Kim Snaith
Ciel Fledge: A Daughter Raising Simulator has some great ideas. But the moment-to-moment gameplay is, for the most part, dull and not all that engaging.
Despite its short, singular narrative, [Florence] is one I will undoubtedly visit multiple times. Just because it’s so touchingly beautiful.
Packed with droves of tension and atmosphere, The Suicide of Rachel Foster will keep you on your toes.
I’d have liked to have had more fun with Table Manners, but its purposefully-awkward controls ended up being just too awkward to bear. It’s a balancing act, and sadly I feel like developer Echo Chamber Games has missed the mark.
Sadly, nobody’s a winner playing Bookbound Brigade, and there’s nothing to celebrate by taking part, either.
With solid mechanics, one of the most imaginative game worlds we’ve seen in a long time and a killer sense of humour, Journey to the Savage Planet is pure joy from start to finish. Considering this is the first game from developer Typhoon Studios, it’s left me really excited to see what else they can come up with.
There’s not a great deal of competition out there when it comes to tennis games on current-gen consoles, but it’s safe to say AO Tennis 2 is one of the better options. If you can forgive its overly-long load times and mediocre graphics, it’ll provide you with plenty of options for a solid game of tennis
If you’ve enjoyed games in the past such as Abzu or Dear Esther, you’ll find something to love here. And the fact that Mythic Ocean has been created by such a small team makes it even more impressive.
If you’re a fan of point-and-click adventure games and have a penchant for gritty murder mysteries, there’s a lot to like in Blacksad: Under the Skin.
If you’ve ever enjoyed one of AVICII’s songs even just a little bit, AVICII Invector makes for one of the best music rhythm games this generation.
Despite its issues, Simulacra still kept me hooked for the duration of my playthrough.
Ultimately, while Arise: A Simple Story has some wonderful ideas, it’s let down by unenjoyable gameplay.
Even if you’re not the type to want to fill your Pokédex or endlessly hunt for shinies, Pokémon Sword‘s charm is enough to keep you engaged until after the credits roll.
Obviously, it’s not the sort of game that’s going to appeal to everyone; many of us prefer our video games to give us some kind of structure. But if you’re something of a creative and love seeing your visions come to life, Tracks: The Train Set Game provides a fantastic workspace to create some truly stunning model towns.
Its modern facelift looks great, but it is little more than an old classic in disguise.
Providing you’re not expecting too much from Bee Simulator, you’ll have a good time with the game.
As a game, its handling and level design redeem it, but the lack of track variety and the disappointing amount of content make it poor value for money. But the value of a youngster feeling like they’re playing a game with their favourite YouTube star? You can’t really put a price on that.
Even if you’ve never played an Atelier game before, Atelier Ryza is one worth jumping into.
Disney Classic Games: Aladdin and The Lion King is a nicely presented collection with some nice features, but don’t expect to be blown away by the games.
Day and Night is an absolute steal. It’s at its best if you have a like-minded friend to play it with, but even playing against the CPU or battling through the single-player survival mode offers enough value for money.