A Night At the Races is an interesting if unbalanced narrative experiment. Despite its issues, it's a peculiar indie curio that completely divorces its central arcade game play from its story which results in some odd effects. If you like original experiences, this is certainly worth the hour it takes to complete.
More entertaining than your average tycoon game, Ravenous Devils leverages a famous penny dreadful theme, namely Sweeney Todd, to give it a unique, dark tone. It’s a shame that this long pig pie is part-baked with a number of frustrating glitches that upsets its flavour. It also fails to turn its theme into anything mechanically interesting. Still, you’ll easily lose a few evenings to this game before its recipe becomes stale.
An essential purchase for fans of Ash Williams and the unique blend of gore and comedy that the Evil Dead series has created, this asymmetrical horror game builds on the foundation that games like Dead by Daylight have laid. It might not innovate but there’s a surprising amount of content and replayability in Evil Dead: The Game that raids 40 years of film and television for ideas and puts them to excellent use.
A pseudo-sequel that’s worth inserting a coin for, Arcade Spirits: The New Challengers takes the premise of the original and builds upon it in some imaginative ways. With a diverse and interesting cast, most of which you can romance should you choose, as well as some astute commentary on the state of modern day gaming culture, it’s a smart and engrossing title.
In a post Elden Ring world, Dolmen feels dated and too formulaic. It also lacks the personality, character and soul of the genre’s luminaries. If you’re looking for a new Soulslike game to scratch the itch however, Dolmen will certainly do that, despite its lack of mechanical innovation and uneven difficulty.
A few small gripes aside, Eternal Threads is a smart, uniquely structured and thoroughly enjoyable narrative adventure. By taking a trope that has become associated with the genre and owning it, the game feels fresh among the other games that attempt this concept too. If you enjoyed the likes of Everybody’s Gone To The Rapture or Tacoma, you’ll enjoy this.
A child friendly, deeply approachable title that’s design specifically for the youngest of gamers, My Friend Peppa Pig is a triumph in tie-in game design. Like an interactive episode of the TV show, the little Peppa fans in your life will likely love this title because of its authenticity and ease of interactivity.
The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe is an essential gaming experience. It’s simultaneously a hilariously absurd adventure that can be enjoyed on its own merits and an insightful examination of storytelling in gaming. The acutely self-aware new content reframes the original game to give it refreshing new purpose alongside a cluster of new barbs aimed at the flaws in modern gaming. A must play.
Micro Pico Racers is a perfectly fine attempt to replicate the Micro Machines formula. It’s nowhere near as charming and the formula has aged quite a bit in the intervening 30 years between when it was first realised and now. If you’re hankering for a budget racer with a 90’s feel though, this will certainly fit the bill.
Model Builder’s powerful suite of building and painting tools enable calming and creative game play that makes a potentially tricky hobby very accessible. There’s oodles of potential here but some of that remains untapped as of yet. Future DLC and updates will hopefully tap into that and extend the game’s longevity.
An essential game for fans of Borderlands, Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands is a spin off that’s worth exploring. What’s more, this game feels like a turning point for the series as it becomes smarter and funnier than it is goofy and crude.
The most approachable this series has ever been, Monster Energy Supercross 5 is much kinder to newcomers while offering plenty of new content to please returning players. There’s still room for improvement but this game is the best Monster Energy Supercross title so far.
One of the best FMV games to be released in years, ‘Who Pressed Mute On Uncle Marcus?’ is a brilliant combination of a relatable, oddball comedy and a whodunit mystery drama. The acting is superb, the script and editing is tight, it’s deeply replayable and it manages to balance its tone to take you on a really cathartic journey.
An original platforming experience, Onde combines a bold, fresh visual style, gratifying traversal mechanics and a fantastic soundtrack into a very satisfying game. A few rough edges are the only blemish on a unique game that’s worthy of your attention.
Some quality acting performing a fun script that features colourful, interesting characters is gambled away with some drab presentation, a few glitches and some out-of-touch design decisions. FMV game fans will still get something out of Vegas Tales but it’s an ‘also-ran’ in a genre that’s improving with every passing month.
While Dragons In Space is a functional shoot-em-‘up, it’s short, unattractive, bland and boring. Its tiny asking price is reflective of the fact that it’s one of, if not the worst shmups on the PS4.
A smart reimagining of the rules of Sudokuo, Hexologic is an approachable, easy to play puzzle game with a chilled aesthetic. There’s not a great amount of content here however, with the structured levels lasting just a few hours, but if like number puzzles and you’re looking for a fun way to fill an evening, Hexologic is worth a look.
While Dexter Stardust is not bringing anything new to the point and click adventure genre, it’s an endearing passion project full of Mexican flair and light hearted humour. It might be a too short and easy for some genre aficionados, and it has a few foibles, but for most it’ll be a pleasant way to while away an evening with a cast of Taco obsessed space traveling characters.
A quirky, short but smart point and click adventure, Pants Quest is the mildly and intentionally abrasive journey through one man’s calamitous morning where nothing goes to plan. It might only last for an hour or two but in that time, it has the capability to make you feel a myriad of things. If you enjoy little, unique gaming curios then this is certainly worth a look.
While it might lose its lustre towards the end, Another Tomorrow is an otherwise well crafted and challenging first person point and click adventure that’ll appeal to long time fans of the genre. A great hint system helps avoid any frustrating hold ups while still allowing you to discover those important ‘eureka’ moments on your own.