DeVuego

In conclusion, A Tale of Paper: Refolded  is a brief affair with limited replayability outside of the need to pick up any collectibles you likely missed on your first playthrough. The extra levels bump up what is available a little, but unless you’re going for the platinum trophy you’re unlikely get more than a couple of hours from this. We clocked nine, though many came from replaying to mop up matters as well as leaving the game idle on multiple occasions.

For a game limited to a single location, Grotto does a surprising amount with it. The constant visitation of the cave gives you plenty of interaction and the use of the constellations can feel relatively novel. The writing works well to weave these little decisions together and give off the impression of a larger narrative. It does settle into a repetitive loop but I was still determined to see it through. It's unique enough to recommend and I do find it a memorable and atmospheric experience.

Lords of the Fallen is a game I really wanted to like. The seamless transition between worlds is a joy to witness but it wears out its welcome quickly. Combat feels weighty and has plenty of neat twists. Unfortunately, the enemy hordes make engaging with combat feel like a chore. Level design hits some highs but the lows are agonising to traverse and I just left this game feeling frustrated. It's divisive, oppressive and I just can't bring myself to fully recommend it.

Aside from some decent presentation, Curse of the Sea Rats doesn't do much to innovate the crowded metroidvania genre but it's a solid example of the genre and provides a degree of fun to go with some of the frustration.

Overall though, this is a pretty good game.  It’s not quite up there with the best in class (Mantis Burn Racing) but it offers a rewarding racing experience.  While progression is a little slow in the game we did appreciate the varied tracks and thought that the rally mode was a clever addition.  The couch multiplayer was a mandatory addition of course but works well here.  So, all in all, this is a pretty decent racing throwback.

In conclusion, Alfred Hitchcock – Vertigo is an unexpected bit of fun that we didn’t see coming, nor did we expect to enjoy it as much as we did. The implementation is a bit janky for sure, but if you look past that, this is a fun reinterpretation of a cinema masterwork. We ask that you watch that after having played this. We just wish that it wasn’t so enamoured with QTEs. Thanks for popularising them Shenmue.

System of Souls is a clever puzzler that does deliver some tricky and smart challenges. There's not much in the way of deceit, allowing players to see the task ahead and worry about execution. It's not mind-bending but there is some frustration on hand when the occasionally erratic physics intervene. As well presented as the levels are, I found the narrative fell flat and there are definitely times where things can feel very sterile. The puzzles are worth seeing although the lack of a level select does mean replaying can feel a bit of a slog.

TAPE: Unveil the Memories is a game that does occasionally show moments of class. The time rewinding gimmick does lead to some interesting puzzles and the plot is wonderfully grim. At times, the presentation manages to surprise me with distorting hallways and clever transitions. Unfortunately, it's also saddled with some cheaper elements and a monster that isn't that intimidating. Unfortunately, the pace bogs down in the final act.

In starting up writing this review, I had a softer attitude to it and was considering even going to a 4 for the final score but when you lay out all of the game’s flaws, each of which is entirely obvious and should have been picked up in playtesting (this isn’t even a one-man studio, there are plenty of names on the credits), then honestly, you can’t justify anything higher than a 2.  If they had nailed the story, that might have helped but even that is hard to follow (thanks mainly to it all being via text unless you speak Spanish).  There is potential here but it’s a million miles from being realised.

When all is said and done, The Song Out of Space feels undercooked. The cast seems interesting enough but they're sparingly used in a plot that's all too short. Couple that with the rather unsightly presentation and I have a tough time recommending this. There are spots of intrigue in the plot that are all too hurriedly tied up and replaying doesn't add that much to the fuller picture.

So while we can get behind the core character-switching, puzzle aspects, Nuclear Corps probably would have benefitted from a few hundred hours of playtesting and maybe a couple of decent coders on the team.  Instead it feels like what it is, a good idea let down by poor execution.

As brief as it is, I’ve enjoyed it. There’s definitely a small project feel to Twogether: Project Indigos Chapter 1 but there’s a good foundation here. The aesthetic is colourful and clean and really pleasing on the eye. As slight as the narrative is, there’s an interesting premise on offer that could be built upon. It’s intriguing and, whilst the puzzles felt relatively simple, I’m eager to know where it goes from here.  As an entirely single-player effort, it works well.

