PS5 Game Reviews
Review Jusant (PS5) - Tactile Traversal in an Arid, Atmospheric World
Belay the spire
Though wildly different in some ways, Don't Nod's Jusant shares a surprising amount of common ground with Death Stranding. Both games are set within the aftermath of their respective, titular disasters; they're each rather lonely adventures, perhaps even more so in the former's case; and their traversal systems are unusually...
Review RoboCop: Rogue City (PS5) - A Servicable Shooter for Nostalgia Enthusiasts
"Dead or alive, you're coming with me"
RoboCop: Rogue City is an incredibly faithful exploration of the armoured enforcer, a first-person shooter with an RPG foundation underpinning the action. It's a little rough around the edges but manages to tell an original tale in the iconic cyberpunk universe, reminding us why we still love this relic of the...
Mini Review Tennis On-Court (PSVR2) - Solid Gameplay Surrounded by Technical Issues
Double fault
The first thing that happened to us upon launching Tennis On-Court was a hard crash. Even before we saw the main menu, we were on the error report screen. The game would only crash a couple more times, but it was a worrying start. Worse than the crashes is an annoying bug where, if you hit the tennis ball at just the right angle, it'll...
Mini Review Headbangers Rhythm Royale (PS5) - Musical Party Game Is Frustrating and Fun
Let's get this bread
Glee Cheese Studio's Headbangers Rhythm Royale is the latest in a growing roster of battle royale party games. Heavily reminiscent of Fall Guys, the game sees floppy-headed pigeons duke it out in rhythm-based puzzles. Thirty competitors fight to earn the coveted title of master headbanger. You'll be familiar with the format by...
Review Alan Wake 2 (PS5) - A Nightmare We Never Want to Wake Up From
A Remedy for success
Sitting down to write this review makes us feel a little like Alan Wake himself, tapping away at his typewriter in the Writer’s Room. We’re not quite sure where the page will take us, even though we have so much swirling around in our mind. That’s the effect of Alan Wake 2; a rip-roaring horror experience from Remedy...
Mini Review Frog Detective: The Entire Mystery (PS5) - A Hilarious, Hopping Mad Trilogy
The Adventure of the Solitary Scooterist
Frog Detective: The Entire Mystery comprises three of the silliest, most charming detective adventures you could hope to play. As the titular amphibian investigator, you'll receive calls from the Supervisor about a haunted island, an invisible wizard, and a bunch of missing cowboy hats. After you grab your...
Review NHL 24 (PS5) - One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
Haven't we done this?
When it comes to reviewing sports titles, it can often feel like being trapped in a time loop. Much like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day, you may find yourself feeling as if you’re playing the same thing over and over each time you pick up a game. This sensation of déjà vu is very much present when it comes to EA Vancouver’s...
Mini Review Inescapable: No Rules, No Rescue (PS5) - Slow-Burn Visual Novel Gets Going... Eventually
All filler, very little killer
The beginning of Inescapable: No Rules, No Rescue feels very much like a Danganronpa-style death game. 11 strangers get abducted and sent to an abandoned tropical island resort where they’re forced to stay for six months. It’s all part of some twisted reality TV show where the abductees will be given €500,000 at...
Review Ghostrunner 2 (PS5) - Slash-Happy PS5 Sequel Is a Bit Choppy
A Ghostbummer?
Ghostrunner 2 is a perplexing experience. Its predecessor, which was released at the tail end of 2020, provided us with a fast-paced, stylish, cyber-ninja-themed action platformer that managed to rival other games attempting a similar thing. However, with the sequel, developer One More Level has designed an entry that seemingly...
Review Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection (PS5) - Three Classics in One Messy Bundle
A thrill, in some ways
After an era of pachinko machines and sports clubs, Konami is back. Well, its old games are back. The Japanese company is on a mission to regain the fans it lost after abandoning the hardcore gaming space, and turning nostalgia into dollars was always going to be the first thing it did. A more expansive remake of Metal Gear...
