So, after all this time, I have decided to actually give Bioshock a try. I played this game through the Bioshock Collection on PS4. I’ve sat back and heard the praise for this series of games, in particular the first game, for years. Despite hearing the constant praise, I never seemed to be interested in giving it a go, due to its ‘fallout’ style of game-play visually. However, this didn’t prove to be a stumbling block, and actually enhanced my experience.
Story –
To come out in 2007, Bioshock really is a landmark in gaming storytelling. Although I am usually turned away from dark stories or games, Bioshock drew me in. This game is dark, filled with interestingly psychotic characters and twists. This captivating story is obviously helped by the interesting and unique world in which Bioshock takes place in. It takes a lot to get me to play a game to the end, and having a captivating story is one of the key factors in enabling me to do that. Bioshock had the captivating story ten-fold. There has been few moments in my gaming-life that havve made my heart drop as swiftly and heavily as the ‘would you kindly reveal’, it was truly an iconic gaming moment.
In terms of negatives my only complaint is that it does seem to end rather quickly, although that can be looked past as it prioritises quality over quantity.
Game-Play –
Bioshock’s game-play was what initially turned me off of it for so many years. I had played first-person perspective games with similarly styled game-play, such as Fallout, and was never really captivated. This translated over into my perceptions of Bioshock, however, I was pleasantly surprised.
Bioshock offers a very unique way of playing. A variety of weapons, ammunition, gene modifications and upgrades allow for the player to move their character toward the direction that they want to play. Although the gun-play and movement isn’t perfect, it isn’t awful for the time, especially for what a game like Bioshock is.
As I said in the summary of my feelings on the story, the main captivating motive for me is the world-premise. Even almost two decades later, Bioshock still has one of the most unique and interesting concepts for a world in a game. The idea of building an entire psychopathic and modified city underwater, is brilliant. Rapture is a place with so much detail put into it, with every being, visual and area fully fleshed out to its max potential.
Rapture allows for the player’s own interpretations. It is whatever you want it to be for a large portion of the game. It plays into the game-play elements that I discussed through allowing and feeding into unique pathways for the player, such as choosing whether to harvest or purify the little girls for example. As a concept, and as an executed idea, there are few games even in the modern-era of consoles that have achieved the level of world-realisation that Bioshock did, and it is the main reason this game was so great.
Visuals –
For 2007, Bioshock has visuals of its time. The game looks like a good PS3 game, and that is fine. Obviously there was better games visually at the time, but Bioshock still holds up, especially to visually accomplish what it does in such an interactive world. It could look better, it could look a whole lot worse. Little details, phrases, posters and other depth-bringers are key to adding depth to the surroundings. These are ways in which graphical limitations of the time are brilliantly glossed over.
I truly cannot believe it took me almost 15 years to give Bioshock a try. This game obviously has limitations of its time, but in other ways it excels and sets a new standard for games from the mid-2000s. The story and world-premise showed that video games could be a lot more than fun, and could also provide captivating and meaningful story-experiences. I certainly will be doing reviews on the sequel and Infinite in the near future. However, if you were like me and thought Bioshock ‘wasn’t for you’ then would you kindly reconsider and try it now. You will not be disappointed.
I wasn’t getting Returnal right up until the day before it released, when social media praise and high metacritic scores led me to believe that maybe this Rogue-Like is the one for me. I have never really been a fan of the genre, I usually find it tedious and repetitive, however, Returnal in some ways made this satisfying. With Sony recently acquiring Housemarque, lets see what I thought of the first major game that certainly made them take the next step toward purchasing Housemarque as a development studio.
Story –
The story of Returnal makes up a decent amount of the game. Selene, an astronaut who crash lands on an alien planet, is forced into trying to uncover the secrets behind the species, lore and other elements of the planet. Along with this, the incorporation of the Rogue-Like tropes being put into the story to make sense was something that I rather enjoyed, with Selene trying to discover how to break this endless cycle she has discovered herself in.
The story takes second-fiddle to the game-play, however it is decent enough to maintain the player’s interest throughout and will obviously take a lot of commitment to get through.
Rogue-Like –
Obviously if you know anything about Returnal you’ll know it is part of the Rogue-Like genre. I for one have played games in this genre before such as Enter the Gungeon and just generally found that these sorts of games are not for me. However, despite how hard Returnal sticks to the genre’s ideas, this was definitely the first time I have played a rogue-like and not found the resetting aspect to be tedious, pointless and annoying. It served a purpose, I think it also helped that it was adapted into the story to add meaning to the cycle.
Ability to Save During a Cycle –
For all the praise I stated about the genre’s tropes, I do think at times maybe Returnal sticks to the concept a little too much. The concept of having to leave your PS5 on rest-mode purely just because you have to do something can be quite annoying. Each cycle can take hours depending on how far you go and how much stuff you get in advance prepping for future biomes, it is quite ignorant in a way to think that players can commit half of their entire days to just this one game without taking a real break.
I am not saying resetting is a bad thing, far from it. However, I see little reason as for why the game resets when you turn off the console. It punishes you for having real-life commitments, not just dying in-game. There should definitely be a save system in-place for when you are in the middle of a cycle and are yet to die. For me, I think the lack of a save and quit system to the liking of which I have mentioned has almost made the game unenjoyable to play for the most part.
Stick to the Objective –
One thing I realised pretty early on is how easy it is to think that this game is just a mindless corridor fest. I found myself just going from room to room, taking out enemies, with no real idea of what I was actually trying to achieve. My best advice is to follow the main objective in the top-right of the screen. This is the ultimate guide and keeping it in mind as you go from room to room will allow you to add meaning to why you are going into these repetitive sequences and rooms. Stick to the objective.
Game-Play Elements –
The thing that keeps games like Returnal fresh amongst the constant restarting is the game-play elements. There is a variety of weaponry, each with specific alt-fire modes, all of which allow the player to eventually pick one that suits their style of play best pretty quickly into the game. Among the weaponry there is also the enhancers such as parasites, which allow the player to gain benefits but also lose something in return. Silphium resins which can be malignant and once again makes the player weigh a risk/reward scale and other general improvements such as consumables and artefacts that make the journey just that little bit easier.
Smoothness of Gun-Play and Movement –
Returnal is the first game on the PS5 to fully get the DualSense haptic feedback and adaptive triggers right. Games like Demon’s Souls and Sackboy: A Big Adventure incorporated the features, but Returnal fully commits to them. This full commitment shows its benefits as it feeds into some of the most smooth and responsive gun-play I have ever experienced. Combined with movement that is satisfactory and smooth, it creates for a fun experience that allows repeating areas to be enjoyable.
