Rise of Insanity is so confusing, I couldn’t stop playing until I finished it but I can’t say that it’s because I really enjoyed it. There are some really good scares in the game but there’s not enough tension or atmosphere. The story is gripping and the files you find are really interesting, but it eventually disappoints. There are better horror games out there but this is overall a pretty solid offering and I can see the talent the studio has.
It’s really hard to find fault with Sairento VR. Yeah, its story is a bit meh and it can take a long time to find some games on multiplayer at the moment due to a modest player base, but the game is just so damn fun. The combination of movement abilities, weapons and skills create a seemingly limitless platform for you to jump into some pretty Japanese environments and make them bloody, having the best time VR can offer while you do so. If the endless killing and cinematic action doesn’t keep you playing, for sure the deep progression and loot systems will as it gives a sense of accomplishment to go along with your desire to be an expert armed-to-the-teeth ninja.
The Blackout Club has a fantastic premise and the base idea for the game is very good. The equipment and skills are really fun to use, it builds great tension and atmosphere and it’s a fun co-op game. The problem is that this denies it from being a great horror game. If you’re looking for a game to grind with friends then this could be a decent way to spend some time. If you’re looking for a great horror game, play the prologue and then just stop. As a horror fan, I was hoping the main game was going to be more like the prologue but that’s just my opinion, there’s certainly fun to be had with friends in this creepy neighbourhood where things go bump and snooze in the night.
Without a doubt, the strongest point of the Remothered: Tormented Fathers is its story – the cutscenes and voice acting are superb and would make a very interesting movie. The tension is sometimes unbearable and can lead to unscripted jumpscares as you thought your stalker was somewhere else when they’re actually right behind you. If you’ve seen the movie ‘It Follows’, this game is basically that. The puzzles are simple but fun and the notes are very engaging if you have time to find and read them all.
I was quietly apprehensive about trying Call of Cthulhu for the first time. I had been interested in it since its announcement but I was worried it was going to be disappointing due to the lukewarm reception last year. However, it only took half an hour after installing the game before I found out how wrong I was. The game gripped me from beginning to end and it’s the most uncomfortable I’ve been playing a game on the Switch so far. It’s a superb detective game with elements of gothic and cosmic horror that you can’t help but keep playing. Personally, the stealth parts make some of the more interesting parts feel more frustrating than exciting and the shooting section feels incredibly forced and like a last-minute addition rather than an integral piece of game design.
Dauntless is a brilliant and lengthy free-to-play game – one that has and will be supported with crazy amounts of content. The latest update that pushed the game out of early access is its biggest and best update yet, especially with the release of the ridiculously fun new striker weapons. With a lot of content and the ability to play with friends, Dauntless is at least worth giving a shot. Obviously, it draws comparisons with Monster Hunter World but if you need another fix of David vs Behemoth action, this will more than quench your blood-thirstiness.
With BoxVR, you’ll find yourself losing weight and becoming much healthier before you even realise. Whether it’s because you intend to burn those calories or show yourself to be a rhythm boxing God, you will be fitter from playing this – which is exactly what it sets out to do. It’s an (upper)cut above the rest of the competition in being a game that is designed to make you exercise but while also being extremely fun in its own right. If you’re anything like me, exercise is one of those words that instantly makes me want to curl up and hide, it sounds like a lot of effort. Well, with this boxercise game, that effort disappears. Yes it’s tiring, yes you will sweat, but who cares when you’re having so much fun doing it?
Q-YO Blaster is a very fun little shmup that I’ve put a lot more time into than I thought I would. It’s addictive and pretty, even if it’s clearly copied a bit too much from Cuphead. The “story” is a little baffling in its execution but in the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t matter as I doubt you’ll be playing it for a deep and enthralling narrative. The gameplay was tight and enjoyable, with some nice little nuances which are all that matters in this genre really. Also, I was impressed with the fact there’s a lot of characters, powers and replayability, all for the low price of £8.99 on the Nintendo eShop – you can’t fault it for the amount of entertainment you get.
Let’s sing 2020 is a fun party game and one we definitely need in these darkest of times. Stay home and spread some joy, instead of the virus, by singing to your heart’s content with your family. It’s super easy to get into, there’s a variety of ways to play, and there’s a pretty decent mix of songs for the average person who doesn’t listen to weird stuff like me. Subjectively, this isn’t a game for myself but I can also objectively see why it will have massive appeal. Playing solo is only half the fun, get everyone involved and I guarantee you will have a good time.
Totally Reliable Delivery Service is truly an enigma, what makes it so brilliant is what also makes it so damn frustrating. I would recommend the experience to all of my friends, as I really did experience laughs that I’ve never had before, but due to the frustration it caused me, I wouldn’t wish the game on someone I mildly dislike. The way to obtain the most fun is to simply mess around with other people and experiment with new and unique ways to deliver the packages, I definitely didn’t have the patience to be the postman it wanted me to be.
I had high expectations for the Final Fantasy VII Remake due to the hype around the game when it was first revealed. I’m happy to say that my expectations were met and then some. I loved every second I had with this game (niggles aside) and was engrossed in its world and its story. The characters are a joy to spend time with and I was with them every step of the way. There were twists I didn’t expect and moments that just had me smiling more than I had in a game for years. As someone who hasn’t played the original, I’m not sure how the Final Fantasy VII fans will feel about its changed story, or how different it plays, but to anyone who is looking for a great JRPG to play then look no further than this.
