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In the 10 or so hours it took me to finish SOMA I was hooked for the entire experience, from shocking beginning to one of the best game endings I've seen since Portal. SOMA will destroy you emotionally, and that's a very good thing indeed.
Stairs is an odd beast then. A veritable love-letter to psychological horror, it's clear that the developer commands an impressive grasp of the visceral nature of the genre. Frequently terrifying and constantly unsettling, Stairs excellent atmospherics serve not only to deftly stimulate the senses with aplomb, but unfortunately also highlight that the game upon which these expertly fashioned frights exist doesn't boast a similarly formidable calibre.
The game feels like kit-bashed mechanics wrapped in clean and inoffensive modelling and UI design. The core design of the game is pleasant enough, but it is not accompanied by interesting creative tools or mechanical challenges. I like the idea of placing players in different eras and locations, giving them unique tools appropriate to the setting, and seeing what they can do, but at the moment there is just not the depth of play in Train Valley to support that idea.
I wish it were a little more approachable, but the unpredictability hosted alongside its premise and mechanics are a lot of what make it interesting. I look forward to continuing to play around with it casually and unlocking the many secrets I feel this game holds.
If you're an adventure fan and not a terminal coulrophobe Dropsy is well worth picking up, just because it tries to do something different. No dialogue, occasionally terrifying but otherwise heart-tugging story, doable puzzles and a decent-sized open world with day-night cycles, starring a creepy clown and his animal friends. It stutters a bit with execution by throwing you in to the open world too fast with no easy way to get around or changing times easily, and the lack of adventure game staples like a scene skip or hint system do rankle. Nevertheless Dropsy is an ambitious game and that should be savoured, and most definitely tried. Just try not to have nightmares.
The diplomacy is well done, but without a robust battle system and satisfying nation-building to back it up, the game feels like it's missing something – it's all build-up with no pay-off. It's a shame, because Sphere of Influence does some interesting things with the standard grand strategy formula. The way it mixes historical storytelling with freeform play is commendable, as is its focus on the political, personal side of military campaigning. Unfortunately, it falls at the final hurdle. Much like Nobunaga himself, in fact.
This is an entertaining way for long time fans to re-explore their favorite One Piece moments or even unfamiliar fans to get acquainted with what they've been missing. However, when you strip all that away, this is just another Warriors game and certainly not the best playing one.
Mad Max is a decent if, uninspiring time waster. You have a vast laundry list of tasks to chew through, but hardly any of them are particularly challenging or interesting. The excellent road combat and meaty progression system make it worth your time once you've beaten the significantly better open world games available at the moment.
The atmosphere created throughout the entirety of Stasis makes this one of the most constantly unsettling experiences I have ever played. As an experience this is incredible, but as a point and click game it doesn't quite hit the same heights. There are some issues but overall this is a unique experience that deserves to be played.
If you enjoyed playing board games or card games when you were younger (or are still young), Armello will captivate you. The game is beautiful to look at, fun to play, and challenging enough to keep you coming back for more. Even if you've never played a game like this before, it's enjoyable just learning to play and finally getting a satisfying victory.
There are no interesting or relatable characters and I found myself skipping most of the movies after I just couldn't take it anymore. There are things to like about Type-0 once you get past the boring beginning, but unless you have a high tolerance for really bad anime or are a desperate Final Fantasy fan you might want to skip Type-0.
Fortunately, a couple of interesting new faces to add to your party, some great loot, and a few truly brutal combat challenges are enough to make The White March Part One worth your while. It's not essential, and not close to the best that Obsidian is capable of, but it's another perfectly enjoyable few hours of looting and adventuring.
So whether you're off finding lost forgotten celtic artefacts in the Scottish Highlands, delving deep into ancient Egyptian tombs, or scaling the heady heights of Shangri-La, it's clear that Renowned Explorers has a lot to offer. While in truth, it's possible that some might tire of its regimented systems and board game esque beats, the fact remains that Renowned Explorers still stands as one of the best surprises of the year so far that wannabe adventurers of any age can enjoy.
Nova-111 is a clever, albeit brief puzzle adventure romp, featuring an intelligent fusion of setting and gameplay elements. The phase-shift and time manipulation have been done before, but Nova-111 wraps it all together in a charming and humorous package that should provide you with an evening or two of decent entertainment.
Wily for the first time, what Capcom have essentially wrought with the Mega Man Legacy Collection is a consummate assembly of the franchise's 8-bit era outings. Brought back to life in their original retro splendour and meaningfully augmented by both a longevity expanding challenge mode and a museum mode that files the depths of the series considerable history, minor flaws and a crushing, yet tolerable, difficulty are not enough to dull the enduring appeal of this great collection of titles from yesteryear.
By offering players a choice between the Hammer and the Anvil, Relic has prevented the British army from feeling like a retread of the formula established in the original game. An excellent addition.
Though they demand the occasional spot of physics engine fudging to progress, puzzles are generally fun and challenging without being frustrating. It may not quite master its new perspective, but Trine 3 is still a charming, light-hearted romp that's well worth your time.
Smart, funny writing and some efficient world-building help avoid the self-important pomposity common to the fantasy genre. Some may miss the scale and strategic variety of other games in the same field, but if you're bored of the familiar fantasy 4X template and you're looking for something that feels fresh, Sorcerer King comes recommended.
Technical hiccups aside, Blues and Bullets is a raucous and relentlessly entertaining inaugural entry into the episodic adventure genre. The deft melding of historical characters and neo-noir stylings, together with a hefty dose of artistic license and appealing sleuthing gameplay mechanics all accrue to make Blues and Bullets one of the best surprises of the year so far.
Deserving praise for encapsulating the sort of Japanese-themed action RPG shenanigans that PC owners rarely glimpse, it's nonetheless fair to say that Ghostlight's latest is far from perfect. For those willing to forgive its more archaically-rooted foibles however, Way of the Samurai 4 very often proves to be a hugely entertaining prospect while providing a gleefully quirky look at one of the most enticing and formative periods of Japanese history.