James Bentley
Alwa's Legacy is a pleasant little game that does a lot of things right, but nothing spectacularly. It's fun, if a little forgettable.
Ultimately, while Batbarian may not blow your mind, it'll offer the odd chuckle, and mechanics just robust enough to keep you coming back.
Noita is a truly great experience that should only be played by those with patience
Ring of Pain has some slight issues that hamper its replayability but, overall, its a dark, atmospheric and well rounded addition to the card rogue-like genre
Aside from some graphical limitations, The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners is an excellent experience and one of the best the Quest has to offer
While not perfect, Crown Trick has managed to give a unique rogue-like experience to a genre oversaturated with copy-paste ideas.
9 Monkeys of Shaolin's story is minimalist and fits a multitude of cliches, its gameplay is satisfying but limited, and the general atmosphere is brought down by mediocre visuals and formulaic music
Foregone offers a consistent and enjoyable experience but doesn't do anything you can't find elsewhere.
The Signifier is a sign of something great. Its story is intriguing and the way it conceptualises all its effort is wonderful. That being said, the general presentation lets it down somewhat and the short playtime left me wanting much more.
I enjoyed my time with Watch Dogs: Legion but the whole time I played it, I was phishing for more.
Part Time UFO is not an especially impressive game. I can’t imagine it being anyone’s game of the year. However, it is undeniably enjoyable, whimsical, and a blast to play with a younger player. With a nice little co-op mode, enjoyable visuals, and a competitive price point, this offering is pretty hard not to love – even if it does get a touch tedious after a little while. Maybe this isn’t a game you should binge, it’s something you’ll certainly enjoy part-time.
Just Dance 2021 works fine with solid choreography, but with very few base game changes, Just Dance Unlimited feels like a much better option.
Chronos: Before the Ashes is an interesting game, but not a consistent one. Its world is occasionally fascinating, some mechanics are quite interesting and its general theming adds a lot to the universe - that being said, it offers plenty of ideas it fails to deliver on and could do with a little more to make it really stand out
Dragon Quest is a wonderful title and nice reprieve from a harsh year.
Alba: A Wildlife Adventure itself is not careless. It has great emotional flourishes that feel earned. The music swells, the visuals gleam and the story comes together well.
Warhammer 40,000: Battle Sister tries to strike on many occasions but never quite lands. Its gun-play is as enjoyable as a shooter should be but it doesn't offer anything you can't get better elsewhere
S.U.M. - Slay Uncool Monsters has some good ideas, but is far too basic and unwilling to grow for the huge amount of content it has.
In the first major DLC for Immortals Fenyx Rising, A New God offers a new area and a bunch of puzzles. Unfortunately, it's far too restricted to offer some of the best parts of the base game
Kinetic Edge feels like its fighting with itself just a little too much. While having more modes makes the initial menu screen a bit more vibrant - like Kinetic Edge's visuals - that vibrance becomes tedious and a little wasted
Like a moth enchanted by a pretty flame, Little Nightmares 2 draws you in with its fiery passion but leaves you with sweaty palms and adrenaline running through your heart wandering “what just happened?” I still don’t know how to answer this question.