Recent reviews by Morgane

This has no right to be this addictive.

Back in 2003, F-Zero GX became my absolute favorite game of that generation. I can't count the hours I wasted on it, the time I spent unlocking absolutely everything, learning advanced techniques, you name it.

And then, we never got a proper followup. Some games tried and came kinda close, but none ever captured that feeling of pure joyful speed as well as F-Zero GX did. Some just lacked the sense of speed, others tried to focus too much on combat or weapons, yet others lacked personality.

But now, there's Aero GPX. It took 21 years but finally there's a worthy successor. Even still in Early Access, it's clear that this is what I've been waiting for all this time. Fast, visuals focussed entirely on delivering tight racing action, great soundtrack, personality, it's all there.

On top of that...this game isn't easy. F-Zero GX has a reputation for being tough as nails and while I'm not quite sure how deep the difficulty here eventually goes, the thing that is clear to me is that while you can unlock everything on the easiest level, if you want to get good at the higher difficulties, you're going to need to learn the special techniques the game has on offer. This means that if you're not a pro or just want to have some easy fast racing action, this game's got you covered, but if you need something more hardcore, that too is there!

While some may deride the split of the energy bar into "boost" and "health", saying it takes away some of the jeopardy of F-Zero, the enemy machines are more than aggressive enough to make you sweat for your health, especially at later tracks. This game strikes a bit of a different balance in where the danger is, and it works out very well.

All in all, this is an absolutely great successor to the old great, and more content is yet to come. I can't wait!

This reminds me in all the good ways of late '90s/early '00s gaming. No nonsense, just pick a car, a track and go. Unlock cars by winning rallies, no complicated setups...it's a great throwback for a friendly price.

I can already tell this falls in the "Easy to pick up, hard to master" catagory. If you're a rally nut, or someone who absolutely loves going all-out on getting those final 0.01's of a second out of a track time, you'll have even more fun with it. I'm not like that, but I'll happily keep picking this up for quick plug and play sessions. Time will tell if the developer keeps the update promises, but right now, I'd say it's already worth the 10 bucks.

A delightful little game in which you build a cute street and keep its occupants happy by offering them what they want from stores, and beautifying the area on the other hand. It's a very simple game and you can finish it pretty fast - within 3 hours should be doable for most - after which only the sandbox mode remains.

The game puts very little pressure on you. The managment is done in a pause screen, then you play through each day and watch the people go about their day. This is where you click on trash to sweep it, pet cats, greet cyclists passing through and keep an eye on if your people like your offerings and what to expect. Then the day ends and you can make your adjustments. It's a very relaxed loop.

If you're looking for a bite sized cute and cozy game that you'll play through in one or two days, and then occasionally pick up for some free play later on, it's a great choice.

Do you enjoy beautifully crafted environments, a fun well motivated protagonist, exploration, various routes and storylines to follow and Scottish music? And do you love a developer that's on the ball when it comes to listening to community feedback and fixing possible issues? Then have I got the game for you right here.

It's a good footie game. Nice arcade-y feel of yesteryear with fluid fast gameplay, a whole slew of teams (easy to edit, and links to pre-edited files are easily found as well) to choose from and a developer who puts in regular updates and is approachable to boot. Easy recommendation, especially for the price.

So we get the first DLC to my favorite Indie game of the '20s so far and...well...it's good, but...

Let's start with the good points.

- The designs

As in the main game, the designs we get are top notch once again, of the new critters, Gwen, and the main antagonist.

- More music

And given that it's Cassette Beasts, that's always a positive. The music is absolutely great and having more of it is always a bonus.

- Fun story

While not particularly long, the story and character motivations are well done, on par with most of the main game, better than some but not the absolute top compared to others. It's good.

- Atmosphere

The atmosphere of the DLC is perfect. No further notes.

But there are a few things that I didn't like nearly as much:

- The bosses

Aside from the main antagonist, there are a few other bosses in here which all felt...uninspired and easy, compared to what has been in the main game.

- Lack of adventure

One of Cassette Beast's main strengths is the sense of adventure as you slowly explore the island and gain more powers. That is kind of absent here as it is constrained to a relatively small area. It causes a bit of a disconnect to me.

- Item hunt

At the end you need to hunt for 8 specific items. They're in seemingly random places and there's no hint whatsoever to where they are. It feels a bit cheap compared to the rest.

All in all though, if you enjoyed the main games, this will be a good addition to the main menu. It's worth the price of admission without question.

Really the only thing that makes this a "Pokemon" game is the fact that you "catch" monsters for your own use. Everything else falls more into, well, standard seems the wrong word here, but more regular RPG conventions. For example, only you (and your companion) level up, your monsters do on a different scale, but their levels are equalled to yours.

It's got charming graphics, controls feel nice and once you unlock some movement abilities traversing the island feels like a great flow.

The highlight though is the music, and the sound design in general. From the moment the startup screen shows up, everything just feels right. Cozy, relaxing, perfect background music. And when you get to the creepier parts of the game - and there are some intensely creepy bits - the music matches perfectly.

Would recommend checking out at a $40 price point, as it is now, it's an absolute steal.

I don't understand why this game is at a base price of 40 euros, yet so-called "Triple A" games go for 70+ nowadays. The amount of love that's been poured into this game far exceed anything most high profile competitors could ever hope for.

So anyway, this game's great. Everything feels smooth, it looks like you're walking through a pixar movie, the sound is absolutely sublime, combat takes a bit to get the hang of but feels natural, and bugs and glitches seem very far in between.

Just one note; this game is harder than you'd expect from its visuals. Ranged enemies have an annoying tendency to stay out of your line of sight early on, and heavy hitters can lop off two thirds of your health bar without too much issue. Keep this in mind if you're planning to get it for, say, a younger chlid, or if you're expecting a quiet stroll through the woods. While there are lower difficulty levels, it's worth noting.

Look, it's only 2.39 euros, it's a simple puzzler that is easy to start up, fill a 10 minute gap with and turn off again. It looks simple, it plays simply, I'm not sure what more you want for the price of admission.

Oh, you support Ukraine while at it?

A+ buy.