Perhaps console isn’t the best place to play, then, but Replica is a game very much worth your time. Costing around the price of a cup of coffee, you’ve got a dark and mysterious experience that will undoubtedly get its claws in you. Snooping around someone’s data is always more alluring than it should be, and you’ll be on the edge of your seat each time you discover a new password, wondering what incriminating evidence awaits. Replica is uncomfortable from start to finish, but if you think you can hack it – figuratively and literally – it’s well worth playing. Just consider grabbing it on Switch or PC instead.
Flat Kingdom may be a little clunky, sure, but it’s not broken – and if you’re a fan of simple side-scrolling platforming, you might find something to enjoy here. It’s not going to light your world on fire in any way, but there are certainly worse games out there.
Ultimately, whether you’re a Star Wars fan or a LEGO fan – or even better, both – you’re going to find a lot to love here.
Accompanied by wonderful pixel art and an engaging soundtrack, Forward: Escape the Fold is a fast-paced card-based roguelike well worth jumping into. Defeating each boss is satisfying, even if combat is never more than a click of the mouse. It’s the sort of game you can plan to jump into for 10 minutes at a time – but two hours later find yourself still there, pushing through its addictive gaming loop. It’s described as the “perfect bitzesized dungeon crawler” in its Steam description, and we couldn’t agree more.
There’s a lot to praise about A Memoir Blue. It looks and sounds beautiful, and feels almost experimental in its design – it’s always a joy to see small developers trying something new. But it does leave a little to be desired; its short narrative fails to deliver any real punch, and when the credits roll you may be left thinking “…is that it?”. But considering its small asking price, we can’t really complain. If you enjoy narrative-led journeys, particularly those that deal in human emotion, A Memoir Blue is worth picking up.
If you don’t mind the odd teething problem, there really is so much to love about Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands. The campaign will keep you glued to your seat thanks to its excellent storytelling and fantastic voice cast. And its world outshines just about any we’ve seen in the Borderlands series yet; it’s huge, and offers so much scope to explore even beyond the main story and side quests. Its endgame is promising too, offering plenty of reason to keep jumping back in.
We do enjoy a good party game, and Trivial Pursuit Live! 2 fits the bill well enough. If you revel in general knowledge quizzes, there’s a good range of questions on offer, and some interesting rounds to take part in. It’s all presented very nicely too, with jazzy visuals and lovable character models. But if you’re expecting something that resembles a classic game of Trivial Pursuit, this isn’t it.
Who Pressed Mute on Uncle Marcus? feels like a return to form for Good Gate Media. It’s fun, silly and entertaining – and even when the acting is a bit hammy, it’s good enough that it’ll keep you watching. It’s more fun than an actual Zoom family quiz, that’s for sure.
At first glance, Tunic might look like your typical breezy indie adventure. How wrong you’d be to think that. Underneath its cute exterior lies a tough-as-nails experience, designed to truly test your mettle.
A couple of missteps aside, Time Loader is an enjoyable platformer with a surprisingly heart-felt story at its core. The backdrop of a house in the 1990s makes a wonderful playground for a tiny robot, and whether you’re whizzing over kitchen worktops, jumping over VCRs or rummaging through boxes of junk in a garage, it’s more entertaining than it has any right to be. It isn’t the longest game in the world – you’ll be done in three or four hours – but you’ll be captivated from start to finish thanks to the engaging gameplay and a narrative that begs for your attention.
Young Souls offers up a unique blend of side-scrolling brawler action and RPG progression, wrapped up in a sumptuous package. It’s Young Souls‘ art style and personality that really shines here; we felt a little let down by the combat, which wasn’t as enjoyable as it should be. Still, there’s a lot to like, and Jenn and Tristan’s adventure is one we’re glad we’ve been a part of.
With a simple but cute art style that’s hard not to love, and an enjoyable gameplay loop that sees you hacking and slashing your way through a range of well-designed enemies, there’s plenty to like about Conan Chop Chop. If you dig roguelikes and enjoy being challenged to improve yourself with each subsequent run, it’s well worth jumping into.
Despite its brevity, A Musical Story is a game that will stick with you long after you’ve completed it. Its sumptuous artwork, simple yet incredibly emotive, will leave a lasting impression, though not as much as the fantastic soundtrack, which will pulse through your head long after you’ve turned it off. Combining a narrative driven experience with engaging rhythm-led gameplay, the result is something rather special, unlike anything you’ll have played before.
I can’t quite recommend Little Orpheus, and not just because of its unfortunate choice of narrative given the current climate. Its story is at least told in an interesting way, and it presents you a colourful, well-realised fantasy world to explore. But its platforming is dull and uninspired; you’ve seen it all before in other games. Though being inside a whale is cool, I guess.
Far: Changing Tides isn’t going to be for everyone. But if the idea of a quiet, lonesome adventure about keeping your boat moving forward puts wind in your sails, you’ll love it. There’s a wonderful soundtrack to enjoy, and the puzzles it presents to you are engaging and well thought-out. But sometimes it’s just a little too barren for its own good, and the awkwardness of controlling your ship can get in the way of its serenity.
Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream is yet another enjoyable game from Gust and Koei Tecmo. Even if you don’t get fully invested in the story, the adventuring alone is enough to keep you playing. A great alchemy system accompanies a fun battle system, all set in a world that’s a joy to explore – with a cast of characters that you’ll undoubtedly enjoy spending time with. If you’ve enjoyed Atelier games in the past, then you’ll love this one too.
Ultimately, Blackwind is very much a budget experience. If you go in knowing what to expect however, there’s a lot of fun to be had here. Its combat is competent and engaging, there’s a solid upgrade tree to work your way through, and solving puzzles to explore its environments adds a little more variety to the mix. Its environments lack any real excitement, however, and it’s missing a spark of innovation. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t provide enough entertainment for those looking for some basic action.
I praised The Isle Dragon Roars for its ingenuity and design, and while Voice of Cards: The Forsaken Maiden is still a delight, a mere three months after playing the first game some of the charm has worn off. I’m glad Square Enix is continuing to invest in smaller, offbeat titles, but something to set it apart from The Isle Dragon Roars would have been nice. As it is, it’s entirely more of the same. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but if you’ve only just played the first, it may feel a little tiresome.
Breakout: Recharged is a simple affair, but it’s a wonderful recreation of a classic game. A great job has been done in modernising Breakout, and the new challenge mode makes it a worthwhile investment. It may be available on PC, PlayStation and Xbox too, but it feels particularly at home on Switch, where the handheld format makes it perfect to pick up and play in short bursts.
If you enjoyed Roll7’s previous OlliOlli games, it’s safe to say that you’ll love their evolution into OlliOlli World. Even if you weren’t a fan, there’s more than enough here to entice new players. The controls are accessible and easy to get to grips with, though there’s still plenty of depth for advanced players. Combine that with beautiful visuals, a kicking soundtrack and wonderfully animated characters, and what more could you possibly want? It’s never felt better to land a truly epic trick.