Trolley Problem, Inc is a decent exploration of morality and philosophy, culminating in a provocative experience that will likely linger beyond its rather short playtime. It’s cleverly presented, even if it can verge on the side of overly simple. Unfortunately, the game doesn’t maintain the same level of intrigue generated by its opening questions, failing to include real-world politics in a satisfying way. It stumbles one too many times, with moments of brilliance being met in equal measure by disappointing shortcomings.
Bright Memory: Infinite will go down as a largely impressive game held back by glaring shortfalls. The frenetic and uniquely compelling shooter/hack ‘n’ slash combat as well as the breathtakingly realistic visuals make for a worthy experience alone. Unfortunately, that narrative is told in a less than elegant way and the quick sprint to roll credits hold Infinite back from reaching its true potential.
I’m glad I was able to dive back into a game I genuinely consider to be one of my favourite shooters from back in the day. It feels a little more cliché now than it did back in 2007, but you can still see why Crysis was able to make such a name for itself. With more than serviceable gameplay and narrative, Crysis Remastered is worth a play for those who are yet to check this title out. Although with visuals that feel a little underwhelming, I wonder if those who already own the original would get much out of this remaster.
Pokémon Scarlet & Violet represents the power struggle between innovation and execution. There's so much promise in the idea of a fully integrated, cooperative Pokémon game, yet the final product I experienced with Pokémon Violet falls short of those aspirations. There's still a lovable structure found within the game, driven by a more immersive world design and a new generation of adorable mons. Though the polish is lacking, failing to completely realise the ideas put in place and falling short of expectations.
Perish offers a great world to explore and a surprising amount of graphical prowess for an indie roguelike. The setting is intriguing and the combat varied and engaging enough. The game stumbles with framerate drops and a gameplay loop that may not have been finetuned to perfection, though if you have a crew to play with, Perish still offers a good amount of fun that's worth your time.
The Quarry proves to be a worthy successor and a notable release within Supermassive’s lineup of branching-path slasher games. A frightful narrative full of tense moments creates a satisfying experience for horror fans, made even better when played alongside others. An ambitious amount of choice proves to be a double-edged sword as the game teeters on the edge of quality and quantity, with one particularly egregious mechanic dampening the experience for those who don’t like to replay large chunks of a game. Though, despite its obvious shortcomings, there’s a level of campy fun that’s undeniable as the game engages from one freaky sequence to the next.
With deep strategy elements found both inside and outside of combat, Ruined King: A League of Legends Story makes for an undeniably engaging and challenging adventure. Fans of League of Legends get to see the world of Ruenterra from a new lens and will be hooked by the endearing character moments found within the game’s story. Ruined King may not find the wide appeal that other League properties have managed, and some of the interactions found outside of combat are admittedly cumbersome, but it’s hard to deny the excitement and depth of content found within the turn-based battles of Ruined King.
After 8 years of annual releases, The Jackbox Party Pack 8 certainly doesn’t feel as special as past games, but the entertainment found within is undeniable.
Gods Will Fall left me a little torn. It’s a game with interesting ideas and enough confidence to pursue those ideas even if they go against the status quo of typical game design. I love how the game creates this reactive and adaptive world and asks the player to deal with the consequences of their losses. It’s a highly replayable game too, and a game that creates a challenge worth pursuing. But some roughness and awkwardness in the combat, traversal, and design mean this won’t be a game everybody will enjoy. Regardless, I had a good time with Gods Will Fall and would love to see the concept iterated upon again in the future.
Bloodroots isn’t overly long but the game length was more than satisfying. There’s a story that will carry you through the game but it certainly isn’t the most important or noteworthy element of the experience. Impressively, Bloodroots mixes things up as you play with boss fights or sections of game that differ from what came before it. I particularly enjoyed the moments where the game would spice things up, alter the perspective, or change up the playing field to keep things fresh and stylishly new.
The Cub is a fascinating romp through post-apocalyptic Earth. Balancing dark themes with delightful levity, the game finds a way to showcase both the best and worst of humanity with biting wit, vivid visuals, and impeccably implemented audio. It's all let down somewhat by gameplay sequences that can't maintain the same quality as the game's other elements. However, even with that rather big caveat, The Cub still manages to present a lovely package worth opening.
