It Takes Two is a game that I honestly did not have super high expectations for, but I am always open to a co-op game as I like to try to get my girlfriend involved in my hobbies. To my pleasant surprise, It Takes Two completely blew my expectations out of the water. To get this review off the ground, this game is obviously filled with passion from the developers, and you can feel that throughout the game.

The protagonists of the story are a husband and wife who’s marriage has significantly deteriorated, and they are considering divorce. When they are ready to go through with it, their daughter’s sadness ends up casting a spell that turns the husband and wife into dolls. As dolls, the husband and wife go through an adventure together in which they are forced to rely on each other to proceed through the story. I honestly was not expecting substantial character detail from this game as I had assumed it would be a typical co-op puzzle solving game like Portal by Valve, however I was surprised to find immense character depth and development throughout the game. You start out hating the parents (by design, they are meant to be as unlikable as possible), but throughout the game you see how they develop and grow and you will find yourself invested in the lives of these two dolls in ways you never anticipated.

But how was it to play? My girlfriend and I loved the game! It got both of us involved, tested our cooperation and communication skills, and held our interest throughout the entire process. The gameplay is incredibly creative, as each puzzle needs to be solved in a different way. Different variables and elements are introduced throughout the game that will encourage creativity and elaborate cooperation if you want to succeed. New elements are added so frequently that the gameplay never feels stale. Additionally, the relief and satisfaction that come with completing a challenge in a creative way with a partner was fantastic to experience.

I honestly have nothing bad to say about It Takes Two. It was an absolute joy to play. There is only one extremely minor complaint about this game that I can think of, and that is that it can only be played cooperatively. If you are looking for a single player experience, this is obviously not the game for you. However, if you have a friend, parent, or a significant other that you can play with, I would 100% suggest giving It Takes Two a try.

Hollow Knight is an indie-game developed by Team Cherry. It is a two-dimensional metroidvania style game (meaning that it features a large interconnected world map the player can explore) that is set in the small world of bugs. While I say that it is set in the world of bugs, that doesn’t truly encapsulate the nature of the game. Hollow Knight follows the journey of the main character, the ‘Knight’ as he explores the vast world of Hallownest – a world full of insects and arachnids with a strong injection of fantasy elements.

I have to be honest, when I first heard about Hollow Knight I was immediately turned off by the bug element of the game. While I respect them and what they do, I have no interest in getting further acquainted with bugs of any kind. That being said, I am so glad that I buckled during lockdown and gave this game a try. The bugs in Hollow Knight are weird and make some disgusting noises at times, but they take nothing away from the game. I would even go so far as to say that the characters within this game are somewhere between creepy and adorable. If I’m being 100% honest, I would say that the game design as a whole falls closer to the creepy end of the scale, but it is worth noting that some of the characters are not disgusting. The Knight – the protagonist of the story – is definitely one of the frontrunners for the adorable part of the game. Its design below for reference.

As I stare at this picture longer, I find it more and more creepy, so I may have to partially retract my statement that it is a frontrunner for the cutest. I promise there are others!

The design of the characters aside, the theme and atmosphere is definitely on the darker side. Hollow Knight does an incredible job of creating a dark, foreboding atmosphere that somehow makes you want to keep playing. After long sessions of the game, I would even find myself researching lore out of pure curiosity.

While Hollow Knight looks like a cartoony game that would have a low difficulty level, I would definitely characterize it as a hard game. If you want to play Hollow Knight casually, be prepared to put substantial time into attempting to beat the various bosses that can be found and battled throughout the game. Patience will be required – although not to the extent that is necessary for Elden Ring as I discussed in a previous post. I myself spent close to 6 hours on a single boss within the game. That might sound exhausting, but I had a great time during that 6 hours as I learned the patterns and movements that the boss had.

One major thing that I haven’t been bringing up in previous posts is music. Music has an enormous impact on how a game feels to play, and Hollow Knight‘s soundtrack compliments the game incredibly well. I still find myself listening to the soundtrack from time to time months after playing the game.

My ultimate recommendation for this game is going to be similar to that of Elden Ring, in that if you have the time and patience, you will love Hollow Knight. However, if you tend to get frustrated after losing over and over again, this game may become a point of stress in your life. Lastly, don’t be concerned with the bugs in the game! As someone who avoids eye contact with every insect I see, I had no issues with Hollow Knight and loved the game.

VALORANT has been one of the hottest games over the past couple years. RIOT Games struck gold with their timing of release for VALORANT, as the game came out in June 2020, the height of the pandemic in many places. Due to lockdown, a brand new free to play game from a reputable developer like RIOT Games was an absolute blessing. During lockdown, I likely spent between 6 and 8 hours a day playing this game (it has since decreased substantially as life has resumed globally).