Radio Squid is a game with conflicting ideas that makes it partially enjoyable but equally just as frustrating. The bomb power is useful and a feature that feels fair and challenging whereas the ability to hurt yourself just feels the opposite. The claustrophobic arenas make the trek to reach the note to start your attack all the more pointlessly dangerous, meaning you will likely take cheap hits before you even start attacking yourself. Then, the wall wraps mean you have way too many things to keep track of, including your own projectiles. It all adds up to an experience that feels unfair and a bit bland.
Maid of Sker scratched my horror itch for the year so far for sure. Despite some of my criticisms, it’s not a bad game, far from it. It’s just let down by a very few glaring issues that stop it from being a truly great game. I still really enjoyed my time with it, mainly due to its incredible setting and references to folklore. The story progresses in a very natural way and feels just about the right length at around four hours. The Quiet Ones are an interesting enemy type and their presence in the game is explained brilliantly through the excellent world-building that’s throughout the floors of the hotel. The only problem is that the story of them limits the gameplay experience somewhat to a repetitive sneaking trial and error game and that can get very frustrating, especially when it’s let down by strange AI problems. The puzzles in the game are very fun to work out and feel just as fun to do as the puzzles in a Resident Evil or Silent Hill game. The visuals and sound design are really quite something and lift the experience somewhat, which tells me that there’s potential for a fantastic horror experience to come from Wales Interactive.
New battle royale games seem to be coming out every week – just this past month we’ve also had Hyperspace. That being said, Spellbreak is the most fun I’ve had in the genre since I first tried Fortnite. It still has a long way to go to prove itself as the best BR out there, but I think it’s starting out as the strongest one on day one so far. Its gameplay is fast and fun, the team-based attacks and gauntlet system are innovative and satisfying, and the class systems add a ton of reasons to replay and practice. It’s a really solid game that feels it’s at its absolute best when playing as a team, which isn’t always the case when it comes to BRs. Spellbreak does enough to truly stand out in the genre and is probably my favourite battle royale out there right now. Go give it a play, who knows, it might just be the refresh in the genre you’ve been looking for.
Cuphead is a game that really should be played by everyone. If you’re someone who likes to work hard to improve at a game, like Crash Bandicoot, for example, this game is definitely for you. If you’re also someone who just likes shooting stuff in the face while enjoying a boppy soundtrack and appreciating some fine art, it’s also for you. Cuphead really is a masterpiece of simplistic game design. I’m not the most patient person in the world but this game just grabs you and releases a hidden determination to beat its challenges and I had an absolute blast while doing it.
Hellpoint is far from a bad game. In fact, it more than holds its own in the genre and gripped me a lot better than Demon’s Souls (PS3) did when I started playing that. It does the important parts extremely well and despite not being as pretty or as popular as other games out there, it’s a really solid entry. The platforming required adds unnecessary difficulty but the combat, the co-op, story and bosses are all brilliantly implimented. The story is slowly drip-fed, making it not the easiest to follow, but there’s enough there for you to eventually make sense of it – more so than Bloodborne, in my experience anyway. The addition of the timed features in the game is an interesting addition to the genre and one that I think should be used more in the future.
Pacer is definitely a match for Wipeout in so many ways. The gameplay is fantastic and the sense of motion you get from the smooth anti-gravity racing feels very satisfying. The customisation options allow you to personalise your ships and create loadouts which are both the best and worst part of the game for me. I love the option to design the ship I want and being able to chop and change on the fly, but locking out all the upgrades makes the game too much of a grind for me. If you’re a fan of other high-speed racers I genuinely can’t recommend this enough. There’s enough content to keep you going for ages and it definitely lives up to the inspiration of Wipeout. If I had to call a winner, it’d be a photo finish, so just play both of them if you can.
Blair Witch: Oculus Quest Edition is a bit of an enigma. The use of VR adds so much in terms of tension, immersion and interactivity, that makes it feels both awesome and terrifying. Then, the removal of certain sections and the addition of very basic scares makes it feel a bit rushed as the scares don’t really pay off from the tension that’d been building. It’s only really the crazy ending that feels truly spooky while the simplistic wandering through the woods picking stuff up feels like a limited experience. If you’ve never played the original Flat version, I still think that’s the best version to play, but it’s worth jumping into the VR edition if you’re a fan of immersive psychological horror games or the original release and want to experience some of the thrills up close and personal. Bonus: You can pet Bullet in VR – so if all else fails, at least the game has that.
Visage is haunting but frustrating. If you were to ask me if this is a good game, I’d be inclined to say that it’s simply ‘okay’. If you were to ask me if it’s a good horror game, I’d say its terrifying, heart-stopping and simply unmissable. The stories about each character are interesting, if a little disturbing, and it’s fun working through the puzzles that come up while you’re moving through the chapters. The inventory system is nothing short of a nuisance and it made me want to stop playing at times, especially coupled with the sanity meter and the cycle of not knowing where you’re supposed to be going. If you can set that aside though, and you want an experience of a horror game that will chill you to the core, I don’t think it gets much better than Visage.
If you’ve not played the previous games, Overcooked! All You Can Eat is the definitive version to pick up. Its updated visuals are beautiful and, with all the ingredients from the DLCs and main games mixed into one tasty concoction, it’s a no-brainer as to whether you should pick it up or not. However, if you’ve already played the games then it depends on how much you enjoyed them the first time, as to whether you go and buy this version. If you found the challenges more frustrating than fun, perhaps you’re best leaving this game to go cold. Personally, I found them both frustrating AND fun, so I really enjoyed replaying the levels from the previous campaigns – also, some of the DLCs were among the best levels that the game offers, including the new exclusive DLC, so that’s definitely a reason to buy this version.