PS5 Game Reviews
Slay the Sunshine
We could gobble up our allotted Mini Review word allocation merely recapping the background behind deckbuilding roguelike Yohane the Parhelion: Numazu in the Mirage, but all you really need to know is that this is based on the Love Live! Sunshine!! anime spin-off, which casts the eponymous idol as a fortune teller. It’s not to be...
Mini Review Balatro (PS5) - Roguelike Poker Ain't No Joker
You wanna know how I got these cards?
Balatro is a fantastic roguelike deckbuilder that hides delicious depth behind its simple, recognisable exterior. With a deck of 52 standard playing cards, you need to earn enough chips to defeat each Blind, and to do so you must play valid poker hands — to start with, anyway. The game quickly shuffles away...
Review Skull and Bones (PS5) - Solid Sea-RPG Ships First-Rate Naval Gameplay
Stranger tides
Skull and Bones is, despite half a dozen delays and some lingering dark clouds, one of the most addictive and vibrant piracy simulators we've ever played; not that many exist. It offers a surprising amount of freedom in how players approach it, and it looks and runs beautifully on PS5, even during large-scale fleet battles. Developer...
Review Pacific Drive (PS5) - The Car Is the Reasonably Priced Star of Deep, Dense Survival Game
Here in my car, I feel safest of all
Cars are inanimate objects, but if you drive one, you've undoubtedly formed a relationship with it. Perhaps you've named your vehicle after the way it looks; maybe you'd be more concerned if it didn't have that indiscernible rattle; it could be falling to pieces, but you've never known a more dependable...
It's probably not appropriate, y'know
Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Familia Myth Battle Chronicle – also known as the much faster to say DanMachi Battle Chronicle – is a console port of an Aiming-developed gacha game which released on mobile last year. Inspired by the light novel series of the same name, the free-to-play...
Mini Review PlateUp! (PS5) - Co-Op Restaurant Roguelite Serves Up a Treat
Cooking like a chef
Inevitably, a game like PlateUp! will be compared to Overcooked, purely because both are restaurant-based games. Where PlateUp! differs from any of its foodie stablemates is that it has roguelite progression, and encourages players to stray away from chaos rather than embrace it. You and up to three others (locally or online)...
Mini Review A Little To The Left (PS5) - Sorting Out Those Cosy Vibes
Watch out for that cat
There's nothing quite like a cosy game, and A Little to the Left is a perfect example of how a simplistic premise can deliver a comforting experience. In this relaxing puzzle game, you sort and organise basic household items, such as documents, books, toys, and anything you'd consider requiring a bit of a sort out, really...
Mini Review Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore (PS5) - A Charmingly Shoddy CD-i Sendup
Jewel love it or hate it
Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore more or less nails what it sets out to do. Inspired directly by a pair of infamously bad Zelda games for the Philips CD-i, this fresh interpretation carries much of the same pseudo-bootleg energy that fans have come to love over time. The poorly animated cutscenes, awful voice acting, static...
Review Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered Starring Lara Croft (PS5) - The New Standard for PS1 Re-Releases
A Lara love has gone into these
Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered Starring Lara Croft may just set the new standard for PS1 re-releases. Aspyr, a developer which has a long history with the iconic platforming property, has done an outstanding job reimagining these 90s classics for a new audience, without losing any of the magic that made them iconic to...
Review Helldivers 2 (PS5) - The Best Co-Op Shooter on PS5
For Super Earth
Helldivers 2 is some of the best fun we've had with friends on PS5. It's a simple and broad statement to start a review with, but in many ways Helldivers 2 is a simple game. This satirical bug-squashing shooter has its upgrades and customisation, but it's at its best when you're holding the trigger and not letting go. This game knows...
