Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2020 i PLAY

Shaun Escayg is no stranger to adding a pinch of the cinematic to videogames. After all, his portfolio features the likes of Uncharted and The Last Of Us. And the developer of Marvel’s Avengers is aiming for the game, just like the MCU before it, to play host to many heroic adventures to come. “MY APPROACH WAS FINDING THE TRUE STRUGGLES OF EACH CHARACTER.” What drew Escayg to join the team as creative director and writer, taking on the task of building a story worthy of the comic book mega-franchise? As soon as we ask, seated in a corner of Virgin Media’s big, decadent superpowered event (where fans can get hands-on with Marvel’s Avengers) we both burst into laughter. The answer is obvious. “I couldn’t say no. I was like,…

Atlus will be rolling out the red carpet for the massively expanded rerelease of Persona 5 on 31 March. And when we say ‘massively expanded’ we really do mean it. If you’re already a Persona fan, then you’ll know that Royal will be to 5 what Golden was to 4. If you’re new to the series, this version of the game presents an even more convincing argument for jumping in. It’s got everything that helped Joker steal a perfect 10 from us in issue 134, plus much more (and the original was packed as it was; our staff writer still hasn’t finished it so there’s no guarantee she’ll finish Royal this side of 2030…). Alongside smaller quality-of-life improvements, you’ll have a completely new area, Kichijoji, to explore, and a fresh…

“SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO CHOOSE HOW MUCH EMPHASIS YOU GIVE A PHRASE.” FORMAT PS4 / ETA Q2 2020 / PUB SEGA / DEV SEGA Jazzy music and steam machines – this might not be the Tokyo you know, but this fictionalised steampunk version of the city in the 1940s is full of intrigue. Not that you have much time to take in the sights of the Japanese capital, as looking for the Ginza-based Imperial Combat Revue you bump into Sakura, a member of its Flower Division Troupe, who offers to show you around. Your character, Seijuro Kamiyama, is here on a mission: to take over command of the talented, all-female group and help them win the international mech-piloting World Combat Revue tournament. As you explore the HQ and its surroundings…

“GRANBLUE FANTASY: VERSUS IS ADDING NEW DIMENSIONS TO THE FIGHTING GAME GENRE.” FORMAT PS4 / ETA 2020 / PUB MARVELOUS GAMES / DEV ARC SYSTEM WORKS, CYGAMES While this might be based on a mobile JRPG that hasn’t been officially released in the West (if you can bypass the region restrictions, the game is translated), the names involved ought to pique your interest. Arc System Works, known for the likes of BlazBlue, Guilty Gear, and Dragon Ball FighterZ, is turning this sky pirate fantasy into a fighter that remains true to the developer’s pedigree, but with enough of its own to make it unique. Just like Arc’s previous 3D games, Granblue Fantasy: Versus is visually stunning, looking like two-dimensional anime in motion. But it has the same look as the…

1 Kamaitachi, a weasel-like yokai, moves like the wind, using vicious gusts to cut you into pieces, and pouncing from tree to tree in its forest home. 2 What’s worse than the snake-lady Nure-Onna? This massive Yatsu-No-Kami, which commands a legion of burrowing smaller snakes. Gross. 3 Despite Enenra being ’roided up, this fiery behemoth is much quicker than it looks. It commands smoke as well as fire, meaning it can dash after you. 4 Why the long face? Bearing a massive serrated axe, horsey Mezuki isn’t messing around. The biggest roadblock we’ve faced to date, he tears us to pieces.…

STARRRRRRSSSSS!” If you switched on a PlayStation in 1999 the drone of Nemesis gurgling and growling this word would have given you sleepless  nights. It was the sound of something terrifying lumbering just out of view; a noise heralding a near-fatal confrontation with one of videogames’ greatest adversaries. And he’s back, with “STARRRRRRSSSSS” in his eyes. “Like Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 3 is a reimagining,” confirms producer Peter Fabiano. “We will be keeping to the essence of the original story and characters, but adapting to modernise the game as if it were being made today.” “THE TEAM ARE EAGER TO MAKE NEMESIS EVEN MORE TERRIFYING.” This means the core gameplay and ideas from Capcom’s classic threequel are being piped through the fantastic RE Engine, which can turn the shadow…

