"Cris Tales" also sports an engrossing story and colorful characters who have decently-realized personalities. The game features a striking aesthetic that will never be confused for any other title on the market, and like any good JRPG, its eclectic soundtrack will earworm its way into players' brains and set up shop for years to come. And, if players get too tired of watching their friends mess up puzzles, they can work out their frustration in dedicated competitive minigames, from finger-blistering matches of Tug of War to good-old brainy Chess.Īs the first title produced by indie studio Dreams Uncorporated, "Cris Tales" follows the JRPG formula while also blazing its own path. "It Takes Two" is stuffed with challenges that require tight cooperation from players, and while half the fun is predicting each other's moves and working like a well-oiled machine, the other half is intentionally screwing your partner over. The estranged characters delve isometric cardboard castles ala-"Gauntlet," ward off weaponized hornets in a third-person shooter style, and fight squirrels atop paper airplanes in impromptu "Street Fighter"-esque matches.Įven though "It Takes Two" keeps players busy with its frenetic game genre swaps, the title's true magic lies in its multiplayer. "It Takes Two" is a co-op experience that asks the age-old question: What does it take to rekindle love between two parents who are ready for divorce? Apparently, the answer is transform them into dolls and force them to traverse a variety of worlds in an equally-diverse series of challenges and game genres. The Forgotten City's inhabitants were punished for the "sins of the one," and the game makes you ponder what a sin actually is - every NPC has their own opinion, and by the end of the game, your concept of sin might change. Every character is beautifully penned and voiced (although their faces seem dredged up from the depths of the uncanny valley), and each has his or her own personality and philosophy. While many players probably come for the time-traveling aspect of "The Forgotten City", they will likely stay for the writing. Players know characters were punished for the "sins" of one person, but the game revolves around who that person was and what they did. Players have free reign to wander the titular Forgotten City and have to restart the game's day multiple times to unravel the mystery of why its inhabitants were transmogrified into golden statues. While the standalone title takes place in a new setting, it retains all the strengths of the original experience. The game doesn't have anything quite on par with the legendary Milkman Conspiracy level from the first "Psychonauts", but it does have Jack Black singing a psychedelic song with a sentient ear.Īt its core, "The Forgotten City" is a remake of the original mod, developed by an indie team led by the mod's creator. Players trek through the calcified hallways of a demented brain dentist's delusions, a film noir bowling alley/city, and a Woodstock acid trip. Since the game is all about delving into character psyches, each mindscape tells a deeply personal story veiled in creative metaphors. ![]() While the story of "Psychonauts" 2 is leagues beyond what you find in most platformers, the main appeal is its levels. The narrative tackles plenty of mature subjects that might go in one young audience member's ear and out the other. The characters might come in a rainbow of skin tones with heads of every geometric shape imaginable, but don't let the aesthetic fool you. But more than that, "Psychonauts 2" tells a compelling and hilarious story. The game is a throwback to 3D platformers of old, complete with collectibles and an ever-improving host of psychic powers. "Psychonauts 2," much like "Psychonauts" years before it, is a trippy platformer that asks players to traverse a gallery of mindscapes.
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