A new lease of life
BEN CATLEY-RICHARDSON TACKLES THE LATEST NEW RELEASES
RESIDENT EVIL 2 Platform: PC, Xbox One, PS4
R ESIDENT Evil 2 is the answer to a million prayers.
A remake of the 1998 survival horror sequel, the locations, characters and plot will be familiar but critical changes to the original’s fixed-camera gameplay cannibalise Resi’s recent achievements – from the enhanced third-person viewpoint that builds on Resident Evil 4’s action-focused regeneration of the series, to the torchlight atmosphere and constant level of danger peeled from Resident Evil 7’s more horrifying territory.
The result is the most accessible, playable, visceral and wonderfully thrilling Resi game ever, one that gives centre stage to the incredible zombies (complete with deformable limbs and killer resilience).
Late game locations pale in comparison to the iconic RPD station, but Resident Evil 2 is an infectious masterpiece. HHHH H
JON SHAFER’S AT THE GATES PC
WORLD-DOMINATION games urge you to expand your territory and build new settlements, but At The Gates is different.
As a nomadic Dark Ages tribe, you have only a single settlement, which can be uprooted and moved to seek out more abundant realms or, later in your civilisation’s development, turned into a permanent kingdom.
As a barbarian, your ultimate goal is the sacking of Rome, but getting there will take generations of time.
Months to explore surroundings, years to harvest resources, decades to build an army. This glacial pace should have been an opportunity to interact with the period’s fascinating history and lend some valuable texture, but instead your experience of At The Gates is destined to be a long, unsatisfying slog. HHH HH
MINI METRO Switch
MINI Metro echoes the pleasingly minimalist style of real-world underground transport design.
Each of the 20 stages, from London to Cairo, is made up of sparse geographic constraints (the North/South divide of the Thames, for instance) and an increasing layout of stations.
The puzzle begins as you link stations with lines, seeking an efficient flow of passengers by upgrading train carriages, making best use of your limited number of water-spanning tunnels or rebuilding a line altogether.
Touchscreen control is fine but occasionally fudgy when altering existing lines, but the Joy-Con is dreadful, making it necessary to pause whenever changes are needed, disrupting the otherwise zen-like flow.
Handheld mode is essential, and appropriately fitting, to enjoy this neat challenge. HHH HH
MAGES OF MYSTRALIA Switch
MAGES Of Mystralia is an unfortunate blend of a bewitching idea and disenchanting gameplay.
The story is hardly inspiring, constructed of bare cliche and undercooked dialogue: Evil mage king, blah; magic ban, blah; young exile, blah. But once runaway waif Zia is rescued by a fellow undercover magician, Mages Of Mystralia introduces an innovative spell system.
Each base power, like a shield or fireball, combines with the many runes found on your adventures to enable hundreds of variations, from homing projects to proximity traps.
Experimenting with this skill set is where the core appeal of Mystralia lies, both opening up new areas of the world and adapting your combat tactics.
It just isn’t enough to overcome the game’s underlying blandness. HHH HH