PS5 Game Reviews
Review The Plucky Squire (PS5) - Joyful, Inventive Adventure on Every Page of PS Plus Gem
Jot what the doctor ordered
The Plucky Squire leapt out at us from the very first moment we saw its debut trailer, teasing the dimension-hopping capabilities of its central storybook hero. We're pleased to say the full game delivers on this core premise handsomely; Jot's journey across the pages of his book and beyond is full of unique moments and...
Review Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster (PS5) - Capcom Classic Still Shines 18 Years Later
Being Frank
There’s a certain charm to the Capcom of the PS3 generation; a time when its releases were just as likely to land as they were to heavily miss. For every Devil May Cry 4 or Dragon’s Dogma, there was a Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City to set it back to square one. Nowadays, those extreme gulfs in quality have been reduced to...
Review Train Sim World 5 (PS5) - A Solid Update Stuck on Familiar Tracks
Chugging along
If you’ll forgive a veteran virtual train driver a moment of indulgence, Train Sim World is one of the few series this writer has returned to over and over again. There’s something deeply soothing about commandeering a hunk of metal through an otherwise uneventful afternoon, making passenger stops as you soak up the scenery...
Mini Review Funko Fusion (PS5) - Bland, Cryptic Nostalgia Bait Lacks LEGO's Charm
Pop! your card back in your wallet
We figured Funko Fusion could have been fun — or even a surprise gem. Except Funko Fusion isn’t either of those things. Much like the figurines the game is based on, it feels soulless and a poor approximation of the pop culture it's trying to represent. The main point of comparison with Funko Fusion is the...
Mini Review Caravan SandWitch (PS5) - A Delightfully Relaxed, Atmospheric Adventure
Life's a witch
If you're on the market for a relatively stress-free adventure with a focus on exploration — and a surprisingly engaging story — then Caravan SandWitch may be the game for you. Set on a mostly deserted planet, protagonist Sauge returns to the place she once called home in order to track down her older sister, who's been presumed...
Mini Review Wild Bastards (PS5) – Way More Bastards, But a Lot More Void
It’s not swearing if it’s in the game’s title
Void Bastards was a lovely surprise when it first launched back in 2019 thanks to its comic book aesthetic, great sense of humour, and a satisfyingly immersive, sim-inspired approach to the roguelike genre. Rather than stick to its blasters, and go with a safe sequel, developer Blue Manchu has...
Mini Review Crossy Road Castle (PS5) - Addictive Mobile Game Struts onto PS5
King of the Castle
Rather than crossing roads, Crossy Road Castle sees players traversing different castles, level by level, battling bosses and encountering uniquely themed environments in each location. You have three lives per run, and the aim is to get as far through a castle as you can. Every 10 levels there’s a vending machine where you can...
Mini Review Rugrats: Adventures In Gameland (PS5) - Fun and Frustration in This Nostalgia Trip
It's 4 o'clock in the morning, why are you playing this game?
Rugrats: Adventures in Gameland is a flawed throwback to platformers of days past. Aesthetically, the teams at The MIX Games & Wallride have absolutely nailed it. If you grew up watching Rugrats, you’ll be swimming in nods to the cartoon, ranging from characters, to environments, to...
Review Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions (PS5) - Magical PS Plus Sporting Sim Is a Winner
Glory Seeker
The wizarding world of Harry Potter is home to many fan-favourite moments, yet nothing has quite managed to surpass the magic of Quidditch, a fictional sport where the students of Hogwarts and Wizarding World alike engage in a competitive goal-based game, while riding broomsticks. A video game adaptation of Quidditch is nothing new, as...
Review Antstream Arcade (PS5) - Instantly Add 1,300 Retro Releases to Your Console Collection
Livin' the stream
Retro gaming is big business these days. Products like the Evercade have proven there’s a market for a curated collection of physical cartridge-based compilations, while various Chinese manufacturers are making a fortune on Android-powered emulation portables. Even Sony has acknowledged there’s value in its back catalogue,...
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Beta Test Drive
Test Drive Unlimited: Solar Crown isn’t just a racing game, it’s a lifestyle game. Developer Kylotonn has endeavoured to recreate Hong Kong Island along with its opulent luxury and underground street scene, and while the driving is where Solar Crown truly shines, it's the lifestyle and technical aspects of the game hold it back...
Mini Review Castlevania Dominus Collection (PS5) - A Fantastic Bundle of DS Classics
Touching the classics
Anyone who had a Nintendo DS back in the day knows that it boasts a little selection of Castlevania games that are some of the very best in the series — and the latest collection from Konami finally gives PlayStation loyalists a chance to sample their delights. Dominus Collection brings together Dawn of Sorrow, Portrait of R
Review Astro Bot (PS5) - One of the Greatest PlayStation Platformers of All Time
Ace-tro Bot
PS5 pack-in Astro's Playroom was a taster dish, teasing players with a short but sweet experience; Astro Bot, then, is the full three-course meal. Developer Team Asobi has been delivering brilliant 3D platformers since PSVR's Astro Bot Rescue Mission, so it should come as little surprise that this latest entry in the young series is...
Mini Review Gundam Breaker 4 (PS5) - An Impressively Addictive Return to Form
Break it back down
How do you follow up on the disaster that was 2018's New Gundam Breaker? Well, in the case of Gundam Breaker 4, you simply return to the basics, and remind yourself of what made the series so much fun in the first place. This sequel goes out of its way to keep things focused: you grind out missions, collect parts, beef up your...
