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I don’t like the idea of criticising a game so heavily, but Quantum Error is boring to play and has a lot of technical issues that need fixing. It’s clear that the small development team put a lot of heart into the game (and there are moments where it can shine), but a blend of over-ambition, poor design choices, and a lack of polish severely hold it back. There are some interesting ideas on show (especially with the firefighting) and the experience will be a lot more tolerable if the technical issues are fixed, but Quantum Error just isn’t a good game. Hopefully, TeamKill Media can take some lessons from it, rein in the ambition, and lean on the game’s strengths for future entries in this planned trilogy. But as it stands? It’s a tough title to recommend.
Greyhill Incident has an interesting concept, but its poorly executed gameplay mechanics can make for a tedious and dull experience. The lack of signposting can make exploration a chore, whilst the frustrating stealth mechanics and aggressive enemy AI can make encounters with the aliens a real pain – especially with your low stamina that makes it hard to get away. There are things I liked about the game and the story is cool (in that ‘so bad it’s good’ kinda way), but it’s really hard to recommend Greyhill Incident. Refugium Games are working on some patches to improve the experience which is good to see, but as it stands? You’ll probably want to steer clear of this alien invasion.
I was looking forward to playing Akiba’s Trip: Hellbound & Debriefed, but it’s just a bit too clunky and dated in design to really enjoy. I was a fan of the narrative and how weird it gets, but everything else about the game just felt unsatisfying and not a lot of fun to play. With the awkward combat, poor visuals, and technical issues, it really is difficult to recommend the game. To Akiba’s Trip: Hellbound & Debriefed’s defence, it did start life as a PSP game. However, with so many better remastered titles releasing these days, there’s no excuse for it not to have made some refinements to make the game more fun to play. It’s certainly not the worst game I’ve ever played, but it’s hard not to see Akiba’s Trip: Hellbound & Debriefed as anything other than a disappointment.
I was intrigued about the idea of mixing up survival-horror elements with point-and-click gameplay, but everything about Kwaidan: Azuma Manor Story is executed in a clunky and unenjoyable manner. It does have its good points, with the puzzling pretty clever and the combat decent, but everything else about the game is just awkward and incredibly dated in design. Kwaidan: Azuma Manor Story isn’t the worst game I’ve ever played, but it’s certainly one that I wouldn’t recommend – even to those who are looking for a 90s-inspired adventuring fix.
The core mechanics of This is the Zodiac Speaking and the mystery that it offers are intriguing, but the ugly visuals make it extremely difficult to recommend on the Nintendo Switch. I can’t deny that actually enjoyed investigating the case and seeing how it affects Robert does add a neat personal touch to proceedings, but the fact that it has such a blurry resolution, dark environments that are difficult to make out, and terrible pop-in that springs objects into your viewpoint from out of nowhere just soured the whole experience for me. This is the Zodiac Speaking is certainly playable on the Nintendo Switch and in fairness it does have its moments where even the graphics are passable (even if they are few and far between) – if you really want to enjoy the clever concept of the game though, I’d implore you to try it on a platform where the awful visuals won’t ruin the experience for you.
Connection Haunted has a very unique and neat psychological-horror concept, but the boring gameplay mechanics just leave the game feeling a bit tedious and dull to play. It’s not broken and the narrative is intriguing, but you can probably expect to find your interest in this horror title waning pretty quickly.
Whilst the potential is there for ARK Park to be a remarkable virtual reality experience, it instead falters thanks to a poor control scheme, blurry visuals, and underwhelming gameplay mechanics. I can’t help but to feel that if the developers focused more on fleshing out the exploration mechanics they could’ve had something special, but instead gamers are simply given a small selection of areas that grow old fast and some incredibly lacking shooting mechanics that offer nothing fresh outside of the dinosaur foes. It’s disappointing. Add to that the high price and it becomes increasing difficult to recommend giving ARK Park a purchase. It isn’t the worst game you’re going to play on the PlayStation VR and it does have its moments where it can shine, but it’s difficult to describe it as anything other than very disappointing.
I have to be clear and say that Unearthing Mars isn’t a bad game, but it certainly isn’t the most engaging of titles you’ll find on Playstation VR. The premise is intriguing though and some aspects of the gameplay are fun; it’s just lacking depth in almost all facets of design. It’s a hell of a lot better than ‘The Martian VR’, but those looking to take an epic expedition to Mars might not find what they’re looking for with Unearthing Mars.
Micro Machines: Mini Challenge Mayhem lacks the excitement and creativity seen in its forebearers, with its slot car-style racing missing that special buzz that the series is known for. When I think of Micro Machines, I think of quick-paced racing action where I’m jostling with rival racers across imaginative miniature tracks full of hazards and real-world objects – unfortunately, this is nothing like that, with it instead feeling dull with its simplified approach to driving. It isn’t a complete disaster and it’ll definitely appeal to some players (especially youngsters who are unfamiliar with gaming), whilst the track builder is especially cool to use in mixed reality. Overall, though? It’s hard not to be disappointed in this underwhelming virtual reality revival of a classic racing series.
Testament: The Order of High Human is just a bit dull, with the game’s combat and puzzling proving repetitive and uninspired throughout. Nothing about the game is awful, but it was rare that I found myself buzzing when facing a challenging encounter or satisfied after solving a drawn-out enigma. It’s just all a bit meh, with nothing about the game feeling interesting enough to make it stand out when compared to all of the other (and far better) first-person fantasy adventures out there.