FORMAT PS4 / PLAYERS 1 / PUB BIG SUGAR / DEV BIG SUGAR Separated from your family, you must forgo making dad jokes and instead fight your way through an unforgiving Scandinavia-inspired land in this introspective action adventure. Combat requires attention as you dodge, or more ideally block, attacks from strange beasts. Fighting these smart-feeling enemies isn’t always the best way to progress – you can befriend one creature, for example. Thanks to the 2D frame, reading whether enemies are going strike high or low isn’t too taxing, but learning to do it is vital to survival nonetheless.…

FORMAT PS4 / PLAYERS 1 / PUB THUNDER LOTUS GAMES / DEV THUNDER LOTUS GAMES You are Stella, the ferrymaster shepherding departed souls to the afterlife. To do this, you must build your very own houseboat and aim to create a welcoming atmosphere for your passengers. You’re far from a cloaked, strong silent type as you bond with your crew of departed souls through cake making and crafting plus a slew of other activities before you grant them passage to the other side. Odds are good there won’t be a dry eye in the house when this one reaches its journey’s end.…

FORMAT PS4 / PLAYERS 1 / PUB POWERHOOF / DEV POWERHOOF Mick Carter’s life is about to change, for the worse. Is it because he befriends a homeless man on his way to a family funeral? The train pulls up and guards fire first and ask no questions. Carter must find his sister, and unravel the mystery around why the homeless population are going missing. The Drifter plays out as a classic point-and-click adventure with gorgeously animated pixel art. Carter’s narration (voiced by Adrian Vaughan) is constant and gravelly in all the right ways for a dark noir adventure. It’s the controls that standout though. Using bespoke ‘Look 360’ technology you can switch Carter’s attention between nearby interactive objects by rotating the right analogue stick, and selecting with the trigger.…

“BY THE END THEY’RE WORKING TOGETHER ON A LEVEL FOOTING.” FORMAT PS4 / PLAYERS 1-2 / PUB BIT LOOM GAMES / DEV BIT LOOM GAMES With two players able to share one controller, Phogs! will test how well you and your bestie work together. We sit down with developers James Wood (programming, design) and Doug Flinders (art, design) to discover what makes these dogs so hot. OPM: How did you come up with the idea of one-controller co-op? James Wood: We’ve played plenty of co-op games using shared controllers in the past – games like Overcooked and Sportsfriends – usually as an optional feature for players lacking a spare controller. We just felt it was a perfect fit for Phogs! with Red and Blue literally stuck together […] You can…

FORMAT PS4 / PLAYERS 1-4 PUB TEAM17 / DEV SMG STUDIO, DEVM GAMES What happens when you cross the co-op mayhem of Overcooked and Catastronauts with the end of your tenancy agreement? This instant party game classic. Landlords and homeowners are a law unto themselves and we have been on at them for months about how unsafe the boulder run makes the garden or how stunt glass seldom makes for a sturdy window. Ah well, we’re sure these paltry obstacles will be no match for the certified group of removals experts we’ve just hired……

FLOWER Format PS3, PS4 Release 2009 Pub Thatgamecompany Dev Thatgamecompany In this little gem from Thatgamecompany you control the wind, blowing the petal of a flower through the air using the movement of the DualShock. Director Jenova Chen has said that the brief in creating the game was to make an experience that explored emotion, rather than simply being challenging. Which would sound like earnest waffle, if it weren’t really fun. ABZÛ Format PS4 Release 2016 Pub 505 Games Dev Giant Squid Studios Giant Squid’s underwater exploration game thanks both Sir David Attenborough and Jacques Cousteau in its credits, and that’s entirely appropriate. The influence of both is felt keenly throughout. Abzû is a tale that also nods at Sumerian mythology and the cosmic ocean myth. The game was actually…

Although the title looks like somebody dropped a handful of nouns on the floor, the use of the word ‘contracts’ rather than the number ‘four’ is telling. All credit to CI Games, it’s taken criticisms of the previous title on board, and tried to use them to sharpen the latest entry in the series. Tried. In an effort to give you more variety and choice, linear missions have been replaced by open maps. Each contains a series of objectives that you can complete in any order, as well as a bunch of optional challenges and bounty targets. This makes a welcome change, and having to make it back to an extraction point to officially complete a task adds an extra element of risk. However, your drone is inexplicably absent from…

