character interactions Archives

AppWizard

March 7, 2025

Horror puzzle action adventure game Ao Oni: The Horror of Blueberry Onsen announced for Switch, PC

Game Studio has announced Ao Oni: The Horror of Blueberry Onsen, set to launch in spring on Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam. The game will support multiple languages including English, Japanese, Korean, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, French, Italian, German, Spanish, and Indonesian. The narrative follows four friends—Hiroshi, Takeshi, Mika, and Takuro—who explore an abandoned hot spring inn rumored to be haunted. New features include engaging character interactions, cooperative play, a chat function, new blue demon species, a high-speed gameplay mode, and an online ranking system. A teaser trailer has been released showcasing the game's atmosphere and mechanics.

AppWizard

March 1, 2025

I wish Monster Hunter Wilds’ open world and changing seasons were ambitious enough to justify its PC performance woes, but they’ve yet to truly wow me

Over 1.3 million players are currently engaged in Monster Hunter Wilds on Steam, but only about 13,000 users have left reviews, with the feedback being largely negative. The game holds a "mixed" rating, primarily due to performance issues. Players have reported low-resolution textures and frequent frame rate drops. Previous titles from Capcom, such as Monster Hunter: World and Dragon's Dogma 2, faced similar performance criticisms. Monster Hunter Wilds introduces new features like a seamless open world and seasonal changes, but these do not significantly alter the core gameplay of battling large monsters. Despite some visually striking environments, technical flaws detract from the overall experience.

AppWizard

February 13, 2025

‘Avowed’ Review (PC): An Excellent ‘Elder Scrolls’ Intermission

Avowed is a role-playing game set in the Pillars of Eternity universe, allowing players to engage without prior lore knowledge. Players assume the role of a "Godlike" character on a quest in the "Living Lands" to confront the Dreamscourge, a blight affecting the landscape and its creatures. The game features a small party of companions with unique abilities, including a fish man, a rabbit girl, and a human healer. Avowed consists of interconnected zones with distinct environments, encouraging exploration and discovery. The main story and side quests take approximately 30 hours to complete, offering a fulfilling experience without the lengthy commitment typical of other RPGs. Combat is engaging, with various build options available, and meaningful choices impact the narrative, enhancing player agency. The game simplifies some RPG mechanics, which can be both a strength and a weakness. The writing quality compensates for less complex character interactions. The game received a score of 9/10.

AppWizard

February 6, 2025

Skald: Against the Black Priory review

Skald: Against the Black Priory is a throwback roleplaying game that combines old-school aesthetics with modern gameplay elements. It features a polished experience that balances complexity and accessibility, with a compelling cosmic horror narrative. The game uses a unique progression system based on 2d6 dice rolls and allows for character customization primarily during creation. Combat is turn-based on a grid, with distinct tactical advantages for each class. Non-combat gameplay elements include diplomacy and skills that enhance exploration. One notable quest involves infiltrating a city controlled by cultist barbarians, allowing for strategic decision-making. The game offers flexibility in party composition with preset characters and customizable mercenaries. The worldbuilding includes a unique magic system and hints at greater cosmic horror, with writing quality reminiscent of classics like Planescape: Torment. Skald is recognized as one of the standout RPGs of the past year.

AppWizard

February 6, 2025

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 review

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is set to release on January 30, 2025, developed by Insomniac Games and Nixxes Software, and will be priced at £50. The game features a dual-protagonist system with Peter Parker and Miles Morales, allowing players to switch between the two during missions. It has been reviewed on high-end hardware, including Nvidia Geforce RTX 3080 and AMD Ryzen 9 5900X, with 32GB of RAM. The game promises around 10 hours of gameplay, but has faced criticism for its narrative depth and character interactions. Technical issues, including frequent crashes, have been reported, affecting performance stability. The game will transition to PC in 2025, following its PS5 launch in 2023.

AppWizard

February 3, 2025

At long last, Hello Kitty Island Adventure has come to PC after 2 excruciating years and it’s the perfect outlet for my ever-growing Sanrio obsession

Eric Cartman questioned Butters about his gaming choices, leading to Butters expressing his preference for Hello Kitty Island Adventure over World of Warcraft. The game was eagerly anticipated for its PC release after launching on Apple Arcade in 2023. It features a life simulation experience with a large map, collectible items, and various characters to befriend. Players engage in whimsical quests, such as exploring a haunted mansion and navigating a volcano. Building friendships with Sanrio characters involves understanding their preferences for gifts, which enhances gameplay. Players can gift three items per day, and progression is tied to friendship levels. Future updates could introduce new areas and characters, enhancing the game's appeal.

