Filling a game based on dialogue trees with mythological musical numbers turns out to be an inspired idea in Stray Gods, as it has the quality of writing, composing and character design to pull it off. Its bulges with both comedy and tragedy, and while some of the songs lack punch, overall Stray Gods puts on one hell of a show.
It's proficient in some respects, adequate in others, and manageable at worst. But that leaves a creative void in its world and the way you interact with it that calls into question the value of the whole endeavour.
"The upside of treading old ground is that the Oxenfree 2 story gets to link back to the original in some fun ways"
The Bearded Ladies have been working their formula of turn-based tactics and real-time stealth for three games now, and it shows for better and worse. Miasma Chronicles is the studio's most ambitious effort in scale and depth, but carries over the flaws of previous titles as well as their strengths, and wraps its clever combat in dated humour and world design.
After Us combines stunning vistas of environmental decay with a dreamlike flow to its light platforming challenges. Despite some missteps, such as ill-fitting combat, exploring and affecting its world is a gratifying process that comes with a wave of emotional ups and downs.
Intriguing puzzles aside, this metroidvania is plagued with systems that seem designed to frustrate.
The Last Worker's comically exaggerated vision of the future of work is highly relevant. Yet its story focuses on showcasing the talents of its stellar voice cast at the expense of offering meaningful things to do, and its satirical punches rarely leave lasting bruises.
A uniquely inventive and chucklesome puzzle game that could do with a little more substance.
Clash's brilliantly surreal world is hampered by uncompromising combat and level design.
Wo Long sees Team Ninja build on the core quality of the Nioh games. Its new systems, from the spirit gauge to morale levels within each stage feel well-considered and tightly honed to encourage exploration and bold, expressive fighting styles. Some old habits die hard, especially the tiresome loot gathering, but the game's core combat and traversal options always shine through.
As an ode to '90s JRPGs, there's no doubt that Octopath Traveler 2 has chops. Its aesthetic and combat system are perfectly judged to recall the old while feeling new. The fragmented nature of its eight separate plotlines, however, means the world and its characters lack coherence and room to escape simple archetypes, while the stories themselves lack sufficient nuance to hold the attention.
As long as your PC is up to the job, this is top-notch conversion of one PlayStation 5's finest, combining razor-sharp shooting with dense atmosphere and a captivating story.
It's not often that the promotion campaign might be more enjoyable than the final product, but Wanted: Dead may have to grin and bear this ignominy. Despite some effort to subvert genre norms with its characters and amusing mini-games, the core action is bogged down by low production values, imbalance, and repetition. For every moment it hits its stride, there's another where it stubs its toe, and some slick execution animations are as imaginative as it gets.
"Life in the Abbey becomes something of a cross between XCOM 2 and Fire Emblem: Three Houses"
Evil West delivers on its big dumb action game premise, for better and worse.
Somerville never hits its stride, thanks to flat direction and frustrating mechanics.
"Many developments are outside of your control, yet rarely in games does the passage of time feel so intimately significant."
Signalis conjures a memorable retro-futuristic vibe with its art design, matched with a story that explores the terrifying extremes of sentient life. But its Resident Evil inspired systems feel overly mechanical and fail to produce tension, draining energy from a potentially chilling scenario.
Requiem is a masterful sequel and an exceptional action adventure.
Scorn works wonders with Giger's and Beksiński's artwork, not only in terms of aesthetic fidelity but in creating a world that's utterly strange to exist in. This is a violent, painful, but fascinating place, thick with symbolism and interlocking puzzles that hint at some terrifying grand design. While it can be overly obscure and frustrating, especially in combat, Scorn serves up one hell of a journey.