Adrian Burrows's Reviews
Space Adventure Cobra: The Awakening has a lot going for it, a charming cartoon aesthetic, great storytelling, and solid gunplay. Unfortunately, these positives are often undermined by dull level design, inconsistent controls, and unpleasant difficulty spikes, resulting in a distinctly average overall experience.
If I could have Absolum without the roguelite elements – and admittedly, a few less glitches – then I would have my ideal 2D side-scrolling beat 'em up, the best I've ever played. As it is, the roguelite structure and its inconsistent delivery unfortunately lowers the overall experience. It's still a very enjoyable game, even with these issues, but this was so close to being a classic of the genre.
Whilst offering bombastic fun in online multiplayer, this Hades-like roguelite is oddly muted in single-player, an issue likely exacerbated due to the developer failing in making the most of the game's iconic mythological setting. A decently reliable experience then, but one so similar to so many other roguelites you'd have sworn you had already played Sworn before.
Lego Party is everything you want for a Friday night in with the family. Silly, funny, and accessible, finally Mario Party has some competition.
Silly, creative fun, LEGO Voyagers is just like the toy it's based upon. If only there was a bit more to it, then we could have had a real contender for a great Lego video game.
Does Claws of Awaji finally provide a more fitting ending to Assassin's Creed: Shadows? Kind of. In an irritating and distinctively Ubisoft way, enough is left open to require at least another dose of DLC. Still, if you really haven't had too much of a good thing, that's certainly no bad thing.
Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree might look like it's following in Hades's footsteps, but looks can be deceiving and there's a lot more to Brownies Inc.'s latest than a cursory glance would suggest. Stuffed with intriguing, if regularly overwhelming, ideas and demanding mechanics, Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree does enough to stand apart on its own merits.
The debut release from Gylee Games has a lot going for it; a charming cartoony aesthetic and reliably punchy fisticuffs being at the forefront of that particular list. Yet, it also feels too light on content, suggesting we might have to wait for a sequel before Ra Ra Boom's true potential is realised.
In the crowded roguelite genre, The Rogue Prince of Persia stands apart, thanks to super-smooth animation and deliriously fun free running. Whilst it never quite escapes the traps that occupants of its chosen genre often fall into, it still provides plenty of top-quality platforming fun.
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is the game that a legend like Joe Musashi deserves. Fast, frenetic and utterly absorbing, this is how you bring a long-dead series back to life. Lizardcube have set a new benchmark in 2D platforming and in the process have me salivating at the prospect of Sega franchises they could tackle next.
With some unpleasant difficulty spikes and staid visuals, TMNT: Tactical Takedown won't be for everyone. But for those willing to overlook its idiosyncrasies, Tactical Takedown offers a compelling, yet brief, strategic challenge.
Despite a fascinating premise, one inspired by both Chinese folklore and real-life history, Wuchang: Fallen Feathers resolutely fails to deliver on any of its initial early promise. This is a Soulslike by the numbers, one hampered by a cornucopia of PS5 performance issues that plague the game like a disease.
Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream deserves to go down as a landmark stealth game. The finely-honed sneaking mechanics are an absolute joy to experience, whilst the absorbing story and immersive world will keep you creeping from beginning to end. The fact that this is River End Games' first release makes their accomplishment all the more impressive. Quite frankly, I can't wait to see what the team do next and I'll be eagerly awaiting the chance to visit Eriksholm again.
I really didn't know what to expect from Date Everything. I mean, a game in which you can get amorous with your curtains is not your average Nintendo Switch experience. But that unusual uniqueness is all part of Date Everything's substantial charm, it's a delight bantering with a larger-than-life cast of characters that you can't help but grow to love. Funny and life-affirming, don't swipe left when it comes to Date Everything.
The Alters is one of the stand-out survival games of this generation. Imbued with a fascinating sci-fi concept for the ages - one that asks genuinely fascinating ethical questions – and with high-pressure survival mechanics that keep things stressful from beginning to end, this is quite the experience. Did I enjoy playing it? Not really, but good grief, I'll never forget it.
More akin to playing through a proof of concept than a finished game, Scar-Lead Salvation fails to live up to the pitch of being an anime Returnal.
Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny is a highly influential classic, one that deserves a lot more love from Capcom than this drab remake has to offer. There was a brilliant opportunity to spoil the player with behind-the-scenes developer content here, but that chance has been squandered. Instead, you get to swap weapons with a button press rather than by going into the menu and sharper visuals. You're best off saving your money and digging your PS2 out of storage, I say.
Too much of my time with Kiborg was spent thinking how much more fun I'd be having if the game dumped the roguelite elements and just went full old-school third person action brawler. So many of its failings could be ignored in that form. Instead, Kiborg is a slightly underwhelming rougelite that looks like it should be far more fun that it is.
Spritifall is a stupendous roguelite that feeds on Smash Bros. style brawling. Brilliant fun from beginning to end, Gentle Giant have crafted one of the best recent entries in the genre.
Rusty Rabbit is good, simple, rather old-school, fun. Sure, the flat and uninspired combat means this Bunny lacks a bit of hop, but it still bounds along at a gentle pace, providing a satisfying Metroidvania without the insurmountable difficulty of others in the genre.