The 2023 Layers of Fear is definitely the best way to experience the Layers of Fear games, but they were never particularly good to begin with. While Layers of Fear is what put Bloober Team on the map, the studio has put out significantly better games since then, like sci-fi horror game Observer, the Blair Witch game, and the Silent Hill-inspired The Medium. Horror fans should consider checking those out before taking a chance with Layers of Fear.

Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Game is not going to convert anyone that isn't already a fan of these types of games, and honestly, there are better, more polished versions of this already out there. Hardcore fans of the Killer Klowns movie will get the most out of the game adaptation, and it's hard to recommend it to anyone else, really. The game has its moments, but it's unlikely to keep most players entertained for all that long.

Mafia: The Old Country isn't a bad game, just a tepid one. Its gameplay is flaccid and restrictive, its narrative is dull and predictable, and its world has no more charm or presence than an Unreal Engine tech demo. It nails the bare minimum, but a game like this, from a franchise as beloved as Mafia, should have gone beyond that.

Even if one doesn't experience these technical issues, though, Saints Row is still a disappointment. The mission variety, co-op, and criminal ventures are great, but the game feels like it's at least a console generation behind in every other category. It's not the worst Saints Row game, but it's also far from the best games in the series, and will likely leave most fans of the franchise unimpressed.

Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey is a bold experiment that really leans into putting players in situations where they have to be creative and resourceful without any hand-holding. Gamers who kick a kick out of the survival genre (like these 10 great survival titles) and love the pressure of finding that next source of food or safe place to sleep will likely get a lot of enjoyment out of Ancestors once they adjust to the controls, but it will likely feel a bit too challenging and aimless for the average gamer.

Players who get enjoyment from titles like Minecraft or even Super Mario Maker will find that King of Meat's suite of creation tools gives them plenty of options and is fairly easy to use. But much like the core gameplay loop, this creative mode lacks the depth and complexity of any of the aforementioned games to be something that could keep creative-minded players engaged for more than a handful of sessions. King of Meat is not an objectively flawed experience, but in a year when gamers are practically drowning in one incredible game after another, a title can't really afford to be this forgettable.

Battlefield 2042 isn't just a lackluster Battlefield game, it's a bad FPS in general. It's an overcorrect after Battlefield 5's marketing was criticized for its "out-there" CGI trailers. It isn't clear what Battlefield 2042 is, or even what it wants to be, beyond a bland step back. One can hope for meaningful content updates later down the line, but the ship is sinking before even leaving port.

Maquette's short length makes this inconvenience slightly less frustrating than it would be otherwise, but it's still a glaring oversight that is sure to sour completionists' opinion on the game. Maquette's short length does make it an ideal candidate for the PS Plus lineup, as this way gamers can experience the story, art, and soundtrack without having to make any financial commitment beyond their existing subscription. But those on PC and PlayStation 4 may find it more difficult justifying spending even $20 on such a brief puzzle game.

Ultimately, however, this latest entry in the franchise is simply not exceptional. It’s easy to get sunk in and lose huge chunks of time tending crops and animals or befriending villagers. But, overall, Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life is a steady middle-of-the-road offering with nothing to recommend over anything else currently available in the genre. Almost every aspect of the game is good but not great.

LEGO DC Super-Villains does little to distinguish itself from past LEGO games, to the point that it still features some of the franchise’s trademark technical issues and glitches.

Rabbids: Party of Legends has fun mini-games and is genuinely a great party game experience that surpasses recent Mario Party games in some ways. However, there are some significant drawbacks that keep the game from reaching its full potential, like the unnecessary progression system, the absence of online multiplayer, and the general lack of content compared to other party games on the market. It's still fun while it lasts, but don't expect it to last all that long.

In the face of an IP filled with rich themes with something important to say, Frontiers of Pandora ignores the point entirely and goes on to have a gameplay loop where players spend most of their time killing otherwise docile animals to make arbitrary numbers go up so they can be as immortal as possible within the confines of the game. This would be business as usual for any other open-world gameplay loop, but it's embarrassingly ironic and tone-deaf for an Avatar game. Sure, anti-pollution sentiments are there because it's impossible to make an Avatar spin-off without them, but they're there superficially and treated as a checkbox for players to complete - ultimately ringing hollow. A betrayal of Cameron’s themes with the Avatar IP, seemingly stapled together as an attempt to get a slice of the highest-grossing film of all time’s pie, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora isn’t just generic; it is downright cynical.