We know there’s somebody out there trying to play this online. We know this, because we very nearly played a match against them once. Imagine our excitement when we were, after days of fruitless searching, finally prompted to press e to begin an online game! We hit the button with a surprisingly high level of anticipation… and just a few seconds later, were informed that our prospective opponent had left the match. We don’t blame you, whoever you are. With no lobbies or player lists of any kind, searching for a game involves sitting at an empty tennis table staring at a revolving hourglass icon, something we once did for over five minutes straight (yes, we timed it). You probably never even knew we were there. VERDICT Little more than…

LOST IN SPACE SEASON 2 FORMAT NETFLIX PRICE £8.99 A MONTH When we last saw the Robinsons almost two years ago, they were stranded in another galaxy. Season two of the Netflix sci-fi revival will jump seven months into the future, and explore more exotic locales. As for the Robot, let’s just say he won’t stay lost for long. DRACULA FORMAT BBC IPLAYER PRICE FREE Sherlock co-creators Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss are behind this latest spin on Bram Stoker’s iconic Victorian bloodsucker. Danish actor Claes Bang stars as the undead Prince Of Darkness in a period adaptation that promises to be both familiar and unexpected. PICARD FORMAT AMAZON PRIME VIDEO PRICE £7.99 A MONTH Plot details are being kept closely under wraps for the latest Star Trek series, but…

INFO PUB PLAYDEAD DEV PLAYDEAD RELEASED 2011, PS4 GET IT NOW PS STORE, £7.39, PS NOW £12.99 A MONTH WHAT? The quintessential indie game where you play as a boy looking for his sister in a monochrome nightmare. ‘Trial and death’ is the common (and apt) description for its punishing, harrowing gameplay.…

Descriptions like ‘Devil May Cry-style character action meets Dark Souls’ usually make us apprehensive, but with PlatinumGames grasping the hilt of the sword we’re ready to cut it up. Babylon’s Fall was teased long ago, at E3 2018 (when we were young and full of hope); we’ve now seen some gameplay, and it’s looking stylish. “THERE IS A GREAT SENSE OF MOMENTUM TO THE COMBAT.” The Gothic, cathedral-like architecture isn’t the only thing striking about the visuals our nameless swordsman, a Nomad, runs through – the overall presentation is too. Created using a newly developed Brushwork Filter, the world has a distinctly painterly feel. But while the scenery might look soft and hazy, the swordplay is definitely sharp and pointy. Ascending a shifting tower, the Nomad wreaks havoc on enemies,…

Described as “survival-lite”, The Survivalists is a sandbox game that tasks you with staying alive after being stranded on an island. It takes a lot of cues from, and is set in the same universe as, Team17’s previous game The Escapists. That one was about escaping from prison, but this time you’re facing the rawer problem of simply staying alive. You have to gather materials, craft items, and build a base to keep going. Other players can help out in session-based online co-op, and you can train monkeys to help with basic tasks. A day/ night cycle ensures the island feels alive, as do inhabitants like dangerous animals and “fanatics”, though we hope things don’t end up with you having to wipe out native populations. Knowing the devs, this in-depth…

BACK TO BASICS Even with PS5 looming, Sony has managed to find time to evolve the DualShock 4. The Back Button Attachment fits into the headphone jack (with pass-through), and adds two back buttons programmable with 16 different actions, all indicated on an OLED display. It launches on 14 Feb for a budget price. JITTER BUG Part of what made Hollow Knight memorable was its fantastic score. The album The Piano Collections includes 15 tracks, and is available digitally, on CD, and on black and clear vinyl (with a 24-page artbook). Physical copies can be pre-ordered from Materia Collective on Bandcamp to ship in March. DIESEL IN YOUR PS4 The ninth Fast & Furious movie is coming on 22 May, and in the spirit of old-fashioned tie-ins Bandai Namco and…

Looking like a playable anime movie and playing like a colourful mix of Fortnite and Dungeons & Dragons, new fantasy-themed battle royale Spellbreak ticks all the boxes to be one of 2020’s hottest multiplayer games. And the free beta is releasing first on PlayStation 4, within months. “A COLOURFUL MIX OF FORTNITE AND DUNGEONS & DRAGONS.” “We took our inspiration from old-school shooters with skill shots and crazy mobility and we added in some modern twists to make a combat system that truly embodies fantasy action spellcasting,” explains Proletariat CEO Seth Sivak on the PlayStation Blog, as he reveals how the game does more than replace grenades with magical blasts. Your witchy characters can also fly, teleport, and ‘shadowstep’ in combat. Spellbreak’s setting is called the Hollow Lands, and Sivak…

