It is Thursday and a new month, which means that UK video gaming magazine EDGE has released their latest issue. This new issue contains a batch of new reviews for a variety of games, including indie games and some titles that are releasing on the Nintendo Switch. The majority of the games they reviewed this time are at least a 7, but there are a few exceptions.
One game you may immediately recognize on the list is Hellblade II. Believe it or not, EDGE was not too happy with the game, giving it a 4 out of 10. Homeworld 3 is also on the list, though EDGE was more favorable to the game and gave it a 7. No Case Should Remain Unsolved received the highest score on the list with a 9. You can see the full list, as well as what EDGE had to say about each game, down below.
Still Wakes The Deep – 8
Besides, what is for sure is that over its six-hour span we’re engrossed in Still Wakes The Deep far more often than not, eyes locked on the screen whether Caz is in conversation or creeping around the unlit laundry room before bolting from an unnameable fiend. And in those moments, a cry of “Shite!” from our hero never feels less than authentic, regardless of what the text says underneath.
Hellblade II – 4
By turns astonishing and insufferable, there is as much here to make your eyes roll as widen. Even the moments when Hellblade II delivers nigh-unparalleled visual spectacle (see ‘Giant steps’) are soured by the fact that our involvement in these set-pieces so often feels incidental. For long stretches, it’s akin to watching someone else play, only occasionally – and always unwillingly – handing back the controller. We can’t help but return to that old chestnut about the interactive experience being a conversation between designer and player; there is an irony that in this, of all games, we’re scarcely able to get a word in edgeways.
Homeworld 3 – 7
As a whole, then, Homeworld 3 isn’t quite the homecoming we had hoped for. At worst competent, at best exceptional, it has been crafted with evident care, though the originals still cast a shadow as dense as a black hole’s event horizon. Even with its wrinkles ironed out, you wonder if realistically it could ever have been good enough.
RKGK/Rakugaki – 7
As revolutions go, RKGK is perhaps a little too well- mannered for its own good. But in the moment, those fundamentals are strong enough to forgive its sins. As Valah skids about, tagging screens and taking down bot squads without blinking, the soundtrack serving as a 120bpm heartbeat, its 3D platformer inspirations – Jet Set Radio, Splatoon, even Super Mario Sunshine – don’t feel far beyond its reach. No work of art, then, but Wabisabi has certainly left its stamp on the genre.
Cryptmaster – 8
Otherwise, this dark world – frequently illuminated by its eccentric characters and cheeky dialogue – is so captivating that the slight loss of late-game momentum is easily forgiven. With challenging puzzles that seem to evolve constantly, it feels as if there’s a surprise around every corner; given the unpredictable nature of the worldbuilding, you’ll probably find one. The freedom to type pretty much anything makes the game feel very much your adventure to shape. Beyond that, it is hard to deny the puerile pleasure of unleashing your inner child and indulging in a spot of toilet humour. And Cryptmaster sure does welcome a potty mouth.
1000xRESIST – 8
This is, then, a cautionary, often sombre tale of a group of women connected by the knowledge of the mistakes of those who came before them, only for each to become someone else’s villain. But it is a breath of fresh air to play a game that doesn’t merely use its science-fiction setting as attractive window dressing, its outstanding writing and voice acting more than compensating for its visual shortcomings. Like some of the smartest hard sci-fi literature, from Ancillary Justice to the works of Ted Chiang, 100oxResist uses its genre lens to make pertinent points about the human condition, in doing so reminding us of the true meaning of home and family.
Paper Trail – 7
For the most part, Paper Trail is a minor marvel of show-don’t-tell design; the journal’s art might be lovely, but its clumsy exposition is anything but. As a result, the narrative held within these pages rings hollow next to the incidental interactions and subtle environmental storytelling within the paper world itself. These interruptions are infrequent enough not to be hugely detrimental, but paired with a rather abrupt ending they take the shine off an otherwise elegantly constructed eight-hour adventure. Still, if the destination can’t quite fulfil the promise of the journey leading to it, Newfangled Games’ beautifully illustrated coming-of-age fable deftly folds some important life lessons into its origami puzzles. Balancing discipline and freedom, and showcasing creativity within constraints, it demonstrates that you can shape your own path through life, while suggesting ways you might build upon everything you learn along the way.
Isles Of Sea and Sky – 8
On it goes, with slippery ice, flowing waters and volcanic regions where you can’t stay close to the heat for too long – each subtly adjusting your approach to its challenges. In places it can be mildly overwhelming: screens resetting to their original state (albeit with certain elements persisting) adds to the load of mentally mapping the place. It’s disheartening, too, to find a new landmass and immediately bump up against a star requirement far beyond your current tally. But that will only provide more encouragement for dedicated players to dig out the secrets of these enigmatic Isles as enveloping a puzzle space as any (outside of wells and hotels) we’ve encountered this year.
No Case Should Remain Unsolved – 9
Somi deviously leads you astray at times: we attribute a string of quotes to one witness before realising they belong to another as a surprising connection emerges. But as the columns solidify, the number of fault lines dwindling, the colour-coded gates opening, it gains a riveting momentum. The music builds, each instrument’s entrance letting you know you’re closing in on the truth – and we realise we’ve been using steadily less of our seat. It brings things full circle via a goosebump-inducing revelation, Seongyi Yi’s bittersweet piano score only accentuating its power. The neatness of the solution is all the more satisfying for the mess this once was: as the last piece slots into place, the sense of closure for player and protagonist feels as earned as it is overwhelming.
Little Kitty, Big City – 7
This world convinces as an urban space save for the large pools of water that serve as your main obstacles an ungainly but effective way to force you to find alternative routes. And with no direction beyond a scrawled 2D map, puzzling your way past these, the yapping dogs, the angry grocery-shop owners and sundry other obstacles is a significant part of the appeal. With two types of jump an instant hop, or a more measured leap, as you hold the button and take aim before releasing to commit – platforming feels more involved than in Stray, though clipping issues and an inconsistent camera can lead to frustrating falls. These are easier to overlook than they might be thanks to the unexpected quality of the writing: witty, characterful and occasionally surreal, its animal exchanges are as good a reason as any to press paws on that homecoming.
Hauntii – 5
Locating precisely where you – and many other things – are in 3D space is a persistent problem, made worse by the way you get snagged on scenery and how foreground objects obstruct your view. Even during the more cathartic moments, such as inhabiting a firework- shooting creature for a twin-stick shooter set-piece, you face irritating limitations: corrupting goop prevents you from firing while your finite energy source effectively means you have to wait to reload. Hauntii’s defiance of traditional design wisdom makes it a sometimes- fascinating curio, particularly when the threats subside and it becomes an uncommonly beautiful puzzler. But even when its style doesn’t get in the way, like its diaphanous hero it’s lacking in substance.
You either love or hate Hellblade. It’s not an action game in a deep sense, but that’s probably what people expect going into it(can’t blame them with that kind of marketing).