PS Vita Game Reviews
Review Corpse Party: Blood Drive (PS Vita)
Survive and endure
Set two months after the events of the previous game, Corpse Party: Blood Drive sees Ayumi Shinozaki return to make amends for the havoc that she wrought. Ayumi is told if she returns to the Heavenly Host Elementary School and casts a spell from the magic grimoire, the Book of Shadows, then she can bring back her deceased friends...
Review XBLAZE Code: Embryo (PS Vita)
Embryonic
A visual novel prequel to the BlazBlue fighting games, XBlaze Code: Embryo has been available on the PlayStation Vita in Japan since July 2013, and North America since June 2014. Having finally reached European players, has it been worth the wait? The premise of the game is relatively simple. The main character, Touya, is faced with a...
Review Heroes of Loot (PS Vita)
Every little loot helps
In the mood for some mobile-friendly monster murdering, dungeon marauding, and treasure looting on a bit of a restricted budget? Welcome to your new best friend, Heroes of Loot – a kind of Poundland answer to Diablo-style dungeon crawls. This is a rather lovely, simple, and fun mix of the role-playing and roguelike...
Review Persona 4 Dancing All Night (PS Vita)
A beary good time
What a versatile bunch the Persona 4 gang are! Having already appeared in an RPG, a dungeon crawler, and a couple of fighting games, it's clear that they're willing to give anything a go. In their latest outing – Persona 4 Dancing All Night – they're probably furthest from their shadow bashing wheelhouse, but as luck would have...
Review Amnesia: Memories (PS Vita)
A memorable encounter
Amnesia: Memories is an otome visual novel where you play the nameless heroine who has lost her memories. The reason given in the opening scenes of the game is that a sprite named Orion has collided with you and takes up the space in the brain where your memories used to be. A cute notion, but as the storylines unfold, you...
Review One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3 (PS Vita)
Size doesn't matter
You're almost spoiled for choice when it comes to Warriors games on the PlayStation Vita, since just about every slice of musou madness to release on home consoles over the last few years has ended up on Sony's diminutive device as well. Generally speaking, the handheld editions of these chaotic brawlers never quite live up to...
Review Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls (PS Vita)
Hell is whenever
As sinister as it is completely crazy, Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls is very much birthed from the same minds as the other games in the series – except that this time around, courtroom class trials and detective work are replaced by linear third-person action. It's a gameplay shift that paints Ultra Despair...
Review Lost Dimension (PS Vita)
Trust issues
With a doomsday timer set on the world, the villain known as The End summons 11 gifted members known as S.E.A.L.E.D. team to the Pillar – a mysterious structure that's appeared out of nowhere – in order to defeat him. However, he's planted traitors among the group. It's up to protagonist Sho Kasugai and his allies to determine who...
Review Actual Sunlight (PS Vita)
Actually depressing
Depression is a fairly common mood disorder that, despite its frequency, is still not considered a serious issue by many. Sadly, some people think that a simple attitude change will fix all of the ailments; that it's a self-inflicted state of mind. This is simply not true. Actual Sunlight by Will O'Neill is a short, interactive,...
Review J-Stars Victory VS+ (PS Vita)
Star-crossed
J-Stars Victory VS+ is actually quite a snug fit on the PlayStation Vita. The bite-sized battles feel like they're just the right size for a quick spot of portable play, and the graphics arguably look crisper than they do on the big screen. This is the same game that you can get on the PlayStation 4, which we've already covered in more...
Average square
In a time dominated by people being tethered to mobile gadgets, there's no shortage of reaction puzzle games. The fast paced, play-any-time nature of the genre makes it ideal for short spurts of play sprinkled throughout the day, and that's what Squares by LEAP Game Studios is – a minimalistic puzzler that focuses more on testing...
Review Ar nosurge Plus (PS Vita)
Passionate beats
The PlayStation Vita has a formidable catalogue of Japanese role-playing games that always seems to be expanding, but it's fairly easy to make the argument that Ar nosurge Plus is one of the better additions. An enhanced port of the PlayStation 3 title which released last year, it's an enjoyably unique adventure that boasts an...
Review Samurai Warriors Chronicles 3 (PS Vita)
This time it's personal
You couldn't possibly be blamed for being unable to keep up with each new Warriors release at this point. The Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors franchises have enjoyed a steady stream of new titles for about as long as anyone can remember, but thankfully, both series have maintained a good, consistent quality over the...
Review Sketchcross (PlayStation Vita)
Sketchy
Nonograms are an eclectic sort of puzzle. Mostly being a spin on sudoku with a hint of crosswords, the objective is to essentially create pixel art of animals, people, shapes, or anything that you can think of by filling in specific squares of a grid. You accomplish this by logically analysing numbers that correspond with rows and columns,...
Review Damascus Gear: Operation Tokyo (PlayStation Vita)
Grinding gears
There's a really neat premise at the heart of Damascus Gear: Operation Tokyo – a downloadable title that's destined to be completely overlooked by most. In a post-apocalyptic future where mankind's on its last legs and Japan is little more than a smouldering ruin, machines known as Rage stalk the desolate landscape, scouring...
