Hannah Arden

Hannah Arden·21 July 2026·5 min read

Mineko’s Night Market Retrospective: A Painterly Market-sim

Mineko's Night Market retrospective: the painterly market sim's stall-craft warmth, its uneven pacing, and who the island's quiet week suits in 2026.

Hannah Arden·17 July 2026·6 min read

Donkey Kong Bananza Retrospective: One Year On

One year on, our Donkey Kong Bananza retrospective reads the Switch 2 platformer by the marks it leaves: altered layers, readable routes, lasting damage.

Hannah Arden·13 July 2026·6 min read

Potion Permit Review 2026: The Chemist Whose Evening Ritual Still Holds

A quiet Potion Permit review 2026 revisit on Switch 2, asking whether Moonbury’s chemist loop still earns its gentleness in short evening sessions in 2026.

Hannah Arden·10 July 2026·6 min read

Dredge Full DLC Review with Pale Reach

This Dredge full DLC review finds the package strongest when it remembers the base game’s quiet argument: fishing is a daily ritual made strange by the water around it. The Pale…

Hannah Arden·8 July 2026·6 min read

Story of Seasons a Wonderful Life Retrospective

Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life remains strange in a way that time has not smoothed away. It is slower, plainer, and more committed to consequence than many games that arrived…

Hannah Arden·6 July 2026·5 min read

Strange Horticulture Retrospective the Gentle Macabre

This Strange Horticulture retrospective finds a game whose softness and threat still belong together. The shop counter remains a complete dramatic space, the map still turns…

Hannah Arden·3 July 2026·9 min read

Moonstone Island Review 2026: A Cosy Life-Sim That Earns Its Skies

There are 100 islands in Moonstone Island . Each one sits in a hand-painted sky, at a different altitude, wrapped in a distinct weather register.

Hannah Arden·2 July 2026·6 min read

Hokko Life Retrospective: The Cosy Game That Nearly Worked

Hokko Life review 2026: a calm retrospective on crafting, village rhythm, value and why this cosy life-sim nearly earns its warmth for patient town builders.

Hannah Arden·1 July 2026·5 min read

Best Cosy Friendly Ps5 Controller for Life Sim Sessions

The best PS5 cosy controller for life-sim sessions disappears into the evening. We explain why the DualSense earns its place and what the alternatives miss.

Hannah Arden·29 June 2026·6 min read

Garden Story Retrospective: An Overlooked Action-cosy Hybrid

A careful Garden Story review for 2026, revisiting its action-cosy loop, village rituals, soft combat, and whether Concord's guarded world still earns its pace.

8.1· Great

Hannah Arden·27 June 2026·9 min read

My Time at Sandrock Review 2026: A Life-Sim That Earns Its Desert

The desert is a formal choice. Most life-sims work in green: grass, forest canopy, the kind of soft palette that signals welcome before the player has done anything to earn it.

9.0· Outstanding

Hannah Arden·22 June 2026·8 min read

Unpacking on Switch 2 Review 2026: A Quiet Game That Earns Its Boxes

The cardboard box opens with a sound like a slow breath releasing. Inside: a small potted cactus, a framed photograph, a stack of books whose spines have been worn to illegibility.

Hannah Arden·21 June 2026·11 min read

Fae Farm Switch 2 Review 2026: The Magic That Was Always There

Azoria has a particular quality of early-morning light at the start of the first in-game season, before the first quest log has filled in and before the crop rows are anything…

8.3· Great

Hannah Arden·20 June 2026·9 min read

Wytchwood Review 2026: The Witch-Crafting Loop That Still Lights the Lantern

The Grimoire opens like a well-organised field journal: entries accumulate as the witch surveys the countryside, each recipe a record of what she has noticed rather than what she…

8.3· Great

Hannah Arden·19 June 2026·9 min read

Dorfromantik Switch 2 Review 2026: A Landscape Worth Returning To

The tile makes a sound when it settles: a low, soft click, slightly longer than necessary, that the game did not need to include. Dorfromantik on Switch 2 is still the game it was…

Hannah Arden·17 June 2026·10 min read

Tiny Glade Review 2026: The Case for a Glade Without a Goal

Tiny Glade does not tell the player what to build. It offers a meadow, a set of stone-and-timber tools, and the quiet permission to begin.

Hannah Arden·15 June 2026·9 min read

Splatoon 4 Release Date Watch 2026: What Nintendo Has and Has Not Said

Nintendo has said nothing. That is the correct place to start, because with Splatoon specifically, what is not said is as instructive as what is.

9.2· Outstanding

Hannah Arden·14 June 2026·10 min read

Mario Kart World Review 2026: Nintendo’s Open-World Kart Racer for Switch 2

The thing the rainbow road does, in this game, is sit at the edge of an actual landscape rather than float inside a void. You can see the bridge from the field below it, before…

Hannah Arden·12 June 2026·10 min read

Donkey Kong Bananza Review 2026: Nintendo EPD’s Switch 2 Smash-Em-Up

Donkey Kong Bananza delivers Nintendo EPD's most mechanically committed platformer in years, building an entire underground world around the premise that DK's strength is a…

Hannah Arden·6 June 2026·10 min read

Little Kitty, Big City Review 2026: The Small Things a City Keeps

The cat in Little Kitty, Big City does not know where home is. That is the whole premise, stated plainly in the first five minutes, and Double Dagger Studio does not embellish it…

8.2· Great

Hannah Arden·2 June 2026·8 min read

Super Mario Party Jamboree Review 2026: Nintendo’s Most Generous Party Game Yet

A party game that runs to twenty-two characters and seven boards is making an argument. Jamboree's argument is that abundance is generosity.