Subscribe to Push Square on YouTube150k Watch on YouTube Mini Review Wizard with a Gun (PS5) - This Co-Op Survival Adventure Is Worth a Shot
Machine gun Merlin
Wizard with a Gun is a one-or-two-player, twin-stick shooter, survival game from Galvanic Games and Devolver Digital. You play as a time-travelling wizard who's been tasked with preventing the Collapse, a cataclysmic event that split the world into pieces scattered throughout time. By exploring various procedurally generated...
Mini Review CRYMACHINA (PS5) - Interesting Worldbuilding Can’t Save This Dull Action RPG
It’s the end of the world as we know it
The end of humanity has finally happened; partly due to disease but mostly due to war over a scarcity of resources. In one of the last acts of a dying species they created a vast structure in space, known as Eden. Outfitted with eight self-evolving artificial lifeforms known as Deux Ex Machinas, the hope was...
Review EA Sports FC 24 (PS5) - Rebranded and Refined But Not Revolutionary
New era
The high-profile split between EA Sports and football’s governing body FIFA has resulted in a dramatic rebrand of one of gaming’s biggest franchises – but not an enormous amount has changed on the pitch. That’s not to say nothing is different in this refined soccer sim, however, which is ostensibly FIFA 24 in all but name. So,...
Mini Review Agatha Christie: Murder on the Orient Express (PS5) - Murder Mystery Kills It
Fresh like a Daisy
A timeless classic, Agatha Christie: Murder on the Orient Express is one of the best-loved and most famous murder mysteries of all time. Originally released in 1934, the story has been refreshed and updated for this 2023 release — think Poirot with Internet access. The acclaimed detective finds himself aboard the Orient Express...
Mini Review The 7th Guest VR (PSVR2) - Bugs Besmirch This Entertaining VR Remake
Stauf's toying with you
The 7th Guest VR is a virtual reality reimagining of 1993's puzzle title of the same name. Mysterious recluse and toy maker, Henry Stauf, has invited six guests to his gothic, puzzle-filled mansion for a party, offering a large sum of prize money. Taking on the role of an unidentified guest, you'll be exploring Stauf's...
Mini Review Hellboy Web of Wyrd (PS5) - Visually Striking, But Fails to Inspire as a Brawler
Don't mess with him, he's been drinking with skeletons
The tumultuous multimedia journey of Anung Un Rama continues with Hellboy Web of Wyrd — a roguelike brawler that might help wash away the taste of the abysmal 2019 cinematic reboot. Developer Upstream Arcade has attempted to transpose the visual style and narrative spirit of Hellboy from the...
Mini Review Lil Gator Game (PS5) - A Heartfelt Adventure That's Fun for All Ages
Don't stop believing
Lil Gator Game is a feel-good indie that'll take just a few hours of your time to get through. You play as the titular little gator, on a quest to convince your older sister to close her laptop and enjoy some fantastical playtime — just like in the good old days. It's not exactly subtle, but the game's all about growing up,...
Review Marvel's Spider-Man 2 (PS5) - A Familiar But Fantastic Superhero Sequel
Heal the world
With Marvel's Spider-Man, Insomniac Games knocked it out of the park on its first try. While structurally it's a fairly standard open world action adventure, it's elevated by a great cast of characters, a solid story, and some of the best traversal in the business. It ticked all the boxes, and Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales is a...
Review Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged (PS5) - A Fast and Furiously Fantastic Follow-Up
Magnificent modifications
We remember as kids setting up our Hot Wheels Octoblast and Shark Park race tracks every weekend, launching cars round them at high speeds while avoiding the giant creatures. It always brought such joy to our young selves back in the day, and so it's great to see that Milestone has captured the essence of that nostalgia and...
Review Sonic Superstars (PS5) - A Solid 2D Sonic Game, If You Play It Solo
Sonic Superstar
Sonic Superstars arrives as the iconic SEGA mascot is on an upswing. This brand new side-scrolling platformer follows Sonic Mania, a great throwback adventure that mixes old and new, and Sonic Frontiers, the best 3D entry in the series in a long time. The less said about Sonic Forces, the better. The point is, the character has had a...
