GameSpew's Reviews
Bugs aside, though, we’ve thoroughly enjoyed our time with Mail Time. This is a cute, whimsical adventure that anyone who likes cosy, relaxing games will enjoy. The silly dialogue won’t be to everyone’s tastes, but we still reckon it’ll raise a smile or two even from the sternest of faces. Leave action and violence aside for a bit, and Mail Time is the ideal chilled-out experience to spend a couple of hours with.
It’s a shame that Star Wars Jedi: Survivor isn’t a little more polished, as it really takes the sheen off this bigger, bolder sequel. The story may take a while to really get going, but once it does, it has some fantastic, explosive scenes that truly make an impact. And while there is some fan-service, it tries to keep it to a minimum. Ultimately, this is a must-play for any Star Wars fan, and it leaves us excited about what’s next for Cal Kestis.
Sure, Afterimage has plenty of flaws. It’s a little too difficult at times. Its choice to lock fast travel behind a rare potion is frustrating. And it’s all too easy to feel like you’re at a dead end. But despite its issues, it has kept us coming back for more. This is a beautiful metroidvania with a huge, impeccably-designed world that begs to be explored. Whether you’re a long-time metroidvania fan or enjoy action RPGs, Afterimage is well worth pouring some time into.
Despite its niggles, there’s a lot to like about Zoeti: its poker hand twist on typical card-based battler gameplay makes it stand out from the crowd. Add to that its beautiful 2D animation – and a surprisingly excellent soundtrack – and you’ve got a unique roguelike that we can see ourselves returning to again and again. With a bit of polish, it really could be a stand-out title in the genre.
It would be easy to write off Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores as more of the same, but thanks to some stand-out gameplay moments and Aloy’s new relationship with Seyka, it should be considered essential for fans of the series. Make no mistake, a third game in the series is coming, and this is its prelude. But more importantly, if the new features and other additions here are a taste of what’s to come, sign us up right now.
Against all odds, Dead Island 2 is pretty much everything we wanted it to be. This is the ultimate zombie game, dropping you in a setting that’s an absolute joy to explore and spend time in while taking apart zombies in any way you please. Fans of Dead Island will be overjoyed at what’s been delivered here, taking the core concept of the original game and building upon it to make something that’s perhaps a little more linear, but better in all regards. It’s funny to think that we once considered this game dead, because developer Dambuster Studios has proved that there’s life in the series yet.
Whether you’re a fan of Strider or a keen retro gamer who’s happiest when jumping into an obscure and hard-to-find title, Cannon Dancer – Osman is definitely worthy of your time and money. Thanks to its electrifying action and strong visual design, it’s a blast from the past that’s genuinely entertaining from beginning to end.
Overall, Curse of the Sea Rats is a perfectly playable metroidvania that feels rough around the edges. Mechanically it can feel a little unfair at times due to things like stiff animations and unfortunate enemy placements. And while its four protagonist set up is a neat touch, it can be a grind to upgrade skills if you do decide to change. Still, fans of the genre are likely to enjoy their time with it.
If you’ve got a creative streak and a taste for vengeance, Meet Your Maker will have you cackling, plotting and cursing well into the night. You’ll shun daylight, surrounded by an ever-growing field of 3D printed skulls, each representing in in-game kill. And at the end of the day, isn’t that what gaming’s all about?
Marfusha isn’t the most visually interesting game, and for some it might quickly become overly repetitive. There’s something about its simple gameplay that makes it strangely captivating though, tempting you to return to protect its border gates time and time again. With such a wide range of cards available, and multiple characters in Challenge Mode, no two runs are quite exactly the same, either. If you’re fan of shooters that you can dip in and out of, it’s well worth adding to your library.
With a fantastic art style that immediately charms you, and engaging gameplay that will keep you coming back time and time again, we love Wildfrost. It’s a very welcome entry into the roguelike card battler genre, offering challenging but fulfilling combat that we can’t get enough of. If you’re a fan of games like Slay the Spire, we urge you to try Wildfrost. You won’t be disappointed.
Dredge is one of those rare treasures: a game unlike anything else that completely captures your attention with its intriguing world and simple yet captivating gameplay. We could keep hunting for rare fish forever, and we only wish there were more secrets for us to uncover; new parts of the world for us to explore. But when our only complaint is “we want more of it”, it’s clear we have something rather special on our hands.
Is Peppa Pig: World Adventures better than Peppa’s first game? Yes and no. Its young fan base will undoubtedly lap up another opportunity to star alongside Peppa in their very own episode, and its character creator is better than ever by letting kids create their own families this time, too. There’s also way more content, and the worldwide locations are bound to delight and inspire. If your little one is a Peppa Pig fan, they will love it. But as adults, we simply wish there was more educational value here.
While this review may sound very negative, you can have some fun with The Dark Pictures Anthology: Switchback VR. The problem is, we just expected it to be better. While we didn’t find it scary at all, some might. We at least appreciated that a number of its scenarios put us under pressure. It’s perhaps apt that it puts you on a rollercoaster, as like a real rollercoaster ride it’s full of highs and lows, both technically and mechanically. At the end of the day, there are better on-rails shooters available on PSVR 2 already. And the unique elements on offer here just aren’t accomplished enough to draw us away from them.
For most players though, it’s the main meat of Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe – the platforming adventure – that will draw them in. It might not be the most revolutionary game – after all, the original is 12 years old – but it’s a charming platformer that’s as joyous as it always has been. And with the addition of Merry Magoland, this is a sizeable package with essentially endless replayability.
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty shares some elements with Team Ninja’s Nioh games, such as randomised loot and challenging combat, but ultimately it feels very much like its own game. It’s faster-paced, has a unique morale system, and pushes players to deflect enemy attacks in order to succeed. What lets it down ever so slightly is that some of these new features often feel poorly explained and a little underdeveloped. Otherwise, this is fresh take on the Soulslike formula.
Playing Company of Heroes 3 is a great experience if you like dynamic, tough, tactical RTS games that revolve around utilising the terrain to your advantage. But if you’re expecting a major evolution from the previous games in the series, you’ll likely come away disappointed. If you’re a fan of WWII strategy and somehow haven’t dived into the series yet, you’ll have a great time. But otherwise, you may as well stick with the original Company of Heroes.
Atomic Heart leaves a lot to be desired, but its unique setting, varied gameplay and often inventive enemies go a long way to keep you interested in your traipse through its ruined utopia. Just bear in mind that while it may look like a AAA game, it’s not; Mundfish has achieved a great deal here, but there are signs of corners being cut and a considerable lack of polish. And so, you might want to wait for a patch or two to sort out some of its unfortunate bugs and other blemishes, but you could do a lot worse than venture into the hostile world that Atomic Heart offers.
Was it really necessary to remake Like a Dragon: Ishin!? It’s questionable, but we’re glad it’s finally available in the west in some form. It’s not the best Like a Dragon game – in fact, it might come quite low in the pile – but a good time can be had with it nonetheless. Its world might not be all that attractive, and its story a slow-burner, but it has the usual charm and a bucketload of interesting activities to carry it.
If you’re not put off by its grave challenge that all too often feels unfair and its general rough-around-the-edges nature, you might have a good time with Wanted: Dead. Most, though, are likely to become disheartened and infuriated by it. It tries to do something new with the genre and we applaud it for that, but the execution isn’t quite there. We love its characters and its quirkiness, and even its mechanics, but they’re in a game that at the moment only sporadically feels fun to play. Hopefully Soleil can make some post-launch changes that point it further in the right direction.