While July may have been particularly slow, it's also over. August came by, and with it the release of new games has been returning to normal. That means we have plenty of new releases for you to look at that we talked about. So come see the thing that will revitalize you the least: our opinions.

Yes, it’s the TechRaptor Game Review Roundup! Here we collect all of our reviews, impressions, and previews into one easy-to-digest article. So let’s dive right in and show you what we hit up in the revitalized month of August.

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Reviews

Dry Drowning

by Dan Hodges

Summary: In spite of its spotty localization, Dry Drowning is a compelling blend of visual novel and adventure game, providing a gritty cyberpunk world to explore, a brutal case to uncover, and Orwellian politics to navigate. 7/10. You can read our full review here.

 

Forged of Blood

by Robert Grosso

Summary: Forged of Blood has a solid foundation, but the games mechanics don't always mesh together, often causing too many problems with the game's own ambitions. 5.5/10. You can read our full review here.

 

Lightstep Chronicles

by Samuel Guglielmo

Summary: Lightstep Chronicles features some great characters and world building, but some lame puzzles and weird design choices drag it down. 6.5/10. You can read our full review here.

 

The Church in the Darkness

by Max Moeller

Summary: The Church in the Darkness is full of bold narrative topics, but the gameplay and presentation fail to match, making it quite difficult to experience the message. 4.5/10. You can read our full review here.

Silver Chains

by Ron Welch

Summary: There are two Silver Chains. The atmospheric, pre-monster Silver Chains draws you in with intrigue and great visuals. The post-monster Silver Chains is a silent scavenger hunt in the dark occasionally interrupted by a spooky monster. It's not bad, but it's not for genre fans either. 6/10. You can read our full review here.

 

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order

by Andrew Stretch

Summary: Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order lets players hop into a galactic battle against Thanos. For a Marvel fan who enjoys RPG mechanics this is a fun buy, especially with others to play with. Some spotty online moments, but well worth the fun. 7.5/10. You can read our full review here.

 

Metal Wolf Chaos XD

by Alex Santa Maria

Summary: Metal Wolf Chaos has more than earned its place in video game history, but playing this XD rerelease in 2019 is a blast from the past that's pretty hard to swallow. 6.5/10. You can read our full review here.

 

Fire Emblem: Three Houses

by Austin Suther

Summary: Fire Emblem: Three Houses excels in almost every aspect. The combat feels fresh and extremely fun. Meanwhile, the story will keep you engaged all the way to the end of its duration. It's just so close to total perfection, were it not for the lacking difficulty and the average performance on the Switch. 9.5/10. You can read our full review here.

 

Rebel Galaxy Outlaw

by Robert N. Adams

Summary: Rebel Galaxy Outlaw changes genres from its predecessor and manages to make a fun, compelling experience with a lot of customization options and an accessible way for nearly anyone to play. 8/10. You can read our full review here.

 

Ion Fury

by Trevor Whalen

Summary: Ion Fury is a high-energy, action-packed retro ride with great gameplay, level design, visuals, and audio. It's a reminder that great old-school design is forever. 9/10. You can read our full review here.

 

Darq

by William Worrall

Summary: Darq is a beautifully stylish, Tim Burton-esque romp through the subconscious dream world of a young boy which manages to be spectacular even with a very short length. The minor niggles here and there are easily ignored thanks to a great tone and a great amount of polish for the first effort from an indie studio. 7/10. You can read our full review here.

RAD

by Ron Welch

Summary: RAD has that unique Double Fine touch. While combat wavers between difficult and unsatisfying, mutations and exploration create that "one more run" magic. It's a solid experience that will satisfy any post-apocalyptic enthusiast. 7/10. You can read our full review here.

 

Gravity Ghost: Deluxe Edition

by Samuel Guglielmo

Summary: Gravity Ghost: Deluxe Edition is a bittersweet game about acceptance, and a relaxing platformer to boot. Also, it has a real good fox. 8.5/10. You can read our full review here.

 

Kingdom Come: Deliverance - A Woman's Lot

by Richard Costa

Summary: A Woman's Lot is a rewarding coda for Kingdom Come: Deliverance that might make you itch for a new playthrough. It features two tense questlines where you'll survive the Sack of Skalitz as Henry's love interest Theresa, and help the devout nurse Johanka in her complex theological conundrum. 7.5/10. You can read our full review here.

 

Vicious Circle

by Andrew Stretch

Summary: Vicious Circle at its core has a really great concept. In execution though, what was delivered was an unbalanced feature-light multiplayer experience that will likely struggle to keep players returning. 4/10. You can read our full review here.

 

Remnant: From the Ashes

by Austin Suther

Summary: Remnant: From the Ashes boasts a beautifully realized world with awesome enemy design and top-notch gunplay. There's plenty of customization and incentive to go back for more. Unfortunately, the experience is ruined a bit by repetitive boss battles and lacking social features. 7.5/10. You can read our full review here.

