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Last reviewed: Mina the Hollower · 6 days ago
Luna Abyss is a AA shooter that holds its own against some of the elite of the genre. Its enticing and ominous sci-fi world is a delight to look at artistically, even if its muddy graphics let it down on closer inspection. Its story is fine, but a slick sense of progression keeps its action and platforming interesting from start to finish.
Planet Zoo is, ironically, a relatively toothless park building game. It doesn't have the delicious chaos of the Jurassic World Evolution games or the thrills of building your own rollercoaster and then hoping it'll stay on the tracks in Planet Coaster. But it's a pleasant and charming game. There's an airy joy in creating a peaceful home for animals to live in, and the earnest conservationist slant of Planet Zoo is hard to fault.
A mental genre mash-up that fuses the best of idle clickers with actual gameplay mechanics, Vostok Inc probably should come with a health warning. This may not be the best twin-stick shooter you'll play on the PlayStation 4, but by mixing and matching mechanics from different titles it unleashes a beast that's greater than the sum of its parts. Play responsibly – but most importantly, play.
Conga Master ensures pulling shapes on the PlayStation 4 is an entertaining past-time – even if you've got two left feet. Like any party this title eventually outstays its welcome, but while it's in full-swing it's hard not to get swept along.
A welcome return to a type of stealth-strategy that hasn't been seen on PlayStation for many a moon. The period setting forms a great backdrop for the action, missions are steeped in atmosphere, and the central characters are just plain cool. Lack of co-op is a missed opportunity, but the addictive challenge badges will keep you coming back for more. Shadow Tactics: Blade of the Shogun is a serious tactical treat..
Tiny Trax is a beautifully presented arcade racer which leverages PlayStation VR in an original and intelligent way. Clever use of layers gives the illusion of impressive depth to its dozen or so courses, and smart game design means that the title's extremely accessible but still challenging to master. Our only gripe is that we wished there was more of it, but the release is fairly priced and honestly a must-have if you want to experience something a little different in virtual reality.
Infinite Minigolf provides the tools needed to cultivate an endless arcade game – it just needs the algorithms required to ensure that its one you'll actually want to play forever. The core golf here is fun, and the pre-designed courses show that there's potential for some great puzzle-like levels. It's now down to the imagination of users to wield the title's intuitive Course Editor to create some high-quality stages – and the title itself to ensure that they get promoted ahead of the inevitable procession of low-effort Bogeys.
Ariadne wouldn't fall in love with Theseus in this state, but Forge Reply's virtual reality adaptation of a classic story isn't an unmitigated disaster. The combat and platforming disappoints and there's not enough meat on the release's bones, but it proves that third-person adventures can work with PlayStation VR – and it looks pretty nice to boot. It's a bit of a missed opportunity, then, as there is value in what's presented here – it's just far, far too expensive to recommend and isn't as fun as it should be to play.
When Aven Colony is at its best, it's making a strong case for the viability of the real-time strategy genre on console via an addictive mix of easy-to-grasp city building mechanics, a surprisingly intriguing sci-fi story, and a tight campaign that offers variety and never outstays its welcome. Unfortunately, it has a number of annoying technical issues which -- while they might not affect every player -- are persistent enough to undermine the experience depending on your tolerance for slow down and hard crashes. If you can weather the storm of technical shortcomings Aven Colony throws at you, you'll find an impressive, accessible strategy game that feels right at home on PS4.
Pyre marks Supergiant Games' third consecutive masterpiece. A bizarre blend of genres creates an excitingly original title aided by incredible world building and one of the most consistently interesting casts of characters we've ever seen assembled. This is all further enhanced by some outstanding artwork. Framerate issues and the odd difficulty spike detract from the overall experience, but can't prevent this outing from achieving excellence.
99Vidas is an affectionate homage to scrolling beat em ups of the 80s and 90s. It's also a fun game to spend an afternoon with, regardless of age and skill. There's not a lot of content and you can run through the story mode in a few hours, but local and online co-op, unlockable characters, and the promise of more levels should give it some lasting appeal.
When all is said and done, Cars 3: Driven to Win is a decent arcade racer that fans will enjoy. The racing is good fun once you get a handle on it, and we can see kids having a great time with the family in its four-player split screen. It's difficult to recommend it to anyone else, however. While there are plenty of ways to play, there lacks a certain depth that will keep you entertained for more than a few hours. Having said that, the PS4 is sorely lacking in arcade racing titles, so this may be worth a look if you're in the market for some bright and breezy driving – and can stand the repetitive voice lines.
Super Cloudbuilt is a pleasant surprise that manages to impress on a number of fronts. Its parkour action is intense, enjoyable, and encourages creative play. The story is deep, surprising, and one that could have a major impact on those who can relate to Demi's plight. And finally the base art style is beautiful, which is only further bettered by the surprising amount of options you have in this area. Super Cloudbuilt is an incredibly fun game, and during these quieter summer months it's not one to miss out on.
A fun throwback to a number of different beloved titles, Iron Crypticle is fun in short bursts and can be a blast with friends. Yet, aside from the charm of the 8-bit visuals, there isn't an enormous amount here to keep you dungeon running once the initial novelty wears thin.
Fallen Legion isn't a home run. The story is somewhat trite and undercooked, and most of the cast are little more than stereotypes, but there's an earnest charm to the game that's hard to overlook, and the brevity of the campaign actually works in its favour. The frenetic combat is undoubtedly repetitive, but it's occasionally thrilling, and the choice system is well implemented and thought provoking. This won't change the mind of anybody who generally avoids action role-playing games, but for fans of the genre, there's enough here to warrant recommending Fallen Legion as a bite-size adventure to tackle between bigger games.
Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles is a delightful little game that can appeal to players of all ages and skill levels. The island of Gemea – complete with its atmospheric weather and seasonal cycle – makes for the perfect destination if you're looking for a relaxing virtual vacation.
Serial Cleaner is a fun little game which offers something that's both similar to other indie titles on the market and thematically unique for the stealth genre. Its difficulty and slight release content are offset by a number of options, a great premise, and some uniquely engaging gameplay.