7.8· Great

Hannah Arden·1 June 2026·10 min read

Cattails Wildwood Story Switch 2 Review 2026: The Cosy Cat Life-Sim Still Earns Its Place

Cattails: Wildwood Story keeps a small promise most games of this scale would not bother making. There is a moment in autumn, after the first hard frost, when the wildwood goes…

8.7· Great

Hannah Arden·24 May 2026·9 min read

Kirby Air Riders Review 2026: Switch 2 Sequel to Air Ride Tested

Kirby Air Riders is a patient, considered racing title for Switch 2 that earns its simplicity rather than defaulting to it. The single-button control system asks genuine decisions…

9.3· Outstanding

Hannah Arden·23 May 2026·10 min read

Hades II Review: Worth Playing in 2026?

Melinoë's braid catches the underworld light in a particular way, which is how Hades II announces its intentions before a single Boon has been offered.

8.8· Great

Hannah Arden·14 May 2026·7 min read

Dispatch PS5 Review: Superhero Drama From Behind A Desk

Dispatch brings Telltale-style storytelling back with a sharp superhero workplace comedy on PS5. We dig into its writing, dispatch gameplay, cast, length, and value in this full…

Hannah Arden·14 May 2026·4 min read

Palworld Co-Op: Early Access Preview

A hands-on Palworld co-op early access preview covering base building, creature capture, multiplayer performance and first impressions.

Hannah Arden·14 May 2026·9 min read

Witchbrook Release Date Watch 2026, What Chucklefish Has Actually Shown

The most interesting thing about the Witchbrook release date is what its absence has been protecting. Chucklefish announced the game in 2019, and seven years later there is still…

Hannah Arden·7 May 2026·9 min read

Nintendo Switch 2 Review: A Hybrid That Finally Grew Up

Our Nintendo Switch 2 review covers DLSS performance, Joy-Con upgrades, and backwards compatibility. Worth £395.99? We weigh every trade-off.

8.1· Great

Hannah Arden·21 April 2026·6 min read

Botany Manor Review: A Victorian Puzzle Masterpiece in 2026

Botany Manor review reveals a serene Victorian puzzle gem. Does this 1890s botanical mystery still captivate players today? Discover the answer now.

7.1· Great

Hannah Arden·13 April 2026·9 min read

Manor Lords Review 2026: Medieval City Builder Worth It Now?

Our Manor Lords review 2026 covers the December update, castle overhaul, new game modes, and whether this PC city builder is worth buying on Steam or Game Pass.

6.4· Mixed

Tales of the Shire Review: A Lord of the Rings Life Sim Worth Living In

Tales of the Shire review: Wētā Workshop's Hobbit life sim delivers cooking, foraging, and Bywater charm. Is it worth £28.99? Here's what to expect.

8.4· Great

Hannah Arden·13 April 2026·9 min read

Tiny Bookshop Review: The Cosy Sim That Reads People, Not Markets

Tiny Bookshop review: neoludic's cosy bookshop sim matches books to personalities, not profit margins. Now on PS5 and Xbox Game Pass. Is it worth £16.99?

Hannah Arden·13 April 2026·8 min read

Littlewood Review 2026: The Post-Hero Life Sim Worth Playing

Our Littlewood game review 2026 asks whether Sean Young's solo-dev town builder still holds up. Spoiler: the post-hero premise still earns its place in the genre.

7.2· Great

Hannah Arden·13 April 2026·8 min read

Wytchwood Review 2026: The Cosy Game That Actually Has Teeth

Our Wytchwood review 2026 asks whether Alientrap's gothic crafting adventure holds up. For players who find farming sims too passive, this witch's brew is the answer.

Hannah Arden·13 April 2026·6 min read

Chicory: A Colorful Tale Review 2026: Colouring as Courage

Chicory: A Colorful Tale review 2026: Greg Lobanov's painting adventure uses colour as a mechanic for confronting imposter syndrome. Worth it in 2026? Yes.

7.6· Great

Tchia Review 2026: Still Worth Playing on Game Pass?

Our Tchia review 2026 covers soul-jumping, New Caledonian culture, and open-world exploration. Is Tchia worth it on Game Pass, Switch, or PS5 in 2026?

9.1· Outstanding

Spiritfarer Review 2026: The Farewell Edition Still Holds

Spiritfarer Farewell Edition review 2026: is it still worth playing? Four years on, this cosy grief game remains the clearest emotional benchmark of its genre.

Roots of Pacha Review 2026: Is It Still Worth It?

Our Roots of Pacha review 2026 covers base game and the Sun and Moon update across PC, Switch, PS4/5, and Xbox. Is this Stone Age farming sim worth it in 2026?

