I’m a fan of silly little games that utilise chaotic physics systems and ridiculous gameplay mechanics. They offer an experience that’s a little bit different to the norm. I’ve spent a ton of hours with Goat Simulator and it still gets plenty of laughs out of me. I also have fond memories with the likes of Surgeon Simulator and Octodad: Dadliest Catch. Sure, they may not be the most polished of gameplay experiences, but that was part of the charm.
Another day, another new release from the console porting experts over at Ratalaika Games (though eastasiasoft are publishing). This time around it’s for Mina & Michi, the top-down 2D puzzler that launched on PC late last year. The game does add a twist to its puzzling antics – players have to control both characters at the same time as they lead them on their little adventure. It’s kinda like Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons in a way… just nowhere near as good.
I have to be clear and say that Unearthing Mars isn’t a bad game, but it certainly isn’t the most engaging of titles you’ll find on Playstation VR. The premise is intriguing though and some aspects of the gameplay are fun; it’s just lacking depth in almost all facets of design. It’s a hell of a lot better than ‘The Martian VR’, but those looking to take an epic expedition to Mars might not find what they’re looking for with Unearthing Mars.
The first Layers of Fear was a really, REALLY, horrifying game… in the best way possible, of course. With its ever-changing environments and haunting narrative, it really gave me the chills when I first played it. Naturally then, I was expecting to be spooked out by its sequel Layers of Fear 2. I mean, more of the same eerie thrills but on a boat? Count me in.
I’ve played plenty of point-and-click adventures of varying qualities over the years. Some will stick with me forever (I’m looking at you, Monkey Island) but others aren’t so memorable. Sumatra: Fate of Yandi falls into the latter category. Whilst it isn’t bad, it did nothing exciting to help it stand out in what is already a crowded genre.
Theseus isn’t necessarily a bad game, but it’s far from being an exciting one. It goes a long way in proving that third person adventures can work in virtual reality and it’s definitely got me excited to see what might come in the future, but the simple linear gameplay offered here just didn’t do enough to really engage me. There’s no denying it’s atmospheric and looks great, but unfortunately Theseus is a clear case of style over substance.
Whilst The Town of Light remains an atmospheric experience from start to end thanks to its fantastic yet harrowing location, the narrative elements don’t quite match up in quality. Renée’s tale has a lot of potential to offer an emotional trip through the treatment of mental patients back in the 1940s, but instead feels slightly fragmented and convoluted. Don’t get me wrong, it has its moments where it shines and you’ll genuinely feel absorbed by what’s going on, but then it’ll quickly move to another scene that’ll leave you a little baffled. I wouldn’t say The Town of Light is a bad game by any means, but I was left a little underwhelmed by it. There’s so much potential here thanks to the genuinely disturbing subject matter, but instead The Town of Light feels like just another average ‘walking simulator’ to add to the ever growing selection.
Trulon: The Shadow Engine certainly isn’t a bad game, but the random nature of the battle system and slightly underdeveloped story leaves it falling behind the masses of better RPGs that are out already. I love the vibrant visual style whilst the nods to classic 16-bit RPGs do give it a good amount of personality, but this charming adventure just falls a little short on most other facets of design.
Whipseey and the Lost Atlas is a decent platformer that has some genuinely fun moments, but the lack of variety in its gameplay mechanics and a quick runtime see it fall short when compared to similar titles in the genre. It’s not that anything it does is ever bad per se, but rather that it doesn’t do enough to really capture the imagination. With its low price-point it might be worth checking out if you’re a platforming fan, but don’t be surprised if you find yourself wanting more from this pink hero’s little adventure.
Smugglecraft mixes up old-school racing with questing nicely, but the lack of variety in the gameplay and the sense of familiarity you’ll quickly feel means it won’t take too long before you start getting bored. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a bad game by any stretch of the imagination – it just doesn’t really do enough to hook you in. Whilst it certainly has moments where it really shines, it also has moments where you’ll be left thinking “I’ve done this before”. With a bit more polish and variety it could’ve been something special, but as it stands it’s a little hard to recommend Smugglecraft over the better titles that are available right now.
DYSTORIA has plenty going for it with its intriguing sci-fi premise that’s clearly inspired by the classic movies from the 80s, whilst it’s slick neon style and good level design ensures that the game will keep you interested until the end. A lack of variety with the visual style of these levels can make levels difficult to navigate though, whilst the disorientating controls and demanding shooting mechanics brought a lot of frustration too. DYSTORIA is certainly not a bad game and there’s plenty of fun to be had with it, but it didn’t do enough for me to consider it a great game.
Trove has left me feeling a little torn; whilst I certainly had plenty of fun with the old-school combat mechanics and multiplayer adventuring, it didn’t take too long for the repetitive nature to drag things down. It’s not that there aren’t plenty of things to discover and loot to find, but rather that the gameplay alone didn’t offer enough of an incentive to entice me to stick with the game for the long term and uncover all of these things. For a game which demands hours of your time, that was a bit of a problem for me. It might not be the same for other players though and I have no doubt that Trove’s RPG/world-building hybrid will certainly tick plenty of boxes for other players, but I’ve already found myself moving on to other titles. Still, it’s free to play so there’s no risk to trying the game – just don’t expect to be blown away by what Trove offers.
