But even with the polygonal models plastered with real-ish faces that nod along all the time, the aim assist that magnetizes towards targets, the actual aiming that feels downright clunky in this age of first-person shooters, and how closely it mimics the overall flow, Agent 64 is not that game. And expecting it to live up to that, especially when so many bigger developers and publishers have tried and failed, isn’t the best way to go in.

As a throwback to that gameplay, it’s successful. However, as its own experience, there are definitely highs and lows. Occasionally, it feels like the GoldenEye mechanics do much of the heavy lifting to make this an enjoyable experience. If you can accept that, Agent 64 might be a worthwhile retro shooter to while away a weekend or three.

"If you can keep all those caveats in mind, there is a boomer shooter feel to the mayhem, as you stagger enemies and gun them down before they even have a chance to get a shot off."

Except when it comes to the story. You play as John Walter, a secret agent who’s minding his own business and playing Nintendo 64 in his lush penthouse when suddenly, goons led by Dominic Pulp arrive to steal some “key.” He fights them off, naturally, and ends up captured, wherein he rendezvouses with his daughter. They set out to give chase to Pulp, learning about his motive and the larger organization behind him.

I wasn’t necessarily expecting compelling characterizations or voice acting (not that Agent 64 has any of the latter). Nor did I expect much of a cohesive flow between missions (which there thankfully is). Regardless, if you’re going in expecting some deeply impactful story, much less one that’s self-aware beyond a few Nintendo 64 references, you won’t find it here. Then again, it’s the missions and gameplay that made the original GoldenEye, and that remains the case here.

For starters, there are no health pickups or checkpoints in levels. You’ll need to pick up body armor, and on higher difficulties, there’s almost none. Aim assist is a must, both because of the lack of a crosshair and bullet spread. You can still hold down the right mouse button for more precise shots, but it feels just as unwieldy as the old days.

Long story short, the goal is to play through a level on a lower difficulty, learn the layout, and then attempt it again on at least Super Agent. It’s anyways required to earn enough Cyphers to unlock later acts. If you can keep all those caveats in mind, there is a boomer shooter feel to the mayhem, as you stagger enemies and gun them down before they even have a chance to get a shot off. Hanging behind corners, waiting for the right time to pop out, can sometimes get tense on the higher difficulties.

The actual missions, however, are fine, rarely approaching memorable. There is the odd scenario where you need to get a guard outfit and put it on manually – leading to a hilarious moment where I hadn’t done so in front of the enemy who had to open the door. They called reinforcements and just as I put the outfit on, they returned from whence they came, and all was well. Of course, upon calling the freight elevator, all the guards shortly turned hostile anyway, but I digress.

"Sometimes, enemies will react, swarming you very quickly. In such situations, the solution often involves heading back through the previous door and gunning them down as they pass through."

You’ll spend a hefty amount of time gunning down enemies, occasionally tossing explosives onto gate chains or a terminal and hacking a computer with – what else but – the hacktool. Some interesting twists involve fighting a helicopter with a rocket launcher or infiltrating an art museum to patch into a conference before spying on the same from above, and they’re fine, though not particularly exciting.

The AI can also feel inconsistent when it’s not outright dumb. Aside from the variety of foes, which feels about as repetitive as can be, their difficulty is tied directly to their aim. On Agent, they couldn’t hit the broad side of a space shuttle, even when you’re mere feet away. Super Agent cranks this up to a more balanced degree, and it’s here that level layout, combined with their placements, is put to the test. Some additional objectives are also thrown into the mix, so something like, say, the museum, which requires mostly clandestine work, will have a multi-level firefight thrown in where you need to recover some art pieces. That’s all well and good.

The problem is their overall reactions, and I’m not talking about the stylish little roll that adds nothing to their survivability. Some enemies will have clear line of sight but not become aware of your presence unless you cross a certain threshold. I ran into two enemies, both looking in the same direction, one on a higher level. The one on the ground didn’t spot me after a certain point, but the elevated one did. Solution? Take out the one above from a different angle. Will his falling body alert his comrade below? Of course not.

But that’s not always the case. Sometimes, enemies will react, swarming you very quickly. In such situations, the solution often involves heading back through the previous door and gunning them down as they pass through. In other cases, even with unsilenced weapons, they’ll go about their business without a care in the world despite the body count going up. Boss can’t be paying all that well, after all.

"If Agent 64: Spies Never Die, it’s that nostalgia can only really carry an experience so far. But in this case, it’s far enough, with the mission and level design coexisting well with the more archaic elements."

Beyond the Story (which also supports co-op), there are Contracts. Some of these require shooting hidden faces in previous levels, which then unlock special Paradox Mode versions set in the same. For example, Arcade Survivor turns the first level into a survival exercise where you need to keep killing enemies as quickly as possible to extend the timer long enough to extract. Another leaves you with only melee attacks while significantly increasing their damage. The same death timer rules apply, but it’s on the highest difficulty for laughs.

Of course, there’s also a dedicated Challenges mode which involves partaking in Arena battles against different CPU types. Completing the latter unlocks them as bots in multiplayer, and credit where it’s due: there is a pretty robust range of options, from CPU difficulty and starting weapons to available weapon pickups, match types, and so on. I don’t see it having much of a future in the competitive online space, whether it’s in the rudimentary map design or the actual balance, but it can offer some fun chaos now and again with bots.

If Agent 64: Spies Never Die, it’s that nostalgia can only really carry an experience so far. But in this case, it’s far enough, with the mission and level design coexisting well with the more archaic elements. As an homage to a shooter that defined a generation and Bond games for many years to come, it can be enjoyable, and should offer more than enough content for anyone who really wants to earn their 007 status – I mean, 64 Agent stripes.

This game was reviewed on PC.

But the mechanical foundations of its gameplay loop were definitely interesting back then, and have since made it quite a popular title in the illustrious franchise’s lineup. Indeed, it’s popular enough to warrant a free update that brings a graphical bump to the familiar game while adding an entirely new mission, complete with an antagonist who makes even El Sueño seem harmless by comparison?

But is it enough of a celebratory nod to 25 years of Ghost Recon? Does the new update make Wildlands feel more current-gen than the original version? Can the return of the Predator event be enough to put The Ghosts back in the limelight? Probably not, and that’s a shame.

Let’s get the new 4K/60 fps update out of the way early. Yes, it makes the graphics quite smooth while the visuals received a nice upgrade. Lighting and reflections look a lot better, although low-light situations do become problematic, a flaw I’m going to touch upon again a little later. However, the pop-in from the original release, along with character models and textures that look very outdated by modern standards, make it obvious that this one’s a last-gen title on a current-gen system.

However, the one upside here is that my base PS5 managed 60fps even in intense firefights and other resource-heavy situations, allowing for a very smooth experience and markedly better gunplay thanks to how much easier aiming is when there are more frames in play. I only wish that the load times had been better optimised, as getting in and out of the action took long enough for me to notice, which is saying something today.

Of course, the new Last Rites mission is the star of the show and its premise is interesting enough. Taking around one to two hours to finish, Last Rites is accessible directly from the main menu with no prerequisites. It sees the Ghosts return to Bolivia, where a new handler presents them with a fresh target: La Llorona. She’s a feisty one, and presented as an antagonist so unhinged, putting her out of her misery almost feels like a mercy. Of course, she’s inspired so much zealous fervor within her ranks that getting to her requires some meticulous work. Well, the Ghosts have never walked away from a challenge now, have they?

"The Ghosts return to Bolivia, where a new handler presents them with a fresh target."

The story has the twists and turns you’d come to expect from a Ghost Recon title, although one of them came early enough for it to feel like quite a curveball, and in a good way. Things are presented to you on the go just like in the base game, and you’re going to be spending your time traversing the new sub-region this mission’s locked into, with new information being presented to you with each objective you complete. It’s interesting, and definitely among the highlights of the update for me. It’s well-placed, well-written, and definitely more than capable of holding my interest.

The voice acting is effective, while the presentation feels a little too similar to the rest of the game to stand out. That the main Campaign’s fight against Santa Blanca only receives a passing mention is probably a good thing, since it frees this side chapter from having to force references to events from the rest of Bolivia into the fray. It helps keep Last Rites focused on its antagonists, and that’s a very good thing given that they come across as a viable threat.

However, the objectives themselves are nothing more than an excuse to send you from one place to the next, with armed compounds you must infiltrate to either collect intel yourself or perhaps send your drone to eavesdrop on a high-ranking member of La Llorona’s organization. Good luck finding something important in the dark, though. The low light performance was a serious downer, making it very annoying to navigate indoor environments.

You get to take the same vehicles that the base game offered, while some of them come with cool paint jobs to add a bit of celebratory flair to things. Of course, driving those vehicles is as frustrating as it’s ever been with their tendency to wildly oversteer and spin out of control at even the slightest bit of hard turning. What’s even more annoying is that dying or failing an objective respawns you at a considerable distance away, forcing you to endure another round of frustrating driving to return to where you were.