Enemies –
Returnal is a game that is about remembering patterns. Although enemies are difficult, if you can remember their movements and attack patterns, it obviously becomes easier. My first encounter with the first boss of the game, Phrike, was a complete failure. It didn’t take me long to realise that this boss was easily the easiest boss in the entire game. Enemies aren’t as daunting as games like Demon’s Souls, however they do give you that immense satisfaction upon beating them.
Visuals and Graphics –
Now this will be probably the hottest take in the review, but Returnal doesn’t look that good… yes it has its moments, but on the most part I came across some genuinely awful graphical attempts. The atmosphere is down to a tee, but when you enter an eerie house and look in the mirror only to see Selene look like she is from the PS1 era, it does take away from the illusion a bit.
Elsewhere there is just some issues such as sudden pop-in, particularly in the opening cut-scene that plays. There is also the issue with textures and blurriness of elements such as fog, which you see most noticeably during the battle against Phrike. There is also notable bugs that have been shown online once again, such as personal issues that I experienced being sudden loud and painful audio distortions that sounded like high-pitched static, and on other occasions audio intermittently cutting out for no particular reason. As I said, despite these issues the game has its beautiful moments and the atmosphere of the worlds are great, it is just not up to par for an €80 AAA title on the PS5 in my opinion.
Conclusion –
Returnal is the first Rogue-Like to genuinely maintain my interest and not burn me out instantly. The game-play is unforgiving and definitely should include a save system during a cycle, the lack of this save system makes the game incredibly tedious and hard to commit to when living with a life outside of the PS5. Visually, the game is not up to scratch in many areas, but it also has its moments. Is the game worth the €80? No. I’d say it is more of a €50 game to be honest. However, it is still a premium experience and one that highlights and utilises the PS5’s controller and features perfectly.
As someone who adored Ratchet & Clank since I was little, seeing Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart announced for PS5 was one of the main reasons I wanted to get a PS5 before the end of 2021. In my review of the PS4 remake, it is no secret that I was concerned for the future of the series, and concerned for large sections of Rift Apart when it launched based upon the issues I had with the remake. That being said, upon playing Rift Apart, all those concerns vanished. With that, my childhood love for Ratchet & Clank came back after all these years. Here is what I thought of Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart.
Story & Cut-Scenes –
In Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Dr. Nefarious has stolen the Dimensionator, a device built by Clank as a gift for Ratchet to allow him to visit other Lombaxes. Through stealing the device, Nefarious is able to transfer himself to a universe where he has become emperor, separating Ratchet and Clank from each other as a result. As the story progresses, other dimension counter-parts of characters come into play. Such as Ratchet’s counter-part, Rivet. Clank’s counter-part, Kit, and even Dr. Nefarious’ counter-part, Emperor Nefarious. Throughout the adventure, the stakes higher. Ratchet, Rivet, Clank, and Kit overcome personal obstacles and join forces with a selection of other characters to try and stop Emperor Nefarious from fully controlling all the dimensions.
The story is nothing to bring tears to the eyes, but for Ratchet & Clank, it is one of the best yet. Compelling characters with an interesting plot-line creates a universe and concept that grips the player by the shoulders and pulls them into what Insomniac have fully fleshed out. This is in stark contrast to the story of the PS4 remake, in which nothing made sense due to choppy movie tie-in scenes being thrown around. This is along with the cut-scenes and conversational moments between characters being as lifeless as a cemetery. That being said, these issues are fully addressed and fixed in Rift Apart.
Characters –
In reference to my review of the Ratchet & Clank remake on PS4, it should be known how much I value character depth in a Ratchet & Clank game. My biggest flaw with the remake was the lack of animation or memorability of the characters. They were lifeless husks that had no believability when it came to trying to convince the player that they were actually interacting with each other in a meaningful way that felt earned.
I was very concerned that this would be the case in Rift Apart. Luckily, I was incredibly wrong. Characters are fully animated, with completely developed emotions and expressions. Despite me still wishing Ratchet could return to his egotistical, rash personality of the old days, I was able to bare his soft and nerdy persona more so in this game due to the development of the characters around him playing into his change in personality.
Characters like Rivet and Kit in particular provide great moments in contrast to Ratchet and Clank. I think pairing Kit with Ratchet and Clank with Rivet for the first portion of the game also created many memorable moments and bred a lot of situations in which character composition and development was ripe for the picking. There are plenty of new characters, such as Pierre, Gary, Emperor Nefarious and of course, Kit and Rivet. All of these characters are fully realised and earn their place in the world of Ratchet & Clank, especially Rivet and Kit, once again, they are brilliant.
Mental Health –
Many journalists have written on the tones of mental health in Rift Apart already, so I’ll just briefly go over the tonal backgrounds of it in the game. Throughout the characters, almost all of them have their own insecurities and mental battles. Though not fully frontal at times, they are always reminded as being present within the characters’ minds.
For example, Ratchet has a fear of meeting other Lombaxes, as he shows signs of insecurity and imposter syndrome. He feels he has not lived up to their intellectual and almost mythological past. Rivet struggles with loneliness and forgiveness, as she spent most of her life alone, fearing to trust others. All the while struggling to forgive Kit for what she had done to her arm. Kit is probably the most prevalent mental health advocate story in the game though. Her story is one of isolation, self-hatred and self-distrust. She was born as Warbot, and as a result, was programmed to have a bad side that ruthlessly attacks all in her path. Despite this, she learns to accept that side of her that she cannot change, and build relationships with those she loves rather than isolating herself out of fear for what she could do to them.
Even the villains such as Emperor Nefarious even has subtle mental health challenges, though not really explored much, there was one line that I related to a lot. Emperor Nefarious had suddenly won, he had conquered everything and yet he still had only realised that his life had to go on as normal. Emperor Nefarious says ‘why don’t I feel any different?’, in response to his assumed resounding victory. Obviously I have never achieved any giant success, but I can relate to the feeling of achieving something and then feeling empty afterwards once that instant moment of gratification has passed.
Mental health isn’t front and centre in Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, but it does play a role in almost all of the main characters. Even if only subtle, the advocation of mental health and representation of some internal struggles that those of us go through, through these characters, is something that I think will allow many to identify with and should have further representation in future games. Kudos to Insomniac for including so many relatable internal struggles within their characters in this game.
