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Röki is a brilliant and emotional adventure that will appeal to all lovers of adventure games and well-told stories in general. The mature themes are handled in such a wonderfully appropriate way that it would make a perfect family game, and I loved the time I spent with Tove. Rather than a flatpack indentikit product, this is a game that has all the hallmarks of true artisanal craft and skill.
Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition brings Guerrilla Games' fantastic sci-fi adventure to a whole new audience, but PC players used to ultra-high frame rates will have to accept a step down in performance as they enjoy Aloy's journey.
Through its lengthy story, Resolutiion provides real moments of awe and beauty. From dark and dingy caves through to soaring heights at the peak of the monolithic buildings, the world is a sight to behold, it's just a shame that traversing it doesn't feel any where near as great as it looks. Resolutiion's snappy, visceral combat does help make that journey slightly more bearable, but you'll still likely end up wandering in circles trying to find the right path forward.
As a piece of gaming history the Darius Collections are spot on, recreating classic arcade and console games on modern hardware, but they are massively overpriced considering the content. Some games in the Arcade collection are either minor tweaks or ports of a previous versions, so you would have to be a die hard Darius fan to even consider purchasing both collections. The Console collection is by far the better choice due to the single screen design, but aficionados will then miss the classic arcade versions.
Lost Wing is a hugely enjoyable and exciting arcade mash-up of endless runner, roguelite, Wipeout and Tron. There's a bit too much grinding for content and the nauseating screen-rotating anomalies, but these are sufficiently offset by thrills of the rest of the game and a budget price point. It's a game that managed to make me both punch the air and slap my face in despair on a regular basis; how many video games can you say that about?
Hellbound has potential, and will surely find an audience for both its nostalgia and its challenge.
Creaks is a nice and inventive puzzle game from Amanita Design. A handful of frustrating puzzles do little to detract from the world's stand out visual design and inventive use of music as a guide through the adventure. If you enjoy puzzle games then Creaks is well worth a go.
Skater XL softens some of the more technical aspects of the sport, but empowers players with the ability to pull off stylish tricks with a swish of the analogue sticks. Even with a lack of content and polish, Skater XL stands on its own four wheels in a soon-to-be-crowded marketplace, providing players with an experience that prioritises fun over simulation.
A bright, bold, saliva-shooter, Spitlings will provide a healthy dose of entertainment for those playing alone, while the multiplayer turns it into a much wilder ride.
The Fairy Tail franchise and the JRPG genre are a perfect match, and this game perfectly captures the silly yet surprisingly intense charm of the original series. It's a shame that the game often puts so little effort into adapting major story scenes, but that sacrifice is outweighed by the abundance of fun little character interactions and vignettes that are sprinkled throughout the game. Fairy Tail lets you live in the world of Natsu and co. like no other anime game has done before, and any fan of the series is sure to crack a smile at this dedicated RPG experience.
Jump King is an excellent experience in soul-crushing difficulty and nightmarishly precise platforming. It's the type of game that won't be for many people, but for the small percent that craves this kind of experience, they won't be disappointed. The somewhat imprecise nature of your jumping often frustrated me and diluted the pure player skill needed to clear the game, but it still ends up being a solid test of your patience and platforming skills.
What Happens is an interesting and mostly successful addition to the growing field of games that focus on mental health issues. Most of what it sets out to do works well despite the glaring issues with polish and acting ability. There were moments which were more successful than others and it would benefit from making it clearer where alternative approaches were available. It is clear that Genius Slackers' ambition is greater than their abilities but I applaud the attempt to use gaming for such a vital and powerful message.
Megadimension Neptunia VII is a delightful and silly JRPG romp that is sure to keep you entertained. The wide cast of characters bounce off of each other perfectly, and even if you're a newcomer to the franchise you're sure to get invested in Neptune and her laid-back, lazy gamer attitude. It's just as fun to stroll through dungeons and dive into the layered combat of the game, as long as you remember to disable the framerate-killing visual effects in this Nintendo Switch port.
Othercide is an evocative and absorbing tactical roguelike, albeit one whose style occasionally gets in the way of the substance.
I often feel uncomfortable playing military shooters. Is it really morally acceptable for me to be having fun in a virtual playground that depicts a real life conflict in which thousands lost their lives? I don't know the answer, but thankfully Tannenberg never forces me to consider this ethical question. Tannenberg has some good ideas, but it's a slightly dull online FPS that never really gets going. As a budget multiplayer shooter there's some satisfaction to be had, but overall this is a far too limited and sluggish experience.
Maid of Sker is a great addition to the survival horror genre and offers a wonderfully intimate and local threat that takes its influences from Welsh folktales. Eschewing the combat and weaponry of many entries into the genre, its gameplay loop of sneaking and hiding proves compelling and successfully manages to keep you feeling in danger at all times. When you add in some excellent sound design and atmosphere you have a Victorian horror that deserves a rousing reception. There may not be a welcome in these valleys but this is one vacation that genre fans should have no reservations about taking.
In Death: Unchained is a good game, it's a hard game, and it even feels great when you're losing. A really solid little roguelike that's absorbing enough to make you forget that you're technically exercising while you play.
Destroy All Humans is a faithful remake that retains the charm of the 2005 original, while dramatically overhauling the visuals and making some improvements to the gameplay. Perhaps a bit too faithful, with missions that now feel too simple and limited to the point of just being a bit boring.
Turning the horror game genre on its head, Carrion is a gory delight for you rip and tear your way through.
Necrobarista is a game-changer for the visual novel genre, using slick cinematic visuals to tell its story. This is a sophisticated story full of delightful, three-dimensional characters that is perfectly complements by the groundbreaking presentation of the experience.