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Despite its obvious shortcomings, it’s a fun time that would best be played by someone who jumps on for a few hours a week so that the game’s simplicity can remain charming rather than repetitive. I certainly can’t fault the developer’s ambition – there’s a lot of stuff packed into Kaku: The Ancient Seal, including some very cool ideas. I just think if the developers had taken a few things out and focused on a couple of their key ideas, Kaku could have been even better. Taken for what it is though, Kaku: The Ancient Seal is a charming ARPG with a strong Zelda vibe and a lot of heart.
Truthfully, if you’re even a passing fan of horror then Still Wakes the Deep doesn’t hit any beats you aren’t familiar with, right down to a nebulous ending that’s going to feel irritating to anyone who likes some solid answers. However, it executes all of those beats extremely well, delivering a tight, well-acted experience that doesn’t outstay its welcome. If you like a bit more freedom and favour gameplay over all else, it’s probably not for you, but otherwise, Still Wakes the Deep is creepy, immersive and delightful.
While Capes might be less Avengers and more West Coast Avengers in terms of its presentation and budget, underneath those plastic faces lies a really fun turn-based tactics game. The story may not reach the highs of comic book greatness but it’s still a decent time. It’s the gameplay where Capes shines though. Sometimes it can be a bit too heavy-handed with the enemy count, but when you’re in the middle of the fray punching bad guys off of ledges, powering up Ultimates and combining abilities, it’s a damn good time.
Set in an alternative version of 19th-century Russia, Indika is a thought-provoking tale of a nun slowly losing her faith as the devil whispers in her ear. It’s a darkly funny, emotional and often crazy look at religion that will keep you engrossed until the very end.
This review will likely read like I’m very negative toward Ereban: Shadow Legacy, so let me clarify: I think it’s fine. The trouble is that games that are just “fine” can be hard to talk about without coming across as being very negative. As a debut title from a new studio, Shadow Legacy is very competent in its design, and seems to derive a lot of inspiration from Aragami, even including a nice easter egg. But I also struggle to find anything exciting to talk about with it, and that may simply be because I’m not the best audience for it. Someone who hasn’t played many stealth games will probably enjoy it far more, as might an experienced sneaky bastard find its simplicity and easiness a nice change of pace.
Taken on its own merits, Swarm 2 is heaps of fun and an incredibly cool virtual reality experience. Swinging around like a gun-toting Spider-Man is immensely satisfying. As a sequel, I think it’s a little bit disappointing because the roguelike elements don’t add much, at least for myself. Others may find the emphasis on gradually building up power more enjoyable than I did.
Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden is a great example of why double-A gaming is so vital to the industry. Don’t Nod has conjured up an engaging, cool concept and poured a reasonable budget into it, resulting in a game that still looks beautiful without costing hundreds of millions of dollars. And in the end, I enjoyed it just as much as I’ve enjoyed numerous triple-A titles with triple the budget.
It’s clear that there’s a strong demand for a simple, fun co-op shooter and Helldivers 2 is exactly that. Whether you’re hanging out with a group of loyal friends or teaming up with random citizens of Super Earth, Helldivers 2 is a blast to play. Mowing down bugs in the name of democracy and dismantling socialist robots is immensely satisfying, as is calling down terrible rains of fire from your personal super destroyer. If a few other Helldivers happen to get caught up in the devastation, well, they knew what they were signing up for. Freedom must be achieved at all costs, and freedom is rarely this fun.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is a pleasure to play and a welcome return for a series that has been dormant for far too long, even if it doesn’t have that much in common with its fully 3D ancestors. A weak story and a few pacing issues hold it back from breaking into the highest echelons of the Metroidvania genre and duking it out with the likes of Hollow Knight, but it’s pretty far up there and a fantastic way to kick off the year. It might even be in the top 10.
In the end, I'm not sure who Stargate: Timekeepers is for. It certainly isn't for anyone who isn't already intimately connected to Stargate, that much is sure. But at the same time, it's so loosely woven into the Stargate universe that it doesn't feel like it's for fans of the TV shows, either. As a huge Stargate nerd who went into this looking forward to finally seeing Stargate come back, I didn't get anything from Timekeepers. It doesn't tie in well with the existing lore, it doesn't expand the universe at all and it doesn't tell a meaningful Stargate story. That just leaves the gameplay, and in that area Stargate: Timekeepers is decent but forgettable, and vastly overshadowed.
