Author Profile
Khayl Adam is Push Square's roving Australian correspondent, a reporter tasked with scouring the internet for the richest, most succulent PlayStation stories. With six years of experience as a freelance journalist and mercenary wordsmith, RPGs are his first great love, but strategy and tactics games are a close second, genres in which he is only too happy to specialize.
Latest Reviews
Review Valor Mortis (PS5) - Imperial Ambitions, Largely Realised
Short in a few places, but a titan where it counts
Valor Mortis is an exceedingly fresh take on the tired Soulslike genre. Its engaging first-person combat, grimdark Napoleonic setting, and impeccable level design make it a must-play for enthusiasts in an already busy gaming season, even if it does stumble in places. Developed by One More Level,...
Review Gothic 1 Remake (PS5) - Cult Classic Returns, Warts and All
Embrace the jank
Gothic 1 Remake is an almost slavish reproduction of the original 2001 release developed by Piranha Bytes, an Eastern European open world RPG that was ahead of its time, notoriously hardcore, and seriously janky. Remade for a new era by Alkimia Interactive and published by THQ Nordic, this surprisingly dense experience has been...
Review Hades 2 (PS5) - Godlike Sequel Is Pure Power Fantasy
Keep running up that hill
Hades 2 continues developer Supergiant Games' reign of isometric action dominance, which began with Bastion back in 2011 and was firmly cemented by Transistor in 2014. Building on the foundations of 2020's excellent original Hades, the sequel to that godlike roguelike features the studio's sublime music and art direction,...
Review Code Vein 2 (PS5) - Repetitive Vampiric Soulslike May Still Sate Your Bloodlust
Mostly mediocre
Code Vein 2 is the latest in a long line of action RPGs chasing the lofty heights of FromSoftware's immortal Dark Souls series, and like so many others before it, falls well short of the mark. Bland visually and uninspiring narratively, Bandai Namco's latest soulslike foray (previously publishing the aforementioned Souls series,...
Nice town, I'll take it
Age of Empires 4: Anniversary Edition is another excellent real-time strategy game from the now venerable series that popularised the subgenre back in the late 90s and early 2000s (with 'popular' being a relative term). Developed by Relic Entertainment and initially published by Xbox Game Studios in 2021, it's now the turn...
Mini Review Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake (PS5) - A Comforting Couple of Classic JRPGs
No two ways about it
Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake bundles two classic JRPGs together that, somewhat confusingly, are linked to but set chronologically after Square Enix's 2024 revival, Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake. Together, they comprise the Erdrick trilogy and continue the series' consistently high quality, offering traditional turn-based...
Square's masterwork stands the test of time
Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles is almost the definitive way to play what is easily the most influential tactics game ever made. Square's stone-cold PS1 classic, Final Fantasy Tactics, has been reborn in all its isometric glory, featuring fully voiced dialogue and a gorgeous graphical...
Ghost in the machine
System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster is Nightdive Studio's tribute to the hugely influential 1994 original. Offering a much-needed technical upgrade, along with a bevvy of extras, System Shock 2 is still an impressive game, even if some of its forward-thinking mechanics feel quite quaint three decades later. Originally...
Review Blades of Fire (PS5) - Steely Action with Blunt Art and Storytelling
Fantasy epic sure to quench your thirst for combat
Blades of Fire is a dark fantasy action adventure game inspired by Santa Monica Studio's modern God of War series and FromSoftware's Souls series, and it's a fairly compelling melding of the two. Central to its narrative and gameplay is the ability to forge a wide variety of powerful melee weapons,...
Mini Review Age of Mythology: Retold (PS5) - Series' Best Stands the Test of Time
Real-time strategy finds a home on console
Age of Mythology: Retold is a remastered version of Ensemble Studio’s hugely influential 2002 original. With a fresh coat of HD paint, a visual overhaul for every game unit, and brand new animations, Retold is a nostalgic jaunt for seasoned veterans and an excellent jumping-on point for interested...
Latest Feature Articles
Game of the Year #8 - Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
Special deliverance
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 remains the open world western RPG to beat, boasting some of the most immersive and complex mechanics and systems of gameplay we've encountered, in addition to top-tier performances and environmental storytelling. We raved about it in our initial review, and developer Warhorse Studios has spent the...
Game of the Year Khayl's Top 5 PS5 Games of 2024
Every Cloud
Our individual Game of the Year articles allow our lovely team of writers and editors to share their own personal PS5 picks for 2024. Today, it's the turn of news reporter Khayl Adam. 5: Dragon's Dogma 2: I wanted to like the first Dragon's Dogma, but I came to it too late and struggled with its technical performance. With Dragon's...
Final Fantasy 8 forever
I've had a love for words as long as I can remember. According to Adam family legend, this stems from my childhood, where I was impatient to play my older brothers' video games and taught myself to read at an impressively young age (the specifics are lost to time). I have strong memories of him playing JRPGs, first on SNES...
Game of the Year #2 - Baldur's Gate 3
A class act
For the many accolades Larian Studios' roleplaying epic, Baldur's Gate 3, has earned, the fact that it even exists is somehow still its most impressive accomplishment of all. Its predecessor, Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn, was released almost a quarter of a century ago and is still considered one of the all-time genre greats. Not only...
