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Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles is a pretty great first video game entry for the Demon Slayer series. While it’s exploration and roster is a little thin, it’s presentation of the story and it’s flashy, engaging combat had me addicted to both it’s main adventure and online modes. I’m interested to see how the game expands and is balanced over time with new fighters continuing to be added in post release updates, but most of all I’m interested to see what features and tweaks can be implemented in a sequel.
Jett: The Far Shore delivers a tranquil, discovery based sci-fi experience that allows you to feel what it may be like to colonise a brand new planet. Everything is new and you’re unaware what is friend or what is foe but the experience is all about gaining knowledge. While the game certainly has some flaws, and some quality of life improvements would be much appreciated, I still enjoyed uncovering the game’s twists and mysteries enhanced by Jett’s soothing soundtrack.
Alan Wake Remastered has not only enhanced the existing game, securing it as the best way to currently enjoy it, it’s also made the game accessible to a wider audience as it’s launching on the PS4 and PS5 for the first time. I’m a fan of well paced stories, filled with twists and turns and Alan Wake ticks all the boxes there, while also gripping you within a well developed yet unsettling world. I for one am hoping the recent rumours of Alan Wake 2 are all true as I can’t wait to experience more from this world and see what the talented folk at Remedy cook up next.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits is an incredible debut effort from the clearly talented team at Ember Lab. It’s stunningly gorgeous, has a great cast of characters, varied enemy types, has a well paced story all backed by an engaging soundtrack. It certainly has me excited to see what could be implemented into a future sequel if that’s what the team decides to do next, but regardless I’ll be there to check out what Ember Lab launches next.
Whether you’re an existing fan of Life Is Strange or a series newcomer, there’s a lot for you to love here within True Colors. The story is the strongest to date and my personal favourite of the franchise, and when backed by it’s stellar soundtrack, there are many moments that deliver such a powerful emotional punch. I thoroughly enjoyed my time adventuring through Haven Springs as Alex and I’m incredibly excited to see where the team at Deck Nine take the series next.
Overall, Deathloop is an absolute joy of a game. It’s 60’s aesthetic, combined with a fun and unique take of the time loop genre allows the game to be played in many different styles. If you’re a fan of time loops, or any of Arkane’s previous games, you’re going to have a blast with Deathloop. It certainly has me keen to see what we’ll get from the studios after Redfall, but in the meantime I’ll be jumping back in for a few more loops.
Tales of Arise is a notable step forward for the series, and it’s actually made me want to go back and investigate previous entries I’ll need to add to my gaming backlog. It’s full of fantastically written characters, a well developed world and drastically different biomes that assist in keeping everything visually interesting. I’ve had a great time with the game and can’t wait to see what’s next for these characters I’ve already fallen in love with.
Ultimately, the Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut is more of the same great game I already loved, and truthfully, it’s really all I wanted and expected. The Iki island itself provides a fresh environment to explore and spend time within and playing through the game on the PS5, I loved the added immersion the haptic feedback and adaptive triggers were able to provide. Whether you’ve played through the whole main game, or if you’ve never jumped into Ghost of Tsushima, there’s plenty new to love here and is undeniably the definitive way to now experience Ghost of Tsushima.
After playing through Hades, I can 100% agree that all of the praise and awards have been absolutely warranted. The game is a masterpiece when it comes to game design, with all of it’s systems existing so cohesively they create one hell of an addicting and insanely enjoyable experience. It’s rare that a game manages to tick all of the boxes, but with Hades’ incredible writing and cast of characters, rewarding systems, it’s music and the way that it provides a fresh take on the roguelite genre, it’s certainly done it for me. Hades is a rare masterpiece in gaming and I certainly can’t wait to see what the talented team at Supergiant cook up next.
Boyfriend Dungeon provides a unique genre bending twist on a traditional Dating-Sim. It provides a fun and varied dungeon crawling experience thanks to the diverse weapon types and is ultimately fuelled by player choice. I would have liked some additional dungeons to explore and for the character development to be more consistent overall. But if you’re a fan of either action based RPG’s or Dating-Sim games and looking for something you probably haven’t tried before, then Boyfriend Dungeon may be right up your alley.