It’s slightly disappointing that a story that’s quite intriguing isn’t backed up by gameplay that matches it. Lackluster objectives are joined by an enemy AI that remains largely unchanged from the rest of the game, along with stealth options like Sync Shot that can let you command your teammates to just clear entire patrols without a single one of them being any the wiser. That thing seriously needs a nerf on its cooldowns given how it trivializes a lot of the game. Is it fun? Hell, yeah! Is it anything we haven’t already seen in Wildlands? Sadly no.

"The default setting is probably more than enough for casual players, but the more hardcore Ghosts amongst you are going to appreciate what’s on offer and how it makes things more demanding if that’s how you push your sliders."

I found myself tearing through missions on both Arcade and Normal, while greater difficulty options turned the tables on me more often than not. Of course, the new customization options are most welcome, letting you tweak everything from enemy behaviour and damage values to weapon restrictions, friendly fire, weather, and HUD elements until you’ve shaped the experience into something that feels just right for you. The default setting is probably more than enough for casual players, but the more hardcore Ghosts amongst you are going to appreciate what’s on offer and how it makes things more demanding if that’s how you push your sliders.

Enemy aggression and awareness are pretty great, although I’d say that it’s a very familiar AI given how many times we’ve seen it before. Wildlands might have been good for its time, but it’s too lacking by modern standards to make this free update do any wonders. Yes, the returning Predator event should give you a few more hours of fun, but it’s essentially as good now as it was then, and there isn’t much more to say about it.

As far as the free update goes, you’re getting a visual bump, a new standalone mission, customization options, and not really much else. Last Rites is definitely good enough to make Wildlands veterans come back to Bolivia for a time, but can it make them stay? That depends on how addictive they found the original base game. But for new players, if you weren’t already sold on Wildlands, it isn’t likely that Last Rites is going to work any miracles.

As a part of a game that’s still listed as a PS4 title, it’s probably worth taking advantage of the trial weekend to just dive into Wildlands and get through it if you don’t own a copy of the game. The current PlayStation Store discount is also quite tempting if Ghost Recon is something you’ve enjoyed over the years, or are curious about trying out. But as a purchase, it isn’t something I can recommend wholeheartedly in a world where titles like Ready or Not make for far better experiences.

Last Rites is enough of a firework show to mark a milestone that many other franchises in modern gaming would be envious of. But other than that, it isn’t much more than an interesting side chapter in Bolivia, far removed from Santa Blanca while retaining the main campaign’s limitations, and that’s probably its biggest weakness. It’s still fun if you’re playing it for free, though.

This game was reviewed on PlayStation 5.

Of course, enough time has passed, and it’s already beyond clear that this isn’t the same beast as those classic games. From a fundamentally different approach—with ArcSys wanting to make it the very best it could be for 10 years, and even PlayStation earmarking it as part of its live-service future—it’s come across as so much more than a 4v4 tag fighter.

"Yes, reading – much of Episode Mode is presented as a motion comic, complete with voice acting, but you can just as easily have all the panels on the page and read through them quickly if you desire."

On the one hand, it leans into the developer’s more modern take on the fighter formula, à la Guilty Gear Strive, rather than the likes of Xrd Revelator or even Dragon Ball FighterZ. On the other, it’s still pushing for a degree of brokenness reserved for those who can truly master its many systems and the timing they demand. It’s approachable for newcomers with its Link Attacks, Quick Skills and approach to tags, but boasts an incredible wealth of complexity in its Assemble mechanic and combos. And the presentation remains as gorgeous and bombastic as the day it was revealed.

Unfortunately, my enthusiasm for Marvel Tōkon is dulled by how the PC version has ultimately turned out. There’s plenty to say about its systems and how they still require more fine-tuning, but there’s still a very fun game here for those who can get into it (or even pick up the superior PS5 version). It’s just a shame that so much of that is ruined not only by PlayStation’s usual PC shenanigans but by some baffling optimization.

The premise of Fighting Souls revolves around the Champion, a powerful intergalactic fighter who ventures to Earth to battle its mightiest, simply for the love of the game. His companion/herald, the Promoter, thus sets out to find combatants, selecting heroes, villains and oddballs alike to participate. It’s a simple premise, one that screams “Tournament arc!” from half a mile away with all the enthusiasm of a jaded anime fan, but Episode Mode handles it with surprising aplomb.

Besides the roster being broken up into five arcs, with the perfunctory battles between its members to teach you the mechanics, there are some pretty compelling stories to be had. Seeing Robbie Reyes’ struggle to control the Ghost Rider, crossing paths with the troubled histories of Blade, and Deadpool, before taking on other iconic characters made for some fun reading. Yes, reading – much of Episode Mode is presented as a motion comic, complete with voice acting, but you can just as easily have all the panels on the page and read through them quickly if you desire.

"There’s so much depth to this roster, and discovering all the ways that different assists work, or how to call them into lengthen combos, is very fun, even if it can take a while to get used to the exact button timing."

Granted, there are some well-worn stories, like the Avengers fighting among themselves before getting on the same page like they always do, but it’s still backed by solid writing. The fights are still very straightforward – the occasional missions pop up, like performing a Link Attack combo that ends in a Super Skill or calling in different assists, but don’t expect any branching paths like the earlier BlazBlue games. Still, for a title that’s building from decades of Marvel lore while simultaneously keeping it contained enough for newer fans to get into – and offering some genuinely gorgeous illustrations, with each episode featuring a different comic book artist – Tōkon’s story mode is beyond acceptable.

It’s also a great way to ease into the many systems that the game has to offer (even if you’ve already completed the whole Start-Up Battle exercise). While marketed as a 4v4 tag fighter, Tōkon has also been described as a 1v1, with each side having up to three supports you can call in or tag to.

Of course, you can raw tag to anyone in your line-up at any time, but this approach allows maining a single fighter, though you’re probably going to want two to shore up any weaknesses. And if nothing else, ArcSys shines when creating characters with distinct playstyles. I started with Blade, whose unique skill, Heart Stopper, throws a tracking stake that he can teleport to and combo off of while empowering the next Skill. Activating his Muramasa Blade achieves the same effect for the next two Skills. That doesn’t account for his various weapons, including a Glaive that hits multiple times and returns, allowing you to catch an opponent by surprise.

But then there’s Black Panther, who possesses incredible agility, lunging at opponents within a moment’s notice, especially after certain Skills, resulting in all kinds of interesting follow-ups. There’s so much depth to this roster, and discovering all the ways that different assists work, or how to call them into lengthen combos, is very fun, even if it can take a while to get used to the exact button timing.

"And that’s where Tōkon ultimately stumbles. Rollback can go as high as 8 frames, which translates into an awful experience, especially in a game like this where precise timing enables your best combos."

That also goes for mastering other mechanics, like Assemble Counter and Crossover, though I do wish there was a counter to Crossover Reflect, which the opponent can perform to counter your counter. When executed perfectly, it can disable your Assemble meter, leaving you at a disadvantage, and there’s no counterplay against it. The solution is probably to make it more difficult to perform, but I wouldn’t mind an endless stream of counters until one side one-ups the other.

Besides Episode Mode, there are other single-player offerings like Training and Combo Trials, which feature numerous options to fine-tune and master the fundamentals before really cutting your teeth. There’s also Survival, where you fight through 100 levels, complete with boss battles. There isn’t a traditional Arcade Mode per se – instead, you can indulge in All-Star Arena, which consists of “courses” to fight through. This one has branching paths and allows mixing and matching characters into whatever team you’d like. It’s serviceable, all said and done, but I yearned for both the simpler days and something more.

Then there’s Arcadia Rumble, perhaps the weakest offering of the bunch. It’s a party-style arena brawl where you acquire buffs before using them in combat against other players over subsequent rounds. The start-and-stop nature of it all, combined with the floaty nature of the brawling, made for some tedious gameplay. You can also play this online, or engage in the various mini-games within the battle lobby, but online battles remain the core appeal.

And that’s where Tōkon ultimately stumbles. Rollback can go as high as 8 frames, which translates into an awful experience, especially in a game like this where precise timing enables your best combos. It happens regardless of your PC’s performance, even if you’re experiencing a smooth 60 FPS offline at 1440p on High settings with DLSS set to Quality on a modest set-up (like my own).

"Time will tell how PlayStation capitalizes on it, but if it’s serious about the game’s long-term health, Tōkon could go down in history as a legendary fighter."

Granted, it’s all down to your opponent, and things aren’t always terrible, but it happens enough to mar the entire experience. Furthermore, there’s the optimization. I’m not always playing a game that makes my setup sound like a jet engine set to take off, but when I am, it’s Marvel Tōkon. It occurs online and offline due to high CPU utilization; whether it’s because of all the PlayStation processes in the background or just poor optimization, it needs more work.

Those may seem like minor caveats, but they’re conducive to the long-term health of any fighting game, especially one like this that needs a healthy community across both platforms to survive. Because as fun as the single-player modes can be, they lack longevity – the real meat is and always will be going online to test your skills. The few battles I have experienced without any issues were incredibly fun back-and-forth affairs. Needless to say, I want more but without all the hang-ups.

ArcSys may have already missed its opportunity to impress with the PC version at launch, but it’s still early days. Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls already has a lot going for it, whether it’s the gameplay or presentation, and it’s an easy recommendation for a wide array of fans, even if they’re not typically into fighters. Obviously, the overall responsiveness will be a work in progress, but it’s a very fun game out of the gate with a pretty well-balanced roster. Time will tell how PlayStation capitalizes on it, but if it’s serious about the game’s long-term health, Tōkon could go down in history as a legendary fighter. For now, however, it’ll have to settle for being a plucky upstart, which is more than its pedigree should have allowed.

