Latest Reviews
Super nova
Having impressed at both PAX Prime and IndieCade back in 2014, Nova-111 has finally been released on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, and Vita. The quirky turn-based adventure is a fantastic title to bury your head in; it excels in providing lots of easily digestible levels as well as an intuitive control system. Nova-111 puts you in...
Rude awakening
Back to Bed has a development story behind it that you can't help but admire. Like Octodad: Dadliest Catch, it was conceived as a student project that went from garnering accolades from a university to winning indie game competitions and finding its home on the PlayStation Network for the world to judge today. This right here is what...
Robin good
Volume is Mike Bithell's follow-up endeavour to the charming little platformer Thomas Was Alone. While this wasn't necessarily the most complicated side-scroller ever, its personality and wit allowed it to stand way out among the competition. Bithell's next project takes him into the stealth genre, with a title that wears its love for...
Review Risen 3: Titan Lords - Enhanced Edition (PS4)
Still rolling with it
Dug up from the last-gen graveyard, the PlayStation 4 version of Risen 3: Titan Lords shares one big similarity with the unnamed hero at the heart of its own story: everyone thought that they were both dead and buried. Unfortunately the similarities end there, as only one's been resurrected to sail the high seas, in a quest to...
Review Mega Man Legacy Collection (PS4)
Six of the best
Despite Capcom's best efforts to forget that he even exists, Mega Man's popularity with players endures regardless of the lack of fresh outings. Such is the gaming public's adoration of this pint-sized hero that they will gleefully crowdfund spiritual successors (Mighty No. 9, we're looking at you) in lieu of a genuine Blue Bomber...
Review Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls (PS Vita)
Hell is whenever
As sinister as it is completely crazy, Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls is very much birthed from the same minds as the other games in the series – except that this time around, courtroom class trials and detective work are replaced by linear third-person action. It's a gameplay shift that paints Ultra Despair...
Review Tales from the Borderlands: Episode 4 - Escape Plan Bravo (PS4)
Skin pizza party
Since their respective debuts, Telltale appears to have prioritised Game of Thrones over Tales from the Borderlands. Indeed, the latter's release "schedule" could, at best, be described as inconsistent. The first episode released in November of last year, and now, ten months later, we've just made it to the fourth instalment. This...
Review Kung Fury: Street Rage (PS4)
Left, left, left again and straight up your ass
There really isn't much to say about Kung Fury: Street Rage, other than that it can be a fun little distraction to sink your free time into. The game sees you take control of Kung Fury as he wallops, kicks, and shoots an endless wave of Nazi goons, racking up combos and points as he does so. You'll...
Card shark
Ever wondered what it'd be like to participate in a high-stakes game of Texas Hold'em? Well, wonder no more. Pure Hold'em, developed by VooFoo Studios, is a realistic simulation of the popular card-based game. It follows in the tradition of previous titles from the Birmingham-based developer, including Pure Pool and Pure Chess, offering...
Torque to the hand
The term 'indie' has been abused over the past 18 months or so. Originally intended for the exclusive use of moustache twiddling hipsters, this was a word used to describe the most independent of endeavours – preferably those programmed by a middle-aged man clad in a Reebok tracksuit, working from the corner of his Mum's...
Review Dragon Age: Inquisition - The Descent (PS4)
Descend no further
We hope that you're not sick of delving into dank and ominous caverns, because Dragon Age: Inquisition's second expansion, The Descent, is a spelunker's wet dream. Taking the Inquisitor and their party down into the Deep Roads – a gigantic network of underground caverns that are home to countless types of dangerous beasties –...
Review Dragon Age: Inquisition - Jaws of Hakkon (PS4)
Not enough bite for your buck
The Frostback Basin is a melting pot of varied environments, and it's arguably the star of Dragon Age: Inquisition's first expansion, Jaws of Hakkon. It's a gorgeous and vast location that features beaches, bogs, caverns, forests, jungles, mountains, and even islands made of ice. It's also bathed in a constant sunset,...
Review Adventures of Pip (PS4)
Pipped to the past
From indie developer Tic Toc Games comes the puzzle-platformer Adventures of Pip, in which you play as the pixelated Pip – an unlikely hero who has been tasked with rescuing the princess from the clutches of an evil sorceress; the devious Queen Skeleton plans to reduce the land's populace to simple one-colour 'pixels' – much...
Review Abyss Odyssey: Extended Dream Edition (PS4)
Life’s abyss and then you die
As far as unrepresented settings in video games go, 19th Century Chile is right up near the top, so it's nice to see such an unexpected backdrop used in Abyss Odyssey: Extended Dream Edition. In this unconventional genre mash-up on PlayStation 4, you'll find a roguelike role-playing game that not only has a unique...
There's no U in Zombi
ZombiU was an innovative and genuinely scary survival horror title which hit the Wii U at launch – one that made excellent use of Nintendo's second screen GamePad to enhance the terror to all new levels. Now, three years later, the title has been ported to the PlayStation 4, complete with a control overhaul to shift...