“WHO TAKES A SNIPER RIFLE TO A HORDE SHOOT? KARL FAIRBURNE.” FORMAT PS4 / ETA 4 FEB PUB REBELLION DEVELOPMENTS / DEV REBELLION DEVELOPMENTS We’ve fought our way through a heavily defended bunker. The undead lay in pieces behind us, and ahead is the open space of a tank graveyard. Smashed armour and the carcasses of the Nazi war machines are piled high. What can possibly go wrong as we make our way to the level’s exit? Oh, it’s a zombie tank – but of corpse… You read that correctly. It’s a zombie tank. And no on-screen character treats this as weird, and frankly we and our teammates are equally at ease with taking down an undead tank that’s spilling zombies from its rotten bowels as it trundles past. Zombie…

1 Lowain might be the leader, but as he likes a “good gab sesh with the boys” his bros Elsam and Tomoi join him in combat with moves like Awesome Sauce. 2 With her magic bow in hand, Metera is easily able to look after herself. Expect her to make some great zoning moves thanks to long-range attacks. 3 Zeta, a member of the Primal Hunting Society, has a special contract with her sealed spear. With mid-range thrusts aplenty, she’s also a dab hand in the air. 4 Percival dreams of founding his own country, but until then he’ll fight for his beliefs with his flaming long sword. He’s nicknamed “The Lord Of Flames”.…

FORMAT PS4 / ETA 2020 / PUB SEGA / DEV RYU GA GOTOKU STUDIO Trash leisurely floats down a river long turned green. Homeless people sleep near its banks in blue tarpaulin tents. Cosmo Clock 21, Yokohama’s well-known Ferris wheel, seems far away. Welcome to Isezaki Ijincho, a red-light district modelled on a real-life counterpart in much the same way as Yakuza’s previous main setting, Kamurocho, was. While a change of setting was sorely needed, the Yakuza franchise has undergone even more drastic changes for its seventh instalment. With Kazuma Kiryu’s story finished, a protagonist named Ichiban Kasuga takes the helm. The shaggy-haired ex-con seems loud and cheerful, far from an intimidating gangster. Even his first name seems to herald a new era (Ichiban is Japanese for “the first”). In…

FORMAT PS4 / PLAYERS 1 / PUB DIGERATI / DEV FAILBETTER GAMES If you ever find yourself thinking “What would have happened if the Victorians had got their hands on space travel technology?” then Sunless Skies is your answer. Paul Arendt, Failbetter CEO and art director, explains, “The idea of Victorians in space is absurd, but when you get beyond that, it’s actually terrifying. What would that much industrial hunger and capability do, if it were untethered by gravity and far from the moral compass of home?” This horror-flavoured critique of colonialism is a one-way trip you’ll be desperate to take.…

FORMAT PS4 / PLAYERS 1-2 PUB PQUBE / DEV LEVEL 91 On the surface this seems like a fairly basic but pretty neon indie racer, but nudge the right stick without being aware of how the game plays and you’ll spin completely out of control. Less street racer and more ‘twin-stick racer’, each car has its own drifting method, which is the only way you can turn. Tap on the brake and ease into some intense drifts with the right stick, and you can rocket around challenging corners as you shake your car’s rear end into the night streets.…

FORMAT PS4 / PLAYERS 1 PUB COCONUT ISLAND GAMES / DEV ROUTE 59 Have you ever had a brew so strong that it could wake the dead? Stylish visual novel Necrobarista takes that over-the-top metaphor and fully literalises it, with the story taking place in a magical cafe where not all your coffeehound patrons are of this world. Just remember that it’s rude to ask who is alive and who is dead. Featuring striking cel-shaded visuals and an off-kilter tone, this visual novel is a piping hot cup of cinematic presentation that we’ll enjoy glugging down next year.…

