GameOnAUS's Reviews
I really enjoyed my time playing Nine Witches: Family Disruption. The element of switching between Krakovitz’s astral perception mode and the shooting elements with Kagasawa were great additions to this style of adventure game. The puzzles were relatively logical to work out and the journal was a good feature if you do get stuck. I really enjoyed the balance of humour in the game, though I can see it wearing thin for others.
With some more time ageing this could have been a cult hit, but right now playing Empire of Sin is an offer you probably should refuse.
The story is compelling enough to keep players engaged, the humour is well-pitched, and overall Immortals Fenyx Rising is a solid and enjoyable game for an oft-overlooked audience. While it’s not likely to top any Game Of The Year lists, it doesn’t have to, and as a gaming parent I’m glad to see age-appropriate adventures making an appearance for younger gamers to enjoy too.
I did enjoy playing Welcome to Elk and I’m glad I made it through the whole game. By the end I really felt for the main characters and their stories depicted, even more so for the real life people who tell the stories. The ending was a nice warm way to round out the whole experience.
Bridge Constructor: The Walking Dead is an awesome addition to the Bridge Constructor series given the added feeling of survival in The Walking Dead universe.
I enjoyed Shut In and whilst it was pretty dark and brutal in parts, it was balanced with challenging puzzles and good humour. I managed to complete the game in 1 hour 11 minutes but it’s a game worth experiencing if you like puzzle games. It’s also a fascinating glimpse for me into mental struggles of life in lockdown that many around the world have no doubt experienced or even still going through.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is a tour-de-force of epic proportions and an absolute must-play, get-it-as-soon as it launches experience. It’s an incredible showcase for the Xbox Series X as well as a Game Of The Year contender.
More of the same is not necessarily a bad thing, and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales is a perfect example.
Space Crew is fantastic and insanely good fun, but also can be quite punishing. Whilst some of the missions were challenging, it drove you to do better each time, and with missions that only last about 15-20 minutes, it’s a great game to play in short bursts. Gameplay is super smooth with excellent sounds and space visuals, particularly in missions with asteroid fields.
With an appeal that goes beyond nostalgia, Age of Empires III Definitive Edition is both an excellent remaster and still a great game in its own right, and is up there alongside the Command & Conquer: Complete Collection as a masterclass in remastering a classic game.
Partisans 1941 is a very well designed and executed tactics and stealth game; arguably one of my favourites. The addition of encampment and troop management between missions is a great way to break up the sometimes intense combat missions. I really enjoyed this look into the Partisans fighting along the eastern front, a story which I was not too familiar with. Fictitious or not, it was a fascinating insight into the mindset of being a guerilla force in those testing times.
Re:Turn – One Way Trip is a great 2D side scrolling adventure with excellent tension-building music and a well-written spooky story that drives you forward. There are times where the back and forth to solve puzzles gets a bit tedious, but the story elements justify the player’s efforts. The pixel art softens the horror jump scares somewhat, so don’t be turned off if horror games aren’t your thing as this game is worth a play through.
If you’ve played any of the Serious Sam games, you’ll likely remember they never were outstanding in the graphics department, mainly due to having so many monsters to fight on screen at once. Whilst some of the character animations weren’t the best, some of the level environments were amazing. We had a great time playing Serious Sam 4 co-op slaying hordes of monsters with lots of laughs at the hilarious and perfectly-timed one-liners.
The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet of Chaos is a fantastic tactical RPG, made better with outstanding voice acting and hilarious puns. The humour is rife in this game and while it may not be for some, had me laughing constantly. The tactical combat gameplay is difficult but rewarding and the graphics are superb.
Ride 4 is an incredibly detailed racing game that will have motorcycle enthusiasts very pleased. Not being too interested in motorcycles myself, I’ve enjoyed learning how to race on them in this game. The difficulty of the game despite the racing assists is a bit too high for my liking, and it would have benefited from having some form of tutorial race to practice on before tackling real races. The graphics are extremely impressive and despite the difficulty, I can feel my skills getting better. I just wish I could at least finish the first cup and unlock more of the game.
The mechanical amusement element of the game has been beautifully and vividly recreated – it really does feel like the sort of thing one might find in a seaside pier arcade around 1910. You can see the mechanical rigging working on the characters and backdrops, and the characters and enemies are visibly made of tin, with holes and sparks appearing at they take damage.
Iron Harvest is refreshing enough to feel different, familiar enough to easily get into, and probably the best RTS I’ve played in several years. It does a lot of things really well, is engagingly different, and I’m really looking forward to seeing where the developers take the game next.
an interesting assembly of two different concepts – almost two separate games – in one place.
Ultimately, Ghost of Tsushima is the closest I’ve come to feeling like I was the hero of a film from the Golden Age Of Samurai Cinema. It was rewarding, fun to play, thoughtful and just a unique experience I’m glad I had the opportunity to enjoy – and if you like samurai adventures or open world games, you’ll want to experience Ghost of Tsushima too.
If you’re a fan of the series then you’ll find Bloodline is a worthwhile addition, but if Legion is your first foray into the Watch Dogs universe then you probably won’t get as much out of it as returning players.