It’s difficult to understate how stunning that mechanic is, though. Projecting a 2D picture into the 3D world and then discovering how that perspective translates to another dimension is immediately dazzling, especially when it smashes together disparate art styles. It adds literal depth to these images and lets players explore the previously unexplorable. And while adding a dimension to predetermined 2D images is a unique thrill, taking pictures of the existing environment to transform it is liberating because of the amount of control it yields. 

It’s a core mechanic that’s as fresh and flexible as a portal gun, but it leaves much of its vast potential untapped. Most levels often only require a couple steps that are obvious after just a few seconds. Far too many are hardly more complicated than taking a picture of a battery and then rotating it or duplicating batteries through even more photos. Snapping a photo of a flat wall and using it as a bridge to get to an out-of-reach area is also another popular solution Viewfinder frequently uses as a crutch in lieu of something more sophisticated. Players are pushed into patterns and hardly encouraged to think critically — fatal flaws for any puzzle game.

Because of these simplistic solutions, Viewfinder is more like a string of tutorial missions desperately stretching out the most basic form of the mechanics in an effort to distract players from how thin it is. Its well-paced rollout of new twists — like walls that are unaffected by the player’s camera — are similarly underbaked. Viewfinder is a relaxing experience with a saturated art style that reinforces that mood, but a puzzle game that doesn’t provide much resistance isn’t much of a puzzle game.

Its handful of inconsistently interspersed optional missions stick out since they require the kind of out-of-the-box thinking the rest of the game is lacking. Solutions unfold at a steady clip in these sections and elicit more than a couple drops of gratification upon completion. But sequestering that level of intricacy — and the intrinsic reward tied to it — to a few side objectives that are easy to miss is frustrating.

Viewfinder Review: The final verdict

It’s ironic that a game all about breathing life into pictures can’t breathe life into its own core mechanic. Witnessing a flat picture expand into something tangible or using photography to reposition the existing stage is a technical marvel that hardly goes beyond being just a visual spectacle. These systems deserve much more than that, but, like film lacking contrast, it’s underdeveloped and only a faint outline of what it should be.

Disclaimer: This Viewfinder review is based on a PS5 copy provided by the publisher. Reviewed on version 1.001.000.

The post Viewfinder Review (PS5): Missing the Big Picture appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

Oxenfree 2 feels like it is repeating itself because it is so similar to the first game. The original was a novel take on the narrative adventure genre since it let players walk and talk at the same time, while utilizing a free-flowing dialogue system that ensured conversations progressed organically. Players weren’t usually doing much, but being able to move to the next story beat while also engaging in conversation was a meaningful iteration on the regimented style of Telltale Games, Supermassive Games, and Quantic Dream.

It’s still an effective way to build character and gives Oxenfree 2 ample opportunity to flesh out its new faces. The way characters speak is also one of its strong suits since they will talk all the way until the player picks a response, meaning conversations don’t have the dead air that is so distracting in many of its contemporaries. The naturalistic performances further ground these characters since they speak with hesitation markers and stammer much like real people without it being a hokey crutch. 

All of these small decisions play their part in making Oxenfree 2’s dialogue presentation so impressive, but it’s still the same formula. Night School Studio seemingly didn’t improve or expand these systems to further build on the foundation it laid all those years ago. After seven years, it would have been more enticing if the team pushed forward with some new tweaks or innovations since standards are different now. Oxenfree should have been the starting point, not the endpoint. The walkie talkie that can ping a number of different characters is the most noticeable difference, but those exchanges regularly get interrupted or overlap with other dialogue.

Carrying over the movement system is more detrimental since it drags down the pace and stretches out simple trips. Players can’t even control their walking speed, but it’s almost always too sluggish anyway. Taking a wrong turn is also particularly excruciating since it’s impossible to quickly course correct. Hunting for collectibles or potential secrets only to be met with a dead end is demoralizing and often not worth the effort.

Moving at a snail’s pace curtails the urge to explore and, more broadly, limits replay value. Oxenfree 2 has some hidden conversations and many dialogue choices, but it doesn’t appear to give players many opportunities to truly craft their own playthrough. When so many scenes play out the same way or only have negligible differences, the glacial walking speed and unskippable dialogue just make additional runs even more unappealing. Lengthy and persistent loading times also frequently hinder its forward momentum and are only made somewhat tolerable by its incredible horror-tinged ambient soundtrack.