A curious world of delightful wonder, Pikmin will never fail to be a series that invites warmth and joy with its vibrant world and colourful companions. New gameplay ideas are plentiful with Pikmin 4, many of which work towards expanding the game in interesting new directions. Not every new mechanic lands as elegantly as others, with Night Expeditions and co-op mode being two notable disappointments. Though overall, Pikmin 4 still finds a way to bring about that same glee that has lasted within this series since its inception.
Bramble: The Mountain King finds ways to excel throughout the ~6-hour adventure. With superb audio design and some really satisfying and engaging storytelling centred around Nordic folklore, the game showcases glimpses of greatness and refuses to hold back from depicting the horrifying and grim world around you. It's a shame that every new enemy's introduction and build-up is undermined by the inevitable average boss fight. It's true there's obvious room for improvement with Bramble's gameplay, though the overall experience is certainly still worth uncovering, especially as the game goes from strength to strength with some seriously impactful core moments.
Wylde Flowers is what you get when you take a farming/life sim, such as Stardew Valley, and focus more heavily on the narrative and characters. A constant shift of events and huge amounts of voiced lines brings this world to life, even if that focus does mean the simulation aspects of the gameplay are reduced. With a lovingly detailed world and equally lovely examples of diversity, you could do a lot worse than spend your week playing Wylde Flowers.
Rise of the Ronin is another action-heavy success story for samurai heavy-hitters, Team Ninja. The world and setting are perfectly suited to enhance the roleplaying depth of the game's design as your unnamed hero makes important choices in a divided world. Fun is always at the forefront, even if certain open-world tropes lead to rinse-and-repeat content. This is because the moment-to-moment gameplay, including both traversal and combat, remains delightfully engaging throughout. The dialogue can be hit or miss, but Rise of the Ronin still finds a way to satisfy, in both its big action setpieces as well as those tiny little details.
Featuring a fun and slightly silly setting for this genre, Grounded comfortably provides the basics that allow it to create an engrossing and at times horrifying survival experience. Add a good amount of worldbuilding and a narrative that compliments the gameplay nicely and you have a cooperative experience well worth your time, even if a few bugs (and not the good kind!) have stuck around throughout its pre-release period.
Though Raft may lack content once you’ve reached its closing moments, the lead-up to that point is a surprisingly delightful and novel experience. The basic gameplay loop of collecting and crafting keeps you busy, whilst a set of on-foot areas to explore keeps the gameplay ever-evolving and gleefully varied. An absolute solid co-operative choice, there’s an ocean of content to be found on this humble raft.
Lost in Random depicts a stunningly unique and eccentric world filled to the brim with character and personality. The Tim-Burton visuals and the kooky cast of characters you’ll meet in each distinctively different region means there’s never a dull moment to this journey. Clever strategy card elements help to mask the game’s rather unremarkable real-time combat, with some control issues that hurt the overall experience. Yet despite its flaws, Lost in Random still brings the goods and had me engaged from unlucky start to triumphantly random end.
DEATHLOOP is a cathartic blend of stealth, gunplay and powers that culminate in a satisfying gameplay loop as you explore the eccentric island of Blackreef. Whilst the narrative payoffs don’t always live up to the intriguing premise, there’s an undeniable sense of style and substance that help carry the game into really favourable territory. Knowledge really is power in DEATHLOOP and there’s a pleasurable novelty to much of the game’s design that allows it to feel engaging even when the player’s hand is held a little too tightly. Even within a year of time loop releases, DEATHLOOP stands out as its own unique beast worth experiencing.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is another action adventure triumph for PlayStation and Insomniac Games. It’s got a world that’s so full of colour and life, lovable new characters who bring clever diversity to a well-established cast, and an ever-changing gameplay loop that’s downright fun and engaging. Even if the game panders a little too heavily to a younger audience for my taste, it still excels in enough areas to make this an easy recommendation for nostalgic fans and newcomers alike.