Screen Rant
HomepageScreen Rant's Reviews
Hindsight is a poor game on a promising foundation
For such a visually boisterous experience, The Artful Escape feels more like a chilly museum after closing hours.
Residual is great for a quick survival experience, with less in-depth gameplay than other survival titles. Those who like Minecraft's Vanilla mode will likely enjoy the unique worlds, goal-oriented exploration, and resources collection. However, gamers looking for a complex survival experience like Terraria or Valheim may find the lack of standard survival mechanics frustrating and limiting while exploring.
Bloober Team meshes all of these elements together to draw players further into The Medium's world than the Xbox/PC versions were capable of, elevating an already enjoyable experience to new heights. It stands to reason that the PS5 version of The Medium is the ideal way to experience Marianne's dual-reality adventures, and PlayStation 5 owners that enjoy horror games should definitely check the game out.
Beyond Mankind: The Awakening has few redeeming qualities. The story is nothing new, the gameplay has pacing issues, and the presentation is generations out of date. There are plenty of indie games out there that showcase innovative gameplay and moving storytelling for a relatively small fee, and with the bar that high, Beyond Mankind: The Awakening fails to even make the jump to try to meet it.
Sonic Colors was already a great game when it was released on the Wii and Sonic Colors: Ultimate doesn't detract from the original experience, barring the aforementioned issues with the Switch port. The new content is underwhelming, but the whole package still stands up and it upholds the game's reputation as one of the best 3D entries in the series.
King's Bounty 2 had the potential to be something special in the tactical RPG genre but ultimately falls flat. It's especially disappointing because the idea of combining third-person exploration with hex-based strategic combat isn't incredibly common, and it's clear there was an excellent idea buried in the game somewhere for what the world of Nostria could've been. Unfortunately, that vision didn't quite pan out, leaving King's Bounty 2 a bland, dull slog instead of a deep fantasy.
Despite the need for quality-of-life improvements, Kitaria Fables will likely appeal to fans of the RPG genre for its cute story, engaging graphics, and diverse mechanics. However, fans of farming simulation titles may want to wait until patches have been implemented to make the feature more beneficial to the overall gameplay.
Overall, Lake tells a beautiful story, has nuanced and interesting characters, and has an environment that feels comforting and inviting. What detracts from the experience is, unfortunately, the game's tedious tasks and slow pace. This combination makes it hard to leave the experience with a clear opinion about the time spent in Providence Oaks, but what is clear is that Lake will absolutely satisfy players who feel like they need to escape and spend some time taking it slow and easy.
Wrath of the Righteous feels like playing an epic tabletop campaign. Owlcat Games did a fantastic job of adapting the Wrath of the Righteous Pathfinder campaign into a video game. The more focused story, streamlined gameplay, and epic scope make it a better entry point to the series than Kingmaker. There's an excellent game buried under its many technical faults, but those going in need to be aware that they'll have to endure a lot of annoying bugs and glitches on their quest.
WRC 10 is an extremely fun game with a few caveats around the amount of changed content from last year's entry. It's not a must-buy for those who own WRC 9 unless they are a rally fan desperate for the new stages for the 2021 season or the updated liveries, as the anniversary additions are the only major update from last year. However, whose who don't own WRC 9 but who are interested in rally racing will see this as the most comprehensive official WRC game to date, with lots to enjoy and plenty of hours' worth of entertainment to be found across its various modes.
Ultimately, Big Rumble Boxing: Creed Champions has the same depth as one of Capcom's arcade home port from decades ago, and no amount of Survivor music, Rocky quotes, or arcade gameplay can distract from how little there is to do. For big fans of the films, Creed Champions might just be worth a pickup for the arcade mode's absurd spins on Rocky lore, but anyone else will have to really consider their options before getting into the ring.
Much more than just a flashy upgrade and the inclusion of mythical units, Mythos breathes new life into A Total War Saga: Troy, giving it the opportunity to reach out to players who may have been put off by the historical tint and narrower focus of the base game. Here monsters and legends serve to make battles more interesting, campaigns more dynamic, and of course, war more fun. Leading Ajax in a duel against Hector while Gryphons battle Hydra is modern Total War at its best.
Overall The Big Con is a charming little slice of nineties nostalgia. It's propelled by its strong writing and world-building, a deep understanding of the era it is referencing, and some fantastic characters, and it's certainly a road trip players will enjoy taking. Although its gameplay is limited and there are some technical issues, it's an earnest and compelling journey.
To top it off, there are still some annoying bugs like the odd flying boat, items falling through the world, and rarely, crashes. Players who loved Maneater will surely find more to appreciate in Truth Quest, but it doesn't do enough to truly expand on what made Maneater so memorable in the first place. The DLC is an obvious choice for those who simply want more of the world of the base game, but anyone looking for some major leaps in either the gameplay loop or its iterations will be left a little wanting.
As such Rustler is not quite the retro callback to early sandbox games that players may have hoped for. It's an enjoyable fun diversion for a little sharp burst of low brow humor, but in the long term it's unlikely to keep players engaged. Combined with a wide variety of technical issues, Rustler feels like something of a missed opportunity.
Outside of these small grievances, Splitgate is a masterclass in how to evoke new thrills from the arena shooter genre. Making portals a key component of gameplay evolves the way multiplayer shooters typically play out, and the classic gunplay and expertly crafted maps add together to create an incredible experience. Splitgate is a winner for 1047 Games, and should be at the top of the must-play list for FPS fans who've yet to try it out.
Overall, Clid the Snail is a beautiful game with tons of personality and a world that begs to be explored, but the combat and gameplay is so frustrating that it makes doing so a huge a chore. The good news is that it only takes a patch or two to fix the weapon damage and rolling issues if they're viewed by many as a source of frustration rather than challenging, fair combat. While it's not the best experience right now, players should absolutely follow its post-launch development, because Clid the Snail oozes, like so many of its menagerie, with the kind of potential that could make it an excellent entry into its genre with some meaningful tweaks.
From Ori and the Blind Forest’s difficulty to Limbo’s puzzles and aesthetic, Unbound displays its inspirations with aplomb. On top of the innovative gameplay mechanics, the game’s art style, monster designs, and narrative are all fantastic. For fans of puzzle-platforming or gorgeous narrative aesthetic, Unbound: Worlds Apart shouldn't be missed.
Travis is back on top.