One Piece: Burning Blood is an unremarkable adaptation of one of the franchise’s most popular story arcs, and may not even appeal to diehard One Piece fans.

Skull and Bones is an action-adventure title developed by Ubisoft with a heavy focus on piracy and naval combat. Set in an open-world environment inspired by locations in the Indian Ocean, players take control of a customizable pirate captain and ship and undertake missions to collect treasure and raise in rank. Players rely on ship combat with cannons, mortars, and rockets to defeat both NPCs and other player ships.

At $40, plenty will find Maneater provides the silly escapism that many are looking for right now. It has the humor and the charm, and it truly indulges the concept of a massive shark terrorizing the land and sea. But a disappointing mission structure, performance struggles on console, and a lack of variety keep the game from being a breakout hit.

BioMutant is teeming with potential, but a lot of that potential has been squandered. It's not a bad game, but it isn't going to be the standout project THQ Nordic fans were hoping for. Still, even with all of its issues, players may find themself booting up New Game Plus mode once their journey has been finished, despite breathing a sigh of relief when they finally see the credits roll.

A Fold Apart has great music and a great art style, but it's too short and its story is too uninteresting. Perhaps if the game spent more time developing the characters, its narrative would be more engaging, but as it stands, it's difficult to recommend it over the many other games with emotional stories out there.

The Casting of Frank Stone includes a few minute improvements over Supermassive Games' approach, like its handful of quicktime event-free gameplay segments and clearer look at the branching paths. But it's still just the same formula with the same pitfalls that have regularly plagued this studio’s near-annual releases in the genre. Middling writing, frequently uncanny animations, and a lack of scares make The Casting of Frank Stone another passable entry in the interactive horror/suspense genre.

Tell Me Why doesn't allow players to skip most of the dialogue in the game, meaning those going back through for collectibles or to see how different choices impact the story will experience a lot of deja vu. This inability to skip dialogue significantly brings down Tell Me Why's replay value, unfortunately.

Simply put, the convenience of launching FIFA 21 without downloading can't outweigh the technical issues presented by Stadia as a platform. It feels harsh to say that Stadia is the only thing holding the game back, but there's no other culprit to be found when the core problem is the constant barrage of network issues. The reality is that Stadia is struggling with something as formulaic as FIFA 21, and that's legitimately troubling. It's yet another story of the highest highs and the lowest lows, and it spells further problems for the future of the platform.

The Switch version of Kingdom Hearts only manages to bring an inferior experience to a new console, without giving players access to the portable and casual benefits of that console. So, there's really nothing that makes the Switch version a preferable option over the others that are currently available. For players where the Switch is the only option available, it will work to get through to the end credits, but it won't allow those players to experience this incredible series at its best.

Ghostbusters offers a top-down co-op shooter with light RPG elements that fails to capitalize on the magic and humor of the supernatural franchise.

As someone that has greatly enjoyed the previous games in the series, Toy Soldiers: War Chest is a disappointing experience. The forced use of Uplay for much of the online content, DLC purchases being locked to the account that purchased it, and a myriad of technical issues hamper the quality of the game.

Knights of the Old Republic 2 is a great and beloved game, and its gameplay, mechanics, and systems all translate well to the Switch. It’s great when it works, but the frustrating problem is getting it to work.

One of the best feelings in puzzle games is that ‘Ah-ha!’ or ‘Ohhhh!’ moment when a solution that seems obvious but continually remains elusive, suddenly becomes evident. Storyteller has these moments, but altogether entirely too few of them. It tries so gallantly to keep that feeling, but it ultimately stumbles due to its short length, disappointing ending, and low difficulty. Still, there is enough charm to the game that some will seek to complete the stories that Storyteller wants to tell.

Donut County gets points for its great art style, hilarious writing, and its truly unique gameplay. Unfortunately, as a game, it feels woefully underdeveloped, lacks any kind of challenge, and is far too short.

Techland is apparently planning years of Dying Light 2 DLC, and while that won't fix the problems that the base game has, perhaps future content will focus on what it does right. Those who liked the first Dying Light will likely be able to overlook the sequel's serious flaws, but unless gamers are starving for a new open-world game, it's better to skip Dying Light 2.

