Rob Pitt

“Lawn Mowing Simulator takes a mundane activity and turns it into a very satisfying and relaxed experience that quickly becomes super addictive. Although the Career Mode is very relaxed, starting off solo and then allowing you to hire NPCs to help you out, the challenges will certainly test your patience, speed, and efficiency. If you’re willing to overlook the incredible short LoD, which results in pop-in a few feet in front of your vehicle, and the frustrating spike in difficulty within a few of the challenges, then those looking for a relaxed casual simulation experience should pick this up today.”

“Demetrios – The BIG Cynical Adventure REPLASTERED was just as fun to play through as it was back in 2017. Despite not having any extra content, simply being a new coat of paint over the original game, I’d still recommend people check out this version, even if you’ve played it previously on a last-gen console. The story is very silly, the characters are whimsical, and the deaths are quite amusing, it doesn’t take itself very seriously and delivers an entertaining story that’ll last between 8 and 12 hours depending on how engrossed you are with the many clickable interactions.”

“Conway: Disappearance at Dahlia View is a brilliant thriller that fully immerses you as you spy on your neighbours and take a look at what secrets they have hidden behind closed doors. Each of your suspects has something to hide, but is it related to the attack and kidnapping which you’re unofficially investigating? With very little hand-holding, you must observe, investigate, and piece together just what is going on in Dahila View – overcoming your physical disability and letting nothing stand in your way of discovering the truth. Simply one of the best narrative adventure games I’ve played all year, enhanced by fantastic voice acting, well-written dialogue, and an exciting and intriguing story.”

“Agatha Christie – Hercule Poirot: The First Cases is a great game for those who wish to keep their brain and ‘little grey cells’ active. Although the exploration and investigation portion of the game is linear and guided, logically working out what key information links together is very satisfying and rewarding, especially when you get it right the first time. The story is very loyal to the source material, offering a new Poirot adventure that feels like Agatha Christie wrote it herself, complete with brilliant voice acting which is slightly let down by the inconsistent volume levels and quality. If you’re a fan of the famous detective and logical thinking, you’ll really enjoy stepping into his shoes and mind as you solve the mysterious cases within Agatha Christie – Hercule Poirot: The First Cases.”

“Murder Mystery Machine is a thought-provoking puzzle game that requires you to think outside of the box if you wish to obtain the best grade. Rather than having you solve the crimes committed by simply talking to and arresting the suspects, you must piece together the who, why, where, and how through the use of the initiative crime board mechanic. However, in order to get the best result, you must leave no stone left unturned and ensure you link every possible clue and conclusion to the correct reason and motive – which is very hard, even for veteran puzzle gamers. It delivers an interesting story over eight cases, full of suspects, clues, red herrings, beautiful dioramas, and victims, but can a rookie solve one of the biggest cases of her career?”

“Timothy’s Night is the much prettier, dolled-up twin-sibling to the original colour-less 2018 edition. Instead of simply porting the same game to the PlayStation 5, the developers have added more content, changed the whole colour scheme, updated various mechanics, boosted the visuals, and expanded the world, so despite being technically the same game, it felt fresh and new. Due to the ambitious visual overhaul, the game feels like it dips below 60fps at times, but not enough to distract you from the brilliant use of the DualSense controller and fun gameplay. Whether you’ve played the original game or not, Timothy’s Night is a fun game to replay or experience for the first time. There is no free upgrade, as it’s more of a remaster than a 1:1 update, but the 6-8 hours is well worth the price of the game. Also, it’s great to see a small indie developer fully utilise almost everything the PlayStation 5 offers in order to enhance their game and deliver a product closer to their vision, rather than a simple port with no changes.”

“void tRrLM();++ //Void Terrarium++ is one of the best ‘Mystery Dungeon’ style games I’ve played, the visual design, music, and story are all beautiful and very memorable. Although the game begins quite difficult and frustrating, you’ll soon find yourself getting further thanks to the number of upgrades and abilities you can craft and equip. If you own it on the PS4 already, there’s nothing new awaiting you within the PS5 edition, unless you don’t own the DLC, but if you’ve not played the game – or you want the soundtrack – then I highly recommend picking up the physical copy as that comes with the OST on CD. However, a 366MB game on a 25GB Bluray is beyond overkill!”

“Protocol is frustrating, annoying, and anger-inducing – I loved it! Despite the brutal and unforgiving insane A.I., who constantly kills you if you so much as look at her funny, I thought the story was interesting, the dialogue was ‘colourful’, and the combination of many different gameplay mechanics was very creative. My only negative, besides the difficulty spike in the final chapter, has to be the ‘long’ loading times – these wouldn’t usually be an issue, but in a game where you’re bound to die over and over, I would have liked a faster reload. I personally preferred the first half of the game over the second, due to how the focus shifted more onto combat over exploration and puzzles, but it didn’t stop me from wanting to unlock all seven endings – which I will do, someday…”

“Terminator: Resistance Enhanced surprised me, it was a solid FPS with incorporated stealth, survival and crafting mechanics, including lore and references from the first two iconic movies. The new enhanced edition offers a smooth 60fps with a whole host of visual improvements, making the game even more fun to play and precise to control. The Infiltration mode finally lets you see the world from the eyes of Arnold, although I would have liked more from this mode – maybe the future DLC will expand upon it? If you like The Terminator and you’ve not yet played this game, you’re missing out on a hidden gem that isn’t anywhere near as bad as the critics initially made it out to be.”

