The Amnesia series is one of the best horror franchises the medium has ever known. And the fact that the entirety of the series is now available on the PS4 is a win. The hide and seek gameplay holds up well, and while more could have been done with the visual presentation, the sound design is top-tier.
EVE: Gunjack is a nice little title to help round out the PlayStation VR launch. Really fun to play for short stretches and then come back to repeatedly, it's a worthwhile venture. A very low price point – $9.99 – paired with some immersive environments makes this a game that, while probably unknown to many, should be sought out. For anyone that likes good, simple fun, this is for you.
Harmonix Music VR somewhat justifies its existence. Having a drawing app available for PlayStation VR out of the gate is nice, but everything beyond that is kind of pointless. 'The Trip's' kaleidoscope visuals are great for a couple of songs, and it's a wonderful starting point for VR beginners, but the remaining two experiences are redundant and unappealing. This is something that will be nice to have at launch for a few people, and for anyone that wants a drawing app now, but a year or two – maybe even sooner – from now, this will be a long forgotten relic of the peripheral's launch.
Here They Lie is not a perfect horror game – but it's tense and well worth experiencing if you're looking for some frights for your new PlayStation VR headset. The narrative could have been stronger, and the way it displays textures is odd, but the cavernous environments and clever control scheme make this a ride worth taking.
The Assembly isn't bad, but it's not good either. It's a puzzle game without enough puzzles, and a pretty forgettable plot. A massive downgrade from the PC version of the title, the visuals can induce headaches or nausea if played for too long, and this is made even worse by the fact that the game doesn't need to be in virtual reality to begin with. It's a title that's cynically riding on the coattails of VR novelty, and while that may make for smart business, it doesn't create a great experience.
Thumper makes an incredible case for the future of virtual reality. With an incredible level of quality paired with a reasonable price of admission, this should absolutely be one of the first titles that anyone interested in making the most out of their new PlayStation VR headset buys. With blistering speed and intensity to go along some easy to learn, difficult to master gameplay mechanics, the future of rhythm games – and, by extension, virtual reality – is bright.
Variable State's Virginia is by and large an unsuccessful attempt to make something interesting. An absolutely incredible soundtrack and great environmental art fail to lift the game from a bog of issues. There are some severe technical issues here, but real criticism should be pointed in the direction of the oftentimes incomprehensible narrative, which needed to be much stronger given the general lack of interactivity elsewhere.
To put it simply, Hyper Light Drifter is incredible. Lovingly wrapped in a distinctly retro shell, the title fires on all cylinders. An intriguing, abstract narrative set in one of the most beautifully vivid world's we've ever seen helps provide a near flawless experience. Add in great combat and controls as well as an amazing soundtrack, and the end result is easily one of this year's must-plays. Its difficulty may scare away some, but for all who can cope, the experience is a truly rewarding one.
Asemblance delivers an intriguing narrative based around a time looping mechanic, and makes a lot out of very little. The game may not have many environments to explore, but each one is carefully layered and crafted to allow the story to emerge at whatever pace you're able to keep up with. It helps that the title has genuinely interesting – and, oftentimes, unnerving – ideas, which, when paired with the menacing music, makes for an engaging experience.
The Park is a bit of an oddity. A walking simulator with an incredibly brief runtime – 90 minutes at a leisurely pace – that nonetheless has some fun ideas sprinkled in. Actually riding the amusement park rides is a lot of fun – and effectively creepy in a couple of instances – but the rest of the game has nothing to offer other than walking really. Toss in some less-than-ideal performance hiccups and mediocre voice acting, and the title doesn't feel like it comes anywhere near justifying its price tag.
Minecraft: Story Mode - Episode 5: Order Up! is the strongest individual episode in this series thus far. We say individual, because this is essentially a soft reboot of the season. Telltale's typical chapter-based story format just didn't work this time out, so an extended series of self-contained narratives may be the change that this spin-off needs. If these individual stories can maintain the level of intrigue in this instalment and build upon it, then we're interested to see what lies ahead. Until then, however, we remain sceptical – after all, the track record of this series isn't exactly on Telltale's side.
Not quite as bad as falling into a pit of spikes, 101 Ways to Die is a serviceable physics-based puzzle game. Fun in short doses, it does enough right to warrant a quick look, but even though creating your own weird and wonderful traps is the title's main draw, the gameplay can outstay its welcome when the difficulty level begins to rise.
This generation has seen a glut of puzzle platformers grace the PlayStation 4, but fortunately for those interested, Unravel is absolutely one that deserves attention. While it feels like more could have been done with its mechanics, the game's charming and has a great lead character. It's also sublimely presented. It's not quite the epic yarn that we were anticipating, then – but Coldwood's meticulous needlework makes it worth a look at least.
Attractio has solid puzzle mechanics that it uses well and they're varied enough to remain interesting, but they're surrounded by grossly outdated visuals, poor voice performances, and an obnoxious narrative. For $20, the game doesn't really justify its price tag.
The fourth and penultimate episode of Telltale's first season of Minecraft: Story Mode has yet again failed to impress.
Among the Sleep has some incredible ideas, but its execution is simply not strong enough to stir you from your slumber. The game squanders its impressive opening by spending too much time in generic environments, and the puzzles lack the imagination needed to keep you awake. The narrative goes to some nightmarish places, but it ends all too abruptly, and technical issues apply the sleeping cap to an already mixed release.
Episode Three of Minecraft: Story Mode marks what can easily be considered the high point of the season – but it's still not great. Coming hot off the trail of one of Telltale's worst episodes has certainly helped make this release far easier to like, but its own accomplishments should not be sold short. This episode is a light, fun romp, and its consistently goofy tone helps to craft the series' identity at long last.
Game of Thrones: Episode 6 – The Ice Dragon offers an alright ending to a slightly disappointing spin-off overall. We struggled to care about a lot of the deaths here, but the story moves along reasonably well and it sets up what we hope will prove a superior second season. It can't light a candle to some of Telltale's finer work, but it's never been outwardly bad. If that's the best that can be said about a six episode series, though, it's not a resounding endorsement, is it?
Minecraft: Story Mode has, again, failed to impress. A miniscule run-time paired with a plethora of uninteresting events helped to make this one of the weakest episodes we've seen from Telltale in a long, long time. We're now two episodes in, and we're still not finding a whole lot to like. The alarm bells are ringing – maybe this series is one that sounded better in theory than in practice, because it has not delivered thus far.
The more that we think about it, the more we reckon that Tales from the Borderlands just might be the best series that Telltale has released to date. The game is a consistent joy, fusing humor and touching emotions into one product. A Telltale Borderlands game sounds very strange on paper, but this series, and the finale in particular, illustrate exactly why this pairing has worked. The finale sets itself up for a second season, and we very much hope that we get one.