This game was reviewed on PC.

Still, Mistfall Hunter remains an enjoyable extraction RPG. Yes, it removes much of the genre’s traditional frustration, but this isn’t as beneficial to the experience as the devs likely hoped.

Back to first impressions though, and another of the game’s noticeable distinctions is its eschewing of extraction’s usual shooting for Souls-inspired combat. It’s not as difficult as FromSoftware’s typical masochism though, with wider hitboxes and mid-swing repositioning underlining an arcade feel. Combat, on the whole, is where the game shines brightest, with its six unique classes bringing genuinely different playstyles, approaches, and flexibility to battle.

The heavy-hitting Mercenary feels like the ideal starting class, with its straightforward hammer swings crushing opponents in just a few blows. The Withered Knight sacrifices the Mercenary’s raw damage for mobility, rewarding frontline pressure. Shadowstrix is quicker still, with a skillset routed in subterfuge and burst damage. The Sorcerer commands devastating area-of-effect magic, and together with Blackarrow becomes a medium-to-long-range option that excels in the hands of skilled players. Support class the Seer is next to useless in solo missions, but becomes invaluable in group expeditions.

"The heavy-hitting Mercenary feels like the ideal starting class"

Every class packs a two-weapon loadout, with unique skills tied to each. Individual talent trees unlock your skills’ power potential, while a mix of attachable gems and pre-journey tonics shape your build further through a vast range of resistant, restorative, and passive effects.

The idea here is to choose the bonuses which embellish your class’ innate skills. Take the Shadowstrix, for instance, whom you can shape into a relentless meat slicer by choosing shorter cooldowns and reduced stamina usage. Suffice to say there’s plenty of room for unconventional experimentation too, with the build options for each class not just presenting a canvas for your imagination but a range of different problems you’ll encounter face-to-face on the battlefield.

As a result, PvP skirmishes can be surprisingly drawn out. While extraction games’ greatest annoyance – for casuals at least – is getting shot from distance before you’ve even raised your crosshairs, through Mistfall Hunter’s melee-heavy design you’re encouraged to close in on your enemies, and it levels the playing field significantly.

And, supporting this, the other thing the game does well is it understands that losing shouldn’t feel frustrating. See, most extraction games punish death severely, but Mistfall Hunter cushions the blow. If you’ve lost your sharpest tools, combat bags outfit you with mid-tier weapons and consumables, with your on-site auctioneer Pip often gifting you one for free after defeat. Soekja, the Guiding White Crow who dishes out extra objectives during matches, occasionally retrieves your lost items without the need for a combat bag. Also at basecamp, Twig and his mate undertake scavenger hunts for a small fee, while a merchant sells an array of items for a reasonable price. Even dying to bosses isn’t the end, with a revival system giving you a short window to climb back into your fallen body. These systems mean that even if you’re only extracting half of the time, you’ll keep moving forward.

You’ll level up quickly in the early exchanges, unlocking talent nodes and weapon skills. Loot is abundant too, with you finding high value trinkets easily to sell on for Gyldenblod, which can then be exchanged for stronger weapons and armour. There’s always momentum which will undoubtedly appease many players, but the ease at which you can keep the wheels turning does introduce its own problem.

"The other thing the game does well is it understands that losing shouldn’t feel frustrating. "

Centring on Pip’s auction house, the process is sound in principle. See, if you’ve any surplus weapons you can chuck them into the in-game economy for another player to purchase. But this means the strongest weapons and armour are always available, so long as you manage a successful extraction with plenty of loot. If you build up a healthy stockpile, there’s little frustration when you lose as you can just buy back stronger. The inherent risk in each expedition is nullified. The loot gathering loop becomes a process of gathering items to sell.

Likewise, camp upgrades require specific items, but if you’re missing anything in your inventory you can simply buy what you need. The lengths Mistfall Hunter goes to maintaining your progression is commendable, sure, but it’s debatable how meaningfully it can foster long-term commitment. See, the experience boils down to a numbers game – loot is fuel for progression, nothing more. The treasure you recover is rarely desirable, and the weapons you find are seldom more powerful than what you’re already wielding.

Stack onto this the multiple extra currencies which emerge to be spent in a handful of online shops on cosmetics, mostly, then the game’s progression becomes pointedly addicting. While these overlapping economies aren’t unusual for the genre, they nevertheless dilute what Mistfall Hunter does best: weighty, measured combat and satisfying buildcraft. The game consistently respects your time, but through a tangled web of vendors it becomes less respectful of your attention. Its design devolves to keeping you engaged, with expedition outcomes secondary.

Worse still, the game’s premium cosmetic offerings leave a sour aftertaste. They’re prohibitively expensive unless you’re willing to grind for multiple currencies or spend real-world money.

And, bafflingly, the game doubles down on its devolutions by locking solo players out of the second map. With only two maps available at launch, that’s half the experience. Even though you’ll struggle to take down elite bosses on your own, solo excursions are sombre, contemplative, worthwhile endeavours, where you can focus on your own objectives without aligning with a squad’s. Make no mistake, team-play is still fun and rewarding, but if long-term progress consistently relies on others then you can’t advance as efficiently as possible.

"The game’s premium cosmetic offerings leave a sour aftertaste. "

Still, whether solo or squadded, Mistfall Hunter’s bleak fantasy world is an attractive one to inhabit, even if it rarely surprises visually. Hallowgrove’s crumbling dockyards, abandoned industry, and corrupted forests suggest a civilisation consumed by the enveloping Gyldenmist, lending a grounded sense of place beyond loot chasing. Both maps are pleasingly vertical too, with intertwining paths and elevated vantage points giving a sense of freedom instead of being funneled along. Waypoints are indispensable early on as objectives often sit a level above or below you, but navigation soon becomes organic thanks to distinctly characterful areas.

The presentation isn’t quite as confident elsewhere, however. Music is used sparingly, leaving tense encounters feeling oddly subdued, while enemy sound cues rarely play a crucial role like they do in other extraction games. And, despite regular server warnings, latency notifications, and occasional disconnects, moment-to-moment performance was stable and dependable.

In summary, Mistfall Hunter is a solid showing overall. It recognises that extraction games don’t have to be relentlessly punishing by ensuring every expedition feels worthwhile, whether you escape with a bountiful amount of loot or die trying. Combat is thumping, and class experimentation truly feels limitless. Yet, as the hours pass, a growing web of currencies and increasingly group-focused objectives undermine the elegance of its ideas.

And that’s the frustrating thing: developer Bellring Games proves that the experience can work as a solo player, with combat, classes, and buildcrafting compelling enough to sustain attention away from its myriad addicting systems. Mistfall Hunter is good, but by overly softening extraction’s tension it feels an update or two away from being truly remarkable.

This game was reviewed on PlayStation 5.

I won’t claim this is a ground-breaking title in the action RPG or action-adventure genre. But even with the faint similarities with Nier’s mood, the parry-heavy combat of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, and the command-based tactics and elemental exploitation that wouldn’t be out of place in a Pokémon game, Beast of Reincarnation is the perfect example of meeting expectations. Perhaps even surpassing a few in my book, though it’s not without some stumbles for sure.

"Nevertheless, even before the plot begins to pick up – and maintains a refreshingly tight pace, even with the game’s overall length – Beast of Reincarnation’s atmosphere immediately pulls you in."

Set in 4026, nature has overrun civilization in Japan, and everything is in ruins with survivors struggling against the Blight. You control Emma, a Purifier tasked by the Capital with slaying the titular Beast. But unlike the others, she’s on a journey to slay the Nushi first, absorbing their strains to make her more formidable against the Beast. She’s joined by Brad, who pilots the Cleanse Walker that travels from region to region, and Kagura, a survivor from a previous colony. Then there’s Violet, who’s always been around and only Emma can see. Will she probably, most likely become important later? That’s for you to find out.

It’s a lot to take in, especially with how Game Freak starts in media res before going back to where it all truly begins in Ogouchi. Occasionally, you’ll play through flashbacks which show how Emma met Koo, her curious Malefact companion, and how she began traveling with Brad and Kagura. These sections feel a little awkward, because even if they’re glorified tutorials, you already received instruction at the start and had more than enough time to learn the mechanics in the first region.

Nevertheless, even before the plot begins to pick up – and maintains a refreshingly tight pace, even with the game’s overall length – Beast of Reincarnation’s atmosphere immediately pulls you in. The first zone’s countryside and rice fields feel wonderfully authentic, despite the wreckage of walkers and manic Golems running around. It also presents an extensive range of verticality, whether you’re pursuing weapons or unearthing sub-cities. The sense of exploration comes across as seamless as well. Maybe Koo will alert you to nearby valuables that goes towards increasing your max Stim Packs, or to a strongbox, and suddenly, you’re happening upon an enemy camp and asking a Keeper Golem where you find some sweet seedlings.

