Games of the week – Buildings Have Feelings Too, Skate City, Fantasian and Returnal
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Returnal
Platform: PlayStation
Genre: Action/Adventure
Price: £69.99
Age rating: 16+
Break the cycle in the PlayStation 5’s latest exclusive
Battle to break the cycle of fight, die, repeat as astronaut Selene, who has crash-landed on an alien planet after chasing a mysterious signal. As well as solving the mystery of your entrapment, there’s a wide range of enemies and bosses to see off and an environment which changes with each rebirth, creating a fascinating, paradoxical atmosphere that leaves you with a sense of both claustrophobia and vastness. Returnal is tough too, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t enjoyable. A bold addition to the PS5 line-up.
Skip to the end: Groundhog Day meets Alien.
Score: 8/10
Buildings Have Feelings Too
Platform: Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, PC
Genre: Simulation
Price: £14.99
Age rating: 3+
Home is where the heart is
What if buildings could walk about and feel like you and I? That is the quirk with Buildings Have Feelings Too, essentially a property management game with heart. The idea is to place an array of buildings around the city for optimal happiness. With tasks and a budget to meet at each stage, it makes for an interesting puzzle game. Putting a building near a factory won’t make them very pleased, for example, because of the pollution, so you have to be careful about where they are placed to avoid the building’s business closing. While initially fun, it soon crumbles like old brick due, however, to the unforgiving complexity – some decisions are costly and therefore frustrating. I guess it’s a reflection of real life in that sense.
Skip to the end: Offbeat take on property management game, that’s as complex as getting approved for a mortgage.
Score: 6/10
Skate City
Platform: Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, PC, iOS
Genre: Sport
Price: £12.49
Age rating: 3+
On board
Skating games are simple enough to understand without going into huge detail, but what does Skate City actually do? Well, it’s a pretty basic 2D side-scroller, offering players a chance to master combos of flip tricks and other moves, but beyond that there is little in the way of challenge and variety. The three cities to choose from as your location are well devised, and the inclusion of things like an online leader board and an endless mode add something extra. There are also some limited customisation options for your skater’s appearance.
Skip to the end: A simple skateboarding experience that offers some entertainment but runs out of energy quite quickly.
Score: 6/10
Fantasian
Platform: iOS
Genre: Role player
Price: £4.99 per month with Apple Arcade
Age rating: 12+
Fancy visuals from Final Fantasy creator
For those not already aware, Mistwalker, the studio behind Fantasian, is owned by Hironobu Sakaguchi who created the Final Fantasy series, so expectations here were always going to be high. This visual mastermind comes together with a unique approach, involving 150 handmade dioramas. And while production values deliver, the take and gameplay of this Japanese RPG feel less original. It follows Leo, who has no memory from before a massive explosion and goes on a quest to find himself, solving the mysterious events of the world along the way. It is also the first part, so expect a follow up later this year.
Skip to the end: An unequivocal winner visually thanks to the diorama backdrops, but gameplay trudges along at average.
Score: 8/10
