Phil Villarreal's Blog, page 45

PHIL ON FILM: "Free Guy"

 For my full review, click here.

"Wingspan" Review

An ultra-complicated, often confounding and ultimately rewarding card game, "Wingspan" is set among the world of birds.

Sounds boring, right? Not so fast. Every bit as intense and nail-biting as a game with spells, crafting and summons.

Aiming to establish the most gorgeous, diverse and thriving wildlife preserve, you gather eggs, deploy bird species and strategize ways to edge out rivals.

The dev squad at Monster Couch deploys a labyrinthine swirl of rules, guidelines and subsets that are as difficult to grasp as it is to catch a feathered friend in your hands.

Once you get the hang of it -- an extended tutorial and frequent referrals to walkthroughs don't hurt -- you'll find yourself obsessing over the permutations of diets, eggs, habitats and subspecies.

There is a lot to digest here -- too much for the armchair dilettante -- but a rich tapestry in which to delve for those who like to find themselves lost in the clouds. It may be tough to find similarly-minded avian devotees, but should you find your flock, you're experience will no doubt take flight.

Anyone else needs to be content to peck it out with the punishing A.I. That mode is for the birds.

Publisher provided review code.

"Inbento" Review

An inventive, therapeutic puzzler, "Inbento" has you mix, match, flip and remove overlaying titles in order to match a preset image. 

The devs at Afterburn milk their lighthearted concept for all it's worth, conjuring exponential ways to trick and tease your mind whenever it reaches a comfort level with a concept. 

The act of manipulating the tiles is so simplistic that it seems somewhat condescending, but the sheer depth of the permutations in which you can go wrong give the game a sometimes diabolical edge.

While I played, my wife commented that it looked like a game for 2-year-olds. That only accentuated my embarrassment when I got stuck and had to resort to online walkthroughs. I recommend against retreating to that route, because it robs you of the sheer satisfaction of the breakthrough.

The content -- which includes more than 100 bite-size levels -- is a bit thin, especially if you get a feel for the puzzle design and start plowing through each one in seconds. If you start to struggle then your playtime, as well as frustration level, can considerably increase.

"Inbento" does little to evolve past its mobile game roots, but its relaxing, methodical feel is a rare pleasure in a time of hectic shooters and trying RPGs. It takes a special magic to make failure seem fun, and that's what this game manages to achieve.

Publisher provided review code.

PHIL ON FILM: "The Suicide Squad"

 For my full story, click here.

"Within the Blade" Review

Hack-and-slash ninja combat comes by the bushel in "Within the Blade," a fast-paced beat-em-up with a rapid buildup in difficulty.  

Set in 16th century Japan, you play as part of the Black Lotus ninja clan, which stands as the realm's best chance to fend off an assault from a warlord and his minions.

Hand-to-hand and projectile weapons and power-ups are around for your upgrading and crafting pleasure. A mix of stealth and daring assaults are your best bet for survival.

Speed and stealth are at a premium, with slick moves and continued momentum needed to rip through levels.

The dev team at Ametist Studio prioritized quantity over quality when it came to level design, adding marginal changeups to keep your reflexes and skills honed. There are shades of "Mark of the Ninja" here.

"Within the Blade" rarely lacks in excitement or intrigue, and those who are content with bashing through the repetitive content -- especially in NewGame+ mode, will find a trove of ninja thrills to enjoy.

Publisher provided review code.

"Roundguard" Review

Mixing chance and skill is an enthralling and often frustrating combination. "Roundguard" handles the formula with ease and skill, making average players feel as though they're better than they really are, while sobering better players with the harsh reality of bad bounces.

The Wonderbelly Games team punches up the screen with an entertaining array of sound and color. 

Proudly following the "Plinko"-style path set by "Peggle" in 2007, the game tasks you to defend the kingdom by choosing from a roster of combatants, each bestowed with a special move that lets you manipulate your tumbling ball and its targets.

Strategy comes into play when you decide when to deploy your power-ups and when it's best to keep them in your back pocket. Because instant death always lurks around the corner, it's up to you to weigh your fate and decide when to play boldly or conservatively.

While a medieval reskin of "Peggle" may well have been enough to win me over, the intricacies and story additions wielded "Roundguard" lifted it above my expectations, providing moments of exuberance along with an "I'll get 'em next time" feeling of flustered determination. 

Consider the "Peggle" formula perfected.

Publisher provided review code.

"The Forgotten City" Review

Riding a wave of hype surrounding time loop games such as "Returnal" and "Deathloop," "The Forgotten City" takes the concept and lifts it to a higher level of intellectual profundity.

Since the days of "The Majora's Mask," developers have toyed with the concept of avoiding imminent destruction with the right moves. "The Forgotten City" injects some current-gen pizzazz into the formula, presenting a dizzying array of choices that make failing the loop -- and following the permutations of the strange aberrations the failure can generate -- nearly as satisfying as completing it.

The dev team at Modern Storyteller proves to be profoundly literate, injecting sophisticated moral and ethical philosophizing. This is a deep, robust game in which story matters every bit as much as gameplay.

Set 2,000 years in the past, you find yourself in a doomed Roman city. Negotiating the local political scene and various levels of the social strata, you unravel a mystery strand by strand, gradually working your way to the "Groundhog Day"-style epiphany.

The sense of freedom and permutations of the story are entrancing, making "The Forgotten City" seem like a living, breathing world that is quickly swirling the drain.

In a sense, just about all video games are time loops, in which you can seize a modicum of control that life doesn't give you, letting you use your experience, knowledge and reflexes to right previous wrongs and succeed where you once failed. "The Forgotten City" is a time loop upon the time loop concept itself, shining a light on what can be done with the genre.

Publisher provided review code.

PHIL ON FILM: 5 Shows to Binge in August 2021

For my full story, click here.

PHIL ON FILM: "Jungle Cruise" review

 For my full review, click here.

"Observer: System Redux" Review

Cyberpunk sleuths have plenty to savor in "Observer: System Redux," an amped-up version of a 2017 release.

Set in 2084, the dark, twisting psychological horror adventure always keeps you off guard. Thanks to a thought-provoking script, entrancing visuals and clever gameplay mechanics, the game captures the tone of a page-turning thriller novel

You play as a detective who hacks inside peoples' brains in order to investigate crimes.

A dystopian nightmare emerges, with a cavernous realm of secrets, lies and backstabbing emerging around the deadly conspiracy. You put your own neck on the line as you sink deeper into the investigation.

While the stealth continues to be weak -- although the segments are uniformly streamlined and overall improved in this new-gen upgrade -- the puzzle elements are superb. 

The devs at Bloober Team are clearly well-versed in the annals of cyberpunk history, making clever references and poignant observations as they unravel their fascinating tale.

A powerfully told, intricately woven deep dive into the recesses of the human condition and its corruptive qualities relating to artificial intelligence, "Observer: System Redux" continues to cast its spell on the current generation of consoles.

Publisher provided review code.