Get Even is made up of a plethora of different gameplay aspects, though none of them are masterfully crafted in a way that helps define the game. You’ve got your exploration, your puzzle solving, your sneaky stealth moments, and even moments of all out action in hectic gunfights, though none of these things are done to the extent that you’d really label Get Even a particular genre. It’s not a flaw though; as I’ve said, Get Even is a ‘jack of all trades, master of none’, yet it all works together to make for an entertainingly unique experience. You’re not going to be blown away by what Get Even offers and it often lacks the polish that a triple-A title holds, but it does more than enough to justify a playthrough. If you fancy playing something a little different to the norm that’ll hook you in with its engaging story and entertaining gameplay, it’s certainly worth giving Get Even a try.
At its very core, Everything almost feels like the antithesis of a video game; sure, you’ve got the full freedom to interact with this colossal universe that seems to reinvent itself over and over, but it’s hard to find a purpose to anything that you’re doing. Whilst the lack of a real objective saw the game’s allure wearing thing on me after a few hours, actually seeing this universe and how expansive the interactive freedom offered to the player is was INCREDIBLY impressive and worth the admission price alone. Unless you’re seriously into collecting everything in a video game there won’t be much in Everything that’ll interest you for the long term, but those impressive opening hours alone make it worth checking out. With a fairly low price-point and considering the fact that there’s nothing else out there quite like it, I’d definitely recommend trying Everything just to experience how unique a creation it is.
Paranormal Activity: The Lost Soul offers an enjoyably eerie escapade through a haunted house, with the game certainly living up to the series’ reputation of providing genuine frights. There are plenty of scares to be had throughout your time exploring, whilst the fact that they’re randomly placed means you’ll never know when to expect them. It does have its flaws thanks to the plethora of locked doors, lack of consistent interactivity, and the focus on just finding objects, but they won’t stop the game from providing some real thrills. If you want a genuinely creepy horror experience on Playstation VR then Paranormal Activity: The Lost Soul will definitely be for you.
Redeemer delivers a brutally satisfying old-school action experience that’s a lot of fun to play through. There’s nothing in the game that’s going to blow you away and it’s also lacking the depth found in a modern action game, but it won’t stop you having a hell of a good time as you throw enemies around each level, punch and kick them to smithereens, and eventually rip out their throats all in one combo. It’s savage stuff, but it’s certainly satisfying. It has a few underlying technical issues and it’s lacking in variety, but anyone who loves a good old fashioned top-down brawler should give Redeemer a try.
It’s incredibly tough and the daunting task of working across levels can grow a little tiresome over time, but I’ve really enjoyed playing DeadCore. I haven’t managed to conquer every level yet, but it’s got this addictive appeal to it that sees me coming back time and time again to try and reach the pinnacle. Whether or not I’ll get there is another thing altogether, but at least I’m having fun trying. There’s nothing about it that’s going to blow you away, but if you want an enjoyable speed running title that’ll keep you entertained for a low price it’s definitely worth checking DeadCore out.
Balan Wonderworld will be divisive, but I actually had a pretty fun time exploring its whimsical levels and using the creative costumes to overcome its platforming challenges. The level design itself is on point too, whilst the wonderful soundtrack and addictive nature of grabbing all of the collectibles kept me coming back for more. Of course, there’s no doubting that it’s VERY simple in design, whilst a lot of elements of the gameplay and its visuals are pretty dated too. There was nothing on show across the game that you wouldn’t have seen done before by plenty of other 3D platformers over the years, with Balan Wonderworld falling very short of the evolution of the genre some gamers might be hoping for in 2021. Still, there’s no doubting that there’s still a good time to be had in the game, especially for younger gamers or those who appreciate the genre. It’s certainly no masterpiece, but Balan Wonderworld still offers a wacky yet wonderful escapade that might pleasantly surprise those who give it a try.
Whilst Cat Quest doesn’t offer an in depth RPG experience that smashes through the boundaries of game design, it doesn’t stop it offering a thoroughly entertaining adventure to embark on. It prides itself on its simplicity with almost all aspects of the game having an easily accessible feel, yet it is thanks to this approach that the game feels so satisfying to play and easy to find yourself hooked into. Add to that the charming game world and it’s hard not to find yourself absorbed into this tale of felines and Dragons. It’s over fairly quickly and doesn’t do anything that’ll blow you away, but overall Cat Quest offers a charming little adventure that even the most hardcore of RPG purrr-ists will be able to enjoy.
