Push Square
HomepagePush Square's Reviews
Ultimately, what you're left with is the definitive version of the game, even with the changes being relatively slight. It was one of the best games on PSVR back in the day, and the same can be said for its port on PSVR2.
Cave Digger 2 is no technical showpiece, and annoying little issues do have a tendency to pop up just often enough to be a distraction. Pickaxe swings often don’t register right, you can find yourself lodged into nearly inescapable crannies, and hand tracking has a tendency to bug out occasionally. So, Cave Digger 2: Dig Harder is still a delightful diamond in PSVR2’s launch catalogue, but its intermittent issues and wanting variety cause it to lose some of its lustre.
However, despite this, Kayak VR: Mirage is still a great showcase for the tech, and will certainly be one of the first titles you dig out for your friends to try. There may not be a lot to it, but we can't deny the tranquil experience it offers.
During our playthrough, however, we encountered several bugs with machinery getting stuck and items falling through the bar and not resetting to their default positions, making it impossible to complete orders. All the problems we found were solved with a quick restart of the level, but when it occurred multiple times it turned out to be quite the inconvenience. We also noticed the lack of any implementation of PSVR2’s newest features: headset haptic feedback, adaptive triggers, and eye-tracking all appearing to be absent from this PSVR port.
In addition to the synth-driven city pop soundtrack, the neon punk aesthetic looks really nice in 4K in PSVR2, and while the vibrant colours may lead to headaches, we like the chaotic, almost violent nature of the presentation. But ultimately, we found ourselves tiring of the overly long levels fairly quickly, and so the title lacks that sense of replayability that’s so fundamental to truly great arcade releases.
Still, the scale of the missions really increases as you progress, and later levels — like the excellent heist one — offer a lengthy and complex challenge which we really enjoyed. In addition, we appreciated the sandbox area, as it provides an excellent creative space with access to every object and gadget available all at once.
Whether you have a group of friends to play with or feel like conquering the campaigns alone, you’ll have a blast no matter what. Demeo is easy to pick up and difficult to master, although it should be noted that the social space Heroes Hangout is inexplicably absent from this version. Nevertheless, it has a slew of content, a fun and strategic gameplay loop, stunning visual detail, and superb virtually reality implementation that all help to create a fully immersive tabletop title like no other.
Song in the Smoke Rekindled brings one of virtual reality's top survival experiences onto a platform where it can be enjoyed at its best. If you're willing to muscle through some run-of-the-mill resource management, you'll be rewarded with delightfully tense sequences punctuated by superb sound design.
Do well and everyone is happy and they might leave tips. You can spend your hard-earned coin on new cooking equipment, décor for your bistro, furniture, that kind of thing. As you progress, you learn new recipes, and you can add new flourishes to old ones. Eventually you get more chefs you can lead to help you out. And if you're really struggling there's options to lower the difficulty significantly, which makes the game quite chilled out if that's more your thing.
Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy's Edge - Enhanced Edition starts out flat but does eventually get a bit better. You'll need to trudge through a couple of hours of bland shooting galleries to get to the good stuff, though, and even then the title is largely let-down by repetitive encounters and some dated design decisions. The game takes decent advantage of PSVR2's innovative features, but also underlines its Meta Quest 2 origins at times. And while there's an unquestionable novelty to existing within George Lucas' legendary universe, it feels like the license is doing a lot of the lifting for a mostly average adventure.
All in all, this re-release doesn’t fumble the ball – and American football fans in particular will find a lot to like.
All in all, this re-release doesn’t fumble the ball – and American football fans in particular will find a lot to like.
This mashup of shooter, stealth, and RPG wears its influences proudly but rarely matches them. Its alt-history setting is interesting and there are plenty of ways to approach the robot-killing, but these elements are at odds with messy storytelling and characterisation.
The core loop is a simple one, but it’s not as instantly addictive as many of the other games from Atari's prime. While it’s satisfying to pull off a huge combo, and requires a surprising degree of strategy, by the time you’ve played through the core 50 levels of the game, you won’t be as anxious to dive back in as you might hope.
While it does feel quite scrappy, and you will have to spend a bit of time setting the title up to your tastes, we reckon this is a fair trade given the ridiculously low price point. There is local multiplayer if you want to play with family and friends, which extends to a nifty little tournament mode, too. So, if you’re in the mood for some multiplayer baseball, you really can’t go wrong here.
Octopath Traveler II presents enough rich, turn-based action to forgive its minor combat system flaws. It's a breath-taking work of art, filled to the brim with story and adventure, bolstered by a cast of incredible characters who will leave you wanting more at every turn. A masterfully crafted RPG.
The wait has been worth it: Like a Dragon: Ishin! is another great instalment in RGG Studio's series. An often gripping story is made even better by the game's historical leanings, while a rewardingly intricate combat system gives the gameplay an addictive hook. Add all of those typically barmy Yakuza side activities into the mix, along with some delightful references to past games, and you've got the makings of a fan favourite.
Theatrhythm: Final Bar Line is an impressive feat. We hit credits on it, but we feel like we've only scratched the surface of its colossal 400+ song list. The love and passion for the series is apparent throughout every inch of this project, and we'd recommend it to anyone interested in rhythm games. Packed with absolute bangers, Final Bar Line will keep you busy for a long time.
Wild Hearts is, at times, an utterly thrilling game. It's a game that will leave you kicking yourself for a poorly timed dodge or a missed opportunity, and jumping out of your chair when you finally topple a troublesome foe with a last-ditch, go-for-broke attack. There's a handful of technical issues, a mite too much repetition, and some quibbles about the difficulty, but the core monster hunting experience is spectacular enough that the joys far outweigh the frustrations.
Horizon Call of the Mountain is not without its flaws, but it's hard to imagine a better showcase of PSVR2's potential than this. The core climbing gameplay is impressively executed, and it evolves just enough over the course of the campaign to remain fulfilling. We're not a huge fan of the combat, and the plot is practically impenetrable unless you're a franchise die-hard, but these niggles don't necessarily deter from the overall satisfaction you'll feel as you scale rock-faces several hundred metres into the sky.