PC Game Reviews

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Our detailed reviews help you make informed decisions about your next PC game purchase. We provide a thorough analysis of gameplay, graphics, story, and more.

Unbeatable ReviewA visually striking rhythm game that suffers from an identity crisis.

IGN PC ArticlesDec 10

Routine ReviewA stylish and surprising sci-fi horror game.

IGN PC ArticlesDec 10

Review: Bits and Bops Really Feels Like Rhythm Heaven Nintendo’s Rhythm Heaven games work because they are such a fantastic pairing of clever music minigames with wonderful music. That formula can be difficult to replicate, since a game is going to falter if it doesn’t get both parts absolutely right. Bits and Bops is a concise little collection with minigames and music that actually does capture the same sense of whimsy. It isn’t perfect, but it is delightful. Bits and Bops is both the name of the game and a virtual record store we visit. Each minigame is set up as basically a new album, with shelves that feature 16 unique experiences and four mixtapes that combine the four from that shelf. (Think of that as being similar to the Rhythm Heaven remixes like ones we experienced in recent entries.) As we complete these games, which all might use one or in some cases two buttons, we earn little souvenirs and some other rhythm-based novelties that test timing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbziKeMD4Ok As with Rhythm Heaven , the Bits and Bops minigames are short and almost tell little stories of their own. So the first is a cat photographer on a ship photographing a seal that will pop out of the water to hit a beach ball, sometimes juggling it. The standard note pattern, indicated by audio beats, involves one button press to take a single picture. If you hear a sort of syncopated beat, then you know the seal is about to juggle it, meaning you need to press the button three times in a row to take three quick photos. Another involves a game of rock-paper-scissors, with the timing telling you how quickly to throw out your choice. The mixtapes combine clips from all of the four previous minigames for a longer song, with the animations now featuring the same characters, but with a matching theme. The fact that Tempo Lab Games based Bits and Bops on Rhythm Heaven is very obvious. One minigame involving ants marching is definitely Flock Step-like, only with the bell signifying a quick three-step instead of taking flight. One in which a robot is performing alongside two backup dancers sort of reminds me of Frog Hop in terms of gameplay, what with pattern-matching and waiting for the spin move, but reminds me of Love Rap in terms of appearance due to the use of a trio. The miner moles on a cart? That’s See-Saw. While Fort Lifter involved nabbing peas with a fork and the hammer and nails minigame involves hitting nails, the gameplay and call-response element feels the same. I got strong Working Dough vibes from a minigame about a monkey tossing coins to a snake to get them into a chest, with the money featuring the same sort of sound effect as Hole in One. There are a lot of times when I felt like it was a fan game offering updated or additional takes on minigames Nintendo’s team did before due to them feeling so similar, rather than entirely original. They’re fun! They’re also very “on the nose.” How someone may feel about that might vary. I honestly wished there were more that felt 100% totally original ones, such as the minigame about the birds talking. Screenshots by Siliconera They are quite clever, though. The music in Bits and Bops feels very much like a tribute to Tsunku’s work. The animated segments are cute and genuinely funny. There’s a sense of pure whimsy woven throughout. I will note that in the introduction and tutorial, Tempo Lab Games makes a point of trusting your ears and not your eyes. However, the only minigame that really made me feel as though that was possibly true was the ants marching one. And that’s only because during the initial tutorial, I didn’t initially catch that the quick three-step came almost immediately after the bell. While Bits and Bops is far shorter than Nintendo’s Rhythm Heaven games, it absolutely captures the same spirit. It’s a clear tribute that looks and plays well. Some of the minigames might feel even a little too similar, perhaps due to the premise, appearance, or song. As long as that doesn’t bother you, you’ll likely have a good time with this homage. Bits and Bops is available for PCs. The post Review: Bits and Bops Really Feels Like Rhythm Heaven appeared first on Siliconera .

PC News Category - SiliconeraDec 10

Routine ReviewIn space no one can hear you wait 13 years for Routine The post Routine Review appeared first on WellPlayed .