General Game-Play –
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart has the best game-play of any Ratchet & Clank game to date. Usually games in the series are rated upon their gun-play and satisfaction that stems from that. In this game, the DualSense allows the gun-play to take front and centre, but along with that, there is also another inclusion that I think helps freshen up the game-play.
The freshener within this game is the use of alternate lines of game-play. This has been used in quite a few big Sony games as of late. In particular, The Last of Us II utilises it to full effect through the branching paths that Ellie and Abby take you on. The same technique is used here through Rivet and Ratchet.
One complaint with the branched paths, despite it doing a great job at keeping the game fresh, is that Rivet never really feels like a different character in terms of game-play. Generally, she feels like a re-skin of Ratchet, this is due to them sharing the same move-sets, weaponry, and bolt balances. I think if Rivet were to have some weapons and moves exclusive to herself, that would allow the branched paths approach to reach its full potential. It would also allow Rivet to truly feel like her own full character, completely separated from Ratchet.
Speaking of re-skins. There is also an element of character customisation that has made its way into the game. You can collect a selection of armour for both Ratchet & Rivet, these are cosmetic changes to their design, but also play a beneficiary function on your adventure. For example, some suits of armour offer better bolt yield, or better resistance to certain types of enemies. If I am honest though, I never really cared much for the armour as I preferred to look at Ratchet & Rivet’s default designs.
Collectables are present in the game as usual through the form of Golden Bolts, which offer cheat-like options in the options menus, such as alternative designs for Wrenches, or other early 2000s elements such as Big-Head Mode. Other than that, they really play no other role outside of trying to obtain all the trophies though.
A major complaint that I do have with the general game-play in Rift Apart comes with the performance vs fidelity options. This is more of an issue with the PS5 rather than with Rift Apart individually, but in many cases, having the option to choose between performance or graphical fidelity feels completely redundant. When choosing graphical fidelity, the game is almost too unbearable, with awful, choppy frame-rate. Although not as unplayable as Demon Soul’s, it is still incredibly annoying to the point where choosing graphical fidelity just doesn’t feel like an option whatsoever. This just begs the question, what is the point in making this an option if performance is only the ever true choice that you have at your hands if you want to actually enjoy the game?
Gun-Play and Weapons –
Guns have always been the main aspect of Ratchet & Clank. Ever since I was young there was nothing like purchasing a new weapon to give it a try. In Rift Apart, the weapons have hit new heights, mainly thanks to the DualSense controller. Though not as immersive as I would have expected, it is still something that takes the experience to another level of immersion from older generations of consoles. Although generally the gun-play does follow the same format as all Ratchet & Clank games. That being, strafe and spam.
With the weapons, there is a large variety, and as mentioned, due to their differing nature, they are made all the more distinct from each other through the use of the DualSense controller’s features. Personally, I found that in the beginning of the game, I stuck to my staple weapons, but as the game lengthened, I went on to try and fully upgrade every weapon, even the more useless ones. Rift Apart does a good job at making every weapon feel distinct, and even if they feel worse than another, they still ensure the player feels compelled to use and fully upgrade them at some point or another.
Music –
Generally, I don’t think many Ratchet games have matched the level of influence and uniqueness that the original game had on PS2. Rift Apart is no different. Similarly to the PS4 remake, a lot of tracks sound like they blend together, being loud and bombastic. Occasions where I arrived in a location and took in the music were few and far between. That being said, I did love the tracks ‘A Most Nefarious City‘ and ‘Zordoom and Gloom‘. I think Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart has similar issues to Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time, that being, just not being able to make the soundtrack sound as legendary and specific to their new entry in the series as they did with older games.
Visuals –
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is easily the best looking game on the PS5 at the moment. There were so many occasions where I found myself absolutely awestruck at the depth of every single piece of scenery. There are moments in outer space where clusters of destroyed debris aimlessly hang, with it backgrounds seemingly going on forever.
There is also grounded moments on planets, where the tiny details of dirt and water particles on the ground just immediately caught my eye.
There isn’t much to say regarding the visuals of this game that pictures themselves wouldn’t do alone. All I can say is it is a beauty, with depth and care put into every single nook and cranny of the universe that Insomniac have created. Even as someone who is a big disagreer with the new €80 price tag for games, this time around, it really does feel like the game has the market value of €80 based upon its visual scale alone.
Technological Marvel –
As mentioned earlier, the use of adaptive triggers and haptic feedback performs its role well in Rift Apart. It allows the player to feel more immersed in the mixture of weaponry at your disposal. I wouldn’t say it is anything special for a game that primarily seems built for these types of features, but it is a better experience for the inclusion of these features regardless.
However, where Rift Apart truly excels is through its performance in terms of load-times. This game is a prime example of what people called next-gen. The SSD of the PS5 has allowed for quite literally, instant load times in Rift Apart. They show this off well through the use of rifts and portals, which allow the environments to instantaneously transfer from one area to another, without any blackening or waiting. It really is something that is hard to get your head around having become accustomed to checking my phone in between load-screens or transitional sections of old-generation games.
Conclusion –
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart calmed all my fears that the PS4 remake had planted in my mind. It is a game with an enjoyable story, fantastic characters, and great messaging in some areas. As well as this, it is also a technological marvel, best displayed in the areas of game-play, visual depth, and load times. Despite this, it still does have a few issues here and there that I think would have made the game better. Such as making Rivet more distinct from Ratchet, the lack of a real choice when it comes to choosing between performance mode and graphical fidelity on the PS5, and slightly, I think the DualSense could have felt more distinct in this game, given that it is based entirely around trigger-usage and distinct weaponry. Other than those minor complaints, all I can say is, what a game. I am so glad I had a PS5 in 2021 to play this when it came out.
After getting a PS5 I went on a mental spree of trying to find as many decent looking games as I could find to play on it, however, this came down to a small number. At the time of writing this review, in February, there wasn’t many PS5 games that were *must plays*. This is one of the reasons I took a gamble on Immortals Fenyx Rising. Nonetheless, let’s get into what I thought of the game.
That Ubisoft Hunch –
I have grown to become sceptical of the games that Ubisoft makes. They have grown a reputation for making repetitive, lazy and annual releases, along with running them into the ground for all they are worth. Just look at Assassin’s Creed for example. My feelings when this game was revealed as ‘Gods and Monsters‘ was one of interest, however, not really being all too invested. Although one thing that is fair to say is that the Ubisoft logo being attached to the game did send me into the experience with a certain level of cynicism beforehand. I found this important to mention as my initial feeling when it came to my judgement of this game was, will it defy my preconceptions of Ubisoft releases? That was the deal breaker for me.
