Marathon review

Revisiting a cult shooter from the mid-90s is a risky move, but with Marathon, Bungie has opted not for nostalgia but reinvention. Instead of recreating the single-player sci-fi shooter that originally made the name famous, the studio has rebuilt the concept as a modern extraction shooter set on Tau Ceti IV, where cybernetic “Runners” venture into the remains of a vanished colony in search of loot and answers. The premise is deliberately mysterious, with fragments of worldbuilding scattered through faction contracts and environmental storytelling rather than lengthy cinematics. It gives the setting an intriguing sense of discovery, though players hoping for a more structured narrative may find the lore too understated to fully carry the experience. Continue reading “Marathon review”

Unsealed: The Mare review (PS5)

Psychological horror thrives on the uneasy feeling that something isn’t quite right, and Unsealed: The Mare leans heavily into that idea. Developed by Gamhalla and published by Perp Games on consoles, this first-person horror title places players in the role of Vera, a woman trapped inside a fractured dreamscape shaped by guilt, grief, and the lingering echoes of a family tragedy. Rather than delivering its narrative through cinematic storytelling, the game asks players to piece together fragments of the past themselves through environmental clues, handwritten notes, and unsettling glimpses of distorted memories. That approach gives the experience a strong sense of personal intimacy, drawing players deeper into Vera’s troubled psyche, although the fragmented storytelling can occasionally feel vague or underdeveloped when the pieces don’t quite connect as clearly as intended. Continue reading “Unsealed: The Mare review (PS5)”

GreedFall: The Dying World review (PS5)

Developed by Spiders and published by Nacon, GreedFall: The Dying World revisits the studio’s colonial fantasy setting with a prequel that shifts the perspective in an interesting way. Rather than following a noble emissary from the Old Continent as in the original game, this story places players in the role of a native of Teer Fradee who is drawn into the politics and power struggles of Gacane, the homeland of the colonizing powers. It’s an intriguing narrative inversion that explores themes of exploitation, cultural conflict, and shifting alliances, and the game’s emphasis on player choice and faction relationships gives the story some welcome flexibility. However, while the premise is compelling, the narrative often struggles with pacing, taking several hours before the plot meaningfully opens up and occasionally presenting companions and dialogue sequences that lack the emotional impact the setup promises. Continue reading “GreedFall: The Dying World review (PS5)”

Port roundup: DrumBeats VR, Minishoot’ Adventures & Warplanes: WW2 Dogfight

Ports are a common way for games to find new audiences, as developers revisit projects that originally launched on other platforms. Whether it’s bringing a VR experience to new hardware or adapting smaller indie titles for consoles, these releases often give players another chance to discover games they might have missed the first time around. In this roundup, we’re taking a look at three such arrivals on PlayStation hardware: the rhythm-focused DrumBeats VR on PSVR2, the exploration-driven shooter Minishoot’ Adventures on PS5, and the arcade-style aerial combat of Warplanes: WW2 Dogfight. Continue reading “Port roundup: DrumBeats VR, Minishoot’ Adventures & Warplanes: WW2 Dogfight”