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Duck Detective: The Secret Salami is a charming experience that adds an endearing (and fowl-themed) twist to the world of detective work. I loved the way that the game embraced the tropes that you’d typically associate with noir detective stories in its own silly little ways, whilst the tale brought with it some cool ideas that escalate MUCH further than just a stolen lunch by the end. The investigative elements of the gameplay are well-implemented too, with them embracing a simpler approach but one that’s easy to find yourself fully invested in. And come on… ‘deducktions’… it’s perfect. It’s just a really, really fun experience from start to end, with both the storytelling and detective work engaging throughout. Here’s hoping that this won’t be Eugene McQuackling’s last case, because honestly, it was a delight to be a part of.
System Shock is an impressive remake of an all-time classic, but there’s no doubting that its old-school design won’t be for everyone. There were plenty of occasions where I found myself completely stumped when exploring the Citadel, and whilst it did make each success all the more satisfying, it could also be frustrating not knowing what to do. Combat could be a bit ordinary too, with it feeling a little dated when compared to similar titles. Despite this, I still had a good time with the game. I loved seeing the story progress, uncovering more of the gorgeous world, and tackling the cyberspace sections, with it clear that Nightdive Studios put a lot of effort and care into making a remake that feels authentic and that captures the vibe of the original game. It could just feel a bit TOO old-school at times, especially since other recent remakes have done a lot more to lean into modern innovations to refine the experience for newer players.
Hauntii offers a wonderful collectathon escapade that’ll keep players hooked in as they seek out the many stars hidden across the world to reunite with their newfound friend. The emotional storytelling is touching, the world design is creative and beautiful, it’s a ton of fun hunting down all of the stars scattered across the land, whilst the twin-stick shooting adds a fun little twist to exploration. It does have some imperfections with its tedious boss fights and uneven difficulty balancing, but Hauntii still stands out as an enjoyable adventure that I certainly won’t be forgetting anytime soon.
Galacticare is a wonderful hospital management sim that manages to feel unique thanks to its comically wacky intergalactic setting. Don’t get me wrong, it wears its inspirations like a big badge of honour and those who’ve played Theme Hospital will feel right at home thanks to the addictive yet familiar gameplay loop, but it also showcases enough of its own ideas to ensure it feels like more than just a clone of Bullfrog’s classic release. It’s just a ton of fun to play, with the campaign bringing with it plenty of bizarre yet engrossing scenarios to complete, the gameplay offering a streamlined approach that’ll appeal to both veterans and newbies of the genre, and the visuals bringing everything to life with the vibrant colours and unusual yet tantalising creature and ailment design.
V Rising is a tantalising survival action-RPG that’ll keep players wholly invested thanks to its compelling combat, satisfying sense of progression, and brilliant multiplayer mechanics. I’ve adored playing the game with a group of friends and building impressive castle bases to lord over the land of Vardoran from, whilst each enemy I vanquish and piece of progress I make invests me further into the world. I’ve put in a ton of hours over the last week, but believe me, I’m nowhere near done with it yet. It’s newbie friendly too, so don’t be intimidated by the many mechanics at play. Be warned though: the other players in the world are bloodthirsty vampires too, and they won’t be afraid to cause you harm.
Crow County is a wonderful love letter to the survival horror releases of the 90s that captures the essence of the era perfectly. The best part of all? It’s not afraid to embrace some modern ideas to make the experience more intuitive and accessible for all players. Between the wonderful old-school visuals, the intriguing storytelling, the exciting combat scenarios, and the clever puzzling, Crow Country will really hook fans of the survival horror genre in from start to end. And if you enjoyed its inspirations back in the day? It’ll feel even more special to play.
TopSpin 2K25 offers an exhilarating tennis experience that’ll keep players on their toes with its authentic and strategic action. The core mechanics demand a blend of good timing, strategic planning, and clever positional play to add to the authenticity of the experience, with the game easily standing out as one of the more realistic tennis experiences I’ve seen in a video game. It’s wonderfully executed to make for a really fun experience, whilst the package is complemented by a decent selection of game modes that’ll keep both solo and multiplayer fans invested for a long, long time.
Sand Land delivers a thrilling RPG experience that perfectly captures the exciting antics seen in the manga and anime series. Driving and customising the range of creative vehicles is always a treat, whilst the compelling vehicular combat mechanics ensure there’s plenty of depth and strategy found in-battle. It gets all of the core RPG mechanics right too, whilst the gorgeous visuals really help bring the world to life. It can feel a little bit dull on-foot and the stealth sections weren’t great, but they’re minor issues in what is otherwise an action-packed experience. I’ll admit, I didn’t know a whole lot about Sand Land before playing, but now? It has made a BIG fan out of me.
Indika is uniquely brilliant in its own peculiar way, with the bizarre yet enthralling narrative unlike any that I’ve seen in a game before. It’s suspenseful, thought-provoking, and bizarre in equal measure, yet it had me utterly enthralled from start to end. It looks absolutely gorgeous too, and whilst the slower pace of the gameplay won’t be for everyone, it has enough ideas on show with its interactivity and puzzling to keep players engaged. It’s just a compelling experience that I adored being a part of. I don’t want to give too much about Indika away because its constant surprises are one of its greatest strengths, but believe me, you wouldn’t have played anything quite like this before.
