General and Gaming > General

52 Games Challenge 2026!!!

<< < (26/56) > >>

Cartagia:
I liked Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrith quite a lot.  Would have never guessed it was a Metroidvania based off of the title (would have assumed JRPG), but it is a really tight, fun game.  It is a little on the easy side (which in turn makes it kinda short, too), but I had fun the whole way through.  Big recommend for fans of the genre if you are looking for something you can knock out in a couple of days.

marvelvscapcom2:
14. Melatonin [PS5] - finished Feb 24th, 2026



DREAMSCAPES GALORE

Melatonin is a rythym game with cute Lofi asthetics.  Those "study music 24 hour loop lofi" animation videos on YouTube? It's kinda like that but with timed button pressing to make up complex rythyms. Animations such as donut boxes throwing donuts into your mouth match the timed button inputs. As you know. I love Guitar Hero, DJ Hero and Rockband.  I enjoy the rythym genre.  With those games.  The only challenge comes from adding notes and speeding notes. It's simple by design. Where as this game Melatonin? It's complex calculus. It's challenging but not too much. Its got a fun blend to it.

What is fun about this game and perhaps the most glorious part of it, is that it has visual and audible cues at the same time. Sometimes more than 3 cues.  A player must master timing, the beat itself, when the beat will align with an action you need to perform but the on screen world is playing mini movies based on what you are doing in these melatonin infused dreamscapes of purple and biege. It's extremely neat.  Like you have to actually memorize the beat. There is no on screen note to hit. It is off internal clocking.  The rocket launches when the beat clicks the 3rd time. Hold X. Release.  It's hard but zenful when you get the hang of it.


The levels of his dreams include everything humans dream about (except dirty stuff lol) including

. Money
. Space
. Shopping
. Food
. Stress
. Dating
. Video Games
 
And more.  Totalling about 20 levels over 5 sections I believe.  Each has a very different timing pattern, visual cue and scheme to master.  Some require more tapping. Some require elongated presses. Some require alternating between both.  It's very artistic and almost like having 20 seperate games and movies in one.  I am really impressed and may find myself going back to this one.


Rating - 85/100

dhaabi:
10. Reanimal || PlayStation 5 || 02.19.2026



Because Tarsier Studios was bought by Embracer Group while Bandai Namco retains the IP rights to Little Nightmares franchise they're most associated with, they're back with a newly-created horror project titled Reanimal. Since the game's announcement, it's been advertised as being more mature than their previous works, so I've been eager to find out what that means exactly.

Despite Reanimal being an original horror game, there is plenty of overlap between it and the Little Nightmares franchise, though I'll refrain from comparing the two with another. Throughout this exploratory journey of survival and escape, the cast of characters are seldom alone. Players will often creep along a path from one dark corner to the next, just out of view from the threats they hope to avoid that will, quite literally, consume them if found. What Tarsier Studios has always been able to achieve is the sense that safety is never guaranteed—and especially not when it seems most likely—and the effectiveness of that design philosophy has never been this fully realized by them until now. Some unknown variable will always happen as narrative events are scripted, meaning there will be unavoidable encounters that more often result in the characters on screen running for their lives. Of course, when these immediate dangers do arise is never known, so the anxiety of player safety being sacrificed by one small mistake is high.

In this world, the setting is dreary, drab, and gray while what's in it is cracked and broken beyond repair. What's on screen captivates how bleak life can feel like when nearly all hope is lost. To reinforce this idea, the dangers within it are true terrors. Corpses litter the environment as both set dressing and hazards. They're grossly designed as deflated bodies, or oppositely as bloated masses. While the game's title name implies a focus on animals which is true, there are still plenty of encounters with humanoid figures. (I question to call them humans outright.) Elements of body horror are prevalent, though there's not much need to be over-reliant of it through visual design. The reason for that is, as to be expected from Tarsier Studios, the difference in scale between player and everything they face including the world itself is, in some way, the most effective means of instilling horror.

