Qualbert.com's Reviews
Nomada Studios follow up title has gone above and beyond it’s predecessor. With deeper gameplay, vibrant colours and a heart wrenching story to boot. Although this 5 hour journey may be shorter than some would like, it doesn’t detract from its fantastic gameplay. Neva is an engaging and emotional experience that is well worth investing your time in, even if it is only for a day or two.
As the ideal title to launch a brand new Nintendo console, Mario Kart World gives the Nintendo Switch 2 a head start. Featuring some of the most polished, creative racing across the entire series, World is an audio-visual delight that pays tribute to one of gaming’s most beloved series. With new additions like Knockout Tour and an expansive open world, there’s plenty to enjoy. But it’s not without its issues. An emphasis on the open world leaves the game’s best aspects, its tracks, in the dust. For Mario Kart die-hards dedicated purely to the racing experience, World might still lose the race to its predecessor. But for those who enjoy Mario Kart primarily for multiplayer enjoyment, this new entry delivers a world of enjoyment.
This game made me feel things. Memories long forgotten of those days of my youth playing GBA on the bus. Those times when I sneakily woke up in the middle of the night to get in an hour of Super Nintendo time. Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo made me laugh with often hilarious writing. It also made me yell in anger due to complex puzzles and occasionally its frustratingly difficult combat. I loved the way that the combat skills doubled as traversal options and puzzle solutions providing gameplay depth that I wasn’t expecting.
Hauling in a catch and drifting across the waves alongside a trusty pooch is a soothing and satisfying experience in games as much as it is in real life. Featuring laid-back gameplay combined with drop-dead gorgeous landscape pixel art, there are few indie games quite as lovingly crafted as Cast n Chill. This indie gem belongs in the Steam library of not only cozy gamers but anyone who understands the kind of relaxation only fishing can offer.
On the surface, Nightreign looks to be a shadow of its former installment. However, the deeper you delve into the typical hidden systems within a Soulsborne, you’ll find a few more things to do and get out of this seemingly shallow multiplayer game. This doesn’t mean its not repetitive and can be very frustrating at times with the wrong team mates but if you have two friends and all enjoy a challenge then you might find this game a lot more fulfilling. Whilst this offers less new experiences that other FromSoftware games, its not without its fun moments and that feeling of finally beating a hard boss is still here. Although the journey to each Nightlord is a lot more tedious than roguelikes or battle royales with little rewards to make it feel worthwhile. Elden Ring Nightreign might not completely tarnish the franchise name but it certainly doesn’t hold a site of grace to it.
Welcome Tour is a mixed bag of an introduction to an exciting new Nintendo device. While there are several hours worth of gameplay and many creative minigames to explore, the experience lacks the magical charm and vibrance that players often associate with Nintendo. This sleek, corporate theme park certainly feels like an interactive manual and would have been the ideal pack-in to introduce early adopters to the new functions of the console. Although the price feels worthwhile for the amount of gameplay on offer, the choice not to include this with the console is baffling.
Far Out Games has delivered a truly unique and enjoyable game that lets you evoke destruction for a good 8-10 hours whilst following a focused tale of intrigue. The chaotic nature of the game extends into the narrative however, as a lot of elements are confusing and are unfortunately left unanswered by the time the credits roll. I guess there were too many costs involved for delivering a chronicle unburdened by a nonsensical ending.
Spray Paint Simulator is a great way to kill a dozen hours of simluation gaming, and hits all the same beats Powerwash Simulator does. Buyer beware, though: if you’re looking to paint with a pal, co-op is free-paint mode only and can only be unlocked once you complete the respective level in campaign mode. Going solo, though, Spray Paint Simulator is a sure thing for Powerwash Simulator fans.
Where the original Monster Train laid a solid foundation for the series, Monster Train 2 expands on the formula in every single way possible. With an absurd amount of content that will likely see your train hurtling through Heaven and Hell for hundreds of hours, it’s no exaggeration to say this might just be one of the most replayable roguelikes ever made. If you’re a sucker for deck-builders that reward repeated playthroughs, you would be foolish not to take a ride on this Monster Train.
Revenge of the Savage Planet is a solid follow-up from Journey to the Savage Planet by taking the strong elements from it and expanding upon to make it bigger and more explorable than before. While going from first to third-person may throw some off but it’s easy to get the hang of it after a while. The planets you visit are varied and fun to travel, great variety of creatures to face and capture, multiple amount of things to collect and upgrade and quests to complete.