Subscribe to Push Square on YouTube150k Watch on YouTube Review Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden (PS5) - Storytelling Great Has Gameplay to Match
Goodbye my lover
Ever since Life Is Strange properly put the developer on the map, story over gameplay seems to have been the mantra at DON'T NOD. That's no bad thing; it gave rise to Life Is Strange 2 and Xbox exclusive Tell Me Why. However, with the likes of Vampyr and Jusant also in its back catalogue, there's always been potential there for the...
Review Ultros (PS5) - Trippy Metroidvania Tangles with Great Ideas
Its ambition is boundless
This is already turning into a bumper year for Metroidvania fans. With the excellent Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown having kicked things off beautifully, Ultros now arrives from a smaller publisher but with no small hype of its own. With a gob-smackingly unique art style and a fungal, miasmic tone, it certainly looks like...
Review Jujutsu Kaisen: Cursed Clash (PS5) - Cursed Trash Solely Exists to Grab Your Cash
Salmon woe
As arguably the biggest anime and manga franchise on the planet right now, all publisher Bandai Namco had to do was put together a serviceable adaptation of Gege Aktusami’s modern-day sensation and reap the rewards. Regrettably, the dismal Jujutsu Kaisen: Cursed Clash is the worst kind of tie-in: a vapid cash grab clearly developed on a...
Review Foamstars (PS5) - PS Plus' Sudsy Shooter Is Good, Clean Fun
What kinda game is soap?
Foamstars doesn't deserve the hate. Hand-waving comparisons to Nintendo's Splatoon are shallow; beyond both games featuring weaponry that fires something other than bullets, they're two quite different experiences. Square Enix's new multiplayer game is more of a hero shooter than anything else, and while its launch content...
Review Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League (PS5) - Rocksteady's Big Gamble Just About Pays Off
Arkham blues
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League isn’t quite what anyone expected to follow up the revered Arkham trilogy. In fact, it’s steadily become a controversial release, as terms like “endgame” and “post-launch content” have understandably riled up the fanbase. From Arkane’s disastrous Redfall to the now-canned Naughty Dog...
Review Silent Hill: The Short Message (PS5) - There's a Reason It's Free
Ghost this one
Silent Hill: The Short Message is the first product in 12 years to release with the Silent Hill name on it, and picking up where the Silent Hill HD Collection and PS Vita title Book of Memories left off, it doesn't exactly put the series' best foot forward. Instead of a horror experience filled with inventive puzzles and consistently...
Review Granblue Fantasy: Relink (PS5) - Fantastic Action RPG Finally Takes to the Skies
A Gran-d old time
An action RPG with an emphasis on action, Granblue Fantasy: Relink is based on hit mobile title Granblue Fantasy. For the last decade or so, developer Cygames' intention has been to spread the good Granblue word to a wider audience, and so it greenlit the likes of Granblue Fantasy Versus and Relink — console adaptations that...
Review Persona 3 Reload (PS5) - A Stunning Remake of a Classic RPG, Polished to Near Perfection
Brilliant in blue
It's difficult to replay older Persona games after Persona 5. They still tell engrossing character-driven stories, but with Persona 5 — and Persona 5 Royal in particular — Atlus evolved the series' core gameplay loop to such an extent that previous titles can feel clunky and monotonous by comparison. And so we have Persona 3...
Mini Review Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord (PSVR2) - Teamwork Makes the Scream Work
Bustin' makes me feel good
Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord has you take up the role of San Fransisco's newest addition to the Ghostbusters crew. Its fluid, intuitive, and satisfying controls create an enjoyable and immersive experience that will hook fans of the supernatural series, even when the action becomes ever-so-slightly repetitive...
Mini Review War Hospital (PS5) - Triage the Wounded in Grim Wartime Sim
Casualties of war
We seem to be experiencing a new era of bleak realism in management sims. The likes of This War of Mine and Frostpunk eschew optimistic growth in favour of grim survival at all costs. The latest in this cycle is War Hospital, a WWI-era triage-'em-up that has you overseeing a medical compound under relentless assault from enemy...
