4 GAMES TO PLAY ...
Typoman Switch
In Typoman’s universe made of letters, words can be created to affect the world around you. It’s a cute idea, and one that begins very simply (spell ON to activate a switch) but soon expands admirably, taking every opportunity to tweak age-old platforming actions into fresh experiences. Revolving platforms, for instance, give hints about what they might do next (SPANS), while a warning (RUN) can be edited into a command that enables your escape (TURN), or a monster defeated in the same way you’d extend a word in Scrabble. The emphasis on spotting and solving word puzzles provides a thoughtful tone to your progress, which works well with sombre visuals that recall the excellent Limbo. Typoman deserves the same classic status.
The Station
PC, Xbox One, PS4 The Station is an interactive mystery story, peppered with a few puzzles. A stealthequipped observatory, sent on a mission to study an alien race in the middle of an apocalyptic civil war, has dropped out of contact and you are sent to find out why. Unfortunately, it’s more flash-fiction than ranging narrative. The Station hurries carelessly towards its climax, fumbling crucial story elements in the process and undermining the otherwise impressive tension built during the early, slower part of the game. Given the skilled level and puzzle design and The Station’s overall visual solidity, it’s a shame to see such potential spent so hastily. Reviewed on Alienware 15 (i7, 16GB, GTX 1070 alienware. co.uk/15).
Dynasty Warriors 9 Xbox One, PS4
After nine iterations of essentially the same Dynasty Warriors, any innovation is welcome, and Dynasty Warriors 9 transplants the hack’n’slash series into an open world. So while before, you whomped your way through 10,000 enemies in self-contained battlefields, now the historic conflict spreads in real time across a vast and free-roamable depiction of Han dynastyera China, the frontlines altering as you push through the campaign mode. You’ll still be carving up 10,000 (or more) hostiles, only now you can take time out to craft weapons, hunt, go fishing, or furnish your many habitable hideouts. It’s a jarring blend that doesn’t create a cohesive whole, and isn’t helped by catastrophic technical problems like low frame rates and awful pop-up.
True Legacy ipad/iphone
True Legacy contains some real craftsmanship, but sadly not where it matters. This is an interactive, choose-your-ownadventure story in the mould of App Store favourite Device 6, and the unfolding tale is accompanied by vivid illustrations and full of choices to make, items to find or clues to uncover, while the text occasionally scrolls sideways or diagonally to emphasise the movement described. The medium is wellemployed and engaging, but bells and whistles can’t disguise a flabby script in desperate need of strong editing. True Legacy’s writing lacks the life and vibrancy of its artwork.