The very first entry of Falcom's epic JRPG saga has been remade to glowing modern standards while faithfully preserving the original story
Objectives will be pretty familiar if you've played the likes of Overwatch 2.
Even as a 8-10 hour campaign, MindsEye feels longer than it needs to be.
Once you've spared an enemy enough times, you'll also recruit them.
"Lengthy battles are rewarding, never descending into a mindless grindfest"
"What there's no getting away from is that progression is purposely slow."
Team Ninja borrows the open-world familiarity and historical tourism of Assassin's Creed while adapting its own breed of hardcore action for the mainstream.
Team Ninja evolves Nioh's formula in a Three Kingdoms-era action RPG where allies, flags, and stealth make its brutal challenges more manageable than ever.
The long overdue samurai spin-off is classic Yakuza under its period dressing but also underwhelming as a current-gen remake.
Despite the joys offered, Sonic Frontiers is a hot mess of a reinvention that can't commit to its new direction.
That said, the logic of progression or goals is a moot point when the actual traversal does feel good - certainly a damn sight better than Sonic's lowest points in history - and the grind almost disappears as minutes go by and I realise I'm just enjoying running for the pure sake of running. It's probably the most polished experience to have graced Roblox so far, an easy gateway drug to tempt newcomers to the platform. For Sonic fans, it's a glimpse at what could be possible with the hedgehog's future, if this is what Sonic Team's 'open zone' design is going for, albeit with more structure and actual challenges. And besides, it's free - surely it can't hurt to give it a spin?
Baffling writing aside, default story difficulty makes this the breeziest Soulslike ever, while combat still carries depth.
Under its bleak red skies, Umurangi Generation is scrappy at times, but it's also a bold photography sandbox game that isn't afraid to fill each frame of your lens with stark warnings of a world at crisis point. It's more than a game about capturing a good shot, but captures the very times we live in.
The Magnificent Trufflepigs is a small-scale affair, both in terms of technical scope and dramatic themes, when compared to its award-winning inspirations. It's not especially memorable but it has just enough warmth and wit to get you through a spare Sunday afternoon.
A beautiful love letter to Japanese games and culture with a simple but heartfelt narrative from start to finish that's both comforting and life-affirming.
As old-school as it can get in every frame and fibre of its being, Battle Axe faithfully transports you back to the classic Capcom and Neo Geo arcade era with its exquisite pixel art animation and punchy, challenging gameplay.
Nier Replicant is at once an improvement over the original while still retaining its dated design frustrations that’s not quite at the bar of modern remasters. Yet for all its flaws, the story, bolstered by its grand otherworldly score, has the same deep emotional depths that first won over new fans, and if nothing else, you won’t find a more mismatched bunch of outcasts worth caring about.
An engrossing and compelling piece of interactive fiction whether you just follow one character's thread or read every available node, Closed Hands handles its difficult subject with real nuance and maturity thanks to excellent writing that gets you inside the head of each character.
Glyph is a soothing puzzle platformer, which, despite its sparse appearance has plenty of bounce, challenging you with its literal sandbox gameplay.
Olija subverts the expectations of an unforgiving old-school adventure for something more fun and breezing, verging on slapstick combat, yet still dripping with atmosphere thanks to its impressionistic pixel art and excellent audio. Being a castaway makes for a good escape.