exploration

Atari have been doing a lot with their old properties. We’ve seen Yars Rising transplant the gameplay of Yars Revenge into a search action game and now it’s Adventure’s time to get a modernised effort. Adventure of Samsara bears very little resemblance to the 1980 classic. Ilex Games have been […]

Adventure of Samsara – PS5 Review

September 28, 2025 in PS5 / Reviews tagged 2d / adventure of samsara / atari / exploration / ilex games / magic / melee combat / metroidvania / parries / Pixel art / platforming / search action game by Mike

I’m not one to buy into soulslike fatigue. I think, as long as the execution is good, I will persevere with it. Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is an effort from Chinese developer Lenzee. It has it’s own twists on the blueprint with some solid level design. Unfortunately, it also frustrates me […]

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers – PS5 Review

August 8, 2025 in PS5 / Reviews tagged action rpg / chinese mythology / deliberate combat / exploration / lenzee / magic / manchurians / melee / soulslike / wuchang fallen feathers by Mike

Remakes and remasters give me the opportunity to plug any gaps in my gaming knowledge, particularly when it comes to the PC. Amerzone: The Explorer’s Legacy originally saw daylight in 1999. Based on a 1986 comic by Benoit Sokal, it saw some critical success, although had the usual limitations of […]

Amerzone: The Explorer’s Legacy – PS5 Review

April 27, 2025 in PS5 / Reviews tagged amerzone the explorer's legacy / benoit sakal / exploration / microids / point and click adventure / puzzle solving / south america / unity by Mike

Another day, another search action game to check out. This time it’s Biomorph from Lucid Dreams Studio. I bet it’s hard to elevate one game within a packed genre. Thankfully, they’ve mostly been up to the task, providing some interesting twists on abilities with some smart choices around map design. […]

Biomorph – PS5 Review

December 9, 2024 in PS5 / Reviews tagged 2d / biomorph / cartoon aesthetic / exploration / graph paper maps / lucid dreams studio / melee combat / metroidvania / search action game / transformation by Mike

It’s not very often you see downloadable content coming so long after a game’s release. Elden Ring was critically acclaimed in 2022 and From Software has a fairly solid history of worthy expansions. With a relatively hefty price tag, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree has, at the very least, […]

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree – PS5 Review

June 30, 2024 in PS5 / Reviews tagged challenging / dark fantasy / deliberate combat / elden ring shadow of the erdtree / exploration / from software / george r r martin / open world / Souls by Mike

The second of the Morbid series, Morbid: The Lords of Ire opts to delve into a more specific arena. Still Running have decided to give a souls-like a go and, for the most part, it does a competent job. It lacks some polish but there’s a couple of interesting ideas […]

Morbid: The Lords of Ire – PS5 Review

May 28, 2024 in PS5 / Reviews tagged action rpg / challenge / dark fantasy / exploration / morbid the lords of ire / Souls / still running / the striver by Mike

I was the right age to get into it but the Tomb Raider series managed to always escape my grasp. By the time I was a PC gamer, I was into shooters. I got a PlayStation for anything but platformers. The franchise itself has seen plenty of highs and lows […]

Tomb Raider I-III Remastered – PS5 Review

February 15, 2024 in PS5 / Reviews tagged 3d platformer / 90s / aspyr / core design / crystal dynamics / dual pistols / exploration / lara croft / tomb raider i ii iii remastered by Mike

One look at Strayed Lights had me interested. With a fairly minimal approach to storytelling and a parry-based combat system, I was anticipating something unique. Whilst it does try to plough it’s own furrow, Embers’ effort has me a little underwhelmed. Visually appealing, the sparse narrative and forgiving fights have […]

Strayed Lights – PS5 Review

May 9, 2023 in PS5 / Reviews tagged coming of age / embers / exploration / minimalist storytelling / parry / platforming / rite of passage / strayed lights by Mike

I’ve often wondered how to view games that don’t carry a lot of challenge. I can feel like a passenger throughout but some of my most memorable experiences have also felt very trivial to complete. It’s a quandary I’ve had to keep in mind whilst playing Wavetale, an adventure platformer […]

Wavetale – PS5 Review

December 27, 2022 in PS5 / Reviews tagged adventure / apocalypse / exploration / narratively-driven / platforming / thunderful / waterworld / wavetale by Mike

I do love a good souls-like but there is a sense that taking them into the second dimension can limit combat and exploration. There’s no shortage of triers and Third Sphere Game Studios are the latest to give the stripped down experience a shot. Released on steam in January, a […]

Watcher Chronicles – PS5 Review

October 16, 2022 in PS5 / Reviews tagged 2d platforming / catacombs / crypts / exploration / magic / melee combat / ranged attacks / soulslike / third sphere game studios / watcher chronicles by Mike

Alwa’s Legacy comes from Elden Pixels after a successful kickstarter and a 2020 PC release. It was well received for its focus on exploration and interesting tweaks on player traversal. Metroidvania’s might be commonplace on game stores but it’s been a while since one strayed across my path. Thankfully, this […]

Alwa’s Legacy – PS4 Review

December 25, 2021 in PS4 / Reviews tagged 2D Platformer / adventure / alwa's legacy / amnesia / catacombs / elden pixels / exploration / magic / metroidvania / retro aesthetic by Mike

Another day, another indie title. This one comes from Ninja Rabbit studios. Micetopia is a fairly simple tale of a mouse called Rich. He’s one of the few villagers left after monsters have taken some of the other residents hostage. With a sword in hand, our little hero has two […]

Micetopia – PS4 Review

December 8, 2020 in PS4 / Reviews tagged 2d platforming / exploration / hack and slash / metroidvania / mice / micetopia / ninja rabbit studios by Mike