 

Oninaki

by William Worrall

Summary: Oninaki manages to pull off some interesting story beats and has some great environment designs. However, the excessive padding and re-use of several gameplay elements leaves a sour taste in the mouth with 20 hours of gameplay stretched into 30 and beyond. 5.5/10. You can read our full review here.

 

Mable and the Wood

by Robert Scarpinito

Summary: Mable and The Wood has a great idea at its core, and in some cases, it provides a compelling enough Metroidvania experience. Unfortunately, weak implementation of choice-based progression, along with some irksome bugs, hamper what could otherwise have been a great game. 6/10. You can read our full review here.

London Detective Mysteria

by Courtney Ehrenhofler

Summary: London Detective Mysteria is a fun little diversion for those who enjoy Victorian-era literature and the heroes and heroines that come from it, but it fails to establish itself as anything new in the genre and loses focus on the bigger mystery. 7.5/10. You can read our full review here.

 

Control

by Samuel Guglielmo

Summary: Control combines a fantastically weird setting with fast-paced combat, awesome exploration, and impressively destructible environments. It's an absolute gem of a game. Just make sure you get it on PC or an upgraded console. 9/10. You can read our full review here.

 

Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey

by Max Moeller

Summary: Ancestors is a fantastic translation of evolutionary concepts into a game. It presents a fully realized world that forces you to pay attention to every last detail if you want to survive. 8.5/10. You can read our full review here.

 

Knights and Bikes

by Ron Welch

Summary: Knights and Bikes is a solid experience for those who are young or young at heart. The characterization and art are top-notch. While the puzzling is rather thin, the combat is hectic and exciting. Overall, Knights and Bikes focuses on its charming cast and telling a story for the whole family. 6.5/10. You can read our full review here.

 

The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan

by Andrew Stretch

Summary: Man of Medan takes players through an epic choose-your-own-horror-adventure story. Whether you're a fan of horror, or a fan of having a friend around to hide behind, Man of Medan is an incredibly fun game. Supermassive's approach to divergent story and story secrets rewards players for pushing themselves to experience the Man of Medan in a number of ways. 8.5/10. You can read our full review here.

 

Exodemon

by Austin Suther

Summary: Exodemon fails to deliver fun gunplay or exciting level design. It has minimal music, uninspired weapons, and little story to speak of. Exodemon feels like a boring shooter that cannot emulate what makes '90s shooters so fun. 4/10. You can read our full review here.

 

Catherine: Full Body

by Robert Scarpinito

Summary: Catherine: Full Body takes the 2011 cult classic to the next level. With new story elements, remixed stages, and compelling characters, this title is sure to satisfy old fans and newcomers alike. 8.5/10. You can read our full review here.

 

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Previews/Impressions

Between the Stars

by Kyle Johnson

Summary: With a solid foundation, even though Between the Stars released only recently, there’s a lot to be proud of so far. With more ships, systems, and content set to come over the Early Access period, continued updates will improve an already stellar start. If you’re looking for a space-themed RPG and the spirit of adventure, then you might find it in Between the Stars. You can read our full impressions here.

 

Claw Staff

by Robert N. Adams

Summary: I’d only recommend you pick up Claw Staff if you’re a serious hardcore fan of platformers and are looking for a unique challenge—but even then, you might not be able to deal with the many issues that I encountered. You can read our full impressions here.

 

ChromaVaders

by Robert N. Adams

Summary: Try as I might, I just couldn’t juggle the three important things needed to play ChromaVaders well. Whether I played against the A.I. or against a human opponent, I inevitably got shot by a laser or smashed by a block. You can read our full preview here.

 

Jupiter Hell

by Jeffrey Lerman

Summary: Jupiter Hell’s intense strategy combined with nonstop action, no pun intended, is what makes it great. It’s easy to pick up and play while still producing the right amount of challenge. I look forward to seeing the finished product and its final area. You can read our full preview here.

Fourzy

by Courtney Ehrenhofler

Summary: After speaking to the devs at Play NYC and finding out that Fourzy is aimed at a demographic of parents playing with their kids. The simplicity of the game rules and the complexity of the actual gameplay makes sense, and it fits very appropriately in that demographic. You can read our full preview here.

 

Kristala

by Courtney Ehrenhofler

Summary: Overall, I was quite impressed with Kristala. I don’t tend to play ARPGs as much as turn based, but I enjoyed the combat system and found the art to be wonderful. The character models were surprisingly grounded in physics in terms of the movements, and the enemies were fairly standard. It’s a game that I’d definitely be interested in checking up on in future to see how the development progresses and what the world and plot end up looking like. You can read our full preview here.