Stellar Blade is another sublime PlayStation 5 exclusive that showcases the power of the console with its thrilling action and mesmerising visuals. I’ll admit, I wasn’t fully sold on the game before playing, but after spending twenty-plus hours partaking in Eve’s action-packed antics, I’ve been blown away. Sure, I wasn’t too keen on the storytelling, but when the gameplay packs such a punch, it’s hard to complain too much. With its, uh-hum, ‘stellar’ combat mechanics that feel like a blend of Dark Souls and Bayonetta, captivating set pieces and level design that really pull you into the world, and some of the best visuals seen on the console, Stellar Blade is one PlayStation 5 release that you’d be a fool to miss.
Eiyuden Chronicles: Hundred Heroes is a delight, with the Suikoden-inspirations perfectly implemented to make for a wonderfully memorable adventure. I loved recruiting characters, building up a homebase, and partaking in strategic showdowns with enemies, whilst the variety of mini-games that show up across the experience keep the action varied and exciting. Add to that the wonderful visual presentation and a stellar soundtrack, and you’ll quickly find that Eiyuden Chronicles: Hundred Heroes delivers more than enough to keep RPG fans very, VERY happy.
Another Crab’s Treasure is a wonderful souls-like adventure that offers a unique and charming take on the genre with its creative shell-based action. There’s plenty of depth to be found in its mechanics that encourages player experimentation, whilst the boss encounters are some of the best that I’ve seen from a non-From Software release. It looks delightful too, whilst the accessibility options make it the perfect title to introduce players to the typically brutal nature of a souls-like release.
Ready, Steady, Ship offers a chaotic take on the world of shipping, with the clever level design keeping the co-op action fresh and fun. The use of conveyor belts ensures it has a unique hook when compared to similar titles, whilst the constant introduction of new mechanics ensures there’s plenty on offer to keep levels interesting as you progress. I don’t think it’s as good as the likes of Overcooked and it’s nowhere near as to fun to play solo, but Ready, Steady, Ship still manages to deliver an amusingly frantic co-op experience that won’t fail to keep you laughing.
Phantom Fury is far from perfect, but it still offers a satisfying boomer-shooter experience that feels like it has come straight from the noughties. The weaponry on offer is a lot of fun to use (especially when upgraded) and there’s plenty of variety to be found across the game’s levels, so you certainly won’t tire of the action. Just don’t expect anything unique, with Phantom Fury not offering anything that you wouldn’t have seen before. It does have a few technical issues, the difficulty could be better balanced, and there were times when I got completely lost in levels, but I still had a good time with the game. It’s silly, it’s over-the-top, it looks great, and it features some great weaponry – it gets all of the basics right to ensure fans of the genre will enjoy this blast to the past, even if a couple of patches would probably make it better (and knock my score up to an 8).
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade: Wrath of the Mutants can be fun, but it’s a bit too simple and short to stand out for anyone other than fans of the series. The side-scrolling brawling gameplay is simplistic and doesn’t bring with it any fresh ideas, whilst the unbalanced difficulty feels like its designed to drain your health as opposed to offer a satisfying sense of challenge to the player. There’s some fun to be had if you can get four players together and there’s no doubting that a younger audience might appreciate the simplicity of the gameplay more, but for everyone else, it’s hard to recommend Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade: Wrath of the Mutants when there are so many better releases available in the genre.
The Rising Tide is a fantastic piece of content that builds upon the brilliance of Final Fantasy XVI perfectly. With its engaging storytelling, gorgeous landscapes, thrilling battles, and additional challenge with the Kairos Gate, there’s plenty to get stuck into to ensure it stands out as a worthwhile expansion to the tale of Final Fantasy XVI. And come on… who doesn’t want to use Leviathan’s abilities in combat?
Reigns Beyond is a sci-fi treat that offers a unique (and undoubtedly chaotic) adventure as you strive to achieve intergalactic stardom. The unpredictability of each scenario you find yourself in ensures there are laughs aplenty as you endure through each success or failure, whilst the resource management adds a strategic twist to the action that ensures every little decision you make counts. Or you could just piss off a space monster and die. However things pan out, you’ll have a lot of fun along the way, and who knows – maybe you’ll be part of the next big rock band in outer space?
Ereban: Shadow Legacy is an enjoyable stealth-adventure that has enough interesting ideas to ensure it’ll keep fans of the genre entertained. Don’t get me wrong, it has its problems – especially with the iffy enemy AI and some of its technical issues – but I’d still say my experience with it was positive, even if it falls short when compared to some of the greats of the genre.
Children of the Sun is a fantastic experience that blends together time-bending shooting with clever puzzling mechanics in a uniquely creative fashion. Plotting out my kills across each level was always satisfying, whilst the introduction of new mechanics and enemy types as I progressed ensured that the experience never seemed to run out of ideas. It is a bit on the short side and it’s a shame there aren’t any unlockables to incentivise score-chasing, but these issues don’t stop Children of the Sun from being one of the more unique and exciting shooters that I’ve played in a long time.
Pepper Grinder is a platforming treat, with the unique drilling mechanic and brilliant level design making it stand out as a must-play release of the genre. It has plenty of clever ideas in play that build upon the simple nature of the drilling perfectly, whilst the charming visuals and collectibles are the cherry on top. It is a little disappointing that the game wasn’t a bit longer, but given the quality of what you get, it’s hard to complain too much. It’s just a really finely crafted experience that plays into its strengths perfectly, and believe me, platforming fans won’t want to miss out on Pepper Grinder.