Kieron Verbrugge


236 games reviewed
79.1 average score
80 median score
60.6% of games recommended
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Oct 14, 2018

An enjoyable story, solid gameplay and a respectable solution to the pitfalls of the toys-to-life concept make for a surprisingly good experience no matter how you play

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Nov 13, 2020

Sackboy: A Big Adventure is the hessian hero's best outing yet. Tighter platforming controls and a fresh perspective go a long way to reinvigorating the franchise, and it helps that the whole thing is positively stuffed with charm from beginning to end. Levels that feel lonely when played solo, and worse, levels that aren't accessible at all in single player dampen the experience, but not enough for platforming fans to dismiss it. If you've just brought home a shiny new PlayStation 5 there's also a lot here to showcase what the console is capable of in both visuals and the user experience, making it well worth considering as part of your launch library. Viva la Sackboy!

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Sep 6, 2021

F.I.S.T.: Forged in Shadow is a very competent, very good-looking foray into the Metroidvania genre with solid platforming and exciting, demanding arcade combat. Torch City is a wonderfully-grim place to get lost in and it's rendered gorgeously, despite some awkward signposting at times. Most of all, it nails the sense of exploration and steady progress that's a hallmark of the genre and it does all of that with a kick-arse rabbit in a mech suit for a protagonist. If this is the level of quality that studios backed by the China Hero Project are going to deliver then the program has more than made a case for itself.

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8 / 10.0 - Lost Judgment
Sep 16, 2021

Lost Judgment rectifies a lot of the shortcomings of its predecessor while repeating a few of them. A compelling murder mystery coupled with intoxicating side content and sumptuous visuals make this another solid Ryu ga Gotoku title even if franchise fatigue threatens to take off some of that shine. It succeeds by expanding on what made Judgment great while offering the best real-time combat experience yet. Plus, you can skateboard and solve crimes with a Shiba Inu – I don't think I need to say much more than that.

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Sep 21, 2021

As an indie effort and a debut game, Kena: Bridge of Spirits makes a good impression. It balances simplicity and challenge while weaving a neatly-paced story into something that can be played over a chill couple of days. Despite fantastic production values it's still far from a AAA title – so it's important to keep expectations in check, but anyone looking to lose themselves in a charming, gorgeous world ripe for exploration should look no further. It's exactly what I needed right now – perfect cozy weekend entertainment.

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It's far from a best-case port, but Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition serves up a cult classic JRPG that deserves to be appreciated by everyone that hasn't had the legal means before now. The Radical Dreamers part is a very welcome bit of history given some genuine love from Square Enix, too. If you've already smashed out a Chrono Cross replay in the recent past though, you might be okay to skip this package for now.

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8 / 10.0 - Sonic Origins
Jun 24, 2022

Sonic Origins keeps the focus on the hedgehog's early core entries, polishing them up to a fine sheen and creating an addictive ecosystem around them that breathes new life into each title. There are a few missteps and grubby mechanics to forgive, but otherwise this is well worth diving into for old-school Sonic fans.

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While maybe not essential if you've already seen everything there is to see in the game, The Spacer's Choice Edition of The Outer Worlds is a worthy upgrade for players jumping in for the first time or wanting to explore new choices and outcomes in a second or third playthrough. It's a bit of a shaky upgrade in parts, but the overall package is decent value and the core game is still bloody excellent.

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8 / 10.0 - Before Your Eyes
Mar 10, 2023

It’s all truly powerful stuff, in spite of the game’s relatively simplistic look, short runtime and sparse interactivity. What GoodbyeWorld Games has done with Before Your Eyes is execute on a novel concept with the perfect amount of restraint and a carefully-paced emotional journey to create something truly special, something that uses the medium of VR and the unique features of its target hardware to hit that much harder. If you’ve got a PS VR2 and a taste for artsy, contemplative indie experiences then you owe it to yourself to play this.

