DeVuego ES_COR

Brutal, exciting and slightly unsettling, the second jaunt into Blasphemous' idiosyncratic world has tightened up the gameplay. The platforming is improved and the combat is fast and frantic. Best of all, it's still dripping with the religious themes of penance and guilt, which makes the world as fascinating as it is disturbing.

Idea is not a bad game – far from it. The physics-based gameplay feels solid, and any time spent with Huttunen’s gorgeous landscapes and relaxing score is not time wasted. However, it never truly feels engaging in the way you want it to. The social mechanic is a nice idea in theory but falls short in execution. While movement feels propulsive and intuitive, the game is somewhat lacking in a sense of fun. There’s nothing wrong with simple, movement-based gameplay; some of the greatest games ever made are similarly pared-back. What’s needed is a compelling gameplay loop, a hook that draws you in for just ‘one more run’, again and again. Sadly, it’s here where Idea falls short. For a meditation on creativity, you can’t help but wish it had a couple more ideas of its own. 

If you yearn for the days of the classic arcade platformer and don’t mind being abused by non-descript astronauts, then Moons of Darsalon could be worth a bit of your time (and money I guess). Just don’t expect the next classic in the genre.

Peppa Pig: World Adventures is a phenomenal child-friendly title that will impress your youngsters. With fun and safe gameplay, and vivid colours, this is aimed at a younger audience. However, as an adult, it was pretty annoying. Thankfully, though, the simple controls and straightforward mechanics allow your children to tackle this alone.

Super Woden GP is a wonderful indie racing title. What's more, it captures the brilliance of 90s arcade games. I adored the aesthetics and the simple yet addictive gameplay.

Charon's Staircase is a classic horror puzzle title with a thriller twist. It plays the part perfectly with cliched jump scares and a sinister atmosphere. However, its limited replay value and well-trodden mechanics leave you feeling underwhelmed.

It’s hard to truly judge a title that won’t let you progress a little more than halfway, but what I know of the remainder of the experience, this a knight to forget; an average and repetitive title that is about as rewarding as the princesses’ throwaway comments as you adventure with them – by the 4th time, you’ve seen and heard enough. 

Superola Champion Edition is a very cute and humorous game. For me, it was nothing but a joy and a fast-paced game that brought plenty of new discoveries and challenging enemies to face. I’m honestly not a big burger fan, probably not as much as this llama loves them. Yet, I did enjoy being a hero and moving as fast as a horse, galloping quickly through each stage to get to those burgers back! Nothing about the game was boring as each stage was different and involved doing something new. It almost felt like a game that is part of playing a quick thinking and planning platformer and even reminds me of a classic adventure game by the background sound and bright graphics.

With an interesting story and some decent puzzle mechanics, System of Souls has all the ingredients for a good sci-fi puzzler, but with its best parts rarely firing in tandem, it only shows flashes of its real potential. Being a little rough around the edges, however, shouldn’t keep away fans of the genre though as there are a few thought-provoking hours for those willing to give it a shot.     

Tape: Unveil the Memories is a game with an interesting idea, but unfortunately just falls a bit short. While the narrative and drip-fed creative puzzles kept me going, it became somewhat of a chore by the end. With some more variety in gameplay, and additional complex puzzles, this could definitely have been a big winner for me. While I wanted to love it, I just couldn’t quite get there.

Not only is MalnaZidos an awful and poorly performing title, but it’s also incomplete and should never have been released in its current state. When a AAA developer releases a game this undercooked, they can at least take solace in the fact that they might have the resources to rectify it, but you’ve got to wonder if the same can be said here, or if it’s even worth it considering all its fundamental issues. With that in mind, the only reason to plunge into this title would be out of morbid curiosity – or to experience an ending that has to be seen to be believed.

El Gancho is a brilliantly dated action-platform title. With simple mechanics but addictive gameplay, this will keep you going for hours. A wonderful casual experience that will get under your skin.

