With Fights in Tight Spaces, SkateBIRD and Horror Bar VR, we’re checking out three games that were recently released on new systems after first appearing elsewhere. Time for a closer look.
Fights in Tight Spaces review (PS4)
Fights in Tight Spaces, published by Mode 7 and developed by Ground Shatter, offers an addictive blend of deck-building, turn-based tactics, and cinematic fight sequences. As an agent of Section Eleven, your mission is to combat criminal organizations in intense hand-to-hand combat. The game’s minimalist art style, reminiscent of Superhot with sequences that evoke memories of John Wick, effectively captures the essence of its action-movie inspired settings.
The gameplay revolves around tactical strategy and careful card management. You must balance your hand, momentum, and positioning to overcome challenging adversaries. The environment plays a crucial role, allowing you to use it against your enemies, whether it’s knocking them into objects or utilizing walls and tables to your advantage. With each encounter, you draw cards that grant unique abilities, forcing you to make strategic choices to maximize your impact.
Fights in Tight Spaces excels in its gameplay mechanics, offering a deep and satisfying combat system. The turn-based format allows for strategic decision-making and rewards well-executed plans. As you progress, the game introduces new challenges gradually, ensuring a balanced learning curve. Additionally, the option to choose different difficulty levels adds replay value and extends the game’s longevity.
While the game’s visuals and audio are very impressive for what’s essentially a deck-building game with turn-based mechanics, and the action replay feature helps to showcase your John Wick-style moves. As a total package, Fights in Tight Spaces stands out as a polished and enjoyable experience. Its unique combination of deck-building, turn-based tactics, and captivating visuals creates a satisfying and immersive gameplay experience that really jumps off the screen. Despite minor flaws, such as controls that could be tighter, the game successfully delivers on its promise of intense combat and strategic depth. If you’re seeking a fresh and engaging take on the genre, Fights in Tight Spaces is highly recommended.
SkateBIRD review (PS5)
SkateBIRD, developed and published by Glass Bottom Games, is a delightful skateboarding game with a twist. In this indie title, players control a small bird on a skateboard, exploring bird-sized parks and performing tricks on household items like bendy straws and staplers. The game offers a simple premise where the player’s bird character tries to cheer up its owner, who has given up skateboarding for a job they despise.
The gameplay mechanics of SkateBIRD are definitely reminiscent of the classic Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater series, with simple controls and a focus on performing tricks. The game features a variety of parks to unlock, each offering unique challenges and opportunities for exploration. As you play, you’ll attract other birds to your park and discover items such as clothing and secret mixtapes to enhance your experience. In short, it’s a lot like Tony Hawk, but with a cute angle and slightly less polished gameplay.
While the physics and controls may take some getting used to, especially for those unfamiliar with skateboarding games, SkateBIRD strikes a balance between realism and fun. The graphics, although not hyperrealistic, capture the charm of the game’s bird-sized world without distracting from the gameplay. The accompanying low-fi birb-hop soundtrack adds to the overall experience, providing a catchy and enjoyable backdrop.
SkateBIRD’s level design stands out, featuring creative and imaginative environments where you’ll grind on pencils, ride up pizza boxes, and find nostalgic nods to tech decks and imaginary skateparks. However, the game does have its shortcomings. Some players may find the repetitive challenges and limited trick variety underwhelming if they’re coming from something like the somewhat recent Tony Hawk remake. Additionally, the camera angles and controls can be a bit jerky, leading to frustrating moments.
Overall, SkateBIRD offers a fun and unique skateboarding experience. Despite its flaws, the game’s endearing premise, enjoyable level design, and catchy soundtrack make it a worthwhile indie title to explore. Whether you’re a fan of skateboarding games or simply looking for a charming and lighthearted adventure, SkateBIRD’s bird-on-a-board concept is sure to bring a smile to your face even if you know in your heart it’s not the best skateboarding game out there.
Horror Bar VR review (Quest)
Horror Bar VR, published by VR Factory, immerses players in a horrifying yet humorous world of zombies and the undead. As a bartender in this bar and restaurant simulator, you’ll serve grotesque dishes and drinks, ranging from finger fries to meals made from dead rats. The game’s over the top graphic design and attention to detail create a visually immersive experience in VR for horror comedy fans.
The gameplay loop of Horror Bar VR offers a mix of positives and negatives. On the positive side, players learn new recipes and face various challenges as they progress. However, at times we found the pacing to be slow, especially in the early stages, and we noted a lack of variation in certain aspects, such as condiments. Despite these limitations and the fact that you may have played very similar games (with a different theme) before, the game provides an amusing and unique simulation experience.
Horror Bar VR features a well-composed soundtrack by highly-acclaimed composer Mikołaj Stroiński. The music evolves as players progress, enhancing the game’s atmosphere. However, repetitive zombie sounds can become tiresome over time and can even get in the way of the soundtrack.
In conclusion, Horror Bar VR presents a visually appealing and entertaining bar and restaurant simulation set in a zombie-infested world. Although the game has room for improvement in terms of pacing and variation, if you like this type of VR game then its solid graphics and interesting premise definitely make it worth considering.
Press Play Media 