The pacing seems deliberately dialed down to give players more time to adhere to the cast. Sprinting to the end with a stranger wouldn’t have as much weight as crawling to the climax with a friend. Riley, the protagonist, and her new colleague Jacob are given the space to grow and become more than two-dimensional caricatures simply trying to bust some ghosts. 

Riley is laid-back and has a nonchalant attitude that could have become grating, but never does because of its mostly competent (if sometimes overwritten) script. Learning her history and why she’s returned to her hometown are both intriguing hooks that also make her a more nuanced person. Jacob is less complicated and more of an upbeat nerd that hides his staggering amount of insecurity behind humor. His past is not nearly as complicated or compelling, and it seems like his main purpose is to add the levity that Riley is emotionally incapable of providing. It’s bizarre that the game lets players be mean to Jacob since he’s agreeable to a fault — his flaws are internal struggles that aren’t negatively expressed outward — but the two make for a solid team.

Oxenfree 2 uses Riley, Jacob, and the antagonists to comment on acceptance and fate. The ideas are woven together well since they manifest differently in each character and grant alternate viewpoints that all uniquely poke at the game’s themes. While some of those antagonists are faceless ghouls, having a more human opposition with understandable goals offers more subtleties that spooky ghosts aren’t equipped to supply.

These themes are also integral to the plot, which banks too heavily on knowledge from the original game. While it is a sequel, it’s more of a second chapter that demands an intimate familiarity of its forebearer. Despite that requirement, it does a terrible job at recapping those important events by glossing over major beats from the last game and neglecting to properly reintroduce characters. Sequels obviously can and should continue prior storylines and reuse parts of the cast, but it’s crucial for said sequels to give proper context for those elements within themselves; they shouldn’t almost solely depend on prior experience.

And while a clever utilization of New Game Plus, Oxenfree’s canon conclusion is locked behind a few playthroughs that require certain choices. This means Oxenfree 2 is picking up from a finale many likely aren’t familiar with, one that’s radically different from the most commonly seen ending. Given how vital these details are, it’s surprising Night School Studio leaned so hard in this direction without providing a more helpful and thorough synopsis, especially with the lengthy seven-year gap between games.

Oxenfree 2: Lost Signals Review: The final verdict

It seemed like Alex was damned to wallow in limbo until the end of time, but it’s Oxenfree 2 that ended up being caught in a loop. Some of those replicated features work in its favor, like its fluid dialogue and cast of decently well-realized characters, yet it’s too heavily anchored to its predecessor. The aforementioned dialogue system is mostly the same and hasn’t been further streamlined or upgraded. Traversal is still too slow. And even though its narrative builds on what came before, it struggles to provide a comprehensive summary of that first game and contextualize those all-important events. All of these stumbles mean that Oxenfree 2’s signal isn’t lost, just full of unnecessary static.

Disclaimer: This Oxenfree 2: Lost Signals review is based on a PS4 and PS5 copy provided by the publisher. Reviewed on version 1.02 and 1.002.000, respectively.

The post Oxenfree 2: Lost Signals Review (PS4, PS5): Stuck in a Loop appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

Wo Long’s fantastic combat does, however, ensure that “more” isn’t a big problem. Deflecting blows is still a brilliant core mechanic since it forces players to pay attention and learn patterns. The window is generous, but it’s empowering to parry blows without the split-second timing that so many games require. Managing the Spirit Meter is also a fantastic core mechanic since it constantly has players assessing risks and rewards and how best to spend each precious bar. It’s great for dealing Spirit damage to opponents, as well as performing spells and special abilities.

Battle of Zhongyuan’s new standard enemies are mostly not noteworthy — the spindly elemental reptiles are a highlight, though — yet the bosses live up to (and sometimes exceed) the standard set by the main campaign. Each is unpredictable and has a wide variety of attacks. Allies still water down some bosses in the story levels like they do in the base campaign by providing unnecessary help, but they’re harder to take down so it isn’t as much of an annoyance.

Aside from the monochromatic secret boss that’s a hard-to-read eyesore, cranking up the dial just a bit means these new battles are more rewarding, especially the ones in the side missions. They’re still nowhere near as tough as the average Nioh boss, but Wo Long’s mechanics are strong enough to withstand even more pressure and they deserve to be put to the test.

Battle of Zhongyuan’s other additions to the combat aren’t as noticeable. The new gear gets lost among the swaths of gear already present in the game. The additional Divine Beast is useful and has a unique feature that lets it strike twice, but it’s a rather small change. The new cestus gauntlets are the most obvious inclusion since they add another layer of depth to the Spirit Meter. Equipping these quick, short-range gloves adds more bars of Spirit Meter that grant up to three buffs when filled, yielding even more depth to this flexible meter. It’s a thoughtful addition to Wo Long’s arsenal since skilled players can stack temporary upgrades or deal more Spirit damage.

