Reviews

From Gateshead based boutique developer Bunnyhug and co-located publisher Coatsink we have Moonglow Bay. Originally released on PC and Xbox in 2021, it’s made the leap to PlayStation. Was it worth the wait? For the most part yes, but with a few caveats. Incidentally, Bunnyhug is Sasketchawan slang for a […]

Moonglow Bay – PS5 Review

April 25, 2024 in PS5 / Reviews tagged buggy / bunnyhug / coatsink / dave / fish / moonglow bay / octopus / squid by Ian

Going to arcades these days is a very weird experience. In my child brain I still think I’m going to find games I’ll recognise there. I’m very often mistaken and a little disappointed. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade: Wrath of the Mutants is, as luck would have it, a port […]

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade: Wrath of the Mutants – ...

April 25, 2024 in PS5 / Reviews tagged 2d sidescroller / belt action / brawler / cradle games / local multiplayer / new york city / pizza / raw thrills / sewers / teenage mutant ninja turtles wrath of the mutants by Mike

It’s funny how games centred around menial vocations can prove such a hit. Overcooked has spawned plenty of imitators in a genre that is all about too much to do. Ready, Steady, Ship! is the latest of these to come to console. Jollybit Games have taken the simple, repetitive art […]

Ready, Steady, Ship! – PS5 Review

April 23, 2024 in PS5 / Reviews tagged boxes / job simulator / jollybit games / local co-op / logistics / puzzles / ready steady ship! / shipping / single-player / space / warehouse by Mike

From Seattle-based developer Moonless Formless and publisher Perp comes asylum-em-up Withering Rooms. Set in the Mostyn Private Asylum in Monmouth, perhaps modelled in part on the real-life Pen-y-Fal Psychiatric Hospital in nearby Abergavenny. Though given the fact the devs are from the Pacific North-West, perhaps not. There’s also a Mostyn […]

Withering Rooms – PS5 Review

April 23, 2024 in PS5 / Reviews tagged here we go yo / SeaUsRise / two point five D / withering rooms by Ian

I took one look at the trailer for Loretta and thought it would be my bag. Hand me a good story and I’ll be happy. Coming from Yakov Batuzov, this 1940’s noir delivers a thriller full of secrets, lies and intertwined lives that successfully kept me engaged. Whilst it is […]

Loretta – PS5 Review

April 15, 2024 in PS5 / Reviews tagged adventure / choices / film noir / hitchcock / loretta / mystery / narratively-driven / Pixel art / thriller / Yakov Batuzov by Mike

Outer Terror is an auto-shooter from Virginia-based studio Salt & Pixel LLC (actually solo developer Brandon Rodriguez) that follows the current trend of filling PSN with Vampire Survivors clones, something we don’t mind as we’re constantly banging on about the greatness of that game and Brotato. This one is quite different though. […]

Outer Terror – PS5 Review

April 12, 2024 in PS5 / Reviews tagged auto-shooter / horror / outer terror / ps1 / retro / vampire survivors by Richie

Flightpath: Adventures in Venaris is a vertically-scrolling shoot ’em up from Japanese devs Illogic Games and is the latest release from the ever-prolific eastasiasoft. While the shooting is front and centre, as you’d expect, Illogic have also elevated the importance of the story which is something you generally don’t see […]

Flightpath: Adventures in Venaris – PS5 Review

April 6, 2024 in PS5 / Reviews tagged adventures in venaris / eastasiasoft / flightpath / shoot up em / upgrades / vertically scrolling by Richie

Mighty Mage is the latest top-down, (sort of) auto-shooting Survivors-like to hit PSN and it comes from Brazilian-based coders Afil Games (essentially the home of solo dev Antonio Filipe). It hit Steam a year ago but has now been ported to PSN and the Switch. There are quite a few of these […]

Mighty Mage – PS4 Review

April 2, 2024 in PS4 / Reviews tagged afil games / brotato / mighty mage / too easy / vampire survivors by Richie

Otxo, stylised as the rather shouty OTXO, comes from Idaho-based solo dev Lateralis Heavy Industries aka Nathan Haddock and publisher Super Rare Originals. Cited as inspired by the likes of 2012’s Hotline Miami and the likes of the interminable John Wick film series, ‘Otxo’ is the Basque word for wolf, […]

OTXO – PS4 Review

March 31, 2024 in PS4 / PS5 / Reviews tagged gore / guns guns guns / JJ Otxoa / john wicky wicky wah / roguelite / tonz 'o' gunz by Ian

Manic Mechanics is a co-op action party game from Scottish devs 4J Studios and it follows the tradition of other ‘work’ based games doing for car maintenance what Overcooked did for catering and what Moving Out did for furniture removals. This game sees you working in a series of garages where cars come in […]

Manic Mechanics – PS4 Review

March 31, 2024 in PS4 / Reviews tagged co-op / manic mechanics / moving out / Overcooked / party game by Richie

It’s been a long whilst since a South Park game really missed the mark. It’s been ages since I gave the TV series a glance but the last two RPGs have produced something more fitting of the show’s humour. There is a care and attention with those that South Park: […]

South Park: Snow Day – PS5 Review

March 30, 2024 in PS5 / Reviews tagged blizzard / Fantasy / kids at play / matt stone / melee combat / online co-op / question / roguelite / snow day / south park / trey parker by Mike

I hope you’re keeping count because Alone in the Dark is the second time the seminal survival horror has hit the reset button. 2008’s first attempt didn’t seem to leave any long-lasting impression. In the shadow of more high-profile remakes, 2024’s edition appears to walk back to the series’ roots. […]

Alone in the Dark – PS5 Review

March 25, 2024 in PS5 / Reviews tagged adventure / alone in the dark / david harbour / jodie comer / Louisiana / lovecraft / pieces interactive / puzzle solving / spooky mansion / survival horror / third-person combat by Mike