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With lofty ambitions and some great elements, After Us lets itself down in as many ways as it triumphs. Gorgeous art direction and an admirable anti-pollution message aren't enough to make up for tedious combat, performance issues, and open-ended level design that plays things a little too loose. If you're itching for an experience like this, there are better options out there, at the very least until After Us' performance issues are addressed. There's the core of an incredible experience here, but it's just not ready yet.
While the game doesn’t look particularly pretty, it does run at 60 frames-per-second on PS5, and the developer has implemented haptic feedback and the adaptive triggers, which help communicate the feel of driving a gigantic double-decker. Post-release support is en-route, too, promising new school bus-inspired gameplay and trams, so there’s a lot of life left in this one even once you’ve mastered the extensive content available on day one.
Whether you're a fan of LEGO, arcade racing, or both, this game comes highly recommended from us, with the unfortunate caveat that it also features pretty aggressive monetisation. Tactile open worlds have a decent amount to discover, the Story mode strikes the perfect tone, and the driving itself is great fun. On top of all that, an impressive build mode lets you make your own crazy cars, though it's a shame you can't share them with your pals. Unfortunately, the microtransactions are hard to ignore, and they drag down what is otherwise a creative and engaging racer.
If the lead character’s HP reaches zero then it’s game over. All character levels are lost upon defeat, and you’ll have to start the dungeon from the first floor, keeping your equipment and any learned skills. Though the floors are short, it’s best to take your time and level up steadily to make progress in preparation for the potential difficulty spike, otherwise you’ll pay the price for trying to rush through. The game's flow can feel quite protracted as a result, and there’s a certain amount of level grinding from the off.
Tin Hearts is a charming Lemmings spiritual successor with a moving story that's perfectly presented with gorgeous visuals and relaxing music. The few bugs and frame rate issues aren’t enough to prevent us recommending this excellent title. This isn’t one to march on by.
Zool was a classic back in the day, but it didn't endure as much as other genre luminaries. This remaster enhances what was great about the original title while adding some modern elements to sweeten the deal.
Humanity is a wonderfully different puzzle game brimming with ideas. It takes a few simple building blocks and combines them to create some surprisingly complex levels and challenges, keeping you on your toes as it constantly throws in new concepts. While the story mode has some inconsistencies in terms of difficulty, it still manages to keep you hooked all the way. And when you're done, there's an intuitive level editor and browser, in theory giving you all the puzzles you could want. If you're after something a little different, give this a shot - they don't often make them like this anymore.
Walkabout Mini Golf is an enjoyably easy to pickup and play virtual reality golfing experience with superb physics, a wide array of courses, and the delightful inclusion of treasure hunts and collectibles — a whole-in-one experience. We’d highly recommend you round up some friends and join the club.
Garden Simulator is low risk, low reward, but highly addictive. We spent hours before we even realised it, and found the experience to be thoroughly relaxing; exactly what the small plot of the game sets out to achieve. While it’s nice to potter around your small garden and admire your crops, it does feel somewhat tedious after a while. Tasks tend to be repeated in some form or another, and there’s no variation in season or weather. Every day is the same. It feels like a trick has been missed with this, and that so much more could have been done by adding this in, along with some garden pests.
Another Fisherman’s Tale is every bit as worthy of your time as the first.
Minecraft Legends lacks the strategic depth to entice genre veterans but could be a great place to get newcomers or younger audiences interested. It has a lot of heart and can be a good bit of fun, provided your expectations are properly calibrated.
Revita is an easy to pick up but tough to master twin-stick shooter, presented with gorgeous visuals and catchy music. It’s addictive gameplay loop, balanced risk/reward mechanics, and abundance of content puts it in strong competition with the biggest and best in the genre (The Binding of Isaac, Dead Cells, and Enter the Gungeon) for the top spot.
While there is a light sense of progression enabled by an XP system, the game generally feels quite hands-off in terms of guidance or direction. We enjoyed learning the operation of the trams and even the signalling system, but once we’d driven both routes a handful of times, we didn’t feel massively compelled to do it again. By comparison, Train Sim World 3 – with its medals, collectibles, and deeper scenarios – feels a lot more moreish, and thus we’d only really recommend TramSim: Console Edition if you’re comfortable with setting your own rules and rewards.
Stray Blade is an enjoyable entry-level Souls-like RPG with a beautifully built world to explore. Its intriguing narrative and comical companion, Boji, will keep you entertained for its full 20-plus hour duration. Although bugs and frame rate issues are present, we would recommend Stray Blade to those looking to get a foot in the door of the Souls-like genre.
Nuclear Blaze is an enjoyable pixel platformer that gets all the basics right but lacks any meaningful depth to keep you engaged. Its vast array of difficulty options can be praised for making it accessible to all, however its incredibly short runtime makes it a very passable experience.
There is nothing brand new to look forward to in the title, but Afterlife VR effectively takes a blender to a number of horror tropes and settings, delivering a sufficiently worthwhile experience.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor does what any successful sequel should do: it expands on the foundations of the first game and does everything better. Combat is just as enjoyable and offers more options, exploration is on a whole other level, and the Metroidvania elements make for engaging puzzles and satisfying rewards. Easily one of the best Star Wars games ever made, it hands 2023 yet another crowning highlight.
Embers' debut game is beautifully presented, with an interesting but flawed combat system. Lovely music (thanks to Journey composer Austin Wintory) and exciting boss battles make it worth your time.
Afterimage does enough to stand out in a genre that is quickly becoming overcrowded, with its surprisingly deep combat and excellent visual design. It doesn't reinvent the wheel but will likely find a loving home in the hands of Metroidvania enthusiasts.
Live A Live is an incredibly interesting and unique JRPG experience. With lovely HD-2D graphics and numerous main characters, it's hard not to compare it to the likes of Octopath Traveler, but it really is a completely different kettle of fish. Live A Live is a varied thrill ride that still impresses all these years later, and while the combat does struggle to live up to the rest of the adventure, the game does a fantastic job of tying all of its intriguing, individual stories together. It's a history-hopping journey we'll be thinking about for quite some time.