Twogether is an oversimplified and rough 3D puzzler whose shortcomings may only be lessened if you consider it a game for kids, but even with a very clean and shiny Dreamworks/Pixar 3D design and discourse that peaks at the threat of stealing a teddy bear, I’m not sure it does enough to even grab their attention. The potential of this short and easy puzzler may forever be consigned to a ‘Chapter 2’ then, with its current iteration only recommended for the budget-conscious and puzzle-starved.  

I knew little about Epic Chef before I started, but I’m glad I played it. It’s a game that captivated me from the off and my love for it grew exponentially. It’s a fantastic relaxing RPG adventure that puts its peers to shame! With so much going on, you won’t tire of its amusing and lighthearted ways. Unsurprisingly, I adored it and I recommend you to play it here! The culinary business is a tricky place to master! Can you gather the right ingredients, create the perfect dish, and become the Epic Chef?

“Songs, traditions and rituals are things that cannot be seen, but they give meaning to other things” you’ll be informed by the village -or “The Place We Live In”- bard-like creature, dressed in sheep-like attire and wearing creepy masks. Grotto talks about words, and does so in a really unique way, excellent in its writing, really atmospheric and incredibly interesting. If you can look past the simplistic gameplay and some not fully realized mechanics, and if you find the core concept alluring, play Grotto. You’ll struggle to find another game like this one.

Ion Driver is a short bug-filled ride that you won’t regret assuming that you know exactly what you’re getting – a glorified demo. Irrespective of the price, a paid-for title shouldn’t be released in this state, but like eating the ingredients of a cake before you’ve finished making it, there are still some redeemable features to enjoy – notably its speed and visuals – before the lack of content starts to disappoint.     

Overall, a really fun experience and addition to the platforming genre. 

If you, like me, don’t remember your dreams, now’s your chance to live through one repeatedly. With creepy aesthetics, a wonderfully bizarre story, and beautiful and horrendous characters to interact with, this is part dream and part nightmare. I loved it and recommend you to buy it here! Time is not on your side, and your memory is poor. Can you collect the key fragments to open the Well of Truth, or will you be stuck in this nightmare cycle forever? 

If you are going to give this a go, you’ll have great fun. Goals galore, plenty of fouls, and quick action is all found in this not so serious football title. Excellent to play both alone and with a friend, this is a game that’ll keep you entertained for hours. A brilliant addition to the series and I recommend you buy it here! Pick your favourite team, score some beautiful goals, and win everything.

As a whole, Magic Twins is an enjoyable puzzle game for two people to pass the time with. It’s cute, and simple, and definitely something I’d invite my friends to play again. If I were to be looking for a puzzle game to play on my own though, this isn’t one I’d necessarily reach for. It’s fun, but repeating the same thing is only fun for a little while. 

Relicta is a futuristic physics-based puzzle game that asks you to control gravity and magnetism. Can you overcome all the tests, solve the puzzles and learn all there is about the weird and wonderful alien technology in your possession? On point for most of the gameplay, but let down by a few issues.

Windfolk is an ambitious title that unfortunately buckles under its inconsistent gameplay, and leaves it in a rather precarious position. Its formula is far from irredeemable with a story, visuals, and flight physics a good foundation for future projects, but will this inconsistent offering provide enough of a windfall for its developer to potentially develop a sequel? While I hope that Windfolk: Sky is just the beginning truly is the start of something more, I, unfortunately, can’t bring myself to recommend this pie in the sky title to anyone other than fellow flight game fans and PlayStation trophy hunters – if they can trigger the achievements that is.

Where Super Sports Blast truly has the ability to soar is in the local multiplayer. You do have the ability to play up to 4 players on local multiplayer however; I have not yet had the opportunity to try this out myself (thanks corona). I definitely see myself bringing this game out when socializing with friends in the future. A perfect mode for local multiplayer is the blast mode in the volleyball game. In this mode you have the ability to add some off the rails features. For example, you can substitute the ball for a chicken that is acting on its own forcing you to miss otherwise clear spikes, or playing on a slippery ice court. This is sure to end a relationship or two if you decide to play blast mode against a somewhat competitive counterpart. So do with that information what you will.