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series – Episode Two ‘Under Pressure’ doesn’t feel as impactful as the first episode from both an action and storyline perspective, but it does enough to keep players entertained throughout it’s roughly hour and a half run-time. Seeing this deeper look into Rocket Racoon’s past was quite enlightening and I’m intrigued to see how it affects the story down the line – even if it did minimal to progress it right now. I’d probably say I preferred the Episode One over Under Pressure, though only just. The lack of new locations to see and actual exploration was pretty obvious, whilst some of the flaws remained the same here too. That doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy playing through it though and I’m still eagerly excited to see what comes next in the series.
I’ve made quite a few comparisons between Dark Souls and Immortal Planet in this review, and to be honest it’s been a little unfair – after all, Immortal Planet is a much smaller game by an even smaller team. It’s more of a bite-size edition of the game that manages to capture the feel of the Dark Souls series, but not the essence. That being said, fans of FROM Software’s much loved series will certainly have fun Immortal Planet. It’s far from perfect, but its satisfying combat mechanics and introduction of its own unique ideas certainly help it offer a thoroughly enjoyable take on Dark Souls’ tough as nails formula.
Dino Frontier offers an incredibly charming world-building simulation for gamers to play through, with the blend of Dinosaurs and the Wild West working together perfectly in offering a world that you’ll actually really want to be a part of. Add to that the accessible controls and intuitive gameplay mechanics and it’s easy see why you’d get absorbed into the game almost instantly. There just isn’t really enough of it, especially at the game’s high price point. This isn’t a title that you’re going to find yourself spending hours upon hours lost in, but one where it’ll all be over in just a few hours. Whilst this is enough for some games, I would’ve liked to have spent a bit more time in Dino Frontier’s Dinosaur-filled world. Regardless, I thoroughly enjoyed Dino Frontier and its solid evidence that this kind of game works perfectly within the unorthodox confines of VR. There isn’t enough here to hook you in for too long, but what it does offer is of top quality.
Styx: Shards of Darkness puts its own unique spin on the stealth genre by giving us an unconventional hero that’s not only incredibly powerful, but very crude too. What’s most important though is that it’s fun to play throughout, offering an adventure that constantly entertains and offers plenty of things for the player to do. It has its flaws with some shoddy climbing controls, poor AI, and lack of diversity with its visual design, but none of these issues trump what Styx: Shards of Darkness does right. If you’re looking for an enjoyable stealth adventure that offers plenty of freedom to the player, it’s certainly worth checking Styx: Shards of Darkness out.
It’s a little rough around the edges, but We Were Here still offers a genuinely enjoyable co-op puzzling experience that’s very clever in design. Don’t get me wrong, most of the puzzles are simple enough to solve with a bit of team-work and it is guilty of being a little bit short, but We Were Here did more than enough to keep a big smile on mine and my co-op partner’s faces as we unravelled all of its conundrums. It certainly has us excited to see what else the series would bring in its subsequent releases…
Whilst it has its fair share of frustrating moments, it didn’t take me long to find myself addicted to Summer Catchers’ charming endless-runner style gameplay. There was enough variety to be found across its quests and mini-games to ensure that the overall gameplay never grew stale, whilst the delightful world and its characters were always a treat to encounter. Sure, it has its share of flaws and the random nature of the gameplay (and dependence on luck) could cause some irritating moments here and there, but the addictive nature of Summer Catchers kept me coming back for more each time. It won’t be for everyone, but those looking for a quick and satisfying title to enjoy on their Nintendo Switch in short bursts really ought to give it a try.
