The feeling of achievement and closure as the credits roll on this wonderful, soulful game is every bit as keen as the time we looked out from the summit of Celeste Mountain. [Issue#364, p.120]

Even for those players who are too young to perceive the winds of nostalgia blowing through Eastward, this is a game that shows the endurance of the Super Nintendo-era RPG template as a vessel for storytelling across decades - and that is a magic of its own, too. [Issue#364, p.118]

For players who find themselves similarly unsure of their own identities, it could well resonate long after the amps and stage lights have been switched off. [Issue#364, p.116]

One of the most memorable JRPGs in recent years. [Issue#364, p.114]

In its best moments (of which there are plenty), this is about as good as Life is Strange has ever been. [Issue#364, p.112]

It is pleasantly diverting, the kind of game it's easy to gobble up in a couple of long sittings - but equally there's little to really stir the blood. It may have gorgeous particle effects in abundance, but what it's really missing is a spark. [Issue#364, p.110]

If at times Sable has a certain adolescent clumsiness about it, elsewhere it feels mature beyond its years. [Issue#364, p.106]

All that may dent its mass-market appeal, but for open-minded players The Far Shore could well be 2021's most captivating videogame destination. [Issue#364, p.102]

At the beginning of the game, and every morning since, Colt wakes up with a single objective: break the loop. But we're increasingly starting to sympathize with Juliana. Why would you want to do that, when there's still so much to play around with? [Issue#364, p.98]

The mix of leaping and pushing blocks forces you to exercise thumbs and prefrontal cortex alike, but jumping between the two can jar. [Issue#363, p.123]

In exploring the past so thoughtfully, it has established itself as a name to watch in the future. [Issue#363, p.121]

The game occasionally gets lost in the cleverness of its own layouts. [Issue#363, p.120]

Alas, a little too often, Recompile only seems to prove we should be careful what we wish for. [Issue#363, p.118]

For all its appealing idiosyncrasies, No More Heroes has lost some of its urgency and, with that, its potency. [Issue#363, p.116]

Even when it's going wrong, Twelve Minutes exerts an uncommonly firm grip. [Issue#363, p.114]

Humankind isn't lacking in competence. This is a decent historical strategy with some of the best city building outside of dedicated games such as Cities: Skylines. But it would benefit from greater confidence in its central ideas; rather than seeking to ape Civilization, it could be more inventive. [Issue#363, p.110]

Combat can be over in a flash - a Great Sword's focus attack is almost guaranteed to one-shot anyone with no armour. [Issue#363, p.106]

Long before this smart, sweet story has come to a satisfying close, it has taught us to treasure others for their flaws as well as their strengths. "We all deserve a second chance," one character says. Schafer and company have grasped theirs. [Issue#363, p.102]

While the details and relationships are sharply observed, everything around them is a little fuzzy. But then so is the moment it's trying to reflect. [Issue#362, p.122]

Developer Dang smartly refuses to complicate things, instead relying on its diverse menagerie and devious level designs to keep you on your toes. [Issue#362, p.121]

Gratifying though it is to see your decisions produce such tangible results, Where The Heart Leads is consistently let down by its storytelling. [Issue#362, p.120]

It's not so much that less could have been more here, but rather that it fails to replicate what made those classic JRPGs so beloved. [Issue#362, p.118]

It may not be able to compete with the best of prestige TV but, if you're willing to meet it on its own terms, Last Stop is a pleasant groove to slip into for a week or so. [Issue#362, p.116]

Best of all is how the storytelling bleeds into the battles. [Issue#362, p.114]

A distinctive twist on an established formula, and a remarkable accomplishment for such a small team. Its subject matter might seem like serious business, but this game about death feels thrillingly alive. [Issue#362, p.112]

That becomes a bigger problem late in the game, where it resorts to the cheapest method of raising the difficulty by simply throwing high-level enemies at you in increasing numbers. In one battle, you're tasked with holding a position for a given amount of time, before being told that isn't enough; you must now finish off all the remaining enemies. At which point it has become clear that no matter how effective the synergy of our augs, mods and weapons may be, our survival hinges upon us grinding side-quests to raise our level. What a shame The Ascent should make the final steps of its climb so arduous - even if there is evidence here that its maker could yet go all the way to the top. [Issue#362, p.110]

This is a game with great characters, and of great character. [Issue#362, p.106]

The execution can be uneven, but in all of Road 96's wild ambition there is a touch of genius. This doesn't feel like the endpoint of all these ideas, but the marking out of a route forward. It's one we'd love to see explored further. [Issue#362, p.102]