The climactic boss battles are thrilling, but, like most of the other combat upgrades, the rest is mostly standard Wo Long fare. The story is full of poorly contextualized cutscenes and well-choreographed action scenes of obscenely strong dudes with giant weapons destroying whole platoons of goons. The level design is straightforward and artistically bland. Loot drops at an alarming pace and clutters up the whole experience. There are cute panda-like creatures called Shitieshou that eat old gear and spit out something new.

Wo Long, while still a great action game, already felt like Team Ninja was getting a little too comfortable. Many of its systems were ripped straight from the Nioh games or, in the art style’s case, carried over from the Ninja Gaiden trilogy. This DLC was naturally going to bring over a lot of the base game’s features because it is an expansion, but Battle of Zhongyuan more clearly points out how iterative Wo Long is since that base game was already a clear iteration.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty: Battle of Zhongyuan DLC Review: The final verdict

Even a somewhat disappointing expansion for Team Ninja, Battle of Zhongyuan is still more gratifying than many of its peers in the genre because of the strength of the core combat. The deflect mechanic at its center is as smooth and responsive as ever, as shown by the many new climactic bouts that require dedication to overcome. It doesn’t set the best precedent for the next two expansions since it seems likely they will also highlight how Team Ninja needs to shake up its formula. But they’ll at least be somewhat successful if they have as many fulfilling fights as Battle of Zhongyuan.

Disclaimer: This Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty: Battle of Zhongyuan review is based on a PS5 copy provided by the publisher. Reviewed on version 1.011.000.

The post Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty: Battle of Zhongyuan DLC Review (PS5): Pushing Forward, Then Retreating appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

Synapse’s power comes from two main sources: the player’s telekinetic abilities and array of firearms designated to each hand. Gunplay is somewhat standard, but still incredibly smooth. Reloading avoids the tedium seen in other VR shooters, as the magazine doesn’t need to be manually ejected and inserted before pulling back the hammer. Instead, one button ejects the magazine and it just needs to be pushed back in. This can intuitively be done on any surface, with the other hand, or on the player’s body.

Cover is similarly simple to grasp, since anything can become a wall to hide behind. Grabbing a surface sticks players to it, and allows for quickly popping in and out of safety.

Shooting is a significant part of the game, but the true magic comes from how this melds with the telekinesis to elevate the experience. Moving things around is as simple as looking at it and pushing the correct trigger, as Synapse utilizes PSVR2’s eye-tracking technology. This ensures players can pluck exactly what they want almost every single time. It’s a brilliant example of how tech can improve gameplay; it’s much more natural to grab an object by looking at it than it is to move a cursor over it. Targeted objects even stick out from the monochrome backgrounds with a blue and violet hue.

This synergy makes the player a force to be reckoned with, as they fling soldiers with one hand while blasting with the other. Success and getting to higher levels is all about knowing how to efficiently rack up kills and retreat when it gets too sticky. While not an oppressive game, failing to deal with the constant pressure of Synapse’s hordes will lead to a premature restart. Feeling like a Jedi John Wick is where the game is at its best, and its thoughtful loop is built around that.

Getting to that state takes time, though. Not just because multitasking can be tricky at first, but also because Synapse is a roguelite with a sizable skill tree that locks players out of some abilities. Skill points unlock after hitting certain milestones, which adds a rewarding metagame that makes the following run a little easier. 

It sounds simple because it is, and that applies to many of its systems. While perks, spawn points, and weapons can change, runs aren’t too different from one another since it utilizes the same level layouts and four enemy types each time. There also aren’t any random or rare elements like bonus rooms, secrets, or impromptu bosses to add more layers of unpredictability.

This simplicity and relative stagnation between runs is what holds it back, since it rarely changes itself up like some of the best roguelites. Players can’t make builds or experience a new playstyle on the next run like they can with Hades or Dead Cells. Synapse is focused and doesn’t get stale over its runtime, but that’s come at the cost of replayability and variability fundamental to the genre. 

Its take on difficulty also bucks genre trends, but for the better. Rather than a static main difficulty that takes a while to overcome, Synapse has three stages that escalate after each successful run and unlock another part of the ending. This steady rise levels out the difficulty curve, and ensures players don’t hit a wall. A consistent challenge is much more satisfying than making small baby steps to a finale that can sometimes feel out of reach.