LEGO The Incredibles isn’t a bad game by any means and there’s certainly fun to be had playing through TT Games’ representation of the Pixar heroes’ adventures, but when compared to the most recent releases in the LEGO franchise I can’t help but to find it a little underwhelming. I just felt like there wasn’t anything here that I hadn’t seen done before, which is something that the LEGO games have been guilty of over the last few years but somehow feels more predominant here than ever before. Like I said though, there’s enjoyment to be had with LEGO The Incredibles and I’m sure youngsters in particular will enjoy zipping around levels as Dash, smashing through walls with Mr Incredible, stretching through stages as Elastigirl, and smashing things apart with Violet’s energy blasts. It’s just a shame that the game doesn’t quite live up to its ‘incredible’ name, and instead just feels a little bit ordinary.
There really is a lot to like about Ambition of the Slimes, but the harsh difficulty and over dependence on grinding prevent it from standing out as a little tactical-RPG gem. There were too many times during the game where I felt like I came to a complete halt because of some brutal level, whilst the time spent replaying previous levels to improve myself felt like it could’ve been spent doing something a bit better. Still, there’s no denying Ambition of the Slimes has a lot of charm and there’s certainly fun to be had. It’s not the sort of game you can sit and put hours upon hours into in one go, but if you pick it up every now and then you’ll have a good time working out the best way to conquer each level. Add to that the low £4.99 price point and I’m sure that tactical-RPG fans will enjoy this quirky little title.
I’ve got very fond memories of the Micro Machines series, so Tinker Racers REALLY caught my eye. Table-top racing in tracks made up of household goods? Check. Survival-based mechanics where you’ve got to stay ahead of the pack to score? Check. Addictive gameplay that’ll keep you hooked in? Double-check. Tinker Racers really ticks all of the boxes that fans of the series would expect, even IF the production values and lack of content do fall a bit short.
We Were Here Too offers another enjoyable co-op puzzle-filled escapade, but it did have a few more technical issues when compared to the first game. Those communication bugs were particularly frustrating for example, whilst the disappearing items just seemed a little weird. Fortunately, they were issues that could be fixed by simply re-loading the game, so they don’t make We Were Here Too feel unplayable. It’s definitely a lot grander in scope and featured more variety and puzzles than its predecessor too, so it’s clear that the developer have taken the series in a positive direction. Still, it’s hard to ignore some of the issues we faced, even if We Were Here Too did trump the first game in lots of elements of its design. If you’re a fan of the original then you’ll definitely want to play it, but maybe it’d be a good idea to have a party chat set up outside of the game before starting…
Never Give Up offers a platforming experience that’s both fun and challenging, but it lacks that SOMETHING to help make it stand out as an essential release. It’s not that it does anything bad (although some of those repeated levels may frustrate some gamers), but rather that it doesn’t do anything that you wouldn’t have seen before. Still, if you’re itching for a fix of trial and error-based masochistic platforming action, it serves that up in abundance. It might not stand out in the crowd, but Never Give Up certainly gets the essentials right.
Oninaki is more proof that the team at Tokyo RPG Factory are more than capable of putting together an enjoyable RPG, though the transition to a more action-focused battle system has seen it falter a little when compared to their more traditional (and better) previous releases. That’s not to say that Oninaki is a bad game when compared to I Am Setsuna and Lost Sphear though; in fact, I had a good time battling with the use of various Daemons, whilst the deep upgrade system and the twists and turns of the narrative kept me engaged throughout. With an excessive use of padding throughout the final third of the experience and some underwhelming gameplay mechanics though, Oninaki can be a little guilty of outstaying its welcome as you reach its drawn-out conclusion.
Whilst it’s certainly not flawless, I actually enjoyed playing through White Day: A Labyrinth Called School. It felt like one of the old-school survival horror titles I played back in the good old days with its cryptic puzzling and eerie atmosphere, and whilst it didn’t feature any form of combat it did ensure that the showdowns with the ‘villains’ were always tense affairs – even if the game WOULD leave you frustratingly waiting for them to get out of your way at times… I wouldn’t recommend playing through the game countless times to unlock all the endings unless you’re a real die-hard completionist, but those who give White Day: A Labyrinth Called School at least one run through should be pleasantly surprised by what it offers. It won’t reach the heights of the likes of Outlast or Resident Evil 7, but it’ll certainly give you an atmospherically enjoyable old-school horror experience.
Whilst the game as a whole is always going to be a polarising one that you’re either going to love or hate, Night Trap: 25th Anniversary Edition is so lovingly crafted that you won’t be able to help but get swooned in by its charm. It’s not an essential release that you simply HAVE to play, but it’s one I’d recommend anyway.