The Story –
The story of Greek myths and gods is a pretty easy idea to make interesting, as shown by countless forms of media such as God of War and Blood of Zeus on Netflix. This was the initial idea that did get me into the game, as I have a history of enjoying concepts based around Greek mythology.
In this game, Typhon has been awoken and is basically looking to end the world and shocker, you are the hero. Zeus and Prometheus narrate the entire game in a past tense without giving away any spoilers, and they are quite funny and interesting to listen to. However, outside of them, the dialogue and accents are awful. I know they’re going for a Greek accent, but the voice acting combined with the mouth-full-of-water accent way of speaking is quite honestly a disgusting combination to have to listen to.
The Open World –
The open-world of Immortals Fenyx Rising quite obviously takes the majority of its inspiration from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which seems to be the new precedent to try and reach in the open-world genre. You can see this through a number of aspects, from the generic over-the-shoulder pan-out camera shot. To the abilities such as climbing, the hand-glider, all the way to the godly abilities.
This game really would have felt more in-place as an RPG rather than an open-world adventure, although RPG elements do make a feature in the game through upgrades of your character and load-outs.
The game feels very linear and quite frankly, boring. The world does open up slightly as it allows you to take stuff at your own pace, similarly attempting to replicate how Breath of the Wild lets you do things. However, it doesn’t work as well here. The world feels almost completely lifeless in comparison to games like Grand Theft Auto, Red Dead Redemption, Breath of the Wild and even Assassin’s Creed to be frank.
Things to Do –
There is a number of things to do, and on the surface, it seems like there is a lot to do even. There is Lyres, Myths, Chests, Tautoros’ caves all alongside the main-story missions. Although these all feel pretty randomly muddled together and generally feel pointless and repetitive, showing clear elements of where the Ubisoft influence comes into this game. The game gets boring very, very quickly. None of the things to do feel enjoyable or worth doing, they all feel randomly and meaninglessly thrown around the map without any real significance or thought put into why they are where they are.
Scenery Scanner –
The main unique idea of this game in comparison to the game it copies is the scenery scanner. This is used to locate new objectives and areas to go to. This is a decent idea but quickly made me feel overwhelmed and doesn’t do a good job at showing you what is the closest thing to you. It does a bad job at allowing the player to have a clear mind and prioritise and instead just completely overwhelms the screen with a bunch of the same objectives.
Conclusion –
This game is a game highly inspired by the game that sets the bar when it comes to open-world games, Breath of the Wild. Despite attempting to copy it in many ways, it doesn’t even come close in any capacity. This game failed to sustain my interest and it earned a place on the list of the very few games that I actually get rid of again upon buying. I stated at the start of this review that my judgement of Ubisoft games nowadays is if it manages to break my preconceptions of what a modern ‘Ubisoft game’ is. Does Immortals Fenyx Rising break these preconceptions? No, it doesn’t even come close.
When I first got my PS5, my first thought was ‘Demon’s Souls’. The reveal of the game was enough to make me truly believe in the idea of ‘next-gen’. So, despite the disgusting €79.99 price tag, I forked out for the PS5’s first truly exclusive main-line title. Keep in mind, I have never played these relentless games before, although have been tempted by the likes of Dark Souls and Bloodbourne in the past. Nonetheless, let’s get into what I thought of Demon’s Souls.
Game-Play & Character Mechanics –
The feeling of starting off in this game is one of dread. You feeling feel like a lost child in a world that is pitted against you. However, through each area that you go by, you feel more and more strong and a sense of power. For me, someone who is a reserved player in difficult or stressful games, the feeling of backtracking, along with the general movement and speed of my character left me grateful and feeling pleased with myself at any level of progression through the game. The smallest progress forward felt like a huge step for me.
As well as the general game-play though, through character customisation and building your class that suits your needs, the customisation of Demon’s Souls is something that at first I didn’t quite understand or expect, yet despite this it shapes your entire feeling and play-through. Of course there is other elements to the game-play, but more on that later.
An Unrelenting World –
The world of Demon’s Souls is something that brings in much of the draw of the game. Usually I shy away from bleak and ‘scary’ worlds in games, however this one drew me in. The lack of sounds and moments of silence create an atmosphere unlike anything. The enemies combining with the general movement of your character create the feeling of a constant sluggish uphill battle the further you get into the game.
However, the uphill battle is rewarded by returning to older areas and beating these enemies who once wiped the floor with you, with you. Dying and losing progress can be agonising, but death is but a sign of progress in Demon’s Souls. The game is incredibly difficult, but not in an unfair way. The sense of adventure, world building, and linear yet broadened paths that the player has a choice in taking is on another level in Demon’s Souls.
The Beginning and Lacking Guidance –
One of the main faults in an otherwise greatly planned out formula is the lack of clear guidance and the confusion that came from the Path of Botamia a the beginning of the game. This was one of the few times in Demon’s Souls where I had to use a guide just to know what to do. I had no idea where to go, what I was supposed to be doing or what the goal even was. If it wasn’t for a walkthrough I do not think I’d have made it through the first area of the game.
However, once this first area is finished and you beat Phalanx, thus unlocking the Black Maiden among other things, the other elements of the game become a lot more clear and obviously progressive.
Killing Tower Knight by Myself and Bosses in General –
Something that adds to the collosal feeling of each boss is the fog of the doorways. You never know what is on that other side, and that revelation is something that adds to the adrenaline of the moment. A gaming moment that will stay with me forever is the defeating of the Tower Knight. The Tower Knight was stressful as he was the first large, mobile boss after Phalanx, which is sort of made to be a tutorial boss. His aura and abilities created a feeling of a boss battle that can only really be bested by the likes of God of War. The moment I took him down, I felt such an incredible high.
Despite the fact that not many bosses matched the level of euphoria I got from taking down the Tower Knight, there is something from games like this that cannot be emphasised enough, and that is just how powerful and strong the feeling of winning in a boss fight in Demon’s Souls and other games of this genre truly is to the overall feeling of the game, even if I did shamelessly cheese my way to a victory against Flamelurker via poision cloud.
Death and the Nexus –
Death in Soul’s games is a big part of the journey. You will have many moments where you unfairly die or die by just being absolutely battered. In Demon’s Souls I thought that the deaths would be something that would make the experience more frustrating, however, they only made the game more worthwhile. For me, each death was like a fire had been lit in my stomach to return to the area I had died in to get my souls, each death was like a signal of the obstacle ahead and the effort it will take to eventually overcome it.
