Foretales is a wonderful example of how creative the card-based genre can be. Marrying a gripping narrative with gameplay that really makes you feel in charge of your own destiny, this is an engaging and fulfilling experience that we whole-heartedly recommend.
If you enjoyed The Isle Dragon Roars or The Forsaken Maiden, you’ll undoubtedly love Voice of Cards: The Beasts of Burden just as much. If not more. The narrative on offer here got its hooks in us right off the bat, and following our interesting protagonist on her journey has been a joy. The presentation, narration and visual design is just as beautiful as ever, too. It may simply be more of the same, but we’re so glad the Voice of Cards series continues to exist – and to shine.
If you like the idea of a game that defies genres and will constantly take you to places you don’t expect, pick up Inscryption. If you enjoy card-based roguelikes (with some other stuff thrown in), pick up Inscryption. If you want to play something unlike anything else, doing things that most other games wouldn’t dare to, pick up Inscryption. Just… be prepared for the unexpected. Time and time again.
Despite its flaws, there’s no denying that The Gallery is well made, and Paul Raschid continues to cement his position as a leader in the FMV space. We perhaps didn’t enjoy this as much as his other projects due to its sometimes-slow pacing, and its focus on art won’t be to everyone’s tastes. But in terms of production values, it’s hard to criticise. And it leaves us intrigued to see what Raschid is working on next.
Bright, bold and wonderfully wacky, we love Justice Sucks. Dusty might only be a household appliance but he’s a lovable – if not ultraviolent – protagonist who is a pleasure to control. The mixture of stealth and action here is endlessly entertaining, and sucking up your victims is satisfying in the most twisted way. Samurai Punk has created something truly original, and it deserves to succeed.
All of this goes to say that if you enjoy the likes of Animal Crossing: New Horizons and its ilk and you’re a fan of Disney, you’re going to absolutely love Disney Dreamlight Valley. Yes, we remain slightly cautious about how its free to play mechanics will evolve over time – it may not always be so easy to progress, for example – but our early impressions are very positive. We’ve had a great deal of fun with the game so far, and have plenty more to do. We foresee it being quite the timesink over the next few months, and so we’ll be keeping you updated on our Disney-flavoured escapades.
Pac-Man might not be your typical platforming protagonist, but he’s earned his chance to shine – and Pac-Man World Re-Pac certainly gives him that opportunity. This remake of a forgotten gem has “wholesome fun” written all over it thanks to its bright and bold art style, its well-designed levels and its wealth of collectibles waiting to be hoovered up. If you’re a 3D platforming fan, make sure this is on your radar.
What you’ll end up taking away from Immortality is going to be unique to your experience. The conclusions you draw will be the subject of conversations with friends for days, even weeks, to come. It surprises just as often as it confounds, and that in itself makes this a rather extraordinary experience. It’s also perhaps one of the purest examples of video games as art we’ve seen to date: a piece of art about artists. Does that make for an enjoyable experience? Not always. At times it’s drawn-out, boring, a chore, even, as you obsess over every bit of footage available to you. But are we glad we’ve played it? Absolutely.
If you’re a fan of twin stick shooters, there’s a lot of fun to be had in Slaycation Paradise. It’s filled with humour, it looks great, but most importantly, it’s seriously satisfying to play. Laying waste to a horde of weird and wonderful enemies either with a weapon or an array of tower defences never gets old, and with the lure of a better weapon or a new upgrade always being dangled in front of you, there’s always a reason to keep on playing. It might not be the most relaxing vacation, but you won’t want to come home.
If you thrive when immersed in a rich narrative and like the idea of shaping the life of a youngster growing up on an unknown planet, then I Was a Teenage Exocolonist is for you. This narrative RPG may be slow-paced, and its narrative can get rather dark at times, but it’s excellently written and filled with heart. Add to that some truly stunning artwork, and you’ll be compelled to see exactly how this teenage exocolonist’s life turns out – time and time again.
