Video games are good at making us feel things for clumps of pixels, especially when those clumps are in constant mortal peril. Herdling joins a long tradition of extended escort quests that deftly fiddle the heartstrings: everything from Ico and The Last Guardian to the burgeoning library of Sad Dad simulators that define modern gaming. Read more

I, like many, was worried about Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater when it was first announced. A remake of what to me is one of the best Metal Gear games ever made, all these years later it could easily have run havoc over an all-time classic for the sake of nostalgia bucks. I am so, so happy to have been wrong. Read more

What do we actually mean, when we call a game rewarding? I reckon typically it’s one of two things. First you have games that reward you for playing them well: rewards are given in return for achievement or superlative skill – a new outfit, a Legendary Cuirass, a skill point or two. Then you have the ones where you’re awarded simply for playing the game at all, that kind of external stimulus for engagement. The Skinner box method, basically, where you get daily bonuses for everything from simply logging in to maxing out your battle pass. What Sword of the Sea reminded me, as I lanced my way through desert dunes, 720’d my way across cliff edges, nosedived off a mountain face, or just awkwardly bunny hopped my way along a ledge I wasn’t sure I was actually meant to climb, is that there’s a third way. A game that rewards you neither for just playing nor for playing well, but for playing it right. Read more

I hate to start a review with a cliché, but reader, I’m doing it. Mafia: The Old Country is that occasional sort of experience that is ‘more than the sum of its parts’. On paper, I don’t think I should like this game as much as I do. When I stop and really think about it – y’know, squinting a little with concentration – I actually think I really do like it a little less. But on balance, in my heart, I greatly enjoyed the whirlwind of mob tropes developer Hangar 13 has strung together here. Read more

The ant-sized thrills of Grounded return in a sequel which lays exciting foundations for the future. There’s work to do but, already, an exciting adventure to have. Read more