Synapse Review: The final verdict

Synapse’s roguelite elements are too light, but it’s a well-designed shooter that empowers players in ways only a VR game can. Developer nDreams has taken PSVR2’s eye-tracking and adaptive triggers and built them into the game’s mechanics without turning them into gimmicks. Snatching a barrel and detonating it over a group of hostiles is as gratifying as instinctively throwing back an incoming grenade while dumping submachine gun rounds with the other hand. It all combines to make for a thrilling VR shooter that excels for how it takes advantage of the hardware

Disclaimer: This Synapse review is based on a PS5 copy provided by the publisher. Reviewed on version 1.001.000.

The post Synapse Review (PSVR2): Fantastic Synaptic Tactics appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

But like a patch, post-launch DLC is an opportunity to right wrongs and address criticism. (And there are plenty to choose from.) Final Transmission could have been the expansion to set things right for the fledgling horror title. Unfortunately, it suffers from the same problems as the base game and calcifies how fundamentally flawed The Callisto Protocol is.

Final Transmission retains the sole bright spot of the base game — its eerie visuals and lighting — but also keeps every last one of its faults. Melee combat is sticky and repetitive. Automatically dodging isn’t engaging, and waiting for the same patterns is tiresome. This is especially true in irksome moments where enemies push through hits to get in cheap shots. Aiming is floaty and inaccurate, which makes the gunplay similarly unpleasant for different reasons altogether.

Final Transmission even tries to spice up combat by giving players a new melee weapon: the Kinetic Hammer. This explosive tool outclasses the stun baton in every way, as it pulverizes almost anything to goop with few hits. Clubbing mutants can be satisfying thanks to this gooey, splashy spectacle.

But this weapon, like most things in this game, fails on multiple levels. The heavy attack is now a shockwave that gibs or stuns everything on the receiving end, but there’s no real depth to it. Players are just meant to charge it, wait until enemies get close, and repeat the area-of-effect slam until everything has been turned into bloody bits.

This bland strategy is encouraged for the new Biobots that are resistant to other types of damage. Being able to turn the tables on these slimy cyborgs and go from sneaking past them to sending them to the scrapyard is a nice way to switch up the pace. However, the melee combat is too boring to make that change entertaining. And as an added bonus, enemies will also inexplicably tank through shockwaves on occasion to disembowel the player. This heaps yet another pain point on an already unpleasant experience.

The moments before bludgeoning Biobots aren’t scary, either, since Final Transmission is devoid of tension. Foes often jump out without any buildup (even the Biobot is randomly introduced) or creepy aural foreshadowing, and the attempts at psychological horror between encounters are laughable.

Final Transmission’s new hallucinations are full of hackneyed clichés found in many of the most subpar horror games. There’s the endlessly looping string of hallways, a room that changes as the player turns around, ghost enemies that aren’t actually there, and bloody graffiti with ominous messaging. The action horror bits are too mundane to compensate for these trite attempts to get inside the player’s head, meaning The Callisto Protocol is still a horror game with little to no actual horror. 

Psychological displacement can be a powerful tool for horror, too. Protagonist Jacob Lee begins to doubt his sanity as he’s exposed to further abominations and questions what is real. The game wants players to second guess everything it throws at them, which is a different approach than the one in the base game. In the right hands, with a capable writing team, this could be a winning setup. It worked for Event Horizon and — more relevantly — the Dead Space franchise.

But Final Transmission barely has a story to speak of. It leaves players to stumble in darkness for too long with little effective foreshadowing for its one big story beat. The grim twist at the end attempts to shed light on the situation, but it’s very sudden and brings up questions that poke gaping holes in the entire premise. It’s a fittingly sinister finale, but totally unearned — undercut by those lingering questions and the tonal whiplash of a jokey post-credits scene.

The Callisto Protocol: Final Transmission DLC Review: The final verdict

With an inconsistent story, total absence of scares, and clunky combat, Final Transmission makes for a shallow last gasp of air for The Callisto Protocol. This new franchise has been lost in space since launch and an onslaught of patches and DLC hasn’t made it any less of a disappointment. Final Transmission just highlights what was already bad about The Callisto Protocol, and ensures that it has ended as poorly as it began.

Disclaimer: This The Callisto Protocol: Final Transmission review is based on a PS5 copy provided by the publisher. Reviewed on version 1.024.000.

