All images are screenshots from the game
I do want to mention that I got sent this game as a review code. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I will not let this influence my opinions. This will be my honest review of the game.
The Company Man is a 2D action platformer. It is available on the Nintendo Switch, Playstation, Xbox, and PC. I played this game on the switch and enjoyed it both handheld and docked mode.
Take control of Jim as he climbs the corporate ladder to become the CEO. The path to the top isn’t easy as it is full of jealous coworkers, insane managers, and a lot of platforming. Will you have the stamina to make it to the top, or will you be another corporate slave?
I love the art of this game. The office theming is brilliant; you can tell that the creators got very creative with the enemy design. Each floor is themed after a different department and filled with monsters that play well off the theme. There is a story, but it acts more as a comedy than something you need to get invested with. This game pokes a lot of fun at the office work culture, and I was there for every second of it.
The gameplay is simple. You have a keyboard that acts as a melee weapon, and you get a ranged attack that gets upgraded after each promotion. Jim has a set life and ammo that you can replenish and upgrade as you play. You move through each floor, avoiding traps, fighting monsters, and platforming until you fight the floor’s manager. Enemies drop coins that you can use to upgrade your stats and gain abilities. If you die, you restart at your last checkpoint, but you get to keep any coins you’ve collected. Upgrades are well-balanced; I never felt like the game got too easy with them.
I’ll admit, I hate this genre the most. I am too impatient and am easily frustrated by these kinds of games. This is the only platformer I have ever finished. I’ll admit, I play all the games I review to completion, but I would have finished this game regardless. I played it in normal mode. Normal mode was very manageable for my skillset while still offering enough difficulty to keep me engaged. This was not a cakewalk. I did struggle, and I did get frustrated, but it was very satisfying when I earned my promotion. Veterans of the genre might find normal mode too easy, but there is a hard mode available at the start that might help with your enjoyment.
One tip I have for those who are looking to buy this game is to pay attention to everything. Monsters, traps, and boss fights all have
a set pattern that they follow. If you can memorize these patterns, you can beat everything.
I highly recommend this game, especially if you enjoy platformers. You can get it on Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, and Steam.
Video Game Review: Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?
I want to start by saying that this game was sent to me as a review code. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let this sway my opinions. I will treat this game like I paid for it with my own money, and this will be an honest review.
Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader? is a trivia game based on the game show of the same name. I played it on the Nintendo Switch, but it is also available on the Xbox, Playstation, and PC..
The game has a single-player and multiplayer mode for up to eight players. Both have the same structure, but multiplayer has no fail condition. The game is decided into six rounds of increasing difficulty and point value. Each round has two questions that are grade specific to the round. You choose a question from a random selection of school subjects. The game is over when you can answer all the questions correctly or get a question wrong. In multiplayer mode, you finish all six rounds regardless if anyone has answers incorrectly. The winner here is the person who scores the most points.
I’ll admit, I am terrible at trivia, but this game wasn’t bad. This game is designed with a younger audience in mind, but there will be questions that will stump you. The game runs smoothly, and it looks nice. There is some animation and voice acting, but I suggest you start skipping the cutscenes when as soon as the novelty wears off. Otherwise, the games drag, and you will get bored of waiting.
This is a game you get if you love trivia and want to get your kids into the genre. It is also casual enough to bring in other adults into the genre, but please keep in mind that the skill level for the questions is on the lower end. This isn’t a game you can play for hours because it does get repetitive. I never got the same questions to repeat, but there is only so much trivia my body can take. The game tries to incentivize gameplay by hiding cosmetics and subjects behind leveling. You gain points by answering questions correctly. The points you gain in both solo and multiplayer mode work towards your overall player level. Each level unlocks cosmetics for your desk and classmates and new subjects you can choose from. I don’t like that there are subjects hidden behind leveling because it is limiting to the casual experience, but I can see how this can add incentive and diversity to the game for its longevity.
If you like trivia, this game might be too easy. There are questions where you are literally counting vowels for example. But with kids around, this is a fun little game night game that allows room for some healthy competition. I personally would wait for a sale, but it really depends on how much your family likes trivia.
You can buy this game from the Nintendo shop, Epic Games, Steam, Playstation, and Xbox.
Game Review: Noel the Mortal One (2022)
I received Noel the Mortal Fate as a review code. I want to thank Playism for the opportunity to review this title. That said, I will not let this sway my opinion of the game. This will be an honest review of the game.
Noel the Mortal Fate is a visual novel with some minor gaming elements to it. This is a book, and any gameplay, whether it be puzzles or boss fights, is a railroad you to a certain ending. The choices you make and any exploration available don’t matter. The puzzles and boss fights are simple, as the focus of this title is to tell a story. If you like manga or anime, this is a solid revenge plot with a lot of the anime tropes you are familiar with. I had a lot of fun with this title, but I understand that it isn’t for everyone.