I had a blast with The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles. Despite taking place in a new setting with a new cast of characters, it feels right at home with the rest of the titles in the Ace Attorney franchise when it comes to overall enjoyment and writing. I really enjoyed the flow of the cases presented across these 2 games. Wherever you choose to play it, you’ll undoubtedly have a great time with Ryonosuke and the new gang.
NEO: The World Ends With You was a long time coming but was a very worthwhile addition to expand on the existing world and characters created in the first game. Fans of the series will get a real kick out of the story, it’s characters and it’s callbacks, but I’m certain it’s style, presentation and music will bring in many new fans to experience their first Reaper’s Game too. I’m hoping it’s not another 14 years before we get to witness more from this series, but hey, even if this is all we get from TWEWY, I can end this experience very satisfied.
The Forgotten City is a narrative masterpiece. It had me engaged in the world and it’s characters right from the get go and maintained it throughout the whole game. It’s incredible that Modern Storyteller were able to create the game with a core team of 4 people. If this is the quality of a debut game, I’m extremely excited to see what the team at Modern Storyteller come out with next.
Ys IX: Monstrum Nox is another solid entry in the often underrated Ys franchise. It’s fantastic cast of characters will get you incredibly attached to the townspeople and their goals and motivations and the flashy, fast paced real-time combat keeps encounters engaging and chaotic. If you’re happy with a slight performance trade-off for portability, it’s a great addition to your Nintendo Switch library.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is a true showcase for the PlayStation 5 system. It’s visually gorgeous and it’s rift mechanic uses the hardware in amazing ways. I had a fantastic time in this latest adventure largely due to the great cast of characters, especially newcomers Rivet and Kit. I’m excited to see how the franchise goes forward in future adventures as Insomniac games have hit it out of the park again.
Village is an incredibly enjoyable experience and can easily be finished in a couple of sittings (or one big one) depending on how well you can handle scares and puzzle solving. It’s art direction, environment and puzzle design highlights the best the series has to offer and there’s also plenty of replayability options as you’ll undoubtedly find things on subsequent playthroughs you may have missed or not had the items to solve the first time through. And the mercenaries and upcoming RE:Verse mode give players plenty to do (and come back to) even after clearing the main story Village has on offer.
The thing that makes or breaks a live looter shooter is it’s ongoing support. I’m excited to see where Outrider’s endgame may go and what tweaks may be made to improve the game in the year’s to come. Outriders was a surprisingly solid looter-shooter and I haven’t been as addicted to a game of this type since the original Destiny launched back in 2014. Whether you play completely solo or with a group of friends, there’s a lot to keep you engaged and coming back to Outriders even though it does have some hurdles to overcome.
Bluepoint have further cemented themselves as the master of video game remakes with how well they’ve handled this ground up remake of Demon’s Souls. FromSoftware games are certainly not games everyone will enjoy, as they certainly come with immense challenge. But for those that enjoy great world building, incredible creature design and strategically analysing enemy attack patterns during combat, you’re going to have a blast. Bluepoint have done more than just remake an existing game, they’ve brought a classic game into the modern era and at the same time created a title that showcases the capabilities of ‘next-gen’.
I wasn’t sure we would be seeing Sackboy again after not seeing him in over 6 years, but I’m certainly glad he’s back and front and centre in this engaging platformer that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. I’m certainly keen for his next adventure, and really hope we don’t have to wait so long next time.
It’s no secret I’m a big fan of the Kingdom Hearts series, and I loved reliving the key events and iconic music tracks here in Melody of Memory. It’s a game that will be best enjoyed by people already familiar with the core story of the series and want a new way to enjoy something in the Kingdom Hearts universe. And does provide a slight glimpse into where the series may be headed next, although it’s surely to be many years before we get our hands on whatever that may be.