Well Played

• SWITCH
• 8.5 / 10
• Australie

As the Nintendo Switch winds down, so too do the bigger releases on the system, but there’s a few nuggets of goodness that remain on the release schedule. Mario vs Donkey Kong can be considered one such nugget, a nostalgia trip that will keep the kiddos entertained and the older kiddos occupied for a good while. I enjoyed a chance to rediscover its style, and the modern coat of paint and new modes are welcome additions to an otherwise solid piece of entertainment.

• PS5
• 9 / 10
• Australie

Ultros is a title with nothing to prove, but still somehow proves plenty. It’s old school without feeling old, and unhelpful without feeling frustrating. Your victories are yours alone, and that’s a cool thing to experience nowadays. There are a lot of games that like to pretend they are offering something unique, but really I have never seen a package quite like Ultros – crushing it on everything that matters. This is a title that deserves a spot on anyone’s watchlist.

• PC
• 9 / 10
• Australie

Turnip Boy’s world is a fun romp, simple to control and enjoyable to get to grips with. Once the first few runs are out of the way and you start to get a feel for it, it’s easy to get lost in the cycle of run, rinse, and repeat. The upgrades and weapons are suitably silly, and the supporting cast of characters provide plenty of tongue-in-cheek humour and cultural references to groan at. It raised a chuckle or two in me, and I’m sure the dev team enjoyed poking fun at the expense of the video game industry (and humanity in general). Not every joke landed, mind, but there’s more hits than misses.

• PS5
• 9 / 10
• Australie

Tekken 8 is exactly what I wanted it to be. Cohesive, silly, fun, ridiculous and brilliant. The King of Iron Fist returns with one more entry to close out its bombastic, chaotic story and it does it in style. The fighting feels great, the story is silly and fun, the music rules, and the visuals are fantastic. Combine this with the game’s new Special Style system which lowers the barrier of entry for new players and you have a Tekken game that easily caters to a wide variety of players.

• SWITCH
• 7 / 10
• Australie

• SWITCH
• 8 / 10
• Australie

• PS5
• 3 / 10
• Australie

• SWITCH
• 8.5 / 10
• Australie

• PS5
• 7 / 10
• Australie

The team at Outerloop Games exudes confidence and style with Thirsty Suitors, a delightfully approachable palate cleanser that anybody can enjoy in this year of incredible releases. With its heart on its sleeve, a charming cast, and constant nailing of intimacy and culture, Thirsty Suitors comfortably ollies its way into your heart and makes for one of the year’s best depictions of desire, culture, and vulnerability. Jala’s skateboarding odyssey of growth is worth beholding, even when the surrounding gameplay doesn’t quite meet the standard of its writing and visuals.

• PC
• 8.5 / 10
• Australie

Regardless of how many hours you’ve sunk into League of Legends over the years, whether it be hundreds, thousands, or perhaps even none at all, Song of Nunu: A League Legends Story is a game worthy of your attention. It’s a roughly eight to twelve hour adventure with an abundance of heart, with a charming duo you’ll quickly fall in love with. The platforming may occasionally frustrate with its stiff and sometimes unreliable nature, but the engaging atmosphere and pleasing visuals of the Freljord and the gameplay that constantly shifts between exploration, puzzle solving and combat are sure to keep you entertained until credits roll.

• PS5
• 8 / 10
• Australie

I don’t have the upper body strength or ambition to take to the multicoloured wall, but if the act of bouldering was half as serene and beautiful as Jusant makes it seem, I would be getting a membership this very moment. Once accustomed to them, the deliberate climbing mechanics combined with the environmental elements create an engaging and enjoyable experience. Despite a lack of emotional depth, the subtle story carries an important message, and the constantly evolving visual style surprises and delights at every turn. It may lose grip every once and a while on the ascent, but Jusant confidently reaches the summit.

• PS5
• 8.5 / 10
• Australie

And so it is something of a bittersweet experience to play the Master Collection. Its comprehensive preservation of Metal Gear reaches deeply into the franchise’s release history and collates decades of value into a well-crafted and thoughtful collection. Appropriately modernised presentation bundles these games into a cohesive package, the individual titles putting their best foot forward thanks to the foundational work of Bluepoint Games and the renewed sense of duty Konami has found to one of its flagship franchises. There’s an ideal world in which this collection would have been all inclusive, perhaps a better value-for-money proposition and one that truly honoured, and grappled with, the legacy of Kojima. But for now, I’m just glad to not be in a world without Snakes.

• SWITCH
• 9.5 / 10
• Australie

It is somewhat difficult to believe that in a year as good as the one we’re having right now, Nintendo manage to swing in at the last moment and release another GOTY contender, but that’s exactly what’s happened. I would say, though, that the success of Mario Wonder shouldn’t be viewed in the context of a single year, or even console generation. Rather, Super Mario Bros. Wonder’s achievement stretches back to the SNES days, when the last truly great 2D Mario games were released, and when those games stood at the pinnacle of visual presentation and game design. Since then, the 2D Mario outings have lived in the shadow cast by the superb 3D Mario outings, but no longer. Super Mario Bros. Wonder provides an experience so brimming with personality, innovation, creativity and charm that it thrusts the 2D perspective back into the centre of the way we think about Mario games, and if Nintendo sticks with this formula and builds on it, 2D Mario games are never going to have to play second fiddle ever again.

• PC
• 7 / 10
• Australie

Cavern of Dreams is a charming N64-inspired platformer with plenty of heart. Its controls and movement may not be as fluid and reliable as they arguably should be (especially in its early hours), and its lack of much in the way of story is a bit disappointing. Yet despite the shortcomings, it remains fun to play. The act of exploring and tracking down collectibles is a tried and tested gameplay loop, and thankfully, Cavern of Dreams provides wacky worlds littered with secrets to uncover, as well some surprisingly engaging challenges. If you’re nostalgic for the era of early 3D mascot platformers, or perhaps just want a short and sweet six to eight hour adventure to sink your teeth into, then spelunking in the Cavern of Dreams is not a bad option.

• PS5
• 7 / 10
• Australie

• PS5
• 9.5 / 10
• Australie

Certain games are so exceptional that when I try to explain to people why I loved playing it so much and why they should as well, my words fail me, and I end up gushing for minutes on end without really saying anything of substance. While I hope my written work conveys my thoughts more clearly, Cocoon is one such game, so I apologise if you strike up a conversation about it with me. A near-perfect example of level and game design that makes the player feel consistently clever without ever holding their hand, Cocoon is a landmark achievement in the genre that deserves a spot right beside the very best.

• PC
• 8 / 10
• Australie

From combat and traversal to the story and characters, everything in Gunbrella revolves around the device that gives the game its name, and for good reason. Using its multiple functions to zip around the world, turning cultists into jelly is fluid and fun, and the game just gives you all the tools necessary from the very beginning. The slightly uneven story gives you a reason to care, without being overbearing, and the few twists that it offers will be more than enough to keep you interested. Throw in a gorgeous pixel art style and a tight six-hour playtime and you’ve got yourself a very solid action platformer that’s worth heading out into the rain for.

• SWITCH
• 8.5 / 10
• Australie