Jim Hargreaves's Reviews
Foamstars is a vibrantly inventive take on the hero shooter and Splatoon, though the bubble will quickly burst for those who can't gel with its floaty, fluid-based gunplay.
The Tomorrow Children is a weird, unwieldy game that had me sighing at just how obtuse it is while still somehow simultaneously entranced. The social action concept is a strong one though moment-to-moment gameplay will quickly become too much of a grind for most players. Hopefully it can find a new audience but, at the very least, it will help rehouse those fans who adored the original release and mourned its server shutdown.
It takes a while for Godfall's combat to truly open up and when it does, you'll revel in its beefy ballet of well-timed blows and counters. That said, it's hard to ignore the flimsy scaffolding that keeps this PS5 launch title standing, the lack of matchmaking, and a loot system you'll quickly lose interest in. Although still great fun in short bursts, this isn't the rousing next-gen RPG experience you've been searching for.
Battlewake is another fun experiment from the Survios labs, though sadly one that can often feel lost at sea. At first you'll revel in sinking ships and sailing the high seas, but the novelty soon wears off as you rinse and repeat the same swashbuckling gameplay loop.
RUSH VR is not the realistic skydiving sim some may have expected but there's still a novelty to it that some virtual reality gamers will appreciate. It's definitely cheaper than booking the real thing, though given how repetitive races can get after your first few, you're likely to get more bang for your buck elsewhere considering the bumper crop of PSVR bangers we've had this year.
Instead of being a full-fat adaptation of Survival Evolved, ARK Park is more of a taster, chopping that game into smaller chunks, then isolating them. This isn't the same sprawling open world shooter – it's something much smaller and less substantive, though still looks to capture that core ARK essence. It may succeed on some level though, needless to say, those players who pony up £30 and go in blind could come away deeply dissatisfied.
Sadly, this isn't the breakthrough fans were expecting. Omega Force took a pretty big risk with Dynasty Warriors 9, and while its open world integration can be seen as a small triumph, this newest entry is marred by its heavily outdated approach to combat design.
Baja is about as middle of the road as remasters get. While it's great to see Nordic paying attention to its stable of dormant THQ properties, exhuming an average racing game from 2008 seems a tad misguided. Baja hasn't aged particularly well, but it's far from bad and there's still some fun to be had taking to the track. You just have to question why this remaster even exists.
Short and succinct, there's nothing about Theseus I strongly disliked. That said, beyond the occasional picturesque moment, there isn't a lot here worth shouting about either. It succeeds in bringing a brutal slice of mythology to life, but lacks the depth or impact of similar action adventure games, putting too much emphasis on style and presentation.
A colourful and silly VR shooting gallery, Dick Wilde is simply let down by being too difficult. Stick with it and, over time, you might start to see some progress. But those players wanting to kick back, throw on their headset, and have a shoot up in virtual reality may want to reconsider.
Omega Force has decided to experiment here, though it’s an experiment that fails to live up to its full potential. Having sampled some of the genre’s top flight titles, Godseekers’ brand of turn-based strategy feels shallow by comparison. Still, there’s enough here for ardent fans of the franchise to wring some enjoyment out of. For something that feels truly new and innovative, all eyes now turn to Dynasty Warriors 9…
It’s still early days for Pirates: Treasure Hunters. Getting off the ground and building a community is hardest stage for any MOBA, but while there’s a number of ways in which it tries to break the mold, a pattern of common missteps overcloud the game’s prospects of a bright future.
Some parts of the Asemblance are executed incredibly well, but having clocked in at just over an hour, it’s a tough one to recommend. Those who enjoy tearing apart this specific type of interactive thriller will have a ball searching every detailed nook and cranny for fresh clues, while the majority of gamers simply “won’t get it”. Either way, we’re intrigued to see where Nilo goes next and whether its ambitions for a landmark narrative series can actually materialise.
Carmageddon’s revival gets off to a sloppy start, though it gradually gets better with perseverance. Drawbacks such as the fickle handling and the so-so presentation become easier to overlook, but those first few hours can be a major slog. Swapping out AI racers for real life opponents will no doubt help to alleviate some of its issues, but even then, Max Damage doesn’t manage to propel this much-loved franchise back past the growing pool of troubled combat racers.
There's nothing wrong with modernising older games. However, therein lies the problem for Miracle Cure: it's just a modernisation. Over the years Nintendo has continued to innovate with its stable of core franchises, yet this feels more like a simple repackaging. Dr. Mario fans will no doubt jump at the chance to play it on 3DS, but for those used to cheaper, more fulfilling puzzle games on other platforms, Miracle Cure will prove a tough pill to swallow.
As a 3D action game, Estival Versus manages to tick most boxes, but it fails to deliver anything which could be labelled as ground-breaking. While in no way poor or unenjoyable, it does little to put this franchise on the map. Still, for fans of previous entries, there's plenty of meat on the bone, bundled together in a respectably polished brawler.
We're not likely to find out exactly what troubles the team at Prope faced on Rodea's rocky road to market. The end product is evidence enough to suggest that something went wrong along the way, and it's a real shame. With a little more refinement and even the lightest of facelifts, Rodea could easily have been a Nintendo exclusive worth owning.
Despite its technical problems and some missing features, Primal Carnage is far from being a bad game. For an independently developed title it looks pretty stunning, even if some of the animations are slightly off. However, as much fun as I've had messing around with the various classes and game modes, Primal Carnage simply doesn't have the lasting appeal I look for in a multiplayer shooter. If played with friends, it will serve up several hours of grin-inducing fun but beyond that very little else.
Still, this beautiful wrapper isn't enough to cover up Poncho's fundamental flaws. It's a lovely experiment and although it works well in some parts, an overall sense of cohesion is missing. Being able to move along the z-axis is a clever feature yet Poncho uses this as a crutch, failing to flesh out other essential areas of the game. In short, there's certainly something special here yet, sadly, only a minority will succeed in finding it.
To brand the game as a failure would be unjust, however. Although far from being essential, it's easy to see why The Sun and Moon cleaned up at Ludum Dare 29. It's just a shame that the end result lacks the substance and feature set needed to embrace a larger, more diverse audience.