It’s a 3D platformer that takes inspiration from the classics in the genre but doesn’t demonstrate an understanding of what made them so fun. Littered with design issues, a few technical hiccups and a narrative which is laughable (even to my 7 year old), it’s hard to recommend this game when it’s a shade of the games it attempts to emulate.
Snakes and Ladders on PS4 is a functional, child friendly recreation of the timeless board game. It has a few convenient features which make it easy to play and the board you play on has some 3D snakes which give the game personality. For the asking price though, the real world alternative is much cheaper and just as enjoyable. There’s no innovation here and the game doesn’t take the opportunity to explore what a digital Snakes and Ladders could evolve the game into.
The concept of Waking is an admirable one. To place the player at the centre of the narrative and mechanics of a game, tailoring it to their choices, is a lofty goal and one that it falls well short of. Rough visuals, clunky and repetitive combat and a narrative that spectacularly misses the emotional connections it attempts to evoke, Waking makes you want to do anything but.
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.
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.
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.
What is here and working – the fantastic art style, the smart banter between Ted and Teddy, the first-person FMV’s – shows that Headspun has a tonne of potential but right now, too many rough edges and bugs mean it’s in need of further rehabilitation.
Crimson Keep has very few redeeming qualities. The reflective light effects on the monsters look great, the procedural generation means that each new run is different and the music is pleasant enough. That’s about it. Roguelike purists that can dedicate enough time and effort to overcome this game’s hefty challenge might get a kick out of dying repeatedly here – but in a genre that’s becoming ever more accommodating and innovative, the luck dependent progress, sluggish combat and deeply punitive nature of the game feels archaic compared to its modern day peers.
Roarr! Jurassic Edition on PS4 is a budget title for a budget price. It’s 5-6 hours of family friendly, repetitive button mashing in a clean but simplistic world set to a half-decent soundtrack. The occasional bug, the difficulty that goes from too easy to cheaply unfair and zero replayability beyond butting a dress on a T-Rex mean any potential the game has is squandered however.
Vroom Kaboom occasionally shows glimpses of an enjoyable, strategic game and an ingenious twist on the tower defence genre. Unfortunately, these glimpses are buried beneath a near impenetrable learning curve, an over powering AI and some poor design choices. I can only really recommend this game to those with a huge amount of time and patience, those that have a masochistic desire for hours of trial and error and those willing to forgive a lack of polish.
Devious Dungeon is a weird combination of classical Roguelike mechanical elements and attempts to make the genre more accessible. Unfortunately, it’s a mix that results in a shallow, monotonous procedural platformer that might as well not be a roguelite at all. Visually pleasant but uninspired with fast paced combat that gets boring very quickly, Devious Dungeon is a game that I can only recommend to trophy hunters thanks to the easy Platinum on offer.
Assault Gunner HD Edition is a game filled with substandard visuals, repetitive, unvaried game play and a plethora of small niggles which really mount up. The game might have received some positive reviews on the PSVita but the jet boost to the West and to the PS4 has not been kind on this game.
Rugby 18 is as painful to play as a Chris Robshaw blindside tackle.
I found Operation Babel to be a convoluted, overly-complex and uninspiring slog through repetitive dungeons with only a handful of enjoyable moments.
MechRunner offers little more enjoyment or innovation than the thousand of mobile runner games on the market – except it cost at least 10 times more. Sure, it's reasonably pretty, shiny and it does have a catchy soundtrack but the gameplay leaves a lot to be desired. MechRunner is just not fun and a huge disappointment.
A Healer Only Lives Twice is an original take on turn-based dungeon crawling but it's execution leaves a lot to be desired. The FingerGuns Review;
Another oddball, off kilter FMV game from Kimulator’s Films, Sheesh-Man is a step in the right direction for the developers. It’s still rough and struggles to tell a coherent story but there’s enough outlandish gags in here to make it worth an hour of your time.
A short, oddball FMV game that’s like a time capsule full of dead memes and forgotten pop culture, There Is A Genie In My Szechuan Sauce Remastered sure is something. Behind the rough editing, shoddy camerawork and cringeworthy acting however, there’s a few snippets of hilarity that some might find entertaining.
Ultra Mission might be remembered as the very last game for the PSVita, but it’s not a memorable game in and of itself. A budget top down shooter that’s clunky and shallow, it’s an hour of content that’s quirky but has a number of design issues that make it a forgettable farewell to Sony’s handheld.
While FMV game fans will likely enjoy moments of I Saw Black Clouds, there are some core issues here that prevent it from fulfilling the potential that occasionally glimpses through. The branching narrative needs a rework to ensure it respects all of the players' decisions because right now it feels broken, squandering what spooky atmosphere some decent acting performances manage to conjure up.