Category: Reviews

Survival games tend to be built around the same basic question: how long can the player stay alive when the world is actively trying to kill them? Honeycomb: The World Beyond takes a rather different approach. Developed by Frozen Way and published by Snail Games, this PS5 survival adventure sends bioengineer Hennessy to the alien planet Sota7, where the objective is not to conquer its hostile environment but to understand it. With Earth facing the consequences of ecological collapse, Hennessy is tasked with researching the planet’s flora and fauna in the hope that its biological secrets might eventually help humanity. That premise gives Honeycomb a distinctive identity from the outset, although the game does not always manage to turn its intriguing ideas into equally compelling gameplay. Continue reading “Honeycomb: The World Beyond review (PS5)”

Culdcept The First is an interesting piece of strategy-game history, not least because its original 1997 Sega Saturn release never received an official Western release. Nearly three decades later, City Connection has brought the game to PlayStation 5 as part of its Saturn Tribute line, adding a selection of conveniences without attempting to modernise the underlying experience too heavily. That makes this a rather unusual re-release: it is clearly an old game, complete with its 4:3 presentation and deliberate pacing, but the underlying combination of board-game economics, deck building and creature battles remains distinctive enough to stand on its own. The result is less a full renovation than an opportunity to discover the foundations of a series that has developed considerably since its debut. Continue reading “Culdcept The First review (PS5)”

Point-and-click adventures have never exactly been known for their restraint, but Earth Must Die takes the genre’s more ridiculous tendencies and launches them into space. Developed by Size Five Games and published by No More Robots, the game puts players in control of VValak Lizardtongue, an immensely self-important alien ruler whose route to the throne is about as legitimate as his understanding of leadership. When his empire’s problems eventually lead him towards Earth, the result is a science-fiction comedy that is far more interested in making fun of its protagonist, politics and the conventions of adventure games than in telling a particularly sophisticated story. That works largely because VValak is such an entertainingly awful character to spend time with. Continue reading “Earth Must Die review (PS5)”