The post The Callisto Protocol: Final Transmission DLC Review (PS5): Terrible Signal appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

AEW has teamed up with former WWE 2K developer Yuke’s, which slowly drove that series into mediocrity and showed few interesting ideas after making yearly wrestling games for nearly two decades. Switching brands and losing its framework hasn’t helped things any, as Fight Forever makes a rough first impression as the game is rough in nearly every area. Almost every character looks wonky, the presentation is lacking, and the gameplay is rough right off the bat, especially since characters are invincible anytime they initiate an attack animation.

AEW: Fight Forever only starts getting slightly better once its limitations are clear and after it becomes more evident that it is trying to conjure up memories of WWF: No Mercy and other wrestling games of yesteryear. While the action is quite limited, there’s actually a surprising amount of small details in its wrestler skill system that allows for certain characters to perform springboard attacks and bounce off ring ropes. Sometimes, the quick action clicks and matches start becoming entertaining.

However, these moments are pretty few and far between, as they can only take place in one-on-one battles. Any match with three or more participants in it is a total drag. Tag matches are constantly interrupted after every tag since all four men enter the ring and can last entirely too long since it’s difficult to get a pinfall. The Casino Battle Royale mode is a joke that can’t replicate its real-life counterpart because the game caps off at four people and just turns into a Royal Rumble rip-off. Rather than being engaged with these matches, you have to play in specific ways to get wins, which is limiting. Some of these win conditions include going for a pinfall right as an opponent locks in a lengthy move that stops them from breaking up a pin attempt and using weapons to quickly knock out every person in a four-way match.

So much of the game is dated, and that’s by design, as nearly every poor element can be explained by the phrase, “That’s how No Mercy did it.” But it’s not the year 2000 anymore, and wrestling fans should expect better from a game than to hold up a 20-year-old release as the pinnacle of the genre. All that’s really new to the genre is a collection of mindless minigames that would be the low point of the worst Mario Party game.

Rather than trying to innovate, AEW: Fight Forever is content with playing a cheap nostalgia card. That’s not even an effective card to play, either, as No Mercy didn’t feel like a poor product when it was released. AEW: Fight Forever should’ve attempted to recapture the feeling of first playing No Mercy rather than basing so many decisions off a dated framework.

The only mode with any meat to it is its main single-player offering called Road to Elite. It’s a quick take on a career mode that only takes place over a year and can be finished in around three or four hours. The idea itself isn’t terrible: pick an existing wrestler — or create your own one via its severely limited creation suite — and then see how their first year goes.

However, there are only 12 story possibilities that are mixed in during each playthrough, and most of them rely on terrible multi-man matches (including one that was a miserable one-on-three match that I only was able to win via count out). It’s relatively neat seeing stories like The Inner Circle’s alliance with MJF and the first AEW Championship match play out inside the game, but there’s little in terms of replay value here.

With the only real mode being a total miss, players are left playing exhibition matches or facing off against others online. It’s severely lacking content and giving players a reason to play. Everything can easily be unlocked in the shop after just a few hours of play, so there’s no reason to grind out matches. It’s a shame since, even though the limited female roster mostly relegates them to intergender matches, the male roster is pretty solid, and there aren’t many ways to utilize them outside of repeatedly playing meaningless matches.

AEW: Fight Forever Review: The final verdict

AEW: Fight Forever tries its best to invoke one of the most beloved wrestling games, but it’s a pale imitation that doesn’t live up to that legacy. The occasionally entertaining match doesn’t make up for most of the game feeling like an annoying chore to complete, and this doesn’t even seem like a particularly strong core to build off for a sequel. Wrestling fans deserve better, and developer Yuke’s continues to deliver middling games within the genre regardless of the brand it is associated with.

Disclaimer: This AEW: Fight Forever review is based on a PS5 copy provided by the publisher. Reviewed on version 1.001.000.

The post AEW: Fight Forever Review (PS5): Empty Nostalgia appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

Players start Ghost Trick just as confused as Sissel, who has lost his memories after waking up dead. Thanks to another spirit in the form of a helpful and mysterious lamp, players are soon on the path to learning about their own death by using a variety of “ghost tricks.” It’s a unique system that has Sissel possessing objects to move the plot forward and get through scenarios without seeing innocent people die. Each chapter presents different objects and scenarios that stretch the mechanics, so the game always feels fresh while new layers of the plot are slowly peeled back and start to connect together.

Ghost Trick has a lot in common with adventure games of old, but its puzzles are laid out much differently. While classics like Day of the Tentacle still hold up, many of the solutions were nonsensical at best, and players resorted to trial and error to figure out how to move the game forward. That isn’t the case here, as the logic throughout is sound, and there are no huge surprises in how two things might interact despite the results still being as equally humorous at times.

