With Wolcen: Lords of Mayhem, LEAP and Postal 4: No Regerts we’re looking at three games that were previously available on PC but have now made the jump (or should we say leap here?) to consoles.
Wolcen: Lords Of Mayhem review (PS5)
Having launched on Steam three years ago already, we weren’t expecting Wolcen: Lords of Mayhem to still make an appearance on consoles, but as action RPG fans we were glad to see WOLCEN Studio’s game make an appearance on PlayStation and Xbox after all. With Diablo-inspired hack and slash gameplay that’s relatively rare on consoles, it’s a nice addition to fans of the genre.
One of the features that stands out in Wolcen: Lords of Mayhem is its character customization system, where players can create their own character from scratch, choosing from a wide range of skills, abilities, and attributes. This allows for a high degree of personalization, as well as a certain degree of replayability even though the well-written narrative that’s set in a dark fantasy world doesn’t change much based on your choices.
The bulk of the combat system is fast-paced and fluid, leaning into satisfying hack and slash combat although you also have ranged attacks available to you. A dynamic environmental destruction system adds an extra layer of strategy to combat, letting players destroy objects to create new paths or take out enemies. For a game from an unknown studio, the visuals are impressive, with detailed environments and some good lighting and particle effects. The PS5 port also runs well, so it’s a technically impressive port of an ambitious game.
Wolcen: Lords of Mayhem lacks some of the refinement and polish of larger productions from big studios and publishes in terms of pacing and a carefully balanced difficulty level, but the impressive scope of the world building and entertaining minute-to-minute gameplay make this a great option for genre fans while they wait for Diablo IV’s full release later this year.
LEAP review (PS5)
We previously covered Blue Isle’s LEAP when it launched on Steam, and it recently received ports for PlayStation and Xbox, having since also launched in its full form on PC. In a crowded first person shooter arena, what does it do to stand out?
If you’re an avid player of FPS games, then chances are that you won’t see too much in LEAP that you haven’t seen before. For instance, the game’s classes break down to familiar types like a medic/healer, a sniper, heavy infantry and mobile infantry – each of which has a powerful super move that you can use to turn the tide of battle. You’ll also notice familiar game modes like CTF and Team Deathmatch, as well as traversal modes like grappling hooks, and if you regularly play games like Apex Legends, Overwatch and Destiny things will feel very familiar indeed.
In terms of game modes, the most interesting mode is Control, which features 60 players battling on two sides for control of certain points on the map. Not entirely original either, but combined with LEAP’s heavy emphasis on mobility and traversal it’s a nice mix of having stationary points to control while also being dynamic in where on the map you are. With such a sense of deja vu elsewhere in the game, it quickly became our go-to mode in LEAP.
But while entertaining, we could see LEAP struggling to find its audience, especially long-term. So many of its mechanics have been done elsewhere, and while LEAP doesn’t implement them any worse here there’s little incentive for people to try it out if they’re happy with what they’ve got already. In that sense, LEAP is one of those games that would be perfect for a trial – though that’s not currently available. We recommend checking out a few gameplay videos instead, to see if this could be your next multiplayer addition. It’s fun to play, just not all that original.
Postal 4: No Regerts review (PS5)
It’s amazing that the Postal series has been running for so long, especially when you consider that we initially considered it to be a bit of a parody on a genre. Here we are though, with a brand new console port of Postal 4: No Regerts, a first-person shooter developed and published by Running with Scissors. As you’d expect it offers a satirical take on modern society, with a chance to let loose and cause chaos in the fictional town of Edensin.
While this isn’t a game known for its looks, the Playstation 5 version of Postal 4: No Regerts offers decent graphics and solid performance, bringing the town of Edensin to life with some over the top character models and locations. The game’s core gameplay loop is simple: players take on various errands and tasks in town, completing them by any means necessary. This often involves causing chaos, engaging in gunfights, and generally wreaking havoc on the town’s inhabitants. The game’s satirical humor and over-the-top violence will likely not be for everyone, but those who appreciate the game’s unique style will find plenty to enjoy and by this time you probably know what you’re in for when you start up a Postal game.
An interesting element of Postal 4: No Regerts is its open-world design. Players are free to explore the town of Edensin at their leisure, discovering hidden areas and engaging in side activities. The game’s world feels alive and reactive, with NPCs reacting to the player’s actions as you progress through the game’s various missions, using a decent variety of weapons – which can be upgraded as well.
But while that all sounds good on paper, Postal 4: No Regerts also leans into the “cult game” appeal of the previous games, with gameplay that’s not going to impress you if you’re looking for a great first person shooter. The humor is an acquired taste as well, not opting for the subtle nuanced style of graphical adventure games but for often crude and immature jokes. We definitely won’t deny that some of it appealed to our inner 15 year old and made us chuckle, but you should set your expectations accordingly if you’re aiming to have fun with this one.
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