Here's a roundup of some recent video game releases.
ISONZO
Following the World War I shooter series that started with and continued with "Verdun" in 2015 and "Tannenberg" in 2017, Blackmill Games shifts the focus to the Italian Front in "Isonzo."
Emphasizing grim reality over "Call of Duty"-style cheap thrills, the multiplayer-focused matches force you to contend with methodical weapons reloading, rickety vehicles and barbed wire entanglements.
Expanding on the impressive groundwork laid by the first two games, "Isonzo" was inspired by the 12 battles in the Isonzo river valley and the Alps in which the Allied and Central Powers engaged from 1915-1917.
With an array of offensive and defensive capabilities at hand, such as mortars, sniper shields and periscopes, you brave the unfriendly climate to pick your enemy apart with your chosen strategy.
New to the series is an Offensive mode that lets you lead the charge in several key historical offensive movements.
Blackmill has an expert ear for the rhythm and flow of trench warfare, embracing historical detail and letting that set the stage for compelling tactical gameplay. "Isonzo" is a vigorous capstone to the Blackmill Great War trilogy.
JUSTICE SUCKS
Playing as a robotic vacuum/security guard with a penchant for violence, you cruise through a home, hacking into electronics and setting off explosive traps that destroy.
A dark sense of humor pervades the effort from developer Samurai Punk. The top-down game mixes elements of the film "WALL-E" with the heist game "Monaco: What's Yours is Mine."
Combining elements of stealth and shooters, you slink your way through the maps in a deadly game of cat and mouse, attempting to lure and wipe out your enemies from afar rather than engage them in close quarters.
While the general lack of challenge can make progress seem mundane, there's enough lighthearted, off-kilter fun here to keep things entertaining.
MADE IN ABYSS: BINARY STAR FALLING INTO DARKNESS
As unwieldy and unnecessary as its title, "Made in Abyss: Binary Star Falling into Darkness" is based on the anime, which I have previously reviewed, and does no favors for fans or newcomers.
Hampered with ugly PS2-era graphics, a cheap presentation, and some of the worst gameplay I've encountered in quite a while, "Made in Abyss" is a depressing effort. You get a story mode, letting you play through the events of the anime and encounter familiar characters, as well as a mode that allows you to create your own intrepid young adventurer and plumb the depths of the Abyss, gathering treasure and surviving its horrors, at your own pace.
I can forgive bad graphics if the gameplay is competent but it plays like the kind of shovelware you'll find on Steam. Movements are clunky, menus are unintuitive, and nothing works like it should. I appreciated how much the game aims to recreate the foreboding and violent nightmare that is the Abyss and how the Curse of the Abyss is utilized in gameplay.
I also liked being able to encounter my favorite characters in each of the two story modes. But ultimately nothing about this game clicked to me. There's a lot going on and an attention to detail that series fans will appreciate but as a fun, modern gaming experience, it trips and falls straight into the ninth layer, landing as an ugly monster begging to be put out to pasture.