There you have it, a gritty, brutal roguelite to add to your ever growing collection. I really enjoyed my time playing Kiborg, no I wasn’t amazing at it but that’s the beauty of the game, it rewards you just enough for progressing. After each death you encounter you think “I got this, one more try”, to the point where that “one more try” becomes 2:30AM on a work night without even realising. It’s fun, addictive and the cybernetics give that extra flair to keep it interesting.
While this game may exude a git gud air from its presentation, don’t be fooled. Shotgun Cop Man isn’t looking for players to break keyboards or smash controllers. It feels like it earnestly wants its players to enjoy a slickly designed power fantasy and have fun. I am delighted to have games that strike the sweet spot of being inventive and rewarding without going into rage-quit territory. It’s a quick, accessible precision/action platformer that I think you should definitely check out.
Sandfall Interactive – take a bow. In Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 you have created a masterpiece that will leave a lasting impact. Not just on the gamers who experience it, but on the entire video game industry as a whole. Every single element of this game is amazing. The beautiful visuals. The stunning story. The best videogame soundtrack I have heard in years. What may be the best voice acting we have ever experienced in a game. And of course – the combat. Turn based RPGs are back. And I for one hope they are here to stay.
The Precinct positively nails what it sets out to do: be a competent cop sim with enough of an arcade-y element to satiate the need for speed. If it had more engagement than static .jpgs talking during cutscenes and could fine-tune its AI pathfinding, it’d be my game of the year. As it stands, though, The Precinct is an addictive, immensely-rewarding video game that lived up to its hype.
If you want a poignant tale of a man coming to terms with loss then Tales of Kenzera: Zau is for you. The story is the main focus here and although combat isn’t perfect it still contains more than enough fun and challenge for any player. Unfortunately the side content is severely lacking and most talisman upgrades barely help, however if you don’t want to spend over 20 hours on one game then this is perfect. Some sort of spiritual sequel (no pun intended) with a bigger focus on combat and exploration wouldn’t go astray but the Tale of Zau is just fine just on its own.
It hasn’t even been six months yet and we’ve already seen so many amazing games this year and I think Doom: The Dark Ages stands alongside them easily. The gameplay is extremely fun without being too hectic, with more open areas as Atlan and dragon sections break up the linear gameplay enough to keep it interesting. The visuals are stunning and the soundtrack with the excellent sound design keeps you pumped and wanting more. I can’t say for sure that Doom: The Dark Ages is worthy of 2025’s Game of The Year, but I definitely think it’s in the conversation and it’s a worthy addition to the franchise that pioneered the FPS genre.
Kaamos: Puzzle Roguelike draws upon minimalism as its greatest asset, combining two familiar genres is a dark and depressing package. Through simplistic yet polished gameplay and a bleak, brutalist pixel art-style, Kaamos will have you fail upwards with every run. Learning its gameplay and overcoming its challenging difficulty is immensely satisfying. As a first from Pepperbox Studios, we’re eager to see what this Finnish indie team will be cooking up next.
The characters, gameplay, and farming sim are great fun, this indie sci-fi adventure is 100% worth your time. If you’re familiar with the source material, even more so! Check out the original comic at Soullion’s website.
I’m quite mixed about this game. It has an intriguing set-up that leads you into wild twists and turns that you never see coming, adding with the oddball characters, bizarre dialogue, neat environments and it doesn’t overstay it’s welcome. But the simple and sometimes restrictive gameplay may not appeal to everyone and the myriad of issues that I’ve had with my time playing tells me that this needed more time to cook up and what we got in the end is an admirable but flawed debut. I do wish them the best of luck on what they’re working on next!
Hands down this is the greatest remaster I’ve ever had the pleasure of playing. Yes I will firmly admit that nostalgia had a hand in that statement, but to take a 19 year old game and turn it into what we see now is truly amazing. The key thing to take away from this is it’s not a remake, it’s a remaster. The old bones of the original are still there, they’ve just had plenty of milk and are dressed in a nice suit. There’s still pop-in but guards won’t shout at you from a village away for violating the law. There’s been some small frame drops while I’ve been walking in the wild, but I’ve only had 1 crash so far. They’ve kept the heart of the original gameplay but improved some quality of life aspects. Personally I think the game is fantastic and a feat of hard work by the teams at Bethesda and Virtuos. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get into the Dark Brotherhood with a blonde haired Bosmer to help me with that.