Wanted: Dead has some cool ideas on show, but some dull combat mechanics and repetitive gameplay leave it feeling a bit rough to play. I wouldn’t say anything is outright bad in the game and it does have its cool moments, but they’re few and far between when compared to the more monotonous aspects of the experience.
Blightbound is a game that seemed to offer everything that I wanted with its stylish multiplayer dungeon-crawling adventure, but I just didn’t have much fun playing it. It’s a shame too, because it’s clear that a lot of love and effort has gone into making the game; it just didn’t come through in the final product. It’s never nice to slate a game and there’s no doubting that Blightbound has its strengths (there were occasions where everything flowed and I had a really good time), but it really is hard to recommend right now. With some fixes, refinements, and game balancing here and there, there’s the potential for it to be a fun little game – especially since the core mechanics of battling and exploration are pretty neat. As it stands though, there are much better co-op titles and much better dungeon-crawlers out there to play, with Blightbound proving a little too flawed to fully enjoy.
Whilst Necromunda: Hired Gun has the potential to be a decent game, some technical issues and lacking design choices see it fall short of the mark. It’s a shame too, because it has some real stand-out moments that were a lot of fun to play through; they were just hindered by a sketchy frame rate and some shooting mechanics that were inconsistent and lacked bite. I’d be interested to come back to the game again when all of the problems are fixed because it’s clear that it has potential. As it stands though, it’s pretty difficult to recommend playing Necromunda: Hired Gun on the PlayStation 5.
Cooking Simulator is a bit of a mess on the Nintendo Switch, with the sketchy visuals and awkward controls making the simplest of tasks feel unnecessarily complicated. It’s something that’s made all the more frustrating given how unforgiving the difficulty of the experience can actually be, with cooking demanding precision and quick reactions if you’re going to be successful. It’s a shame too because I actually liked the gameplay. Sure, it could be a bit tricky in places and there are a few glitches that kick in here and there, but the process of cooking and running the kitchen was actually pretty rewarding. It’s disappointing then that everything else in the game felt so short of the mark, with Cooking Simulator feeling more like a Hell’s Kitchen calamity that a Masterchef delight.
Theseus isn’t necessarily a bad game, but it’s far from being an exciting one. It goes a long way in proving that third person adventures can work in virtual reality and it’s definitely got me excited to see what might come in the future, but the simple linear gameplay offered here just didn’t do enough to really engage me. There’s no denying it’s atmospheric and looks great, but unfortunately Theseus is a clear case of style over substance.
Extinction is an underwhelming experience that, despite having a great concept, simply feels far too repetitive in design. Add to that a range of minor frustrations, and you’ll find that your time with the game won’t always be an enjoyable one. There’s no doubting that it does have its moments where it shines, with some of the initial encounters against the Ravenii proving to be exciting and action-packed affairs. One you’ve seen it once though, doing the same thing over and over again across the same old environments hardly makes for a thrilling gameplay experience.
Postal Redux lives up to its reputation of ultra-violence, but its dated gameplay mechanics means it’s not always all that fun to play. I’ll admit that it certainly isn’t an awful game and the revamped visuals and controls go a long way in modernising the experience for new players, but outside of the initial shock value there’s nothing about the game that’ll keep you hooked in for hours on end.
Arto is a simply mesmerising game to look at, but the combat and narrative lack the excitement to make it an easy game to recommend. It’s not that anything is bad at all, but rather that it’s all a bit… well… boring. Some of the technical issues didn’t help either, with it clear the game could have done with a little bit more work to fix some of its more obvious problems. I don’t want to slate the game too much because, as I said, it’s clear it has a lot of heart, and I really loved seeing its explosions of colour as I uncovered the world. It’s just a shame that I didn’t enjoy playing it all that much. With a few updates and patches, it could definitely be a better experience, but as it stands? There are too many better games out there that deserve your attention more.
Clash: Artifacts of Chaos looks stunning and has some interesting ideas, but the uninteresting combat and obtuse gameplay left me bored when playing. It’s a shame because the world design is wonderful and I found myself invested in the storytelling, but I just couldn’t get on with the core mechanics of the game. Is it a bad game? I wouldn’t say so and there was nothing broken about it, but it is one that feels like it targets a specific audience. Clash: Artifacts of Chaos definitely wasn’t for me, but if you enjoy challenging experiences, slower paced combat, and have a LOT of patience, it might be worth taking a look at.
The Longing is a real test of patience thanks to its slow sense of progression, but there’s no doubting that it offers a unique and intriguing experience. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy some of my time with the game, with the clever time-based puzzling and the mysteries of the world certainly keeping me invested in Shade’s long wait. However, it didn’t take long for that appeal to wear thin. I didn’t have the patience to fully appreciate The Longing for the long term, but instead find myself waiting for those four-hundred days to be up just to see how it ends. I completely appreciate what the developer was trying to do here, but it just wasn’t for me. I didn’t hate the game or think that it was necessarily bad… I just struggled with the amount of time it takes to do anything. But hey, who knows, The Longing could be the perfect game for you. There’s nothing quite like it out there and it deserves praise for that. Just bring some form of extra entertainment with you if you’re planning out a long trek in the game… you’ll need it.