Each region feels aesthetically unique. While Ogouchi is more of a traditional Japanese countryside, the massive valley between Kanto’s walls, leading into an intricate underground network with waterfalls and wreckage, is a spectacle in its own right. I felt compelled at nearly every single turn to see what awaited next, and for much of my opening hours, Beast of Reincarnation didn’t disappoint.

"I’m not expecting triple-A cinematics from Game Freak, but the lack of movement, the odd cuts and even reused animations in specific circumstances stick out."

While later regions still feed into this addictive loop, ensuring that every Charm, vegetable and recipe book feels worthwhile, they pare things back a tad in favor of more unique layouts. One such section focuses more on platforming, navigating broken pipes and cliffsides while avoiding death from turrets. Of course, the focus narrows further in the last few chapters, and even if it’s for the sake of the narrative, they make the first few regions shine all the more in comparison when it comes to freeform exploration.

Regardless, it’s still great to run around in these environments, taking in the sights and sounds, even if you occasionally get caught in them. Game Freak foresaw Emma floating, caught on something or the other, and thus resets your position nearby if you can’t escape, which is nice. It would be nicer if it didn’t happen so often, but at least it doesn’t happen a lot in combat.

Throughout all of this, you’re slowly learning about Emma – a Blight-stained who’s shunned by most of humanity and considered emotionless. And yet, the slow process by which she starts to learn about things like love, happiness, and even joking around can be quite endearing. Now, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the dialogue is always on point, especially in English. For those conversations between Emma and Brad, where she turns things around on him, can be humorous, and there’s a nice balance between cute and awkward when she interacts with Koo. The writing does a good job overall of building intrigue while slowly unraveling information about the world, the Nushi, the Capital, and the mysterious Beast at the heart of it all.

But there are other times where Emma’s conversations with Kagura can feel one-note, and the chemistry compared to everyone else (especially Violet) just feels lacking at times. Of course, the same goes for the facial animations and cutscene direction. I’m not expecting triple-A cinematics from Game Freak, but the lack of movement, the odd cuts and even reused animations in specific circumstances stick out. There’s also one scene where Emma uses her hair to retrieve her sword, and I can’t describe it as anything less than low-budget. That was thankfully the only really egregious example, but the lackluster facial animations remain prevalent throughout conversations, bringing them down ever-so slightly.

"Combat is the core appeal, and arguably what will endear Beast of Reincarnation to most players. You’ve already seen how the parrying and Bloom Arts work, and I can confirm that they feel very good."

A note on the English voice-acting: It’s not bad, but the Japanese voice-acting is far superior. Still, at least Game Freak has an eye for the little things, whether it’s the attention to detail in environments – especially hidden items which suddenly make a lot more sense within the context of the plot – or Koo’s gaze following Emma as she walks around.

Combat is the core appeal, and arguably what will endear Beast of Reincarnation to most players. You’ve already seen how the parrying and Bloom Arts work, and I can confirm that they feel very good. The satisfying clash of blades on a successful parry contrasts well with a simple block, and empowering a sword to unleash poisoned lightning or flaming projectiles is great. I was also surprised at how fun ranged combat could be. Sure, the bow is more for long-range damage rather than the heat of combat, but watch the crossbow’s bolts, buzzing around like Yondu’s Yaka Arrow between multiple enemies, and tell me that isn’t satisfying. Gaining Nushi Skills and intertwining them in the usual hack and slash combos, or finding ways to exploit grapple points generated in combat, be it to slam down with authority or fire off some shots in mid-air, is also extremely satisfying.

Even if the weapon upgrading and build-crafting can feel simplistic at first, there’s some fun synergies to be had, and a use for almost every single skill when combined with the different Spirit Stones – which confer unique passives to Emma – and mods for Koo’s Bloom Arts. And even if you’re not a fan of parrying and how closely it’s tied to building Fluorescene Points to use Koo’s abilities, there are plenty of other avenues that accentuate these systems without feeling gimmicky or tacked on.

I do wish there was more enemy variety though, especially towards the latter half of the game. Instead of presenting new threats, Game Freak puts a few spins on old ones, like invisibility or those annoying archers who won’t flinch from attacks and fire three times in a row. Your mileage will vary on how effective those are. The same philosophy affects many of the boss fights as well, though at least they’re each unique. One Nushi, for example, loved to run away, pelting you from afar as a fadeaway tactic, so it became an exercise in anticipation and knowing when to slow everything down and initiate Overdrive to lay on the hurt.

"Even amid all its hurdles and speed bumps, it’s both a road trip to remember and one that doesn’t overstay its welcome."

The lowest point, as is often the case in many hack and slash titles, is the camera. At best, it will occasionally clip through a Nushi’s head, thus making things awkward, especially in the middle of an Overdrive (and you can’t target any other body part). At worst in confined spaces, it’s difficult to anticipate some attacks while the constant back-and-forth swinging of the camera becomes headache-inducing. Again, not enough to be a deal-breaker during about 70 percent of battles but difficult to ignore in that remaining 30 percent.

On base PS5, you can expect a solid 60 FPS in Performance Mode for the most part. In the areas with water, lighting, shadows, and whatnot, things start to noticeably falter. Foliage pop-in is also common, and the level of detail over long distances suffers. I know, it’s all for the sake of maintaining performance, but it dulls the otherwise superb art direction.

While I wouldn’t put Beast of Reincarnation at the top of my recommendations for 2026, it’s still a pretty good action-adventure title, and easily one of Game Freak’s best titles yet. Even amid all its hurdles and speed bumps, it’s both a road trip to remember and one that doesn’t overstay its welcome.

This game was reviewed on PS5.

Raiders, as I specified already, decidedly bucks that declining trend and pulls me back into the fold. The very first spin off the Splatoon franchise has ever gotten, it delivers two things that until now, have been unprecedented – a Splatoon title that is primarily single player; and, perhaps more importantly, the very first looter shooter Nintendo has ever made.

"There’s actually not that much variety in mission types and variety"

Because that’s what Splatoon Raiders is – a looter shooter. Rather than being based on the content distribution model of something like Destiny, however, it’s better to compare Raiders to Borderlands or Monster Hunter. This is a game that’s packed with a remarkable amount of content and systems, requiring neither persistent online connectivity, nor updates, to flesh out the structure and skeleton.

Like any loot game, Splatoon Raiders sees players pick out missions, and then run them to the end for loot drops; said loot drops can then augment and modify your build and abilities, which in turn allows you to take on higher leveled missions for better loot, and so on and so forth. It’s a structure that has worked in pretty much every loot game there ever has been, from Borderlands to The Division, and it serves Raiders well. The missions in question are extremely quick to run, requiring under ten minutes to complete in almost all cases, which lends them well to the repetition inherent to replaying older levels for better loot – also something that is a hallmark of loot games, mind you.

There’s actually not that much variety in mission types and variety – you either run through a linear course, clearing some mandatory objectives, and defeating all enemies you find on the way; or you are tasked with defeating a certain amount of enemies within a certain period of time, with enemies respawning endlessly until you do; there are missions that give you one primary objective, with a bunch of minor objectives scattered across the map, and let you decide how you want to progress; and then there are the smaller, more specific missions, such as ones where you can only use certain gear, or have to fight off only a specific kind of enemy, or have to complete some sort of platforming obstacle course.

You’d think the lack of variety would start to grate, particularly in a game that asks for so much repetition from the player to begin with. However, interestingly enough, that never quite happened with Raiders in my experience. At least part of this has to do with Splatoon’s immaculate game feel and mechanics. Spraying stages with colored ink, seamlessly transforming into your squid form to traverse and navigate, and defeating enemies in giant explosions of color all remains inherently satisfying and addictive on some deep, primal level, and keeps players on the loot treadmill in spite of the ostensible issues with repetition. These, combined with the general stage design — short and quick, with rapid pacing and straightforward objectives — means that the issue of the lack of variety and repetition never even occurred to me while actually playing the game. It was only when stopping to reflect on my time with Raiders that I realized that it does technically “falter” on this front.

"Every major mission in the game can be played multiplayer, with friends or with strangers."

Repetition is ultimately inherent to a loot game — one could even argue it is the entire point. Loot games that don’t force you to work towards your preferred or desired drops by repetition and grinding tend to receive harsh criticism from players who find they have nothing within the game left to do — as happened with Monster Hunter Wilds last year, or Destiny 2 when it first came out, before its expansions fixed it up. I don’t think anyone who is interested in the genre is going to find Raiders worse on this front than any other similar title. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that Splatoon is generally better about it than other titles in the genre are. The strength of the series’ core mechanics, paired with smart mission design, helps it retain an edge.

A key aspect of loot games, particularly in the modern era, is multiplayer and co-op. For all that the marketing of Splatoon Raiders has focused on the fact that it is the first single player game in the series, it is, in fact, fully multiplayer. Every major mission in the game can be played multiplayer, with friends or with strangers. And, in fact, Splatoon Raiders has a far more robust and functional suite of online multiplayer features than any of the mainline games have had.

For starters, and remarkably, I experienced no lag, no stuttering, no disconnections, and no instability in my entire time with the game at all, almost half of which was spent playing with others. In 2026, it can feel almost comical to call attention to this, but I would like to remind everyone that Nintendo, and the original Switch, were so deficient with online support and features that games with frequent lag, stutters, and disconnections were extremely common until just a few years ago. With Raiders, however, the game ran as smoothly in multiplayer as it does single player.