Emphasizing platforming mechanics, Reanimal is not unlike previous works from Tarsier Studios. However, its secondary focus on puzzles has since been lessened in favor of more action-dominated gameplay, though puzzles are still certainly present. While players are generally vulnerable to the world, moments do arise when they can defend themselves. In fact, there are several fully-realized combat encounters. More often than not, combat is delegated to simple melee attacks, though there are instances when ranged thrown weaponry is needed. However, action gameplay is not limited to combat. Stealth sequences are also present, though the mechanics aren't as expansive as I think the game would benefit from. This is especially true as Reanimal is a two-player co-op game. Generally, both players are attempting to accomplish the same immediate goal together by the same method. But the game's stealth mechanics seem fully capable of providing a more defining multiplayer experience, such as one player acting as a distraction while the other moves forward.

With that said, I'm unsure if this game really benefits from co-op play. While nothing is detracted from the experience with its inclusion, the game just as easily could have been designed for a single player and feel just as rewarding. Personally, I've never played Tarsier Studios's games alone while usually opting to pass the controller back-and-forth from time to time. And while I don't know if that style of play is true for others, I do know that previous games from them (namely Little Nightmares) is experienced by many by two or more players at once, whether that be passing the controller or one person playing and others spectating. Should the developers continue making this style of game, I'm curious if they'd expand upon co-op play that gives reason for it being designed that way. As a final note to discussing co-op play, it's worth mentioning that a two-player experience is how Reanimal is intended to be played, but it can also be experienced on one's own alongside a CPU player two.

Players can expect to fail segments with some frequency throughout the adventure, though Reanimal is quite generous with checkpoints. Still, the amount of failure experienced across my playthrough (just for two or three specific sequences that took several attempts each, really) makes the game less impactful, considerably so since the segments I failed were intense moments. Obviously, there is a balance to maintain in terms of tension and difficulty, so I'm not sure how this could be adjusted. For one segment, the time window for completing successfully was too tight, whereas the issue for another was that a multitude of enemies were too overpowered. Arguably, it could be suggested that these are issues in skill, but I don't think that was the case in my experiences.

By the end of its brief campaign, Reanimal reveals much of its metaphorical messages in a manner that's not unlike the stories they've previously told. Yet while the overarching themes remain the same, the experiences are always unique, with this game being no exception.  So while I did enjoy my time playing, I'm left wanting to see Tarsier Studios branch out for whatever horror project they work on next, particularly in regards to the broad theme concerning children and corruption as that hasn't really changed in nearly a decade.

marvelvscapcom2:
15. Kirby's Dreamland 3 [SNES] -  finished Feb 25th, 2026



A TIMELESS LEGEND, IN A CUTE ADVENTURE BOTH SWEET AND FLAWED

I had always heard phantom rumblings about this one. It’s a pricey title, and rarity breeds curiosity. Considering it’s a multi-hundred-dollar Kirby game, it was long outside my personal realm.

But being snowed in with six-foot drifts, full Boston winter apocalypse mode. I decided to kick back and fire up Kirby’s Dream Land 3 on the Switch. My conclusion? It’s an adorable, sugary-sweet experience… but not without its flaws. Still, I’m glad I played it. Because at the end of the day, It's the pink marshmallow of glory.

And Kirby is theology wrapped in fluff.


. A man must ponder. If Kirby sucks a ditto? Who copies who's abilities and since both have the same ability. Does Kirby then copy the ability to copy abilities?

. If Kirby sucks a black hole does the black hole suck Kirby from the inside and rearrange Kirby's molecular structure or does Kirby become a black hole which he already pretty much is.

. If Kirby and Jigglypuff dated. Tell me the kids wouldnt be adorable.

. Why is Samus Aran even remotely in attendance in Kirby's universe? Is Kirby technically an alien? Is dreamland an LSD acid trip during MK Ultra experiments? Is the fact that Samus is in dreamland canon?