There’s a lot I like about Sovereign Syndicate. I like how it steers away from combat in favour of dialogue and decisions. I like its characters and its world. But there are chunks of the game that don’t quite work for me, from the levelling and skill checks which feel disconnected from everything else, to the final chapters of the story that struggle to bring our heroes together in a satisfying way. When it’s all working right, the story is absorbing and the world is fascinating. When it isn’t working right, the text becomes hard to parse and the sensation that Sovereign Syndicate is more like a book with mild interaction floats back to the surface.
Steamworld Build is the very first game in the franchise, which spans multiple games across multiple genres, to be made by a different studio, and it’s unfortunate that it also happens to be, in my opinion, the weakest of the bunch. That doesn’t mean it’s not still a pretty good time though, and certainly a good addition to the Game Pass catalogue. Maps that pushed you to build a bit more creatively and a slightly less stiff progression system could have elevated this one up to a four, I reckon. Still, it’s well worth playing if you already have Game Pass or if you’re maybe a grizzled city-building veteran who fancies something a tad simpler before they delve back into spreadsheets and optimal street layouts.
Like a cyberpunk human coming in for a couple of upgrades, Ghostrunner 2 is the first game with a few augmentations bolted to its body. Most of the new hardware its chosen to get is an improvement, but a couple of pieces weren’t really needed. There’s more focus on a story that isn’t very interesting and the experiment with open areas falls flat. However, the core mix of platforming and combat remains immensely satisfying and fun and the new bike sections are cool. Fans of the first game should be more than happy with this sequel.
Perhaps best described as Firewatch in Space, The Invincible is a narrative game that weaves a compelling mystery, but not compelling gameplay. The slow-burn story takes a little while to get going and the ending leaves something to be desired, but everything in the middle tells a thoughtful, traditional sci-fi story of people, evolution and what mysteries we might find in the universe should we ever be able to travel through the void of space. I’d recommend this one only to the more die-hard walking sim and sci-fi fans who have the patience needed to fully enjoy The Invincible’s narrative.
It’s a compact, lean adventure that feels like a summer blockbuster, deftly juggling several classic villains and two lead characters. Insomniac are at the top of their game right now, and I can’t wait to see what they do next.
For the most part, Mirage is indeed a return to those days, though it doesn’t entirely abandon some of the modern Assassin’s Creed DNA. Though not perfect and certainly not mind-blowing, Assassin’s Creed Mirage is a solid entry in the series that might show Ubisoft that games don’t have to cost the world to develop or contain hundreds of hours of content.
If, like me, you’re a Mortal Kombat fan then Mortal Kombat 1 is a no-brainer – it’s as fun as ever with a great roster and an excellent new Kameo system. However, if you’ve found yourself tiring of the MK formula over the past few games and were hoping the timeline reboot would herald a big new change, then MK1 isn’t going to change your mind. It’s a very safe release, and considering how incredibly popular the modern Mortal Kombat games are it’s understandable that Netherealm don’t want to change the formula too much lest it all end in a brutal Fatality.
It’s so tightly designed from end to end, smartly tying in its gameplay mechanics with its story in ways I think a lot of other games could learn from. While I think some players might prefer the structure of Desperados 3, the supernatural pirate theme, big environments and excellent characters make Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew the best game Mimimi has ever made, and a fantastic way to wrap up their career.
Moving Out 2 is a solid sequel to an already excellent game. Not every new addition is a hit but the majority are, adding in plenty of barmy ideas to an already manic game. It’s a hoot with a few pals sitting on the couch and having a laugh as they hurl a microwave through a window and bounce it off a parasol into the truck. Just be careful that the farmyard levels don’t turn your friend group into an angry mob baying for blood.
No matter what I was doing, me and Dave were having a pretty good time and along the way a strange little family of misfits was born, all based around my own favourite food: sushi. Dave the Diver isn’t as deep as the ocean, but it’s deep enough and casts its net wide to drag in all manner of crazy elements. The mix of underwater water adventuring and sushi bar management is like a sumptuous piece of salmon nigiri: simple yet elegant, basic and yet somehow so effortlessly tasty. The game’s other elements serve as the soy sauce for dipping and wasabi for that little touch of tingle on the tongue