Beyond just the netcode, the actual suite of online features is also great; you can play with strangers, play with friends, have private parties, call on help from other players if you’re playing solo and struggling, help out other players who may be stuck; it’s all quick and straightforward, and it’s remarkably seamless. If multiple players are playing, then everyone gains progress for the levels being completed in their individual and respective games, even if the missions in question are ahead of however far they may have progressed in their own game. This, again, doesn’t seem like a big deal, but is such a contrast to how something like Monster Hunter handles synching players’ progress, that it merits being called out – especially since this is technically Nintendo’s first attempt at the genre to begin with.

"Like other games of this type, Raiders also really spreads its wings and comes into its own when it gets to the endgame."

The actual loot and grinding aspect of Raiders benefits from being part of the Splatoon IP. The mainline games’ madcap weapon variety, with different types (all of which play substantively differently), makes it over; to augment it further, Raiders also has you aiming for modifiers on your powers and abilities, weaving and mixing its various randomized drops in all sorts of ways to allow for a glorious litany of ways to customize your build to your play style.

Like other games of this type, Raiders also really spreads its wings and comes into its own when it gets to the endgame. The post game content in Splatoon Raiders is pretty robust and deranged in its challenge and difficulty level, and running some of the end game stuff leads to some of the most hectic moments in any game that I can remember in recent memory.

Which, actually, brings me to what I found the most surprising aspect of Splatoon Raiders — it may be the most technically impressive game from Nintendo I have played in the Switch 2 (again. Yes, I realize I say this often, but also, we are early enough in the console’s life cycle right now that each new release shows us more about its capabilities).

It’s amusing, because Splatoon Raiders apparently started development as an expansion for Splatoon 3, a game on the original Switch. However, this game, in the form that it is currently in, would probably melt that system if it tried to run on it. Splatoon Raiders frequently fills the screen with dozens of enemies, dozens of beams, explosions, waves, transparencies, and particle effects, dozens of bright splashes of color, multiple player characters, and through all this, it runs at a steady, locked 60 frames per second. There was not a single dropped frame in Raiders in the entire time I spent with it — and believe me, after a certain point, I was trying my best to push the game and catch any stutters or frame rate drops in the act.

I legitimately had very little expectations from or interest in Splatoon Raiders, with the last few entries in the franchise convincing me that it was no longer for me. What I ended up getting is definitely my favorite game in the franchise since the Wii U original over a decade ago, one of my favorite exclusives on the Switch 2, a system that is rapidly building an enviable library of quality exclusive content, and one of my favorite loot games ever, in a genre where, over several decades, I’ve experienced no end of fantastic games. For an unassuming spin off in one of Nintendo’s so called lesser franchises, that’s a pretty strong outing, all said and done.

This game was reviewed on Nintendo Switch 2.

To say this is an oppressive opening is an understatement. It feels like being dropped into a drum of treacle, where movement labours against the stench of death. Looking down, there are corpses everywhere. Fresh blood still glistens; wounds are ripe before decay.

Something terrible has happened here, and I’m compelled to find out what.

"To say this is an oppressive opening is an understatement."

Yet, treacle, as it happens, is an appropriate description for another reason. See, the slipperiness of your character’s traversal is as striking as the heavy atmosphere. He jogs, but his momentum resembles someone skirting along a patch of ice. It’s immediately jarring, and it’s not the only rough edge The Relic greets you with.

Camerawork consistently juts between trees, fence poles, and stone walls behind you, with its awkwardness exacerbated during combat when you’re locked onto an opponent. Enemies themselves show little variation in archetype and moveset. The large-framed axe man, for instance, follows a set pattern: swing, double swing, unblockable chop, axe throw, repeat.

Then there are the game’s NPCs, like the merchant I rescue alongside his daughter, who repeats the same short animation loop as we talk. His hands follow a circular motion like he’s describing the wheels of a bicycle. And, the village’s ransacked dwellers fare no better, operating on similarly short cycles. Worse still, their faces lack detail enough to convincingly show a grimace to match the desperation in their voices. On the whole, vocal performances are effective at portraying despair, even if their mannerisms don’t.

Then there’s an unintentional irony. The forest is currently undergoing some sort of violent pillage by the hand of a group known as the Looters. Yet, after clearing the village of assailants to explore the barn at its centre I find three gold coin purses. Surely this counts as looting too?

A handful of other technical hiccups slightly undermine the excellent atmosphere: foliage pop-in, disappearing NPCs, and inconsistent collision detection which sees a fleeing villager run right through me like I’m a ghost.

Still, venturing deeper into the forest, I overlook these niggles to follow the narrative breadcrumb trail. Occasional glowing nodes reveal fragments of story, and it’s an engaging way to learn about the recent tragedies befalling this particular stretch of woodland. Retelling the events like an audio-diary, one such tale describes villagers who barricaded themselves away from a band of Looters. Piece by piece, the story reveals a false promise, deception, and a survivor consumed by guilt. Delivering chapters in soundbites like this feels effective; like an engrossing book, I wanted to keep turning the page. There isn’t always a worthwhile reward at the end, just satisfaction in reaching a neat conclusion.

"A handful of other technical hiccups slightly undermine the excellent atmosphere"

While the atmospheric storytelling may be evocative, The Relic: First Guardian ultimately lives or dies by its combat. Showing Soulslike inspiration, you’ve access to a single attack, a block, parry, and dodge, and despite its early promise your moveset feels limited. The key distinction, however, is your stamina gauge which is tied exclusively to defense and evasion. You can’t spam-dodge or hold block as you’ll quickly drain your energy, ending up stunned and vulnerable. But, on the flipside, if you string a handful of parries together then your assailant becomes staggered. What’s more, timing windows feel generously wide, so it isn’t long before you’re deflecting strikes and swings with ease. It’s just, during these early skirmishes, you don’t have any devastating finishers – these come far later.

Elsewhere in your arsenal are Relic-powered elemental abilities which operate on a cooldown, as is space for the titular Relics themselves to provide passive bonuses when equipped – increased vitality, bonus HP for every enemy slain, boosted stamina, and so on.

Through exploration, you’ll learn that The Relic’s semi-open world isn’t as demanding as Dark Souls’ usual fare. Areas for rest function as bonfires, yet cleared enemies won’t respawn. There’s usually a reset area adjacent to a boss arena, too. Likewise, resources aren’t lost on death, nor does currency need retrieving from the place you fell.

Eschewing Soulslike’s typical punishment alleviates friction in exploration. In other words, you’re free to wander intuitively, scavenging resources, collecting story fragments, assisting country-folk, and finding more weapons to add to your sword-and-shield starter.

Speaking of weapons, you’ll find these by following the same glowing memories outlined earlier. In doing so, you’ll discover each one-of-a-kind weapon’s rich, often tragic backstory, simultaneously fostering attachment while grounding them in the world’s lore.

A blacksmith can upgrade your weapons too, but he’s encountered only sporadically. Worse, he demands a bounty of crafting resources to bolster your blade. Even after multiple hours of playtime, I still didn’t have enough. My desire to buildcraft grew tiresome the more downed enemies didn’t drop the fragments and shards I needed.

Still, each weapon has its own skill tree, with powerful specials and finishers unlocking more expressive combat. The power of the two-handed axe, for instance, is released by spinning scythes and towering cleaves, pulverising enemies with satisfying heft.

"Eschewing Soulslike’s typical punishment alleviates friction in exploration."

The catch is that those abilities, too, are painfully slow to unlock. Like the blacksmith’s upgrades, each ability costs an excess of currency – this time: Relic Energy, harvested from ancient locations found throughout the wilds. Most award 600 energy, while skills begin at 1,000 and rise thereafter.

Weapon skills aren’t the only Relic Energy sink either. Opening additional Relic slots requires abundant Relic Energy, alongside a rarely found Awakening Shard. Ultimately, the rate you acquire Relics outpaces your ability to use them, hindering the build potential in your inventory.

Thankfully, Relics can be freely swapped to suit different scenarios or playstyles, so limited slot availability isn’t the progression system’s biggest flaw. Instead, honing your character through weapon enhancements, skills, and Relics is an undeniable grind, leaving combat starved of meaningful growth for too long.

I yearned for more tools; more than the D-pad controlled consumables, more than the one-or-two skills I unlocked every couple of hours, with the limits to your arsenal becoming obtrusive during boss fights. Now, the first few you encounter can be parried and downed without issue, but as you venture deeper boss difficulty scales accordingly. Soon enough, they’re swinging multiple unblockable strikes, throwing fire, and generally demanding more than parrying and a pair of skills and Relic slots apiece can provide. Worse still, I experienced a couple of boss battles that were marred by sluggish framerates, skipping audio, and other technical gremlins. Luckily, despite these grievances, exploration remains invigorating throughout. If I was having trouble with a particular boss, there is always plenty of ground to cover elsewhere, where Relics and crafting resources are eventually uncovered. If only I could consistently find the blacksmith.

And exploration, again, speaks to The Relic: First Guardian’s great strength, where every village, rampart, or cave has a story to tell. Its world is often a miserable place to traverse, but through its inclement atmosphere shines pockets of humanity.

