Action games, RPGs, soulslikes, and atmospheric horror. Treats encounter design and combat readability as the load-bearing parts of a review.
RTX 4060 review 2026: at £230 used it covers 1080p High without upscaling, but the 8GB ceiling and absent DLSS 4 narrow the case. Read the used-market verdict.
Lies of P is not valuable because it is difficult. It is valuable because its difficulty is taught through readable attack patterns, escalating boss phases, and a parry economy…
La-Mulana 2 treats archaeology as an encounter system, and its difficulty earns less when the clue chain stops teaching. A costly metroidvania, read carefully.
The alchemy loop is the argument Gust has been refining since Ryza rewrote the series' terms in 2019, and Atelier Yumia is the version that finally asks whether open-world scale…
Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma teaches its farming loop the same way a well-designed action game teaches its combat: through escalating constraint, one variable at a time.
The Calvard arc gives Van Arkride a different kind of contract than the Erebonian one ever offered: not soldier to empire, but operative to city, where the terms of engagement are…
Arrowhead did not release Omens of Tyranny until December 2024, roughly ten months after Helldivers 2 launched to an extraordinary reception and then nearly destroyed it with a…
Where Chapter 3 staged its tension in a TV studio dark world governed by a character who understood he was losing his audience, Chapter 4 removes the intermediary entirely: the…
Three years after Armored Core 6 : Fires of Rubicon launched, FromSoftware has not announced story DLC for it. That absence is the article.
Meta Description: A design-led reading of the metroidvania design lineage, from Symphony of the Night's RPG economy to Animal Well's knowledge gates and modern encounter design.
The class system in Visions of Mana is a design argument, not a feature list. Equipping an Elemental Vessel does not simply add a new move; it reclassifies the character it sits…
Title Update 2 does not expand Monster Hunter Wilds so much as it refines the terms of the contract the base game established. The new flagship monster is not the largest thing in…
Eight months into its free-to-play lifecycle, skate. has accumulated something that most live-service games cannot build in twice the time: a trick vocabulary that earns the…
Monster Hunter Wilds launched with a combat system that earned its difficulty through staged encounter design: each new creature introduced attack patterns that built on…
Eleven months on from release, Deltarune Chapter 3 has clarified its argument. The chapter's central mechanic, a TV studio dark world governed by a host named Tenna who is…
The thing Phantom Blade Zero has been doing across eighteen months of showcase appearances is something the soulslike-adjacent genre rarely manages in pre-release footage: it has…
Eight years is a long time to hold a contract open. Bethesda announced The Elder Scrolls 6 at E3 2018 with a teaser that confirmed a location and nothing else, and in the years…
Pearl Abyss shipped Crimson Desert on 2026-03-19. Two months on, what the launch actually argued is easier to read than the pre-release signal ever was: a studio that changed what…
The Witcher 4 has been in full production for less than two years, which means every release window estimate is extrapolation dressed as reporting.
The job system in Final Fantasy Tactics does not teach itself through failure. It teaches itself through deliberate wrong choices, sustained long enough that the player…
Pokemon Legends: Arceus built its argument on distance, and Z-A builds its counter-argument on density. Where Arceus spread the player across open tundra and spent its design…
The stealth genre exists because a hardware constraint forced a designer to build something he had not planned. Kojima's MSX2 could not render enough enemies for a conventional…
Adaptation solved what a decade of origination could not. Bloober Team demonstrated this by remaking someone else's masterpiece, and the argument is not close.
