Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door Review for Switch

Ask any Mario fan which of the plumber’s back catalog they most wanted to be remastered, and the chances are they’d say Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. When it debuted back on GameCube 20 years ago, it hugely deviated from what big-budget standalone Mario games could be and earned itself a flawless reputation.

Sure, it took after 2000’s original Paper Mario for the N64, but The Thousand-Year Door upped the ante in every way. Larger, more varied areas to explore, a sweeping story, and combat that built on the action commands of the first game but added new features like audience reactions, style finishers, and environmental hazards to avoid mid-battle.

There is a reason why Senua’s name comes first in the title for Hellblade II. The game’s predecessor — Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice — centered on the protagonist’s fight to save her lover’s soul, but this time the journey is entirely about Senua herself. Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II is her story, her life, and she is now the most important figure in her own journey.

Set in Iceland during the 9th century, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II has Norse culture and myth woven throughout. The beautiful way the game includes Norse stories through the game is inviting and cleverly done. Bonus tales hide within the main story’s chapters, waiting for you to uncover them. Finding each hidden lorestangir is a task within itself, but thankfully this doesn’t distract you from your journey. Each rune you uncover combines to form a captivating tale of Midgard, giving more depth to Senua’s world. In addition to the lorestangir, you will find faces hidden in plain sight which once found, reveal another insight into Senua’s culture and history.

Puzzle games have to strike a delicate balance. On the one hand, a game that’s too easy isn’t going to be exciting. A tricky puzzle is almost like a boss fight, and we want to put our skills to the test. On the other hand, if every puzzle is hard, then it can be a turn-off. Luckily, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes successfully finds the right balance.

Lorelei and the Laser Eyes Review on Nintendo Switch

The game begins with the unnamed protagonist being invited to a hotel for an art exhibit. As she arrives, it quickly becomes clear that things aren’t right. There’s a corpse in the courtyard, the only other guest is an old woman sharing her room, and the manager has a habit of appearing out of nowhere and disappearing just as quickly.

After one of the most popular closed beta periods in mobile gaming history, Solo Leveling: ARISE is finally out worldwide. Based on the beloved manga-turned-anime, this expansive mobile game takes the 3D action formula of Tower of Fantasy and Honkai Star Rail and adds its own monster-slaying spin.

As someone who rarely plays mobile action games of this nature, I was impressed by just how good the game looks. While Solo Leveling: ARISE isn’t a proper open-world experience, the small combat arenas and hub worlds you explore are lavishly detailed in 3D and stand a step above what most mobile games can offer. The cel-shaded designs are timeless and suit mobile displays well, and while the art style isn’t especially close to the manga or anime, it’s exactly how you’d want a Solo Leveling game to look.

Hades 2 Early Access on PC

Hades 2 is finally here, and it improves upon the extremely solid core foundation which made the first game so beloved. After over 40 hours of gameplay and all the bosses defeated, it’s time to go over what the Hades 2 experience is really like as it enters early access. There’s the old, the new, the mostly good, and some of the bad.

First, let’s get the good old stuff out of the way before diving into all the new content. The combat and gameplay follow the same loop as the previous game, where you clear chambers full of enemies, pick your next room, collect rewards, and move on ahead. Most of the Boon mechanics remain the same, and only a few new Gods are added to the game.

Another Crab’s Treasure on PlayStation 5

The souls-like genre has always tended to veer towards the dark and moody, forcing players to confront the things that go bump in the night and are capable of leaving nightmarish impressions in the psyche for years to come. While gameplay is perhaps the most important aspect of the adventure, having the right aesthetic can also do wonders. This is why Another Crab’s Treasure from Aggro Crab is such a breath of fresh air, even if the core ideas remain familiar.

Transporting players into an underwater world, it will be up to players and the meek hermit crab named Kril to make things right again. In this case, venturing across the seabed to get back the shell that was wrongfully taken away from you and slicing and dicing all who stand in your way into sashimi. It is clear that the game doesn’t take itself too seriously, and it makes for an entertaining jaunt that is full of charm and fun from start to finish.