With only two tracks and a non-exaggerated game completion time of ten minutes, suggesting Ion Driver is a barebone experience would be an understatement. This initially attractive racer does nothing to further the futuristic racing genre, or do anything to make an impact beyond the nagging feeling of disappointment which permeates throughout. The experience is plagued by bugs, poor collision detection and far too many broken promises to count. Avoid.

The basic gameplay of Indigo 7 is a good mixture of lesser-seen mechanics with a traditional puzzle game feel. That said, it isn't particularly intuitive once you get past the basic colour matching and into the combo building. It's not that it doesn't work but it definitely doesn't work brilliantly. As such, the game feels like a struggle to play rather than one that is easy to play but hard to master. Some of the variations on the main mode are good though but if this was ever going to work, somebody would have made it years ago.

The Five Covens is a student project that would be too expensive if it was priced at a fiver rather than the frankly laughable £10 it’s actually up on the PSN store for. Bad controls, bad camera, bad mechanics. Bad. We played it so you don’t have to. Spend your money on something else.

Windfolk has an enjoyable flying engine in place with some simple but attractive visuals, unfortunately rather than focus on the flying and build a game around that too often you’re put into a battle arena with weak combat or confined to limited areas to explore. That’s not to say it’s a bad game but after the introduction of the flying it fails to fulfil its potential, falling back to more common gameplay staples like combat rather than aiming too high. With a flying game the sky should be the limit, not an artificial barrier.

If you’re going to take a classic, heavily-populated genre then you’ve got two choices.   You either make it spectacular or you make it simple but perfectly playable.  Jade’s Ascension does neither.  It’s slow, unexciting, flawed and the exact sort of thing that we didn’t want to close out the PS4 era with.  If this came out in this form twenty years ago on the PS1, it would have been forgettable then.  On a PS4 this is really without merit.

Tamiku borrows heavily from a few arcade classics but manages to do its own thing and that is admirable but this simple platformer is over pretty quickly. Not bad for the price but not a game that'll last in the memory.

Super Soccer Blast is the best budget football game on the system and one that offers some old-school footballing fun for those of us who remember the pre-FIFA days fondly but a lack of finish, and some technical issues, spoil the party a little.

In conclusion, Concept Destruction is a nice idea let down a little in terms of the sheer scarcity of it all.  Shame the Vita port didn’t come to pass, though we won’t mark it down for that.

Delta Squad is a turgid built for four player shooter with overlong levels and no progress saving. It’s the very definition of a Ratalaika one and done, as we’re most definitely done here.

Groundhog Day: Like Father Like Son is an enjoyable title for fans of the film and those that like a stronger story in their games. You get plenty of the fun VR shenanigans with the Move controllers but the story is what drags you along and determines what you can and can’t do. It is, obviously, repetitious by nature with certain activities being more annoying than others in that respect but whilst a decent length, the game doesn’t outstay its welcome either. Once you’ve beaten it and done all the optional stuff then I’m not sure there’s much replayability which for the price could be an issue but it’s worth strapping on the headset for again.

Solo: Islands of the Heart tries to intertwine block puzzles with an introspective look at love. In reality it is a puzzle game which asks you questions about love but never combines the two effectively. This stops them, and the other optional portions of the game, from feeling cohesive.

For the most part though, Effie is a great 3D platformer in a bright and breezy world. Well except for the dark Woodborn level that’s shrouded in mist anyway. Impressive visuals and generally solid platforming make up for the few frustrations. A special mention to the Windmill Town level for being a great series of set pieces with obvious progression, we’ll leave it to you to discover.

Taito have done great things with the Space Invaders series so copying the original and ignoring the brilliant sequels seems kind of lazy. If you want cheap platinums while looking at something that kind of looks like a MAME rom then this will serve that function but if you want anything approaching a good game then this isn't for you.

Daydream Software have delivered a competent sports title in eCrossminton. Content is sparse with modes being basic but the core components do provide an enjoyable time. Applying direction takes effort but timing your shots feel rewarding. Presentation lacks some flamboyance and the ICO licensing adds very little. It's a shame what content is there needs to be unlocked in a relatively slow rate and the roster lacks some personality.

Submersed ultimately makes some key decisions which will frustrate. Enemies are relentless and inventory management feels botched, leading to you require prior knowledge to advance. Stealth is functional but, more often than not, you're tasked with running from foes that are simply quicker and deadlier than you. There's a punishment on offer here that doesn't fit the crime and, whilst the game tries to do well with a small budget, it can't execute on much of it.