“YOU CONTROL YU AND KAY WITH ONE SIDE OF THE CONTROLLER EACH.” FORMAT PS4 / PLAYERS 1-2 / PUB THE GAME BAKERS / DEV THE GAME BAKERS You might recognise The Game Bakers for its boss rush shoot-’em-up Furi, which is all about revenge and hardcore battles. Haven is at the other end of the spectrum completely – a more quiet and relaxed story about Yu and Kay, a couple trapped on a lost planet. Though they’re the only people around, it doesn’t mean there’s no conflict. After spending a while on a floating island they discover other areas of the planet have become corrupted by a mysterious substance, causing wildlife to become aggressive. As you use hoverboots to explore and collect Flow energy you can also purify the land,…

“HIS DELIVERY IS QUIET AND MEASURED AS HE LEANS BACK IN A BIG CHAIR.” FORMAT PS4 / PLAYERS 1 / PUB BRANCHING NARRATIVE LTD / DEV BRANCHING NARRATIVE LTD Most of this game involves watching Eddie Marsan as he reads you Ian Livingstone’s classic adventure game book Deathtrap Dungeon (part of the iconic Fighting Fantasy series). What’s surprising is just how engaging this is, as so much care has been put into making the production work. His delivery is quiet and measured as he leans back in a big chair, zooms and camera angle changing to punctuate important moments in the narrative. So enraptured are we, we could easily play it over and over, as Marsan guides us through his dungeon of delights.…

FORMAT PS4 / PLAYERS 1 / PUB DEVOLVER DIGITAL / DEV ENEME ENTERTAINMENT The copper-haired Shield Maiden must unspool the thread of her fate. Spun by the Norns, it meant she would’ve lived a life like so many mortals – but then the trickster Loki daubed her fate in the titular Eitr and shrouded the World Tree in darkness. Now she must hack and slash her way through a pixel-perfect vision of the nine Norse worlds in this isometric soulslike. Talk about being a chosen undead: you’ll be facing off against giants, sorcerers, and everything in between.…

WHAT YOU DO IN… LIFE IS STRANGE 2 STAT PACK 14 Licensed tracks from artists you definitely heard during the last indie movie you watched. 20 Well-hidden collectibles to find throughout the season – collecting is optional. 7 Possible endings. Which you get depends on one final choice and everything you’ve taught Daniel. 2 Hundred-plus documents for you to read and rifle through this season. FRIENDS & ENEMIES Sean called her Grandma, but a difficult situation has left them estranged. Gone but not forgotten, the brothers’ father is always with them. Captain Spirit can be profoundly changed by your friendship with him. LOVING / HATING COMING RIGHT OUT WITH IT This season is about as subtle in handling its weightier themes as a telekinetically hurled brick battering you…

Good rhythm games don’t dance along every five minutes, but Deemo Reborn’s graceful combination of rhythm and puzzle elements hits all the right notes. As in PS Vita’s Deemo, you explore a mysterious castle, solving puzzles and playing the songs you earn to reveal more rooms and uncover hints about the equally enigmatic characters who live in the building. However, this is Deemo as we’ve never seen it before: now in full CG and complete with free roaming, the beautifully detailed world both ethereal and downright adorable.1 Of course, music is at the heart of the game, and the piano-centric soundtrack is gorgeous. The controls suit it perfectly, feeling natural yet rewardingly complex, with chords and analogue stick-tilting glissandos that require your fingers to positively dance over the controller to…

Would it even be Kingdom Hearts if we didn’t wait ages for the next one, and then it turned out to be much larger and more intricate than it initially seemed? The Re:Mind DLC is finally on the horizon, ready to expand even more on KHIII’s ending and deliver more gameplay and juicy, juicy worldbuilding and lore. “SORA TRAVELS TO THE KEYBLADE GRAVEYARD AND RELIVES THE MEMORIES OF THE SEVEN GUARDIANS.” Don’t let the hefty price tag put you off – it just indicates how much content is in this thing, including a whopping 13 bosses. Everything we’ve seen so far shows you’re getting your money’s worth. Fan-favourite Final Fantasy characters Aerith, Yuffie, and Leon (Squall) return. Kairi also features heavily, and is finally playable, joining Riku and Sora (who…

