Syberia – Remastered review (PS5)

The journey of Kate Walker begins once more in this polished revival of a 2002 PC classic, and from the first moments it feels intimately familiar yet freshly realised. The narrative thrust remains the same: a New York lawyer sent to the French Alps to oversee a factory sale who ends up swept into a strange odyssey across snow-covered landscapes in the company of automaton Oscar and inventor Hans Voralberg. That core story retains its emotional weight – Kate’s sense of displacement, wonder and gradual transformation are still convincingly presented. We played it on a PlayStation 5. Continue reading “Syberia – Remastered review (PS5)”

Satisfactory review (PS5)

Satisfactory – developed and published by Coffee Stain Studios (via Coffee Stain Publishing) – leaps from PC sandbox success onto the PlayStation 5, bringing its ambitious factory-building world into living rooms and onto the DualSense. In this console version, the core loop remains unchanged: you’re dropped onto an alien planet, tasked with building factories, automating infrastructure, and exploring as your production empire expands. Yet the translation into a console environment introduces both welcome refinements and subtle compromises. Continue reading “Satisfactory review (PS5)”

Of Lies and Rain review (PSVR2)

From the moment players are thrust into the shattered surface of a war-torn Earth, the PS VR2 version of Of Lies and Rain sets a tone of bleak grandeur. Castello Inc has designed the game as a VR-exclusive first-person shooter driven by narrative, and in many ways that ambition is clearly evident. The story places you, a memory-wiped survivor, against the rogue AI A.D.E. after two decades of conflict and hiding beneath the planet’s crust. The intertwining of real-world ruins and a digitised “Data World” gives the narrative a layered feel, embracing both post-apocalyptic grit and abstract sci-fi reach. That atmosphere remains strong, though some narrative beats feel familiar rather than groundbreaking. Continue reading “Of Lies and Rain review (PSVR2)”

DLC roundup: Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders, Undisputed & Formula Legends

Downloadable content has become an essential way for developers to expand and refine their games long after release, whether through fresh storylines, new arenas, or mechanical twists that keep familiar worlds feeling alive. This latest wave of DLC releases continues that trend, offering everything from substantial expansions that reimagine gameplay flow to smaller content drops aimed at deepening the experience for dedicated fans. From new content for Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders to a bundle of DLC for Undisputed and new cars for Formula Legends, each of these new additions shows how post-launch support can redefine a title’s lifespan – and offer players another reason to dive back in. Continue reading “DLC roundup: Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders, Undisputed & Formula Legends”

Developer interview: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (Walkabout Mini Golf)

Mighty Coconut will soon release an Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland DLC course for Walkabout Mini Golf, and in this interview we speak with Don Carson to learn how the team translated Carroll’s surreal world into playful, navigable spaces for VR. Don Carson is the senior art director for Mighty Coconut, and has worked as a Senior Show Designer for Walt Disney Imagineering, art directing projects like Splash Mountain, Mickey’s Toontown and Blizzard Beach. His focus is bringing design principles unique to environmental storytelling to projects all over the world. Don has applied designs to computer games, the theatre and other media. He has a long career in theme park design, and strives to show the potential of using the principles of environmental storytelling to influence an audience’s experience, whether they are exploring a physical or virtual world. This conversation covers the course’s inspirations, John Tenniel’s influence, scenes that work particularly well in VR mini golf, the design challenges of making Wonderland playable, and how the studio balances nostalgia with a fresh Mighty Coconut spin. Continue reading “Developer interview: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (Walkabout Mini Golf)”