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Little Nightmares II presents a perfect blend of enjoyment, frustration, modern horror and wonder. Much like the first instalment, it is a rather short game but it leaves you wanting more rather than leaving you feeling short-changed.
Half Past Fate: Romantic Distancing isn't a bad game by any means. It tells an insightful narrative about a long-distance relationship during a lockdown. Unfortunately, it lacks any real nuance due to its short runtime and can often feel rushed.
Summer Catchers is visually stunning, but it is let down by its central mechanic and is too arduous to warrant playing.
Hitman III is a well-constructed assassination sandbox with incredible maps, deep customisation, and some funky outfits.
At times, Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Earthblood will deliver a glimpse of a great power fantasy, only to be torn down by everything else it has to offer.
Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World: The Game Complete Edition stays true to the movie and comic book themes and provides an adequate experience for those who love Scott Pilgrim. The retro audio and graphics perfectly fit the game's style, but that alone was not enough to save a game that failed on the core essentials of a beat 'em up.
The Medium looks pretty, but outside of that, this game is not special.
Ultimately, Academia School Simulator reminds me a little of my own time at school. It could be really fun, but at the end of the day, no one really cared about the students.
All Walls Must Fall had serious potential to be a mind-bending, time-shifting, techno-infused, XCOM clone, but unfortunately falls flat. Ultimately, I wish one wall had stayed up: the one that puts me very, very far away from this mess.
Sarawak is a wonderfully crafted narrative adventure that follows an endearing character as she journey's to explore herself and the mysteries of her life. It features a well-written story that's brimming with character, charm, and wit. It has incredible art that complements incredibly vivid prose and fun, engaging puzzles to help make the experience a little more interactive.
Shot in the Dark is a simple yet elegant game with some of the most engaging gameplay I have ever experienced. With the 3 colour 8-bit aesthetic and memorable music, the game had me enraptured from start to finish. I can't wait to see what Possum House Games does next.
Yaga is an incredibly enjoyable action-RPG roguelike with a beautiful art style reminiscent of children's fairytales. Its unique setting utilises Slavic folklore in a meaningful way, and a wonderful score further complements this. At times, the combat can be tedious, but there is enough variation and weapon customisation to never get too stale.
Immortals Fenyx Rising‘s gameplay loop is addictive and engaging. However, the lack of character development and the myriad of crashes, graphical glitches, and loading bugs holds the game back from its true potential.
Windfolk is a great game, with excellent flying, several gorgeous open environments to explore, an exciting and captivating narrative, and, on occasions, enjoyable combat.
In a year where indie games shone through, Super Meat Boy Forever is disappointing. The auto-running concept feels restricting, and the procedurally generated levels make the game more frustrating than it needs to be.
CD Projekt Red has laid the foundation for serious potential but possibly should have waited until 2077 to release the game.
Through its flexible choices and paths, Suzerain avoids the binaries that many choice-based games fall into, and it allows for the stark and realistic depiction of a young democracy.
The Demon’s Souls Remake is the most technically impressive Souls game to date. It is superior to the original, but at its core, it is the same game. The game offers the same core gameplay-loop you know and love, set in a fantastic world and atmosphere.
Spiritfarer certainly delivered on representing aspects of different games while most assuredly being its own entity and should be considered a low-key masterpiece.
With an incredible presentation, flashy combat, memorable characters, and depth and nuance in its complicated time-travelling kaiju-fighting narrative, 13 Sentinels Aegis Rim is a must-play for most PS4 owners with at least a tolerance for anime melodrama.