Latest Reviews
Mini Review FoxyLand 2 - A Bright and Bushy Side-Scroller
No fox given
Where the fox have you been? This is indie developer BUG-Studio’s second crack at its foxy FoxyLand series, with the previous edition carefully marshalled onto the PlayStation 4 and PS Vita by the ever-industrious Ratalaika Games. A vibrant side-scrolling platformer, this version boasts over 40 levels and co-operative play – though...
Mini Review Hardcore Mecha - Story-Based Ode to Gundam Is a Fantastic Slice of Mecha Action
Shoot for the stars
Developer RocketPunch Games displays a clear love of all things mecha with Hardcore Mecha, a side scrolling mission-based action shooter that tells a surprisingly engaging story. Taking obvious inspiration from the likes of Gundam and just about any other mecha anime that you can think of, it's a tale that's packed with cliches...
Review Journey to the Savage Planet - A Shallow But Easy Going Sci-Fi Escapade
Journey to the Average Planet
As you fire up Journey to the Savage Planet, its theme music begins to play. With plenty of banjo and slide guitar riffs, you'll get an idea of what to expect from this game before you even push a button. It's fair to say this sci-fi action adventure isn't taking itself very seriously, but don't expect to be bowled over...
Review Kingdom Hearts III Re Mind - Grandiose DLC for Hardcore Fans, and That's About It
Kingdom Hearts III.1
If there was ever a piece of media so utterly devoted to confusing its dedicated fan base and actively pushing away those who didn’t choose to invest their time in playing nine previous instalments, it's Kingdom Hearts III Re Mind. The base game's one and only piece of major DLC is probably the least accessible expansion of...
Mini Review Music Racer - Slick Synthwave Visualiser Lacks Selling Point
Night rider
As far as visualisers go, Music Racer is a particularly eye-popping option. This synthwave auditory experience is baked in neon colours and bloom, and features vehicles inspired by 80s classics like Knight Rider and Tron. You can customise your car’s colours, unlock increasingly trippy tracks, and… Well, that’s about it...
Mini Review Gravity Error - Puzzling Potential Scuppered by Dreadful UI and Controls
Poor landing
Gravity Error has its heart in the right place. It wants to serve up a compelling puzzling experience rivalling the likes of Super Meat Boy with tough, quick-fire challenges that put you back in the action before you’ve even had chance to register failure. You could say it just about manages to achieve that, but then that would be...
Not so super, Saiyan
When Bandai Namco announced that it was going to be making a role-playing game that covers the entirety of Dragon Ball Z, fans seemed somewhat torn. On one hand, developer CyberConnect2 was going to be at the helm -- the studio behind the largely fantastic Naruto Storm titles. On the other, it's hard to get genuinely excited...
Review Red Bow - Pixel Art Horror That Will Tie You in Knots
Bow constrictor
Pixel art horror has been all the rage ever since platforms such as the PlayStation Store ushered the industry into something of an indie boom. Red Bow is effectively a Japanese horror movie in Super Nintendo-style 16-bit form, putting you in the place of the immaculately dressed Roh as she explores a nightmare world filled with...
Review Atelier Dusk Trilogy Deluxe Pack - New Year, Same Old Alchemists
Another trip into the delightful Atelier back catalogue
The Atelier Dusk Trilogy Deluxe Pack consists of three RPGs: Atelier Ayesha, Atelier Escha & Logy, and Atelier Shallie. This is a re-release of the ‘Plus’ version of these games but with a few improvements. As well as improved graphics there are some quality of life improvements such as...
Mini Review Super Mega Space Blaster Special Turbo – A Sufficient, if Forgettable, Shoot 'Em Up
The little space ship that could
While a fairly pedestrian shmup, Super Mega Space Blaster Special Turbo does have a couple of features that make it worth a quick look. It doesn’t hurt that the title's price -- $4.99 at launch -- is rather low, too. The most unique aspect of the game is by far the weapon system. Shmups are generally focused around...
Mini Review Flat Heroes - Just Pure, Challenging, Minimalist PS4 Platforming
Hip to be square
If you like your platformers 2D, no-nonsense, and tough as old boots, Flat Heroes is probably right up your alley. It strips away all the clutter and noise of the side-scroller and presents you with a gameplay gauntlet at its purest. This game tasks you with tackling hundreds of single-screen platforming challenges, and it does so...
Review AO Tennis 2 - A Smashing Improvement
Winner
AO Tennis 2 could have been named Nick Kyrgios: The Game and we doubt anyone would have batted an eyelid. The controversial Australian superstar is a compatriot of developer Big Ant, and has clearly inadvertently influenced the studio’s sophomore Australian Open tie-in. With a morality system allowing you to react positively or negatively...
Mini Review Blazing Chrome - JoyMasher's Homage to the Best 16-Bit Run-'n'-Gun Games
Joy machine masher
In a similar way to scrolling shooters, there's a purity to the gameplay in side-scrolling run-and-gun games, which has kept retro gamers coming back since Contra in 1987. Developed by JoyMasher and released in July 2019, Blazing Chrome's success comes from taking inspiration from the best 16-bit run-and-gun games -- with...
Review Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection - An Essential Compilation of Adventure Classics
Sic Parvis Magnificent
Republished on Wednesday 1st January, 2020: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of January 2020's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves changed everything. The critically acclaimed adventure not only went on to win copious awards following its...
Review Goat Simulator - Not Baaad But Not the GOAT Either
For goat's sake
Republished on Wednesday 1st January, 2020: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of January 2020's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. Let's not be sheepish: Goat Simulator has been designed to attract obnoxious YouTube neckbeards like a farmyard does flies. Stop for a second...
