Rainbow Billy: The Curse of the Leviathan is the embodiment of wholesome gaming. Its messages of hope and happiness might have you rolling your eyes from time to time, sure, but it’s hard not to be warmed by its wonderful optimism. With enjoyable puzzles, gorgeous character design and a world worth exploring, there’s a lot to enjoy here. If you’ve got primary school-aged children, play it with them – they’ll benefit greatly from the messages of respect, friendship and believing in yourself that are sewn into every aspect of the game.
If you have fond memories of early Puzzle Bobble games, you’ll get a sweet nostalgia kick out of Puzzle Bobble 3D: Vacation Odyssey. It looks fantastic, and with 100 campaign levels alongside an infinite and duel mode, there’s a generous amount of content for its modest asking price. There’s a lot of fun to be had, no doubt – but you’ll not be able to shake the nagging feeling that it’s just not quite as enjoyable as its 2D counterparts.
Although playable in single-player, it’s hard to recommend KeyWe as a solo experience. This has been very much designed with co-op play in mind, so unless you have someone to play with, don’t bother picking it up. It’s a commendable concept and fun can be had in short bursts, but ultimately the tasks given to these adorable kiwi birds boil down to nothing but repetitive busywork.
The Addams Family: Mansion Mayhem is a very average platform game. It plays it safe, and doesn’t try to do anything interesting – or in fact, anything at all – with its license. As such, it’s hard to recommend to Addams Family fans, as there’s very little here that evokes any kind of spooky, kooky mayhem. There are plenty of better platforming games out there, but it’s serviceable for younger players – and the minigames do at least add a bit more fun into the proceedings.
Although short, A Juggler’s Tale is an intelligent game well worth spending a few hours with. Its visuals are spectacular, and its haunting poetic narration – although jarring at times – provides an excellent and unexpected ending. Abby might not speak, but you’ll be rooting for her each step of the way.
Still, even with its frustrations, there’s something alluring about The Plane Effect. Its art style, its eerie and slightly unsettling soundtrack, its dystopian sci-fi vibe; it all leaves you with questions that you’ll be desperate to get answers for. It’s just a shame that the gameplay you’ll need to endure in an attempt to uncover those answers isn’t as enjoyable as it could be.
I can’t recommend picking up Truth Quest unless you absolutely loved Maneater. It does nothing to advance or even mix up the formula in any way. It’s more of the same, but with increased emphasis on the more frustrating elements of the main game. At least Chris Parnell’s excellent narration remains on point.
If the idea of a game that offers you a true sense of freedom appeals to you, you’ll undoubtedly get a kick out of Sable. Its expertly-crafted narrative alone will inspire you to keep going, but repetitive quests and an often barren world may dampen your spirits a little. Still, there’s a lot to enjoy here, and if its art style resonates with you, you’ll find it easy to lose hour after hour in Sable‘s unique world.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits truly is something special, and I can’t wait to see what Ember Lab does next.
I wanted to like The Amazing American Circus. The idea of a card battler game that isn’t necessarily about combat sounded appealing, and its 1800s travelling circus theme makes a rather interesting backdrop. But its gameplay just isn’t fun, and its systems are convoluted and often make little sense. Chances are you’ll get so fed up of long-winded, unsuccessful performances that you’ll give up long before you make any sort of meaningful progress. The bottom line? There are much, much better games in the genre, so play something else instead.
It may be short, but TOEM delivers heart by the truckload. This gorgeous hand-drawn adventure will have you fully invested in its quaint little world, taking photos of everything you see – whether it’s for a mission or just for the sheer joy of it. It’s the sort of game that makes the world seem like a better place – even if only for a few hours.
Deathloop is seriously slick. It’s a game that entrusts its players to engage with its systems in their own way, and while you’ll never at be a loss on what to do, you won’t have your hand held, either. It’s fast, it’s smooth, it’s a hell of a lot of fun. I almost don’t want the loop to end, quite frankly.
Thanks to its absolutely sublime art style, excellent voice acting and its dark, fairytale-like narrative, Lost in Random is a wonderful adventure that will have you gripped. It’s a shame there’s no lip syncing to really finish off the visuals, and combat can be a little frustrating at times, but in the grand scheme of things these are miniscule issues. There’s so much originality and charm here that it’s hard not to fall in love with the world of Random.
A tour de force of light and sound, The Artful Escape is unlike anything else you’ve played. With no easy genre label to stick on the game, the only way you’ll know if you’re going to enjoy it is to try it. It’s a trip alright, one that will have your foot tapping and your head rocking from start to finish.
With True Colors, Deck Nine has solidified itself as the master of narrative adventure, and I can’t wait to see what comes next.
There’s a lot to like about Clid the Snail. To say this is from a small team, the worldbuilding and ingenuity is second to none. But while ‘unforgiving’ may have been the developer’s intention, the game’s boss encounters are far too frustrating to be enjoyable. With a bit more balancing to Clid and his armoury, this will be a must-play twin-stick shooter. Until then, only those with patience as hard as Clid’s shell will be able to truly enjoy what’s on offer here.
When stellar DualSense implementation really is the only highlight, however, it’s hard to fully recommend Timothy’s Night. Its visual style is commendable, and this is not a bad game by any means. But its gameplay – complete with sluggish movement, ho-hum gunplay and enemies that frequently spawn behind you – is just never particularly enjoyable. If you really dig the noir aesthetic you might get a kick out of it, but there are certainly better ways to spend your time.
It’s entertaining while it lasts, and developer Mighty Yell has absolutely nailed the 90s cartoon aesthetic. But The Big Con is devoid of much real substance. Had there been more narrative, better character development and more engaging missions, this could have been something special. As it is, it feels like an underdeveloped concept that falls short of its promises.
Attempt to rush through Kitaria Fables and you’ll find it to be a frustrating and unduly challenging experience. Take it slowly, though, spending time engaging with the game’s crafting and farming mechanics, and you’ll have a much better time. With an enjoyable narrative and a pleasantly animated world to explore, being a magical cat armed with a sword is pretty good fun.
Islanders truly is a relaxing, immersive experience that’s so easy to get lost into. The challenge of working out the best location to place a building is endlessly enjoyable, and for puzzle fans there’s even a hint of Tetris as you rotate differently-shaped buildings in order to make them fit perfectly within a space. For players looking for something a little lighter to play, I can’t recommend it highly enough – Islanders is the perfect way to switch off and unwind from the stresses of real life.