PS5 Game Reviews
Review Diablo 2: Resurrected (PS5) - This 21-Year Belated Console Debut Still Impresses
From Hell with love
The loot game effect is a creeping obsession with which we all must contend once in a while. Click. Click. Click. Just a few more enemies. Click. Click. Click. Maybe one more dungeon. Click. Click. Click. Might as well run through the entire game again just once more. Click. You get it. You've played games like this, possibly...
Review Jett: The Far Shore (PS5) - Atmospheric Sci-Fi Adventure Ultimately Falls Flat
Nasty weather we're having
Jett: The Far Shore sets a dramatic and grandiose stage. You play as Mei, one among a team that aims to preserve humanity by following the call of the mysterious "hymnwave" to a new world. The game's first moments set an emotional and epic tone as you and your group say goodbye to loved ones, climb aboard a ship, and fall...
Review Alan Wake Remastered (PS5) - Compelling Thriller Derailed by Tedious, Repetitive Combat
Alan Wake-me-up-when-it-gets-to-the-good-bit
Over a decade after the original release, former Xbox exclusive psychological thriller Alan Wake is finally making its way to PlayStation consoles as Alan Wake Remastered. For existing fans, this is an opportunity to soak in the nostalgia and revisit a beloved title from yesteryear, now looking better...
Mini Review A Juggler's Tale (PS5) - Unravel Meets Limbo in Pleasant Platformer
No time to Playdead
The PlayStation Store could be considered overflowing with 2D puzzle platformers at this stage in its lifespan, and yet A Juggler's Tale from developer Kaleidoscube has still managed to find a teeny tiny feature to call its own. It's Punch and Judy come to life, with strings that both save protagonist Abby's life and get in the...
Review Astria Ascending (PS5) - Beautiful 2D RPG Falls Flat
Descending into mediocrity
Astria Ascending is a beautiful hand-drawn RPG set in a vibrant world and has a twisting narrative filled with plenty of sacrifice and betrayal. It’s definitely been influenced by classic Japanese RPGs, which is not a surprise when you consider that some of its development team have previously worked on the Final...
Mini Review Aragami 2 (PS5) - Nin-Jolly Good Stealth Action
What we do in the shadows
It may seem obvious, but stealth games tend to live or die on their clarity. Not just that of your protagonist as they sink their blade into an enemy’s jugular, but of their systems, the rules that govern the whole experience. There’s nothing less enjoyable in a sneak-‘em-up than getting caught without knowing why, so...
Mini Review Nexomon (PS5) - A Cheap and Mostly Cheerful Pokémon Clone
Pocketed monsters
The original Nexomon has arrived on PlayStation consoles, and right off the bat, we can tell you that it's a better monster catching RPG than its strangely structured sequel, Nexomon: Extinction. The original Nexomon has you follow a linear path through its world — much like you would in a traditional Pokémon game — catching...
Review Lost Judgment (PS5) - Immense Side Content Makes Up for Sequel's Surprisingly Sloppy Story
Too cool for school
We absolutely love Judgment — especially on PlayStation 5. Despite being the starting point of a spinoff franchise, we'd go as far to say that it's hands down one of the best Yakuza games — and so its sequel, Lost Judgment, comes saddled with high expectations. There's no doubt that this is a bigger, and arguably more...
Review Death Stranding Director's Cut (PS5) - Kojima's Walking Simulator Is Best on PS5
A long hike
This is a game that needs very little introduction. In 2019, Hideo Kojima returned with Death Stranding on PlayStation 4, and that name alone made the game an important one. As it so happened, the game was unlike anything else released at the time, mostly eschewing violent conflict in favour of a quest to bring people together. While we...
Review Kena: Bridge of Spirits (PS5) - A Gorgeous Adventure with an Old-School Approach
Hot to Rot
Kena: Bridge of Spirits was positioned by Sony as a key game coming to PlayStation 5. While it's great that the company puts some indie titles on the same level as triple-A experiences, it can sometimes lead to inflated expectations. Developer Ember Lab's debut game has always looked fantastic in the lead up to launch, but does its...
