Destructoid

Aside from bugs and grinding, my only real complaint is that there just isn't enough, and I want more. Thankfully, the developers plan on funneling revenue from this title into a full-fledged Metroidvania game, which is really what should have been on offer here in the first place.

Stardew Valley is a game that keeps on giving. There is so much I haven't even explored yet that has my giddy for the future. The core mechanics and relaxing aesthetic merge so well together that players will sink in to the experience and never want to leave.

In trailers and screenshots, Sadame certainly looks the part of a long-lost SNES classic. It's not. The yearning desire of my inner child to relive those glorious golden years of gaming is in no way satiated by this repetitive adventure. Instead, the radiance of that era is dimmed just a touch as it reminds of the humdrum games from my youth that are usually invisible in the rose-tinted rearview mirror of the mind. And just as I came to forget about those games, so too shall I soon forget about Sadame.

Yet, those who are looking for one last fix of Assassin's Creed before heading into the break should find some solace in The Last Maharaja's comforting ways. It's enjoyable enough on its gameplay merits to warrant spending time with it; it's also inconsequential enough that you couldn't be blamed for skipping it. It really just depends on how badly you want to play more Assassin's Creed.

Little quality-of-life additions like GamePad item management go a long way with The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD. They manage to hide some of the game's less flattering blemishes, and let you focus on what it does best. While I still wouldn't put it near the top of the Zelda pile, it's still head and shoulders above most modern adventure games.

I'm not sure I have it in me to catch 'em all (Gold and Silver would be a different story), but I'm tempted to try if only to see what everyone used to look like. Either way, I had a hell of a time reliving this trek, unexpectedly getting stomped by the Elite Four, and coming out on top at last.

If you're willing to dig in, and I mean truly dig in, the two styles of play benefit Return to PoPoLoCrois: A Story of Seasons Fairytale. The core story is roughly 30 hours or so, but you can mess around with all of the side content and the farming aspect for far beyond that, which is a perfect excuse to spend weeks on end with a portable.

Gurgamoth is closer to Starwhal, another novelty-based, colorful competitive game, but at least the latter had a sense of humor and janky-controls that are part of the fun. Put another way, Gurgamoth really is just bumper cars: a fleeting, mild amusement best remembered as a sliver of an otherwise warm, fuzzy day.

As an emotional experience, This War of Mine: The Little Ones is peerless. As a game, it's a sluggish chore. To be honest, I'm having some trouble reconciling those two ideas. I want to recommend it because I really feel there is a powerful, necessary message at its core. A real pain from a creator who used the medium to demonstrate the horrors of war in a dramatic and gripping way.

The plot is banal, the writing is tone deaf, and the acting is wooden. Those who can ignore the dressing and focus on the puzzles alone can find some good head-scratching moments and interesting logical interactions. Taken as a whole, Attractio is bipolar; its highs are high and its lows are low. Averaging that out makes it mediocre.