Much of the game revolves around changing fate, as Sissel can go back four minutes before a person’s recent death. By watching closely how scenes play out and then noting what can be possessed, players can save lives — although the new situations that arise often become just as dire in a true “out of the frying pan into the fire” scenario. Figuring out the right combination of tricks and, more importantly, the timing of them as the situations play out again in real-time, is extremely satisfying even all these years later.

Every aspect of Phantom Detective gels together as players become quickly attached to its cast of eccentric characters. There’s an inherent connection built after seeing someone meet their grisly demise because of the humbling humanity death brings to us all, and the writing excels because it is from an era of Capcom that was putting its best foot forward with fantastic localizations. It is filled with memorable characters such as Missile, an always-barking Pomeranian that wants nothing more than to say, “Welcome!” and save his owner, that are just as fun as its cast of silly assassins with names like Near-Sighted Jeego and One-Step-Ahead Tengo. The cast and plot continually build off each other and ensure that Ghost Trick’s narrative is as consistent as it is strong.

Every story beat and character interaction is brought to life via some truly spectacular animation. Ghost Trick is dripping with personality, and while it’s hard to not miss the pixelated look of the original DS game, it all looks smoother than ever with the HD art — which has origins from the iOS port. This PS4 port also includes a series of bonus panel puzzles from the iOS version called Ghost Puzzles, which are a nice bonus for those who only played the DS version but aren’t much of a selling point otherwise, as they’re just a recreation of game scenes.

Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective Review: The final verdict

Ghost Trick’s cohesion is why it is so special. The gameplay connects cleanly into its story, which ties together neatly and wraps up so well with an unforgettable, heartstring-pulling twist. I vividly recall beating the game and tearing up while in a parking lot a decade ago, and it’s nice to re-experience these emotions on the big screen. This is a lovely port of a timeless classic that deserves to be played by all, so change your own fate by picking it up since it’s a special game from start to finish.

Disclaimer: This Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective review is based on a PS4 copy provided by the publisher.

The post Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective Review (PS4): A Masterpiece Resurrected appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

A Wonderful Life begins as the player inherits an abandoned farm and travels from the city to start a new life. Family friend Takakura has scraped together enough money to provide a small home, a handful of seeds and a cow to get things started. He does a great job at walking players through their first couple of days as a farmer, clearly explaining all of the basics. Beyond that point, though, new features are either hidden behind notes buried in a menu, or they’re left to be discovered through trial and error. This is a strange decision that unintentionally hides some elements, especially for newer players.

Crop growing works very similarly to the original version of the game. Soil fertility, seasons, growth time, and crop watering all need to be managed to stop crops from withering away, although a new fertilizer machine and the ability to sell crops from the start make the process a bit easier. The real fun starts when creating your own crops by combining fruits and vegetables. Hybrid and unusual crops can be sold for higher prices and there are many of them to discover, so players are encouraged to actively experiment to unlock all the rewards the game has to offer.

Several of the livestock processes have also been streamlined, which makes it a smoother overall experience. Cows and goats don’t run out of milk, meaning that it’s less urgent to breed them. Livestock no longer gets sick or dies even if they’re left out in the rain, merely affecting the quality of their byproducts instead. This makes some features like the health bar and fodder redundant, but the whole process is now more relaxing. On the other hand, it’s a little simplistic when compared to games like Stardew Valley or even last year’s Doraemon Story of Seasons: Friends of the Great Kingdom, both of which were buoyed by their depth and a wide variety of features.

The difference between A Wonderful Life and other Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons games is the game’s emphasis lies more in building a new life than it does in resurrecting the farm. Marriage is no longer optional and players will have to raise a child into adulthood, making a refreshing change to characters that are usually ignored after a while. The seasons and story chapters have been shortened to make them easier to get invested in. Players can continue for 30 in-game years, but only the most dedicated will put in the hundreds of hours required to come close to that, which results in a game with a decent amount of stuff to do.

This story aspect may not have changed at all, but there’s now a choice to play as a male, female, or non-binary farmer with a small range of appearance options to further customize the character. There is then a choice of eight marriage candidates — four male and four female — regardless of the farmer’s gender. It’s a far cry from the original GameCube version where the male farmer had a choice of three women to marry, women to marry, and this attempt to be more inclusive is great.

As well as running the farm, players can go fishing, cook dishes, and even help out at the nearby archaeological dig. There are also new festivals and requests to complete for bonus rewards. For the most part, each provides a welcome distraction since they change up the game’s routine. The exception is fishing which can become repetitive for those trying to unlock all of the rewards, especially as RNG plays such a large part of the activity.

