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A masterclass in narrative games design, A Plague Tale: Requiem is one of the most atmospheric and beautiful games you could ever wish to play. Amicia and Hugo's journey is powerful, evocative and downright disturbing and somehow manages to be greater than the original. Asobo Studio has crafted satisfying streamlined rat, light and stealth gameplay that perfectly serves the story it's trying to tell and only adds to the narrative intensity. A Game Of The Year contender for certain.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero is a truly special JRPG. Its focus on characters and worldbuilding set up a smaller, far more personal story. Its highly customisable skill system meant that combat never felt stale. I haven’t felt this way about a JRPG in a long time, and I cannot wait to catch up with Crossbell and its cast of characters again when the sequel launches in 2023. It’s not just one of my favourite games of 2022; it’s among my favourite games of all time.
Finding the quiet yet poignant moments among the personal human dramas unfolding aboard a flying hospital, Wayward Strand is a chilled out and beautiful game. The world itself progresses unabated even without your involvement which means each player will likely experience something different and unique to them. It has a few visual bugs but they do little to detract from this game’s strong narrative core.
This kart racer is for the Nickelodeon fans and families alike. It’s an approachable entry for newcomers as it has a lot of reimagined content from the first two games. It’s also accessible, with a low skill barrier for entry that admittedly can go surprisingly high for experienced players. There’s a lot of content to get through but you’ll have seen the best of it after a hours and it doesn’t stand out amongst its peers, outside of featuring a load of Nickelodeon IPs.
A creative adventure puzzle game that leans into what makes LEGO so great, LEGO Bricktales is a fun and imaginative title. The PS5 version is a little unstable right now, crashing often in certain areas, making it feel a few bricks short of completion. With a patch though, this could be the most creative LEGO game to date.
Acme Gamestudio has delivered an incredible debut with Asterigos: Curse of the Stars. If like me, you’ve been suffering from Souls-like burnout, this might be the game for you. It’s gorgeous to look at, constantly engaging and an absolute joy to play. Asterigos is not just one of the best indie games I’ve played this year, but one of the best, most complete games I’ve played in a long time, indie or otherwise. It’s an outstanding, honest-to-goodness adventure made with love, sincerity and attention to detail. It is incredible; play it.
Unusual Findings is bursting with pop culture references, visuals and sounds from the 80’s. The adventures of Vinnie, Nick and Tony has obviously been inspired by Stranger Things and that works for it. While it’s enjoyable overall, it lacks direction and logical signposting in some areas which can make it tedious.
What starts off a fun runner, Aerial_Knight’s Never Yield quickly devolves into a bland and repetitive experience. Whilst the colours are bright and the music loud, the lack of replayability or extra modes doesn’t leave it a leg to stand on.
Undetected is unapologetic in being a love-letter to the original Metal Gear Solid. It’s fan service in a fresh coat of paint and will bring up those fond memories from 24 years ago for those who enjoyed Kojima’s original PS1 vision. Simplistic gameplay and AI make this a lesser experience for those who aren’t fans, but for those who adore the series, it’ll remind you of just how good MGS1 truly was.
A deeply approachable and accessible kart racing game that'll be sure to entertain fans of the TV series, particularly the younger ones, Paw Patrol: Grand Prix makes great use of the characters and licence - but could have gone further. A neat little stocking filler this Christmas.
Let’s Sing ABBA is a very typical Let’s Sing title with precisely zero innovation or new features. Thankfully, it’s a game based on ABBA’s music, so the set list is to die for. If you’re so inclined, it’s an absolute must for your karaoke evenings.
A top-down adventure title that pays homage to the likes of Zelda and Illusion of Time, There Is No Light is an illuminating game that fits alongside them. A little rough around some edges, it nonetheless scratches that itch for retro enthusiasts and newcomers alike.
Splatter Zombiecalypse Now feels lost in time. It plays solidly enough but it lacks innovation and feels dated, surrounded by better games in the genre on Switch. If you look past the presentation and concentrate on the modes you can enjoy, it could make for a decent evening of entertainment.
While it’s a short, compact and competent point and click adventure at face value, The Plague Doctor of Wippra works best between the lines. A thinly veiled examination of the human condition during a health crisis, the game explores how little has really changed since the bubonic plague and the Middle Ages. If you like your adventures games to be deep rather than funny, this one is for you.
Being a step beyond inspiration and dated in its mechanics, Airoheart is an obtuse yet magical game to delve into. Pixel Heart Studio’s debut is great but often hindered by its imitation. Though the unique aspects are what kept me playing, I just wish there was more originality.
While some of the changes will be divisive, and the new Sector 8 content feels a little out of place, Q.U.B.E. 10th Anniversary is still an excellent celebration of a classic first person puzzler. Refreshing the visuals and tweaking the puzzles to remove frustrations, this is a great starting place for Q.U.B.E. newcomers and a pleasant jaunt down memory lane for long time players.
Let’s Build A Zoo is just as wonderful on console as it was on its initial release on PC. As with any building management simulator, some controls will never feel completely intuitive moving from mouse to controller, and Let’s Build A Zoo is no different, but only in minor areas. The Dinosaur Island DLC takes all the highlights from the base game and amplifies them in a fantastic addition to an already extremely enjoyable game.
This is most egregious and content light trophy bait clicker to hit the PS4 to date. Stroke The Dog is an abomination, preying upon trophy hunters and dog lovers with the cheapest of cheap asset flips. This is little more than a single stock image of a dog, some royalty-free music and, inexplicably, a cat sound effect. Easily the worst ‘game’ I’ve played in my lifetime, and I hesitate to call it a ‘game’ at all.
While the opening 30 minutes might convince you otherwise, The Fridge is Red is an uninspired walking simulator with little actual game to engage with. A cool retro art style and sense of atmosphere dissipate out of this open fridge into the ether of a bland, empty and lukewarm room. This fridge is sadly more grey than red.
A fantasy adventure with tough-but-fair combat, a well crafted story and a punchy pixel art aesthetic, No Place For Bravery is the next ‘must play’ game in the 2D/dungeon-crawler renaissance. While it’s still not perfect, the game is much more stable now that it has received a patch and despite a few spotty frame rates, this is an easy title to recommend.