The Inner Friend is a short but sweet experience that will give back as much as you put into it. You’ve got to read between the lines with this game and if you like your narratives to have a clear structure, you’ll likely bounce right off this. If you like a game to challenge you, to make you think and maybe, just maybe, make you feel something, then The Inner Friend is certainly worth a look. Some sticky platforming sections aside, it’s a thrilling and occasionally chilling game that’s truly artistic in its vision.
Ancient Enemy is a chilled out take on Solitaire underneath a RPG card battler. It’s not the longest of games, the narrative is a little rote and if you really dig into the mechanics early on, you can find combinations of attacks and special abilities that make the game a touch too early. That being said, it looks fantastic, sets a brooding tone through its music and writing and, as card battlers go, is really quite enjoyable to play.
Super Toy Cars 2 is one of the worst examples of this genre I’ve played in the past few years (surprisingly not the worst). The visuals, much improved over its predecessor and a decent soundtrack are its only saving graces.
MotoGP 20 is a game developed for its existing fans and the lack of any kind of tutorial is testament to that. This game isn’t trying to win over anyone new (or, if it is, isn’t going to do a good job with it). Instead, this is a cracking racing sim that’s a celebration of the MotoGP heroes through the Historic Mode and a gaze into a bizzaro alternative universe where the GP’s actually went ahead this year. It looks great, handles even better and once you’ve got used to its particular idiosyncrasies, it’s a whole lot of fun to play.
The journey from PC’s to PS4 has not been a kind one on Construction Simulator 3 – Console Edition. The lack of control inputs has made using the generous real-world excavators and heavy machinery a bit of an unnecessary chore. Fighting the camera in any game isn’t fun and you might be doing that a lot here. Those with the patience to can forgive its foibles and push through the issues that Construction Sim 3 has though will be rewarded with that strangely therapeutic and relaxing game play loop.
A futuristic whodunit set in an open world, The Casebook of Arkady Smith has far too much filler, not enough "find the killer".
An all star cast and a lighthearted, almost comedic tone aren’t enough to save Real Heroes: Firefighters from mediocrity on PS4. The fire visual really underline the age of the original game, as does the AI. Among environments that have been spruced up for 2020, it’s quite jarring.
When Totally Reliable Delivery Service is working as it’s supposed too, it’s a hoot. It’s a visually simplistic but colourful game with chilled out backing music and a really simplistic gameplay loop that even a 3-year-old can understand.
Gigantosaurus is a game that gives children what they want - a game that's got as much complexity and depth as those that the adults get, that's polished and not a buggy mess and doesn't just tear up the source material. It contains all the classic 3D platforming tropes and manages to cater to players of all skill levels while it does so.
Polished to the nth degree, visually sublime and with a soundtrack that’ll get your heart racing, it’s a thrilling game from bloody beginning to gory end.
There’s a cool art style here, with a pumping soundtrack that’ll have you tapping your foot until you get bored of everything else this game lacks. It’s that lack of content that hampers Super Destronaut: Land Wars in the long run, with all manner of goals unconvincingly re-badged as more than just “shoot things” which just won’t keep you entertained for long.
Bikers and those who know the heritage of the Isle of Man TT will get a real kick out of this game. It goes out of its way to put this seminal race on the pedestal it deserves and backs all of that up by building a mightily impressive racing game around it. It’s not perfect – I’d have liked to see some other models like sidecar races included – but what is here is very, very impressive indeed.
This game won’t even be a footnote in the history of the genre but if you can stomach the repetition, it might kill a few hours between other titles.
t’s a cheap and cheerful title and while it’s not going to be challenging the giants of the genre in terms of narrative or immersion, it has enough charm to carry itself through its run time.
Holfraine is a bare bones Hero shooter that’s launching with as little content as possible. With one game mode, one map to play on and six heroes, it just about justifies its £3.99 asking price. It’s obvious what the aim of Fluxart Studios was to emulate the best in the Hero shooter genre on a budget and you can see why it was recognised as the “Best Online Multiplayer Game” in the PlayStation Talents Awards 2017 competition. It has potential. At launch though, it’s not fulfilling it.
7th Sector is a headscratcher that’s designed for those that love to be stumped and don’t mind a little trial and error. It’s set in a game world that has a rich narrative and depth despite not really having either of these in a literal sense. There’s far to many sectors of 7th Sector which are simple too complex for their own good or actually work to the detriment of the overall product (I’m looking at you Combat section) though. When this game is good, it’s really good, but it’s just too infrequent. If you enjoyed Limbo or Inside and you’re itching for something similar, give this a go.
Megaquarium is a tycoon/management game for those that like to take things slowly. There’s no running around or avoiding disasters. The most you’ll have to deal with is is some malfunctioning equipment and that’s more of an inconvenience than a stressor. Instead, this is a chill game about a chill topic that lets you get as creative as you can within its constraints and has done some admirably in its journey from PC to PS4. It won’t be for everyone – if you prefer your tycoon games with an element of danger then this one isn’t for you – but if you’re looking to kick back, look at some fish and make sure everything is ticking over while some cool tunes play in the background, this is one to put on your radar.
Even for someone who’s a casual observer of Supercross, Monster Energy Supercross 3 is quite a joy ride. It’s feature full, fun to play and deeply gratifying when things come together. There’s a steep learning curve, somewhat hampered by a tutorial that expects you to know the ins and outs of a Supercross track from the get go but once you’ve got the hang of it, you can get a lot out of it.
There’s no shortage of top down, pixel art, fantasy roguelike’s out there vying for your attention and many of them are enjoyable. It’s a genre I’ve spent far too much time with over the past few years so the thought of playing another was daunting when I first got my hands on Children of Morta. The thought of re-treading the same ground for hours, something of a staple for this genre, had put me off. I couldn’t have been more wrong about this game though. It’s visuals, narrative originality, the vast array of content and the sheer amount of polish that’s on display here has shown me that Dead Mage and 11 Bit Studios have created the roguelike to end all roguelikes, combining the best of the genre in a package which feels familiar yet refreshingly fast moving.
With simplistic systems, a run time of less than an hour and sections that feel unfinished, Dreaming Canvas is a relaxing yet shallow experience. There’s virtually no replayability with you being able to see everything this game has to offer, warts and all, in a single sitting. It’s environments are gorgeous at first glance but a lack of content means this game becomes bland and uninspired very quickly and it’s aim to inspire creativity falls flat.