There's no doubt that White Shadows has something to offer in raw artistic spectacle, but there's far too many issues with the game to be celebrated. It comes across as a game that has its priorities completely upside down. While it's commendably brave that a brand new studio would explore delicate themes on their debut game, this preoccupation has apparently left no mind toward the fundamentals of what makes a gaming experience rewarding. Furthermore, these themes have not been handled in a very sophisticated manner. Social commentary aside, unoriginal level design, a forgettable narrative and poor frame performance sadly render White Shadows as one you can miss.
Nickelodeon All-Stars is an obvious yet forgivable clone the manages to squeeze tiny sprinkles of originality in to its mix. However, the chasm left by what is missing from the game at the moment is almost irredeemable. Whilst the actual fighting mechanics of the core gameplay are well worked for competitive play, the lack of voice acting, game modes and general party utility leaves much to be desired. The general zaniness of Nickelodeon carries reasonably in the game, but certainly not enough to warrant purchase by casual players who are fans of the franchise.
While Rustler manages to live up to everything it says on the tin, namely Grand Theft Auto with horses, there's not much in its delivery that leaves any sort of memorable experience. Relying almost entirely on its humour, Rustler tries to steal your fancy with crass jokes and pop culture references. However, it never quite manages to stand out as anything more than a basic sandbox romp, with all the repetitive fetch quests in tow. Couple that with some lacklustre mechanics, and what you've got is a fairly disappointing GTA clone.
The Longest Road On Earth is no doubt a stirring yet minimalist aesthetic experience with a superb original soundtrack to accompany. Those who are artistically sensitive will certainly find the short play-through to be a meaningful one. Better yet, you will be awarded a platinum trophy just for completing the story. Unfortunately the very few actual interactive parts of The Longest Road On Earth don't arise any enjoyment. Comprised almost entirely of very slow and unchallenged walking, it's difficult to classify this title as a real video game.
While charming in places, and with some fun gravity bending mechanics to stroke your novelty seeking, Gravity Heroes isn't all it could be. With a single player campaign that's barely playable, and too many tedious levels, this retro shooter leaves a lot to be desired. In the finer moments of Gravity Heroes, it can be a fun co-op experience, but without online play it is difficult to recommend this game for any single gamer.
Janken Team deserve a lot of credit for the incredible facelift they have given Alex Kidd In Miracle World. Whilst nostalgic players will certainly get a kick out of Alex Kidd In Miracle World DX, there's no getting away from the fact that the core gameplay hasn't aged well at all. Slippery controls and excessively punishing courses, as well as random death ghosts and chance rock, paper, scissors, victories make Alex Kidd In Miracle World a tedious endeavour that's far overshadowed by other contemporary and classic platformers. A charming inclusion for retro collectors, but otherwise not recommendable.
Whilst Gods Will Fall has the potential to provide some genuine excitement with its unique features, its randomised difficulty feels unnecessarily obtuse. There's certainly a challenge you can embrace, but it seems to come down to luck more than skill that sees you progress. If you've copious amounts of patience, Gods Will Fall has some stellar moments, but by flaw of design they are too few and far between.
What Mythic Ocean lacks in almost every department, it does go a long way to compensate you with one of the most serene experiences you can get on a PS4. The core action is far from adrenaline pumping, but you might just come away feeling a small but cathartic amount of personal growth. With multiple endings that depend on your choices, Mythic Ocean will temp you back into its tranquil blue waters again and again before you're too horizontal to function in real life. Aside from a tedious library mini game and a few graphical blemishes, Mythic Ocean is probably just a little too small to be considered great, but it's certainly a worthwhile experience that will be swimming in your memory for some time after playing.
A sufficiently wacky and charismatic follow up experience to Enter The Gungeon and an enjoyable roguelite game. Regrettably, due to a number of flaws, it can't be appraised as the sequel fans would have hoped for. Exit The Gungeon probably won't win over any genre newcomers either. However, for existing fans longing for another crawl in the Gungeon, Exit The Gungeon just about does enough to be worth a look.
