Destructoid

Bayonetta Origins isn’t a prestige drama by any means, but the entire vibe is extremely amenable to fans. There’s always the risk of over-explaining things (which some fans took umbrage with in the third game), but the way Bayonetta Origins operates is relatively melancholy and muted, and doesn’t quite sink to the depths of “just say the line!” depravity.

It is a brilliant reimagining of Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island as a Mario Kart track, and the way the developers have incorporated so many things from that game and its sub-series sequels into the race should be celebrated.

Paranormasight makes me feel like the visual novel genre has been held back by largely adhering to a formula first created 40 years ago. It makes its evolutionary steps seem effortless, simple, and long overdue. But more importantly, it tells an excellent story that defies expectations. So, as long as you’re up for some reading and a bit of thinking, Paranormasight is one you shouldn’t miss.

Looking at Figment 2 from any angle other than a strictly aesthetic one makes it seem lacking. But because it executes its sights and sounds so expertly, it’s really hard to identify where it’s lacking. It’s so well-polished and tangible passion has gone into crafting it that, so long as you have a good vector on what to expect, it’s still possibly a good time.

Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse starts off extremely slow, and then it ends slow. You’re only truly let off the leash for a portion in the middle of the game. However, despite all the drawbacks I could continually bang on about, it did eventually grow on me. It’s a quiet, isolated horror experience.

Romancelvania feels a lot like an idea too grand, a team too small, and a deadline too short. There is a lot of vision, a great deal of creativity, and no shortage of love, but all of that got crushed under the reality of the workload. The whole combination of two established subgenres is a substantial experiment, and that requires a lot of prototyping, testing, failing, and starting over. Romancelvania feels like it charged ahead without looking back on a lot of things. As such, the end product is a bit of a mess.

Prior to Lightfall, I felt Destiny was at its strongest point ever. The narrative was exceptional, the character development was unrivaled by any other FPS, and the future seemed both terrifying and wildly exciting.

What makes Return to Castlevania better is that it essentially allows you to turn Dead Cells into a Castlevania roguelike, and a damned good one. The DLC serves as a fantastic love letter to one of the series that helped inspire Dead Cells, and that love absolutely comes across.

It’s not terrible. I played it with my nephews recently, and they dug it. It’s just a bit understated. When bought in a package with the Retro Collection, it makes sense as a tribute to the other games. As a standalone product, I can’t really recommend it.

You’ll plant more banners for more checkpoints and accrue a greater morale rating if you go off the beaten path. Mind, all of this is done without making levels pointlessly huge, to the point where adventuring becomes a chore. It’s a fantastic give and takes — gallivanting through that bespoke level design — that I enjoyed experiencing throughout Wo Long‘s runtime.