Expansive's Reviews
NBA 2K26 offers some really impressive overhauls over previous years, with a really enjoyable on-court experience, a satisfying feeling around scoring that really nails the feeling of character animation and playstyle, complimented by some quality modes and a thoroughly enjoyable Career. This is all brought together by the vast ambition of The City finally, fully realised in its best possible form as intended and as always, some of the most stunning visuals of any game. Unfortunately, the VC obsession is deeper than ever and while there’s a solid out of the box experience, you’ll likely miss out on all the game’s content unless you’re willing to pay more. Which, unfortunately, is becoming more the rule, than an exception for the franchise.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land + Star-Crossed Land is another fantastic upgrade on Switch 2 with stunning visuals, smooth platforming quality and vibrant colors. The Star-Crossed Land expansion is also a really solid addition to an already vast and enjoyable game, adding some new copy abilities, a challenging new boss scenario and a ton of new things to find and discover. For new players and those tempted by the low upgrade fee for the new content, this is a must own and a great way to tide your time until the bigger first party releases later this year!
Goosebumps: Terror in Little Creek does a solid job of building an original story in R.L Stine’s universe that pays homage to the classics and builds up a nice amount of tension with some decent puzzles and surprisingly good voice acting. It even has multiple endings. It is a tad short though, and at the current price tag, can be a little bit of a tougher proposition to swallow. It is also pretty easy to breeze through, though the game never feels overly padded and is paced well enough to mostly be enjoyable and the combat’s a bit of a slog. A good first time horror for kids or super fans of the Goosebumps world, despite a somewhat surface level substance.
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is an absolute masterclass of platforming and action that pays beautiful homage to the series roots while also laying many of its own. From fantastic set-piece action, to enjoyable, varied combat and lots of hidden secrets to keep you coming back. With a stunning art style, gripping score and right amount of difficulty, LizardCube just understand what it takes to bring these classic franchises back for modern audiences. SEGA are truly back with a vengeance and have given us a must-play, whether you know Shinobi well or have never met before.
Heartworm is a very self-aware, intelligent take on classic survival horror franchises, that utilises some really clever ideas and will find ways to connect with the player through its themes, setting and mechanics. It’s rough around the edges at times and it’s style won’t be for everyone with the way you get around, the look and even the gameplay feel, but for those who grew up on the origins of the genre or those who look at it fondly and with respect, Heartworm is as good of a modern interpretation of it as has ever been made.
Ready or Not is a fairly solid team shooter that offers an enjoyable loop and a fun bonding experience between friends and players wherever they play. The objectives offer interesting risk vs reward across the varied settings and the feel and strategy that goes into each breach and cover forces you to think on the spot, but random enemy phasing, text sizing, graphical and performance issues and some fatigue in mission length and presentation – as well as the apparent, random downgrading of the game – mean this isn’t quite the smooth ride we’d like it to be. Still, it’s a fun time that we think will have a long-term fantastic home on consoles.
Date Everything is a funny, mostly well-written, date sim that really manages to present you 100 different characters in unique ways. You’ll want to meet them all, each expertly voice acted, and learn more about the wacky narrative, though will find not every character is as interesting as others and some narrative beats are a bit inconsistent. Well worth a play!
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is one of the most visually impressive, mechanically solid and competent retro-re-styled platformers I’ve ever played. It not only nails the tone and authenticity of the classic Ninja Gaiden games, as well as maintains the style set in the modern games, it encapsulates the feeling of a classic 80s platformer and successfully modernises it in a way that anyone can and will find a way to enjoy it. With gorgeous pixel art, a banging soundtrack and a strong variety of gameplay with some epic boss battles, Ragebound is a truly remarkable return to the franchise to its roots and a delightful challenge that keeps you entertained throughout. Sensational!
Wheel World gets a lot of things right and presents a very interesting, fulfilling take on an open world that is aesthetically pleasing, narratively intriguing and content rich. Despite suffering from some minor performance issues and a few QoL features that would have made it even greater, the DualSense really adds something to the experience on PS5 and I was constantly trying to better myself with every race and fulfil as many objectives as I could to maximise my time with the game. A real delight with a refreshing tone.
RoboCop: Rogue City – Unfinished Business is a fun, thrilling and generally exciting follow-on from the 2023 shooter. In addition to the new story, it adds just enough different elements from Rogue City to make it worth playing, and has an engaging variety between the flashbacks and mission flow. There’s a general jank to the game that makes it a little dicey on occasion, but it’s never overly frustrating or a majorly painful experience, beyond some surprising hard crashes. Its still as authentic a RoboCop experience as I’ve ever played in a game and I really struggled to put this one down during its duration. This one is mostly the right kind of….trouble.