Certianly it's great to see an all time classic enshrined and restored for modern day use. Additionally it opens up the game to exclusively console players that never played the original Diablo 2 on PC. There's no denying its significance in gaming history, and looks wonderfully sharp in 4k, but the age of the source code is evident. Diablo faithfuls will get a great nostalgic kick on the clunky ever-grind that is Diablo 2: Resurrected, but it would be a difficult recommendation for any series newcomers.
As a metroidvania, Recompile succeeds in bringing the genre typical hallmarks into a marvellous minimalistic world, full of curiosity and poignancy. Where it fails is in its core gameplay. Between a lacklustre implementation of core mechanics, and some glaring oversights, Recompile feels it is not all that it could be. Flaws aside, there are moments in this game, both visually, audibly and narratively, that you won't soon forget. Beyond doubt, this is a stunning game in a few respects that needs to be seen. It is just a shame that the artistic vision had to be delivered at the cost of getting some of the basics right.
Simply one of the most enchanting art-styles you'll experience on an indie game. The hand-drawn characters and backgrounds are magical in motion, and contribute to a potently heart-warming playthrough. Whereas the game's simultaneous character control, puzzles, and individual character skills can be highly enjoyable at the right moments, those moments sadly don't come enough to completely satisfy. Nevertheless, Greak: Azur is worth a go for the aesthetic charm alone, and has some great puzzles for fans of that inclination.
While Subnautica remains a brilliantly immersive and addictive survival adventure, the PS5 upgrade delivers less than we expected. Technically, the game is very similar to its successor, Subnautica: Below Zero, and yet falls short on both performance and visual quality in comparison. A free upgrade is always welcome, but perhaps Subnautica PS5 has automatically been made redundant by its superior sequel. Existing Subnautica players with a PS5 get a nice facelift, but there's little to justify this edition for newcomers.
A nice but brutal little stealth game with an enjoyable multi-ending story. Classic Metal Gear fans especially will get some joy out of sneaking around Robocop-style biped robots in this title. The core gameplay and narrative are strong, but an absence of variety makes Disjunction just short of a home run.
Only being lacking in some technical adjustment and editing stops this title from being truly great. Nevertheless, Projection: First Light immerses you in a forgotten culture for a visual and narrative treat that will no doubt prove to be a memorable experience.
Shing! is a fun and innovative co-op beat 'em up that has had its potential unleashed on PS5. While most elements remain the same, the upgrade in resolution and general technical fixes, make the game a significantly more immersive experience than the PS4 version. Certainly, the PS5 version is the more recommendable for those looking for a good co-op game full of wise-cracking ninja fun.
Worms Rumble proves that worms don't need to take turns to sentence one another to a sheepy death. Not only that, but Worms Rumble succeeds in giving us an accessibly fun shooter with a decent amount of nuance for the competitive to wrestle with. The real-time combat and traversal work very well, and with speedy matchmaking, you'll always be up for one more game. The levels are well designed for a fun experience, although we would hope for more options in the future.
What 9 Monkeys of Shaolin lacks in typical beat 'em up fashion it more than makes up for with a dynamite combat system. The 5 hour campaign may feel a bit short, but replay-ability and co-op modes offer good value for the purchase. 9 Monkeys of Shaolin is a great pick fans of the genre, or anyone wanting to get the best gameplay simulation of 70's Kung Fu movies. Don't let the terrible name put you off!
Don't be fooled by the unassuming presentation of this indie title; Dysmantle is a monster that will have you in its grasp in no time. With an addictive destroy and craft loop, and a big open world full of intrigue and challenge, you'll be bargaining with yourself for just one last scavenger run every time. Elements such as combat, camera and graphics have obvious room for improvement, but there's no shortcoming that detract from just how involved you become with this game. Anyone looking to scratch that RPG itch with a new time sink seriously needs to consider purchasing Dysmantle soon.
Oddworld: Soulstorm in many ways is the peak of the Oddworld franchise. Oddworld Inhabitants have taken the hallmarked difficulty and dark humour and revamped it with innovative, new gameplay features and some really cool physics. It's only slightly held back by its overall presentation at launch, but despite this, it largely remains a stellar experience with lots of replayability and challenge for those who are Glukkon for punishment.