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From its frozen opening steps across the blasted wasteland of Oglanbyen, Dread Meridian seeks to pull VR horror out of the cliched trenches and into the uncharted cold of cosmic dread. The premise – Daniella’s desperate search for her twin amid Lovecraft-tinged madness – carries the promise of evocative storytelling and immersive worldbuilding tailored for VR. When the game locks into place – the oppressive winds, the haunting audio murmurs, and the palpable silence between footsteps – it hits emotional beats that many VR horror fans crave. This is a setting that feels alive with unseen threat, and exploration here frequently rewards curiosity with eerie environmental storytelling rather than cheap frights. Continue reading “Dread Meridian review (Quest/PCVR)”

UFOPHILIA arrives on PlayStation 5 carrying an intriguing premise: a first-person dip into UFO investigation that merges procedural mystery with atmospheric horror. As you step into the shoes of an obsessive investigator, the game’s commitment to ambiguity and inevitability shapes its narrative tone – you’re not chasing jump scares so much as a creeping, persistent dread that something unseen is observing you. The core narrative loop, cycling through mission selection, evidence gathering, spawn zone identification, and the eventual alien encounter, builds a unique identity, though its execution occasionally blunts the tension it aims to cultivate. Continue reading “UFOPHILIA review (PS5)”

Escape from Ever After on PlayStation 5 could easily have been another affectionate homage to the RPG classics that inspired it, but instead it emerges as a fully formed adventure with its own distinct identity. The premise – placing a fairytale hero into a storybook world subverted by corporate greed – could have been a slick gimmick, yet the game uses it to fuel both its narrative and its thematic depth, blending satire, humor, and genuine character moments into its unfolding plot. Continue reading “Escape from Ever After review (PS5)”

As publishers continue to breathe new life into smaller titles and overlooked gems through fresh ports, this latest wave of releases highlights just how varied that second chance can be. From bite-sized retro-inspired platforming collections finding a home on Switch, to culturally rooted horror making its console debut on PS5, and cozy, physics-driven creativity stepping into virtual reality on PSVR2, each of these games brings something distinct to new audiences. Some benefit greatly from their transition, while others reveal the growing pains that can come with new hardware and control schemes, but together they paint a compelling picture of how ports can both preserve experiences and reshape them. Continue reading “Port roundup: Toree’s 3D Platformer Collection, Apartment No 129 & Umami Grove”