Reviews PC – WellPlayedDec 10

Review: UNBEATABLE Looks and Sounds Amazing If it came down to vibes alone, I think UNBEATABLE would be a 10/10 game. The soundtrack is phenomenal. There can be some clever quips from beat. The character designs and 2D folks exploring 3D environments pops. If there were an FLCL game, I think it would be like this. But while all those elements exude style, the execution of the narrative and some gameplay elements feel a little flimsy and in need of some patches. One day, when a pink-haired girl with a guitar was laying in a field, she looked up and saw a younger, blue-haired girl. Upon Beat meeting Quaver, the latter was shocked to see the instrument and spirited her away to her home. However, this was only temporary, as Quaver then used Beat as an excuse to get away from her house and gated community to head into the city to visit a stadium. When Quaver got up on the stage to “perform,” a cop showed up and was followed by a strange entities known as Silence. While dealing with these monsters and cops, Beat and Quaver head out to form their own band. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIrs322WdEY Like I said before, the narrative and atmosphere of UNBEATABLE very much reminds me of FLCL, and not just because they both feature pink-haired protagonists and a killer soundtrack. There’s a sense of rebelling against authority, determining who you are, and even a coming of age element for Quaver. There’s also a similar sort of attitude, with sharp quips and many characters having an edge to them. (In a good way, though!) It’s clever and stylish in every way, especially when it comes to its incredible music. As far as the rhythm element goes, it’s solid both in the main campaign and arcade mode. This involves two lanes of notes, with some Silence indicators showing up in the upper one and others in the lower track. The game begins with a timing input check, to ensure we aren’t dealing with lag. There are the typical types of note patterns with the Silence that come up, with some involving hitting both at the same time or held notes. In Arcade Mode it gets especially enjoyable, since there are tons of challenges and both standard and remix versions of songs from the game. Images via D-CELL So the main gameplay issues that got in the way of really enjoying UNBEATABLE involved some jarring transitions in story segments and sometimes even conversations. The big ones would come in going between one area or story beat to another. The first happened after the introductory segment, and I know it was intentional. But others seemed like maybe they weren’t. When Beat and Quaver were about to leave Quaver’s house, the game cut in the middle of a conversation before I could finish and I was just outside on the street with the two of them. When the two of them were in an arena and a police officer came up, there was another one of these sharp transitions that abruptly left the duo outside in the midst of a police chase. These kinds of awkward elements came up in conversations too. However, in this case it seemed like sometimes navigating dialogue options wasn’t as smooth as they should be. In one conversation with a security guard not long after Quaver and Beat meet, when I was making a selection, an issue with responsiveness and transitions meant I “chose” a dialogue option that I didn’t actually choose. Also, while unrelated, these text balloons can sometimes overlap in a way that keeps you from being able to read things, which gets annoying. Images via D-CELL The other gameplay elements that felt fiddly mainly popped up during exploration segments. There’s a forced camera perspective. In some situations, there might be some light climbing or moving across platforms, and it could prove challenging to stay atop without falling due to the view. (This doesn’t come up often.) While the standard rhythm game works well both in the campaign and arcade mode, as well as feature a lot of tracks, rhythm segments that don’t follow that two-line perspective with standard note indicators don’t always feel as immediately easy to figure out the timing and direction. I found the initial police chase one was the worst offender and another that was basically like dealing with a batting cage situation was best. But there are times when the more innovative rhythm segments might not hit in the same way as the traditional ones do. UNBEATABLE absolutely offers tons of style and an exceptional soundtrack, but sometimes I felt a bit let down by the execution of the story and its rhythm game elements. The idea behind the narrative is amazing and I love the plot, but I hated the sharp transitions that sometimes made it feel choppy. The traditional rhythm game moments are fantastic, especially in the arcade mode when you can savor all the tracks and take on challenges, but sometimes the rhythm minigames missed the mark for me. It very much feels like a title where, while it’s quite enjoyable now, I think it will be even better in a few weeks after some patches. UNBEATABLE is available on the PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC. The post Review: UNBEATABLE Looks and Sounds Amazing appeared first on Siliconera .

