PS4 Game Reviews
Review Root Letter: Last Answer - Manga Turned Live Action Is a Pleasant Surprise
Is that a ghost?
As far as re-releases go, Root Letter: Last Answer is one of the most dramatic of the generation. Originally released on PlayStation 4 three years ago as a manga-based visual novel, the title from Kadokawa Games is back with an all-new live action overhaul that turns what was already a decent experience into something that anyone...
Review Final Fantasy VIII Remastered - A Fascinating JRPG Classic, Gameplay Flaws and All
I've got a GF that's better than that
Do we think Final Fantasy VIII is a bad game? Not at all. Do we think it's one of the best Final Fantasy games? Not quite, but even now, a whopping 20 years after its initial release on the original PlayStation, there's a unique kind of magic to Final Fantasy VIII. The world, the characters, and the story create...
Review WRC 8 - A More Forgiving Alternative to DiRT Rally 2.0
Dirty tactics
WRC 8 is the latest rally title from Bigben Interactive, and unlike Codemasters' simulation series, it's officially licensed -- all the cars, teams, and tracks from the real world sport are present and correct. It's a neat advantage, but having an FIA sticker on the box doesn't guarantee a good time on the track. Fortunately, the game...
Review Catherine: Full Body - The Definitive Catherine Experience
Like a fine wine
A whole eight years after its original release on PlayStation 3, Catherine remains a unique experience. A mix of visual novel-style storytelling and often hellish puzzle solving, it's a game that's aged surprisingly well. Catherine: Full Body enhances the visuals, expands the story, adds to the already sublime soundtrack, and brings...
Review Edna & Harvey: Harvey’s New Eyes - An Enjoyable Point and Click Adventure with a Dark Twist
Keep your eyes peeled
Edna & Harvey: Harvey’s New Eyes is a follow up to 2008’s Edna & Harvey: The Breakout. Set in the same world as the original (not that you need to have played the first game to enjoy this one), Harvey’s New Eyes is a point and click adventure in the classic 2D style. Despite being a sequel to Edna & Harvey,...
Review Darksiders III - An Entertaining Adventure That's Stuck in the Past
Fury rode
Republished on Wednesday 28th August 2019: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of September's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. The Darksiders series has always been an unexpected surprise. It's managed to garner a cult following, despite a proclivity for liberally borrowing...
Review Batman: Arkham Knight - Rocksteady Ends Its Trilogy on a High
Arkham night, night
Republished on Wednesday 28th August 2019: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of September's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. Branded as the apparent finale to London-based studio Rocksteady's gritty affair with the world's greatest detective, Batman: Arkham Knight...
Review Black Desert - Ugly Technical Issues Hamper Pretty MMO
Black Sheep
For the uninitiated, Black Desert is an MMO that supplants the standard combat that you'd expect to see in a game like World of Warcraft or Final Fantasy XIV with an action-based battle system more akin to a really low-budget God of War. It takes place in one fairly sizeable open world map rather than lots of smaller ones joined together...
Review Oninaki - A Dark and Intriguing Action RPG That Loses Its Edge
Break the cycle
Oninaki is developer Tokyo RPG Factory's third game. Like I Am Setsuna and Lost Sphear before it, Oninaki is fundamentally a role-playing title, but it differs greatly in that it takes more inspiration from Diablo than it does Final Fantasy. This is a dungeon crawling action RPG with randomised loot, expansive character progression,...
Review Knights and Bikes - Girls on Bikes Take a Delightful Nostalgia Trip
On your bike
Every close knit group of childhood friends inevitably spawn their very own local legend. These stories are birthed not only by a child’s unique perspective of the world, but probably a bit too much sugar in their diet as well. For this reviewer, it was an ominous looking house that could just be seen over the treeline on my walk to...
Subscribe to Push Square on YouTube152k Watch on YouTube Review Decay of Logos - An Action RPG for Those Who Love to Explore
Discover the truth behind this ruined realm
A burning village, a dark abomination harassing a noble looking elk, and a sword at your feet. These are the opening moments in Decay of Logos. No tutorial, no lengthy exposition of the world’s lore, just you and a sword. This opening is a sign of things to come. This is not a game that’s going to hold...
Review RAD - Mutant Roguelike Madness in a Dystopian Future
The New Mutants
Combining addictive roguelike gameplay with a rocking 80s aesthetic and an assortment of flesh altering power-ups, RAD more than lives up to its name. Throwing you into a world clinging to life after not one, but two apocalypses, your character is tasked with purifying the desolate land. By locating respirator machines, you’ll...
Review Ancestors Legacy - An Impressive, Robust Console RTS
Generational talent
As recent as last console generation, an RTS on console – with the exception of Halo Wars – was pretty much guaranteed to be a nightmarish experience. There are just too many systems and too many things to monitor to be able to successfully transfer the genre to a controller. Fast forward a few more years and now it’s...
Review The Copper Canyon Shootout - A Fun, Compact Light Gun-Esque Experience in VR
Once upon a time in PSVR
The Copper Canyon Shootout's name evokes a specific image. What kind of game might it be? Some sort of Western, maybe a cowboy shooter is probably your first thought. If you pictured that, you’d be partially correct. Does it make you think of robots? Probably not, but as it turns out, all of your enemies are made of metal...
Review Madden NFL 20 - Personality Traits Add X-Factor to Annual Update
King of the fling
What makes an NFL superstar stand out? For the Carolina Panthers’ starting quarterback Cam Newton, it’s his ability to scramble out of the pocket, picking up essential yards for his team without needing to fling the pigskin or hand the ball off. Meanwhile, the New York Giants’ Rookie of the Year running back Saquon Barkley...
