Rating: ★★★★★ – Amazing
Time Played: 29.4 hours
Difficulty: Hard

Gameplay:
• Combat is weighty and brutal with no power fantasy; every encounter and shot feels costly.
• Enemy AI is unreal in flanking, enemies calling out names, and forcing movement.
• Patience and positioning rewards more than reflexes.
• Level design quietly funnels you without feeling too linear.

Story\Dialogue:
• Story focused on making player Intentionally uncomfortable and feels often confrontational rather than “enjoyable”.
• Character decisions seesaw between emotional and logical.
• Even when you dislike the choices made, they are understandable.
• Pacing is bold but divisive, prioritising thematic impact over momentum.
• Dialogue is restrained and human, trusting silence as much as words.

Graphics\Music:
• Facial animation remains unmatched in conveying subtle emotion.
• Environmental detail sells decay, abandonment, and quiet beauty throughout the world.
• Sound design carries tension better than music most of the time.
• Music is sparse, mournful, and used with restraint.

Before you Play:
• Accept early that the game wants to challenge your perspective, not validate it.
• Not for players seeking empowerment, escapism, or clean moral arcs.
• Play with headphones; audio cues are critical for survival and immersion.
• Don’t rush encounters; impatience punishes resource management.
• Reload all weapons before and after every encounter.
• Spend time looking at every nook and cranny for very important upgrades and resources.

Rating: ★★★★ - Great
Time Played: 12 hours
Difficulty: Master

Gameplay:
• Fast spell-slinging boomer shooter that mixes Heretic-style arenas with modern mobility.
• Resource juggling feels purposeful because each enemy has weaknesses to certain spells.
• Secrets reward exploration with meaningful boosts instead of filler.
• Enemy patterns stay readable but punish sloppy positioning.
• Later levels introduce puzzles and variations in combat that break the combat rhythm in a good way.
• Most shop upgrades and Items can feel meaningless and go largely underutilized.

Story\Dialogue:
• Simple corrupted-kingdom setup that stays out of the way.
• Light exposition through notes and environmental hints.

Graphics\Music:
• Crisp pseudo-90s saturated pixel aesthetic with stronger lighting and effects than traditional retro shooters.
• Spell impacts are punchy and communicate damage clearly.
• Level art uses color warmth to guide direction subconsciously.
• Soundtrack blends fantasy synth with light chiptune motifs that fit the arcadey feel.

Before you Play:
• Break every crate because spell ammo and health drops matter throughout.
• Prioritize mobility upgrades to stay ahead of enemy volleys.
• Use environmental hazards and enemy weaknesses to conserve ammo.

Rating: ★★★★ - Great
Time Played: 5.5 hours Story \ 13.8 hours Multiplayer
Difficulty: Normal

Gameplay:
• Multiplayer pushes large-scale chaos back to the likes of modern BF3/BF4.
• Gunplay feels heavy and grounded, with somewhat realistic feeling recoil that reward burst discipline.
• Vehicles are a limited presence in most maps, making infantry classes more the focus on the ground.
• Destruction is scaled back but more tactical; breaching walls or collapsing cover matters.

Story\Dialogue:
• Campaign tries a grounded political NATO vs PAX (Private Military) but the story and pacing drags despite the somewhat decent set pieces.
• Character writing is functional rather than memorable; squadmates act more like exposition devices than personalities.
• Best moments occur in systemic sandbox encounters where you improvise with tools rather than follow scripted paths.

Graphics\Music:
• Excellent atmospheric lighting and weather transitions that materially affect visibility and tactics.
• Facial animation in the campaign is uneven, but environments look premium and dense.
• Distant vehicles, sharp explosions, and heavy bassy punch of guns encapsulate the warzones well.

Before you Play:
• Play the campaign on Normal or Hard only if you want mechanical practice; the story itself is skippable.
• Prioritise recoil-control attachments early; they give the biggest advantage across all modes.
• Focus less on Kill Death Ratio and Focus more on team objectives through your classes skills.
• In multiplayer, stick to the mid-range engagements where the weapon balance is tightest and map flow is strongest.

Rating: ★★★★★ – Amazing
Time Played: 9.7 hours
Difficulty: Bad (Normal)

Gameplay:
• Classic Boomer Shooter gunplay tightened with modern input smoothing while keeping its LucasArts fast strafing identity.
• Levels reward methodical map reading and secret hunting instead.
• AI behaves simple and a little inconsistent but preserves the old-school twitch trigger duel rhythm.
• Weapons feel punchier than the original and switching is easier with the new weapon wheel.

Story\Dialogue:
• Straightforward frontier revenge tale delivered with clean pacing.
• Cutscenes retain the 90s charm but read sharper thanks to remaster clarity.
• Dialogue is brief, purposeful for direction and very repetitive.
• DLC missions add fun micro-arcs without bloating playtime.

Graphics\Music:
• Sprites and textures are upscaled without losing the grit of the original.
• Lighting is subtly modernised which helps interiors but hinders night shootouts.
• The soundtrack remains the standout with its western peaks and quiet ambience.
• Gun sounds add heft without overpowering the music or enemy callouts.

Before you Play:
• Always sweep doorways and rooms in arcs because enemies can fire instantly once spotted.
• Use dynamite to control tight corridors rather than for direct kills.
• Explore every corner since secrets meaningfully impact progression, ammo and survivability.

