The final two games step forward and show their well-polished improvements with graphics that laugh in the face of many 2015 releases
Stories Untold places a hidden story within a hidden story; a puzzle that only reveals itself once you piece together its outer layers – and it's one of the most fascinating and unique tales you can play this year.
It may not be wholly original, but Hollow Knight is without a doubt one of the best metroidvania games out there.
It is a shame that every level is so well done and all required so much work, in terms of visual and audio presentation, that it means there are so few levels overall
With how rare supplies are and how easy it is to die… even the simple act of opening a door becomes a terrifying experience
Barring the occasional frustration, D-Pad Studio have created a wonderful and satisfying tale filled with superb characters and marvellous presentation.
By end-game each one of your characters will have around 20 abilities, all with their own uses, and you will have developed a playstyle that fits the classes in your party
While Ride 2 has some problems, such as questionable balancing of difficulty and credit-earning, the wealth of customisation options available and the pure gratification and thrill of competing makes it rather unlike any other experience currently available.
Slayaway Camp is a simple puzzle game that through evolving mechanics becomes a difficult and satisfying experience. It revels in both the ludicrous and outlandishly fun things that come from its original genre while making fun of its stupidities.
Tyranny may have its issues and it may be shorter than other RPGs but it often means that, in the end, it comes together as a greater and more concise experience.
For all its linearity, Mainlining does a fantastic job of making you feel like a detective. It’s as much a puzzle game as it is a point-and-click, and the continous light-hearted humour keeps the experience from feeling too drab.
Shadows of Adam takes the very best aspects of the genre, cuts out most of the tedium and delivers an exciting, stirring and compelling trip through memory lane.
You would be hard-pressed to find a better looking roguelike; the voodoo theme adds a creepy and unique feel to a wealth of different maps that are already good-looking
Despite [its] flaws, Agatha Christie: The ABC Murders still provides a great and thoroughly engrossing crime story
The build-up in Asemblance’s mysterious psychological nature is so well done that the final pay-off being so difficult only ends up leaving a bad taste in your mouth
Put simply, Farabel is tough. To some, it may seem unfairly so, although the strategy and tactics required to actually make your way through the game are enticing.
Even with certain problems, some that stand out more than others, there is some semblance of greatness in Maize – particularly in the writing and humour that shines through the absurdity.
I have the feeling that Lamina Studios were going for a ‘Best of Roguelikes’ with Dungeon Souls, but it ends up as more of a showcase of the best and worst the genre has to offer.
At the outset, Future Unfolding is magical experience; an elegant world waiting to be explored, with wonder at every step. But with each discovery, the wonder disappears – and isn't replaced with anything new.
There are no secrets and nothing cool to find, just a frustrating design mechanic of incessantly backtracking through areas you have already completed