Endless Ocean Luminous is the third instalment in the game series from Arika and 14 years have passed since the release of Endless Ocean 2: Adventures of the Deep. With such a huge gap between releases, fans of the previous Endless Ocean games have been curious about what Luminous will bring. Will it be more of the same chill vibes and ocean adventures, or is there more?

Unfortunately, Endless Ocean Luminous does not seem to offer much more than its Nintendo Wii predecessors. The vibes are the same, with a similar soundtrack to swim along with, but there is little sense of adventure. At its basic level it is an enjoyable game, but does it have enough going for it to keep players invested?

Manor Lords Review on PC

I haven’t been hyped to try a city-building game for years, ever since my Frostpunk obsession died down. Now, the review copy I got of Manor Lords has reignited my passion for them, though the fire is still low.

A single person is developing the game, and it is still in early access, meaning that it has a ways to go before we get to experience all its features. Considering how recently it entered it, we might be in for a few years of wait. Whatever it may be, we aren’t gonna talk about what the game might look like in the future. Instead, let’s see what’s so good (or bad ) about it right now.

Sand Land on PC

Sand Land is a video game based on one of Akira Toriyama’s short mangas from way back in 2000. Not only did the manga receive this video game treatment, it recently got an anime adaptation that expanded the original story significantly.

This second half was written by Akira Toriyama himself before his unfortunate passing. While I’m a major Toriyama fan and his works have shaped many of my core experiences, going into Sand Land, I had no idea how much he was involved. It’s only recently that I’m learning about the actual origin of the manga. So despite my love for Toriyama-sensei, I don’t think it’s changed how I feel about Sand Land the video game. It’s an excellent game that’s held back by a barren desert of content.

Stellar Blade on PlayStation 5

When it comes to console exclusives, the PlayStation 5 certainly hasn’t been short of them. In fact, it is this particular avenue that has allowed the platform to build upon its successes in recent years. Following the likes of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and Rise of the Ronin in 2024 comes Shift Up’s Stellar Blade, an action role-playing extravaganza that prizes aesthetics above all. A stylish adventure awaits, even if there’s room for improvement in many other aspects.

With Earth now desolated in the aftermath of a great war, humans are no longer the masters of the planet. In their place stands the Naytiba, alien creatures that are as deadly as they are intimidating, and it is up to the 7th Airborne Squad to try to wrestle back control by slaying the Elder Naytiba at the heart of the chaos. Naturally, things don’t go according to plan, and the explosive introduction sets the tone pretty well for what comes next.

Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes on PC

Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes has had a rocky road to release. Originally slated for release in 2022, the latest (and, sadly, final) game from legendary Suikoden creator Yoshitaka Murayama is a beautifully executed JRPG that feels both modern and nostalgic. Above all else, it’s a game in which the developer’s passion for the genre is evident in everything from the storyline to the battles.

Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes is, in one word, beautiful. It’s an effective throwback to Suikoden, but perhaps most importantly, had it come out at the time it would have blown people away. Every detail has been lovingly crafted, from the gorgeous environments to the lighting and shadow design to the optional depth of field options. The sound design is similarly beautiful, with emotive music that underscores the events.

Tales of Kenzera: ZAU on PlayStation 5

The Metroidvania genre is full of gems that have strong gameplay foundations, keeping players engaged in whichever world they find themselves in, and incentivizing them to keep coming back for more. That said, not many of them feature stories that touch upon more poignant themes that require more emotional investment from the player. This is where Surgent Studios’ Tales of Kenzera: ZAU shines brightly, even if there are several issues that dim its brilliance along the way.

With the central core of the story being about the love of a father and son, players will join Zuberi, a child who is now mourning the loss of his father, in the distant future. That sense of loss is profound, and the only way to placate the unnerving swell of emotions is through a book written by his father, of a shaman called Zau who is facing the same predicament in the lands of Kenzera. Yet, the healer is able to strike a deal with the God of Death, Kalunga. By overcoming three lost ancestral spirits, Zau wants the deity to bring his Baba back from the dead.

TopSpin 2K25 on PlayStation 5

It’s been 13 years since the last TopSpin game and the last mainline Virtua Tennis game released. Now, in 2024, one of the high-profile tennis series is making a comeback.