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8 / 10.0 - Tchia
Mar 21, 2023

There's so much about Tchia that feels at odds with what I'm accustomed to considering "good" game design, but it's also taught me to throw a lot of those ideas out the window. Tchia is a game that's exactly what it wants to be, and that makes it something that everyone needs to play. It's refreshing, charming, earnest, honest and – most importantly – a heap of fun.

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Burning Shores is a worthy expansion and follow-up to the incredible Horizon Forbidden West. It's packing a fantastic new location to explore, compelling new characters and fearsome new machines to fight while offering an exciting glimpse into the future of the franchise. It's a bit more rough around the edges than I'd like but it's essential playing for Horizon fans.

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8 / 10.0 - Strayed Lights
Apr 25, 2023

It’s not out to shake up the indie video game space, but thanks to a uniquely engaging combat system and a consistent stream of wonderous sights and sounds, Strayed Lights is a worthwhile little journey that makes for a great lazy afternoon play. It’s unfortunate that the user experience has suffered an oversight or two, especially in areas of accessibility, but mainly because it’s a quiet gem of a game that absolutely deserves to be played.

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8 / 10.0 - After Us
May 24, 2023

After Us is a sombre, succinct and surreal adventure with a compelling and emotional tale of sacrifice and healing, tied together by simple platforming gameplay that evolves with each distinct and beautiful new environment. Some control complaints and unnecessary combat aside, it's a memorable journey worth taking.

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8 / 10.0 - Moving Out 2
Aug 11, 2023

Moving Out 2 is an accomplished sequel, building on what made the first game great and really honing in on its presentation and content offering. It's not a radical departure, and not all of its levels are designed equally, but overall this is another feather in SMG Studio's cap.

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Sep 12, 2023

Nour: Play With Your Food is a bold, entrancing and often inspired little collection of interactive, food-based vignettes with a greater focus on exploring colour, form and sound than any real gastronomical ideas. It's occasionally awkward, and will probably disappoint anyone looking for an actual game amongst its fleeting distractions, but it's worth a look in for the vibes alone.

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Oct 26, 2023

This succinct and sweet little bundle of short-form adventures is just irresistibly charming and wholesome and pleasant in a way that few games are, making it a refreshing and terribly timely bit of reprieve from the onslaught of very good but very intense releases in 2023, and just this year’s whole deal in general. That each game is capped off by a dance party inclusive of everyone Frog Detective meets is an inspiring glimpse into the incredible communities we could be nourishing with just a few more folks as decent as he.

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Nov 6, 2023

Overall, the five games on offer in The Jackbox Party Pack 10 represent a nice variety of experiences with some genuinely interesting innovations and ideas. Crucially there's no total stinker in the mix, with only Timejinx feeling a touch bland. FixyTest holds up the stupid, pointless chaos end of the bargain while Tee K.O. makes a fantastic comeback and Dodo Re Mi proves that Jackbox can do real-time gameplay. Just give yourself time to properly figure out Hypnotorious before you write it off entirely.

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8 / 10.0 - SteamWorld Build
Nov 28, 2023

SteamWorld Build is another feather in the series' cap and another great distillation of genres into a friendly and wholly addictive package. The city building and mining halves come together effortlessly thanks to a pitch-perfect campaign, though with just a single scenario there's not a heap of longevity. The console version's awfully-small text also threatens to undo the good done by its superb controls, but in the end it remains another banger SteamWorld game.

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8 / 10.0 - The Cub
Jan 18, 2024

The Cub is a short but sweet little tribute to licensed Mega Drive platformers that revisits the fantastic world set up in Demagog's previous game, Golf Club Wasteland, and comes out just as striking and memorable. Crucially, the warm tones and cool tunes of Radio Nostalgia from Mars are back to have you vibing in your seat for a handful of hours as you throw a small, mutant child into mortal danger over and over again.

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8 / 10.0 - House Flipper 2
Apr 11, 2024

House Flipper 2 is a genuinely impressive effort to spin an awkward, viral oddity into a more structured and goal-oriented game that builds on the moreish qualities of the original while honing its visual language and hugely expanding on its possibilities. It's just as good on PS5 too, with solid performance and mostly-intuitive controls making it a great choice of platform for budding flippers out there.

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