A haunted deck that's as likely to throw you a royal flush as it is sell you down the river, Deck of Haunts satisfies in its creative cards, wickedly evil fantasy power trip and a delightfully vile concept. Its best demonic forces are kept at bay thanks to a lack of real campaign or structure and some underdeveloped room expansion. Even so, if this were a haunted house at Universal Studios, you'd be disappointed to miss it, even if it's not the main attraction.
Despite some disappointing technical hitches, Indiana Jones swings onto PlayStation 5 with a satisfying crack of the whip. Sporting excellent writing, great direction and immensely satisfying gameplay, MachineGames have delivered the ultimate in Indiana Jones wish fulfilment. The hat may fall off at times owing to the glitches, meaning the Xbox or PC versions are probably your best bet, but this is still a treasure worth hunting on PlayStation.
As much an educational piece of interactive fiction as it is a beautifully crafted visual world to explore, Two Falls (Nishu Takuatshina) fosters an introspective take on the 17th century colonial world. While playing this walking simulator can border on automatic, the setting, attention to detail and thought-provoking narrative make it an experience that's heartfelt and worthwhile.
Lack of challenge and concessions in gameplay depth hold Augmented Empire back from being as appealing to strategy genre veterans and those who like their games to put their skills to the test. Thankfully, the interesting approach to decision-making and the world of New Savannah make up for these deficiencies, making this indie title a solid augment to invest your time in.
Grit and Valor - 1949 makes a strong first impression thanks to its setting and the thrill of acquiring the high ground to massacre mechs. Past the initial adrenaline hit however, it fails to sustain a meaningful level of excitement due to a misfiring reliance on meta-progression and underwhelming strategy depth.
Beautiful hand-crafted visuals, serene soundtrack and an abundance of nice moments to spend with your adorable companion make Koira a lovely way to spend an afternoon. While not up to the high bar set by Journey or its other contemporaries, Studio Tolima have created an emotionally investing adventure that excels when you slow down and take the opportunity for another game of hide-and-seek.
KARMA: The Dark World presents a wonderfully horrifying alternate history world to become enveloped in, thanks to its superb visuals, excellent soundtrack and engrossing themes. Its story is perhaps overly ambitious with plenty of confusion and its light gameplay elements may have some lamenting what could have been, leaving a mostly positive but somewhat diminished sense of karmic balance.
Wednesdays is an earnest attempt to move the medium forward when it comes to exploring sensitive and taboo life experiences. Where it reflects on some of the lesser spoken about aspects of abuse, it succeeds. While it has a positive and optimistic view of healing from said abuse, it can occasionally veer into overly hopeful, which may be uncomfortable for some. Unafraid to tackle difficult subject matter, Wednesdays demonstrates how video games can be a vessel for important messages.
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii exemplifies the pure thrill of being a hugely entertaining pirate themed adventure. What it loses in gameplay water depth and broadside storytelling, it makes up for with a streamlined approach to the Yakuza formula, an often times hilarious tone and a willingness to let the player go utterly wild. Goro may not achieve Blackbeard infamy in his pirate antics, but the blast from his cannons causes enough of a splash to make Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii worth a trip to Honolulu.
Bold changes in direction and mechanics culminate in a mixed result for Sid Meier's Civilization VII. The thrill of outwitting your opponents and seeing your chosen society thrive is alive and kicking, but the fragmented nature of the ages mechanic and issues with non-military paths to success undermine the foundation of this societal evolution.
Offering little value outside of wasting your time, Shieldwall is a painfully dull and hellish slog through each of its levels. Broken AI, abysmal combat and utterly tedious waiting around for currency starves this army of any hope. Even the might of Caesar himself couldn't have overcome this arduous war of attrition.
Dive into Warriors: Abyss and you'll be met with a huge playable roster, frenetic action and a wealth of replayability value. The sights may not be as pleasant and the story is non-existent, but shifting the Warriors franchises into a rogue-like works surprisingly well.
It may not hit the heights of other giants in the business simulation genre, but Blood Bar Tycoon has plenty of personality and good management gameplay to keep it afloat. Who knew serving vampires and chewing on lowly humans could be this joyful and light-heartedly fun?
The land of Bohemia beckons you into one of the most immersive, visually impressive and brutal worlds you could ask for. A masterful RPG that combines impactful decision-making, gratifying combat, meaningful progression and a host of gameplay variety, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is a triumph that deserves not just your money, but your time and your appreciation.
Dynasty Warriors: Origins succeeds in both reinventing and rediscovering the bombastic thrill of a series that had drifted from its path. Veterans will likely feel disappointed with some of the personalisation changes and smaller character pool, but Origins delivers the incredible thrill of 1 vs 1000 clashes. With a deepened combat system and brilliant level of performance, Dynasty Warriors: Origins is a welcoming spectacle for returning fans and newcomers alike.
Landing on the PlayStation at long last, Fights In Tight Spaces retains its first-in-class deck-building, roguelike gameplay and a stellar addictive quality. If you’re even a passing fan of martial arts or action movies, you owe it to yourself to jump in and release your inner roundhouse kicks. A game of the year contender in 2021 that stands right up there in 2023.
Transmogrify is a Portal gun that’s been remodelled to transform your expectations of a typical puzzle-platformer. It has the occasional issue with bugs (literally and metaphorically) and the usual frustration that comes hand-in-hand with the genre, but its an earnest and delightful little game that’ll keep enthusiasts hooked for a good while.
OTXO comes alive when you hit the Zen-like moment of blowing apart enemies, dodging out of fire, booting in doors and stressfully defeating that encroaching foe with your last round of the magazine. It suffers from some repetitive procedural design and relies a little too much on its slo-mo mechanic to get by, but its as close to a Crank movie you’re ever likely to get, and what a time that is.
A short but sweet experiential title, Strayed Lights shines bright above its station to deliver an atmospheric tale of self-discovery, rewarding combat and a fantastic graphical and audio treat. This light may not burn long, but it’ll leave quite the impression despite the odd minor issue.
God of Rock has flashy, entertaining visuals with a thematic flair. While its style and level editor excel, the rhythm gameplay and fighting mechanics feel shoe-horned together, creating a clunky and messy whole. The music is great and the idea could work, but this isn’t the rock-charged moshpit that it promised to be.