That big number 2 might seem daunting, but this forthcoming version of the superb free-to-play Diablo-like is more of an upgrade than a bold new replacement. It’s slated to go into beta at the end of 2020 and, according to the developer, will upgrade on current platforms and come to newer hardware. The story has seven acts, and will be available alongside the old campaign – ultimately leading to a shared endgame in the updated game. “PATH OF EXILE 2 COULD BE ONE OF PS5’S DEFINITIVE LAUNCH-WINDOW GAMES.” The original’s quarterly expansions will be reflected in this version, so there’s no reason to hold off playing, and all the more reason to dive back in if you’ve lapsed. Your choice of exiles falls into same archetypes you’re used to, but…

FORMAT PS4 / PUB UBISOFT / DEV UBISOFT / RELEASED 2014 / SCORE OPM #105, 9/10 Far Cry is no stranger to controversy. The series has flirted with the ideas of unreliable narrators, multiple endings, and silent protagonists – all tropes that are loved and hated in equal measure by gamers everywhere. But Far Cry 4 introduced four missions that proved to be more divisive than usual: the trippy, LSD-inspired Yogi and Reggie missions. Yogi (AKA Donald) and Reggie are the worst kind of trust-fund kids: the sort of goons who spout hippie woo without any of the self-awareness that’s supposed to accompany it. The duo find a spiritual home of sorts in Far Cry 4’s Kyrat where, thanks to their disorganisation and ‘knack’ for improvising, they run into you,…

Your first taste of PlayStation 5 is here, and it’s a ‘loot-slasher’ that looks every bit as shiny as you’d expect a next-generation title to. Knights in gleaming armour battle through rain as a building crumbles, and a massive tower resembling a sword juts out in front of them, in the eye of the storm, protected by some sort of hydra. “No storm can stop us,” says one of the knights, as they plunge into combat. The knights wield magical, almost sci-fi-like weapons in the melee gameplay we’ve seen. The group of three we’re shown represent the game’s co-op focus (though you can play solo too). Their different armour and weapons give a taste of the loot-base customisation that you’ll use to differentiate your character from your friends’. Counterplay Games…

While female Predators (or Yautja, to get nerdy) exist in the series’ lore, they’ve never really been focussed on in any depth. This is changing in Predator: Hunting Grounds, where you can play as one who’s every bit as fearsome as her male counterpart. The choice is simply a preference, as both have access to the same hunting tools. “A SMART DISC-BLADE CAN KILL MULTIPLE ENEMIES AT A DISTANCE.” The game, an asymmetrical multiplayer shooter, pits one Predator against a four-player fireteam, trying to pick them off one by one. But that doesn’t mean that the Predator is ‘one size fits all’. Your loadout for hunting humans can change depending on the type of Predator you choose to play as: the Hunter is balanced in both speed and strength, the…

1 Zombie commanders can raise the dead and send them your way. They’ll keep the horde coming unless you take them out and put an end to their magic. 2 Zombie tanks. Sure, why not? These armoured foes patrol maps on set routes, so start by weakening them with mines, then target the red vulnerable spots. 3 Unlock the requisite Perk and you can grab large weapons dropped by Heavies, including crowd-clearing flamethrowers and close-quarter buzzsaws. 4 Traps come in many shapes and sizes but this floundering flubber is the weirdest. Shoot the zombie shark to make it angry and it’ll eat anything nearby.…

“ANOTHER PLAYER CAN HOP INTO THE GAME TO SLICE DEMONS BY YOUR SIDE.” FORMAT PS4 / ETA 14 FEB / PUB THQ NORDIC / DEV AIRSHIP SYNDICATE Strife has been the odd horseman out for a while – the last of the four to be playable as part of the Darksiders series (after a brief appearance in Darksiders III). And it’s a shame, as this cheeky gun-toting cowboy-styled Nephilim could be our favourite. With twin revolvers Mercy and Redemption in hand, his bullet-happy combat already feels unique – and he has a wisecrack for any situation. But where is a joker without his straight man? For Genesis, the earliest canonically in the Darksiders timeline, Strife is joined by War in his quest to track down the demon Samael. This means…

The original Resident Evil 3 on PS1 came with the The Mercenaries: Operation Mad Jackal mode, in which you needed to race across the city in a timed getaway, rescuing civilians and slaying zombies for extra time. It was fantastic. “PITS A TEAM OF FOUR PLAYERS AGAINST ONE OTHER.” This remade Resident Evil 3 doesn’t feature Mercs mode, but it does have the asymmetrical multiplayer of Resident Evil Resistance. More of a self-contained game than a simple online mode, Resistance pits a team of four players against one other, the ‘Mastermind’ Daniel Fabron, a murderous character who’s tasked by Wesker and Annette Birkin with preventing anyone from escaping the city and recording their struggle for Umbrella’s research into the T-virus. “You can think of the multiplayer as a ‘what if’…