A Wonderful Life, like any good remake, has plenty of other quality-of-life changes that make it more than a simple repackaging. The graphics have received an overhaul more befitting a PS5 game and there’s now a camera that lets players capture key moments. Several of the characters have changed names or appearances to more closely match the original Japanese version of the game. There are still some minor bugs to be ironed out, such as NPCs preventing interaction with nearby squares at the archaeological dig, but on the whole, the remake is a definitive improvement.

Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life review: The final verdict

Despite the enforced name change due to issues over the rights to the Harvest Moon name, Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life has managed to bring the GameCube game kicking and screaming into the modern age. Between the original’s restrictions and the removal of some of the more in-depth features, it doesn’t manage to compete with more modern and intensive farming sims like Stardew Valley. Despite its relative simplicity, though, A Wonderful Life is still a relaxing experience that builds upon the solid foundation of the original and is the most comprehensive version of the GameCube title so far.

Disclaimer: This Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life review is based on a PS5 copy provided by the publisher. Reviewed on version 1.000.000.

The post Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life Review (PS5): Welcome to Forgotten Valley appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

Rumble has a solid tutorial that lays out the basics: you collect Wumpa Fruit around the map then take it to your home base to bank it. It’s simple, but there is a team of four other players attempting to do the same thing and get in your way. Its depth comes from collecting relics to exchange for power-ups and activating (and defending) gem platforms for added bonuses, which gives games some level of basic strategy. However, the core accessibility remains the Rumble’s largest strength, as it is easy to rope a friend in and have fun quickly rather than having to explain a convoluted system of checks and balances.

The levels are mostly rather colorful, taking inspiration from familiar locales seen in the platformer entries. From canyons to beaches to evil lairs, there’s a nice variety that pulls from the series’ strong art style. What makes each map interesting, though, is that each has a different set of power-ups. From being able to summon buffs that make your characters larger to bringing in enemies that attack the opposite team’s base, there’s a nice balance of offensive and defensive skills that give each map more of their own personality. It’s easy to focus purely on collecting fruit, so teams that have a balanced plan of attack that also cash in their relics will be at an advantage.

It’s largely the on-the-field strategy that decides matches, although team construction can also make or break a bout. For example, a team of four Crash Bandicoots is going to get destroyed by a more well-balanced team since the titular mascot lacks attack power and is better at platforming. It’s important to also have a character like Dingodile because he lives up to his class type of being a blocker and is able to go to play defense at the enemy’s base. A great team going against a poorly prepared one can make a huge difference and even lead to a perfect game, which happened to me during the game’s beta.

Crash Team Rumble truly shines during close, competitive matches when all of these factors are in play and both teams are utilizing their abilities effectively. Banking a game-winning score at the last second or getting revenge on an annoying rival N. Brio is where the game comes alive and is at its best. It’s obviously ideal to play with a group of four people that you actually know, but there’s still charm in playing with randoms — even if it is frustrating when those randoms play selfishly or silently switch to a different role at the last moment.

The biggest question mark for Crash Team Rumble is whether or not it will have staying power. There’s not a ridiculous amount of content here, after all. It only has a handful of characters for each class (most have to be unlocked, too), and there aren’t a ton of maps, either. The progression system isn’t even that great of a hook since most of the alternate skins are ugly and worse than the default designs.

But the game is mechanically sound, so hopefully servers will stay active while it receives its planned post-launch support of two (and possibly more) seasons. That’s certainly the hope, but more multiplayer games die than survive, so it remains to be seen what Crash Team Rumble’s fate will be.

Crash Team Rumble Review: The final verdict

Regardless of its question-mark-filled future, Crash Team Rumble is an uncomplicated, yet entertaining multiplayer experience. Crash and the other characters all control well and the core systems are solid, meaning there’s enough here even if you’re not a bandicoot-obsessed fan that knows the difference between Aku Aku and Uka Uka. The appeal doesn’t go far beyond that, though. It’s hard to imagine wanting to sink hundreds of hours into it since the simplicity that makes it approachable keeps it from true greatness. Yet not every game has to become a new obsession, and Crash Team Rumble is content to be just another, if comparatively brief, addition to you and your friend’s game night routine.

Disclaimer: This Crash Team Rumble review is based on a PS5 copy provided by the publisher. Reviewed on version 1.000.102.

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Tense unpredictability defines Amnesia: The Bunker. Paranoia lurks in each pocket of shadow, as the unspeakable terror stalks and torments players into submission. This atmosphere of distrust and fear elevates the sequel to must-play survival horror.