“If you’re looking for a family-friendly casual local co-op game to play with friends or family, Potion Party should be high on your list of candidates. It’s very addictive and rewarding, making money to spend on upgrades that allow you to obtain more money in return, gradually expanding and making the process more efficient. You can play the entire mini-campaign on your own or with others locally (or via Share Play), or face them competitively and see who’s the most agile alchemist.”

“Internet Court is one of the most bonkers and continuously funny FMV games you’ll see outside of the Super Seducer franchise. Although your choices don’t change the narrative and losing offers no punishment as you can simply continue, every option you pick has a recorded reaction and consequence – meaning you can pick all the ‘bad’ choices without worrying about replaying the entire scene again. Every character has their own personality, whether the actor has done acting before or are simply related to those who created the game, resulting in some unintentionally funny moments and realistic reactions. For a game that was clearly made with little to no budget and remotely via laptops of varying quality, I found it hilarious and a joy to play, even more than some big-budget titles I’ve played recently.”

“For the developer’s first dabble into the interactive FMV adventure genre, I Saw Black Clouds delivered a dark, spooky, and immersive experience, enhanced by the interesting narrative and multiple diverse story pathways. The acting and cinematography were great, pulling you into the story as it puts you in the seat of the director, choosing what to say and how to react to certain situations. There were a few continuity issues and missing emotions, but they may have been intentional due to the multi-pathway aspect of the game. If you like psychological thriller movies and FMV interactive experiences, you’ll love trying to discover all the secrets within I Saw Black Clouds.”

“Super Seducer 3: The Final Seduction is much more advanced and in-depth than the previous games in the series, with longer scenes, new mechanics, and a comprehensive flowchart. Although the diverse and varied super seducers are gone, Richard makes up for this with his creepy humour and childish behaviour, making every seduction a hilarious encounter with dialogue choices you’d never have imagined. The mix of serious and bizarre outcomes allows you to pick up some tips yet easily distinguish what is ‘right’ and what is clearly an exaggerated joke and shouldn’t be copied by anyone. If you liked the previous games, you’re going to love this final FMV seduction-based adventure”

“Sanity of Morris was an enjoyable psychological horror game that focuses on aliens and insanity, rather than ghosts and death – which is a nice change. Although there are a few things that could have benefited from a little more polish and QA, such as the endings and the enemy’s ability to unfairly see through certain walls, I enjoyed the forgiving nature of the stealth segments and the interesting story scattered as documents and cassette tapes. It has a few jump scares and a few instances of gore, but overall it’s quite mild compared to other games in the genre. If like me, you like these games but suck at stealth, give Sanity of Morris a go – you’ll find it a lot less frustrating than other stealth-based games.”

“POSTAL Redux was exactly how I remember it, a mindless murder simulation game that rewards you for killing everything that moves. Although it may seem controversial and offensive to some people, the concept revolves around a guy who feels the world is against him, and that there’s someone waiting to kill him around every corner – it’s all about losing control and simply going postal and expressing his anger. This enhanced edition contains a few fun extras, such as different visual filters, the ability to play as The Antagonist from Hatred, and the option to play all 23 stages in one single campaign. It’s the perfect game to settle down with if you’ve had a bad day in the office…”

“Doodle Devil: 3volution is a very addictive and unique puzzle game, it requires a lot of patience and thinking outside of the box in order to discover all of the hidden elements. Although the Demon slots seems a little too much in favour of the house, in terms of giving you a big payout, this mini-game and the Demon Battle one are both fun distractions when you need a break from trying to figure out the hundreds of solutions in the main game. I don’t believe the game will be for everyone, but if you like casual puzzle games which you can pick up and play in short bursts at a time, check it out.”

“If you’re looking for a casual game that you can wind down with for a few hours, Wind Peaks is for you. The gameplay is very similar to Where’s Wally, only digital with relaxing music and ambient sounds. It may not take you too long to complete, even if you’re trying to grab all of the trophies, but its a game you can easily return to time and time again as you’ll forget where the items were hidden after a while. No matter how old you are or how well you can see, the handy hint option will ensure that you never get stuck – making this a great game for all of the family.”

“If you’re looking for a challenging game with a pick-up-and-play concept, you should check out PUSS!. Although it looks like a cute kawaii puzzle game from the main title image, this game will eat away at your sanity and make you question what’s going on. It may not be impossible to beat, but it’ll surely push you to your limits with some of the more difficult and insane levels, testing your reaction speeds and patience as it throws everything but the kitchen sink at you. If you like cats, and torturing yourself, you’ll love PUSS!”

“If you’re looking for a dark and gritty murder mystery, filled with suspense and crime-solving, Dry Drowning is for you! With multiple endings, lots of Moral Choices that alter the narrative and events, and creative puzzles to solve, this is much more than a Visual Novel, it’s an interactive serial killer hunt with you in the driving seat. The soundtrack builds the atmosphere, pulling you into the futuristic dystopian city, but the lack of voice acting means you’re not fully absorbed by the immersion. One thing to note, some of the text is comically small, so if you have bad eyesight, playing it on the TV may be your best bet.”

“Gal*Gun Returns is a great remaster of the original game in the series, one which fans of the previous games will love. Despite being a rather simple on-rails shooter, there’s a lot of things to unlock, multiple endings to find, and a long Doki Doki Carnival mode to master should you wish to invest many hours into the game. Those who like lewd games will be happy to hear that it’s here, in abundance, cutting nothing (from what I can see) for this Nintendo Switch release. My only complaint is that there are no motion controls, a feature which I hope is added in the future.”