In June, a period of sweet indolence for the videogame market officially began. At least on the front of the exits, as the overwhelming fair in Los Angeles has however placed all players to attention, giving them an idea of what awaits them in the coming months. Before the autumn outings and those that will populate the shelves in early 2019, however, we must spend the summer. In these months the rhythms are loosening, and despite some thick releases (from Vampyr to Octopath Traveler, through Captain Toad and No Man’s Sky Next) there will certainly be time to relax a bit and maybe recover some title left behind. In the event that you too should be inclined to some last-minute repechage, you may find our monthly “reassortment“, which indicates the most deserving titles on the market in the last thirty days, with the objective then to elect our Game of the Month.
Wreckfest
The list of runners-up begins with what we can consider FlatOut’s spiritual heir, a racing game of all fights and fiddled with older players who might even remember the never-forgotten Destruction Derby.
The driving characteristics of the game, as could be expected, obviously remain the destructibility and the damage system, but within Wreckfest there is, fortunately, even something more: a complete game and more than worthy to be counted with merit in the next row of titles successfully released by the early access. To enhance and bring out the mass production we find a large amount of content and a variety of playable modes of all respect, able to keep glued fans of the genre for some time.
Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido
A nice surprise, the one that the Indies Zero guys gave us. Announced originally for 3DS and then also arrived on Switch. Sushi Striker is a surprising title, a striking example of Nintendo’s virtuous politics. The Kyoto house seems to have understood the potential of the low-budget titles that are so successful in eShop.
Although with a premium price, the Indies Zero title, with a strong technical segment, an addictive and well-structured gameplay and a multiplayer mode that will certainly increase the already good longevity, is presented as a product to which every lover of the puzzle game should give a chance. Premise narratives outside the box, some element of progression extracted from the context of RPGs, and intelligent mechanics are enough to end Sushi Striker almost at the top of our monthly ranking.
Unravel Two
It breaks a place among the runner-up of June also Unravel Two. Faced with an excellent artistic and technical direction, the title seeks to broaden its ambitions by losing sight of its identity and deviating from that not perfect but convincing path that made the first chapter a precious gem of the modern Indian market.
The new adventure of Yarny, which this time will not be alone, takes us by the hand and leads us into a story with less delicate tones than the carefree poetic of the first work of Coldwood Games: Unravel Two is more beautiful to see and richer on the side of content, but at the same time it is poor of that creative verve that its predecessor had courageously brought with it. Nonetheless, it remains an inspired and entertaining production, a modern platformer that exploits some clever gimmicks and shines especially if played in co-op.
Vampyr
Seductive, dark and romantic just like the material from which it draws inspiration, Vampyr thus confirms its expectations. Original and dense in terms of content, the action-rpg of the French team suffers unfortunately naive uncertainties regarding the technical and narrative system: if you exclude an artistic direction by applause and a series of well-processed subplots, overall we will be witnesses of occasional qualitative failures both from the graphic point of view and in the writing of the screenplay.
Supported by a combat system and a development of the character solid but not exciting, the latest work of the authors of Life is Strange shows the neck to some criticality, however, does not entirely dissuade the pleasure of an adventure rich in moral nuances, in which the player will decide what kind of “monster” to impersonate. Even in the face of some imperfections, therefore, in Vampyr we can still see the creative flair and talent of the Dontnod.
Releases and expansions
In the list of our runner-ups, by now you will know, do not end remastering, DLC and various re-editions. To give a complete picture of the market, we still mention the most deserving products. And this month we can not leave from the DLC of Mario + Rabbids : assembled with the care and passion so much appreciated ten months ago in the original episode, Donkey Kong Adventure proves to be an excellent DLC: the campaign built around the popular Nintendo ape enjoy and thrill, demonstrating once again the enviable goodness of the formula devised by Ubisoft Milan.
Still remaining in the Switch, we feel to report Hollow Knight, one of the most inspired Metroidvania of recent years, which finally reaches the Nintendo console. Where it arrives, among others, also Crash, with his N-Sane Trilogy. The collection dedicated to the orange marsupial also arrives on PC and Xbox One: and the Microsoft console welcomes a truly inalienable production, among the best of last year.
Game of the Month: Mario Tennis Aces
Many had underestimated him, but Mario Tennis Aces proves to be a thick title and an incredibly addictive product. Colorful, intuitive, profound and exceptionally entertaining, the Camelot title proves to be a spin-off suitable for anyone, from casual to very early arms to a more proudly hardcore audience.
A tennis game that leaves its mark by virtue of its adorable arcade soul, destined to give its best in multiplayer (no matter if online or local). At least partly sorry for a single player component that does not live up to expectations: with more detailed methods, the result could have been even more rounded. Beyond this, however, it is worthwhile to challenge a racket and give us inside, under the banner of the last smash.