The Relic: First Guardian may never escape its technical shortcomings, but its melancholy world is well worth saving.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.

"Dinoblade manages to retain much of what made its demo a charming affair"

With its full release, Dinoblade manages to retain much of what made its demo a charming affair, right down to its inclusion of cheesy heavy metal music for intense battles. This, paired with its gorgeous animations for not only your own dinosaur, but also your enemies, including awesome bosses, made a strong first impression.

The core gameplay uses a Souls-inspired system that gives you light and heavy attacks, along with the ability to dodge (complete with invincibility frames), all limited by your stamina. Defensive options also include blocking and parrying, which might help you in fights since the latter also opens up enemies to counter-attacks. There’s some extra depth brought in by the existence of the Resonance bar, which acts as your “mana”, allowing you to use abilities like Meteor Slice and Meteor Zone. Even the healing system is quite similar to Dark Souls’ Estus Flasks; you get a limited pool of heals between checkpoints, and progressing through the game also gives you stronger heals that also increase in quantity.

Over the course of the game, you will pick up two distinct currencies: SP and Boss SP. The former can be spent on leveling up your health, strength, resonance, and stamina, while the latter can be used to unlock and level up abilities, like the aforementioned Meteor Slice. Over the course of the game, the same abilities can also be powered up in fun ways, making them do more damage, or giving you an even wider parry window when certain conditions are met. One noteworthy ability – the roar – even acts as a “rage mode” after you level it up, going from simply a way to stun enemies to radically switching out your attacks and staying on as long as your stamina allows it.

"One noteworthy ability – the roar – even acts as a “rage mode” after you level it up"

Thankfully, you’re never losing any of your progression, and you can spend the SP and Boss SP at any moment you want. The SP costs for stats never go up, and you don’t even lose any spare SP you’ve been carrying around if you die. This makes the general feeling of progression quite lenient, and as a result, you’re constantly getting stronger. The fact that you can’t really reset your attributes also never really matters, since there isn’t much in the way of build variety anyway. All four of your attributes are important, and you’ll find yourself distributing your SP quite evenly throughout the game.

Interestingly, defeating bosses also allows you to summon their spirits in for a quick attack. They also provide passive effects. The Stick, for instance, gives you a slightly wider parry window. Shield (my personal favorite summon), on the other hand, boosts your stamina regeneration when you successfully parry an attack. Unfortunately, these summons tend to add little to the general rhythm of combat aside from being another button you occasionally remember to press to deal some extra damage, since they just involve the dinosaur showing up, doing an attack, and disappearing.

On the defensive side of things, your most common move is going to be parrying. Sure, you can also block many attacks, but that eats into your stamina. Parrying, on the other hand, often tends to be the superior choice thanks to the fact that it replenishes your stamina and resonance, with the latter giving you more chances to use your abilities.

When facing off against bosses, however, you’ll also find yourself occasionally dodging. Many boss attacks are unblockable but can still be parried with strict timing. These are telegraphed by a red glow, though a handful of attacks are entirely unparryable and require you to dodge. However, some bosses, as I learned from trial and error, also have the rare move that’s entirely unparryable, making dodging your best option.

Generally speaking, Dinoblade’s combat is quite basic, and is largely carried by the responsive controls and fluid animations. There’s also little choice in equipment-driven buildcraft, making defensive play largely revolve around blocking, parrying, and dodging. Even the progression system is simple; you’re going to find plenty of SP and Boss SP simply by playing the game, and it doesn’t take too long before you’ve unlocked all of your early abilities.

"Generally speaking, Dinoblade’s combat is quite basic, and is largely carried by the responsive controls and fluid animations."

That’s not to say that there’s zero progression or buildcraft surrounding equipment. As you make your way through the game and beat the Alpha bosses of various regions, you’ll start unlocking more weapons. While many of these are still ultimately greatswords, they tend to offer tangible benefits, like the ability to cause shockwaves with heavy attacks, or having quicker fast attacks due to its lighter weight. There are also a few late-game surprises that give you entirely new weapons altogether, and while the moveset doesn’t really change as much, they do affect general combat by, for instance, giving you wider sweeping attacks.

Of course, any discussion of Dinoblade’s gameplay would be incomplete without discussing its animations, and this is definitely one of the action RPG’s greatest achievements. Just about every action performed by the dinosaurs flows seamlessly into the next, without the animations looking like they have definite start and end points. Things feel fluid and smooth in a way few other action games can manage. Aside from just looking great, however, these animations also play a vital role in gameplay, since they give you great indications of when you should be dodging or parrying attacks.

Rather than focusing on the more realistic way large weapons would be used in the real world, Dinoblade’s animations also seem to take heavy inspiration from battle anime like Bleach or even more recent ones like Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. Just about every attack has incredible flourishes, and staggering a foe for long enough even results in a glorious aerial attack that puts them down for good. Similarly, abilities such as Meteor Zone lean heavily into the exaggerated visual language of anime and samurai fantasy.

The story in Dinoblade is similarly over-the-top. After being ambushed by a few predators, our Spinosaurus hero finds itself stuck at the bottom of a cavern, severely injured. Here, they encounter a dinosaur that has been impaled by several blades, who tells them that, if they want to survive, they’ll have to pick up the blade. This is then followed by yet another ambush, but armed with an awesome greatsword, you make quick work of them. This, unfortunately, was most of Dinoblade’s story. There’s little further exposition, and even the environmental storytelling is quite lacking aside from a few quips you might hear from bosses and some hints about the kind of battle-filled lives they may have lived before your arrival from a glimpse at their arenas.

There are also some vague hints about a larger storyline in the world, largely revolving around just why dinosaurs decided to pick up weapons to begin with. However, these aspects are largely just alluded to for big parts of the game, and the narrative never pays off in a satisfying way. Even the save points tend to allude to some grander narrative in play, depicting several duels between humans. However, up until the very end of the game, these allusions are little more than pretty pictures on some stones.

"There are also some vague hints about a larger storyline in the world"

While there isn’t really much of a narrative throughline that explains why you might be going around causing yet another extinction event for all dinosaurs, or even why the fauna has decided to arm itself with gigantic bladed weapons, Dinoblade never stops being fun. It feels like the developers knew exactly what they were doing when they gave you only the barest hint of a justification to kill some dinosaurs. The fact that there isn’t a narrative thread to follow, or even Soulslike storytelling through item descriptions, doesn’t hurt the game as a whole. The fact that you aren’t being interrupted by cutscenes and conversations on a regular basis helps keep its overall pacing quite tight.

As you make your way through the story, you will inevitably come face-to-face with a given biome’s Alpha dinosaur, which essentially serves as the final boss for the area before you can move on to the next zone. These bosses are where you’ll end up spending the majority of your time with Dinoblade, since they offer a fantastic level of challenge, balanced well enough to never quite feel too overwhelming. The variety on display with these bosses, and even some of the optional ones, are pretty great, and battles can range from being against slow, lumbering heavy-hitters like Mokusei, to fast-paced clashes of blades against opponents like Speed.

The bosses also tend to be a great way to test out how well you’ve mastered the various gameplay mechanics of Dinoblade. Stick, for example, will put your parrying capabilities to the test. On the other hand, Shield will make sure to test your ability to maintain the perfect amount of distance between you and your foe. Unfortunately, the arenas where you fight these bosses don’t tend to offer any unique experiences, and act as little more than the backdrop to your fights. Thankfully, they also don’t get in your way, since a lack of clutter means that boss attacks remain readable throughout the game.

The developers definitely seemed to know what they had on their hands, since Dinoblade also offers a Boss Rush game mode on finishing the core campaign. The Boss Rush mode is definitely a welcome addition, since it eliminates many of the weaker parts of Dinoblade as a whole. Since the boss fights are basically the most fun parts of the game, a quick way to jump back into these fun bits is a great reward for actually finishing the title.

The more standard enemies, on the other hand, don’t really do much to stand out. They are often quickly beaten in just one or two light attack combos, and their movesets don’t tend to be terribly varied, often involving just an attack or two every now and then. Generally speaking, the smaller dinosaurs feel like little more than a way to grind out some SP, with the game lacking any real challenge from interesting encounter design between the bosses.

"The developers definitely seemed to know what they had on their hands"

Unfortunately, while the animations are all phenomenal, Dinoblade does suffer from a distinct lack of polish when it comes to the overall visuals. Even in the best of times, the world looks quite muddy and bland, and the level design doesn’t do much to hide these shortcomings either. Sure, there are extra paths to explore that can often reward you with some additional Boss SP or other fun encounters, but much of the game tends to revolve around bland linear paths with a lack of interesting sights and sounds. This also tends to have a negative impact on gameplay since some of the smaller dinosaurs tend to be difficult to spot if you can’t see their blade.

Thankfully, some of the level design woes are alleviated thanks to the abundance of checkpoints, which also means that you won’t be wasting too much time between boss attempts if you happen to die.

Similarly, even the UI looks quite basic, with menu options that often feel like they were meant to be placeholders until better assets were designed. This can even be seen when simply pausing the game doesn’t really provide a colored background for the buttons.