Review Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 (PS5) - Grimdark Shooter Is an Instant Co-Op Classic
Only in death does duty end
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is a triumph of the storied universe in which it takes place, illustrating the grimdark setting in detail enough for even the most hardened veterans. It's an instant cooperative classic full of glorious, relentless combat; our only remaining question mark is how developer Saber...
Mini Review The Casting of Frank Stone (PS5) - A Stripped Back Version of the Supermassive Formula
Dark Pictures on a budget
Dead by Daylight is one of the most popular multiplayer games around, but if you have little interest in the online gaming space, then its developer Behaviour Interactive may be a relatively unknown quantity to you. To combat this disconnect, the company has employed other studios to create their own, unique take on the...
Mini Review Vampire Survivors (PS5) - Indie Icon Should Come with a Health Warning
Love at first bite
Vampire Survivors is banned in at least 12 countries. Not really, of course, but it should be – this plucky pixel art auto-battler is digital crack in its most distilled form, and those who’ve played it on the hundreds of platforms it’s already available for will know what we mean. This PS5 and PS4 version harbours no real...
Review Star Wars Outlaws (PS5) - Open World Pledge Produces a Superficial Space Outing
Villainous to the end
Star Wars Outlaws has been billed as the first-ever open world game set in the Star Wars universe; a claim that immediately puts developer Massive Entertainment on the back foot. Ignoring the fact Star Wars Galaxies did it first over two decades ago, it opens the game up to an extra layer of scrutiny: is it even open world in...
Mini Review Shadow of the Ninja Reborn (PS5) - Lovingly Restored Classic Shinobi Action
Back to the future
Shadow of the Ninja Reborn brings the classic Natsume side-scrolling ninja action game to modern audiences, and it remains a worthy experience even some 33 years later. It demands the level of challenge that games released in the 90s often do, but if you're okay with that, it looks better than it ever did and offers an enjoyable...
Mini Review Crypt Custodian (PS5) - Metroidvania Great Proves Cats Do It Better
Infinite lives on Pluto
Some say there are too many Metroidvania games for this world, yet when one as good as Crypt Custodian comes along, it serves as a reminder of exactly why so many developers chase that addictive fusion of explorative action. With shades of Death's Door and Tunic, brotherly duo Kyle and Eric Thompson have made an approachable...
Review Visions of Mana (PS5) - Classic RPG Series Returns with Good But Flawed Intentions
Branching out
There's always a degree of trepidation when a classic franchise returns with a brand new release. Down the years, we've seen countless properties attempt to reinvent themselves, either in a bid to reclaim a faded legacy, or to establish a fresh audience. Visions of Mana, however, feels like it's gunning for neither of these goals...
Mini Review Monster Jam Showdown (PS5) - Familiar, Enjoyable Monster Truck Madness
Show off your skills
The Monster Jam series is no stranger on PlayStation, with many entries. However, after Rainbow Studios developed the middling MTX vs ATV Legends, the licence landed with Milestone, which produced the recent Hot Wheels Unleashed series. With Monster Jam Showdown, the studio has brought its experience and racing finesse to the...
Review Concord (PS5) - Live Service Debut Beats the Hate with Stellar Presentation and Good Gameplay
Squad goals
Concord is not the disaster the discourse around it would lead you to believe. This online first-person shooter – a debut effort from Sony studio Firewalk – has outrageous production values, a fair business model, and a genuinely entertaining gameplay loop. Its biggest issue is its lack of identity: there’s no denying the developer...
Review Black Myth: Wukong (PS5) - A Spectacularly Creative Action Romp
Shock the monkey
Black Myth: Wukong is, ultimately, a game about boss fights. Tense, dynamic boss fights that'll have you gawking in awe one minute, and potentially spiking your controller the next. This is a challenging action title — a constant push against increasingly complex and deadly opponents, and there are no difficulty settings to fall...
Rob it Raccoon
Sly Cooper returns! Everyone's favourite kleptomaniac raccoon is finally here on PS5, albeit in port form rather than in a brand new title. Still, we'll take what we can get when it comes to Sly, and so it's a pleasure to see the first game in the series, Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus, as a PS2 Classic, available for a...
White lies
In White Day 2: The Flower That Tells Lies, you step into the shoes of Korean high-schoolers as they investigate the cause of a fire. The puzzles are challenging and the web of mystery surrounding everything is intriguing, but a lack of direction and several technical issues make the game more frustrating than scary. There are three...
Embalm for the soul
Whether you enjoy claustrophobic horror, or you simply always wanted to work in a morgue (no judgement), The Mortuary Assistant has something for you. Developer Darkstone Digital’s atmospheric puzzler has you engage in the macabre monotony of the embalming process, with added supernatural terror. You play Rebecca Owens, fresh...
Slime to grind
Aside from being a total pain in the arse to type, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime: Isekai Chronicles is an action RPG based on the popular anime of the same name. The adaptation offers a brief introduction to the source material, before plopping you into one of the property's later story arcs. Those unfamiliar with the...
Mini Review Valorant (PS5) - A Fantastic, One of a Kind Competitive Shooter
For the hardcore
At the end of June, we shared some impressions of Valorant on PS5 after it launched in closed beta. In those thoughts, we said that the game felt "unlike anything else on console" and that "a few more changes feel needed in order to really replicate that PC experience on consoles", but we were looking forward to how Valorant would...
Mini Review Love Is All Around (PS5) - Dumb Dating Sim Is Laugh Out Loud Funny
You love to see it
Gu Yi must be the luckiest man alive. The protagonist of FMV dating sim Love Is All Around is up to his eyeballs in debt, a bit of a creep, and a personality black hole – but he still has a group of drop-dead gorgeous girls competing against each other to pay his bills and invite him to stay in their multi-million dollar homes...
