Recent reviews by Fudo Myo

Another masterpiece from From.

I appreciate the simplified combat mechanics and overall 'straightforwardness' of this title -- a nice departure from the Souls formula.

If you're a Souls fan and are on the fence due to complaints of the RPG mechanics being stripped out, I recommend giving this a shot. From's peerless quality and innovative game design is all here, and should not be missed.

GOTY, for sure.

Now I have absolutely no reason to get a Switch.

Charming little Zelda-like with very simplified stripped-down combat and light puzzles. I'm loving the art style. At this price, I'd definitely recommend it.

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EDIT: Now that I've beaten the game, here's my full review.

From the pixel art and trailers, I was expecting a Zelda-lite, something with minor RPG depth. What I got instead was something much more arcade-y.

Gameplay consists of navigating four dungeons, opening chests and flipping switches, to unlock four shrines that act as save points, which, once achieved, unlocks your main gate leading to the end-level boss fight. All this while threading through and mowing down hoards of respawning enemies.

You have a choice of three characters with different types of attacks (I’ve only done a full playthrough with one character so far).

Some minor annoyances: enemies respawn every time you leave an area and re-enter; this can mean even while on the same screen. Later enemies have ranged missile attacks that are a further annoyance.

When you’re carrying an object, you cannot fight. Got a key? Now you have to leg it to the gate while avoiding enemies and missiles, rather than slaughtering them all. This aspect of gameplay almost feels like a bullet-hell rather than Zelda.

The pixel art, music, even the fonts and cool kanji-analogues are all top-notch. Controls are tight and responsive.

Kamiko felt slightly on the easy side, and that’s coming from someone who is not very good at video games. Other reviewers have said the other character types add further difficulty with their changed-up attack styles.

Once you reset your expectations, Kamiko’s charm and arcade-style gameplay are well-worth the asking price. The pixel-art alone is worth the tour. Though short, the additional characters add replay value, and the built-in timer features make clear that Kamiko was designed for speed-running.

I played through using an arcade stick and had a blast; it felt like the way it was meant to be played.

Kamiko might not be for everyone, but I certainly enjoyed it give it a hearty recommendation.

Just when you thought the market couldn't possibly support another Metroidvania...along comes Gato Roboto.

First, the music is EXCELLENT, just outstanding, and fits the game perfectly. I want the OST.

Gato Roboto does everything right. The controls are tight, the dialogue is funny, the aesthetic charming, and the gameplay is superb. For a short little Metroid clone, it's quickly become one of my favorites. I imagine this would be right at home on the Switch.

If you like Metroid clones, when you're done with Axiom Verge, grab this one - it's a no-brainer.

I loved Bladed Fury. It’s a simplified version of Muramasa, and takes about 6 hours to complete, which is just fine in this time-starved era. The game is polished and professional; tight controls are essential in an action combat game such as this, and my worst fear was that the controls would be sloppy or loose, but this is not the case. They’re perfect and feel great.

Best of all is the outstanding art style, which is what attracted me to Bladed Fury in the first place. The characters, the environments, every frame is a work of art. The sound design matches.

I’m happy to see more Chinese devs coming to Steam, and Bladed Fury proves they can reach a quality and calibre on par with the best indie devs on Steam. Bravo, Next Studio. I can’t wait for the sequel.

This year’s Journey. Pushes the envelope on what video games can do and be, and pounds the nail in the coffin of the ‘Are Video Games Art?’ debate once and for all. The marriage of music, visuals, and gameplay is the most perfect since Inside.

Anyone with any interest in the artier side of video games needs to play this game. This will stay a classic for years to come.

Usurps Zachtronics' pevious title bearer Spacechem as The Greatest Puzzle Game ever made. The open-ended solutions and easily gernerated gifs make this game inspiring as well as addicting. Makes you feel like a genius...until you see someone else's solution.

The hardest game on Steam.

PERFECT WITH A STEAM CONTROLLER

Fantastic follow-up to FTL. Some knock it for its simplicity, but I find it refreshing. Easy to get in to, but still punishingly difficult.

The flavor text and world building but a smile on my face -- the game oozes personality using very little.

It seems custom made for a Steam controller. Once again, I find myself feeling lucky to be a PC gamer.

Like FTL, this is sure to be a classic and one that everyone one Steam should own.

BRAVISSIMO! I had heard good things about Hue, but my GAWD, what a fantastic experience. This is indie game perfection. I cannot find one fault with it. I can name perfect games on one hand (Spelunky and…?), and this one grabs the title. It is now right up there with The Swapper as one of my two most favourite platform puzzlers of all time.

The balance between head scratchers and skill-based puzzling is just right. The pacing is perfect, titrating out new colours and new mechanics at just the right speed. The voice acting is superb, the music is melancholic and beautiful. The end-game puzzles certainly had me stumped for long minutes – just the right amount of difficulty.

My favourite aspect was the sheer joy of colour swapping. Putting the colour wheel on the right stick, adding a nice whooshing sound as you engage, sprinkling lovely musical chimes as you spin through the colours and slowing down time as you do it, made the mechanic just feel so good. There’s nothing else like it in any other game.

I completed the game but did not go back for all of the collectibles. If I weren’t a father of two with a full-time job, I probably would…

If you like platform puzzlers in any way, make sure you don’t miss this. It’s probably the best one out there.

My nominee for the “No Apologies” award.

Part of me thinks, if only I had written this review sooner, could I have possibly helped save Runic Games?

This is hands down one of my favorite games of 2017. The art style is unparalleled, the world building new and unique, the gameplay and clockwork game world astonishing. I loved every second of this masterpiece, and will probably return to find all of the collectibles.

Releasing at the same time as Cuphead might have been its downfall, as it seemed everyone ignored this gem while Cuphead (deservedly) absorbed the limelight.

The main gripe seems to be the fixed camera, but this was a very intentional design choice that is integral to the game play. It’s a minor annoyance at first, but fine once you get your head around it.

Runic Games had more talent on display in their three little gems than most triple A studios show in a decade of fatigued franchises. Their demise means there truly is no justice in this world.

Buy this game, marvel at its genius, and give the devs some love.