Noel is a young prodigy pianist who has lost the most important piano competitions in her town. Angered by the loss, she is tricked into making a deal with the devil. Unbeknownst to her, the deal will restore her honor at the cost of her limbs. Caren, the devil she summons, takes pity on Noel and promises to help her get her revenge on the person who tricked her into making the deal. The game then follows Noel’s journey toward vengeance. This is a game full of interesting characters, epic fights, and devil pacts. Will Noel be able to exact her revenge? You will need to play to find out.
Gameplay-wise, this is a book. There is a lot of reading and no voice acting. The reading is occasionally broken up by puzzles, fights, and light exploration. I enjoyed the story, but I am speaking as an anime fan. The characters are unique and interesting, although some of them are anime archetypes. I loved the style of storytelling. Most of the story exists in 2D animated sprites, but they make it work. The use of flashbacks, fight scenes, music, and comic strips all come together to tell an engaging narrative. Boss encounters felt epic, character growth was exciting, and the flashbacks were woven in nicely. My only complaint would be with the translation. I noticed some grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, but none of it was unplayable.
I played this game on the Nintendo Switch and loved it. Undocked, the game runs great. The letters are easy to read, and the maps were very visible. When docked I used a controller. It was nice to have a bigger screen, but it isn’t necessary. In both modes, I preferred the d-pad for movement because it allowed for more control. Movement in this game is awkward, and I often overshot targets. The d-pad offers more control over the movement, but it isn’t perfect. The awkward movement added unnecessary difficulty to the puzzles and boss fights.
Overall, I enjoyed this game a lot. I liked the story and loved the music, but I wish the game offered meaningful choices to give it replayability. It would be nice to have multiple endings instead of being railroaded into one. Some of the gameplay feels like padding, like when you control a character to walk through a hallway. That said, I still enjoyed it. There was enough world-building where I wasn’t lost or overwhelmed. The characters were interesting and memorable. I ended up becoming very invested in the narrative, often rooting for the heroin’s success.
This is a niche game. If you like anime and visual novels, this is a solid one. If you are curious about the genre, Noel the Mortal Fate is a nice starting point. The story is interesting but easy to follow, the characters are unique and well developed, and it isn’t overly sexualized. Just know that you aren’t buying a game, but a novel with gaming elements.
It is available for the Nintendo Switch, Sony Playstation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Links lead to respective store page.
Game Review: SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech (Nintendo Switch)
If you are looking for a casual game that doesn’t require much commitment, check out SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech. This is a game you can throw on when you just want to chill and not have to worry about leaderboards or storylines. While there is a cute little story full of puns and silly characters, it doesn’t require your undivided attention. The story is a bit on the basic side as it hits traditional RPG tropes, but the gameplay is fun enough where it doesn’t matter.
If you like deck builders and RPGs, SteamWorld Quest is a casual entry into both. The game relies heavily on deck building and hero management, but I never felt it was very intensive. I am a terrible deck builder, but I was always able to find a deck that suited my playstyle. There are guides and lists out there if you ever get stuck, but I never felt the need to look them up. As far as variety goes, there is enough diversity in the card pool to keep things fresh without being overwhelming.
The game also has some simple RPG elements. There is exploration, loot, hero management, and a grind that you have to consider.
Exploration was simple. Dungeons are small with only one real path, but there will be secret rooms that will grant you loot and cards. You can always go back to a dungeon to get everything. I never did, but I never felt like I was missing anything important. Dungeons will have a few straightforward puzzles that are manageable if you have been paying attention.
Hero management is also pretty simple. You can buy or collect items and weapons that boost the stats of your heroes and give them special abilities. There isn’t much variety and you will find there is only one real combination towards the end. You can buy items and weapons with gold and upgrade your cards with materials dropped by mobs. There is a grind to consider for this game, but it isn’t terrible. I never felt the need to spend hours in an area, but you can be under-leveled for certain fights if you rush too quickly.
Combat for this game is interesting. You choose your party of three heroes from the six total you collect along the way and create a deck with the cards specific to those heroes. The combat itself wasn’t difficult, although it isn’t something you can do too passively. If you aren’t paying attention, you can die. The RNG will screw you over, but it is rare when it does. The bosses were all unique, but they do feel like sponges towards the later part of the game. There is enough variety with the enemies that you will never use the same deck. I was constantly adjusting to counter enemy resistances and immunities, and it kept the gameplay from growing stale.
You should play this game. It is a neat and chill little card game that is fine for the whole family. I played it on the Nintendo Switch, but it is also available on Steam.