The dual-protagonist design is the contract Assassin's Creed Shadows makes at the title screen and cannot afford to break. Naoe and Yasuke are not mechanical twins assigned to…
South of Midnight is a ten-to-twelve-hour Southern Gothic action-adventure from Compulsion Games that uses its spirit-transformation combat to carry folklore argument rather than…
Hi-Fi Rush is a rhythm-action character game from Tango Gameworks that constructs its entire design around one structural argument: that rhythm internalisation is a learnable…
Marathon is Bungie's first non-Destiny shooter in over a decade, and its structural argument is clear from the first session: gunplay is the load-bearing element, and every other…
Diablo IV has a loot problem it refuses to solve, and that refusal is the most important design decision in the game. Eight classes, a continent-spanning open world across…
Horizon Forbidden West is a machine-combat game wearing an open-world RPG's clothing, and the distinction matters. Guerrilla Games understood that the Tremortusk fight, the…
God of War Ragnarök is a large game that has learned to manage its own scale. The combat system inherited from the 2018 reboot is tighter here: the Leviathan Axe and the Blades of…
The quarantine zone does not explain itself. Atomfall drops the player into Skethermoor with a name they cannot remember and a landscape that has been doing something terrible for…
Elden Ring builds its difficulty into geography; FromSoftware's earlier games built it into enemy AI. That distinction is still the cleanest way to explain why this game works…
The Last of Us Part I PS5 review covering visuals, combat feel, accessibility, performance modes and value, plus whether it is worth £69.99.
Hell Is Us on PS5 is a bold, waypoint-free action-adventure that rewards curiosity and note-taking, even if combat repetition and UI friction hold it back.
Lost Soul Aside on PS5 delivers flashy, satisfying character-action combat and striking visuals, but uneven storytelling and some jank hold it back.
Our Mafia: The Old Country review for PS5 covers its stunning Sicily, strong performances, and uneven stealth and shooting. Is it worth the oath?
Hollow Knight: Silksong on PS5 is a confident sequel that meaningfully evolves the original’s Metroidvania formula around Hornet’s speed and flexibility.
Our Gears of War Reloaded review for PS5 looks at a sharp 4K remaster that keeps the classic cover-shooting intact but also its dated design. Is this £39.99 revival worth a return…
Our Silent Hill 2 PS5 review looks at Bloober Team’s Unreal Engine 5 remake of the 2001 classic, with expanded environments, over-the-shoulder combat, and stunning audiovisuals…
Our Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 PS5 Pro review looks at its world, story, systems and performance, with a focus on how Sony’s upgraded console handles this demanding medieval RPG.
A measured PS5 Pro-focused review of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, covering visuals, gameplay, story, value, and performance to see whether this strand sequel is a true system…
Our Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater PS5 review looks at Konami’s lavish Unreal Engine 5 remake of the 2004 stealth classic, with stunning jungle visuals, modernised controls,…
Our Forza Horizon 5 PS5 review breaks down visuals, handling, content, and the key PS5 Pro enhancements that make this the definitive console version.
Our The Outer Worlds 2 PS5 review explores Obsidian’s ambitious sci-fi RPG sequel, with deeper choice-driven storytelling, flexible first- and third-person combat, and sprawling…
Our Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales PS5 review covers combat, DualSense support, performance modes, story and value, helping you decide if this shorter spin off is worth…
Our Astro Bot PS5 review looks at level design, DualSense magic, performance, length and value to explain why this 3D platformer has become one of the most acclaimed games on…
Our Silent Hill f PS5 review dives into Hinako’s haunting 1960s Japan, superb social horror storytelling and PS5 Pro’s mixed “enhanced” performance, plus length, endings and value.
Jurassic World Evolution 3 refines the formula with juvenile dinosaurs, family breeding, and vastly improved building tools. Parks feel alive across diverse biomes, crises add…
Emergent teamwork via proximity chat and intelligent AI create thrilling PvPvE raids in a machine-overrun world.
Our Anno 117: Pax Romana review for PS5 finds a polished Roman city-builder that favours approachability over complexity. Is the trade-off worth it?
Our Ghost of Yōtei review for PS5: Sucker Punch's sequel trades Tsushima's heroic structure for raw freedom across 1603 Hokkaido. Is it worth the leap?
Our Ori and the Will of the Wisps review covers Moon Studios' Metroidvania sequel, its combat system, hand-painted art style, and difficulty curve on PC.
