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Catherine Full Body really has gone from a love triangle to a love square. The introduction of Rin into the story hasn’t just been bolted on as an additional chapter, it’s been integrated into the whole Catherine experience. And by implementing new difficulty options, the game is now accessible for all types of players and combats the difficulty spikes of the original game. Saying that, there are still themes in the game that not everyone will be able to agree with and it is most certainly a mature game that deals with mature situations.
The original Ni No Kuni was one of my favourite JRPG titles of all time. So I was so glad to see it available again on modern systems looking better than ever. If you enjoy engaging, character driven JRPG’s or the worlds created by Studio Ghibli you’re going to love this.
I know people have been a little concerned with some of Kotaro Uchikoshi’s writing projects outside of the Zero Escape not living up to their expectations. But I can say without a doubt that Uchikoshi is back in top form here in AI: The Somnium Files. It’s a fantastic murder mystery title that will have you addicted from start to finish, and then diving back in to play the other routes. It certainly has me excited to see what he’s got in store for us in the upcoming Death March Club and the other future titles he’s involved in at Too Kyo games.
I had a great time with Concrete Genie, while it’s scale and length isn’t as large as other Sony titles, it offers a well paced story, enjoyable characters and ways to flex your creative side even if you have no real-world artistic skill. Those with PSVR headsets will also enjoy it’s first person painting modes that offer a place to peacefully create art. It has a few issues that can likely be fixed up in future patches but for the most part Concrete Genie is a really enjoyable ride and has me hoping to see more titles of this size and scale from Sony in the future.
The Outer Worlds is an RPG delight. Obsidian have honed what they’re great at and delivered a game with a gripping story, interesting universe and well developed characters. Even after completing the game, I still want to spend more time in The Outer Worlds and am hoping for further DLC or even a sequel in the future.
Resident Evil 3 utilises a lot of components from last year’s Resident Evil 2 but provides some new mechanics and fresh twists to the story to make it feel like it’s own thing. It’s a great third person horror experience that tells the story it wants to tell and doesn’t overstay it’s welcome. While I would have loved if the fear of the Nemesis was maintained for the whole experience and that the game strayed into the action shooter genre at times rather than the kind of horror experienced in Resident Evil 2 I still had a blast with the game and if you like zombie based horror games, I think you will too.
Röki certainly sits up there with some of the best point and click adventure games I’ve played thanks to its deep narrative, clever puzzle design and it’s eye catching and beautiful art style. As mentioned in the review, I think Röki will be a game that will be played and talked about for years to come. And with it soon to hit a number of other platforms, I’m excited to see more players get their hands on the game and to see what Polygon Treehouse will come out with next.
Sucker Punch have sent the PS4 off with a bang with Ghost of Tsushima. They’ve shown again they are the masters of open world and quest design, further pushing the things they nailed in the Infamous franchise to deliver a game that is just so fun and satisfying to play. With open world games being more prominent than ever, I can definitely see other developers adapting aspects in their game’s going forward when it comes to HUD’s and world design. Sucker Punch have proved again what they can do with Sony’s hardware and I truly hope it’s not another 5 years until we get to see what they’re cooking up for the PS5.
It was a long 22 year wait, but it has been worth it to finally get a true sequel to the Crash games of the past. It’s something I didn’t think we’d ever get, but I’m incredibly glad we did as Toys for Bob have nailed the look and feel of Crash Bandicoot. The fun is there, the challenge is definitely there and I hope it means positive things for the future of the Crash Bandicoot franchise in the coming years.
Whether you’re a Yakuza veteran or a newcomer to the series, there is a lot to love with Like A Dragon. It takes the series in a fresh new direction, tells an engaging story packed with quirky characters and has a fun and brave combat system. The overall presentation of the game is top notch, taking place in a vibrant and busy representation of Japan with a really solid English dub. The game does have some late game flaws that are certainly noticeable but if you’re wanting a new Yakuza game to check out, I whole heartedly recommend checking out Like A Dragon.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Overall, Guardians of the Galaxy was a fantastic surprise. I was sceptical going in but I was quickly blown away by the visual quality and art direction of the game, it’s great writing and its incredible soundtrack. Guardians of the Galaxy is another hit for Marvel Games and I can easily see it showing up on many game of the year lists at many outlets later this year.
Death’s Door absolutely deserves all of the praise I’ve been hearing about over the last few months. It’s a gorgeous game that has an interesting premise and is really well paced, allowing you to complete the main story in around 8 hours and not overstaying it’s welcome at any point. Now that it’s on more platforms than ever, you really have no reason not to check it out. Death’s Door can certainly stand alongside any of the biggest games of the year when it comes to overall fun and quality and will no doubt win plenty of awards as we head into awards season.
Sifu is a Kung-fu masterpiece that puts you right in the shoes of a martial arts master. Though you’ll have to put in the hard work to get there, it is a rewarding ride that comes with a real sense of accomplishment when you reach the end. It’s striking art style, fluid animation, brutal combat, combined with it’s unique death & rebirth mechanic comes together to create a game that is truly fun and rewarding to play.
Overall LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is not only a fantastic LEGO title, but a truly great and respectful take on the Star Wars stories. It provides hours upon hours of things to do, find and collect But above all, it’s incredible to explore many of the ships and planets we’ve come to love from the Star Wars franchise. Many of which are appearing in video game form for the first time. The sound design, puts you right into the Star Wars universe immediately from the time you boot it up. And just like LEGO, there’s plenty to love here for gamers of all ages.
It took almost 30 years to be able to experience Live A Live, but the wait was definitely worth it. Featuring a great, varied cast of characters and settings, the game is seemingly designed around keeping the player engaged by letting the chapters play out in the preference of the player. The remake with the HD2D technology has brought an already unique experience into the modern age, simultaneously paying homage to the era the game came from while also standing up to the most recent of JRPG titles. It an rpg well worth your time.