Thankfully, the same lack of polish doesn’t exist when it comes to performance. Playing on a PC with an AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D CPU, a Radeon RX 7800XT GPU, and 32 GB of RAM meant that I was able to enjoy smooth frame rates of over 100 FPS much of the time, all while keeping the visual settings maxed out and the resolution at 1440p. Dinoblade was also quite stable for me throughout my time with it, with no crashes or notable stuttering, and just one or two visual artifacts that sorted themselves out after a quick reload.

Despite these issues, it’s difficult to deny that Dinoblade is fun. It’s the perfect level of cheesy to ensure that you’ll be smiling throughout, and the music and combat do much to keep the entire experience quite engaging. Sure, it won’t exactly set the world on fire with its simplistic approach to Soulslike combat. Ultimately, however, Dinoblade is plenty of fun, especially if you enjoy fast-paced combat that takes some of its cues from Soulslikes.

This game was reviewed on PC.

The answer is a resounding yes, and that goes beyond simply letting our excitement for what’s new blend with the nostalgia of what already feels familiar. The original Halo was always a legendary title, and it continues to retain that quality in its latest iteration aside from a few quirks. Master Chief returns to one of his earliest chapters, bringing with him many of the mechanics and refinements introduced in later games, along with a few entirely new additions. A flamboyant movement system has been added which works well with returning strengths such as solid grenade physics, shield management, melee attacks, and a rather infectious combat rhythm that continues to be quite catchy despite its familiarity and age.

"Master Chief returns to one of his earliest chapters, bringing with him many of the mechanics and refinements introduced in later games, along with a few entirely new additions."

The movement’s probably the best starting point to outline everything that works in this excellent remake, and sprinting is a feature that stands out instantly. It’s the first indicator that had me thinking about how much of the gameplay loop from the original had been switched up to accommodate it. The original version’s maps didn’t support swift traversal mechanics, but the faster encounter pacing now makes an aggressive approach feel like a viable strategy, and I soon found myself weaving in melee attacks to sustain forward momentum.

It’s great, then, that none of the locations I was tearing apart felt too small to adversely affect my obsession with carving the quickest possible path through them, my foes be damned. Sprinting feels so naturally woven into the original game’s design in Campaign Evolved, and simply makes traversal feel better paced by its presence. The early level structure remains quite familiar, but some of the later ones have some genuine surprises in store for you, with revamped enemy encounters and expanded traversal routes to make them exciting.

Of course, it also helps that vehicular movement improvements blend more seamlessly into the gameplay loop. The Warthog handles considerably better this time around, and vehicle controls in general feel more responsive than they ever have in previous iterations of the game. The classic ragdoll physics are still here too, and they’re so ingrained in Halo’s identity at this point that I probably would have noticed immediately had they been missing. Of course, I’d been looking forward to the newly player-controllable vehicles ever since they were revealed, and finally taking control of a Wraith proved exactly why.

Its heavy armor and devastating firepower make you feel like an overwhelming presence on the battlefield, but with enemies constantly trying to reclaim their vehicle, you still have to stay mobile and be smart about when and where you use its cannons. There’s no denying the power trip, though, and hijacking enemy vehicles quickly became another part of the gameplay loop that I found myself looking forward to whenever the opportunity arose.

Between exploring different places on foot and in vehicles, you can bet that I got into quite a few scraps along the way, and one of the things that stood out was the enemy AI. It remains as impressive as it was back in the day, with enemies coming at you with excellent coordination. They flank you the moment an opportunity presents itself, and retreat if things aren’t going their way. That’s especially true of the Elites, whose shields already make them a pain to deal with.

"The new prequel bonus missions set roughly a year before the main campaign do deserve a bit of discussion, with Chief and Sergeant Johnson teaming up to investigate something that leads into the campaign; they feel like well-crafted stories that are fleshed out, instead of tacky add-ons or low-effort DLCs."

Enemies dodge your grenades, try to commandeer your vehicles, and use their wits instead of merely relying on superior numbers or larger health bars. That makes them a potent catalyst that brings out the most chaotic outcomes that stem from your efforts to deal with them en masse. A single grenade explosion is a great source of some seriously amusing ragdoll physics if you can manage to get one to go off in the middle of a large group. Trust us.

We’re not getting into story spoilers in case this is going to be your first time with this one, but the new prequel bonus missions set roughly a year before the main campaign do deserve a bit of discussion. With Chief and Sergeant Johnson teaming up to investigate something that leads into the campaign, they feel like well-crafted stories that are fleshed out, instead of tacky add-ons or low-effort DLCs. They bring context, some excellent banter between Chief and Johnson, and feel like classic Halo. There’s nothing more I could have expected of them, and that makes me very happy indeed.

Of course, cooperative campaign is now on board, and it’s more than just dumping a four-member squad into the old 2001 maps, but has been subtly redone with corridors, pathways, and room sizes getting alterations that avoid bottlenecks, making them great to guide a four-player Fireteam through. It all retains the atmosphere of the original game, and with enemies putting up quite a good fight, things were a lot of fun. The crossplay support is seamless, but you’re going to need a Microsoft account to facilitate it. It is what it is, I’m afraid.

Campaign Remix is another addition that I found quite interesting thanks to how it undermines your familiarity with the original campaign. You could, for instance, completely change weapon placements and enemy positions via the Adaptation and Reload options, negating the knowledge you’ve carried over the years, or the muscle memory you cultivated as you acquired it. With randomized weapons and enemies, you’re forced to switch tactics in places you might have otherwise sailed through, and it’s a superb way to make you stay on your toes.

Armistice is another fascinating option, as it removes all conflict between enemy factions, and that immediately changes something that I realized I relied on far too much in the original game: taking advantage of enemies fighting each other. It was such a natural advantage that felt like free damage to me, and I never questioned what things could be in its absence until now. They’re pretty darn chaotic and challenging to boot, and a passive approach isn’t really an option when every hostile you see is now trying to make a meal out of you.

The resulting campaign is one where you’re going to need adaptability, often going against your own trained instincts in familiar places if you’re a returning veteran. It also helps make the same mission feel different on subsequent playthroughs, which adds a lot of replay value in tandem with the expanded role that Skulls now throw into the mix. For those who are unaware, they’re a returning feature with a different implementation. They’re now tucked away in obscure corners of maps, and finding one permanently unlocks a gameplay modifier that you toggle on or off before hopping into a mission.

"It feels strange but weirdly good to say it: I played Halo: Campaign Evolved on a PlayStation 5 Pro."

They’re a curious bunch, with ones like Perspective giving you a third-person view, Speed Limit that turns off sprinting for those of you who like a more methodical approach, and of course, the Floor is Lava, which is exclusive to Campaign Evolved and does exactly what it says on the cover. They’re really fun to find and mess around with, and bring further variations into a gameplay loop and campaign that could otherwise become repetitive after some time with it.

It feels strange but weirdly good to say it: I played Halo: Campaign Evolved on a PlayStation 5 Pro. We will be diving into the graphical improvements it brings over the other two console versions in detail in another of our articles, but the results from my time with it are very positive. It’s absolutely gorgeous, with the new lighting and textures bringing familiar scenes to life in ways that were not possible when those scenes were originally written and crafted.

The environmental density, architecture, materials, character models, facial animations, atmospheric effects, and the readability of every scene on display were top-notch, making this one a very visually pleasing addition to a potent lineup this year. The game’s mysterious aesthetic has largely managed to remain intact in the light of its shift to Unreal Engine 5, while all-new animations and updated cinematics work well with the remastered soundtrack and rebuilt sound design. It all comes together to sustain the spectacle of the original while modernising it to make it a superb visual direction for the future.

I can see some of you preferring the original version’s look and feel, but as a remake that aims to usher in a new era for the franchise, Campaign Evolved is exactly where it needs to be on the visual front, making the most of current-gen hardware to make Halo look and feel as good as anything I’ve seen recently. However, on the PS5 Pro, I just couldn’t bring myself to play in Quality mode, which locks the game to 30fps. For a first-person shooter, that simply didn’t feel responsive enough, and I found myself switching to Performance mode almost immediately.

And it is what I would recommend, although I did see a few instances of frame drops during intense scenes such as ones involving explosions. They were an oddity rather than a regular occurrence, though, and the frame rates were fine for the most part. All in all, Halo’s PlayStation debut makes good use of what the console has to offer, and the PS5’s SSD made the load times go by in the blink of an eye.

Coming to the combat, Bungie’s excellent balancing of weapons in the original version has translated well into the remaster’s combat system. The Assault Rifle’s as good as it’s ever been, and I quickly picked up a Sniper Rifle that’s now even more useful thanks to improved draw distance and visual details in the places I used it in. No matter the weapon I had in hand, returning or new ones, they were all great to use and felt suitably weighty in my controller as I let off shot after shot at enemies that were quite vicious in their effort to end my campaign. But with weapons that felt this good to use, denying enemies the chance to gain the upper hand became an enjoyable part of the experience in itself, as I used every tool in my arsenal to stay one step ahead of even the most cunning foes. Of course, the Legendary Difficulty was quick to humble me, with difficulty spikes that were reminiscent of the original game.