Review Borderlands 3: Moxxi's Heist of the Handsome Jackpot - Gearbox's Solid DLC Streak Continues
This is Vegas
Despite splitting opinion wherever it goes, there is one thing you cannot deny about Borderlands 3. Developer Gearbox Software consistently goes above and beyond when it comes to post-launch support and its latest looter shooter is no different. Two in-game events have already come and gone since the game's September 2019 release, but...
Mini Review Kine - This Clever PS4 Puzzle Game Has Got Some Moves
You like jazz?
Kine presents itself as a quirky, light-hearted puzzle game, and it is one, but it's also way harder than it looks. You must guide three different characters through simple stages to reach the exit -- it's a pretty straightforward setup. However, each of the sentient contraptions -- all aspiring musicians, of course -- are unusually...
Review Wattam - Katamari Creator Returns with Another Gleefully Weird Playground on PS4
Kaboom it
The most common question we see about Wattam is quite a big one: what is it, and what do you do? You may be surprised to learn that the answer is pretty straightforward. This is a game helmed by Katamari creator Keita Takahashi, so a degree of whimsical weirdness is to be expected. However, as with his other games, all the bright colours...
Mini Review Untitled Goose Game - 2019's Most Popular Indie Waddles Onto PS4
Honk Fuzz
Untitled Goose Game has finally migrated to PlayStation 4, and it's every bit as wonderful as you've heard. You play as the titular antagonistic avian with the sole intent of causing as much misery as possible. The residents of the small English village are going about their day, and it's your job to stick your beak where it's not wanted...
Mini Review Ashen - One of the Best Souls-Likes Around
Ruined beauty
After a year of exclusivity, one of 2018’s best indie titles has finally been given its chance to shine by way of a glorious PlayStation 4 port. Ashen is a Souls-like in every sense of the word, but it’s one of the few which comes close to matching the quality of From Software. With a gorgeous open world to explore and deep,...
Review Shenmue III - An Impossible Sequel That's Enjoyable Against All Odds
Lost in time
The fact that Shenmue III feels like a direct continuation of the cult SEGA Dreamcast classics is testament to veteran director Yu Suzuki’s unflinching ambition. There may have been almost two decades between this long-anticipated PlayStation 4 instalment and its predecessor, but developer Ys Net isn’t afraid to pick up the plot...
Mini Review Fight'N Rage - One of the PS4's Best Retro Beat-'Em-Ups
Mutant mash
Fight'N Rage is a fantastic brawler that manages to capture the spirit of classic arcade beat-'em-ups. It's fast, it's punchy, and it's packed with vicious mutants. As soon as you boot it up, it's clear that developer Seba Games Dev has a passion for old school brawlers, but that's not to say the game's lacking an identity of its own...
Mini Review Tools Up! - An Entertaining Co-Op Game That Almost Captures the Overcooked Magic
Job's a goodun
Tools Up takes the manic multiplayer of Overcooked and gives it a DIY makeover. Instead of things getting heated in the kitchen, up to four players are instead renovating an apartment block floor by floor. You'll be laying down flooring, painting walls, moving furniture, and more as you aim to achieve three stars in each of the 30...
Review Blair Witch - Limp Horror Game Doesn't Play to Its Strengths
99 problems but a witch ain't one
The Blair Witch Project was a smash hit found-footage horror movie released in 1999, followed by a crummy sequel in 2000 that eschewed much of what made the original popular in the first place. There was a second sequel in 2016 -- confusingly titled Blair Witch -- which we'd forgotten about until we Wikipedia'd the...
Mini Review Lost Ember - This Game About Shifting Between Animals Is a Bit Ruff
Walkies simulator
The big gameplay hook for Lost Ember is the ability to swap from one animal to another. Doing so allows you to view the game's big environments from different perspectives, but more importantly, allows you to utilise each beast's unique abilities in order to advance. It's a novel idea, but the game built around it feels...
Review Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey - Too Much Monkeying Around in This Ambitious Survival Sim
Money see, monkey don’t
Set 10 million years before the dawn of humanity, Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey is the story of ape to proto-human evolution, with particular emphasis on the dangers that forced our fuzzy forebears into learning the skills that ensured the human success story. Taking place in prehistoric Africa, Ancestors throws the...
Mini Review Simulacra - FMV Chat Logs Worthy of a Phone Contract
Find My iPhone
Losing a mobile phone has to be one of the biggest first-world problems, but it becomes an entirely different ball game when its owner also disappears off the face of the planet. Anna's smartphone has just been delivered to your door, and in Simulacra, you'll need to work out what has happened to her. Taking place entirely on the...
Review Arise: A Simple Story - Time Manipulation Strengthens the Beauty of Simplicity
Back to the future
Spanish developer Piccolo Studio's debut title is one that wears its heart on its sleeve. Pitched from the outset as an uncomplicated experience, it embraces that nature to tantalizing effect with a collection of levels that is sure to pull on even the tightest of heartstrings. It's a game that refuses to dabble in complex...
Mini Review Story of a Gladiator - A Simple But Surprisingly Addictive Little Brawler
Thumbs up
Story of a Gladiator is a deceptively decent indie beat-'em-up. Crafted by the tiny team over at Brain Seal Ltd, it puts you in the blood-soaked shoes of a warrior who fights for glory in a trio of equally blood-soaked arenas. At a glance the game looks a little cheap with its stiff animation and basic interface, but once you're swinging...
Mini Review GRIS - This Simple 2D Platformer Paints a Gorgeous Picture on PS4
GRIS is the word
GRIS is beautiful. From the very moment the game begins to its emotional end, you could push that Share button at any time and have a frame-worthy screenshot. What makes this 2D platformer so striking and so captivating is its minimalistic visuals, using limited colours, hand-crafted animation, and breathtaking backdrops to great...