This mind of thinking occurs when dealing with Kirby and his shenanigans.

Kirby sparks theology, but above all. He's adorable. And fun.  I have always enjoyed the character design. Kirby is a masterpiece spawned from the genius of Mr. Iwata (rip) and his vision for the brand of nintendo as a whole. The thing that I enjoy about Kirby games is they are relaxing offering depth and lax difficulties combined with epic power ups and this game does all of that. But here is where it goes wrong.

Kirby Dreamland 3 does something different from the gameboy games or the NES Game Kirby's adventure in that it gives you a blue koosh ball as an ally.  I'd go as far as to say it's a blue koosh ball with some sort of mental impairment. It is extremely dumb and most of all it almost always gets in the way.  Luckily the thing is optional because its only good for getting 2 rewards at the end of each level which range from nothing to 1ups. Which are the best rewards in the game.  The game is loaded with

. Doors that lead to nowhere

. Cheap ass kills by having enemies disguised as doors, blocks ect.

. Puzzles that are tedious at best and even most forums that reference 100 percent completion of this game talk about how ridiculous some of them are.  For example. The game may show you vaguley 7 spike balls. Then a enemy (a built in carny) will beep 3 times.  Like what on earth am I supposed to gather from this information.  So you hit the 3rd spike ball thinking thats 3.  Nope. He meant how many spike balls are on screen versus the spike blocks.  Which is 7. But how can you know how to play without the rules being laid out?  It'd be like me asking you. What cup is the ball under without showing you the ball first. It's just sorta stupid. I only knew one games ruleset. The rest are vague and silly. I find this to be such an uncessary part of the game. It does a lot to make it less streamline.

And yet again.  A very mentally deficient blue koosh ball is your friend... and you have to suck up things to spit at enemies or absorb powers. Thats the ENTIRE premise of Kirby. But with blue ballsack present. You end up sucking up him. Which then makes it harder to get the power.  You know what else he does? Gee idk

Steals your powerups and spits them accross screen. Hits enemies that you needed to continue. And even fills your mouth at inoppurtune times so enemies can kill you whilr you are defenseless. He sometimes does come in handy by being a distraction.  Something for enemies to beat up while you float.  But that's rare and not his primary function.

But enough of the negatives, now we get into the greatest part of this game.  The damn bosses. The bosses of Kirby dream land 3 are so epic. Very on brand with the other kirby games and the perfect sweet spot of challenge. I adore the painter boss who paints enemies onto a canvas as they come to life.  Each enemy and boss has patterns to learn in ways only vintage nintendo could muster. It's sweet poetry. So it did well in the areas where it mattered most.  The art is beautiful.  Kirby looks great in 16 bit and overall I had a lot of fun with this game. It needed a little polishing around the edges.  But it is a fun time nonetheless.

Rating - 80/100

supremeusername:
10. Ghost in the Shell | 1997 | PlayStation 1 | 2/24:



     This was so much fun to play through. Every element -- from the bumpin' soundtrack, to the graphics, to even the game's main menu -- is oozing with atmosphere; enough to make Kojima blush. You even have voiced cutscenes that play every 3 missions, which are fully animated in the GITS's manga artstyle. It's pretty simple gameplay-wise: you tap square to shoot the dual machine-guns or hold it to lock onto targets with missiles, all while using the triggers to strafe incoming fire. Not much else to it, but when the game looks this cool to play, who cares if it's a little basic?

     The only negative takeaway is that this game is short, too short. It feels like the game was just starting to hit its stride as it incorporated more of the spider tank's wall-climbing mechanics in the level design towards the end. Even taking into consideration the simplistic gameplay, it wouldn't have hurt to make the main story an hour longer. I would've been pretty disappointed if I purchased this game full-price back in the day and beat it in under 2 hours. Still, this made me more of a fan of Ghost in the Shell so I guess the game fulfilled its original purpose after all.



Grade: B+

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page

[*] Previous page