Revelation of the year for the press as well as for the players, It Takes Two offered us a touching cooperative experience at the beginning of the year 2024. Only playable for two, the general public adventure with the air of good Pixar is signed Josef Fares , founder of Hazelight (A Way Out). Cody and May, a couple on the verge of divorce, share the news of their separation with their daughter Rose. When she sheds a tear on a couple therapy book signed Doctor Hakim, the two heroes unfortunately find themselves transformed into dolls. In front of them, Doctor Hakim materializes and explains to them that they will have to collaborate to find their human size. Rated 18/20 on JV, the title enjoys a wildly creative universe and puzzles as varied as they are clever. “Ultra fun, super beautiful, and then sold only 40 € and you can invite a friend to do the coop for free“, underlines the most prominent reader opinion.
Excellent gateway to the world of Ace Attorney, The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles was also a good surprise this year 2024 despite its lack of French localization. This collection including The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures and The Great Ace Attorney 2: Resolve sets its frame at the end of the 19th century, during the Meiji period in Japan and the Victorian era in England. The player embodies a certain Ryunosuke Naruhodo, ancestor of the mythical Phoenix Wright. “Regulars to the series, this is the whole Ace Attorney experience with its flaws and qualities, served in its most comfortable model to date.It says in our readers’ reviews. Also acclaimed in our review, the game boasts a delightfully outlandish array of characters, awesome animations, and some exciting stuff.
A tribute to the genre games of the 90s, Tormented Souls is a survival-horror with a fixed camera. The game invites us to play Caroline Walker, a young woman who investigates the disappearance of twin sisters in the Wildberger mansion. A nice tribute to Resident Evil and Silent Hill of the time which probably pleased our readers: “The atmosphere is very damn good, the gameplay, even if very influenced by them, nevertheless manages to dissociate itself from its models.“. The opinions are however generally qualified: “The game sometimes lacks consistency in its scenario, the mobs are not particularly well done, the puzzles are sometimes disconcertingly difficult, the map is badly ruined, …”. An opinion generally shared in our test which slices for a 13/20.
While it has inherited a more low-key release, Ghost ‘n Goblins Resurrection has been warmly received by our readers. This new title inspired by Ghosts ‘n Goblins and Ghouls’ n Ghosts immerses you in a demanding universe filled with monsters to defeat. The title is therefore praised for its formidable difficulty: “This episode is not just a remake, it is a revisit of the gameplay and ultra demanding universe. The gameplay is extremely punitive, the jumps will drive young players accustomed to saves every 5 minutes in current games crazy.“. Rated 16/20 in our columns, the game also inherits in our opinion frankly successful graphics, nice re-orchestrated themes and a real old-fashioned challenge.
Second episode of the license published by Bandai Namco, Little Nightmares II slips us into the skin of Momo, new protagonist accompanied by Six, the little girl in the yellow oilskin from the first opus which is this time controlled by the AI. The goal is once again to solve puzzles, explore a spooky world and escape new monsters like the Hunter or the Mistress. If it inherited a half-hearted criticism in our columns for its pleasant puzzles to solve in parallel with a regularly problematic depth management, the game was much better appreciated by our readers. “I take great pleasure in it and the universe is as fascinating as it is intriguing, it makes you want to explore it, see more and understand “, can we read in our reader reviews.
Nihon Falcom’s Action-RPG, Ys IX: Monstrum Nox is the 10th episode of the Ys main series. Adol Christin, the protagonist of the saga, is sent to a prison city and finds himself transformed into a “Monstrum”. To survive, he must use his powers. The adventurer must shed light on the secrets of this dark city and face the demonic creatures that swarm in the “Night of Grimwald”. This “Dense and complete J-RPG“according to our test was very appreciated by our fans of the genre:”Enjoyable gameplay, sublime soundtrack, addictive and well-calibrated game progression, Ys still managed to amaze me“. Another reader states:”The gameplay is still as pleasant, the level design successful, the OST quali, the characters endearing and the story is perhaps the most worked of the saga.“
Narrative road trip inspired by the films of Tarantino and the Coen brothers, Road 96 is the work of Yoan Fanise (Unknown Soldiers: Memories of the Great War, 11-11: Memories Retold). This French game slips us into the shoes of a handful of young runaways, determined to flee the land of Petria under the yoke of President Tyrak. Over the course of fateful encounters on American roads, political choices are posed to you: join a small radical opposition group to bring down the government, take a progressive position, or abstain. Also your choice of locomotion will determine the outcome of the adventure between taking the bus, the taxi, hitchhiking, or walking. Rated 15/20 in our columns, we felt that the game enjoys a solid storytelling, a singular structure and a great atmosphere. And the readers were also very happy with the experience: “A game to do for all road trip fans but also of the 80s / 90s of which we find a lot of references, especially during some mini-games which can only please those who grew up with them!“
Mass Effect: Legendary Edition is a remaster that brings together all three episodes of the Mass Effect series enhanced in 4K UHD format, with all DLC released so far. This is the opportunity to find Commander Shepard who must face a threat of galactic size. This edition is in our opinion the best way to discover or rediscover the cult saga of Bioware. We recognize some welcome improvements in combat, an impeccable soundtrack and a character gallery that does not age an inch. For readers, the proposal is also very well received, but with nuances: “It’s still a great game that has had some graphics improvements but is a bit old in some parts of the gameplay, facial animations and staging.”
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart has been one of the most beloved PlayStation 5 adventures this year. The most famous of the lombaxes must thwart the plans of the demonic Nefarious who seize the Dimensionator, a weapon capable of opening dimensional rifts. And inevitably, he intends to use it to wreak havoc on the entire planet. Wanting to stop him, Ratchet and Clank find themselves separated in two parallel worlds. Alone and distraught, Clank will by chance cross the path of Rivet, who is none other than Ratchet’s double dimensional. The trio will do everything to try to restore the balance. Rated 18/20 on JV, the game turns out to be the expected technical slap and a marvel of animation. “The game is a real technological revolution: playing a game resembling an animated film is now possible!“, can we read in the readers’ opinions.
Independent Revelation of the Year 2024, Death’s Door is an action-RPG published by Devolver Digital. The player is a valiant soul reaper raven who is robbed of one of the souls for which he was responsible. It is then necessary to track down the person in charge in the depths of a kingdom which escapes death and which of course abounds in threatening creatures. To get rid of it, the funny bird can use melee weapons, arrows or magic. For many, the game was a real favorite this summer: “The artistic direction is just sublime, the level design well thought out, the story simple but interesting, the bosses are well done.“
