Nat Smith


13 games reviewed
79.2 average score
80 median score
66.7% of games recommended
Are you Nat Smith? If so, email [email protected] to claim this critic page.
Jul 17, 2024

Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn is a sublime semi-open world that champions quality over quantity, but unrefined combat puts a damper on A44's original gunpowder fantasy.

Read full review

Jul 4, 2024

Zenless Zone Zero sets slick, responsive combat against a backdrop of cassette futurism and '90s nostalgia, but it strains against the yoke of HoYoverse's built-in gacha system.

Read full review

Mar 20, 2024

For better and for worse, Dragon's Dogma 2 is a faithful reimagining of Hideaki Itsuno's flawed yet ambitious action-RPG. Those who rise to the challenge of meeting it on its own terms are suitably rewarded, but a deluge of trash mobs, restrictive fast travel, and endemic hardware issues will be a dealbreaker for many.

Read full review

9 / 10 - Pacific Drive
Feb 21, 2024

Pacific Drive offers a road trip like no other, boasting immaculate sound design and a classic '90s conspiracy delivered through a compact survival-crafting roguelike loop.

Read full review

Unscored - Palworld
Jan 19, 2024

No matter where it falls on your moral compass, Palworld has given the static formula of Pokémon a clear shake-up, both mechanically and ethically. On a technical level, I can’t say it’s good. However, its sheer playability is carried by just how bizarre it is from moment to moment. It’s certainly not bad going for a game that many people dismissed as vaporware at best, or forecast to go the same way as Fntastic’s The Day Before at worst. Anyway, my Pengullet’s feeling down because of the bad working conditions, so if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to chuck him into a hot spring.

Read full review

Oct 4, 2023

Assassin's Creed Mirage delivers a renewed focus that trims the fat from its predecessors to commemorate the very best bits of the series, but familiar parkour problems and anemic combat hold it back from true greatness.

Read full review

7 / 10 - Starfield
Aug 31, 2023

Starfield is a true behemoth of an RPG, and in many ways it's the logical endpoint of Bethesda Game Studios' well-worn formula. However, its massive scope pushes this formula to the absolute limit and the cracks begin to show, from feature creep to the stop-start nature of its exploration. Dedicated Bethesda fans are sure to get their fill, but this interstellar adventure never leaves the atmosphere.

Read full review

7 / 10 - Blasphemous 2
Aug 17, 2023

Blasphemous 2 is a well-constructed but ultimately conventional Metroidvania, and while it still delivers on holy grotesquerie and striking visuals, the end result is a sequel that feels markedly smaller in scope.

Read full review

8 / 10 - Remnant II
Jul 20, 2023

Remnant 2 marries Matryoshka level design and sublime set pieces with memorable bosses, all while polishing the combat system and build customization of its genre-bending predecessor to a spit shine.

Read full review

8 / 10 - Oxenfree
Jul 12, 2023

Oxenfree 2 casts off adolescence in a bid to explore the trials and tribulations of adulthood, featuring authentic dialogue that packs an emotional punch.

Read full review

May 10, 2023

Honkai Star Rail is a highly polished turn-based RPG that builds off the Hoyoverse gacha machine, and while it certainly doesn't reinvent the wheel, its colourful cast of characters and mercurial tone sets it on the right track.

Read full review

Dec 2, 2022

A spiritual successor to Dead Space that blends and riffs on ideas from the best horror games of recent years, with plenty of blood and guts to go around, though a lacklustre plot is its one minor flaw.

Read full review

9 / 10 - Stray
Jul 18, 2022

Stray merges feline mayhem with a classic cyberpunk setting, inviting you to explore its neon dystopia while never taking itself too seriously.

Read full review