If you can overlook the network issues, Kirby’s Dream Buffet is a sweet little party game that will keep you coming back for more. It looks fantastic, and while its gameplay doesn’t offer much variety, it’s the sort of tried-and-tested multiplayer competition that never gets old. For its budget asking price of £13.49/$14.99, you can’t really ask for much more. Well, other than a more reliable online mode.
Overall, Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader is a charming quiz game based on a popular TV franchise. Its presentation is top-notch, though you may get bogged down in its unnecessary exposition if you’re the type of person who just wants to get straight on with the quizzing. Still, there’s a pleasant experience to be had here – and since it boasts almost 7,000 unique questions there’s dozens of hours of gameplay before you should even get a whiff of repetition.
No matter who you are, we challenge you to play Tinykin without a stupid grin on your face from start to finish. This is an utterly wholesome adventure game, packed with charm, clever ideas, puzzles and exploration. Heck, it even has a narrative twist to keep you on your toes. There’s so much to love here – we’re just sad it had to come to an end. Splashteam has absolutely blown it out of the teeny, tiny park, and we’d love more adventures with Milo in the future.
It’s safe to say that We Are OFK won’t be for everyone. As far as interactive narrative adventures go, it’s one of the most passive we’ve encountered, feeling more like an animated TV series than a video game. Add in characters that are difficult to get to know and dialogue that’s likely to grate, and you’ve got an experience that’s tough to recommend. Thankfully, the excellent music videos do offer some redemption, and if you stick with it, you’ll eventually warm to its colourful cast. However you feel about them though, you probably won’t have played anything else quite like this.
Arcade Paradise is something rather special. Its mixture of playful management sim and arcade gaming works incredibly well, and it’s all so nicely presented that you’ll easily forgive its few flaws. Whether you get swept up in keeping your laundrette and arcade running as well as possible, or whether you find yourself addicted to a particular arcade cabinet, you’re going to love your time here. And considering its bargain price, it really doesn’t get much better tan this.
Cute but morbid, Cult of the Lamb quickly won us over with its varied gameplay and, many hours later, still has its hooks in us. It’s not very often that a game has you sacrificing new friends to a demon, but then Cult of the Lamb isn’t like anything else we’ve ever played. Its town building gameplay works seamlessly alongside its roguelite combat, both keeping you absorbed in their own ways. This is innovative indie gaming at its finest, and we can’t get enough.
As a game, Hindsight doesn’t fully deliver. Its interactions are clunky, inconsistent and occasionally annoying, detracting from what really matters here: the narrative. But that narrative alone is so poignant and beautifully told that it’s worth pushing through for. This isn’t a story that’s going to blow you away, excite you or even uplift you. Real, complex grief is a difficult subject to broach, but Hindsight deals with it masterfully. The raw human emotion captured here makes it worth the journey – and, just maybe, if you’re grieving yourself, it might validate some of your own emotions.
Two Point Campus might not reinvent the wheel, but this is a game that knows exactly what it is and who its audience is – and it nails it.
Ultimately, there’s a lot to love in The Sims 4: High School Years. It feels as though the Sims community has been waiting a long time to finally be able to accompany their teenage Sims to school – and we think it’s been worth the wait. Provided you’ve not been affected by a bug, this is a fantastic, well-rounded expansion, bringing a beautiful new neighbourhood, plenty of new items and a whole new experience to The Sims 4. All the stress of high school, without ever stepping outside of your front door. Ah, bliss.
While not every part of the story hits the mark – we didn’t quite gel with the ending, for example – it’s still very easy to recommend South of the Circle. If you’re the type of person who enjoys interactive dramas, like the recent As Dusk Falls or Gone Home, you’ll likely find yourself engrossed in the narrative that unfolds here. It’s interesting, cleverly told and very intelligent – and, if nothing else, it’ll likely encourage you to learn more about the Cold War and the Antarctic Treaty. Any game that inspires us to educate ourselves more about the world around us is a win in our book.