Demon Slayer – Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Hinokami Chronicles 2 is a thrilling, adrenaline-inducing fighter with lots of modes, options and depth, with plenty to unlock and a whole plethora of fan service. Equally, it’s a fantastic jumping on point for series’ newcomers with the Path of the Demon Slayer Mode as well as the Memory Fragments in story illustrating many of the key points. The free-roaming battles are a welcome change from what we’re used to in the genre and the stylish art is just mesmerising to watch in action. Slight limitations with story and some frustration with tutorialisation aside, this is a fantastic fighter you shouldn’t overlook.
Achilles Survivor is a fantastic addition to the horde survivor genre with its focus on risk vs reward, brains and brawn and stunning visuals. The loop is solid, the variety is great and it all contributes to a title you can spend many hours on. The run length does drag on a bit at times and there is a sense of repetition in the battles that can be tedious at times, but for the price, value and quality on offer, you’d be hard-pressed to pass on this one.
Killing Floor 3 has a decent and enjoyable loop that you and your friends will quickly slip into and appreciate for a few hours at a time, mindlessly blasting zeds while also trying to find the right build and class to suit your playstyle. Aesthetically, the high tempo you expect from the series is ever present and the promise for the future seems bright for the game, but for right now, there’s definitely limitations and in such a competitive market for the genre, that makes it a trickier sell. You hope Tripwire will get the chance to fulfil some of their lofty ambitions, the question is how long will it be before those come to fruition. A feat by which these live service titles live….and unfortunately, might die.
The Wandering Village is a stunning colony sim that is at once approachable for any player but at the same time offers some complex challenges to contemplate and consider. Limited by just its story mode, as well as a finite space which to build and some frustrations in the game’s core systems, it’s not a flawless game, but it is one with heart, with life, and with an enjoyable loop that you will long remember after finishing.
My Friendly Neighbourhood is a surprisingly enjoyable romp with a beautiful style, good comic humor, sensible puzzles and design and engaging narrative. Its combat can be a bit hit and miss and there is a sense of back-tracking and auto-piloting that happens as you play, causing you to disconnect from the experience at times. But if you’re looking for something a little different in the vein of Poppy Playtime and the Bendy series, you’re going to have a great time with these puppets.
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is one of the boldest, most interesting and enjoyable Souls-likes I’ve played outside of a From Software game. Its approach to the traditional style offers some neat tweaks and adjustments to keep it fresh, while still maintaining what makes these games enjoyable, engaging and difficult to put down. Despite some screen tearing and some issues with balance and progression, Wuchang is a beautiful game that really brings out the best of modern platforms across its diverse and varied environments and pits you against memorable, menacing enemies that match your movements with ferocity and fire.
Shadow Labyrinth is often experimental, surprisingly expansive, and intriguingly designed with easter eggs and secrets deeply buried and coded into its DNA. The game is often at its best when it takes a more linear approach and does come a bit unstuck by its ambition when it tries to take on too much. Despite its challenging difficulty, and some control frustration, there’s a lot to unpack and enjoy with Shadow Labyrinth that makes it a must if you’ve been a long-term fan of the yellow dot and Bandai Namco games, or you’re just looking for an interesting new Metroidvania that tries to do things a little bit differently.
Patapon 1+2 Replay is a fantastic recreation of the PSP classics, given a glorious new lick of paint and sound, sometimes to its own fault with the game feeling a bit dated and bare bones at points. Patapon’s charm, vibrance and catchiness helps keep the experience compelling and enjoyable despite some frustration and it’s still a wonderfully smart rhythm strategy game that everyone should make the time to play at least once.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 is the perfect summer game, whether you want the full blown 4K TV experience or something to take with you to the parks and jam with. This game is a delight that continues to thrill with a kick-ass soundtrack, fun-filled objectives, fantastic environmental variety and a deep roster with compelling cross-platform multiplayer. Removal of some beloved songs and THPS 4 Career Mode may upset some folks, but what’s been added here is an awesome package that will suit series newcomers as much as vets who have been craving a bit of something old with something new
Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo is a kind-hearted, warm and fulfilling adventure with a lovely papercraft aesthetic, stunning sound and a really enjoyable gameplay loop with a clean UI and satisfying puzzles and storytelling. The words are simply beautiful and the messaging around it really stuck with me long after it ended. 2025’s truly surprise treasure.