Well Played

• PS4
• 7 / 10
• Australie

I’m deathly allergic to bees and yet after having played Bee Simulator I would do absolutely anything for the little guys. This is a game made by a small team on a small budget and it shows; but there’s an undeniably wholesome and endearing experience here that is better than the sum of its parts.

• PS4
• 8 / 10
• Australie

Afterparty is a wild ride through Hell that stands on the strength of its superbly-written characters and world. The simple, dialogue-based gameplay definitely won’t be for everyone and the technical issues are an unfortunate disappointment, but if you can deal with that then this is definitely a trip worth taking. Whether you inevitably make it out or not.

• SWITCH
• 7 / 10
• Australie

• PC
• 8 / 10
• Australie

Darkest Dungeon may be bleak, but WARSAW makes its inspiration look like a teddy bear’s picnic. There’s a dream game pseudo-nicheness to the whole idea; somebody at Pixilated Milk thought ‘I want to do Darkest Dungeon but about the Warsaw Uprising’ and scratched the right backs to make it happen. And this reviewer is glad that it did, because it turned out to be a real good game about a story that must continue to be told to the world.

• PS4
• 6 / 10
• Australie

Monkey King: Hero is Back is…fine. I’d say it’s aggressively average. Thing is, for a (very late) movie tie-in aimed at a younger audience, that’s pretty good. It’s got its fair share of problems, but it does have heart, and the more games based on Journey to the West the better. I just can’t see it gelling with anyone but the target demographic, and even those people are probably going to wish it was just that little bit better.

• PS4
• 8 / 10
• Australie

• PC
• 9 / 10
• Australie

Playing through Gibbous – A Cthulhu Adventure made me realise how much I miss this type of adventure game. It does a fantastic job of taking the world of Lovecraft and turning it into something unique and memorable, thanks to a gorgeous art style and well-written characters. If you’ve got a point-and-click itch that needs scratching, then Gibbous may be the remedy you’ve been waiting for.

• PS4
• 7 / 10
• Australie

It’s such a shame that Etherborn’s runtime is barely a few hours because what Altered Matter has crafted is very good. The gravity-shifting puzzle design is excellent, the vibrant art style is gorgeous, and the soundtrack helps sell the emotive narrative even if it is somewhat irrelevant. If you like a good challenge then Etherborn is worth a look, however be prepared to be left wanting more when the credits roll.

• SWITCH
• 6.9 / 10
• Australie

Titties

• PS4
• 5.5 / 10
• Australie

While I did get an adrenaline shot of nostalgia from playing American Fugitive, the comedown was pretty rough. While certain elements reinvigorate the old formula, the game is too marred by design and systemic issues to take things to the next level as an ode to the epic GTA series. Save yourself some money, and grab this puppy when it’s on sale if you’re REALLY interested.

• PS4
• 3 / 10
• Australie

I desperately wanted Dollhouse to surprise me. The film-noir style is briefly eye-catching and the feature that allows you see through your enemy’s eyes is a winner of an idea on paper, but that is truly is where the upsides end. With a severe lack of variation and originality, it feels like a checklist of horror game clichés that it is trying to tick. With a huge range of quality horror titles around at the moment, I can’t in good faith recommend Dollhouse to anyone who is after a good, or even half-decent scare.

• PC
• 8.5 / 10
• Australie

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from Close to the Sun before I jumped into it, but the game’s 7-10 hour campaign had me hooked from start to finish. While the gameplay isn’t anything to write home about, the story, characters, atmosphere and visuals are all first class. I hope the developers have plans to bring this title to consoles, as this game deserves to be played by horror and story fans of all platforms.

• PS4
• 9 / 10
• Australie

Ghost Giant is hard to talk about without spoiling too much of the story or gameplay, but I can say unequivocally that it is magical. It takes great advantage of the VR platform too, with the only real issue being that not everyone has a VR to experience it. This might be my new favourite Zoink game.

• PS4
• 8 / 10
• Australie

Falcon Age is a special game. It’s one of the few new IPs built from the ground up for PSVR that has multiple gameplay systems in a nice little package and feels like a full experience. Outerloop games have created a memorable world and mixed it in with a clever yet satisfying hook and intuitive controls. It is a tiny bit shallow and it could be a bit more polished in the presentation and technical department, but with a few patches the smooth turning and framerate issue should be eliminated. Outerloops has possibly become one of my favourite VR developers and I’m even more excited for what they do next if this steady upward trend in quality release after release continues.

• PC
• 8 / 10
• Australie

We. The Revolution is up there as one of the most unique experiences of the year. While its scope may turn off people looking for a more focused game, you simply couldn’t ask for a better representation of the time period — even when it strays from what the books say for the sake of a consistent narrative. If you’re after a political thriller that’s actually a goddamn political thriller, then We. The Revolution is your best bet.

• PS4
• 7 / 10
• Australie

I feel The Wizards is a solid game with a lot of great ideas and bigger potential. It doesn’t have the scope of something like Skyrim VR, but it isn’t as short or as shallow as most of the first-wave VR content has been. The spell casting is incredibly intuitive and I had a blast mixing up my strategies in battles in some beautiful worlds. However, the game could use a little more variety and depth even if it is just a bit more. Inconsistencies in presentation can always be polished up and improved with future iterations and I feel this has been a great learning experience for the developer. There isn’t a lot of stuff coming to PSVR in the next couple of months and I feel if players are looking for something to tide them over until the next big game, The Wizards is a solid choice. It’s a fun game that I think will be even better in a sequel, if it ever comes to that. I look forward to playing what Carbon Studios summons next.

• PC
• 8 / 10
• Australie

Luckily, I found just what I was looking for in developer Bildundtonfabrik’s love letter to surrealist fiction like Twin Peaks. A combination of phenomenal visuals, razor-sharp writing and an awesome soundtrack are (unfortunately) hindered by the game’s short length and mixed levels of puzzle polish. Then again, a short but sweet experience could be just what the point-and-click genre needs to get back onto its feet. In a world now devoid of high-profile point-and-click games, Trüberbrook is more than qualified to become a cult classic some time down the road. If Bildundtonfabrik can put out more games like this, they stand to become very popular right at this intersection.

• PS4
• 2 / 10
• Australie

It’s hard to fathom what Bigben were thinking when they signed off on such a project. Sure, Olympic volleyball hasn’t had video game representation for a long time (if at all), but the level of polish and content included doesn’t do the sport justice. I feel sorry for Black Sheep Studio (the developer), because they obviously did what they could with what is likely a shoestring budget, but why anyone would pay $100 AUD for this is beyond me. Usually I’ll find a way to weave a positive aspect into the review, giving it some sort of condescending pat on the back, but there’s almost nothing here worth praising aside from giving hardcore volleyballers a chance to play their favourite sport on modern