As well as death, another important element of Demon’s Souls is the Nexus. This hub world confused me at first, however it acts as an area of salvation where you can return safely and plot your next moves to progress in areas of the game.
Visuals and Graphics –
The graphical achievements of Demon’s Souls speak for themselves. The setting design is the first real signal of what the PS5 can do. Walking along the bridges of the castle in Boletaria and seeing that Dragon fly over me was something that you need to experience yourself to fully understand just how incredible it looked and felt.
This game is part of the elite when it comes to graphical achievement, and the setting design of each area is a large reason for this. There isn’t much in the ways of massive deviants in location design, however they do all give off unique and varying vibes from one and other.
First PS5 Only Main-Line Title –
This is a great launch title for the PS5, despite being a remake. This game sets the standard of first-party exclusives that Playstation had set themselves near the end of the PS4’s life-cycle. However, I understand that this game can be somewhat of a deterrent for many players, it is a very specific and niche genre that takes a lot to get into. I personally don’t think I’d have bought this game if it wasn’t for the lack of games on the console at the time of writing this review. Despite this, I am glad I did and I am hoping that this is a sign of what is to come with future Playstation first-party titles such as Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart and God of War: Ragnarok.
Conclusion –
Overall, as mentioned, Demon’s Souls is a brilliant journey and experience for all of those who are looking to get into it. It does have a lot of entry barriers for players who were new to this genre of game like myself, however once you get past that, there is something really special there. Despite being a remake of an outdated title, it doesn’t feel outdated at all. It is a great launch title experience that alone can make that hole in your wallet from purchasing a PS5 feel a little bit better.
So, the finale. I have reviewed all three previous games in the Uncharted series, and have gathered mix emotions from all of them it is safe to say. However, when it came to Uncharted 4, I had seen the images and heard the praise, and went into it expecting an experience that was on another level to the PS3 titles, and I was not let down. Without further a-do, a week after its 5 year anniversary, this is my review of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End.
Story and Characters –
The opening hour of Uncharted 4 was enough for me to be sold alone. Coming off the back of Uncharted 3, which had the slowest and most boring start in the series, to Uncharted 4, which has by far the most compelling, interesting and exciting start in the series, the difference was night and day. The intro ending on that credit sequence followed by the brilliant rendition of the Uncharted theme is something that made me feel nostalgic for the journey so far, despite my clear lacklustre experience of it.
The story telling in Uncharted 4, once again isn’t anything to blow you away, but it is on another level to the previous games. Moments that hold weight such as Nate’s brother dying, or Nate and Elena just having couple-banter at home discussing their day at work before playing Crash Bandicoot, for example, are moments that allow the player to feel connected to what have been shallow characters so far in the series. Along with this, it allows the player to be engaged in what is going on. There is consequences to the relationships between characters and how they interact, with twists and turns that are brilliant. I especially adore how much more developed and authentic the relationship between Nate and Elena is in Uncharted 4.
Game-Play – Action, Movement, Gun-Play
Visuals allow for the mind to wander when climbing or doing other repetitive and tedious actions, this is something that the older games tried to do although it just didn’t work when playing them in the modern day. The action feels constant, even in moments of down-time. The movement feels good, although a sprint button would still be appreciated. Lastly, the gun-play is the best it has ever been. Despite being the same formula as past games, feels more refined. Guns hold weight and the feeling of hitting a target is some of the most satisfying weapon-play in any of the PS4 library of games.
Obviously the general game-play could be a lot better in some areas, but when compared to past games, it is light years ahead.
Visuals and Graphics –
I am not sure how they managed graphics like this in 2015, but they did. This game is on-par, if not better, than games like Red Dead Redemption 2 and God of War. The characters look and feel more alive and real than ever, and the general view of anything in the world is a joy to look at, no matter how mundane, due to the sheer detail put into every single nook and cranny of this game. Even if you are not interested in the story, characters or game-play, Uncharted 4 is something to experience purely for the visual accomplishments for its time.
Settings and Scenery –
The settings are something that provide variety. In previous games, there was change in settings, but the graphical limitations rendered them not feeling that drastic from one and other. However, in this game, the level of polish and detail, especially for the year 2015, is something that I genuinely was blown away by.
The areas you go to vary greatly too, making the scenery and visuals stand out even more as you can travel from the mountains of Scotland, which really blew me away in particular. This was the moment in the game where I really got gripped in and completely lost in the world of Uncharted 4.
From there, all the way to the volcanic area of Madagascar, which provides some of the most stunning scenery I have ever seen in a game.
This game truly set a new level when it comes to visual flair and scenery setting, especially when it came to 2015, I truly do not know how they did what they did.
Conclusion –
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End was a shocking surprise when it came to the huge step up from the previous games that it followed. Every single capacity of this game hits new heights for not just its own game series, but for gaming as a whole, especially for the year 2015. An interesting story with stellar performances and writing, combined with some of the most breathtaking visuals I have witnessed. This game was a surprise, especially after my feelings for Uncharted 1, 2 and 3. However, this is easily one of the best games I have ever played.
In the final of the three PS3 Uncharted games, I’ll be reviewing the third instalment of the series, Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception. You most likely get the idea so far if you’ve read my look back at the previous two games in the Uncharted series, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune and Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, so nonetheless let’s just jump right into it.
Story –
In terms of story, Uncharted 3 is one of the poorer ones. Despite the game taking you to a variety of locations, it starts off slow and is hindered by the sluggish pace that this game insists on maintaining for large portions of the story. The story takes incredibly long to become satisfying, with nothing outside of the final three chapters being of note. However, that being said, it does end on a good note with the three main characters walking off together.
By the point the story had become worth taking an interest in however, I had already played through hours of tedious boredom and was just waiting for it to end.
Game-Play –
Along with the story, the game-play is arguably worse than previous entries too, with there being seemingly more climbing sections than ever, along with more shuffling along ledges and other time-wasting activities than the previous two games combined.
However, the movement and gun-play is arguably as tight as it has ever been on the flip-side, that still isn’t saying much, but it isn’t as clunky and loose feeling as the original game for example.
Visuals and Graphics –
The improvements in this department is clearer than ever. The characters have brilliant facial details for 2011 and the environments can be large, sprawling and at times can provide a real sense of adventure and awe, specifically the section where you are hanging out of the back of a plane, which brought me back to my favourite section of the second game, the train-section. This is where the third game shines generally, with the sense of adventure in the second-half of the game rising and the visuals really shining as a result.
