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The simplistic combat, lack of enemy variety and clunky platforming make it hard to recommend for anyone aside from nostalgic fans of the series.
Dice Legacy brings a refreshing and challenging strategy format to the table. The dice mechanics will force you to think on your feet and adapt your strategy along the way, making Dice Legacy’s core gameplay more energetic and dynamic compared to other titles in the genre. While this gameplay format comes with a level of unpredictability which may not be for everyone, it dishes up classic strategy format with a unique twist. For newcomers, Dice Legacy may take a little while to crack, but for gamers with a soft spot for strategy, it’s worth every minute of your time.
Lost in Random depicts a stunningly unique and eccentric world filled to the brim with character and personality. The Tim-Burton visuals and the kooky cast of characters you’ll meet in each distinctively different region means there’s never a dull moment to this journey. Clever strategy card elements help to mask the game’s rather unremarkable real-time combat, with some control issues that hurt the overall experience. Yet despite its flaws, Lost in Random still brings the goods and had me engaged from unlucky start to triumphantly random end.
The Artful Escape is a story about legacies, finding yourself, change and transition that presents itself in such an ingenious way that all can absolutely enjoy it. Gliding across the cosmos, playing electric guitar in unknown lands, and eventually vanquishing a divine complication with intricate audio design and superb music to accompany – it’s perplexing how captivating this interstellar adventure is. Inviting players on a musical journey through cosmic realms and challenging introspection, The Artful Escape is a masterpiece.
While Tales of Arise isn’t perfect by any means, it is a meaty, colourful, and engaging game that I think should be on any self-respecting JRPG fans must-play list. Mastering the action combat is a thrilling and rewarding experience, as is the satisfaction of finding rare materials to craft with or taking down massive beasts for big rewards. The overarching plot is richly detailed, filled with twists and turns that will keep you interested, all while embarking on the journey with a party of well-realised characters. With some minor flaws found in the game’s competing visual styles, graphical options, and side quest content, I think there are more than enough positives to be found that Tales of Arise could easily end up being one of the best RPGs released this year.
While the original game remains a touchstone for me, Life is Strange: True Colors is the best iteration the series has seen yet. The narrative adventure also betters the diversity the franchise is already beloved for, providing an exceptional hero in an authentic, badass Asian-American woman that can be LGBTQ+ (should they so choose it). Filled to the brim with narrative and character twists at every turn, this is a game that made me laugh, cry and fall in love. With moments that hit like a bullet train, Life is Strange: True Colors is a must-play. Jump on in and feel all the feelings, friends. You’ll be glad you did.
There’s a lot of potential to Monster Harvest, but it falls short on delivering a farming sim game that comes close to rivalling others in the genre. Hopefully, with time, Monster Harvest continues to grow, but until then it feels like it’s missing what makes the hard work worthwhile. Honestly, this feels like an Early Access title that still needs more time before it’s ready for full release. It seems the phrase ‘third time’s the charm’ does not apply to game delays.
Golf Club: Wasteland is a rather standard golf game bolstered by an experimental narrative approach. This iteration is, have no doubt, an improvement on the niche ideas therein, and for that, I applaud the developers. However, good as these ideas are, they suffer from feeling incompatible with each other. Everything is OK, with the distinct sting of feeling like they could have been great, given the right conditions.
Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous is certainly a worthy successor to Pathfinder: Kingmaker. With its highly varied moral choices, a tremendous number of race and class options, as well as the Mythic Path feature, players will have a ton to dig into. That said, the addition of turn-based crusade battles where you lead armies across the land doesn’t quite land as well, feeling sluggish and lacking many of the tactical nuances of the main combat mode. In all, however, despite the experience not being the most polished, Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous is a deep, challenging and highly enjoyable title that is an easy recommend for fans of RPGs.
Sonic Colours: Ultimate serves as a sad reminder that even the 3D Sonic games that are ‘one of the good ones’ don’t hold up very well. The updated visuals, soundtrack, and gameplay tweaks at least make it a better experience than the original, and some quality of life upgrades make the worst parts marginally less painful. Sonic fans nostalgic for this game will likely still value having this remaster in their collection, but the new customisable options and Rival Rush Mode are simply not enough to make up for what Sonic Colours lacks.
Song of Iron is a short and sweet Nordic adventure that tells a simple story which ends up much deeper than it first seems. With a range of gorgeous environments to explore and relatively satisfying combat, it only occasionally frustrates with some tricky boss fights and clunky movement resulting in some platforming pitfalls. Still, these grievances don’t last long, as I found the world created by Resting Relic to be a stunning one to explore and very thoughtful in its style and presentation. Mostly, I’m just astonished with how great it is that a solo developer is capable of creating this wonderful little journey, and I can’t wait to see what comes next.