Rating: ★★★★ - Great
Time Played: 14.3 hours

Gameplay:
• Fast, combo-driven roguelite that loops reward precision and aggression.
• Each Character drastically changes flow of combat and encourage experimentation.
• Enemy patterns escalate quickly as runs progress and difficult raises, forcing constant mobility
• Bosses hit hard but remain readable once you learn their rhythm

Story\Dialogue:
• Light narrative framing, mainly serves as context for the simulation loop
• Character interactions are short and punchy, not melodramatic
• Worldbuilding hints at a collapsing world\system
• Story delivery never interrupts momentum and there is more to it if you're willing to look for it.
• Expect mood rather than depth.

Graphics\Music:
• Clean, kinetic 2D animation with distinct silhouettes in crowded fights
• Effects are sharp but can often over-flash the screen in hectic battles
• Soundtrack pushes high-tempo electro and fits the relentless pacing
• Japanese Voices of characters give clarity to attack cues
• UI remains readable even during peak ability spam

Before you Play:
• Try each character at least once to experience everything there is to offer.
• Treat bosses like pattern exams and avoid chasing greedy combos
• Spend currency on survivability nodes first
• Turn on Combat Damage numbers to understand the effects of combat better.

Rating: ★★★★★ – Amazing
Time Played: 168.4 hours
Difficulty: Normal

Gameplay:
• Hefty mech combat which feels impactful. Tactical play matters more than action and speed.
• Missions range from surgical strikes to chaotic base defense, with destructible environments.
• AI allies often struggle with positioning and target focus, forcing reliance on personal piloting skill but can be fixed with co-op or mods.
• Loadout tuning is key. Heat management, armour and weapon balance can make or break a mission.
• Controls feel excellent with a keyboard or HOTAS, but can take some time to get used to.

Story\Dialogue:
• Functional but thin in base game. Serves mainly to connect contracts rather than build characters.
• DLC's have much better focus on characters and story.
• Mercenary fantasy is strong: managing finances, repairs, and mech salvage feels authentic.
• Voice acting is serviceable, though some lines sound repetitive during long contracts.
• Lore fans will appreciate the familiar Inner Sphere factions and timeline accuracy from the start and finish of the Succession Wars.

Graphics\Music:
• Explosions, debris, and lighting convey the raw industrial tone well.
• Terrain variety has improved over time but still reuses biomes frequently. Can be enhanced with mods.
• Sound design is stellar. Bassy Mech footsteps, lasers roar and ballistic fire scerams..
• Music shifts between military ambience and heavy guitar.

Before you Play:
• Both MW5: Mercenaries and Clans are two sides of the same game. Where Mercenaries is an extensive Sandbox experience of full customisability potential, Clans is a decent cinematic linear story experience that restricts you based on the faction you're in. Both are great in their own right.
• All DLC (Except maybe call to arms) is mandatory for a complete story and sandbox experience. Make sure to do the Priority Transmissions during key years to experience each DLC.
• Always get insurance (2 pips) and salvage (The rest) rights before missions. Mechs and parts are worth more than the payout and can be sold.
• Make sure to repair at Industrial hubs where possible for cheapest and quickest repairs (Systems with lines connected).
• Prioritize heat sinks and armor upgrades early; survivability beats damage output.
• Keep a diverse mech hangar and constantly experiment. Speed, tonnage, and jump jets all have situational value.
• Hire pilots with unique quirks; they improve faster and cost less long-term.
• Mod support enhances the experience dramatically (HUD, AI, economy) eg. YAML.

Priority DLC Campaign Years:
• Legend of the Kestrel Lancers – Starts 3026
• Rise of Rasalhague – Starts 3031
• The Dragon’s Gambit – Starts 3038
• Shadow of Kerensky – Starts 3050

Rating: ★★★★ – NOOO!!
Time Played: 1.8 hours
Difficulty: No.

Gameplay:
• Say NO! and laugh in their faces while you do it.

Story\Dialogue:
• A satire on workplace culture and saying NO!!!! to conformity.

Graphics\Music:
• No… Neh… Nahh…

Before you No:
• Say 'No' More.

(This review is for Cultic Chapter 1)
Rating: ★★★★★ - Amazing
Time Played: 8 hours
Difficulty: Normal

Gameplay:
• Feels like a perfect successor to retro boomer shooter 'Blood'.
• Every weapon packs a punch when upgraded.
• Combat encourages creativity. Is satisfying to figure out which ones work best on the right enemy.
• Level design rewards exploration, often hiding powerful gear and upgrades in dark corners of each map.
• Movement in combat feels weighty yet nimble.
• Less about running through, more about tactical positioning.

Story\Dialogue:
• Sparse but effective environmental storytelling. Interesting notes and environment tells most of the tale.
• The mystery of the cult and its decaying world keeps you curious rather than lost.
• Subtle horror elements enhance tension without overwhelming the action.

Graphics\Music:
• A gorgeous blend of grimy pixel art and moody lighting.
• The muted color palette perfectly fits the 1960's horror setting.
• The soundtrack’s industrial-metal undertones drive intensity without becoming noise.
• Excellent sound design. Every reload, step, and echo adds to immersion.

Before you Play:
• Always break and check behind crates and under stairs. Ammo, armor and health are hidden everywhere.
• Dynamite is your best friend. Learn to bounce it off walls and time enemy approaches for creative kills.
• Don’t rush in combat. Patience and positioning matter more than twitch reflexes.
• Read every note. Notes add small stories and don't feel like filler.
• Make sure to make manual saves. The loading system can be quite confusing.