Subscribe to Push Square on YouTube150k Watch on YouTube Review NBA 2K22 (PS5) - Basketball Sim Is At Its Best on the Court
That's a rap
For as much as fans complain about annual sports games playing the same, NBA 2K22 genuinely does feel dramatically different. A complete rewrite to the defensive gameplay means no longer can you ghost past 7-foot interior beasts like they’re made of paper, as you’ll have to actually work to engineer open looks and lanes to the...
Review Deathloop (PS5) - Arkane Does It Again in Confident Shooter
Loop Hero
For as much as Deathloop presents itself as a complex game, asking you to work out how to break a time loop upon the island of Blackreef, it's actually a somewhat simple one. Arkane Studios has designed the opening hours of the game it made after Dishonored and PREY to be overwhelming, introducing mechanic after mechanic and sprinting...
Review Lost in Random (PS5) - Quirky Card-Based Adventure Set in a Dark and Gothic World
Time to Even the Odds
The purpose of the EA Originals publishing label is to bring forth unique and memorable experiences from independent studios. Swedish developer Zoink Games has definitely fulfilled the brief with Lost in Random: a card-battling adventure game that feels like it’s stepped straight out of a Tim Burton claymation movie. In the...
Review Life Is Strange: True Colors (PS5) - Lame Story Saved by Great Characters
Chently please
Life Is Strange: Before the Storm has always felt like a well-kept secret; forever playing second fiddle to the two mainline entries that released either side of it, but quietly better than them both. We have Deck Nine Games to thank for that, which now finds itself at the helm of the franchise's next big game as original creator...
Review Tales of Arise (PS5) - A Fantastic JRPG, and the Strongest Tales Game in a Long Time
Blazing a Tale
Big budget, Japanese role-playing games are a rarity these days. Outside of obvious mainstays like Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest, it's a genre that often has to make do with more cost-efficient production. You either get your breakout hit — like Atlus did with Persona 5 — or you go underappreciated for what feels like an...
Mini Review F.I.S.T.: Forged in Shadow Torch (PS5) - Awesome Metroidvania Punches Above Its Weight
Show me the bunny
The absurdly titled F.I.S.T.: Forged In Shadow Torch begins in Torch City; a dirty, dieselpunk dystopia, inhabited by anthropomorphic animals, and a few years prior to the beginning of the game invaded by the robotic Legion and their 'Iron Dog' army. Our hero is a gruff rabbit named Rayton - a former ace pilot in a slump,...
Mini Review Kitaria Fables (PS5) - Charming Animal Adventure Combines Action with Crafting
The cat that crafted the cream
Kitaria Fables is a charming action RPG with an emphasis on crafting of all kinds. It takes place in a world inhabited by anthropomorphic characters, and the whole thing would be incredibly cosy if it wasn't for the fact that monsters roam the countryside. There is a story here — one that involves an empire, the...
Review WRC 10 (PS5) - Rough-Edged But Robust Rally Racing
Don't cut
Developer KT Racing has found its footing with the WRC series. After last year's WRC 9 made significant improvements to the officially licensed rally racer, WRC 10 iterates on the winning formula, presenting another fantastic experience — even if it is a little rough around the edges. The driving itself is of course the most important...
Mini Review The Medium (PS5) - One of the Best Horror Experiences on PS5
Anything but medium
With all the rumours about Bloober Team potentially working on a new Silent Hill game, it's easy to forget why the team rose to fame in the first place. Its most recent project, The Medium, has finally made the jump to the PS5 and it could very well be the best psychological horror experience on the console. The story follows...
Mini Review Overcooked: All You Can Eat - Remastered Culinary Co-Op Is Still a Tasty Treat
Fill your plates
Republished on Wednesday 1st September 2021: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of September's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. Overcooked: All You Can Eat is like enjoying your favourite meal while wearing newly prescribed glasses. Sure, you've had this plenty of times...
