlers, there are better titles you can look at. The sale ends on October 16th.

video game reviews

Disgaea 7, the cute anime game you are going to want to play at least once!

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I was sent Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless to review a little after my previous post. I’ve been excited about this title since the first announcement and was planning on buying it regardless. I am very fortunate to get the chance to review it for my site, but I won’t let this sway my opinions on the game. This will be my honest review of the game. If you’ve been enjoying my reviews, make sure you like, comment, subscribe, and share this with your friends. 

Disgaea 7 is a quirky and unique JRPG for PlayStation, Steam, and Nintendo Switch. This review is based on the Steam version. 

This is a cute game with stunning visuals, a fantastic soundtrack, and fun gameplay. Do not let how cute this game looks fool you. This game is difficult if you don’t take it seriously. I found the stages appropriately challenging and the mechanics engaging. I played the game on Easy, which was appropriate for my skill level. Although I never found the stages impossible or frustrating, it was easy to wipe if I wasn’t playing strategically. If you’ve never played a strategy game, it has terrific tutorials to get you started.

The story is a little on the silly side, with a general cheesiness I found charming. It has a cast of tremendous actors that make the cut scenes such a delight to sit through. I can see this being a niche game due to its tone, but the gameplay is fun enough that it won’t matter. The story is self-contained enough to exist on its own. While you won’t need to play any of the other games in the series to enjoy Disgaea 7, you are going to. 

Aside from the combat, what I love most about this game is how much you can do at the base. Between stages, you get access to all these shops where you recruit new heroes, learn new skills, buy items, vote for buffs, and do other administrative stuff to prepare for the next stage. As goofy as this game looks, I spent a lot of time planning things through, and I loved every minute of it. 

Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless releases in North America on October 3rd on PlayStation, Steam, and Switch for $59.99. If it’s not yet on your wishlist, it should be. 

video game reviews

Arcadegeddon: The flashy colorful looter-shooter that leaves a lot to be desired

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I was sent Arcadegeddon as a review code. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I will not let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest review of the game.

Arcadegeddon is the quirky, hyperactive looter-shooter that should have been released as a free-to-play game. The game runs great, the art is unique, and the music is great, but the game is boring. Once you get past the novelty of the colorful chaos, the game feels empty. There is a story, but it isn’t very well written.

A mega-corporation is taking over gaming, and a lone arcade stands in its way for total domination. The owner asks for your help, but the fight against the corporate machine won’t be easy. Earn the trust of the local gaming gangs and make gaming fun again.

The gameplay loop is a little too simple for this game to be charging money. You dive into the dungeon, fight the swarms of enemies, complete any objectives, and move on to the next floor to do it again. The goal is to get to the highest level possible without dying, and there is even a leaderboard for further incentive. You start each run with simple weapons and find stronger ones throughout the level. The guns are fun and unique, but there is always the chance that the RNG will make your runs miserable. There are daily missions, special quests, and gang quests that you can complete throughout the run to unlock new perks, weapons, and cosmetics. I didn’t find much incentive to keep playing after the first few runs. 

You can play Arcadegeddon solo or with other people. The solo experience stops being fun, and I never had any luck with the matchmaking. The game supports crossplay, but I’ve seen comments complaining about it not working properly. I didn’t see an update and couldn’t test it, so keep that in mind before you make the purchase. 

I can see this game being fun with friends, but I still think $15 is too big of an ask. The game isn’t bad, but I would rather play something like Wayfinder or Destiny 2 instead. Unless there is a major update to the gameplay loop or a healthy influx of enthusiastic players, I don’t see a real reason to buy into this game just yet. There really isn’t much more I can say about this game because as flashy as it is, it wasn’t very impressive. You can pick it up on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC via Steam and Epic Games, but I wouldn’t go rushing to buy it. 

video game reviews

I was wrong about Krzyżacy: The Knights of the Cross, the game was rather disappointing

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I was sent Krzyżacy – The Knights of the Cross as a review code. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I will not let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest review.

Krzyżacy – The Knights of the Cross is a pixel art deck builder based on a book of the same name. Unfortunately, the English localization is bad. I stopped reading the story early on because the effort isn’t worth it. The source material might be worth reading, but this adaptation isn’t. With only gameplay left, there wasn’t much reason for me to keep playing once the novelty wore off. Krzyżacy – The Knights of the Cross becomes a boring grind with cute pixel art, but you can find a better game elsewhere.  

Like most deck builders, you start the game with a basic deck and slowly build a stronger one as you progress through the campaign. What makes this deck builder unique is that you can recruit units to help you in battles. These units will perform actions based on the combination of cards you play during a turn. This creates an interesting dynamic where you are trying to create combos from your hand that synergizes with your companions. The problem I have with this system is that if you don’t meet the basic requirements for an action, the unit sits idle. This game is not forgiving when it comes to the action economy, and wasted turns result in more unnecessary grind. 

I recommend you look up guides or build toward a two-color deck early on to make sure you play efficiently. The amount of gold and xp you earn and the global healing you can do is limited. These limits are standard in the genre. The problem is that you can get stuck in the campaign if you haven’t been using your gold wisely. Most deck builders let you easily redo the run, but Krzyżacy forces you to sit through the cut scenes and restart from zero. This is great if you are good at these games and love the strategy, but bad for the casual players. There are global perks you can earn by playing the game that alleviate some of this grind, but it stops being worth the trouble. The game is short enough that the reset isn’t a huge issue, but I couldn’t find the motivation for a second one.

Don’t get me wrong. I like that this game offers difficult choices to its players and rewards efficiency, but I wish the story was better and it was easier to reset the run. I kept hitting a point where I didn’t have money to buy companions, cards, or heals, and my deck wasn’t strong enough to get through the story, and I couldn’t justify going through the grind. 

If you are looking for a fun deck builder, there are better options. The art is cool and it introduces interesting mechanics, but as is, this game isn’t worth buying into. The localization of the story isn’t good, and the gameplay isn’t fun enough to justify the price. You can get it on Steam for $14.99, but I suggest you hold off for a sale or some major updates.