Recent reviews by PurePari

No more "A step in the right direction". They actually did it.

Shadow Generations is a triumph. A really, REALLY good Sonic-style platformer that iterates on both the skillful, multi-pathed platforming of Generations, and the addictive open-zone style of Frontiers. The main levels all bang, and the Doom Powers are a great additional wrinkle for Shadow's moveset (though Doom Morph took me a minute to understand, but once it clicks it's good.) For the first time in a while, I was replaying these stages over and over, trying to find new paths and cut down on my times. It's fun. REALLY fun!

Heck, this is even the first game in the series where all the bosses are good! They scale back the scope of Frontiers' Titans for more focused spectacle, while allowing much more mechanical complexity so it doesn't feel mindless in the slightest. The story's good and heartbreaking, reflecting on the past while weaving it into something new, and the visuals are a frankly unbelievable leap from Frontiers. My only real complaint is that I wanted more of it.

Now more than ever, I'm glad Sonic Team proved me right: the base of what we have in the open-zone format is fantastic, and iterating on it will only bring good things. Looking forward to the next mainline entry, I wanna see this level of quality on original level visuals! (Though I won't lie, it was very nice seeing these biomes again.)

(Oh also there's a Sonic Generations rerelease in here too. It's fine, it rounds out the package nicely. Sonic Gens is a good game, and they avoid a Colors Ultimate situation with it. The script rewrites are strange but I don't mind them. Overall, really good bang for your buck, especially if you never played Sonic Generations.)

FULL REVIEW: https://youtu.be/BMP6Ok_ZYV4

A punchy little platformer that's endlessly creative, funny and heartfelt. I found myself charmed by its personality, and addicted to its fluid, fast movement. 2024 is a really busy year with a bunch of games, but you should definitely keep this one on your radar.

This game is so utterly wonderful and magnificent, it's crazy. Takes a bit for the controls to click, but once they do, it's a wonderful adventure game with a beautiful story.
I really needed to hear the message it told me.

This is basically everything I love about video games cranked up to 12. Super fast pace, crazy satisfying tricks, a nearly non-stop sense of adrenaline, and a dumb fun sense of humor. It feels like the obvious end result of fusing 3D Mario-style platforming with Crazy Taxi, and I just couldn't get enough of it from start to finish.

That being said, I wasn't huge on the boss battles, they felt rather clunky. And the top down stealth sections were a little bit unintuitive... but aside from those minor grievances (which barely take up 30 minutes of the game may I add), this was DELIGHTFUL. Very much looking forward to whatever this team cooks up next! This was a crazy good debut title for the people at Panik Arcade.

A cute little bite-sized platformer that I wish I liked a little better. It has a very cute N64-inspired style and good controls, but I didn't really vibe with the more atmospheric music, and certain challenges (especially in the endgame) were pretty cryptic and annoying. Still, I can recognize it's a good game, and it's worth your time if you like retro style 3D platformers (especially on sale).

Simply brilliant. My first soulslike, and it's a damn good one at that. With this being my first one, I dunno exactly what makes this genre click, but it was clicking for me, and that's what matters. The combat is fun, weighty, and constantly varied due to the shell mechanic. And the presentation of it all really makes it stand out.

I have a few gripes with the platforming being occasionally clunky, and some story beats being fumbled. However, the rest of the package comes together in such a satisfying way that I can forgive those things.

Another Crab's Treasure is a lovely, crazy-inspired game that's chock full of charm and heart. Whether you're a fan of soulslikes, or if this would be your first one, I'd say it's definitely worth checking out.

It takes a bit for its unorthodox control scheme to click, but once it does, Penny’s Big Breakaway is an absolute delight of a platformer. From start to finish I was relentlessly charmed by its goofy writing, unique aesthetics, absolutely perfect soundtrack, and superb gameplay.

It has a couple things to iron out in patches (there’s some collision issues), but I can’t lie. For the majority of my play time, I felt like this was the cream of the crop for 3D platformers. The future for Evening Star looks incredibly promising.

Maybe the most gorgeous game I’ve ever played in my life, good god. It’s a spectacle in motion; the gameplay is relatively simple, but that's not the focus of this game, and that's okay. While the experience is pretty short, it makes the most of its time to craft something that’s truly unforgettable.

I definitely regret waiting so long to play this one. While I hesitate to say if I liked it more than the first, it's VERY good, and just as lovingly crafted as the first.

Really strong cast, and I actually enjoyed the gameplay this time, too! The story has a couple quirks I could poke and complain about but overall its heart shines through to me. I really enjoyed this.

It's a remake, it's a remaster, it's even a level creator. But above all, Bit.Trip Rerunner is a labor of love to the entire Bit.Trip series (not just the Runner games!), showing a little bit of love to every corner of this series. The extras containing excerpts from manuals, concept art, and a bunch of credited fanart was very nice too. It's a surprise hit for the year; every series deserves a game that respects its series legacy as much as Bit.Trip Rerunner does.