Includes PushSquare
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.
All in all, Hello Kitty Island Adventure will be a must play for Sanrio fans due to its great adaption of the source material, but there's also plenty here for fans of casual gamers to enjoy. Although lacking in some areas, its still a good addition to any cosy gamer's collection.
Mafia: The Old Country doesn't have enough gameplay ideas to carry its relatively short running time. While the fundamentals here are fine, an overemphasis on insta-fail stealth sequences and floaty shootouts makes for a forgettable campaign, even if it takes place within a stunningly detailed world. The performances are extraordinary but the story itself is predictable, leaving you with a phenomenally acted crime tale that you may admire in the moment but will struggle to remember once the credits roll.
Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 is more enjoyable as a visual and auditory experience than it is to actually play. Even with new modes and a smooth 60fps mode the new Enhanced edition provides, the Ninja Theory sequel fails on two fronts: bad puzzles and repetitive combat. Despite that, you'll never play anything else quite like Hellblade 2; the game's very unique approach to the sensory side of video games is exquisite. It just about warrants playing entirely because of that.
The collection provides a huge array of titles with iconic, timeless gameplay, and a brand new title that deftly reinvigorates the franchise. If you like shmups, this one is a must.
The game will probably only last you a couple of hours or so, but that time is filled with lots of fun moments and amusing gags. It's not something that'll stand up to many replays, but it's an entertaining curiosity while it lasts.
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound brings the series back to its roots with incredible style. The core gameplay feels fantastic, with satisfying, fast-paced combat and platforming that'll put your skills to the test. With a wealth of challenges to meet and things to find, there's a real richness to each level that gives it plenty of replay value. The wonderful art style is the icing on the cake, and aside from one or two small nitpicks, fans should be very pleased with this throwback adventure.
By building on the original and adapting some of the best arcs from the manga, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - The Hinokami Chronicles 2 is pretty much a must for fans. As far as arena brawler goes, this is one of the better ones, although we still think combat can be a bit flat and woolly at times. But, with a wealth of single player content and so many characters to choose from, this is a worthy sequel to an already solid game.
Ready or Not is a unique cooperative shooter. It's not casual fun in the way Helldivers 2 can be. That means it certainly won't be for everyone, and the solo experience doesn't hold a light to playing with friends for us. However, those elements mixed in with a harrowing and outright disturbing tone make Ready or Not one of the most immersive co-op experiences available on PS5 right now.
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is enjoyable enough without its performance troubles, but with them, they’re a major drag on the overall game. Wait for them to be ironed out in post-launch patches and you’ll find a decent, if formulaic experience.
Wheel World is a delightfully tactile indie title, and a real celebration of cycling. It feels fantastic to play and it's lovely to look at, but it's held back by a finicky finale and poor performance on PS5. We're hoping that a couple of meaningful post-release patches will address our complaints, because at its core, Wheel World is joyous.
But we still like having these games readily available on contemporary hardware. The CRT filters included are outstanding, and this being a Digital Extremes joint, you get tons of bonus materials, like the original arcade flyers to flick through in their entirety.
With beautiful Studio Ghibli-esque aesthetics, The Wandering Village is a city building sim with real soul. Beneath it all, there is a really beautiful metaphor at play with a wider message regarding the relationship between a civilisation and its environment.
You can't really go wrong with Unfinished Business if you enjoyed its underrated predecessor, but expectations need to be kept in check. This standalone follow-up is disappointingly rough around the edges, and although its comically violent combat remains satisfying, it's not varied enough to elevate the entire action-heavy campaign.Still, we're never going to say no to more Rogue City. Teyon still manages to capture the campy 80s spirit of RoboCop here, and that'll drive most players to the top of OmniTower.
Shadow Labyrinth is an admirable big swing that places Pac-Man in a strange new space. Unfortunately, while there are some fun elements taken from the arcade classic and a few neat ideas sprinkled in, the majority of the game is a by-the-numbers Metroidvania that doesn't quite come together. It feels like a game built to please Pac-fans and hardcore players that lap up the likes of Hollow Knight, but the end result is something that underserves both. It's not bad, but with so many incredible 2D Metroidvanias these days, this one doesn't quite do enough to measure up.
But it’s hard to knock the games too hard for retaining original experience intact in this respect, as the remasters improve pretty much everything else. This collection leaves you with what is now the definitive way to experience Patapon and Patapon 2.