Game of the Year #7 - Lies of P
Sweet little lies
Lies of P is one of 2023's most pleasant surprises. It's a twisted take on the classic tale of Pinnochio, incorporating elements made famous by FromSoftware's Dark Souls series. Korean newcomer Neowiz Games knocked it out of the park with its debut, delivering some competent competition and the closest thing to a Bloodborne...
Game of the Year Khayl's Top 5 PS5, PS4 Games of 2023
Down by the river
Our individual Game of the Year articles allow our lovely team of writers to share their own personal PS5 and PS4 picks for 2023. Today, it's the turn of news reporter and reviewer Khayl Adam. 5. Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader: Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader is the most recent game on this list, and I'm still digesting it, but...
Hands On The Expanse: A Telltale Series PS5, PS4 Gets Off to a Strong Start
Kowlting gut, bosmang
The Expanse: A Telltale Series is a newly-reanimated Telltale Games' first outing since filing for bankruptcy in 2018, before reviving a year later under LCG Entertainment. Now, with many of the studio's original staff having returned in a freelance capacity, the first episode (of five) is available, and we were eager to dive...
Game of the Year Khayl's Top 5 PS5, PS4 Games of 2022
Rise, Tarnished
Our individual Game of the Year articles allow our lovely team of writers to share their own personal PS5 and PS4 picks for 2022. Today, it's the turn of staff writer Khayl Adam. 5. Tactics Ogre: Reborn: A remake of a stone-cold SRPG classic, Tactics Ogre: Reborn stands like a colossus over the genre, setting the gold standard...
Latest News Articles
News The Last of Us Boss Answers Its Most Profound Question: Was Joel Right?
"You'd just come after her"
Naughty Dog's groundbreaking The Last of Us franchise has posed a bunch of uncomfortable moral quandaries for players to grapple with. Perhaps the most profound of all is the decision made by protagonist Joel Miller at the end of the first game, and fans have debated its ramifications for over a decade now. Obviously,...
Random Square Enix, Nomura Have the Most Kingdom Hearts Social Media Exchange Imaginable
...What?
As it's been several more months since we went 1,000 days without any word at all regarding Kingdom Hearts IV, Square Enix's social media post highlighting a recent exchange between itself and director Tetsuya Nomura immediately perked our ears up. We really should have known better. Celebrating the series' 23rd anniversary (thanks,
News Tony Hawk's Call to Remove Classic Tunes from Pro Skater 3 + 4 OST
"It was my choice"
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 is shaping up to be a largely nostalgic trip down memory lane, with a few exceptions. The fourth entry won't feature free roam, which is certainly a blow. Another is the predictably controversial decision to remove or change classic tunes from its soundtrack, including hits from Alien Ant Farm, Iron...
News Nightdive Studios Isn't Ruling Out System Shock 2 Remake
Remaster due out in June
System Shock 2 is a hugely influential game, rounding off many of the original's rougher edges, implementing ideas and systems that would be further honed and made more recognisable in spiritual successor BioShock. Nightdive Studios already has a remaster in the works, but that doesn't mean we won't see a full-blown remake...
News Assassin's Creed Shadows Dev 'Actively Looking' at Adding Harder Difficulty Mode
We hope it's lethal
Assassin's Creed Shadows provides multiple difficulty options for players, allowing them to cater the stealth action series to their liking. Expert Mode is the toughest, and under this designation, stealth is the series at its very best; still, sickos will always crave more challenge from their games, and we're glad to know...
News Have Faith, Space Marine 2 Isn't Being Abandoned Just Yet
Space Marine 3 reveal had unintended consequences
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 was one of our favourite 2024 releases, but we can't help but feel for developer Saber Interactive, which, along with publisher Focus Entertainment, appears to be stuck between a rock and a hard place. Perhaps too hastily, the two announced Space Marine 3 is in the...
News RPG Fans 'Very Sensitive to Feeling Like They Wasted Time,' Says Atlus Battle Designer
Kids these days
Atlus' lead battle planner, Kenichi Goto, who was involved in crafting the meticulous, turn-based combat in immaculate titles like Person 4, Persona 5, and Metaphor: ReFantazio, is quite good at balancing disparate elements. Perhaps the greatest balancing act is ensuring that players are challenged without feeling like their time is...
News Druckmann 'Excited and Curious' to See How The Last of Us HBO Audience Will React to Season 2
Shock and delight, but mostly shock
We can't help but feel a little apprehensive as we inch closer to the start of Season 2 of HBO's adaptation of The Last of Us. As we are now officially entering The Last of Us 2 territory, it's almost time for the much larger TV audience to discover one specific reason why that game was so controversially...
News Animus Hub to Bridge Assassin's Creed Shadows to Modern Day Story
Desmond if you do, Desmond if you don't
We were initially bewildered by the Animus Hub when first booting up Assassin's Creed Shadows. The Hub chronologically links a bunch of the more recent games in the series, and if you have the associated games installed, it allows you to launch them. It seemed like standard Ubisoft launcher chicanery, but it...
News WB Games Reportedly Cancels Unannounced Hogwarts Legacy PS5, PS4 DLC
Thought you ought to know
Warner Bros Games has reportedly cancelled an unannounced game expansion to Hogwarts Legacy, its smash-hit Harry Potter RPG. The DLC was planned to be released alongside an expanded version of the base game. News comes to us via a
