Latest EDGE magazine review scores, Pikmin 4 awarded 7/10

The latest edition of the revered UK gaming magazine EDGE is now with subscribers and there’s a number of reviews contained within Issue 388. Pikmin 4 is undoubtedly the biggest game reviewed in this month’s edition, though the reviewer at EDGE wasn’t entirely blown away with it, awarding the game a solid 7/10. Here’s all the games reviewed in Issue 388.

Pikmin 4:

“In these moments, the series’ strategy roots resurface. Otherwise it’s a largely tranquil collectathon in attractive clothing these are some of the most creatively conceived enemies and beautifully realised environments you’ll see in any videogame this year. It is, as ever, possessed of considerable charm, dusted with mischief and strangeness. But the real surprise is that Pikmin 4 is mostly content to coast on its strengths. As sequels go, it could have used more dandori.” [7]

Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew:

“Think of that sudoku moment when you spot a gap where a lever of logic might be jemmied into a problem that appeared impossible. The rest comes in a rush, one answer leading to another, until you set it aside with a satisfied sigh. The Lost Caribbean’s islands are filled with little sudoku puzzles, but the developer hasn’t preordained a solution: you might approach one from any angle, and with any combination of crewmembers. In place of a nine scribbled in biro is Aalbers’ fishing rod, pulling Theresa with her sniper crossbow to a high tower, where she can blind an overseer in another crow’s nest while that golden skull is deployed. The pen, mightier than the sword? Tell that to the poor blighter who just got Aalbers’ cutlass in his back.” [8]Post Script: How Mimimi Games saves the day by working game design into its fictionAtlas Fallen
“Still, these narrative intrusions are brief, and fail to derail what is, by contemporary open-world standards, an unusually streamlined adventure. And as we pirouette around endgame bosses, effortlessly chaining abilities and attacks together, our feelings towards Atlas Fallen belatedly regain some momentum. If action games are at their best when experienced in a flow state, then Atlas Fallen’s attempts to harness and bottle this magic are a creditable experiment. It’s just a pity it sacrifices so much in pursuit of this ambition.” [6]

The Banished Vault:

“There are some positives. The visual presentation is novel, while the figurine-like presentation of ships and buildings is pleasing. It’s a shame these boardgame-like pieces don’t feel more tactile, however. The soundtrack is quietly beautiful, its eerie ambience and choral refrains evoking your war against inevitability better than anything else in the game. Beyond that, The Banished Vault’s grand journey is merely a wrapper for a series of cerebral, but not especially enjoyable mathematical puzzles. If you’re the kind of player who always keeps a notepad handy, you may get something out of its challenge. Otherwise, the Vault is best left to its long and drifting exile.” [5]

Jagged Alliance 3:

“Notionally, this all fits the game’s comic tone, although we can count the times we laugh on one hand. Almost every character is a pastiche of an ’80s action movie trope, which comes across rather more one-note than we suspect was intended. While the more restrained archetypes – the suave hitman; the laconic Russian explosives expert – are amusing enough, when our crop-topped Gen-Z medic is gunned down, we let her bleed out, thankful to finally be free from her constant, ham-fisted innuendos. And when an NPC drops an ableist slur with apparent self-awareness but without even a shade of dramatic impulse, our feelings are all but tied up. A potent tactical cocktail, but one that’s best enjoyed with ear plugs.” [7]

Remnant 2:

“With that, as much as certain levels draw you in with alluring architecture and secrets, plenty more pass without cause for thought. Later co-op sessions prove more entertaining thanks to the company rather than any strategic co-ordination, while restarting at a higher difficulty forces us to play a little less fast and loose, but hardly smarter. Presumably this is the downside of the procedural generation, whose algorithms spit out as many duds as gems in the level design.Sadly, the mixed results even apply to our canine friend, whose limitations clash against the design of many bigger bosses. Some of these monsters take flight, leaving her nothing to attack, and she’s generally helpless against AOE attacks or summoned mobs. One irksome creation – a series of giant stone cubes that can crush – you instantly – makes a mockery of her skillset, and guiding her to safe spots while staying alive is more fuss than it’s worth. It’s indicative of a sequel that, despite some forward-thinking ideas, lacks the balance and sophistication of the alphas in its pack.” [6]

Videoverse:

“Some of the friendships you’ll foster here are so well drawn – we can’t imagine anyone finishing the game without wishing they had a Markus in their life – that the final act’s narrowing focus on one relationship, affectingly rendered though it is, begins to feel a little restrictive. Cutaways and interjections that underline Emmett’s mood are unnecessary. And a post-credits coda is perhaps one sentimental flourish too far. But the excitement felt at a belated reply from a friend, and the anxious gasp when a conversation goes awry or a video call threatens to glitch out, are testament to the spell Videoverse casts. They may unplug the servers, but those connections will never be fully severed.” [8]

Viewfinder:

“Even with limited film, the (im)possibilities seem to stretch almost to the infinitely recursive horizons of one stage. Almost. Colour filters, gravity, indestructible geometry and more deliver inventive riffs on Viewfinder’s extraordinary central conceit. Occasionally, though, you’ll find a familiar idea less cleverly repurposed, while one too many stages involve nothing more than filling in gaps before strolling to the exit. And while timed photos that see you sprinting (or falling) into shot so you can teleport yourself make for a wonderful – and existentially unsettling twist, the story (a rickety afterthought) – can’t compete with another firstperson puzzler featuring portals. Still, falling just short of Valve standards with your debut is no small feat. It may not be quite as picture-perfect as we’d hoped for, but Viewfinder’s most memorable vignettes will surely earn it a permanent slot in your brain’s own photo album.” [8]

Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical:

“Yet it sounds as if the cast are having more fun than we are. Romancing a character is as straightforward as selecting the responses marked with a heart; with major choices signified by an exclamation mark, we wonder whether our other decisions have any real effect. Picking a defining character trait locks you out of certain dialogue options, but doesn’t restrict a ‘charming’ Grace, say, from choosing a more ‘kickass’ or ‘clever’ approach when the music starts. That flexibility might seem welcome, but these choices are more about determining a song’s trajectory than shaping our character – meaning Grace lacks agency in her own story. And for all the craftsmanship invested in these compositions, it forgets that the best musical numbers are the kind you find yourself humming as you leave the auditorium. When the curtain falls, we’re left with too few earworms, feeling robbed of a showstopper.” [6]

Sludge Life 2:

“Once more, there are Big Mud masters to ferret out, slugs to eat, and gadgets to make getting around a little less finicky, the brilliant glider and warper returning. Even if some of the friction is deliberate, the joy of successfully negotiating a world designed to resist neat, flowing parkour is undimmed. But Sludge Life 2 is really about the many micro-narratives you stumble across. Some are grotesque, such as the man who invites you to pop a zit on his back, the thin stream of cascading pus nothing compared to the moment of mortifying horror as you follow a brown trail down a closed water chute to its source. But there is pathos, too: see the hotel worker, crushed by a fallen lift, but with the presence of mind to ask you to find a way around to remove his non- uniform trainers before his employer notices. These fascinating windows into the lives of people unwittingly close to the end are your reward for being thorough. Which, in a place overcome by listlessness, is an intoxicating act of defiance in its own right.” [7]

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