 

Yi and The Thousand Moons

by William Worrall

Summary: While the graphics and gameplay aren’t very strong, they’re not the focus. The game is important because you’d never see it from a major studio. Even if it may not be for everyone, Yi and The Thousand Moons is brilliant, short, and sweet. You can read our full impressions here.

 

Roombo: First Blood

by William Worrall

Summary: As it stands, Roombo is fun but is over far too quickly to make any lasting sort of impression. Here’s hoping that Samurai Punks don’t give up on it yet. You can read our full impressions here.

 

Into the Dark: Narakan / Into the Dark: Zakira

by Robert N. Adams

Summary: If this sort of game interests you purely on the combat mechanics, then Zakira is the way to go. If you want a deeper, richer experience with story and a more complex challenge, then you should pick up Narakan. You can read our full impressions here.

Antipole DX

by Robert N. Adams

Summary: I enjoyed my time playing Antipole DX and talking with Saturnine Games. You can read our full preview here.

 

That Chicken Game

by Robert N. Adams

Summary: While this upcoming title is very much in development, Chang of Curious Visions is leaning towards putting it up for free on mobile supported by ads with a one-time payment of $0.99 to remove them altogether. I had a lot of fun in just a few minutes, and I can certainly see That Chicken Game as being well worth the price when it’s done. You can read out full preview here.

 

Blair Witch

by William Worrall

Summary: I was sad when my time with Blair Witch was up. This was an impressive demonstration that got my mind racing. With the new mechanics and Bloober Team’s attention to the important elements of horror, the new title is shaping up to be their best yet. You can read our full preview here.

 

Grobo

by Robert N. Adams

Summary: From what I’ve seen firsthand at Play NYC 2019, I think there’s a good chance that we can see Grobo launched before the year is out. Then again, I’m not a game developer and I’ve only spent a handful of minutes getting hands-on with the game. What I have seen, however, is pretty fantastic, and I think it will be well worth playing when it’s out. You can read our full preview here.

 

Totem

by Courtney Ehrenhofler

Summary: Overall, Totem was a great experience. While it could still use some more polish, the premise of the story and all of the basic mechanics were spot on. Mara seems to be an interesting protagonist from the little that we learn about her, and I hope she gets more fleshed out on her journey. You can read our full preview here.

Alluris

by Trevor Whalen

Summary: In my current adventure, I’ve become a vampire, a barbarian, acquired a fiefling demon child, got a pet turtle and a horse, and became an Elven Warlord. It is charming to see the consequences of a full D&D adventure play out as you only swipe left or right. Swiping doesn’t inspire long play sessions, though, so as much I loved the adventure, Alluris is best for quick sessions. You can read our full impressions here.

 

The Forbidden Arts

by William Worrall

Summary: Hopefully, when the final update comes, it will make some changes to the dull combat as well as adding some much-needed NPC chatter to explain some of the more obtuse mechanics which occur especially towards the end of the game. You can read our full preview here.

 

Way of Rhea

by Courtney Ehrenhofler

Summary: The overall design of Way of Rhea is just generally more polished than last year, and I’m a fan of that. More professional art, smoother animation and better puzzle design are not to be taken lightly and can make a big difference to a game that was already fun to begin with. You can read our full preview here.

 

HOST

by Robert N. Adams

Summary: Developer Garrett Fuselier told me that he’s making good progress on the next chapter of this Early Access title, although he can’t quite say exactly when it will be finished. If you like interesting VR experiences, I think that HOST is something you should definitely be keeping an eye on. You can read our full preview here.

 

Groove Catcher

by Robert N. Adams

Summary: It was about halfway through the song that I realized why people were moving around so much—the controller calibration has you seriously stretching for some of the wider, swooping notes. I’m sure you could cheat the system at the point of calibration, but that also defeats the point in a sense. I was really moving much more than I expected, and it was an awful lot of fun. You can read our full preview here.

 

Clam Man

by William Worrall

Summary: Clam Man is a pretty damn enticing experience for any fans of the genre. Humor which doesn’t automatically fall flat is a rare enough thing, but a game with retro themes not relying on pixel art is even rarer. Although it is considerably shorter than Monkey Island, running at only 1 ½ hour in total, Clam Man is at least as charming. Honestly, if Team Clam don’t go on to do a sequel, it will be a sad day for adventure game fans everywhere. You can read our full impression here.

 

RWBY: Crystal Match

by Courtney Ehrenhofler

Summary: Overall, RWBY: Crystal Match has the charm of RWBY Chibi, but the bugs and the lack of anything new or different from other match-3 games are really its downfalls. Honestly, I wouldn’t even recommend this game to casual RWBY fans, as all but the most hardcore are better off finding another match-3 game that does it better, which is not a difficult task. You can read our full impression here.