Our Resident Evil 4 remake review covers combat, RE Engine visuals, and the Attache Case. Is Capcom's reimagining of Leon S Kennedy's mission still worth playing?
Red Dead Redemption 2 on PS5 in 2026 remains one of gaming's greatest open worlds, but the lack of a native upgrade shifts the buy calculus. Worth it now?
Our Nioh 3 PS5 Pro review covers the dual Samurai/Ninja combat, open-world shift, and technical performance. Team Ninja’s best game demands your attention.
God of War: Sons of Sparta PS5 review covers the Metroidvania spin-off, its combat, pixel art, and whether this prequel earns the God of War name at $29.99.
Marathon PS5 review: Bungie’s extraction shooter delivers best-in-class gunplay and striking art. Thin launch content and a steep learning curve hold it back.
Our Resident Evil Requiem PS5 Pro review covers Grace, Leon, the dual-perspective system, and whether this survival horror masterclass justifies $69.99.
The dual-protagonist decision was Assassin's Creed Shadows' loudest argument before launch; a year on, it's the one that has settled cleanest. The Assassin's Creed Shadows review…
Tempest Rising channels classic Command & Conquer energy with modern production values, asymmetric factions, and a chunky two-campaign package. Our full PC review and verdict.
Our Crimson Desert review on PS5 Pro covers combat, open world, story, and performance. A stunning sandbox held back by narrative stumbles and rough edges.
The Dragon Age Veilguard review that launch reception could not write was always about encounter design. BioWare released a direct-control action-RPG in October 2024 into a…
Avowed PS5 review: Obsidian's RPG arrives with the Anniversary Update at $49.99. Sharp writing, flexible combat, and the best version at the best price.
Our Legacy of the Forge review covers KCD2’s biggest DLC. Is the blacksmithing expansion worth £11.49, and does the forge system deliver on PS5?
Our Brushes with Death review covers KCD2’s first DLC. Is this painter’s quest worth £4.99, and how does it fit alongside the base game on PS5?
Baldur's Gate 3 vs Divinity: Original Sin II on PS5 compared. Scores, combat systems, co-op features and value analysed to help you choose.
Silent Hill 2 vs Silent Hill f compared. Scores, gameplay, story and value side by side to help you choose the right PS5 horror game.
Our Mysteria Ecclesiae review covers KCD2’s final DLC. Is this monastery mystery worth £11.49, and does the stealth investigation work on PS5?
The stagger system is Khazan's argument: every other mechanic exists to make it legible. A year on, the question isn't whether Neople built something competent; the question is…
Wuchang's first boss teaches a multi-phase contract: the player learns the spatial vocabulary by failing the second phase before they have learned to read the first.
Monster Hunter Wilds does not rebuild the contract; it sharpens it. What Capcom's Production Studio 6 has constructed across the Forbidden Lands is the clearest argument the…
The route through Animal Well is the work. Billy Basso's solo-developed puzzle-metroidvania arrived on 9 May 2024 with a deceptively simple premise: explore a luminous,…
The transformations are not a feature. They are the argument.
Divinity: Original Sin II Definitive Edition on PS5 blends brilliant turn-based tactics, reactive quests and great co-op, with massive replay value.
The AAA metroidvania should not work. The form's economy is indie-shaped: small studios with strong design discipline, tight scope, and the freedom to refuse padding.
Black Ops 7 on PS5 delivers slick multiplayer and solid Zombies, but an always-online, co-op-first campaign feels restrictive.
Nightreign does not ask whether FromSoftware could compress Elden Ring into a forty-minute co-op loop. It answers that question, stages the encounter between session design and…
Borderlands 4 on PS5 refines its looter-shooter loop with better movement, a more balanced story tone, and huge endgame depth, but performance can falter over long sessions.
Our The Last of Us Part II Remastered PS5 review covers No Return, Lost Levels and DualSense upgrades in detail. Is the $49.99 remaster worth it?