Review Run Sackboy! Run! (PlayStation Vita)
Sack race
Ah, the endless runner: a sub-genre almost as ubiquitous in the promotional game space as the everyday Puzzle & Dragons knock-off. Unfortunately for developer Firesprite – a UK studio made up of ex-WipEout veterans – the awkwardly punctuated Run Sackboy! Run! doesn't possess quite the same originality as the parent property that...
Review Doodle Kingdom (PlayStation Vita)
Variety is the spice of life
If you didn't think that you had a God complex, you certainly will after a few hours with JoyBits' return to its flagship seller, the Doodle series. While Doodle Kingdom certainly upholds the traditional formula the franchise is renowned for – albeit with a fresh thematic twist – it also tries its creative hand at a...
Review Toukiden: Kiwami (PlayStation Vita)
Demonic addiction
Toukiden: The Age of Demons attempted to fill a Monster Hunter-shaped hole on the PlayStation Vita, and it succeeded to quite an impressive degree. Accessible combat and relatively simple crafting systems made it a decent alternative to Capcom's popular action role-playing game romp, but Toukiden: Kiwami's gone one better,...
Review La-Mulana EX (PlayStation Vita)
Temple of Doom
Back in the good old days, a game wasn't even considered playable unless it was so hard that you could never actually see beyond the first few levels – that was just how we got our value for money. The late 1980s were a time when men were men – even when they were pre-pubescent or, God forbid, female – and chest hair, flat caps,...
Review Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines (PlayStation Vita)
Boned by blood
Imagine being born as an adult, and then only having around two years to live; that's the terrible fate that awaits your cursed clan in Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines. But this depressing destiny doesn't just act as a backdrop for the story – it also forms the basis of gameplay and progression, as you work your way through generation...
Review Flame Over (PlayStation Vita)
Prepare to fry
Real world fire fighting requires perseverance, and Flame Over, a PlayStation Vita roguelike from British indie Laughing Jackal, demands a similar level of dedication. You control the ironically named Blaze, a London-based fireman with a big hat and a bushy moustache. Your objective is to work your way through the various randomly...
Review Atelier Ayesha Plus: The Alchemist of Dusk (PlayStation Vita)
Flower maiden
There lies a world shrouded in mysterious ruins from a forgotten civilization, and just what power it harbours, no one knows. It's this settlement of uncertainty that is the home to Atelier Ayesha: The Alchemist of Dusk, and the beginning of the Twilight trilogy. Fortunately, there are no sparkly vampires hidden here. You'll play as...
Review htoL#NiQ: The Firefly Diary (PlayStation Vita)
Fly away
With a title like htoL#NiQ: The Firefly Diary, this latest PlayStation Vita puzzle platformer seems like a strange fit for the Western market. However, niche publisher NIS America has made its name by bringing quirky little curios overseas, and Sony's handheld is certainly a haven for the unusual. The game sees you controlling fireflies –...
Review AeternoBlade (PlayStation Vita)
Aeterno punishment
If there's a checklist for revenge you'd imagine it would go something like this: Step One – dig two graves; Step Two – serve cold. In AeternoBlade – a new action platform title on the PlayStation Vita – the game's heroine, Freyja, could certainly use just such a list. Not only has her hometown just been levelled by Dark...
Review Hyperdevotion Noire: Goddess Black Heart (PlayStation Vita)
PlayStation Noire
In an RPG franchise far, far away, there lived a CPU called Noire. As representative of Lastation, she didn't want to exist in the shadows of her allies anymore, and wanted to stand true as the game's main character. With hope in her heart, pure determination, and an army of generals at her command, her wish finally comes true in...
Review Baboon! (PlayStation Vita)
Ba-boom!
It would be very easy to dismiss Baboon! based on its first few levels. Initially, it adopts the guise of yet another 'earn three medals' challenge game, only this one is specifically built around dropping bombs to propel your ape avatar from ledge-to-ledge, until you reach the top goal – all while collecting bananas along the way. But...
Review Kick & Fennick (PlayStation Vita)
Gun game
Kick & Fennick's the gaming equivalent of a warning sign. We'd never even heard of the Jaywalkers Interactive developed precision platformer when it was announced as part of February's free PlayStation Plus roster, and its smartphone-esque art style didn't exactly instil us with confidence regarding the quality of the release...
Review Nihilumbra (PlayStation Vita)
Fill the void
It's no secret that storytelling has had a renaissance of sorts in video games, where the tale being told is arguably as important as the actual gameplay – and Nihilumbra is cut from the same cloth. While this PlayStation Vita puzzle platformer may not be as moving as the likes of The Last of Us, though, it can still be thought...
Review Criminal Girls: Invite Only (PlayStation Vita)
Crack that whip
There's a classic feminist anthem by Devo which goes into great detail on what one ought to do when faced with a problem. Criminal Girls: Invite Only isn't the long-awaited JRPG based on that classic musical achievement, but there are similarities. In fact, put the song on in the background as you play and, like Dark Side of the Moon...
Review Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth2: Sisters Generation (PlayStation Vita)
A real mouthful
We all know the dreaded curse of video game sequels. Studios will often find themselves with a hit on their hands, and in a feeble attempt to recreate gold, will instead serve up a horrible mess of lost potential. Japanese role-playing game Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth2: Sisters Generation steers clear of this trap, instead...