Rainbow Six Extraction is a mixed bag of good ideas and weak implementations. It’s unfortunate that the bad manages to outweigh the good, because underneath it all, Rainbow Six Extraction's gameplay approach holds promise. It’ll be interesting to see how Ubisoft supports this title in the weeks and months to come, but it’s really hard to see how it can fix a lot of core issues within the game.

The Guise is a charming game aesthetically but is, unfortunately, brought down by its general gameplay loop. If these technical issues could be resolved, The Guise would be slightly easier to recommend. However, considering the majority of the game revolves around this combat and exploration, it does lose some points.

Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water is a disappointing Wii U exclusive horror story that is more likely to put players to sleep than it is to scare them.

Unfortunately, even getting through the game once can be a struggle, as 9 Monkeys of Shaolin is plagued by technical issues - at least when it comes to the Nintendo Switch version. The game crashed on numerous occasions during our time with it, and there was one stage in particular where enemies kept glitching off the screen and we were forced to restart to the level repeatedly.

Everything in Survival Kids technically works and the co-op support, while not implemented nearly as well as it could have been, is still appreciated. But the game is mind-numbingly boring most of the time and, at a staggering $49.99, it's impossible to recommend it to early Switch 2 adopters. There are far better local co-op experiences on the console at launch, and money is much better spent on those games.

Strong post-launch support like this only really matters if the game itself is worth playing, and we can't really say that about Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3. At its best, the game is a mediocre brawler, and at its worst, it is an incoherent mess with a nightmare camera, frustrating battles, and ugly graphics. Anyone hoping for a return to form for the franchise will be disappointed, to say the least.

There's no reward for pushing through the tedium, and one's free time would be better spent with most any other game. That being said, Death Stranding's social systems really are brilliant, and hopefully we can see the concept expanded on in future games.

Maybe if Nintendo opted to include it as a pack-in, it would have allowed users to appreciate the half-hearted nature of its lackluster design.

With the poor graphics, monotony, and lack of cohesion, I have a hard time recommending it to anyone for its $12.99 price tag.

Cibele is much more of an interactive movie than it is a game, but neither the plot nor gameplay engage on enough of a level to make the short title – which we finished in an hour – worth the $7 price it comes with.

Players experienced in this genre and fans of F-Zero will likely love Redout 2. It's appropriately challenging and adrenaline pumping. When players struggle with control there's little fun to be had.

Kukoos: Lost Pets has personality, some funny dialogue, and looks gorgeous, but can’t seem to find its footing as a new platformer with its myriad of issues. Its intended audience will enjoy how pretty it is and will definitely enjoy using the Kukoos’ pets to traverse the various areas, but the game's technical issues will chase everyone else away. Fighting through the crowded 3D platformer category, its graphics and local multiplayer will only be able to carry it so far, which is unfortunate since the Kukoos could be a breath of fresh air in a genre that can always use new faces.

It's consistently dull and its new ideas fail to make it any more compelling than previous games in the series.

There are glimpses of brilliance in Blue Fire when completing Voids and making one's way through dungeons, but it's all overshadowed by technical issues and some frustrating design choices. Blue Fire lifts a lot from Dark Souls and Zelda, but is unlikely to appeal to diehard fans of either franchise.

MilitAnt‘s poorly implemented targeting system combined with its weak visual presentation and mediocre platforming squander its interesting premise.

Anyone desperate to play this type of game on console will be pleased with the results. Beyond that, it’s difficult to wholeheartedly recommend Infinity Runner — but it’s certainly not without its merits.

There are some things to like about Party Hard, but overall, the game feels like a half-baked experience that doesn’t evolve beyond its basic premise.

If you like the moodiness, art, and adorable lynx babies, Shelter 2 might be worth a purchase if it’s on sale, but don’t expect much.

While there are some nuggets of gold within Star Trek: Resurgence's narrative, the game prioritizes tedious puzzles and clunky mechanics that break the sense of immersion that is crucial for this genre. The IP and some interesting characters are not enough to distract from the poor visuals, controls, and bugs that plague the majority of the experience.

SkyKeepers is very much a flawed game, with a few pockets of gameplay that struggle to make up for the title’s shortcomings. Although there are signs of a good game underneath the surface, the lack of finesse on the graphical front and the level of frustration found within large chunks of gameplay makes it a tricky game to recommend.

