Nick Banks
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KeenGamer Latest Reviews
With no leader left to organise the forces of the occult, this Zombie Army 4 review sees brutal and historic zombie wave survival spill into every corner of the Earth. Call your co-op tactician friends and grab your mic!
Delve into the post-apocalyptic world of Code Vein in this review for a J-RPG that isn’t afraid to try new things. Code Vein is a treat for fans of anime storytelling, “Souls-like” gameplay and deep customisation. Amongst all the ambition, though, Bandai Namco occasionally trips over its own self-made obstacles.
Layers of Fear 2 is one heck of a horror thriller. Like Layers of Fear before it, this walking simulator / puzzle-lite game takes players on a longer trip with insanity this time around. While the doomed ocean liner setting doesn’t quite give Layers 2 the artistic licence to be as brazenly bonkers as its predecessor, it finds other ways to drop the “holy crap” moments in your lap.
Rage returns as players adorn the highly powered super-suit of a Ranger. Step into a hostile wasteland where anything and everything is trying to kill you. Learn new suit specific superpowers to decimate your foes in showy displays of aggression and destruction. Stepping into the shoes of Ranger Walker, players will embark on a journey fuelled by revenge and rid the wasteland of Authority scum once and for all.
Downward Spiral: Horus Station is a first person atmospheric puzzler. Its main draw is its fully three dimensional movement system as, on this doomed and dead space station, things have gone very wrong - including gravity. Downward Spiral delights in giving many options to players to experience it how they choose. Floating through Horus Station’s dormant corridors, the player must solve puzzles and fight hostile security drones to reactivate its systems and ultimately resolve the astronaut’s lonesome dilemma.
Forgotton Anne (yes that is how it’s spelled in this game) is a hand animated 2D side-scroller which focuses on telling a heartfelt story. It has light puzzle mechanics mixed in that, despite their simplicity, are always challenging enough to lead to player satisfaction. With its Studio Ghibli stylings, Forgotton Anne is truly a breath of fresh air in the indie space both visually and in terms of gameplay. With a strong set of original ideas backing it up, Forgotton Anne is not a title indie fans will want to pass up.
God of War is a story about family and grief fused with all the epic brutality audiences have come to expect. It surprises the player at every turn. That in itself makes this masterpiece from Santa Monica Studio a true delight to experience. Most importantly 2018’s God of War reinvents itself in totally modern ways while reminding players that the franchise has always been on the cutting edge of what videogames can offer as a medium.
12 Is Better Than 6 offers a dynamic top down shooter experience that incorporates stealth elements. It has a strong focus on art direction with its mostly black and white 2D visuals, sharply contrasted with the red of enemy blood. It paints a grim world of a Wild West that remains relentlessly hostile to our Mexican hero wherever he goes.
"Soma - The body as distinct from soul, mind or body." Given the very definition of the word "soma", Frictional Games’ latest title does its name justice. It explores themes rarely discussed through the medium of videogames. SOMA takes its time to make the player think about consciousness, its attachment to our own body and how our reality is only perceived the way it is because each of those things are constantly working in unity. In SOMA, we’ll find out what could happen when one of those things are removed from the equation.
Echo is an idea born out of experienced developers getting bored. This almost feels like an homage to Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. The opening images reveal an odd yet majestic slab, floating through space. Our protagonist, En, wakes up from a deep sleep. What follows is an exercise in experimentation, subtlety in game design and - for the player - any play style they choose.