Despite being a regular Destiny player, I am also a cynic. The last couple of years haven’t been kind to the game (and the franchise as a whole) and I didn’t go into this expansion with the greatest of expectations. However, Witch Queen has quickly become my favourite Destiny experience to date and a huge step in the right direction. We ended up getting an amazing and rather beefy campaign that shows Bungie at their very best, but there’s still a long way to go with everything else in the game.
Green Hell VR makes a successful transformation into a VR title. Making full use of the extra level of interactivity and immersion that VR can provide whilst delivering a (almost) complete gameplay experience. There are some rough spots, but it’s well worth picking up, especially for long time fans.
MADiSON is one of the most terrifying horror games I have played in the past few years. Unfortunately, it is held back from true greatness by some of its presentation and tedious sections. I can understand that for many it might rely a little too heavily on jumpscares, but I would argue that many of them are still very effective. MADiSON provides a relentless barrage of horror that few games can really compete with.
If like myself you’ve never played Not For Broadcast, and if you happen to own a VR device, then you are in for a treat. This might possibly be the ideal way to experience this sleeper hit from 2022. Not For Broadcast VR is a darkly humourous FMV game that puts you right in the middle of a propaganda wheel. It’s a textbook example of a VR conversion that makes excellent use of the technology in question to immerse you into its unique story.
Lies of P is a very interesting game in the sense that it succeeds at emulating the look, feel and gameplay of From Software’s Souls games, most notably (and obviously) Bloodborne, but a handful of issues hamper it from reaching its full potential. It has some neat combat and RPG elements, as well as a fascinating world to explore, but it is also a bit too formulaic.
The Finals is one of the most interesting PvP shooters in a long time. A truly unique and refreshingly simple concept that worked out for the better. It is fast paced without being annoying and puts solid teamwork at the forefront of its main game mode. Although there is a lack of content and balance isn’t perfect, The Finals is well worth trying.
Momodora: Moonlit Farewell kicks off the year with a great metroidvania title. The fantastic level design and art style make it easy to recommend to fans of the genre, despite some shortcomings. It provides a fantastic entry point for franchise newcomers, and what I’m confident in saying is a great sendoff for long time fans. Anyone looking for a solid metroidvania will have a good time here.
Children of the Sun is a truly unique game worth experiencing that had me hooked for its entire runtime. An engaging puzzle-centric design mixed with an addictive gameplay loop and extremely high replay value. If you are looking for something a little bit weird, then this is the game for you.
The Switch port of Journey to the Savage Planet might have been a disappointing due to the severe amount of visual setbacks and a somewhat lackluster overall performance, but at the end of the day, it’s still a very playable and hilarious experience. If you can ignore the graphical hindrances in favor of the ability to play this game on-the-go, then this is an easy recommendation.
Control’s AWE Expansion doesn’t do much to innovate, but it doesn’t need to. It continues building on the already strong combat encounters of the original game whilst adding a small twist on that. The main draw is with the brilliantly crafted story that brings Alan Wake into the Control universe.
Thanks to its gorgeous art style and addictive combat system, Star Renegades is a wonderful game to get into. It could have been a must have for any roguelike enthusiast, but sadly, some of its mechanics and completely unfair procedural generation can occasionally result in some annoying runs that can bring the experience down a lot. If you’re still okay with some often frustrating runs every now and then, then go for it.
SYNTHETIK: Ultimate is a fun, fast-paced twin-stick shooter with a ton of gameplay variety that will keep you busy for hours. Even though the Switch version does fall behind the PC version with missing features and a few minor technical issues. It’s still a perfectly serviceable version I’d recommend if you want some chaotic single player fun.
The Medium is right on the edge of being a great horror game, in many ways being the closest we’ve got to a true Silent Hill successor. Returning to the classic camera angles seen years ago has been a treat, whilst the dual reality pushed the genre forward in clever ways. Sadly, uninspired puzzles and stealth encounters bogged the game down quite a notch.
Chernobylite is a wonderfully unique game with multiple gameplay elements that make it stand out rather than being dumped as just another post-apocalyptic survival game.
In Sound Mind is an inventive and unique psychological game that pulls together a compelling mystery and unique gameplay mechanics that make every chapter standout. However the messy presentation, pointless stealth and overly long sections bring it down a touch. Don’t fret, though: if you’re a fan of the genre, this has more than enough redeeming qualities to entertain you until the very end.
Rainbow Six Extraction is so much better than it had every right to be. There’s some solid cooperative action to be had in here, but while I did have a blast with its modes, I don’t think the game has knocked it out the park… yet. There just needs to be a lot more of it, be it in terms of maps and readily available modes. With that being said, if you just get some friends together for a few scary rounds, you all will most likely have a good time.
Republique is a fascinating game with a unique gameplay hook that works incredibly well all these years later. Whilst the story doesn’t hit the landing, with a somewhat weak final act, it is shrouded in plenty of mystery and a world intriguing enough to push you through. Here’s hoping that, with this Anniversary Edition, there’s plans to return to this franchise, or, at the very least, a resurgence in this particular type of stealth-based gameplay loop.
Ghostrunner Project_Hel is a fun, if a little bit short-lived expansions. Hel is an interesting character and it was great seeing a little bit more of the world that the base game introduced but rarely explored. Whilst it’s great to be back in the fantastic world of Ghostrunner, with some new abilities to spice up gameplay a little bit more, there’s just not enough content in here to keep you entertaining for more than an hour or two.
The horribly named Apotheorasis: Lab of the Blind Gods is a truly unique experience that almost certainly won’t be to everyone’s tastes. Uniquely driving an entire FPS entirely through sound is something that hasn’t really been done before. If you want something that dares to be different and breaks away from standard video game conventions then Apotheorasis is well worth checking out.
If you are a fan of musou games then you probably already have this one on the myriad of consoles it had been ported over the years. However if this is your first time, or you’re looking for some titles for your brand new Steam Deck (where it ended up fitting surprisingly well, glitches aside), then Warriors Orochi 3 provides a solid entry point for the genre. It provides players with dozens upon dozens of hours of content to dig into the button mashing genre of musou.