"The lack of competitive PvP is a bummer, and immediately sets the remake apart from the original. Campaign Evolved cannot replace it on that front, but does it really need to? "

Every enemy gets a bump to their tactical thinking, their health, and damage resistance, making them quite a challenge. It’s probably worth noting that health packs are gone, and you’re now left with a single bar of health that recharges on its own over time. It makes for a more involved combat loop where you’re actively trying to maximize your effectiveness in the field before you’re forced to fall back. It’s sort of a contest for the momentum of a fight, and if you have your enemies doing the same, you know you have the advantage.

Of course, the lack of competitive PvP is a bummer, and immediately sets the remake apart from the original. Campaign Evolved cannot replace it on that front, but does it really need to? I believe both games have their own spaces, and the remake’s longevity isn’t going to be a factor as long as Skulls and Campaign Remix are a part of it. Plus, the $49.99 USD price tag works in its favor, placing it comfortably below the cost of a full-priced release and helping set more reasonable expectations for what’s on offer.

The lack of PvP and those minor performance issues do not take away from the fact that Halo: Campaign Evolved is one hell of a remake, and a very welcome step in the right direction for the franchise and Xbox in general. If the rest of what the brand has planned on the remake front is as good as this one, we say bring it on! It’s been a joy to see Master Chief in action, and a very interesting time watching him go to work on a PlayStation.

It’s definitely been worth it, and Halo fans should find plenty of reasons to jump back into the fray, regardless of which console they’re playing on.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.

Note: Varun Karunakar contributed to this review.

Developer Gameplay Group International are pitching Avatar Legends – as many modern fighters do – as easy to learn yet difficult to master. This translates, of course, to being hospitable for casuals while appeasing competitive players looking for long-term commitment.

So, those auto combos you unleash by tapping light attack repeatedly will get your foot in the door; next you’ll be chaining light to medium to heavy attacks before executing quarter-circle specials, revealing the foundation on which mechanical depth is built. Quickly, Avatar Legends confirms it isn’t difficult because of complicated inputs. It’s difficult because its speed demands perfect zoning and precise timing. Its auto combos remain surface-level mechanics throughout; the combat potential that emerges leads to one of the most exhilarating fighters around.

"Take Azula, for instance, whose Dragon Punch-alike light special Rending Blaze hoists her opposition upward where her prowess as an aerial specialist comes to the fore."

And here’s another thing: the learning curve becomes inviting too, much like the game’s affable anime character designs. Auto combos are universal across the roster, as are quarter-circle inputs to perform specials and EX moves. Specials’ specific manoeuvres vary between characters, of course, with many launching opponents into the air so you can extend the chain into an airborne spectacle before your enemy has a chance to reset.

Take Azula, for instance, whose Dragon Punch-alike light special Rending Blaze hoists her opposition upward where her prowess as an aerial specialist comes to the fore. She zips through the air with ease, continuing a light to heavy chain before unleashing another special to smash her opponent into the ground. Again, the complexity here isn’t found in input strings, but in timing each attack to the millisecond.

And whilst Azula’s tools for lifting her enemies are shared near-enough across the twelve-strong roster, each character in Avatar Legends feels remarkably distinct. Toph, an earthbender, is similarly intuitive, her grounded attacks meeting success through careful spacing as much as timing, yet she’s arguably amongst the game’s most beginner friendly. Aang is another aerial specialist while Katara relies on relentless close-quarter pressure. Kyoshi, meanwhile, is a larger silhouette, her slower windups mix power with graceful animations.

Sokka inhabits a different philosophy entirely, relying on weapon mastery and deceptive mix-ups instead of elemental abilities. Through his signature boomerang projectile and Meteorite Sword, he possesses one of the most technical movesets in the game, and he’s also one of the most unpredictable opponents to face.

And Sokka, like the rest of the cast, can have his fighting style finetuned by one of three lore-specific Support Characters: Princess Yue provides him with zoning assistance, helping to cover more ground, while Master Piandou adds damage scaling to his sword strikes. Suki unlocks an unlimited Flow meter granting him extra running and dash ability.

"Quickly, Avatar Legends confirms it isn’t difficult because of complicated inputs. It’s difficult because its speed demands perfect zoning and precise timing."

Aang’s Support Characters reshape his abilities more dramatically: Monk Gyatso buffs his signature Air Scooter and Momo augments his aerial gliding skill, while Appa gives Aang the ability to cancel every one of his standard moves into a Flow manoeuvre. Without Appa, only specific moves can be cancelled into Flow. We’ll get into Flow to explain how transformative this is in a second, but what should be clear is that the Support Characters bring meaningful diversification across what is already a diverse roster. They can be used to support your individual playstyle, or chosen on a match-by-match basis. And, impressively, despite all of these differences, the roster remains balanced.

Now, onto Flow, and it’s important to understand that this isn’t simply a movement mechanic, but a vital tool for offensive repositioning and evasion. Take Korra for instance – the hit counter on her foundational auto chain into launcher combo could not continue if you didn’t use Flow’s momentum to jump into the air to continue the string. For Aang, when supported by Appa, Flow becomes integral to skipping recovery animations, allowing you to maintain pressure by stitching together combos that otherwise would be impossible.

Each character’s Flow functions uniquely too: Sokka can swiftly close the space opened by a couple of light attacks by simultaneously knee-sliding and kicking up dirt to temporarily blind his opponent, while Kyoshi’s weighty movement is offset by a surprising level of aerial dexterity; her airborne ‘Dust Stepping’ a way to traverse the arena more swiftly than she’s capable on foot. Her Flow meter recharges faster than anyone else’s too, meaning if you want to main Kyoshi you’ll need to master her Flow mechanics.

Actually, that’s true for most of the characters. Flow is where Avatar Legends’ combat becomes the most expressive, but overuse isn’t without risk. See, depleting your Flow meter leaves you in an Unbalanced state, where Flow moves become unavailable and you become exposed to Counter Hits, Hard Knock-Downs, and Critical Throws, guaranteeing a full follow-up combo.

"Flow is where Avatar Legends’ combat becomes the most expressive, but overuse isn’t without risk."

So, there’s a wildly diverse yet balanced roster, each with a suite of augmentable approaches, plus something we haven’t gotten into yet: Critical Hits. These are character-specific actions which reward you for roleplaying their personality – extra combo potential for Azula so long as you haven’t lost a round, blocking three attacks as Aang without retaliation rewards two Energy Points to be spent on Specials and EX Specials, and so on. All in all, the mechanical possibilities throughout the game aren’t just about chasing power through depth, but they’re extensions of each character’s persona given to you as tools for your own expression.

The only issue, really, is Avatar Legends’ training mode which isn’t as robust as it could be. All of the systems discussed in this review are intuitive enough, but the game’s Tutorials specifically would serve you better if they outlined the basics and the purpose of each system. As it is, they expect you to be able to execute long input strings, assuming you already have experience.

This drawback is compounded when you begin Story Mode – an episodic playthrough where fights are interspersed with cutscenes. See, Aang is the story’s starter character, but it’s debatable how approachable Aang is to beginners. If you want to get a handle on Aang’s moveset, or any other character for that matter, you can open up free practice against a modifiable ‘dummy’, or go more in-depth with Trials. Here, each combo string is explained, and a demonstration is offered followed by a button-by-button breakdown. It’s a comprehensive way to learn and practice the exhilarating extensions made possible by the auto combo chain foundation. It’d be useful if this process was replicated in the more demanding Tutorials, but as they are Trials, and the forty-hit combo Master-level Trials especially, are exciting signifiers of the game’s high skill ceiling.

Beyond the excellent combat, Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game packages together a respectable suite of modes. Alongside training and the narrative campaign are character-specific arcade ladders plus local and online multiplayer. The game feels every bit a competitively-skewed fighter, with both ranked and casual matches supported by rollback netcode and cross-platform play ensuring growing confidence can eventually be tested against human opposition.

"Beyond the excellent combat, Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game packages together a respectable suite of modes."

Overall, the surrounding package resists distracting from the fighting itself. Instead, through the comprehensive character Trials specifically, the game reinforces the idea that improvement comes through experimentation, repetition, and a gradual broadening of your relationship with each character.

This idea stretches to Story mode’s light progression systems too, where earned experience and currency can be invested in Momo’s Bazaar to strengthen Support Characters. Elsewhere, unlockable costumes and a steadily expanding Gallery provide more incentives to return.

Everything is held together by audiovisual presentation that rarely misses a beat. Punchy sound design lends a convincing impact to every strike, while an energetic soundtrack maintains the momentum, lightning-quick pace, and elemental chaos of every round. Responsive controls and swift transitions between bouts ensure there are no obstacles between you and your next round.

Fittingly, then, Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game’s greatest achievement isn’t simply about making each victory feel satisfying. It’s that improvement itself is rewarding.

Make no mistake, extensive combos are easy to drop, but the game rarely discourages you. Perhaps through its suite of awestriking basic manoeuvres, the approachability of its combo extensions, or simply the sensory impact of a pair of fighters zooming across an arena, the game consistently communicates why you should keep playing.

What initially seemed contradictory, or even intimidating, soon becomes an act of expression, and one you’ll be happy to engage with long after you’ve mastered the auto combo into launch.

This game was reviewed on PlayStation 5.