FORMAT PS4 / PLAYERS TBC / PUB TBC / DEV THE ASTRONAUTS Described by creative director Adrian Chmielarz as a “gaslamp shooter”, Witchfire has a distinctive style. If you’ve been looking for a surprising mashup of Bulletstorm, Bloodborne, and The Order: 1886, all set in an alternate 19th century, then The Astronauts’ shooter has your name written all over it. The dev itself has called Witchfire the “Dark Souls of shooters” and that comparison can’t be avoided. The creatures appear to have shuffled directly off the streets of Yarnham, while the darkly surreal castles and cobbled streets feel as if The Hunter has already trodden them. Chmielarz is keen to explain that Witchfire may have a lot in common with Bloodborne but the dev has not merely imitated the details…

FORMAT PS4 / PLAYERS 1 PUB RAW FURY / DEV UPSTREAM ARCADE You are a dead man walking. Literally. You play as William Mason, a man who has woken up in Purgatory with no memory save for the image of a mysterious individual in a black cloak (oh, and you have the voice of Ron Perlman). Searching for answers to who and where you are, you descend into what looks like a western as drawn by Mike Mignola in this tactical, twin-stick shooter. Across procedurally generated levels, there are plenty of dead like you who are struggling to move on……

“ONLY BY FIDDLING WITH THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE WORLD CAN WE ESCAPE.” FORMAT PS4 / PLAYERS 1 / PUB PILLOW CASTLE / DEV PILLOW CASTLE We’re in a dream therapy program gone wrong and only by fiddling with the perspective of the world can we escape our nightmares. This is one indie prepared to literally look at problems from a new angle. And we love it. Played in first-person, Superliminal takes the photo japes we’ve all done on holiday – tourists so love pretending to push Pisa’s leaning tower, there’s a designated spot for shots – and makes them the way you progress. Picking up, zooming into, dropping, and pushing objects in this game’s world creates optical illusion-related solutions to its many puzzles. Lead designer Albert Shih says: “Part of…

FORMAT PS4 / PLAYERS 1 / PUB TOGE PRODUCTIONS / DEV TOGE PRODUCTIONS Trading cold ones for hot ones and a cyberpunk future for a present-day urban fantasy, like N1RV Ann-A this barista sim sees you changing your patrons’ fates through the drinks you serve. The tone sets it apart from Sukeban’s game; script writer and director Mohammad Fahmi explains: “Coffee Talk was inspired by the calm feelings of drinking warm drinks in the middle of a cold rainy night, alone or accompanied by friends. It’s an experience that […] helps rest your body and soul.”…

FORMAT PS4 / PLAYERS 1 / PUB RED THREAD GAMES / DEV RED THREAD GAMES The darker side of Norwegian mythology is placed front and centre in this 1920s-set mystery game (that title roughly translates to ‘the undead’, by the way). American naturalist Edward Harden travels to the fishing village of Graavik searching for his missing sister… only to find she’s not the only person to have disappeared from the small community. Alongside companion Lissie, you must dive into this strange and terrible rabbit hole in order to uncover why Graavik now lies quiet.…

WHAT YOU DO IN… WATTAM STAT PACK 2.19 Metres – the height of the Mayor. He’s a squat cubey chap; plenty others are taller. 4 Floating, seasonal islands to uncover within the empty space and restore to vibrant life. 107 Odd and unusual characters to meet, plus food and poop forms. Even poop is your pal in Wattam. 3 Balloons to unlock by completing side-quests. We all float down here! FRIENDS & ENEMIES Has a hat similar to the Mayor’s, and can also summon bombs. If someone takes his receiver, this little phone will get upset. Kevin can float between islands, and lift a chain of hand-holding characters. HOW TO… BECOME A GOLDEN POOP 1 To get eaten you first have to become food, which (most) trees can…