Back to Bed is the worst kind of game: one that flirts with some good ideas, but never commits to doing anything with them. The core apple-dropping mechanic gets old fast, and while the graphics look great, they’d be better served in a different, more interesting game.

With future updates, Payday 3 may even be a game that surpasses its predecessor, but it has a seriously long way to go.

This slog of a game fails to innovate or entertain for long on any level. Truly, this is one of the biggest wastes of potential in gaming.

Someone looking for a playable, reliable turn-based tactics game will find one with The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics. It gets the job done, but does so in the most generic, unexciting way imaginable. It completely fails to take advantage of the Dark Crystal IP, and is simply not very fun to play.

Rogue Pinatas: VRmageddon is occasionally entertaining, and it's likely more fun to play with friends, but solo gamers aren't likely to get much value out of it. The game does have a great deal of content to unlock through achievements, new characters, and permanent upgrades, but the core gameplay isn't nearly compelling enough to keep players hooked. The idea of a Vampire Survivors-inspired first-person roguelike certainly has potential, but Rogue Pinatas: VRmageddon falls well short of hitting the mark.

It's clear by its impressive visuals and polish that the developers truly put a lot of work into The Suicide of Rachel Foster. The game is mostly let down by plot, which robs the entire experience of any sense of tension, in turn making the game simply not effective as a horror experience.

WWE 2K Battlegrounds has significantly less online and technical issues than most of the WWE 2K games, but it still struggles to shake off its identity as a small-scale, "budget" game. A lot of it feels rushed or lacks depth, and the result is a relatively barebones, repetitive wrestling game that loses its appeal in mere hours. That being said, those looking to use it as a multiplayer party game may find it to be a worthwhile investment after a price drop.

It seems that most of the game, though, is riddled with sloppily animated and questionably voice-acted cutscenes, and level design that doesn't play to the game's strengths. The good parts are too few and far between.

Atomic Heart's story, gameplay, and world design have promise, but the payoff is lacking across the board.

As Dusk Falls has a strong start and players will find the game hard to put down for the first two chapters, like a great binge-worthy TV show. Unfortunately, its pacing issues become apparent by the end of Book 1, and it never recovers in Book 2.

The game flatout fails to capture the Metal Gear spirit, and while it has some positive qualities, they aren’t enough to redeem it.

While it's fun at first, The Blackout Club just doesn't have enough going for it to keep players engaged for longer than a couple of hours. The game becomes a boring, repetitive slog that gets less scary and more annoying the longer it's played

Some of the problems in MythForce could be forgiven if the core loop stayed fresh and fun, but, sadly, it doesn't. And with services like Game Pass offering up several solid roguelikes, it's tough to justify the $29.99 price tag. Yet, the core idea of an 80s cartoon homage is a lot of fun, and a couple elements of the game succeed brilliantly. A project like this could only have been birthed out of passion, so hopefully MythForce has its day in the sun. The developer has stated it plans to support the game going forward, and further content has been hinted at. But in its current state, there's just not enough to recommend MythForce, both in terms of quantity and quality.

Dustborn’s rhythm mini-game is just another way the game demonstrates how underdeveloped it all is. Its terribly paced narrative is married to an elementary view of authoritarianism and stars an irritating crew that never stops talking. Combat is woefully simplistic and lacks the necessary smooth controls. None of its systems fit together coherently, either, because they’re all underbaked in one way or another and, in some cases, plagued by glitches. It’s hard for Dustborn to fight the power when it’s too busy fighting with itself at every turn.

While Dead Synchronicity could have been something great, it misses the mark with depressing, difficult gameplay that will make any player feel hard pressed to stick around for at least five or six hours.

While the characters in The Sinking City may be more concerned with the murky waters flooding their homes, players will find themselves neck-deep in a flood of technical problems and puzzling game design choices. Anyone looking for a quality Lovecraftian horror game won’t find it here, which is disappointing as The Sinking City was one of the most exciting horror games showcased at E3 2019.

Call of Cthulhu wants to be scary. But instead of invoking a sense of fear in the player, Call of Cthulhu is almost relaxing to play, especially during the detective sequences, which is the exact opposite way a horror game should make players feel. Fans of the genre shouldn’t bother seeking it out for that reason alone, but for many other reasons, it’s not worth playing in general, horror fan or not.

Since the first time through Dinocide can be fairly boring with only a couple of boss battles to break up the repetition, it makes replaying the game an undesirable prospect.