Conclusion –
Although shorter than my previous two reviews, that is mainly down to my lack of ability to really form any sort of impression regarding Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception. This game, despite being the most visually impressive, is the most empty experience of the first three Uncharted games in my opinion, and falls far from the experience I had with the sequel.
As someone who both hates anime and RPGs that aren’t Pokemon, the chances of me liking a game like Persona 5 was almost zero. However, against all the odds, Persona 5 has come out on top as one of my favourite games of the last generation of the last ten years. In this review I’ll be going over what I thought of the game and why it best exemplifies how to make a JRPG compelling.
Characters and Story –
One of the biggest pulls that Persona 5 has going for it is the characters and story it offers. Of course, it is very typically ‘anime’ in a sense, however, despite this, I still found myself enthralled, excited for each passing day.
The characters were great. I think the concept that your team continuously grows and provides more options to use is something that is a great strength of Persona. The good character building and development, that takes its time to build the characters, combined with the consistent sense of urgency pressing the player forward is something that really incentivises the player to continue pressing on throughout what is a very long game. Although as a side-note, it is kind of weird how the game condemns a male teacher using a student as their play-thing throughout the story, but then promotes the player getting into the relationship with a female teacher if he so pleases, but as I said, that’s just an off-point.
Despite the story being good, I assume the ending I got was one of the worser ones? I essentially died suddenly having been shot by Akechi, and seeing Joker brutally pass away, only to realise he will spend eternity rethinking over his actions and the outcomes of his friends in the Velvet Room. In some ways, it is a good ending for contemplation, but a bad ending when you consider I spent 90 hours of my life to see how it all ends, just for it to end with a sudden gunshot to the head.
The gameplay is immersive and often tense. I especially found this to be the case within the palaces and throughout battles, where a lack of understanding for the surroundings and enemies you are going to face can leave you floored. However, as mentioned, the battles and palaces are the most interesting and captivating parts of the game, unfortunately these can be lost in a sea of dialogue and cut-scenes. This often left me longing for the brilliance of the battling within Persona 5.
Persona 5 flips the traditional preferences of RPGs. It eliminates the tedious nature of grinding and leaves the player longing for more battles, which is quite the opposite to some of the other more popular RPGs nowadays.
Persona despite following a clear story and path, allows for so much room for the player to create a unique experience in-between. Whether you choose to pursue relationships with other characters, improve your traits by doing a number of extra-curricular activities, or even just taking different approaches to mementos or main-missions, there is bound to be some variety in every person’s play-through of the game.
For me, this ability to switch things up when needed, and that ability being at my own finger-tips rather than the game’s is something that ensures that a game of this length never gets stale throughout the whole play-through. If you get tired of the palace you’re going through, take a break and go out for dinner, take a bath or study at school. It makes often mundane activities feel fun and progressive.
Music –
Persona 5 has some of the best music I have ever heard in a game, ever. Of course I could name the cliche ‘Last Surprise’ song, however, to be a bit more unique, songs like ‘Life Will Change’, ‘Blooming Villain’ and ‘Wake Up, Get Up and Get Out There’ are all just as good as the often overplayed ‘Last Surprise’.
Persona 5 has music to fit every mood, every situation and they are all perfect. I suggest listening to this video of some of the best songs from Persona 5 to fully realise how incredible the OST from this game can be – Best of Persona 5 OST.
Visuals and Aesthetic –
Of course obviously Persona isn’t renowned for stellar animations and graphics, however it does have a unique charm and style that is on another level when it comes to aesthetic. Cartoon-y designs, along with battle animations that are nothing spectacular, but for a JRPG, juggernauts like Pokemon could learn a thing or two from Persona. There is also the general design of lettering, that has become famous and known all over the world, even amongst people who are not familiar with Persona 5. It really looks great in so many areas and the areas in which it falls short appear as part of the charm rather than limitations.
Obviously no game is without its issues, and Persona 5 is no different. Woeful dialogue is often something that can leave me looking like I have just swallowed a lemon whole for example, however I suppose this is just a fault with anime in general that I may be overly picky about.
The lack of battling in comparison with the cut-scenes and dialogue is also an issue for me, I often found myself just getting spammed with dialogue whilst daydreaming at the thought of entering another palace to have an abundance of enemies and battles to take-on.
Lastly, the length of this game is a little obscene. It took me over 90hours just to finish the main story, and even at that, it ended with a rather sudden and unsatisfying ending in many ways. If you wanted to do absolutely everything in the game I can only imagine you’d be going in the 100s of hours worth of game-play. If you like a game with a lot of filler dialogue and hours, then this is definitely a game you’ll enjoy. I never felt tired of it despite its length, but it is fair to say that it doesn’t need to be as long as it is.
Conclusion –
Persona 5 is another game in the same vein of Final Fantasy VII Remake that broke my usual opinions when it came to extremely long JRPGs. It is fun, addictive and extremely unique in almost every aspect. In terms of JRPGs that break the mould, this game is on another level despite some annoying side-complaints.
Little Big Planet was one of my most beloved series growing up. It was the first game I ever played on my PS3, and I continued to play it all the way up until Little Big Planet 3. To see that Sackboy hadn’t been forgotten about upon the reveal of the PS5 was something the awoke joy in my heart, even if it wasn’t in the form of a Little Big Planet 4. Nonetheless, this game was inevitably going to be compared to Little Big Planet in a lot of ways, so how was it?
Story –
The story is actually somewhat similar to a Little Big Planet story. Some craft-based villain is destroying everything and Sackboy has to team up with a bunch of distinctly designed allies to stop them. In this game, it is Vex. He has enslaved the people of Craftworld and Sackboy must defeat him in order to reverse his actions.
Little Big Planet games never had the most complex story, however, they always had memorable characters with memorable designs. Do the characters in Sackboy: A Big Adventure hold the same memorability? Not really. However, they are still charming nonetheless.
Voice Acting –
The voice acting in Sackboy: ABA is not great. It is especially odd that Sackboy now has a clear voice. It has moments of being good but most characters just sound like the same voice actor doing a different twist on a voice. I much rather the Banjo-Kazooie-type repetition of noises that were in the Little Big Planet games.
Game-Play –
Game-play in this game is also adapted to suit a 3D platforming genre. Sackboy is more agile and has a range of new moves such as rolling, punching and head-slamming to name a few to compensate for the new 3D terrains and enemies he has to take on.
