The miso.moe official logo.

Katamari’s February Gaming Quickies!

March is here tomorrow, which means we’ve got February Gaming Quickies for you today! There were a ton of games that flew over everyone’s radar between some stellar AAA releases. I’m here today to show you what you may have missed out on. If you’re looking for some budget-friendly options, rest assured that all these titles retail at $24.99 USD or less digitally! Without further ado, let’s get into our picks for the month of February.

Under Cover 

(Available now on Meta Quest 2/3/Pro; $24.99)

To begin our February Gaming Quickies column, let’s head to our headsets! I still love arcades, and I always go to one whenever I visit a new area that has them. While I’m not great at light gun shooters, I don’t mind plopping a few credits into a Time Crisis machine here and there. Thankfully, Sigtrap and Coatsink’s Under Cover is a great VR arcade shooter that scratches that light-gun itch at home.

In Under Cover, you control one of two agents as they infiltrate the seedy megacorp Infinidyne. It’s a pretty simple narrative that’s propelled by the witty banter between Red-Eye and Magnum, the game’s playable protagonists. The main conflict between the two is the fact that Red-Eye wants to resign after the mission, with which Magnum disagrees. The voice performances are well done and kept me invested even while trying to get through waves of enemies.

Speaking of enemies, Under Cover differentiates itself from a lot of VR shooters with its cover mechanic. Much like Time Crisis, you’ll have to time yourself in order to alternate between shooting foes and covering yourself. 

While in the former you had to physically press a pedal on the bottom of the machine, here you have to physically crouch. Though you don’t have to crouch too much, the action needs to be done while reloading too. This means that you’ll receive a workout if you want to succeed, and I think it fits the fast-paced nature of the game. (There are some projectiles where crouching won’t protect you, so you need to think fast on what to shoot). The game is co-op by nature (either playing with a buddy or with a computer partner), so there are two routes for each of the game’s four missions. (The missions are separated into 3 bite-sized chunks of 10-15 minute stages, which mitigates exhaustion of longer play sessions.)

The retro-looking graphics add to the charm of the game, as well as the scoring mechanics (which prioritize accuracy and clean shots, which means you don’t want to haphazardly shoot at everything). This title is a unique experience that’s unlike anything I’ve seen so far in a VR shooter!

Nyaaaanvy

(Available now on PC, Switch; $9.99)

I’ve wanted a good cat-fighting game ever since Rogue Games released Fistifluffs back a while ago. It seems Team DigitalMind read my mind (what an apt developer name!) and Phoenixx released Nyaaaanvy. This is a cute fighter featuring cat-like creatures and some goofy gameplay.

In Nyaaaanvy, you play as a Nyanvy. (Confusing, I know). While not quite a cat, they do react with catlike behaviors. The main mode requires you to push the opposing Nyanvy out of the arena a la Super Smash Bros. While initially you won’t fly far, repeated attacks will cause damage percentages to go up and put you at flying risk. There are other obstacles to watch out for too! While the base gameplay is simple, it’s really enjoyable to see different Nyanvy duking it out, and there’s enough variety in the modes to justify the $9.99 price tag.

I also surprisingly enjoyed the story mode, which explains why you can’t call Nyanvy cats. It’s a goofy campaign that introduces players to different battle types (and oddly turns into a stealth-platformer for one level). You can also customize your creature to use with the in-game cutscenes, and the dialogue is lighthearted fun. 

Is it rough around the edges? Yes, but honestly, we need more silly, smaller-priced games that hit a specific niche. The game has a lot of content for the price, and there’s local and online multiplayer modes to choose from too. (There are also some extra minigames to try your hand out too). If you’re looking for a sumo-like multiplayer arena game, Nyaaaanvy is purrfect for you!

Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore 

(Available now on PC, Switch, Xbox, PlayStation; $19.99 digital, physical available on Limited Run Games)

To wrap up our trio of February Gaming Quickies, we’ve got a silly title from Seedy Eye Software. Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore is a loving homage to a weird era of gaming… the CD-i. While not for everyone, it’s a game that will bring out the nostalgic cheers (or jeers) of the 90s-loving kid in you.

After a decade of peace in Faramore, the evil Daimur threatens the land once again. While Dail has decided to live a quiet life as a bard from his previous adventure, princess Arzette decides to embark on a quest to defeat the evil force. Armed with a magical sword and other obtainable tools, players will explore a wonderfully wacky world filled with enemies and obstacles to traverse.

Arzette functions as a Metroidvania mixed with CD-i platforming elements, as you don’t have all the tools in your arsenal when you begin. After replaying levels, you’ll earn new equipment that will make Arzette stronger. While this means the first few areas of the game can be a slog, you’ll be able to breeze through later sections.

The jank here is intentional. (The best kind of jank!) Cutscenes are shown in the distinct CD-i presentation, complete with over-the-top cheesy performances. The voice cast boasts a few big names, from Vinesauce to even the original voice actors from the Legend of Zelda CD-i titles! Movement is limited as well to emulate the CD-i control scheme (and you can pre-order similarly styled controllers from Limited Run Games). All in all, Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore is a lovingly nostalgic throwback to an often derided bunch of games. However, it does this in a way that improves the experience for modern sensibilities.

February Gaming Quickies Wrap-Up

And there you have it, three games you should check out from February! If you have any other recommendations we may have missed, sound off in the comments below. Stay tuned for more gaming, anime, and manga recommendations here on Miso!

Liked it? Take a second to support miso.moe on Patreon!
Become a patron at Patreon!
Picture of Katamaris

Katamaris

During the day, Elisha is an aspiring businessman, but at night, he's a wacky freelance writer. Born into the world with a fleeting knowledge of rhythm games, he loves shonen manga and still wants Pushing Daisies to have some closure. For any manga/anime/video game inquiries, please contact him at edeograc (at) gmail.com
0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
guest
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

© miso! 2017 – 2023 

0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x