Prince of Persia The Lost Crown doesn’t reinvent the Metroidvania wheel, but it does make the mechanics entirely its own. You can pick up all of the inspirations, but it never feels like anything less than its own thing and is a perfect fit for the Prince of Persia franchise. Ubisoft has started off 2024 with a fantastic, must-play game that is, not only, one of their best games but also one of this year’s best. If this is the future of the Prince of Persia franchise, well then, could I please have some more?
While Enchanted Portals has some gorgeous art and animation to look at, it simply fails at the bits that really matter: gameplay and design. The shooting is tiresome, the randomised levels go on for too long and the lack of a more efficient saving system is just criminal. While the game is relatively short if you persevere, whether or not you’d want to is another matter entirely.
While I do wish that rogue-likes at least kept the bosses dead in each run, I do realise it’s simply part of the experience and have to embrace it as such. Trinity Fusion is certainly one of the better and more accessible rogue-likes I’ve played, even with the procedural generation’s seemingly random difficulty spikes. It takes a lot for a rogue-like to pop up on my radar and this year Trinity Fusion is the second one to do just that and keep me coming back for more.
Jusant is an enthralling, enrapturing, calming game that feels akin to meditation. Its simple gameplay and open-ended story, along with some truly stunning visuals create an experience that is like nothing else I’ve played this year. The journey to the heavens is nearly perfect and you should take it.
Ghostbusters Spirits Unleashed Ecto Edition is a surprisingly fun asymmetrical multiplayer game. The cartoony visuals, great performance, original story and completely offline playable mode make for a fun time with mates or by yourself. It’s one of the few asymmetrical MP games that I can see myself returning to regularly.
Cloudpunk was a stunningly unique visual looking voxel title and with the new additions, it’s even more stunning and immersive. While it may be the visuals that bring you forth, it’s the gameplay that will get you to stay, if you allow yourself to be immersed in its relaxed gameplay style, interesting world and quirky inhabitants.
Konami could have put in more effort to bring Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 1 up to modern standards, along with a higher resolution and frame rate, but I can’t deny that playing MGS 1 on my Series X didn’t bring a nostalgic smile to my face. It may not be the Master Collection that Solid Snake deserves, but it’s at least one we can play now without any issues.
ANNO Mutationem features a gorgeous cyberpunk world full of colourful, interesting characters, vibrant locales and stunning pixel art and animation. The visuals are rounded out by fantastic side-scrolling combat sequences and great exploration into the depths of a city I’d love to spend more time in.
Gothic Classic immediately receives points for software preservation. Being able to play old games on modern systems without hoops to jump through is always a plus. Whether or not you enjoy Gothic Classic is another story entirely. Outside of the enhancements, it’s still the same game, for better and worse. Fans of Piranha Bytes games, and the Gothic franchise, will undoubtedly be over the moon while everyone else may need to take it with a pinch of salt.