Gal*Gun Returns is a great remaster of the original game in the series, one which fans of the previous games will love. Despite being a rather simple on-rails shooter, there’s a lot of things to unlock, multiple endings to find, and a long Doki Doki Carnival mode to master should you wish to invest many hours into the game. Those who like lewd games will be happy to hear that it’s here, in abundance, cutting nothing (from what I can see) for this Nintendo Switch release. My only complaint is that there are no motion controls, a feature which I hope is added in the future.
Little Nightmares II is a great continuation of the grotesque exploration puzzle series. The game is a solo adventure, yet you’ll be joined by the protagonist of the previous game, both working together to discover the reason behind the strange signal and put an end to its hypnotic control. Some parts can get frustrating when trying to run away or solve a puzzle with a timer before you get slaughtered, but this only leads to a lot of satisfaction upon completion. Aside from a few issues with the controls, there’s very little to complain about within this brilliant no hand-holding horror game. Whereas the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree in terms of the gameplay, the updated visuals, immersive sound, confusing yet interesting story, and new gruesome freaks, all combine to ensure that after playing Little Nightmares II, you’ll be having ‘Little Nightmares’ of your own…
Psychotic’s Colossus Down is a far departure from the previous games, yet it still has all the charm and humour which I loved within them. The combat, upgrades, and various gameplay mechanics all help keep the game fresh and new, even in multiple playthroughs, with the puzzles and dialogues breaking up the action for a bit of humour and brain usage. If you enjoyed the previous games but fancy something a little different, you’ll like this game, especially if you fancy torturing yourself and playing it in permadeath mode! Whether playing on your own or with a friend locally (or via Remote/Share Play), each level will make you smile as you cause carnage to all things uncool.
If you’re in the mood to play a unique puzzle game with an interesting concept and beautiful visuals, The Pedestrian is for you. Although the game gets trickier and more complex the further you get, you never feel like it’s an impossible puzzle; you can solve everything if you take your time and plan ahead – making this accessible to people of all ages and skill levels. The main PS5 upgrade has to be the immersive haptic feedback in the controller, but the sharp, clean, and colourful visuals also help define just how polished and special this game truly is. The only negative I can think of is that I was left wanting more, I could happily spend many more hours lost within this world as I try to escape.
Despite being on a few platforms now, Control: Ultimate Edition on the PlayStation 5 is by far the definitive version of the game. The 60fps mode is super smooth, the 30fps mode has realistic ray tracing, and all modes fully support the DualSense controller, immersing you within the action and making you truly feel like you’re Jesse. Although not technically adding anything new over the base game (plus DLC via the Season Pass), it was a joy to play through the game once more, exploring the world Remedy Entertainment created and discovering the secrets hidden within the new DLC floors. Whether you’ve played it before or not, Control: Ultimate Edition is a game which everyone should play on the new-gen consoles, this fantastic experience has just got even better!
Lost Caves is a very addictive and solid exploration platformer which delivers lots of entertainment for its very cheap price. Both the pixel-art visuals and the chiptune music combine to create a nostalgiac retro-inspired game which is easy enough to pick-up-and-play yet challenging to 100% complete. Although certain parts of the game can be a little frustrating and difficult, the open-ended format means you can ignore parts you find too hard and simply look elsewhere for the elusive wealth points. For the price, you can’t go wrong with this game – it’ll provide you with an evening of entertainment for pocket change.
Ys IX: Monstrum Nox is, by far, my favourite Ys adventure so far; Adol is a badass! Although the game started off a little slow for me, making me feel like the game was going to be a short and repetitive bunch of missions within a single city, I was happy when the game expanded and new mechanics and areas were opened up to me. The story had me hooked as soon as the narrative introduced a strange introduction early on, making me constantly try and guess what was happening – I simply couldn’t stop playing until the game had explained itself to me! I have issues with the presentation and performance of the game but if I step back and ignore resolution and framerate, I had so much fun and quickly became addicted to the satisfying combat and interesting quests.
Despite being rather bare-bones, Space Invaders Forever contains two awesome modernised editions of the game and one which is best played with friends. Even if you never grew up playing Space Invaders, the game is still fun to play today, especially with the new features such as powerups and massive boss battles – the gameplay is very easy to simply pick up and play without any skill required. I was disappointed in requiring multiple players for the second game (to win) and being forced to use the touchpad in the third, but once I adapted to this control scheme I really started to have fun and quickly became addicted. I would have loved to see more of the Space Invaders history within the game (as bonus features or older games), but overall I was happy with the two single-player focused games.
Modernising a classic game doesn’t always work out for the best, yet ‘Bubble Bobble 4 Friends: The Baron is Back!‘ perfectly recreates the arcade gameplay of the past whilst utilising modern mechanics. Whether you’re playing on your own or with up to three other people locally, you’re certain to have lots of fun despite possibly getting frustrated when trying to tackle the Hard mode. The unlockable abilities enhance the gameplay, allowing you to strategically gain bigger combos and more points. The new Baron content adds many hours onto the game, bringing back a familiar foe in order to tickle those nostalgiac nerves and increase the tension.
