GameSpew's Reviews
Put simply, there's nothing else quite like DOOM: The Dark Ages out there. It's both epic and essential.
When it released in 2006, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion was an excellent game. Nearly 20 years on, it's still good — but it's certainly showing its age. This remaster makes it look incredible given how old it is, but its antiquated gameplay and numerous bugs still exist.
Two Falls tells the stories of Jeanne, a French settler making her way to Quebec, and Maikan, a young hunter from the indigenous Innu community. While told separately, these stories intertwine and overlap in impactful ways, making for an enjoyable and emotive narrative that delves into an often-underrepresented part of Canadian history. What it lacks in gameplay, Two Falls more than makes up for in narrative and visuals.
Old Skies is a time-travelling point-and-click adventure with a compelling narrative that drags you in deeper with each questionable, time-altering decision. It's not short on heart, either, though you'll have to play to discover if protagonist Fia gets the ending she deserves.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is an astounding debut title from Sandfall Interactive. Its compelling and emotional narrative is backed up with one of the best turn-based combat systems around, even though it perhaps feels a bit too focused on you performing parries and dodges at times. Add in stunning visuals and a fantastic soundtrack, and you have a JRPG that's not to be missed.
Cute and colourful, the music-based puzzles of Tempopo are both challenging and chill, letting you tackle them entirely at your own pace. But with a bit of a disconnect between its childlike visuals and difficulty level, I'm just not entirely sure who Tempopo is for. And as fun as each level is when your solution all comes together, getting there can be a bit of a repetitive drag.
Unlike any other game you've played before, Blue Prince is something very special indeed. An exploration roguelike game filled with puzzles and intrigue, it's all about making your way around an ever-changing house in order to discover its secrets. This is a seriously clever game, and its layered puzzles and narrative will constantly surprise and delight you. You won't be able to pull yourself away until you've uncovered all the mysteries that Blue Prince holds.
If you loved Two Point Hospital or Campus, you're going to love Two Point Museum, too. This might be the best game in the series yet, allowing you to go wild in a series of weird and wonderful museums where you can display everything from dinosaur skeletons to actual ghosts. With the same humour, fun and ease of accessibility we've come to expect from the Two Point team, this is another smash hit.
Not only does Monster Hunter Wilds introduce meaningful new mechanics and features that improve the already stellar core gameplay, it presents players with an assortment of new and interesting monsters to do battle against. And thanks to its changeable environments, it feels more dynamic than ever. Without a doubt, this is the best entry in the series yet, and an early contender for 2025's Game of the Year.
It's Goro Majima's time to shine, and shine he does in Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. This ridiculous adventure has the typical Like a Dragon gameplay you've come to expect, as well as fast-paced real-time combat that's more electrifying than ever. Add in being able to sail across numerous maps, engaging in naval battles and disembarking to plunder legendary treasures, and you have the most varied entry in the series yet.
Dawnfolk is a brilliant simplification of the city-building genre with satisfying, short scenarios to play through without skimping on difficulty.
As a sequel, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 doesn't reinvent the wheel. It does improve on the formula of the original game in various ways, however, and features a story with more impactful choices. Only some troublesome stealth sections and the odd bug bring it down a little, but it's still a fantastic experience overall.
Despite its title, the focus of Spirit Swap: Lofi Beats to Match-3 To is not on its puzzles but on its visual novel elements, telling a queer story of friendship (and romance). When you do get to the match-3 sections, though, you'll find wonderfully-designed and engaging puzzles that are as challenging as they are moreish.
Never has putting a family tree together been so much fun. I couldn't put down The Roottrees are Dead once I started playing it, leaving me feeling like a true detective, searching web pages, library archives and more to piece together this intriguing family's history. This is a must-play for any puzzle fan.
It's short, but Threshold will capture your attention straight from the off and keep you gripped until you reach one of its multiple conclusions. It can be repetitive at times, but the desire to unravel its mysteries will undoubtedly pull you through.
Available on their own or as a double feature, RetroRealms: Ash vs Evil Dead and RetroRealms: Halloween both provide fun old-school platforming experiences reminiscent of classic Castlevania titles. There are some unique mechanics and features, however, such as being able to switch between realms and using playable characters in any RetroRealms games that you own.
Transformers: Galactic Trials is one of those games that has some good ideas but fails to execute them successfully. While the racing action is basic but fun, its on-foot sections are terrible, and there are other issues, too. And so, while it looks fairly nice, has plenty of unlockables and its roguelike elements add some variety between runs, it's ultimately impossible to recommend.
Bloober Team has achieved what some thought was impossible: it has taken the horror classic Silent Hill 2 and made it even better. This is a phenomenal remake that remains faithful to the original while adding new content and features that elevate the overall experience. It's a must-play for horror fans; a truly terrifying journey with an unforgettable story and plenty of replayability.
An open world sandbox that lets you run free around Bikini Bottom, there's plenty of fun to be had in SpongeBob SquarePants: The Patrick Star Game. It's packed with minigames and activities, but it's just a shame the whole experience feels rather rough.
It takes a little while to warm to, but once you've got the hang of controlling your bike in Parcel Corps the fun quickly ramps up. Getting companies signed up to your delivery app and mastering each location is an enjoyable endeavour, and delivery rush events feel a bit like a mix between Crazy Taxi and Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX, which can only be a good thing.