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Thanks to a brisker pace and slightly shorter runtime, I found myself enjoying Tape 2 a bit more than Tape 1. It feels more exciting and engaging, and even the modern day parts pay off finally as we get to the bottom of the mystery that was frustratingly teased throughout the last episode. As a whole, Lost Records: Bloom & Rage is one of the better choose your own adventure style games in recent years, and a welcome return for Don’t Nod indeed.
Despite some early potential, we came away from Steel Seed underwhelmed by its muddled gameplay style and not all that compelling tale. It has its moments, but players looking for either stealth or action gaming are best off looking elsewhere.
As you can hopefully tell, I absolutely adore Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. It’s the first game in some time that I’ve found myself utterly lost in, so much so that I genuinely did not want to put the controller down. Any minor gripes there might be to have (some areas can get a little confusing to navigate at times, though none are so big that it remains a problem for long) are easily outnumbered by the sheer brilliance of the full product from start to finish. Combat, presentation, exploration, story; it’s all so damn good that I cannot recommend highly enough that you go play this game. We’ve still got a long way to go this year, and a few big hitters to come, but man, it’ll take something special to give Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 a run for its money.
Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds: Ultimate is a loving remaster/reworking of the original title, it is bursting with content and all of the originals wide-eyed excess. For those revisiting this will be everything they could possibly want (bigger roster, more modes, better multiplayer). For hardcore beat ‘em up fans the combat might not be deep enough for them but they aren’t the target audience for this title.
Techno Banter is a wonderful little title with tons of Berlin charm. Part text adventure, part Papers, Please, and a handy dousing of EDM.
Atomfall is an ambitious and atmospheric survival RPG that delivers a compelling world and intriguing story. Its open-ended exploration and multiple endings make it a rewarding experience for players who enjoy uncovering mysteries at their own pace. However, its combat mechanics, technical issues, and occasional pacing problems hold it back from greatness. For those willing to overlook its flaws, Atomfall offers a unique and immersive adventure. But if you’re looking for polished combat and a more guided experience, you might find its rough edges frustrating.
After being drawn in by some eye-catching artwork, Leila backed it up with an engaging story and fun puzzles, albeit hampered by controller inputs rather than a mouse. This niggle aside, Leila is an easy recommend for those looking for an evening of puzzles alongside some heartfelt, thought-provoking storytelling.
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is everything I thought this game was going to be and I enjoyed the ride immensely. It’s possible purists may not like the tone of the game too much but as a fan I can always get behind Majima being the main protagonist. His attitude and antics from previous games suit the farfetched nature here and you don’t even need to have played any of the previous game to dive in and enjoy this title.
All in all, Croc The Legend of the Gobbos Remastered does what it says on the tin – remaster a 1997 video game with an upspuff in visuals and improved controls. Keeping the rest of the game as was is great in theory, but too many 90’s sensibilities remain in terms of wonky level design and difficulty spikes. It’s certainly more enjoyable thanks to the improvements made, and I’m all for reviving old games for a new lease on life, but this game is far from the best of the era and it certainly can’t challenge the modern greats that have come since.
A beautiful and wonderful surprise, South of Midnight is a delightful fantasy adventure title that crafts a uniquely southern story about connection and rebuilding harmony in a way that’s rare in videogames today. Hazel and the cast of characters are pleasant, the powers and abilities Hazel uses are plentiful and pleasing, the world is rich with engrossing natural environments, and the breeziness inherent within the game’s storytelling and accessibility makes it a stunning experience. The repetition does grate, and scrapping against haints could use more sparkle and empowerment, but otherwise South of Midnight is one of the best games this year and thoroughly deserves your attention.
Split Fiction is a fantastic game, polished to perfection, I can’t imagine how the developers are going to top this.
There isn’t much to say about a game like this other than you get what you see. Looking for a relaxed hour of gaming? Look at Cats & Seek. Looking for that game to play after you spent dozens and dozens of hours completing that huge RPG? Look at Cats & Seek. Looking for a fast and easy 1,000 gamerscore? Look at Cats & Seek.
It’ll be over in a few evenings, but what a few evenings it’ll be with KinnikuNeko SUPER MUSCLE CAT. The anime styling is very cool, and only enhances a solid set of levels and abilities that we have to play with. A few more opportunities to switch between buff and cat Neko at will would have been great, but as it is KinnikuNeko SUPER MUSCLE CAT comes very highly recommended indeed.
It’s fine. A short description of a game set 30 plus years after its predecessor is really how I’m feeling. It’s not bad but it’s not … for me. In my opinion Beyond the Ice Palace II keeps its retro hardness alive in this installment (which I’m not knocking) but in 2025 I want smoothness to my platformers. This one really takes me back to SNES days where a game was hard because it meant you had to put the time in to master it and I’m just not into that in this day and age which I realize isn’t necessarily the opinion of all gamers. I know some metroidvania fans who would love this one so if that’s you, at least give Beyond the Ice Palace II a double take.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows is everything I wanted from the series and more. The world is stunning, the combat is thrilling, and the dual-protagonist system adds so much variety to gameplay. Playing as both characters sometimes feels like experiencing two different games, thanks to their unique playstyles. The deep storytelling kept me completely immersed, and I never once felt bored. For me, it’s an absolute must-play for any fan of the series.
All in all, WWE 2K25 is pretty much all you’ll need for your pro wrestling fix in gaming. It has more modes and superstars than any one person can reasonably play with in a year, and while the Island is underwhelming, there is so much other good stuff it’s easy enough to overlook this. That it looks and plays better than ever in the ring is just icing on an already dense cake.
If you loved the remastered Tomb Raiders I-III released last year, then you'll definitely want to grab IV-VI remastered as well. The nostalgia and the novelty of revisiting the old Tomb Raider games is certainly worthwhile, but with IV-VI you're witnessing three Tomb Raiders that gradually lose track of what the series was all about. The Last Revelation and its new ideas are successful, and you'll enjoy your explorations in Egypt, but Chronicles and Angel of Darkness reek of missed potential and both of them come off as rush jobs. The remaster efforts are good enough in terms of uplifting these relics visually, and the framerate is crisp as well, but you'll still need to wrestle with terrible design choices inherent within these three games, and the pounding desire for these Tomb Raider games to be remade for a contemporary audience.
Sorry We’re Closed is going to hit a set of people in their early 2000s nostalgia. For the rest there is a weird and compelling game that feels like a throwback that is also fresh.
This was a fun, short, nostalgia-based trip for me and it really was a see what you get type situation. I can see the Carmen Sandiego games I played as a kid, reimagined for a 2025 audience and this game fits that mold. Were the cases super hard for me? No. Did I expect them to be? No. For the younger audience however, this game poses some good critical thinking skills and closer to the end of the game, even some strategy. The options of a campaign and random “trimmed down” cases this one provides a fair bit of replay value if you are in the mood to collect clues and piece them together whenever otherwise you can get through the game under 10 hours, I’d imagine with the content available at launch. Check the review video if you haven’t for some nitpicky gripes and to see what the game has to offer and if it’s for you.
But really, it’s the tale we’re here for and this is Bloom & Rage - Tape 1 really is the old adage of being about the friends we made along the way. After a slow start, things pick up nicely, doing a great job of recreating that teenage feeling of the 90’s, with no mobiles or internet but more random happenstance that leads to unforgettable adventures. Bloom & Rage - Tape 1 ends at a point that I’m now chomping at the bit to see what’s next, and I just hope the big mystery gets the pay off it deserves.