Destructoid

Unicorn Overlord is Vanillaware’s custom-built device for capturing the heart of anyone who’s loved watching tiny units bash against each other on a map. It puts a lot of love into each of those units, from what they do and how you can manage them, to their art and direction, down to making each new addition feel impactful. It’s a campaign full of strategy goodness, and I can forgive some quality-of-life nitpicks and repetition when the end result is just this damn good.

A calm, cozy experience you can really immerse yourself in for a few hours while shutting out the world and enjoying somewhere somewhat strange yet utterly comforting.

I was pleasantly surprised by Princess Peach: Showtime, and the aforementioned unpredictability is a huge reason why it will likely remain in my permanent rotation of Mario games going forward. I’d love to see Nintendo give more mascots a showcase like this, with a similar go-for-broke variety format. Keep ’em coming!

Inkulinati has its quirks, but it’s dripping with charm. For a small studio’s first game, it’s a solid experience that makes me look forward to what Yaza Games comes up with in the future. The game is on Xbox Game Pass, so it can’t hurt to try it out. Inkulinati’s deceptively robust combat and Monty Python-esque humor makes for a delightful experience that is well worth your time.

The Making of Karateka feels like it was told by someone who really loves video games, whereas Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story feels more like it was told by someone who loves Jeff Minter. It’s more interested in showing the man and less about telling his story. Instead, Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story just feels like an organized box of stuff. It’s a pretty great box of stuff, but it should have been more than that.

It’s slightly above par for a game in general and below it for Contra. Despite my complaints, I enjoyed swaths of the game when playing with Bill Rizer, but not enough to want to replay it endlessly. The Contra series has done much worse, but it’s also done much better. Contra: Operation Galuga manages only to be a run-and-shrug shooter.

To put it more poetically, Ufouria: The Saga 2 might not be a game for your brain, but it’s one for your heart.

So, the result is a decent remaster of an okay game. Not bad, better than middling, but not good. Given that it has the Star Wars license, Dark Forces was no doubt successful in 1995 and will most likely be successful now. And it should be. Because even mediocre games can be worthwhile, and they often have a story to tell. I’ll always be grateful when Nightdive and other studios go to the effort to revive them, and I will always be here asking for more.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth somehow manages to spin multiple plates without smashing any of them. It’s over-the-top serious when it wants to be, and it’s utterly absurd in the next moment. Great Final Fantasy games have always managed to walk this line, and it’s a testament to how the brand has stayed relevant for decades on end.

There’s a lot here that feels great, but it’s the inconsistency that lets it down. All those great moments are padded by a framework that doesn’t do them enough justice. Too much emphasis on scrounging, an unfocused narrative, and a generally poor feeling of momentum and progression. I’m still certain that there are some who will be able to overlook the game’s flaws and latch onto its unique charm. However, I think just as many people are going to bounce right off it. Either way, it isn’t a comfortable ride.