Godfall quickly became an obsession for me, the gameplay is super addictive and the combat is brilliant. If you’re into loot-based games such as Diablo III, or you like games with heavy combat such as the Souls games, you’ll enjoy this game – as long as you don’t mind a bit of grinding if playing solo. If you’re looking for a deep story with lots of lore and background, this may not be for you (although there are hidden lore files to find), this will appeal more to those who like to jump in occasionally in order to gain better gear and experience. It won’t be for everyone but I couldn’t stop playing it once I started, THIS is a next-gen game – from it’s visuals to the use of the intuitive controller.
The Pillar: Puzzle Escape is a colourful casual puzzle game with relaxing music and atmosphere. Although the puzzles don’t vary much from the mechanics you encounter in the first few levels, some of them do become trickier as you enter the final four levels. If looking to grab the platinum, you only need to complete the first four levels, but I strongly recommend playing through all eight in order to enjoy everything the game has to offer. PSVR support and more variations on the puzzles would have enhanced the overall experience, but those looking for a more relaxing and less stressful version of The Witness will surely enjoy this beautiful puzzle game.
Root Double: Before Crime * After Days – Xtend Edition is easily the best visual novel I’ve read all year, I love how all four routes come together to reveal new perspectives and truths behind the events which have played out previously, blowing your mind and both answering and creating more questions at the same time. It’s a very long narrative, easily taking over fifty hours to experience all four routes and most of the endings, but the time invested is worth it as the experience is quite something! I personally recommend using an ‘endings guide’ to ensure you pick the right options to see everything the game has to offer, as the SSS mechanic is quite confusing as to what outcome you’ll get, but even if you don’t then the game offers hints on how to avoid the inevitable ‘bad ending’ you arrive at.
Clea is a very tense and suspenseful skill-focused horror game that relies on spatial sound over cheap jump scares. Although the puzzles are rather simplistic and easy to solve, this never bothered me as I was concentrating on how to avoid being caught at the same time – so simple puzzles meant one less thing to worry about! Don’t be fooled by the cute and charming visuals, the game gets pretty dark and the overall experience can be quite horrifying at times. If you like games such as The Coma and Detention, you need to give Clea a try – you’ll really enjoy it.
Dirt 5 is a great arcade racer without all the depth of Dirt 4 or Dirt Rally. If you’re looking for a fast-paced racing game which you can play with friends locally, online with people, or on your own to pass the time, I guarantee you’ll love what this game has to offer. I was a little upset that there’s no detailed customisation outside of the visual aspect, but if you go into the game knowing that it’s more pick-up-and-play rather than tweaking and customising, then it shouldn’t bother you too much.
The Legends of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV delivers the perfect conclusion to the epic saga of Class VII. All our questions are answered, we get to reunite with every character we’ve bonded with over the years, and it all comes together into a spectacular finale which won’t disappoint fans of the series. There’s so much to see, do, interact with, and ‘collect’, the world is massive and the game actively encourages you to explore and investigate every location as if it’s your last chance to do so – providing addictive mini-games and funny events to keep you occupied between slaughtering enemies. If you’ve played any of the previous games and you liked them, this game is an essential purchase.
If you’re looking for a casual game with an interesting story and a car AI which was once a dog, Cloudpunk is for you. Despite the few technical issues I had with the game, I can easily highly recommend the game to anyone who likes games they can just put on and relax whilst playing. The voxel art design combined with the cyberpunk theme works really well, delivering a futuristic dystopian city to explore as if someone’s recreated Blade Runner in Lego or Minecraft!
Despite the fact that Zoids Wild: Blast Unleashed is a game aimed at children, I really enjoyed playing it and can’t wait to finish the incredibly long Story Mode! The combat within the game is really smooth, each Zoid has its own attacks and unique special moves, there are multiple colours and variants to unlock, and even a secondary set of mini-stories for each character! The game is bursting with content, offering hours upon hours of enjoyment and entertainment. The bonus extras were also a nice touch, rewarding you with various media just for simply playing the game. Fans of the show will love this game and people who want a casual fighting game that’ll last a long time should also seriously consider picking it up.
Little Big Workshop is exactly what it says on the tin, a big sandbox experience set within a small table-top workshop. Although you can play the game casually, the fun begins when you get in-depth and begin to micro-manage and oversee all of the various jobs either by getting hands-on or automating the production line to the highest efficiency possible. I do feel there are a few mechanics, options, and features missing, which would open the game up to more casual and less-skilled gamers, but those who love to get their hands dirty will love the number of things you can manually manage.
Despite being seven years old, Game Dev Tycoon still stands up as one of the best casual simulation games of all time. If you’re a couch-dev who likes to abuse real-life devs over their creative choices and decisions (don’t do this), now you can put your money where your mouth is and take a shot at creating your own games – albeit via a much more casual and simplified process. From your single-person studio in a garage to a multi-million dollar console manufacturer and publisher, 35+ years will simply fly by due to how much fun you’re having.
If you like resource management games which will eat hours of your life, check out Port Royale 4. The thorough tutorials and hints teach you everything you need to know about becoming a merchant and efficiently making a profit, easing you in gradually regardless of your skill level. The naval battles and late-game can get a bit tricky and challenging but by the time you reach those you should have had hours of experience under your belt. I personally loved playing this game and can’t wait to complete the other three campaigns, if you enjoyed Railway Empire or have an interest in games such as Tropico 6, you really should pick up this game.