There is a decent amount to do in Sackboy: ABA. There is a decent amount of levels, and in those levels there is a Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time approach, with orbs to collect, and a checklist to complete to 100% the level such as getting all the prize bubbles, completing the level without dying, or getting a certain number of points. This a good idea as it leads to the levels being returned to later on down the line.
As well as this, there is the Knitted Knight Trials, which offer time-trial based challenges, Zom-Zom’s Collectabells which can be spent on costumes, something which was a staple in the Little Big Planet series however doesn’t hold as much weight in this game due to the lack of being able to place your own individuality on the costumes. There is a decent amount to do, more than I expected anyways.
Multi-Player Levels –
Little Big Planet built its reputation of its online play and creativity. Playing unique levels with others online was a major part of why that game got as big as it did. There is no level creator in this game, but there is online play. However, there are a few multi-player only levels in the game, this can prevent getting certain trophies for people like me who don’t really have any need to buy PS+ and don’t really know anybody else with a PS5 DualSense to do them with me. This just ends up locking off certain trophies and levels to people who play games solely single-player.
Music –
This game’s strongest point for me has to be the soundtrack, which I have expressed my admiration for on my Twitter. The levels that follow the beat to the music in this game are obviously the best experiences it has to offer. Hearing licensed music was a surprise, with levels playing songs from the likes of David Bowie, Foster the People and more. This concept of designing some levels around the flow of real-life music is something that feeds into the DualSense also, creating vibrations and motions within the controller that match the feeling to the player. This was something I felt particularly in the level ‘Flossed in Space Travel‘ with the song ‘Houdini’ by Foster the People playing to the level. I am also 99% sure I heard the Futurama theme playing in one of the levels, you can judge that for yourself though.
It is quite obvious why this game’s soundtrack has been nominated for BAFTA’s.
The DualSense –
The DualSense really is something special. It instantly improves almost any game. The haptic feedback in the controller and adaptive triggers help create such an immersive experience in Sackboy: ABA. The triggers adapting to what you hold and feel help recreate the feelings of certain materials and the vibrations, especially on the music levels, help create such a sense of flow and immersion. The speaker of the controller also has its part to play if it you have its volume up.
The DualSense, despite having its battery quickly drained when playing games that utilise its features like Sackboy: ABA, is honestly one of the most genius inventions in gaming. It is hard to really get to grips with how much it brings to the table until you try it yourself and all I can do is pray that it remains a mandatory staple in all Playstation 5 releases.
Being Compared to Little Big Planet –
Although not to the fault of the game, I did find myself always comparing to Little Big Planet. Honestly, if you ignore the lack of a level creator, the game does feel like what a modern Little Big Planet story could feel like. Had this game a level creator and been made under the Little Big Planet umbrella, I think it could have been a brilliant revival of the series. However, it isn’t, and holds up by itself regardless, although I still always have that bitter taste in my mouth of what ‘could have been’ y’know
Conclusion –
Sackboy: A Big Adventure is one of the best experiences on the PS5 at the moment and offers genuine quality and fun. It utilises the DualSense the best of any game so far on the console and never gets boring whatsoever. Although it might not be the most perfect or AAA title, it has a charm, and clear passion put into it and does a good job paying homage to Little Big Planet fans in a time where the series seems to be dead in the ground.
With me recently acquiring one of the most coveted and sought-after items on the Earth, a Playstation 5, I found myself waiting for my Demon’s Souls and Immortals Fenyx Rising orders to arrive. I needed to pass the time, and luckily, the Playstation 5 comes with a free game, Astro’s Playroom. I didn’t think much of it to be honest, I was interested to see what the DualSense could do at most. However, Astro’s Playroom was a much better experience than just a short showcase of the controller.
Visuals –
Obviously Astro’s Playroom is a free game, so not much should be expected visually. However, that being said, there is still crisp detail and scenery to be seen. I especially love how some of the details on the artefacts looked when zoomed in upon.
Game-Play –
Once again, free game. However, surprisingly, Astro’s Playroom was incredibly satisfying to play. The movement of the character is swift and fluid and the attacks feel like they land very well. There is decent variety of the levels, with their being satisfying rocket propelling, monkey climbing that was more immersive than most gaming moments I have had in recent times, and weapons such as the gun and bow that felt incredibly sturdy to use. All of the aforementioned is obviously complimented by the features of the DualSense controller, but more on that later.
The World and Collectables –
Once again, I was not aware going into this tech demo how much of a Playstation and gaming celebration it was going to be. Seeing moments such as a bot cosplaying as Aloy from Horizon: Zero Dawn, other gaming icons such as Snake from Metal Gear Solid and Kratos from God of War.
In terms of stuff to do, there is actually incentive to complete the game. There is trophies to obtain and a variety of collectables such as the artefacts, which celebrate Playstation history. There is easily enough to do in Astro’s Playroom to warrant it being a €5 game on its own.
The Controller –
The reason this game exists in the first place is to show off the controller. Out of everything I was excited for upon turning on the this console, the controller topped the lot. I was waiting for a revolutionary experience and boy did I get it. It is hard to really put into words how mind-boggling the DualSense feels. It really is something that you will never understand how incredible it is until you give it a try for yourself.
The moments of rain tapping Astro’s umbrella, or the feel of the propellers inside the controller are just some of the highlights of the immersive vibration capabilities of the DualSense. Elsewhere, the other mainline feature is the haptic feedback triggers. It added so much immersion and weight to everything it made use of. I cannot put into words how innovative and unique this entire experience of the DualSense was, and I can only hope it is something that is made use of and not abandoned for most main-line games like the touchpad was on the PS4.
Sadly, I do wonder what so much technology inside a controller will do for the longevity of the DualSense. Controller such as the Joycon have been plagued with issues, and I wouldn’t be surprised if in the coming years we start to hear about drift or other issues with the DualSense as a result of its incredibly crammed technology into such a small space.
Conclusion –
Astro’s Playroom is easily the best demo, tech-demo, or whatever you wish to classify it as, ever. I went in expecting a free game and came out with an experience that revelled in the history of Playstation whilst also providing a unique, memorable and brilliant show-case of the capabilities of the DualSense controller.
There was a lot of hype around Ghost of Tsushima prior to release. It had a lot of sceptics too, however. In the build-up to the game, many were unsure regarding the combat especially. This was combined with the query whether the game would create a unique and innovative experience or whether it would be another clone of already established open-world franchises. I for one fell into this mindset of curiosity too. Prior to the game’s release, I had not yet been fully convinced. However, despite this, I decided to play the game and in this review, I’ll be going over everything I thought.
