
Don't compare Edith Finch to other story-heavy games like The Witcher 3 or Bioshock-while those are episodic, much like a television show, What Remains of Edith Finch is more like a movie. It's also a very short game, although in cases like this, less is often more. What Remains of Edith Finch doesn't have combat or puzzles, and if you're expecting those things, you're going to be disappointed. Why hide those rooms and their contents? What happened to the rest of Edith's family? We won't post any spoilers here, but the answers are (for the most part) just as satisfying as you'd expect. When she was a child, many of its rooms were sealed up by her mother, while Edith's grandmother drilled peepholes into the walls to see what was inside. The house belongs to Edith, but she doesn't care for it. Edith Finch, age 17, returns to her old family home for the first time in six years. The game has an intriguing premise, at least.
BEST GAMES OF 2017 BOARD GEEKLIST FREE
And another expansion, starring King Knight, is currently in development and will arrive in Treasure Trove free of charge. Not only does this give you a lot more of Shovel Knight's expertly crafted 8-bit challenges-and when a game's as fun as Shovel Knight, more is always good-but both Plague Knight and Specter Knight radically change the game's overall feel, exposing just how clever Yacht Club Games' original design is. The new characters don't just look different. In addition to Shovel Knight himself, Treasure Trove lets you play through the campaign as Plague Knight and Specter Knight, two of the original game's villains. So what makes Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove one of the best games of 2017? Quite simply, it's the characters. Still, you could've said the same thing way back in 2014, when Shovel Knight first came out. The tweaks include a steer assist function that's a huge help for younger or less talented players.īut Shovel Knight is more than the sum of its parts, and while its influences are obvious, the developers at Yacht Club Games took these familiar elements and spun them into something that feels both retro and brand new. (Just be warned: it'll take a while.) There are also a handful of new kart parts to earn, a completely revamped Battle Mode that's inspired by Mario Kart's Super Nintendo and Nintendo 64 roots, and a few small tweaks to the game's racing controls. Two Splatoon inklings, King Boo, Bowser Jr., and the skeletal Koopa Troopa known as Dry Bones are all available right from the start, while die-hard Mario Kart fans can unlock Gold Mario, too. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe ups the value by adding all of Mario Kart 8's downloadable content into the base package and introduces six new characters to the game. (And it isn't ruined by cheaters.) In other words, it just doesn't get old.Īnd that's just the basic version. It has the highest number of tracks, the biggest roster, and more kart parts to unlock than any other entry in the series. On its own, Mario Kart 8 is both the biggest and most polished version of Nintendo's mascot racer to date. It feels like less of a game and more like a magic trick, and with so much to explore and discover, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild may not be the only game you'll want this year, but it's pretty much the only one you'll need.īut there's also a good chance that you haven't played Mario Kart 8 or any other Wii U game-despite a number of quality first-party titles, the Wii U never caught on in the marketplace. Somehow, Nintendo's designers created an environment that's both meticulously hand-crafted and still gives players the freedom to do, well, anything they can think of.

If you can see it, you can travel there, and new mechanics like climbing and horse taming help make Breath of the Wild more explorer-friendly than practically any other game that came before it. Breath of the Wild takes everything you'd expect to find in a traditional Zelda title-fiendishly clever puzzles, lots of fun gadgets to play with, amusing mini-games, and a dark and moody plot tempered by a healthy sense of humor-and drops it in the middle of a sprawling open world that'll take hundreds of hours to fully explore.
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Yes, Breath of the Wild really is that good.