Developed by Hangar 13, who made Mafia III and the upgraded version of the first game in that series, TopSpin 2K25 is a little bit of a departure for them. On the court, tennis games have come a long way in the last decade. Away from it, though, 2K25 isn’t much of an evolution.

Video game TV show adaptations are coming thick and fast now. With a quirky tone and easily distinguishable world, Fallout has long been the perfect candidate for one.

Set 219 years after the apocalypse was set in motion, nine years after the event of Fallout 4, Season One’s story primarily follows Lucy, an inhabitant of Vault 33 who ventures to the surface for the first time in an attempt to rescue her Dad from raiders who captured him.

Open Roads on PlayStation 5

As someone who calls Gone Home one of his favourite games of all time, I’ve been excited for Fullbright’s next game, Open Roads, ever since its reveal at The Game Awards in 2020.

With performances from Kaitlyn Dever and Keri Russell as Tess and Opal, the story follows a mother and daughter in her mid-teens as they get ready to move following the death of their mother/grandmother.

South Park: Snow Day on PC

Fans of the South Park TV show and previous South Park games have been eagerly awaiting a new adventure featuring the quirky little town full of familiar characters, and South Park: Snow Day! has finally arrived to answer this call.

The plot is fairly straightforward – the town of South Park has been hit with a vicious bout of weather, causing heavy snow to fall across everyone’s doorsteps. Upon loading up the game for the first time, an animated 2D intro sequence that is oh-so-ever South Park plays, featuring Cartman pestering his mother to find out if school has been cancelled by the snow.

MLB The Show 24 on PlayStation 5

Some things never disappoint, and when it comes to video game baseball, San Diego Studio’s MLB The Show series has always been a top performer out on the bases. This year’s entry is no different, with MLB The Show 24 building on the previous great work, especially on the storytelling front. While there is still room for improvement in certain areas, the stage is set for yet another homerun entry.

The standout feature of the The Negro Leagues returns with season 2, with four more outstanding stories available to players at launch. Once more, players keen to learn more about the history of the sport in the early years are treated to an experience unlike any other. From the fantastic video packages to the narration provided by the president of the Negro League Museum, Bob Kendrik, it is pretty impossible not to be pulled into this trip down memory lane for those who have prior knowledge and an even more enlightening journey for those of us who are discovering it for the first time.

Rise of the Ronin on PlayStation 5

I should preface this review by saying that I have played every Team Ninja soulslike and even reviewed Stranger of Paradise, so I had a decent idea of what I was getting into with Rise of the Ronin. I knew enough to be a little hesitant because I like the genre but am not always great at it. With that, I was pleased to find that Rise of the Ronin is far more Nioh than Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, even if it utilizes tweaked mechanics from both.

However, Rise of the Ronin does something that no soulslike has really done before: it offers a choice in difficulty level. This simple inclusion, which has opened so many debates since the release of the first Dark Souls, changed a potentially frustrating experience into one I could actually enjoy. By including one simple thing, I could actually enjoy combat without feeling like I was constantly charging at a brick wall. I do hope this catches on because it works incredibly well in practice.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 on PC

Dragon’s Dogma 2 is a modern title that’s on par with the most ambitious open-world games of the current generation while maintaining an experience that is reminiscent of older games. It’s sometimes janky, and other times just completely vague and confusing. But, figuring out this world and its puzzles is a key part of the experience.

Left on your own to figure out this massive world and its complex questlines with barely any handholding from the game. Characters will die, wrong decisions will be made, and at some points it will frustrate you. However, I can now say that all of this is necessary to truly enjoy Dragon’s Dogma 2.

Alone in the Dark on PlayStation 5

Ever since it was announced in 2022, my hopes were high for Alone in the Dark. The franchise is the founding father of the survival horror genre, predating the first Resident Evil game by four years and establishing the fixed-camera creepiness that Capcom’s series would go on to make a worldwide sensation.

It’s a property that has long laid dormant; the rights flitting between publishers until this new high-profile reboot from THQ Nordic starring Jodie Comer and David Harbour. The result is a game of contradictions: it simultaneously tries to reclaim its survival horror throne, all while poorly apeing the games it inspired in the first place. Alongside some of the worst technical performance issues I’ve seen in a current-gen game, it becomes incredibly hard to recommend.