Review Fate/Samurai Remnant (PS5) - Characters and Story Thrive in This Historical Action RPG
Saber toothed
There's an awful lot to like about Fate/Samurai Remnant — an action RPG set in 1600s Japan. With the country on the brink of unprecedented societal change, protagonist Miyamoto Iori finds himself at a loss. A diligent student of soon-to-be-outdated swordplay, Iori gets by on local busy work, but can't shake the feeling that his life...
Review Lords of the Fallen (PS5) - A Killer Mechanic Elevates This Average Souls-Like
It takes two (worlds) to tango
Imitating the infamous Souls-like formula is no small feat, and Lords of the Fallen knows it. You can’t just copy and paste Dark Souls and call it a day anymore, which is forcing developers to find new ways to innovate the genre. Already this year we’ve had the mechanically tinged take in the form of Lies of P, but...
Mini Review Saltsea Chronicles (PS5) - A Seaworthy, Choice-Driven Adventure
L'eau pressure
Saltsea Chronicles is another narrative-driven adventure from the makers of Mutazione, only this time, you're playing a whole cast of characters, not just one. With their captain missing, a group of friends set sail across the Saltsea archipelago to find her, only for the mystery to steadily grow much larger. This visual novel...
Review Honkai: Star Rail (PS5) - Impeccably Executed Live Service Where the Best Is Yet to Come
Honkai dory
Genshin Impact sent ripples through the gaming industry in 2020, and Honkai: Star Rail has already successfully repeated the same feat. Currently the biggest gacha game on the planet per Sensor Tower revenue rankings, this turn-based RPG takes many of the same systems from HoYoverse’s fantasy open world and bends them into a more...
Mini Review Cricket 24 (PS5) - A Below Par Score on a Flat Batting Pitch
Not so Stoked for this one
With 2023’s Cricket World Cup kicking off in India this month, Big Ant Studios has taken the opportunity to release Cricket 24 alongside. Similarly with EA Sports FC for football and MLB The Show for baseball, Cricket 24 is a yearly instalment in cricketing video games but on a much lower budget than its stablemates. In...
Strash and burn
Infinity Strash: Dragon Quest The Adventure of Dai is a game of two halves: a surprisingly simplistic action RPG and an endless barrage of static, visual novel-style cutscenes. It bears the name Dragon Quest and is published by Square Enix, yet it feels entirely barebones; with basic gameplay and a poorly presented story, we're left...
Review Assassin's Creed Mirage (PS5) - A Solid But Slightly Dated Return to the Series' Roots
Blade Runner 861
You may remember Basim Ibn Ishaq from Assassin's Creed Valhalla — a seasoned killer who enlisted Eivor's help in tracking down key members of an ancient cult. Basim was one of the game's most intriguing characters — and one of its only actual assassins — and so the prospect of getting to relive his past in Assassin's Creed...
Review The Expanse: A Telltale Series (PS5) - Solid Sci-Fi Showing Signals Course Correction
Artemis ascending
The Expanse: A Telltale Series is a positive step in the right direction for the newly reconsecrated developer, capturing the essence of what made its initial efforts so successful in the first place. It's sharp, well-paced interactive media that delivers on the expected premise, telling an original story set in an established...
Mini Review Scorn (PS5) - A Brilliantly Disgusting Puzzler with Gameplay Woes
Its structural perfection is matched only by its hostility
Scorn was announced by Ebb Software way back in 2014, so we've been waiting a while. After a successful (if critically mixed) launch on Game Pass last year, the game is ready for PS5, but is that a good thing? The answer to that is mostly a "yes". Inspired by the visual style of legendary...
Mini Review Trepang2 (PS5) - Great Run-and-Gun Shooter Misfires Its Attempts to Be More
A mix of DOOM, F.E.A.R., and a hint of Max Payne
While Trepang2 has a name that makes absolutely no sense to us, this fast-paced, single-player FPS often gives us the same exhilaration you would expect from a game like DOOM. No matter what weapons you have equipped, the super soldier you play as, 106, is always the strongest person in the room...
