September is here, and I’m drowning in games! Meaty games. Games that are apparently all great and worth my time—ugh.
All kidding aside, it’s such a great time for gaming; it’s almost unbelievable. Frankly, I don’t even have time to write this intro; these are precious minutes I could be chipping away at the next title. Let’s get into it!
Star Wars Zero Company
I can’t believe I played Zero Company this month. It feels like ages ago, yet I keep thinking about it. I can’t remember a game where I cared about every character like this since Mass Effect, and the story was excellent. I want to say this game is better than it has any right to be, but honestly, it has every right to be great—the Star Wars brand, XCOM developers… maybe I’m just surprised by how well they pulled it off. When you can have multiple people use completely different strategies, and each one is valid and effective, you know you have something special. Even if you fall into the “Disney ruined Star Wars for me” camp, I really think you should give it a chance.
Orbitals
This game is gorgeous. I’m talking Cuphead levels of charm and faithfulness to the art style and animation. Jon and I finished this in one sitting, playing split-screen on the TV, which further added to the nostalgic experience. The puzzles and levels were clever and largely fun—keeping pace with (and sometimes surpassing) similar titles like It Takes Two and Split Fiction. Overall, I just wish the story had been better, or that there had been that “ah-ha” moment or mission.
Onimusha: Way of the Sword
Are you an average gamer? Maybe you play games because you always have, but you can’t really appreciate the finer nuances of soulslike combat? Well, have I got a game for you!
Onimusha: Way of the Sword has a fantastic opening that immediately grabbed me and didn’t let go—the lead character’s animations and expressions carry the game more than I expected. The parry-heavy combat clicked with me in a way few games in this genre do, and some of the bosses made it onto my list of favorites. As a filthy casual, I really enjoyed this ride, and aside from a few repetitive bosses and uninspired side missions, I’m glad I gave it a chance.
Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter
I’ll be honest, I’m still trying to wrap my head around how I feel about this game, since I finished it just as the month ended. From a quality standpoint, it hits every bar the first game did—flawless performance, great animations, and engaging combat. Even story-wise, I think it largely nailed the landing. I know Jon, and I’ll have much to discuss in our official review, so I’ll just say: if you liked the first chapter and want more, you found it.