Mini Review Rustler (PS5) - Silly Medieval Sandbox Houses Enjoyable Old-School GTA Clone
Tis but a scratch
For as iconic as Grand Theft Auto unquestionably is, it often feels like its PS1 origins have been resigned to the past. Titles like Shakedown Hawaii have attempted to recapture Rockstar’s early isometric days, but since the developer’s very own GTA: Chinatown Wars, there’s been a real dearth of top-down open worlds. Rustler...
Review Aliens: Fireteam Elite (PS5) - Competent Co-Op That Entertains But Is At Odds with Itself
Prep for dust off, we need immediate evac
To say that video game adaptations of the Alien franchise are hit and miss is a bit of an understatement. On the one hand, we have genre-defining classics like Alien vs Predator (1999) and Alien: Isolation. Then there's Aliens: Colonial Marines, a release besmirched by industry lies. Isolation succeeded by...
Mini Review Hoa (PS5) - Good Vibes Only for Pretty Platformer
Ghibli? I don't know her
Hoa feels like one of those games designed purely to put a smile on your face. From Skrollcat Studio, it's a vibrant and colourful 2D platformer that revels in its simplicity. There's nothing challenging about it, nothing that will put your brain to the test. The game is designed as something you can put your feet up for and...
Mini Review RiMS Racing (PS5) - Attempt for a More Realistic Motorcycle Sim Falls Flat
This bike needed more time in the pit stop
As the racing genre strives towards being as immersive as possible, the added realism can sometimes come at the cost of being enjoyable. RiMS Racing is the perfect example of this, as to simulate what it is like to be a motorcycle racer, the game adds tedious elements of motorcycle maintenance that ruin an...
Review Madden NFL 22 (PS5) - Franchise Finally Gets Some TLC in Improved American Football Sim
Throw it in rotation
Prior to the release of the disappointing Madden NFL 21, publisher EA Sports made a promise to series stalwarts that it would improve Franchise in future entries. The lack of improvements to the popular campaign mode in last year’s entry was the straw that broke the camel’s back for many fans, and it triggered a series of...
Mini Review Recompile (PS5) - Digital Metroidvania Has Style But Little Substance
Hacked
Recompile is one of those games that shows extremely well, but the reality is an experience that doesn't quite stick the landing. Playing as a virus with the intent of infiltrating and fixing The Mainframe, a computer system that's gone awry, this is a 3D action game that looks great, but doesn't quite have enough to back it up. The...
Sharpened steel
Before we begin: If you're looking for an overview of the base game, check out our in-depth Ghost of Tsushima PS4 review. All of the points that we made in that review also apply to Ghost of Tsuhima: Director's Cut. In this review, we're concentrating on what's new. Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut revitalises Sucker Punch's open...
Mini Review I Am Dead (PS5) - Posthumous Puzzler Is a Bittersweet Treat
Dead and loving it
I Am Dead is a quirky puzzle adventure game in which you play as Morris Lupton, the deceased curator of a museum in the island town of Shelmerston. It's an unusual premise, but it's one that developer Hollow Ponds pulls off with style and care. A game about tracking down ghosts and learning about inhabitants of the island could've...
Mini Review Foreclosed (PS5) - Cool Comicbook Framing Can't Mask Careless Gameplay
Shut it down
Foreclosed is a story-driven, third-person shooter set in a cyberpunk world where people are augmented with implants at birth. As a result, inhabitants are essentially corporation property as soon as they leave the womb, and this unsettling thought is at the heart of the game's narrative. You play as Evan Kapnos, a rather generic...
Out of the black box
Assassin's Creed Valhalla's second expansion, The Siege of Paris, sees Eivor travel across the channel to Francia. As per usual, our intrepid Norse hero is eager to establish some new alliances — with both Viking raiders and King Charles the Fat on Eivor's list of potential allies. What follows is a much more gritty and...