Story –
The introduction to Ghost of Tsushima initially left me unconvinced. I felt it could have been much more impactful of the atrocities that the Mongols were committing. Jin’s progress as a protagonist along with the relationship he has to others throughout the story is something that is well-paced and progressive. Especially when it comes to Jin’s respect for his uncle and the samurai code that he stands by.
A lot of the introduction does remind me of Assassin’s Creed, specifically Ezio. The likeliness of how Ezio also had a family code. As well as this, he had unjustly murdered loved ones and was set on seeking revenge all whilst maintaining a code is something that is similar at the beginning of Ghost of Tsushima. However, I am aware that the comparisons to Assassin’s Creed are overdone and far from accurate.
The story progresses slowly, as does Jin’s relationship with others. It is something that begins to linger the more you put off the main story. However, when act II arrives especially, stories and motives begin to heat up and become a lot more interesting. Especially when compared to those of the first act.
Overall, the premise of Jin being an honourable samurai who struggles to respect himself whilst defying his code of honour in order to do what he has to ensure the safety of himself and those on the island is something that is very well implemented. The use of flashbacks and impact that is shown on specific situations throughout the story is something that allows the player’s mind to linger on the impact that moving even slightly away from his honourable origins has on Jin’s mind and self-respect.
The side-quests in open-world games are usually seen as filler for me. Very rarely will side-quests be something that I openly enjoy just as much as the main story. Ghost of Tsushima shifts this concept on its head though. The side-quests are filled with tiny details, captivating stories and often are just as interesting as the mainline story. Along with the side-events that occur randomly as you traverse through the land, you’ll often find yourself having played for hours on end chasing foxes, birds and composing haiku without having even progressed a single second in the main story. Ghost of Tsushima’s side-quests are probably the most captivating side-quests I have witnessed in any open-world game ever made.
Usually, I am not one for open-world titles. However, the uniqueness of the world of Tsushima in ancient Japan is something that I could not help but be pulled into. The excitement of exploring the landscape. The visuals and general aesthetic of the world are incredible. It is something that allows for this game to have a similar feel to Breath of the Wild. Breath of the Wild being the only other open-world game I have enjoyed. It says a lot for Ghost of Tsushima to bring in that same sense of wonder that Zelda managed to create. I recommend that this game be played in a similar way to Breath of the Wild. Designate time to really sit back and calmly take in the world around you. This game has to be played at a slow pace to really enjoy the experience of the open-world it offers.
As you’ve probably noticed on social media and throughout this article, Ghost of Tsushima is beautiful. Despite not being on the scale of a game like The Last of Us it easily breezes into second place for this generation. The game lets you know the beauty of what you are in for right from the title screen. This title screen of which is one of the best of any video game ever.
The graphics and level of detail in the game are only amplified by the in-depth photo-mode. If you’ve been anywhere on social media recently you’ll surely have seen hundreds of photos from players sharing the breathtaking view of everything around the island of Tsushima.
Gameplay –
The gameplay was one of my most sceptical aspects of the game prior to release. I was mainly worried about the combat feeling stagnant and slow, however, that is far from the case. Fighting can be a bit random at times due to the lack of a lock-on feature in battles, however, it does not interfere much. Despite the lack of a lock-on system, the combat feels smooth, impactful and generally satisfying. Along the vein of combat, the standoff feature can also be a bit gimmicky. However, it can be incredibly satisfying and awesome feeling to slice multiple enemies in half one by one.
The mass amount of tools and techniques that are at your disposal is something that assists. Each player can approach fights and other areas of the game how they want through these arrays of options that are available.
The movement of Jin is something that can be off too sometimes. When climbing, he can often overshoot jumps and fall to his death. Also, he can often feel very floating when jumping and when moving around the axis whilst sprinting. However, once again, this is not a major problem. Traversal itself via the horse is swift and unlike games like Red Dead Redemption 2, never feels a drag. This is also easily avoided through the vast amount of fast travel points and the load times are something that makes them almost instantaneous.
The Two Genre Defining Innovations of Ghost of Tsushima –
In many ways, Ghost of Tsushima is innovative, yes. However, to me, there would two evidently clear innovations that made the quality of life that much more improved when compared to other open-world titles.
The first of these two innovations is the wind tracking system. The movement towards more immersive open-world experiences has often been clouded by the clunky UI’s that are enforced all over the screen. However, Ghost of Tsushima is one of the first open-world games of its kind to scrap the traditional compass or mini-map and leave almost the entire screen to the disposal of the player’s eyesight.
Secondly, the loading times. If you’ve ever played titles such as Horizon: Zero Dawn, you will know how painful modern loading screens can be. Despite being one of the largest and most ambitious open-world games of its time, Ghost of Tsushima has incomprehensibly quick load times. I have become so accustomed to checking my phone in between loading screens. However, Ghost of Tsushima’s are so fast that you barely have time to unlock your phone before you’ve arrived on the other side of the map. This was not something I expected but was rather blown away by. It is especially impressive on the current-gen hardware. It almost seems impossible.
Nit-Picks of the Game and Where it Could Have Improved –
I have struggled to find any faults whatsoever with Ghost of Tsushima. However, this is not to say the game is perfect, as no game ever can be. These select few things mentioned are more nit-picks than anything. Along with this, I have one or two suggestions as to ways the game could have improved. As previously mentioned, the lack of a lock-on system in combat is something that is not needed but would be a significant quality of life improvement when it comes to making the combat more precise and fluid than it already is. A little thing I noticed is the screen fading to black in some scenarios. This is rather than showing the events that take place, such as that of some missions early on with Ryuzo.
As well as these slight complaints, there is also an idea that I feel would have made the game a lot more of a specific-to-the-player experience. The addition of a system like in the Fable games where depending on how you approach the game and the style you choose to play in, your character will change. For example, your decisions in your actions will make you more of a samurai or a ghost as the game progresses. I feel this would have gone a long way in making each playthrough more unique between each individual. Along with this, some slight changes to movement when climbing and accuracy and I think this game would have been the most perfect experience it could have been.
Conclusion –
Finally, Ghost of Tsushima is one of the most ambitious and captivating open-world experiences a gamer can have. As a self-proclaimed disliker of the open-world genre, I can say that Ghost of Tsushima was a rare occasion that I am completely drawn into the world of an open-world game. Despite a few quality of life improvements, the game is almost flawless in everything it tries to do. It is a visual and technical marvel that everyone should experience as the PS4 draws its final breath.
Nathan Brennan 