Tiny Trax offers simplistic yet superb virtual reality racing that lets you see all of the racing unfold in front of and around you. It’s uniquely fun and you’ll find yourself hooked into its simple yet deep mechanics almost immediately. Despite this, it’s let down by a lack of content; what’s on offer is brilliant with each vibrant track full of personality and charm, but there are just not enough of them. I still had a hell of a lot of fun playing the game though. If you get into the multiplayer side of it you’ll easily find yourself easily spending hours on end speeding across the fantastic raceways, whilst the single player is great whilst it lasts. There’s no better way to re-live those days of slot-car racing than by jumping on Tiny Trax – even if it is a little limited in content to play across.
Victor Vran: Overkill Edition treats gamers to a dungeon crawling experience that doesn’t really do much to evolve upon the traditional formula, but offers plenty of enjoyment with its hacking, slashing, and loot collecting action. It certainly keeps everything simple and can suffer from repetition over time, but it doesn’t stop the game being fun. The challenges will keep you tested even after you’ve finished the game, the extra expansions give you some more meaty adventures to play through once you’re through with the base game, whilst the fact you can do it all in multiplayer with friends will ensure you’re kept coming back for more. All in all, Victor Vran: Overkill Edition makes for a nice little dungeon-crawling package for console gamers to play through. The simplistic nature of the game won’t blow you away, but it will offer plenty of hours of demon slaying fun.
Despite the sense of familiarity returning gamers will feel, LEGO City Undercover is still a lot of fun to play. LEGO City is a joy to explore, the story and characters are great, whilst the gameplay still remains a lot of fun. You can always count on LEGO video games to offer a lot of fun and it’s a trend that has continued here; just don’t expect to see anything fresh outside of the open world experience.
Gamers who want some demon slaying action will have a lot of fun with Toukiden 2, especially with its wide variety of weapons and great showdowns with the gigantic Oni. Tearing their limbs away is incredibly satisfying too, whilst being able to do it all online with friends will ensure you’re kept hooked to the game for a long time. During that long time you’ll begin to notice the flaws of Toukiden 2 though, with things like the lack of variety in gameplay mechanics, the underwhelming visuals, and the fact that progression is limited to simply being more powerful as opposed to feeling like it beginning to creep through. They’re fairly minor issues and won’t stop you having fun, but when all combined together they show the cracks in the game’s otherwise competent button-mashing formula. Still, as a whole Toukiden 2 is a lot of fun and improves on the series in a variety of ways. It’s far from the perfect ‘Monster Hunter’ rival that the game wants to be, but it’s still the best alternative for Playstation gamers.
Chaos Code: New Sign of Catastrophe has a lot to offer fighting fans of all skill calibers thanks to its accessible gameplay, whilst the colourful cast of characters are both memorable and entertaining to play as. However, there’s nothing on offer you wouldn’t have seen before. Don’t expect a myriad of complicated combat mechanics that feel fresh, but rather a tried and tested formula of fighting that doesn’t do anything outside of the norm. That doesn’t mean the game’s bad though, but rather that it’s easily unnoticeable; it’s a shame too, because Chaos Code: New Sign of Catastrophe really offers hours of entertaining fighting fun. If you want a quick, slick fighter to play through, it’s definitely worth checking out – just don’t expect something as invigorating as the likes of ‘Killer Instinct’ or ‘Street Fighter V’.
Chroma Squad offers a satisfying tactical experience that blends together the fun of the Power Rangers with some enjoyable management aspects – it’s a combination that sounds slightly peculiar, but actually makes for a fun time. It can be guilty of being a little bit repetitive in places and it’s lacking the depth seen in similar titles in the genre, but fortunately there’s enough excitement to be found throughout Chroma Squad that you’ll easily find yourself hooked in until you reach the final season’s big finale.
Whilst Knack 2 might not necessarily offer anything that you wouldn’t have already seen before in the genre, it improves upon the prequel in almost every single way. The gameplay is more refined and enjoyable, combat has been expanded upon but still remains accessible, the game world is stunning and slicker than ever, whilst the introduction of co-op play offers a whole new way to play the game. Whilst I’ll admit that I don’t think Knack 2 does enough to really cement Knack’s status as Sony’s platforming mascot, it has certainly improved the reputation of the series and proven that there’s a place on the Playstation 4 for its fun, platforming action. If you were let down by the original game, don’t be put off giving Knack 2 a try – you might find yourself pleasantly surprised by the charming adventure on offer.