Games of the week – PixelJunk Raiders, 3 Out of 10, Ghosts ‘N Goblins Resurrection and Maquette
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3 Out of 10
Platform: Xbox, Switch, PC
Genre: Interactive cartoon series
Price: From £8.39
‘Playable sitcom’ is more 8 out of 10
You have to applaud the developers of 3 Out of 10 for trying something a bit different. Billed as a ‘playable sitcom’, this cartoon title bridges the gap between TV series and gaming more seamlessly than previous examples we’ve tried. You could call it passive gaming, so it may not appeal to those who want deep involvement, as this is very much an easy-going ride, with mini games scattered between the story, and the ability to roam freely around. And for what it’s worth, the story is good – if a little silly but it did make us laugh – told across five episodes at present, with plans to launch a second season soon. The artwork is pleasing on the eye, the characters are fun, engaging, and with the ability to skip tasks, it is a well executed pressure-off approach to gaming.
Skip to the end: An innovative, easy-going take on passive gaming that is appealing, pretty and actually a bit funny.
Score: 8/10
PixelJunk Raiders
Platform: Google Stadia
Genre: Action
Price: £19.99
Die hard
I want to like this Stadia exclusive purely on the basis of its futuristic retro mishmash of visuals, bursting with colour, odd music and the general space that is created. But unfortunately the essential component – game play – crash lands. It seems like the perfect set-up: you’re tasked with saving survivors from a planet that’s been invaded by aliens, with battle and scavenging in between. But for all that, actually fighting foes was a slog, leaving our avatar unable to move as fast as we would like and stripping us of weapons after each loss, making it really difficult to progress. We like a challenge, but this just felt a bit over the top, making us want to give up. The choice of upgrades and different moves is great, but is not enough to turn this raider around.
Skip to the end: Uneven difficulty levels and slow mechanics bring down PixelJunk Raiders’s potential – hopefully some updates will bring it up to scratch.
Score: 5/10
Ghosts N’ Goblins Resurrection
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Genre: Run and gun
Price: £24.99
Still outrageously difficult
It’s hard not to like this retelling of an arcade classic, despite it being insanely tricky. Making your way through zombies and other fatal beasts is near impossible at times, yet for those who dare to persevere, it is entertaining. Oh, and the stiff controls just make it even more difficult. Some will get frustrated. We just had to laugh at how hard it was – it was laugh or cry, frankly – and for that reason, it’s not something we could play for too long. Aside from this, we loved the art and general silliness of the game, which means your character Arthur loses his clothes with each fatal hit. But once you survive a level, boy is it satisfying.
Skip to the end: Tough love for Ghosts N’ Goblins Resurrection, but you cannot help but admire the crazy difficult levels.
Score: 6/10
Maquette
Platform: PlayStation, PC
Genre: Puzzle
Price: Free with PlayStation Plus
Serene and dream-like
Maquette is a puzzle game set in a world built around the memories of a boy-meets-girl romance. The gameplay centres around a diorama of the expressionist world the game is set in, where players must move ornate items and furniture in the diorama, in order to complete puzzles and open up new areas of the world. All the while, the memories of a relationship are played out through audio snippets and floating text that appear as you move through the game, serving as waypoints through the different puzzles as they expand outwards and grow the world around you.
Skip to the end: Puzzles with an added love story.
Score: 8/10