McPixel 3 is mercifully short, clocking in at around three to five hours depending on how familiar one is with point-and-click adventures, but those few hours do drag. Some fun can be had finding the game's more clever solutions but overuse of low-effort jokes and nonexistent sound effects outside repetitive music make it difficult to recommend to most.

There's a lot of work to be done to make Nintendo Switch Sports even half as fun as its predecessors, and as it stands now, it's a game that Switch owners can safely skip.

While The Centennial Case has an interesting story to tell—and it's quite an enjoyable story at that—it's better told in a different medium. As a game, it struggles to balance the narrative with gameplay. Because it hands players the solutions, it then has to butcher reasonable logic or outright lie to prevent them from stampeding through each case. Had it just been a TV show, the red herrings could've been used as diversions that the protagonist cleverly dispels to find the truth. Instead, The Centennial Case feels like a TV show providing pop quizzes with only wrong answers.

Homefront: The Revolution is a mediocre FPS that squanders an intriguing concept, but worst of all the game is not fun to play and overwrought with repetition.

Mother Machine has a lot of personality and some genuinely good ideas that just aren't implemented well. It would be great to see what Maschinen-Mensch can do with more time and resources, but as it stands, Mother Machine feels more like a demo or proof of concept than a fully fledged game.

I think if Rogue Incursion trimmed down its back-half, had a proper ending, and drastically reduced the xenomorph encounters so that they were more meaningful, it would be easier to recommend. But while I mostly enjoyed the first half of the game, the second half was a headache-inducing chore. Alien: Rogue Incursion successfully captures the Alien movie franchise atmosphere and there is a novelty to exploring this horrifying sci-fi universe in the virtual reality space, but its problems are way too big to ignore.

Even though RetroRealms Arcade can be a fun action platformer at times and has amusing references for horror buffs, its pricing scheme makes it impossible to recommend.

At its core, Captain Blood feels like a game that was meant to come out two decades ago. The gameplay harkens back to hack and slash titles of the past, and if it had come out then, it may have fit right in. However, in 2025, the title is extremely lacking. The core gameplay is repetitive, the audio mixing needs a lot of work, and the lack of polish holds this game back considerably. That being said, those looking for that old-school hack-and-slash experience may want to take Captain Blood for a spin as it delivers just that. Yet, for most players, this title does not offer much. It is still nice to see a game get out of development hell after all of these years, but it could have been so much stronger than it is.

Even though RetroRealms Arcade can be a fun action platformer at times and has amusing references for horror buffs, its pricing scheme makes it impossible to recommend.

With the promise of a Multiplayer component upon final release, the title may offer something for a particular subset of players to enjoy. But, as a single-player experience, Custom Mech Wars lacks the overall polish and gameplay elements to justify the time required by players who wish to experience the full breadth of its titular concept.

Ultimately, with a few serious patches to Apex Legends, it seems the Switch version won't necessarily be a bad way to play the game. If it can at least get the technical aspects to a more operating level, it becomes an alternative option at least. However, based on what is shown at launch, it seems likely the port will probably always be the worst way to play Respawn Entertainment's popular BR.

While the core gameplay of GTA Trilogy is truly incredible, the overall package feels rushed and haphazard. Those desperate for old school GTA on modern consoles should check the collection out, especifically if the promised Grand Theft Auto Trilogy fixes come through, but everyone else can safely skip it.

Session: Skate Sim is a skate simulation that was very clearly designed with skaters in mind. From the extremely involved control scheme to the perfectly captured recreation of skate culture, the game seems like it was never intended to be a gateway for non-skaters to get into the sport. But the bugs, difficulty, general lack of fun, and incomplete state of the game make it difficult to recommend Session to its target audience as well. Some gamers may be able to break through the learning curve and appreciate the thoroughness put into creating such an involved skate sim, but at the end of the day, it's simply not fun.

Monster Truck Championship's controls are the one thing that stands out from an otherwise repetitive and dull gameplay loop, thin content, and questionable game physics. Many monster truck fans may have been waiting for that "next good monster truck" game that manages to deliver on all fronts, and unfortunately this is not it.

Back in 1995 is a game that aims to make gamers feel like it was 1995 again, and while it succeeds in garnering a retro aesthetic, it falls far short everywhere else.

With a lack of movement options, poor character animations, some truly terrible voice work, and dull gameplay, Ryte: The Eye of Atlantis is something VR enthusiasts should skip. There are far better VR puzzle games available that are more deserving of one's time.