VALORANT is a competitive 5 vs 5 team-based first person shooter game. A game of VALORANT is a first to 13, round-based competition. There are two teams, one on offence and one on defense (they will switch sides halfway through the game). The objective of the team on offence is to break through the enemy’s defenses to reach a bombsite. When there, the team on offence must plant a “spike” (a bomb) and defend it until it explodes. If the spike detonates, the team on offence wins. Alternatively, a round can be won by the team on defense if the team on offense fails to plant the spike in time. The final way that a round can be won is through eliminations. When killed in the game, characters will not respawn until the next round. If every member of a team is killed, they lose the round.

As I mentioned, VALORANT is typically considered a competitive game. To further this point, it is worth noting that VALORANT has one of the most noteworthy e-sports followings on earth, with the finals of a 2021 tournament reaching over 1 million concurrent viewers on streaming platforms. There is also a comprehensive ranked competitive system within the game. The ranks within the game are as follows (ordered lowest to highest): Iron, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Immortal and Radiant.

I’ll be completely blunt here – this game has a huge learning curve for those unfamiliar with first person shooter games. VALORANT is hard – to the point that even while playing extremely frequently (and being a relatively competent player of games) I was only able to reach Gold. With how little I play now, I would likely only be able to play in Silver or Bronze. With that being said, as a beginner I would suggest staying far away from ranked mode. Due to the competitiveness of the game, people can be extremely nasty to other players. Toxic players can be found in any competitive game, but they are particularly bad in team based games. Making one mistake can lead to belittlement and harassment from teammates if you are unlucky.

To those trying to learn, playing unranked is definitely the way to go. There is way less pressure to succeed, and toxic teammates appear far less frequently. In my experience, people on unranked are pretty friendly and will rarely get frustrated with less experienced teammates. With that in mind, I do have one suggestion that negates all of these issues entirely, but it is dependent on you having four friends who also want to play. If you can form your own team of five, VALORANT is an absolute blast. Playing with friends facilitates a fun, supportive environment where you can come up with creative ideas and strategies without pressure from those who are dedicated to competitive success at the expense of their human morals.

If you are able to form a team of friends, there is almost no game I would recommend more than this one. It was a huge part of my social life throughout COVID-19, allowing me to banter with my friends from home while focusing on a shared goal. Even if you are playing alone, if you are able to develop thick skin for dealing with toxic individuals, VALORANT will still be a great time. I spent many hours playing alone, and enjoyed a vast majority of them.

Mario Kart… is there anyone who hasn’t heard of this game before? Mario is a name that is well known worldwide, even to those who haven’t played a single video game in their life – and for good reason. Mario games are consistently very good, resulting in Mario becoming the core of Nintendo’s intellectual property.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is no exception to this trend. The game is available exclusively for the Nintendo Switch, and stands as one of the greatest party games of this generation (in my humble opinion). For those who are unaware, Mario Kart is a racing game in which 12 racers attempt to complete 3 laps (usually) around a track fastest. The party element of this game comes from items and powerups. As you are racing, you can collect a variety of items that can be used to give yourself advantages or disadvantage other racers. These items range from a banana peel that you can leave behind yourself, tripping up other racers, to a bullet that will carry you safely for a certain distance. Funnily enough, Mario Kart is one of the typical examples used in the equity versus equality discussion. Those who are closer to last place will receive better items, while those closer to the front will receive worse. The item distribution actually makes for an interesting strategy element within the game – you can choose to try as hard as you can from the get-go in an effort to build a lead – or you can remain close to the back of the pack until the third lap to get a better chance at good items.

As mentioned, Mario Kart is a party game. This generally means that there is a low barrier to entry (the game is pretty easy for beginners). As a result, I don’t know anyone who has been disappointed to hear that Mario Kart is getting booted up. When hanging out with friends this is a must have if you are looking for some fun, casual games to play together.

The one aspect of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe that falls short is the online experience. While the connection is more consistent than other games within Nintendo’s catalogue, the features available are woefully lacking. You have two options for online:

1: You can play with eleven random people from around the world. This option is actually very cool, as you will be matched with people close to your skill level and compete with them. It is a great way to spend your time if you are alone, looking to relax and have some fun.

2: you can play with friends in a personal lobby. This option is good, but heavily limited. The only real way to take advantage of this feature is if you have 7+ friends who also own a Switch, Mario Kart, and Nintendo Online (racing with fewer than 8 people is pretty underwhelming). Racing alone with one or two friends lacks the excitement and fun of racing with a larger group.

If I could change one thing about Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, it would be creating a combination of the online services above. I would love to be able to join a lobby of random people from around the world with one or two of my friends who want to play. This feature would bring the game from a 7/10 to a 10/10 (I don’t like using a scale in most cases, but this is a good way to describe the shortcomings of Nintendo online).

In all, Mario Kart remains a solid game, as every Mario Kart installment has been. It is best played in person with friends, and can be enjoyed in a multitude of ways. For those who want to take the “Party game” aspect of Mario Kart to the next level, I would absolutely suggest checking out Beerio Kart on Urban Dictionary.