Hoa is one of the only games I’ve recently played where my 70-year-old, non-gamer dad felt comfortable enough to play. It’s because of its simplicity and how approachable it is that makes Hoa the kind of game that anyone can enjoy and feel the calmness wash over them. The platforming can be a little clunky and the game may not challenge seasoned gamers. Although Hoa definitely brings the wholesome content we need right now – a simple story about a little fairy that just wants peace in this crazy world we live in.
I had a great time with No More Heroes III. The story, wacky characters, and stylish action all had me begging for more, but the open-world sections, graphical and performance issues and the constant on-screen effects do wear thin after lengthy play sessions and let the otherwise fantastic experience down. The game is an incredibly unique experience that is jam-packed with funny, strange moments that make it truly stand out from the crowd, and the solid combat and zany narrative elevates it to an adventure that is well worth playing. If you like your action games with a healthy dose of balls-to-the-wall weirdness, this one’s for you.
King’s Bounty II has all the ingredients of a great strategy game but is held back by a counterintuitive UI and generic story elements. While the overworld offers a beautiful open environment to explore, often there’s not enough there to hold your attention as a player, and you’ll find yourself wandering around aimlessly. Added to this is that your character’s travel is particularly slow, the game has a sleepy pace at times that holds the overall experience back. While its strategy battles feature some interesting ideal mechanics that might appeal to die-hard fans of the franchise, if you’re looking for a broad roleplaying strategy experience, King’s Bounty II might not be the best fit for you.
Aliens: Fireteam Elite is a valiant third-person shooter in the titular universe, yet still falls somewhat short. As a bite-sized, mindless action game on the surface, blasting away hordes upon hordes of xenomorphs with the M41A Pulse Rifle is excellent. Trying different classes, abilities, and unlockable weapons help keep gameplay refreshing during your first run. However, Fireteam Elite wants to be replayable and what’s on offer simply isn’t that fun to return to. Formulaic level design and often buggy AI make finishing missions a chore rather than a triumph. Series fans will enjoy the package, but Aliens: Fireteam Elite may struggle to survive against other co-op shooters. “Another glorious day in the Corps…” but not much longer than that.
Psychonauts 2 is absolutely fizzing with ideas in gameplay, story, and presentation. Its story is emotional, its characters are hilarious, its worlds are huge and imaginative, plus I had a fun time actually playing the dang thing. Apart from some minor issues with the optional dialogue, it’s clear Double Fine went all out developing this title. Nothing feels rushed, nothing feels unfinished, and nothing feels like padding. This is a fabulously well-made game, and a perfect game for lockdown. If you’re looking for some extra joy from your video games, you need to play Psychonauts 2. If you’re a fan of the original, I suspect you’ll like it even more.
Twelve Minutes is a game of dualities. It is very economic in how it presents itself. The focus is tight on three characters, in a small apartment that houses the few instruments of change at your disposal. This allows each little detail to have a nauseating amount of depth to it, including the fantastic performances of the characters and their backstories. The downside to this is that it can lead players astray, due to the limitless possibilities and comparatively limited guidance. Regardless, Twelve Minutes is a tidy and reasonably well-told pressure-cooker drama with few divots, provided you can follow the path.
Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut is a stunning upgrade to an already excellent title, and brings forth some fantastic updates to the PS5 version of the game that enhance, deepen, and expand the gameplay experience. Other than the very minor complaint of some dark visuals, there is a whole lot to love on offer here, and I was delighted to have another reason to join Jin on a new, exciting adventure in feudal Japan. Ghost of Tsushima was already a must-play title, and with the Director’s Cut here there really is no excuse to not experience one of the greatest new IPs PlayStation has to offer.
Humankind is immediately accessible to anybody familiar with the 4X genre, especially the Civilization series. It strays a little too close to Civilization at times, but its unique take on the advancement of culture and ideology prevents it from feeling like a copycat. The way your culture changes between eras means that no two games will ever be the same, no matter how much you try. It’s not quite as masterful as it could be and needs some fine-tuning in some areas, but it remains a solid addition to Amplitude’s library of strategy games.
Boyfriend Dungeon is a good dating sim held back to being something truly great by its curious choices and lite dungeon-crawler elements. While you may not get the deepest rogue-like experience in-game, you will be satisfied by some of the intense, hot (and maybe even cute) relationships on offer. Just tread careful ground if you’re sensitive to some of the themes that the game is exploring. Regardless, some good and disposable fun can be had smashing some monsters and pashing some cuties. Delve on.