Review Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (PS5) - The Best Yakuza Game Ever Made
Finish the fight
If Yakuza: Like a Dragon was SEGA setting up a baton toss so legendary protagonist Kazuma Kiryu could finally retire after eight games' worth of story, then receiver Ichiban Kasuga needs to work on his handling technique. The new kid on the block doesn't just require the Dragon of Dojima to handle a few side stories as his hair...
Mini Review Immortality (PS5) - An Exceptional FMV Mystery
Two thumbs up
What happened to Marissa Marcel? That's the central crux of the splendid video-game-slash-interactive-movie(s), Immortality. It's a rare treat, anchored by an exceptional lead performance from the actor Manon Gage, in which you attempt to solve the mystery of what happened to a promising actress who starred in three movies, none of...
Review Tekken 8 (PS5) - Next-Gen Tekken Is a Modern Fighting Game Masterclass
Heat haze hype
Tekken 8 has been a long time coming. Its predecessor, the unprecedentedly popular Tekken 7, launched what feels like an age ago; the original arcade release happened all the way back in 2015, before a much-updated version came to consoles in 2017. However, its shockingly long life cycle — perpetuated by an incredibly strong...
Mini Review The Cub (PS5) - Short Platformer Oozes Style
Radio apocalyptica
One of the toughest things about making a 2D platformer must simply be making it stand out amongst the thousands of others. The Cub, from Golf Club Wasteland team Demagog Studio, at least gives itself a leg up in that regard, then, with stylised visuals, a moody soundtrack, and a persistent radio show that plays over the whole...
Review The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered (PS5) - A Near Perfect Package for New and Returning Fans
So… is it everything you hoped for?
The Last of Us: Part 2, in the eyes of us here at Push Square, is a masterpiece. Naughty Dog’s divisive sequel surpassed the hype and then some with a shocking, heart-wrenching, and visceral tale of revenge that subverted sequel expectations in a bold and brazen way. So with The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered, a...
Mini Review Toy Trains (PSVR2) - Ex-Superhot Devs Deliver Tranquil Train Fun
Tracks in the attic
Something Random is made up of former SUPERHOT developers, but the studio's debut game couldn't be more different. Toy Trains is a cute, relaxing game that lets you relive the simple fun found in building model train tracks, and it does so quite successfully. A train set in a dusty attic just so happens to be home to a tiny...
Review Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown (PS5) - A Slick, Satisfying, and Royally Robust Metroidvania
Crowning glory
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is the first major game in Ubisoft's beloved series in a very long time, so we have to give the publisher some kudos for not playing it safe. While a straightforward remake of The Sands of Time is also on the way, this entry is a side-scrolling action platformer with a Metroidvania structure. It...
Mini Review Vertigo 2 (PSVR2) - Phenomenal VR Shooter Shares a Lot of DNA with Half-Life
The life of Brian
What a pleasant surprise Vertigo 2 has turned out to be. Waking up in a cell, held captive by the omnipotent — and possibly sinister — Brian, you are eventually let loose to explore a massive scientific facility housing a quantum reactor. The similarities to Half-Life are striking and immediate, but dev Zulubo hasn’t shied...
Mini Review Breachers (PSVR2) - One of the Best Shooters for Sony's VR Platform
Once more unto the breach, dear friends
Released on Meta Quest VR in April 2023 to widespread acclaim, Breachers is a Rainbow Six Siege-style 5v5 tactical shooter that's now available on PSVR2. You and four teammates assume the role of either 'Enforcers' or 'Revolters'; the former team is tasked with infiltrating the location and disarming bombs,...
Mini Review Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising (PS5) - Re-Released, Rollback Fighter Is Top Tier
Rise again
Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising is essentially an enhanced re-release of the ill-fated Granblue Fantasy Versus — a really good fighting game that had its competitive scene smothered by the coronavirus pandemic, while shoddy netcode meant its online community was all but dead on arrival. Rising, then, feels like a deserved second chance...
