Simon Parkin
Music festivals offers an alluring theme for a management sim, but BigFest's simplistic approach fails to make the most of its metaphor.
A brutal game that's equal parts frustrating and exhilarating, delivered in the mesmerising style of a prohibition-era cartoon.
Dragon Quest gets the Dynasty Warriors treatment, but there are more fundamental changes than a mere asset swap; this is Musou re-imagined.
This edgy revival of the scrolling brawler inherits the problems of its influences, and is both boorish and boring as a result.
This whimsical and original game mimics the disorientating effects of blindness, but fails to build meaningfully on its initial idea.
A tribute to and evolution of Keiji Infaune's Mega Man, Mighty No. 9's moments of brilliance are tempered by its preposterous challenge.
This is a game written for people who have worked in a particular kind of game development. It's hard to applaud the jokes when it's unclear where the lines between reality and exaggeration lie - and this is a story whose shoots grow from lived experience. Far easier to applaud the game's core gameplay invention, which enlivens The Magic Circle at its heart, and a piece of design that, unlike Ishmael Gilder, will surely find a life beyond its game.
Ultra's label insinuates that this is the ultimate realisation of Housemarque's original vision. In truth, it's little more than a re-skin, and the seasoning of novelties adds little of enduring substance. Instead, the original remains a classic. Its somewhat sterile charms are undiminished by time, and so space cadets will find much to love here, in the bustle of a perennial galactic rush hour. Veterans, however, need not apply. Whether that's testament to Housemarque's delivery of an original that could not be improved by tampering, or its new custodian's lack of vision, is another question.
The arcade-like structure and mounting pile of perks and weapons gives Tower of Guns an irresistible, if brief, appeal. There's tremendous fun to be had questing up the tower, amassing buffs and improvements to both your character and their weaponry, and racing against the clock. But soon enough, the repetitious enemy and environment designs begin to tire, and the initial bullishness of the evolving guns feels a little conservative; nothing goes quite far enough. Tower of Guns fails to reach the heights it might have reached, then, but provides an enjoyable run all the same.
This is a game built with love and thorough attention to detail. It is a startling debut for a young team who demonstrate an enviable clarity of design. But it falls short of greatness, perhaps because its main ingredients of hulking foes and one-hit kills cannot harmonise over the course of an entire adventure.
A pretty Sardinian village merges with all kinds of hellish influence in this nightmarish, claustrophic horror from arthouse developer Santa Ragione.
The true sequel to the best-loved contemporary JRPG is unrestrained in its ambition, and the result is a chaotic kind of brilliance.
A harmonious meeting of two traditions, Fire Emblem Warriors explores a different, yet no less beguiling, type of battlefield strategy.
A vibrant interpretation of golf that expands on the series' distinguished lineage without compromising, or distracting from, its strengths.
Final Fantasy's weirdest, most wonderful curio is a bright reminder of the power of crisp invention in high-risk blockbuster development.
An elegiac, memorable and affecting tale of the misfortunes suffered by the members of a deeply eccentric family.
A JRPG classic is revived for 3DS, and the years haven't dimmed its charm in the slightest.
A playful, often humorous tour of the modern world's transition spaces.
Failbetter provides an exquisite expansion to Sunless Sea that runs deep.
Offering freedom within structure, Dragon Quest Builders manages to formalise a riveting story within Minecraft's expansive template.