AppWizard

December 27, 2024

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is so authentically Indiana Jones it should probably be called Henry Jones Jr. and the Great Circle

The PC Gamer team highlighted "Indiana Jones and the Great Circle" as a standout game in their 2024 Game of the Year Awards. Voice actor Troy Baker portrays Indiana Jones, initially raising skepticism due to his previous iconic roles. Early trailers presented the game as simplistic, but players found a rich exploration experience, featuring locations like The Vatican and authentic character interactions. A notable scene involves a humorous confrontation with antagonist Emmerich Voss. The game employs first-person gameplay for immersion, allowing tactile engagement with the environment. Its slower pacing fosters a deeper connection to the world and characters, reminiscent of classic RPGs. MachineGames successfully captures the essence of Indiana Jones, creating a nostalgic yet fresh experience. There is anticipation for future adventures in the series, emphasizing storytelling and character development over mere spectacle.

AppWizard

December 6, 2024

20 best PC games to play right now

Neva is an adventure game exploring themes of survival, nature, and loss, where players navigate life and death challenges through emotional narratives and puzzles. Alan Wake 2 is a psychological survival horror sequel featuring protagonists Alan Wake and FBI agent Saga Anderson, focusing on complex puzzles and survival mechanics. Balatro reimagines poker with special decks and magical cards, altering traditional gameplay dynamics. Lorelei and the Laser Eyes combines puzzle-solving with visual storytelling in a mysterious world. Cult of the Lamb is a rogue-like game where players build a cult as a lamb saved from death, blending action and resource management. Hades II follows Melinoë on a quest against Kronos, introducing new gods and mechanics in a roguelike format. Elden Ring is an open-world action RPG with vast exploration and dynamic combat in a dark fantasy setting. Still Wakes the Deep is a narrative-driven horror game set on an oil rig, exploring psychological and supernatural horror. Rollerdrome combines third-person shooting with roller-skating in a dystopian future. Tunic features a small fox exploring a mysterious world filled with puzzles and secrets. The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood allows players to craft tarot cards that shape destinies in a narrative-driven experience. Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess is an adventure game inspired by Japanese mythology, focusing on fast-paced combat and strategic elements. The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series compiles all seasons of the series, emphasizing choice-driven gameplay and character evolution. Baldur's Gate 3 is a role-playing game set in the Dungeons & Dragons universe, featuring deep RPG mechanics and impactful decisions. League of Legends is a free-to-play MOBA game known for its strategy and team coordination. Cocoon is a puzzle-adventure game where players navigate between realms and solve intricate puzzles. Kentucky Route Zero is an adventure game exploring American culture through surreal storytelling. Valorant is a tactical first-person shooter that combines traditional mechanics with hero abilities. Final Fantasy XIV is an MMORPG set in Eorzea, known for its rich story and extensive content updates. Half-Life 2 features protagonist Gordon Freeman in a dystopian world, celebrated for its innovative gameplay and narrative.

AppWizard

December 4, 2024

5 hours with Monster Hunter Wilds soothed my beta fears, but I left more impressed by its storytelling chops

The Monster Hunter franchise focuses on exhilarating hunts against formidable creatures, with a straightforward narrative that often takes a backseat. The upcoming PC launch in February has raised performance concerns, but a recent preview on PlayStation 5 showed significant improvements in gameplay smoothness and framerate. Game director Yuya Tokuda confirmed that PC players can expect similar enhancements. The demo allowed exploration of character creation, quests, and refined combat mechanics, including enhanced mobility for heavier weapons and a new Focus Mode for targeting monster wounds. Changes to armor skills now allow for weapon-based offensive skills, promoting flexibility in mid-hunt weapon swapping. The game also emphasizes storytelling, featuring a fully voiced player character and rich NPC interactions, with a compelling storyline involving a boy named Nata who questions the role of hunters in unfamiliar ecologies.

AppWizard

November 20, 2024

Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl review: a bone-chilling, realistic-feeling survival horror experience

Players navigate a vast, open world in Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl, set for release on November 20, 2024, on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC. The game features a survival horror theme, where players assume the role of Skif, a Stalker in The Zone around the Chornobyl power plant. The gameplay emphasizes exploration, resource scarcity, and interactions with various factions. Combat is strategic and challenging, with a focus on realism. The game includes basic accessibility options but lacks advanced features. Players may encounter minor visual bugs, expected to be addressed in a day-one patch. The reviewer spent nearly 50 hours playing the game on Xbox Series X.