PC News Category - SiliconeraDec 9

Anno 117: Pax Romana ReviewGreasing palms with olive oil The post Anno 117: Pax Romana Review appeared first on WellPlayed .

Reviews PC – WellPlayedDec 9

Skate Story ReviewFusing a solid foundation of satisfyingly grounded skate tricks with a bizarre, abstract world, Skate Story wobbles a little under its weirdness but there’s no doubt it’s one of the most distinctive skateboarding games of the decade.

IGN PC ArticlesDec 9

Morsels ReviewOf mice and monsters The post Morsels Review appeared first on WellPlayed .

Reviews PC – WellPlayedDec 9

Review: Aeruta Isn’t Loafing Around Cooking combined with battling has become something of a staple in our gaming kitchens. Battle Chef Brigade involved battles and matching games. Cuisineer is a roguelike with a restaurant attached. Magical Delicacy pairs platforming with cooking. FromDawn Games’ Aeruta is the latest to attempt the pairing, putting together a 2D platformer with some RPG elements with a bakery management sim. While there are some pacing and balancing issues, it’s a cute addition to this growing group. Chaya didn’t intend to become a baker. She wanted to be an adventurer. But when she accidentally destroyed Effie’s bakery when on a mission, the consequences involved her working there alongside her typical outings for the guild. Fortunately, fighting foes in different fields yields ingredients that can be used to make daily bread, so doing one job will help her succeed at the other. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOHGTKzChSI Both elements of Aeruta feed into one another. The game, and in general things, seem to start with the 2D adventuring. Chaya will run through platformer-style stages, dealing with enemies. We can use her rolling pin, sword, or whip to attack. Investing in each one makes them better, and building up the town also increases her stats to make her a stronger fighter. Since the actual combat involves relying on combos, dodging, parrying, and precision strikes, it can feel a little like games such as Ender Lilies entries. Likewise, there are some roguelike mechanics in there in addition to the RPG crafting and building nods, due to you being sent back to the start if you die with only some of your haul. That’s also where it gets repetitive, however. The different locations feel a lot alike, as do some opponents, so it can feel a bit taxing and frustrating if you keep falling to a suddenly stronger than expected boss a few times. Because then you do restart from the beginning of the area. After a few hours, it gets tedious in a way I didn’t always appreciate. Image via FromDawn Games Fortunately, the bakery element of Aeruta felt much better paced. You’ll take ingredients you collected to make and find recipes for bed. You start with very few slots for available product options and recipes, but these gradually grow larger and allow you to select from an array of novel ideas that can bring in money. The little button prompt for the actual sale is a little annoying, seeing how often we will do it, and I felt like it could have been omitted as a quality of life and accessibility option. But since we eventually can also find and tame Patti enemies on runs that can help, with ones with skills like Checkout Expert, Cleaning Expert, and Price+ increases, it never got to be too much of an issue when I played. And they can also be used to gather ingredients, which is handy. The way the two elements feed into each other does seem well-balanced, which is good considering the situation. The rewards from going into each run feel tangible once you get back to town to start helping with a bakery shift or the rebuilding effort. Then the bonus stats and increases to Chaya and weapons can be helpful when back on assignment to fight foes. Images via FromDawn Games I enjoyed Aeruta quite a bit, with both the battling and bakery management often feeling equally satisfying. Somehow, I feel the repetition that stemmed from handling the shop became less of an issue than facing the similar sorts of hordes over and over again when heading out to fight for ingredients. The difficulty spikes for a few bosses is also frustrating. But each part of the experience is generally solid, and the charming premise and cute characters add to its appeal. Aeruta is available for PCs via Steam . The post Review: Aeruta Isn’t Loafing Around appeared first on Siliconera .

PC News Category - SiliconeraDec 7

Rhythm Doctor ReviewA super challenging one-button rhythm game with great music and a moving story.

IGN PC ArticlesDec 6