Reviews: Gaming

Balan Wonderworld promises so much, yet returns so little. Its initial charm quickly wears off once the game opens up.

Harvest Moon: One World fails to follow through on a few genuinely cool ideas due to generally uninteresting design.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is a Dynasty Warriors game that feels nothing like a Dynasty Warriors game, and that is why it is so good.

Persona 5 Strikers is a direct sequel to Persona 5, which brings the Phantom Thieves back back for another romp through metaverse Japan.

Super Mario World 3D + Bowser's Fury is remaster of a seven-year-old game with an all new addition that is far better than expected.

Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Earthblood puts the spotlight on the werewolf. Unfortunately, it may have been better to leave well enough alone.

Hitman 3 brings IO Interactive's entire Hitman trilogy into the new generation, while also ending off the series with a bang.

From buff boy puzzler A-Team, through to The Observer, Blair Witch, and the coveted Layers of Fear, it is clear Bloober Team have found...

Little Nightmares II is a delight to play. While it has a weak narrative and overarching goal, it is easy to get lost in the world. Running away from big bad enemies and solving frantic puzzles in dark rooms are incredibly fun, and surprisingly addictive. It is a tiny game with a very short campaign spread over three or four main locales but future DLC will be sure to alleviate this feeling. The game’s reliance on external sources for lore is a bit disappointing, however. Fortunately, it more than makes up by giving players a wonderfully scary world to get engrossed in. Little Nightmares II is a great game that will be best appreciated when played after the complete Little Nightmares Collection, including perhaps, but not necessarily so, the iOS and Android spin-off title.

Cyberpunk 2077 is one of the 20s most anticipated video games... but does it live up to its hype? We think it does, bugs notwithstanding.

The biggest challenge indie titles face is the outstanding number of shadows they need to get out from under in order to be noticed....

Cloudpunk is a cute little voxel-based game where players take on the role of a delivery driver called Rania, who might be in over her head.

In Chicken Police - Paint it Red! Sonny Featherland and Marty MacChicken zero down on a case of obsessions in this unashamedly Noire game.

Observer: System Redux is a decent game. The combined Bladerunner and Lovecraftian elements will have any fan of the giddy thanks to its incredible implementation. While a few elements personally irked, the overall experience is wonderful. Dialogue and world-building expertly craft a narrative experience that is perfect for murder mystery games like this. The game has heavy Myst and/or Egypt vibes in its execution and should be perfect for anyone who is a fan of classic point and click adventures. The attention to detail in this game is particularly incredible. While it is no masterpiece, the fact that it is one of Rutger Hauer’s final works only adds to his legacy. It is most certainly worth a play.

Temtem may look like a Pokemonn clone, but is it really? This Early Access title took the world by storm in 2018, and for good reason.

Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition follows tradition by adding Vergil as a playable character while adding a bevvy of new features.

Immortals Fenyx Rising is an incredible title. While the aesthetic might not be for everyone and its open-world nature will eventually become repetitive, the game is so chock-full of optional content and beautiful vistas that this eventuality will take a long time to reach. The story is wonderfully narrated and crafted to work incredibly well with the graphical design of the game too. Better still, the humorous approach to ancient Greek mythology alongside the bold and colourful aesthetic; all wonderfully complement each other in ways that only Legend of Zelda games have been capable of in the past. It is rare for any company, let alone Ubisoft, to bring out a brand-new Intellectual Property and for it to reign supreme right from the start. However, Immortal Fenyx Rising certainly manages this seemingly impossible feat with aplomb. Fenyx is a relatable character, and the incredible narration between Zeus and Prometheus are wonderfully nostalgic for any lover of Saturday Morning Cartoons. Playing on the new consoles certainly helps to make loading into the game as convenient as possible, while the gameplay itself constantly makes players want to come back for more. Immortals Fenyx Rising is very near perfect, and ticks all the right boxes for a game that is gorgeous, enjoyable, addictive and highly entertaining.

Mario Kart Live Home Circuit is a wonderful foray into the world of augmented reality and provides a unique, albeit imperfect, experience.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War bring back your boy, Alex Mason, in another race to save the woirld against a nuclear threat.

The Demon's Souls remake is a masterful experience showcasing how its genre-bending tropes led to the creation of the Soulslike experience.