While this might be a JRPG with a sci-fi twist, fantasy-heads needn’t worry. The planet Roak, where we meet our heroes, is full of fantasy elements: swords, magic, and an abundance of tailed inhabitants.1 Then a mysterious plague sweeps the land, and two members of the Earth Federation beam down to break their version of Star Trek’s prime directive and spirit the heroes away. The plague has been engineered by Earth’s enemies, and the only antidote lies 300 years in Roak’s past. Not only are some characters optional, picking some can lock you out of others. You need to revisit towns to unearth their stories through ‘private actions’. To see everyone’s stories you need to play through multiple times, but it does give you the sense of walking a path…

WHAT YOU DO IN… ARISE: A SIMPLE STORY STAT PACK 15 Developers at Piccolo Studio crafted this beautiful, moving puzzle platformer. 10 Levels to stroll and jump (and occasionally, irritatingly, rebound off ledges) through. 60+ Utterly charming memory drawings to collect, uncovering the emotional story. ? Untold metres of snowfall to melt or otherwise wade through. Your journey is often a chilly one. COMPEL-O-GRAPH LOVING/ HATING SOFT AND ROUND We love the visual direction. The art is bright and colourful, and as a result feels a lot like you’re playing a Pixar film. HARD AND POINTY It’s frustrating to be stuck on the same jump, bouncing off of a surface your protagonist should’ve grabbed, over and over. TROPHY CABINET BRONZE Easy as long as you have a pal…

Fancy being even more underwhelmed by 2019’s most underwhelming game? Try any of its online features. Already a near-catastrophic experience offline due to punching-thin-air targeting and a now-infamous litany of bugs, net-based play delves ever deeper into the big barrel of awful. There are no entrances, and any sort of user customisation when it comes to match types is also out. Lobbies are confusing. The option to choose a random wrestler is gone. Crashes occur without warning. And what was once the best online feature, Community Creations, is borked by the fact that you get a spinning wheel of infinity when trying to download user-made wrestlers with custom logos – ie all the good ones. Instant DQ. VERDICT Want to play an officially licensed WWE game online? Snap up 2K19…

DRAGON BALL FIGHTERZ – BROLY (DBS) The previous version of Broly is still available, but this adds his Dragon Ball Super iteration, as seen in the recent movie, to the game. Wonderfully voiced by Johnny Yong Bosch in English, he could be your new main. PINBALL FX3 – WILLIAMS PINBALL: VOL. 5 The classic Arabian Nights, Cirqus Voltaire, and No Good Gofers come to PS4’s great pinball platform. These are superb recreations of some legendary Bally-Williams tables – the renowned pinball manufacturer responsible for greats. JURASSIC WORLD EVOLUTION – RETURN TO JURASSIC PARK Isla Nublar and Isla Sorna come to the dino-park-building game and task you with rebuilding the original Jurassic Park. Sam Neill, Jeff Goldblum, and Laura Dern all reprise their roles, as their characters are persuaded to return.…

First things first: the Witcher series on Netflix is not an adaptation of The Wild Hunt, nor any of CD Projekt Red’s beloved RPGs. Many elements will seem familiar to anyone who spent dozens of hours on The Continent (Roach, Geralt’s raspy voice, nudity), but the show sticks closely to Andrzej Sapkowski’s Witcher Saga – notably short story collection The Last Wish. This is no bad thing. Sapkowski’s Eastern European spin on an unforgiving fantasy world is a rich and original work, something the Netflix show at least aspires to. Split into eight hour-long episodes, it focusses on Henry Cavill’s Geralt (pretty much as you remember him), Anya Cholatra’s Yennefer (a young witch-in-training) and Freya Allan’s Ciri (a princess on the run) as they make their way through a brutal…

1 TETRIS EFFECT Tetris, yeah? It might be a great game, but it’s easy to understand why you’d brush this off as just more Tetris at a glance. Yet Tetsuya Mizuguchi’s trippy, transcendent take on the block-based puzzler is nothing short of a masterpiece. Sure, you can play it without PS VR, but in the virtual space it really becomes next level, transforming one of the tightest puzzle games ever made into an emotional ride. 2 THE PERSISTENCE This first-person horror roguelike offers perfectly sized chunks of survival bursts. It’s everything you’d expect from a full PS4 release, but in PS VR it’s filled with clever ideas, unique weapons, genuine jump scares, and fab looks – plus great couchplay. 3 REZ INFINITE Tetsuya Mizuguchi’s vision becomes reality in PS VR.…