Much of The Bunker’s tension is derived from its spontaneity, which keeps players in a constant state of unease. The creature embodies this design ethic, as a malevolent and unkillable antagonist that relentlessly pursues the player. This is a common trope seen in many of the best games in the genre. But unlike famous examples, such as Resident Evil 2‘s Mr. X or the regenerator in Dead Space, The Bunker’s beast is ever-present and not relegated to scripted “stalking sections.”

It lurks around the tunnel system, ever-present and stomping about the barracks. If the player is wounded, it materializes and tries to snuff you out. Barbaric snarls and thunderous footsteps are tangible reminders of the threat that double as eerie ways to keep loose tabs on it.

There are times where the creature is occupied in a remote area, but those precious respites are all too brief. Players spend most of their time ducking, hiding, and carefully tiptoeing around, which is chilling because of how it gets players to lean forward and stay engaged. It’s not even any less scary because of the added defensive options since they take skill, luck, and a sizeable amount of time to use effectively.

By being mostly unscripted, The Bunker asks players to frantically avoid a grisly death at a moment’s notice. This is unlike past Amnesia games, where the monsters only patrol certain sections. It’s a brilliant approach that unshackles scares from scripting. There’s more focus on mechanics and immersion versus comfort in rote memorization, which is where some horror games lose their luster.

Future runs will always differ, too; locker combinations, traps, and some item locations are procedurally generated. Even the final encounter has multiple layouts. Shifting items around displaces the player, and ensures not even a guide or prior knowledge can save them. Key items are still kept in the same places, however, which undercuts the otherwise thoughtful randomization.

Despite being a labyrinth of claustrophobic corridors, however, The Bunker is more open than its peers. Often, the game borders on immersive sim with the sheer variety in terms of exploration. Unlike previous entries, this Amnesia gives players tools that interact with each other and the world in different ways. When combined with Frictional Games’ signature physics engine, The Bunker gives players a handful of ways to solve problems. Wooden doors can be unlocked or blown open. Rats can be distracted, burned, or shooed away with a makeshift torch. Not every door or objective can be cracked in numerous ways and that keeps it from being truly open, but there’s still enough variation.

These choices also force players to always weigh risks and rewards. This is best embodied, perhaps, in the loud flashlight players crank to turn on. Blowing up a door or killing rats with a grenade cuts out on crawling around, but the racket will attract the beast. Leaving traps untouched is dangerous, but can also be used against the monster.

Special, resource-heavy rooms players have to loudly open are the epitome of this astute design. They’re alluring mouse traps for players, with a sweet chunk of cheese smack-dab in the middle of the catch. The Bunker is a challenging experience with very few automatic checkpoints, so packing the game with these types of decisions makes it as engaging as it is tense. Every choice carries weight — the mark of great survival horror.

Frictional makes it clear that common sense solutions will work in most situations, and that freeform foundation is liberating. Combining a bottle with a rag, some fuel, and a lighter to make a Molotov cocktail doesn’t need to be spelled out. A rickety wooden door should crumble after a shotgun blast (and it does).

Objectives are also organically implemented and don’t require annoying beacons, obtrusive HUD elements, or lunar logic. Players aren’t led by the nose and have to think and analyze the game world in order to progress. It’s a refreshing philosophy that reinforces how The Bunker is built around submerging the player in its world.

The all-encompassing immersion makes a few technical shortcomings more glaring. The Bunker has jarring load screens that kick in when transitioning to a new section. It locks the whole game up for a few seconds, and often turns off the player’s flashlight as it boots in the next area. It’s unclear why these segues are so turbulent, as the game is neither large nor a graphical showpiece. Occasional crashes are also surprising and elicit a cheap kind of fear this game doesn’t need. The Bunker is far from a glitchy mess, but these hiccups are even more obvious when everything else around them has been meticulously crafted to suck the player in.

Amnesia: The Bunker Review: The final verdict

Not even an intermittent crash or clunky load screen can minimize what Amnesia: The Bunker does so well. The intimate world, wonderfully interwoven mechanics, and semi-random nature make The Bunker a nerve-racking experience that’s a natural evolution of its landmark first entry. On a surface level, it’s still about creeping through a dimly lit hellhole and evading unspeakable horrors, but Frictional has spent the last decade advancing that formula to create the best version of it so far.

Disclaimer: This Amnesia: The Bunker review is based on a PS4 copy provided by the publisher. Reviewed on version 1.41.

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