Joseph Conrad

Honestly a month ago I would not have thought I’d be writing this since I wasn’t even sure I’d bother playing this but after playing the demo I became intrigued and after around 15 hours of playtime I am in love with this game. I have been disappointed several times over the last year with certain releases chief amongst those being Starfield. So for a gem like this to come along and blow me away feels good. I love everything about this game from the joyous combat to the challenging and exhilarating platforming. Games like this under the so called Metroidvania genre can be very hit or miss with me. I’m sure I’m one of the few but I was not a fan of Metroid Dread. However when a game like The Lost Crown can use there platforming mechanics in such inventive ways it’s thrilling once you figure out the steps and spots that used to be confound you become easy to traverse. At least until you get lazy and forget a step and have to do it all over again. The combat is just as much fun as you’d want it to be. The sprawling map you unlock is filled with different types of enemies from the easiest to the one you can barely scratch and just have to figure out a way around. There’s one in particular that is the stuff of nightmares. Prince of Persia The Lost Crown is a great achievement in the 2D platforming games and a reminder that such games can still be fun in the days of massive 3D open world games. I know it’s early days but I would say this is probably going to be one my favorite games of the year.

I actually put off trying this game for a while. I enjoyed the Bayonetta games but grew tired of them after a while. Astral Chain is in a whole different category. The controls are amazingly intuitive and controlling both your main character and their legion in combat is so much fun. Plus the environment and visuals are nothing short of beautiful and the musical score is brilliant. I could not recommend this game any higher. Fire Emblem: Three Houses is the best game of the year I think and my personal favorite is Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice. However the more I play Astral Chain the higher it gets on my list of this years best games.