Stephen Tailby's Reviews
Housemarque has delivered the PS5 promise with Returnal. All the console's bells and whistles enhance the experience, making this a real showpiece for the hardware. But more than that, the game is a force to be reckoned with; the breathless combat, super slick gameplay, and the subtle but unsettling story combine for an experience of surprising scale. Rogue-lite aspects mean it won't gel with everyone, but for those looking for a challenging, addictive arcade shooter, this comes highly recommended.
Initially it's quite a novel experience, despite controls feeling fairly clunky. You solve problems, earning bricks with which to create new buildings and slowly unlock new business types, which expand your options. However, after a while, it becomes more difficult to manage; if a building is really lacking appeal, a circular meter will begin to fill. If you let it fill up, the building's business will close, and will be essentially useless. The trouble comes when you have buildings that won't move, and more than one suffering this red circle. This is just an example really, but the point is that the gameplay becomes too complicated. After a while, it loses the fun factor, and becomes a frustrating balancing act with too many plates to spin.
Oddworld: Soulstorm presents itself well and shows a grand vision for the series, but as a modern game in 2021, it's just not where it needs to be. It can be extremely awkward to pull off even basic manoeuvres, some new features miss the mark, and certain levels made us want to quit altogether. Bugs exacerbate some of the gameplay frustrations with wonky AI, and ultimately the play experience can be frustratingly rigid. Fans will love this reimagining of a classic, and the franchise's unique charm shines through, but it's a tough sell for anyone coming to the series fresh.
Overall, we'd say this is a decent upgrade that makes effective use of PS5's capabilities. However, if you're yet to grab Sony's new machine, the PS4 version will serve you just fine until you do. For a more in-depth look at the game itself, read our more comprehensive Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 PS4 review.
It isn't perfect; using the floaty jump as a dodge can sometimes land you in even more trouble, aiming your throwable pickaxe is imprecise, and some rooms just feel unfair. We also noticed some odd visual hitches, although these can be smoothed out by enabling vsync in the settings. All that said, if you enjoy a rogue-lite, particularly those with meaningful upgrades, UnderMine is well worth delving into.
It Takes Two is an excellent co-op adventure. While it stumbles on certain narrative aspects and not all the performances are winners, it more than makes up for that with its brilliantly fun and ever-changing gameplay. Forcing two players to work in tandem in countless ways, the game embraces co-op play wholeheartedly, and the variety of gameplay and environments makes it a joy to play from start to finish.
There are some parts that don't quite work. A fatigue system discourages you from prolonged excursions and can make things tricky, and the limited number of cards means you're rarely fully prepared to speak with everyone. Overall, though, we'd say it's a successful experiment, and a breath of fresh air among all the usual noise.
There's quite a bit to take in here, but the bottom line is Star Renegades is a solid rogue-lite adventure. It might struggle to concisely convey all its systems, but give it some time and there's a deep, challenging game to sink your teeth into.
Maquette is a fascinating puzzle game with a unique central mechanic. This leads to some super clever puzzles that will really test your grey matter. However, we can't help but feel that the concept's potential isn't quite fulfilled. Similarly, the story is pretty unique among games, but the execution just isn't quite there. Overall, it's an enjoyable experience that puzzle lovers should sample - just don't expect it to change the world.
This is a challenging game. Despite enemies telegraphing attacks, their numbers can get the better of you. Combined with arena traps, hazards, and a lack of light sources, it can be rather difficult. However, with a parry, dodge roll, and your set of weapons, you're given plenty of opportunity to defend yourself. Combat really keeps you on your toes, and gives the game a quick pace that makes runs that much more addictive. If you want a dungeon crawler with satisfying gameplay and some unique ideas, this is far from a curse.
If you're coming at this from the perspective of a Trophy hunter rather than seeking out a unique experience, Arrog will serve you well, too. You can attain a super simple Platinum comfortably inside an hour, if that's what you're after. However, that feels a little reductive given the game's tone. If you're looking for a truly one-of-a-kind adventure, don't mind a short runtime, and want to meet some ethereal capybaras, this ticks all those very specific boxes.
Destruction AllStars can be a brilliantly frantic multiplayer game, with fun characters and cars, great DualSense feedback, and entertaining modes. However, it can ring a little hollow at times when the action dips. Lacklustre customisation options and mictrotransaction-locked content doesn't help matters, but when everything is playing out smoothly, this is more than capable of giving you a good time. Currently free to PS Plus members, it's well worth taking for a spin.
Visually, Olija might not look like much, but you'd be surprised how atmospheric it is. A handful of bugs aside, this is an intriguing adventure worth taking.
Honestly, there isn't much more to the game than this. You're just building simple structures and hoping the physics don't send it tumbling down. However, if you're looking for a lighthearted, easy-going co-op game, this will scratch that itch.
Cyber Shadow isn't afraid to just be what it is: an unapologetic, retro-inspired action game. Steady upgrades mean you'll be introduced to new mechanics for most of the adventure, keeping things interesting all the way. An old-school challenge awaits, and while it's mostly a fair fight, checkpoints can be a little far apart, and some bosses might stop you in your tracks. Still, if you're looking for a rock solid side-scroller, this is absolutely worth your time
It's really a simple little game, but it's one so full of personality. Not only does it contain all the major beats of the story you'd expect, but there are lots of small references to other games to find in Scott's chunky, pixelated hometown. The music adds to the effect a lot; Anamanaguchi's chiptune soundtrack is a delight. If you enjoy a straightforward beat-'em-up, this is well worth a look, even if you're not a fan of the source material — though it definitely helps.
Completing matches earns you XP, and as you level up your character and each weapon, you'll unlock more cosmetics. It's a very simple structure, but the game is fun and frantic enough to keep you hooked. With just 10 weapons and three maps, it feels a little barebones at launch, although this will undoubtedly be supported over time. What's here is a great start, and well worth checking out for some simple multiplayer mishaps.
The game leans heavily into its whimsical style, too. Colourful graphics and cute creatures make the world a fun place to explore, and unlockable cosmetics mean you can dress up your doggies as well. The whole thing is just happy, eager to please, and family friendly — like an actual dog, really.
Overall, this is very much just more of the same, but Overcooked remains a delightful co-op experience. Extremely accessible, surprisingly challenging, and fun for all ages.
If you've just got yourself a PS5, don't sleep on DIRT 5. It brings bombastic, arcadey racing to the console's launch lineup, giving you something totally different to play alongside the heavy hitters. Although the haptic feedback implementation is basic and one or two visual bugs remain, the core experience is seriously fun, and well worth checking out if you like driving sideways.