PlayStation Country

exploration

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

From Solar Sail Games comes Smoke and Sacrifice to PS4. Classed as a survival RPG by the developer, what you’re actually getting is a game that revolves around crafting and where every item has a limited life span or durability. You play as Sachi, a mother whose first born has […]

Smoke and Sacrifice – PS4 Review

January 22, 2019 in PS4 tagged 2d / crafting / durability / exploration / smoke and sacrifice by Gareth

I’ve yet to reach souls saturation. There’s something oddly compelling in the way those games go about their business and, even the imitators that I expose myself to manage to do something right. Death’s Gambit is another one of those. Taking the themes of life and death, White Rabbit still […]

Death’s Gambit – PS4 Review

August 21, 2018 in PS4 / Reviews tagged 2d combat / 2d platforming / death's gambit / exploration / metroidvania / soulslike / white rabbit by Mike

Small teams with big ambitions is a scenario that can play out any number of ways. Knuist & Perzik are primarily a Dutch duo who originally brought Wuppo to Steam last year, to critical success. Just over a year later, a version arrives for console owners to enjoy. As someone […]

Wuppo – PS4 Review

November 8, 2017 in PS4 / Reviews tagged combat / exploration / Knuist & Perzik / platforming / puzzles / shooting / wuppo by Mike

Coming from a small outfit called Lost in the Garden, Lightfield is a futuristic racer looking to take nods towards it’s contemporaries whilst providing it’s own take on movement and navigation. Is the aesthetic charm worth the effort? The visual treatment on offer is a nice, clean and futuristic look which […]

Lightfield – PS4 Review

October 1, 2017 in PS4 / Reviews tagged exploration / futuristic / lightfield / lost in the garden / racer / time trials by Mike

A 2015 release on the PC, The Coma is a fairly traditional Korean horror tale from Devespresso Games. Taking place among familiar corridors with familiar foes, The Coma: Recut appears on new platforms. With some tweaks aimed at making the experience seem more like a traditional survival horror, can the definitive edition […]

The Coma: Recut – PS4 Review

September 24, 2017 in PS4 / Reviews tagged devespresso games / exploration / hiding / korean horror / school / survival horror / the coma recut by Mike

I have to admit to my only experience with the Ys series to this point has been Ys Origin which was an excellent arcade-y RPG with brilliant combat. Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA is new on the PS4 and Vita and is a very different game, though with some obvious […]

Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA – PS4 Review

September 1, 2017 in PS4 tagged dreams / exploration / jrpg / lacrimosa of dana / origin / ys by Gareth

Already out in the open on the PC since 2016, Rabi-Rabi makes the transition to the Playstation 4. Indie platformers with Metroidvania elements are now ten a penny. Can CreSpirit and GemaYue’s effort stand out from the crowd? Rabi Rabi is a tale of two companions. You control Erina who […]

Rabi-Ribi – PS4 Review

August 31, 2017 in PS4 / Reviews tagged 2D Platformer / bullet-hell / crespirit / exploration / gemayue / metroidvania / rabi-ribi by Mike