THREE TO PLAY
PSN games you might have missed
Every month, loads of games come to the PS Store. You’d be hard pressed to play them all, so we’re looking at some that didn’t quite make the cut. This month we’re looking at three that feel like loving throwbacks while definitely doing their own thing.
First up, we can’t get enough of Chenso Club and its chaotic, crunchy pixel-art action. When aliens attack (as aliens invariably do in videogames), it’s up to a rag-tag squad to fight back. The eclectic roster includes the likes of Molly the firefighter and Alice the mountain climber, plus many more characters who boast unusual weapons and unexpected traversal options. Our favourite is Plum the witch, who can not only whizz around on a broom and chat to the dead, but can also fill up the screen with explosive spells. Playable solo or with another gal pal in co-op, on-screen action is often hectic to the point you may well lose sight of your chum or your own plucky 2D action protagonist.
Speaking of losing sight of the unusual suspects, The Mysteries Of Ranko Togawa: Murder On The Marine Express is a complete change of pace. This visual novel follows the first voyage of a new submarine train, packed with the marine biologists of tomorrow hailing from the elite all-girls Saint Joachim Academy. Needless to say, the journey’s going to be an eventful one. The ocean floor sequesters many mysteries, including a deadly ‘whodunnit’ when one of the teachers is found dead in their cabin. It’s up to protagonist Ranko Togawa and her bestie, Astrid, to find the killer before the passenger list is demolished like a dinner cart buffet.
On the subject of feasting, you’ll want to drink in the visual direction of RPG Time: The Legend Of Wright. Presented as a handwritten adventure with plenty of charming papercraft flourishes to add colour, this RPG is the creation of protagonist and aspiring game maker Kenta. But rather than sticking to a tried-and-true RPG formula, Kenta’s vision soon spins wildly, delightfully, out from familiar turn-based confines. Fuelled by youthful ambition and imagination, Kenta borrows all the best bits from his other genre favourites, working elements of action adventure and even bullet hell into the RPG. After nearly a decade in development, this is a nostalgic love letter worth taking a peek at.