A well-meaning and reverant 3D action platformer that's undone by middling execution and a remarkably dull introduction
A serene and pleasant attempt at a relaxation experience that's let down by Switch performance issues and a steep cost of entry
AWAY is a brief, humorous and adorable first-person ‘roguelite’ that puts the emphasis on fun and good vibes instead of challenge
An exceptionally average anime adaptation, this arena brawler doesn’t do enough to hold the attention of its intended audience
A bewildering assortment of bad updates and very few good ones makes this an unnecessary and disappointing remake of a beloved SNES classic
Dissidia Final Fantasy NT is a competent arcade port but misses the mark as a full-fledged home console fighting experience thanks to a stark lack of ways to play
Knack II makes great strides in improving on the gameplay failings of its predecessor, but makes equal missteps in the quality of its characters and storytelling
Endless Ocean Luminous is a mildly confounding product. On the one hand, it's still got that very compelling offering of hours spent drifting through gorgeous oceans and coming face-to-face with hundreds of stunning creatures, without complex mechanics or urgency to get in the way. On the other hand, the overall gameplay experience has been dulled down so much to feel like a backwards step, and the system of randomly-seeded dive spots dilutes a lot of its personality.
Crash Team Rumble is a surprisingly competent online multiplayer arena game that's easy to get into and well-balanced, leading to some tense and exciting games. It's let down hugely by a lack of modes and content though, and I seriously doubt its longevity in the long term.
Chorus does an admirable job of trying to carve out its own identity in a genre that deserves the attention, but it just doesn't stick the landing. If you're a fan of arcade spaceship shooters and narrative adventures there's probably enough here to chew over, but there's just not much that Chorus has to offer that hasn't already been done better elsewhere. Despite being set in a gorgeous pocket of space and offering up some interesting ideas it sadly misses the mark in just about every way.
With no timers, no combat and barely any challenge Submerged: Hidden Depths is a super chill if overly shallow adventure that makes a good palate cleanser between bigger titles.
Button City gets a lot right in its attempt to mesh late 90s low-poly style with narrative adventure gameplay and a heartfelt story full of great characters, but it's undone by numerous and often game-breaking bugs and a tad too much backtracking.
Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX is a fine enough remaster if you have fond memories of the original. It looks and sounds great, but stumbles in its translation and will likely do more to frustrate newcomers than convince them the Master System classic was any good.
Windbound throws a wide net of ideas in the hopes of catching something magical but a lack of depth leaves it high and dry
Somehow, even dinosaurs aren’t enough to save a disappointing and middling park sim that undermines its own fun with poor design choices
A cute hack-and-slash RPG with a lot of charm that falls short of the mark thanks to its inescapable tedium
Super Crazy Rhythm Castle makes a bold attempt at fusing basic rhythm gameplay with the kinds of asymmetrical co-operative chaos of something like Overcooked, wrapping it up in a deeply funny and genuinely inventive campaign. Sadly it undermines the fun at every turn with wild difficulty spikes, anaemic gameplay customisation and a frustrating lack of explanation of its own mechanics. There's something good here, it's just thoroughly underdeveloped.
A Fisherman's Tale is still great four years later, but if you've played it before there's not much reason to pick up this barebones port to the PS VR2. It would've been cool to see InnerspaceVR take the opportunity to flesh out its recursive puzzle concept even more, but hopefully there's more still to come from this franchise.
Oddworld: Soulstorm is a big, beautiful puzzle platformer with the spirit of Abe's adventures intact and some interesting new ideas, but it's all very quickly undone by imprecise controls, tedious level design and a shocking lack of polish. Oddworld fans will definitely want to check it out, but they may be better off waiting for a few more updates before investing their time, and even then might come away just a tad disappointed.
Mario Strikers: Battle League Football excels on the field, but it struggles to make a compelling offer for solo players or anyone not willing to invest time in forming and maintaining a Strikers Club. It's just pick-up-and-play enough to work as a party game with mates and it's compelling to watch in action, but the lack of embellishments is sure to hurt its long-term appeal.