Ben Sledge's Reviews
Miniatures is a game I’m going to ruminate over for a long time. It’s beautiful, melancholy, and purposefully weird, and I really appreciate that. In an industry that so often plays it safe, it’s invigorating to play something so creative and so intent on doing its own thing. Miniatures is beyond comparison, a game to be experienced for yourself above all else.
Neva is one of the most beautiful games I’ve ever played, from the watercolour art style to the clever direction.
This instance aside, there are no serious bugs in Apartment Story. I wouldn’t recommend playing if your idea of cinematic games is a highly polished triple-A experience. But if you don’t mind a bit of jank, if you don’t care about bowls clipping through each other in the sink as you wash the dishes, then Apartment Story will spin you a fraught tale in which there’s as much tension in getting a shower as there is with your home invader.
While it could serve to offer more of a challenge and some quests feel a little rote, the times when The Plucky Squire twists genre convention and blends 2D and 3D puzzles are a sparkle of imagination in the genre.
Mexico 1921. A Deep Slumber is a picture-perfect snapshot of Mexican political turmoil in the early 20th century. With mechanics as satisfying as the world is beautiful, it's a joy to watch this political thriller through Juan's viewfinder. If you have any interest in history, Mexican culture, photography, or good video games, this isn't one to be missed.
Space Marine 2 doesn’t seek to reinvent the third-person shooter or hack-n-slash genres, but it’s a competent addition to both. That said, it’s a great game for Warhammer fans, and nails the feeling of being a Space Marine better than any other game. The combat is crunchy and satisfying, executions are beautifully brutal, and the thunder hammer is one of the best weapons in gaming. But issues with linear levels, ally AI, and the unknown future of multiplayer mar the experience a little. Warhammer fans will pick this up, everyone else is probably better off waiting for a sale.
The Iron Rig is a great addition to Dredge, but going any further would be scraping the rotting guts from the bottom of the barrel. The second piece of DLC already reminds me of the Lazarus taxon that Ironhaven Corp’s scientist explained to me early on; it raises a seemingly extinct game from the dead and gives it life once more. I loved my time with the DLC and binged The Iron Rig over the course of a day in a way that I rarely do with games any more, but the game itself offers a warning to developer Black Salt Games: drilling too greedily and too deep can have devastating consequences.
Sometimes, you don't need to be the hero of the epic adventure. Sometimes, it can be more fulfilling to enable others to maximise their potential in your stead. Sometimes, the safety and security of your own four walls are the escape from your traumatic past that you needed. Buy another round, and I'll tell you that tale, too.
However, it all depends on ongoing support. Ring Fit died because Nintendo added nothing after the game’s initial launch. 64 percent of gym memberships are dormant. While its founders shout ideas about “Rocket League-like” arcadey gameplay like dropping in for a few rounds with friends, there’s a lot of work ahead in order to keep players interested. Just being a fitness game isn’t enough. Luckily for Quell, Shardfall might just have that special spark needed to be something more.
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door will probably be the last Mario game to release (solely) on the Switch. While Wonder will take the plaudits, porting this cult classic means that a new generation of players can experience it. New fans will have a ball, laughing along with Mario & co., even if their experience will be slightly marred by the backtracking and pacing. Old fans will enjoy the quality of life improvements and some new additions. Whether you’re a Paper Mario veteran or this is your first time entering his origami world, this is the definitive way to experience The Thousand-Year Door.
In Life Eater, this manifests through its interesting stalking mechanic and the Strange Scaffold staple of an exemplary script.
This is a competent survival game, adding nothing to a formula long since perfected by games like Subnautica, games that it falls far short of. It relies on the pull of Tolkien to keep players pushing through, otherwise it would be all too easy to give up on your mission and do something else, anything but mining. There are moments of magic, like when your team of dwarves begin to sing, deep harmonies echoing off the cavernous walls. But these moments are too few and far between, and the lore can only take you so far. As a space to hang out with fantasy-minded friends, Return to Moria is a nice jaunt. I just wish there was something more to do than swing this damn pickaxe at another damn wall.
I came into Starfield wanting to explore the stars, and I got a brilliant sci-fi story instead. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little disappointed.
I had a great time with Cassette Beasts, but it was undeniably frustrating in places. It iterates on the Pokemon formula in nearly every possible way, and exploring the world via companion quests rather than just doing a big circle on your Gym challenge creates a wonderful sense of adventure. Cassette Beasts tries a lot of new things and most of them are successful. The story is compelling, the characters are engaging, and the battle system is one of the best I’ve ever used. It doesn’t pull everything off, but I’d much rather play a game that takes risks, rather than one that rehashes the same old formula time and time again.
Blood Bowl players no longer have to make their own fun. Tournament creation is easier than ever, cosmetic upgrades are plentiful and varied, and the core game is the same as ever. Question marks still loom over the live-service elements like towering punctuation-shaped advertising blimps, but if you’re a Blood Bowl fan, you’ll like Blood Bowl 3. But you probably knew that already.
Darktide is built on great foundations and I enjoy playing it a lot – especially with friends. There’s a brilliant game buried deep within this Hive World, filled with exciting combat and gruesome enemies in equal measure. However, to properly enjoy those glorious moments, you have to break through the pustular skin of Darktide’s pointless upgrade systems and wade through the poisoned viscera of dull progression. I just hope that the countless obstructions in the live service elements don’t turn too many players away from the game mired underneath.
When you hit a streak on the beat, enemies melt before you and you race across the map, racking up eight- or nine-figure scores with ease. Sometimes you fall off a little, though, and start missing every shot as you struggle to find the rhythm. This is frustrating, but it’s meant to be. Once you stop, take a breath, and start shooting again – to the rhythm, this time – you soon find your groove again and everything makes sense. The shooting feels great again, the game flows perfectly again, the toughest enemies are felled again. In these moments, Metal: Hellsinger feels really special.
Neon White, behind the sexy suitors and anime villains, underneath the storyline and relationship building, is a game about speedrunning. It’s about learning and replaying, and it’s about beating your friends. It’s a modern iteration of a classic, simple premise, but without perfect execution, a simple premise can easily flop. Thankfully, Neon White delivers nearly flawlessly. Just make sure to take your time with this whirlwind ride, you’ll thank me for it.
I’ll close the curtain on the behind-the-scenes look at games criticism and I won’t spoil any more of Citizen Sleeper, but this review in particular was a joy to write. More specifically, Citizen Sleeper is a joy to play. The Eye is crammed with wonderful stories, and it feels like it’s truly bustling with activity – far more than any Triple-A open world populated with soulless NPCs going about their same daily routines. The simple visuals allow your mind to fill in the gaps like a good book, and it’s a testament to Jump Over the Age’s storytelling that it manages to create such a rich world. I already know that I’ll pop back to the Eye for the rest of the year, maybe longer, just to experience stories I missed, to see how different decisions play out, but mostly just to spend more time there, soaking up the atmosphere in an obsolete body as I absentmindedly peoplewatch over a steaming pot of noodles.
FAR: Changing Tides’ gameplay loop of keeping your ramshackle vehicle running is simple but enjoyable. When you get into a good rhythm, you feel at one with your craft, everything goes smoothly for a minute, and you can enjoy the ride until the next mast snaps or abandoned wreckage blocks your way. It takes patience, but when every quick task is rewarded by a hum, whir, or click, and every obstacle inspires as much awe as it does terror, it’s all worth it.