Review Gauntlet: Slayer Edition (PS4)
On target
Gauntlet: Slayer Edition is the ultimate Gauntlet game. While it may not be perfect, it's a brilliant crescendo for a series that pioneered multiplayer dungeon crawling 30 years ago, staying true to the roots of the franchise, yet chopping, changing, and evolving into something so much more. Like many games of old, Gauntlet: Slayer...
Mind boggling
Ubisoft's board game train ain't showing any signs of slowing, with Boggle the latest passenger on the quality time carriage. A popular pastime originally designed by Allan Turoff in the early 70s, the tabletop title works a little like a word search whereby you can snake between different letters, as long as you can find a way to...
Review Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons (PS4)
Cool story, bro
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons released to much critical acclaim around two years ago. Celebrated for its unique control scheme and touching narrative, it was a hit, and fans to this day hold it in very high regard, among peers such as Journey and Ico. Fortunately for those of you who missed it the first time around, publisher 505...
Review Lost Dimension (PS Vita)
Trust issues
With a doomsday timer set on the world, the villain known as The End summons 11 gifted members known as S.E.A.L.E.D. team to the Pillar – a mysterious structure that's appeared out of nowhere – in order to defeat him. However, he's planted traitors among the group. It's up to protagonist Sho Kasugai and his allies to determine who...
Review Commander Cherry's Puzzled Journey (PS4)
For posers
Prepare for the world's first – and potentially only – "Yoga Action Platformer", which uses the PlayStation 4's camera to capture shots of you, and then incorporates them into the game. If you're thinking that this all sounds daft, then you'd be right. Commander Cherry's Puzzled Journey is a hybrid motion control game that utilises...
Like being forced to eat your greens
Yasai Ninja is a hack-and-slash game set in feudal Japan, where the two controllable characters are vegetables. You heard it correctly: an onion seeking revenge from his former sensei, and a hungry broccoli. No matter how many different ways you say it, it doesn't get any less weird. That's okay, right? A game...
Review Actual Sunlight (PS Vita)
Actually depressing
Depression is a fairly common mood disorder that, despite its frequency, is still not considered a serious issue by many. Sadly, some people think that a simple attitude change will fix all of the ailments; that it's a self-inflicted state of mind. This is simply not true. Actual Sunlight by Will O'Neill is a short, interactive,...
Review Everybody's Gone to the Rapture (PS4)
Rapturous
There are still bed sheets hanging on the clotheslines in the deserted streets of Shropshire. They sway lightly in the wind; the ethereal vestiges of a place that once was. In many ways, they're the perfect analogy for Everybody's Gone to the Rapture, an experience which is astoundingly gorgeous in a subtle, unassuming, and overwhelmingly...
Review Sword Art Online Re: Hollow Fragment (PS4)
It's all in the game
Sword Art Online Re: Hollow Fragment leaps from the small screen of the PlayStation Vita and onto the PlayStation 4 complete with online play. Its handheld roots make this role-playing game undeniably rough around the edges, but give it some time, and you'll uncover a satisfying, addictive adventure that sports some nice touches...
Review Yu-Gi-Oh! Legacy of the Duelist (PS4)
It's time to d-d-d-d-d-d-d-duel, again
The worldwide phenomenon known as Yu-Gi-Oh! is a strategic battle game originally based on a manga in which players duel with cards. Decks are made of monsters, spells, and traps, and the object of the duel is to reduce your opponent's life points from 8,000 to 0. Each player can customise their deck with forty...
Review J-Stars Victory VS+ (PS Vita)
Star-crossed
J-Stars Victory VS+ is actually quite a snug fit on the PlayStation Vita. The bite-sized battles feel like they're just the right size for a quick spot of portable play, and the graphics arguably look crisper than they do on the big screen. This is the same game that you can get on the PlayStation 4, which we've already covered in more...
Review Galak-Z: The Dimensional (PS4)
Set phasers to fun
It's safe to say that Galak-Z: The Dimensional is a game of charm and personality. Everything from the retro Asteroids-style gameplay to the 80s cartoon style just screams charisma, making it possibly one of the most loveable games of this generation so far. Let's start with the basics: you play as A-Tak, space pilot...
Review Skullgirls 2nd Encore (PS4)
Needs more meat on its bones
Back in 2012, new fighting franchise Skullgirls was widely praised for its creativity and dynamic fighting systems; launchers, air-dashes, team assists, custom assists, snapbacks, blockbuster combos, wall bounces, ground bounces, superfluous bounces, and more were all crammed into the ambitious title. The game has now...
Seas the day
What if the combat-free opening hour of BioShock Infinite stretched on for much longer? Indeed, what if you could explore the beautiful ruins of a destroyed city without having to constantly fend for your life? Submerged – a game developed by ex-Bioshock staffers, incidentally – attempts to answer these very questions. But does this...
Review King's Quest - Chapter I: A Knight to Remember (PS4)
A knight to consider
Developed by The Odd Gentlemen, Sierra's wonderfully strange point-and-click King's Quest franchise is finally resurrected with a new, episodic tale that is set to span six chapters in total – the first of which being the rather cunningly titled A Knight to Remember. The story begins with Graham, the king of Daventry – the...