Intruders: Hide and Seek is a decent VR compatible stealth title. The gameplay is overly simple and it's a little light on tension but for its short running time you'll find some enjoyment giving the kidnappers the runaround, trying to find out exactly what their deal is.

Ultimately, this is a game that leaves us feeling conflicted.  The controls and, to some degree, the visuals are enjoyable but this gameplay and concept deserves a better, more substantial game.  We like short games, especially on PSVR where it can be uncomfortable to stay in the headset for too long, but this is really a twenty minute game with a couple of minor hurdles that may extend your stay a little.  Anyone’s Diary is impressive but it’s just not particularly good.

Nubla 2 may have been the result of a collaboration between a game developer and modern art museum, but the gameplay is anything but artistic. Wonderful aesthetics and an engaging narrative aside, Nubla 2 is a short and frustrating adventure, thanks in no small part to poor platforming mechanics and snail-like pacing.

With the right friends, Melbits World is a cute and clever exercise in collaboration and coordination that offers more than just a gimmicky control system and some sweet presentation but the very young and the jaded old might not get much from it and solo players aren't catered for at all.

In the end, most of Stay‘s story is worth seeing and the originality of the premise definitely deserves praise but the puzzles and pacing of the game really let it down and mean that the game doesn’t really do justice to the idea.  We want to like the game more than we do but we probably like it more than it deserves.

Fans of the original Aragami will enjoy having four new levels to stalk their way through but the original game's issues are still present. So while the technical issues, clunky gameplay and overly long levels take away from the fun, Aragami still has plenty of moments where you feel like a badass ninja assassin and that's really the main thing we want from a game like this.

Some of the set pieces feel arbitrarily hard for no good reason, which is a real shame as for a game that focuses so heavily on story, you’ll occasionally feel you can’t go any further due to repeatedly failing the same section over and over again. The BMX section in particular is guilty of this and this reviewer had to stop short of completing the story due to being unable to get past another mini-game where you have to hammer buttons like you were playing Daley Thompson’s Decathlon on the Spectrum. Very frustrating.  A better option would be to give you the opportunity to bypass the section after a certain number of failures, the button hammering being a prime example where this could come into play.

Twin Robots struggles to elevate itself beyond an average experience. The lack of a narrative and the constant laboratory setting leave something lean and stagnant. Basic by design, there's little to recommend here. Local cooperative play might squeak some extra time out of what's a functional but bland effort.

Demon's Crystals is a twin-stick shooter that does little to stand out from the crowd. It has a degree of confidence and charm but the gameplay is so thin that it makes the game impossible to recommend.

Vaccine gives a good initial impression for fans of old school survival horror, but a bad first impression gameplay-wise. Stick with it enough to achieve a good run and you might just see the appeal, but it will depend entirely on luck rather than skill.

Spheroids never really rises above being average. It has ok presentation and offers some gentle platforming and shooting fun. It suffers from some technical issues, particularly on the Vita. Couple these technical issues with a lack of any kind of difficulty and the game is distinctly average.

An odd hybrid of racer and vehicular combat which never quite hits the mark in either category. While there is some chaotic fun to be had in multiplayer the single player ends up becoming a little samey.

Rolling Bob’s biggest selling point is the way it uses the gyroscope in the DualShock 4 to create a unique control method. Unfortunately this control method just doesn’t work and actively frustrates the gameplay. Couple this with bland art style and some examples of badly translated text and you have a game which is best ignored.

Yesterday Origins updates the point and click genre and manages to tell a great thriller story at the same time. With good presentation, excellent voice acting and well thought out puzzles Yesterday Origins is a game which I can easily recommend.

Here’s the harsh truth, kids. Zenith isn’t that good and that’s a real shame because on the face of it, things looked promising. The trouble is that the comedy falls flat at every turn and the role-playing elements are so light they’re practically non-existant. Had the developers focused more on gameplay and less on jokes, we might be onto something. Comedy isn’t easy in games and Zenith is exhibit A in the case of how to bad things can get. All is not lost though. The developers have created a functional product and after some more QA testing could have had a fairly average game. I do hope this is a stepping stone onto greater things for them. Don’t believe the reviews giving it zeroes and ones but certainly don’t be fooled into thinking this is anything special either.