Aliens: Fireteam Elite has an interesting premise: co-op shooter set in the Alien universe where players must push their abilities, refine their build, and face a continuous onslaught of enemies. In reality, though, it’s a bug-filled slog that proves to be a one-trick pony.

Funko Fusion fumbles its interesting concept with bottom-of-the-barrel gameplay, and it's hard to see how co-op could make it any more tolerable. That being said, the game's latest balance update has made it at least a little better, and so perhaps future updates will make a bigger difference than expected.

When the context and controversy of Hatred is stripped away, players are left with an off-putting and boring shooter, offering little but a sense of unease and repetitive gameplay.

The end result is disappointing and frustrating.

It's a shame that Golem's gameplay falls so short because its graphics, music, and story are quite good. But even with these highlights, the issues with Golem's gameplay makes it impossible to recommend. Golem was once one of our most anticipated virtual reality games, but VR fans would be better off playing basically anything else.

Good-nature intentions aside, however, We Are Chicago stumbles when it comes to presenting a polished and ultimately memorable gameplay experience, failing to capitalize on the depth of its poignant subject material.

Tokyo Scramble is weird enough that it is sometimes entertaining, and it's technically playable from beginning to end, but there's so little enjoyment to be had that I don't recommend it. It's the worst Switch 2 exclusive to date, and with a lineup that includes games like the boring Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour and the wildly overpriced Survival Kids, that's saying something.

With so few 3D platformers released, some fans of the genre may still be tempted to give Skully a chance, and it's hard to blame them. However, the game is just a frustrating experience from start to finish, with very few redeeming qualities. Those looking for a new 3D platformer to play may be better off just keeping their fingers crossed that the next game in the genre lives up to expectations.

Suppressive Fire Games releases Blood Alloy: Reborn after a failed Kickstarter campaign, but problems with basic gameplay elements severely hinder a title that had potential.

Overall, Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Earthblood is a game with a great premise but it fails to hit the mark. Players will find themselves torn between the more enjoyable stealth gameplay and the more efficient open combat approach, all while clunky dialogue and distracting animations plague the cutscenes and interactions with other characters.

The 2024 Alone in the Dark is a deeply flawed game, but at least it's never boring. The first playthrough is fun despite its issues, mostly thanks to the campy story, and exploring Derceto is rewarding, even with the simplistic puzzles. The second playthrough is where it becomes apparent that there isn't much to the game. At best, it's an incredibly basic and generic survival-horror game that's stuck in the past, and at worst, it's buggy and doesn't justify its $60 price tag.

Ultimately, Land of Screens may serve as a helpful reminder for a few players, but most people already know that it’s important to look up from their devices sometimes. As a non-developer, it’s difficult to see how Serenity Forge could have relayed its message in a more engaging manner, but there are developers who have successfully sneaked a societal call to action into their games. This is usually accomplished by focusing on gameplay first and sprinkling the message throughout for people to uncover themselves. Instead, Serenity Forge has made the entirety of Land of Screens about the message and only marginally concentrated on anything else. This has resulted in a flat experience that lacks the ability to inspire.

There is some hope that Bulletstorm VR will improve in time. People Can Fly and Incuvo have already indicated that updates are on the way, but the game will need some massive overhauls to even come close to being as good as the original. For now, anyone itching to replay Bulletstorm should stick with Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition.

Ultimately, Mineko’s Night Market is a melding of boredom and frustration, and a lot of that frustration stems from the fact that the game could have been good. It had the graphics, music, story, and the makings of a gameplay loop that should have been thoroughly engaging. Instead, it just feels like nothing was pushed to its full potential, leaving both the game and the player wanting more.

The story, the visuals, and most importantly the gameplay all feel like the first step in a long process towards developing a fully realized game. However, rather than continue to iterate on ideas like wind pushing the player back, using heat to create light and melt ice, or even just basic traversal, the game shipped as is.

Players will never be tested by the game’s combat, but instead by the awkward camera and just how long their patience proves to last. Although there are moments of quality, the title does little to prove its worth against other games of the same ilk.

A complete and utter disappointment, and not a good start for the Portkey Games label. The game fails to take player choice into account in any meaningful way, the gameplay is shallow, and its free-to-play model is designed to frustrate and bore players into buying microtransactions.