Coral Island Review 2026: The Farming Sim That Expands the Template

Our Coral Island review 2026 covers the full 1.0 release, multiplayer update, and publisher collapse aftermath. The tropical farming sim that earns its place in a crowded genre.

8.4· Great

Stardew Valley Review 2026: Switch 2 Edition Worth It?

Our Stardew Valley review 2026 covers the Switch 2 Edition's 8-player multiplayer, mouse controls, and GameShare. Ten years on, is it still worth it?

Venba Review 2026: Tamil Memory, 90 Minutes, and Worth It

Venba review 2026: Visai Games' Tamil immigrant narrative uses cooking puzzles to reconstruct memory. Is this short, focused indie worth it in 2026? Yes.

8.7· Great

A Short Hike Review 2026: The Case for 90 Minutes Well Spent

Our A Short Hike review in 2026 asks whether this 2019 IGF Grand Prize winner earns a place in every cosy games library. It does, in under two hours.

8.4· Great

Hannah Arden·12 April 2026·9 min read

Dorfromantik Review 2026: The Meditative Puzzler That Finally Conquered Every Platform

Our Dorfromantik review 2026 covers all platforms including PS5 and Xbox. Is this tile-placement puzzler worth it four years on? The answer is a quiet, confident yes.

8.2· Great

Hannah Arden·12 April 2026·9 min read

Strange Horticulture Review 2026: Gothic Cosy at Its Most Precise

Our Strange Horticulture review 2026 covers all platforms. Is this herbalist puzzle game worth it four years on, and how does it hold up ahead of the sequel Strange Antiquities?

Hannah Arden·12 April 2026·9 min read

It Takes Two Review 2026: Still the Co-Op Benchmark Five Years On

Our It Takes Two review 2026 asks whether Hazelight's GOTY winner still holds up. Five years on, the answer is a confident yes. Worth it in 2026?

7.7· Great

Hannah Arden·12 April 2026·8 min read

PlateUp! Review 2026: The Co-op Cooking Game That Thinks Differently

Our PlateUp! review 2026 covers the roguelite co-op cooking game that adds automation and base-building to the genre. Is it worth it? Full verdict inside.

7.3· Great

Hannah Arden·12 April 2026·8 min read

Alba: A Wildlife Adventure Review 2026: Still Worth It?

Our Alba: A Wildlife Adventure review 2026 asks whether ustwo's conservation-themed cosy game still delivers. Short, purposeful, genuinely impactful: here's the verdict.

8.2· Great

Hannah Arden·12 April 2026·2 min read

Pokémon Pokopia Review: The Most Surprising Pokémon Game in Years | Switch 2

Pokémon Pokopia review: a post-apocalyptic Kanto rebuilt by a Ditto in disguise. The best-reviewed Pokémon game ever delivers cozy brilliance on Switch 2.

Unpacking Game Review 2026: Still the Best Wordless Story in Games

Our Unpacking game review in 2026 asks whether Witch Beam's BAFTA winner still holds up. The answer: no other game tells a life story through a sock drawer.

7.4· Great

Animal Crossing New Horizons Switch 2 Review 2026

Our Animal Crossing New Horizons Switch 2 review covers 4K visuals, mouse controls, Slumber Island, and Kapp'n's Resort Hotel. Worth returning in 2026?

6.7· Mixed

Hannah Arden·12 April 2026·7 min read

Garden Life: A Cozy Simulator Review: Worth It in 2026?

Our Garden Life cozy simulator review asks whether this community garden restoration game still holds up in 2026. Relaxing, charming, and occasionally frustrating.

8.5· Great

Hannah Arden·12 April 2026·3 min read

Cozy Grove Switch 2 Review: Best Handheld Life Sim in 2026

Our Cozy Grove Switch 2 review covers the March 2026 edition: 4K docked, 1080p handheld, faster loading. Is this haunted island life sim worth it in 2026?

Hannah Arden·25 March 2026·12 min read

Best Switch 2 Cosy Starter Pack 2026, Case Screen Protector Joy-Con Grips and Five Cosy Games

The Switch 2 launched on 5 June 2025 at £395.99 for the base model and £429.99 for the Mario Kart World bundle. That gets you a console in a box.

9.0· Outstanding

Hannah Arden·4 February 2026·11 min read

Split Fiction Review 2026, Hazelight’s Most Confident Co-Op Yet

There is a moment in Split Fiction , roughly three hours in, when Mio and Zoe are running through a dragon-lit canyon while the camera pulls back to show exactly how much world…

8.1· Great

Hannah Arden·31 January 2026·12 min read

Palia Switch 2 Review 2026, the Free-to-Play Life-Sim That Lands Native

There is a sound Palia makes when a fishing line goes taut, a short wooden pull that sits a half-second before the catch registers, and the game has been making that sound since…

Hannah Arden·25 January 2026·9 min read

Graveyard Keeper Review 2026, the Cosy Management Game That Doesn’t Apologise for the Bones

A corpse in this game arrives on the slab with a quality rating, and the game files the rating with the same quiet administrative chime it uses for finished bread.

9.1· Outstanding