Review Bear With Me: The Complete Collection - Surprisingly Deep Film Noir Point & Click Action
Paw-fully good
On the surface, Bear With Me appears to be little more than an amusing, story-driven, point and click adventure, infused with the tone and style of noir classics like The Maltese Falcon. However, there's much more at play within this clever episodic tale. The plights of Amber, Flint, and (collective sigh) Ted. E Bear amidst the...
Review Tetsumo Party - An Unusual Party Game That's Shorter Than a Sumo Wrestler's Mawashi
Bring on the wall
If you've ever watched Hole in the Wall, the game show based on the Japanese phenomenon, you'll know roughly what to expect in Tetsumo Party. This odd little game sees up to four players surviving for as long as possible against a constant wave of panels with sumo wrester-shaped holes in them. It's your job to get your character in...
Review Metal Wolf Chaos XD - Former Xbox Exclusive Brings Its Bonkers Plot to PS4
"The beauty of me is that I'm very rich"
Who would have thought that after Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, From Software’s next project would have you sitting in the driver’s seat of a mech in an attempt to rescue the United States of America from the wrath of the vice president? We’re only half-joking: Metal Wolf Chaos XD is an updated version of...
Review Forager - A Refreshingly Simple and Fiendishly Addictive Adventure
Living off the land
Forager is a wonderfully apt name for this curious adventure game. Not only does it tell you immediately what you'll be doing - foraging for resources with which to build up the world - it also hints at the game's many borrowed elements. It's a potent mix of classic action games and the gathering/crafting/farming trend that's...
Review The Church in the Darkness - Cult Simulator Devoid of Depth
Not so holy
It feels like The Church in the Darkness has bitten off a little bit more than it can chew. Packed full of ideas, themes, and a handful of mechanics on top, it’s the infiltration of a cult whose ocean spreads far and wide but only goes a couple of inches deep. There are things to like in Paranoid Productions’ latest effort, but...
Review Doughlings: Invasion - Fun But Forgettable Space Invaders-esque Action
Dough and steady wins the race
In a surprising shift in genre, Doughlings: Invasion, the sequel to last year’s Doughlings Arcade, moves past its brick-breaking routes, now acting as the indie scene’s answer to Space Invaders. Though at a glance its seemingly rudimentary gameplay appears to match its unappealing visuals, there’s a surprising...
Review Wolfenstein: Cyberpilot - An Unexpectedly Impressive PSVR Excursion
I, robot
Machine Games and Arkane Studios’ Wolfenstein collaboration spans two titles, but much of the emphasis during marketing was on the cooperative shooting of Wolfenstein: Youngblood. The PlayStation VR title, Wolfenstein: Cyberpilot, has hardly gotten any attention. It was shown – briefly – at this year’s E3, and apart from the odd...
Review Sniper Elite 4 - Yet Another Ball-Busting Sniper Adventure
Italia snipey
Republished on Wednesday 31st July 2019: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of August's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. Elite operative Karl Fairburne has busted more balls than Sasha Grey during a particularly intense bukkake session, and he's back to scope out more in...
Review WipEout Omega Collection - An Ultra Slick Update to the PlayStation Racing Icon
Need for speed
Republished on Wednesday 31st July 2019: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of August's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. One of PlayStation’s most iconic brands also happens to be one of its poorest commercial performers – it’s for that reason series creator Studio...
Review Wargroove - Pixel Art Turn-Based Tactics Finally Invade PS4
Beware the groove
Like a pikeman deployed long after a battle gets underway, it feels like the arrival of Wargroove on PlayStation 4 is more than a little late. Launching nearly six months after its initial release on PC and Nintendo Switch, the cutesy strategy game is here at last, but we can't shake the feeling the war is already over. That's not...
Review Kill la Kill - If - Stunning Visuals Can't Mask a Sloppy Anime Fighter
Fan serviceable
If there's one thing Kill la Kill - If gets right, it's capturing the relentlessness of the source material. Even outside of combat, well made cutscenes do a great job of replicating the madness of the anime, right down to the completely over the top facial expressions of its crazy characters. From the word go, the story mode is a...
Review Wolfenstein: Youngblood - What Happened Bethesda?
Daddy issues
A few years back, Bethesda couldn’t stop boasting about its line-up of purely single player titles. The space for solo players was never in any real danger of disappearing completely, but in the age of online looter shooters and the rise of the games as a service concept, the commitment was appreciated. Fast forward to 2019, however,...
Review Telefrag VR - A Slight But Slick PSVR Arena Shooter
Quake-ing in our boots
When a shooter is at its best, everything just feels right. Controls are snappy, shooting is satisfying, the environments are fun, and getting a “frag” is appropriately rewarding. Keep each of these elements in mind, and then toss PlayStation VR into the mix, and that’s how it feels to dive into Telefrag VR. Telefrag VR...
Review Etherborn - Admirable Environmental Puzzler That's Over Too Quickly
Living it up
It can’t get much better than making an impact with your very first title as a studio. Etherborn, from developer Altered Matter, is an environmental puzzler that makes impressive use of its simplicity while looking good in the process thanks to a neat visual aesthetic. It’s a great example of our initial statement, and so we can’t...
Death from above
With this third and final episode in Assassin's Creed Odyssey's The Fate of Atlantis saga, the story of Alexios or Kassandra comes full circle. Judgment of Atlantis ties everything together more effectively than we thought it would, and although we can't say the same for the modern day stuff -- more on that later -- this is a...
