Justin Towell

Author
83
Avg Score

This author account hasn't been claimed yet. To claim this account, please contact the outlet owner to request access.

Latest Reviews

Empyreal

Empyreal

May 7, 2025
4/5

Empyreal is a richly detailed, loot-based action RPG with a real 'one more go' quality that focuses on a loop involving selectable level cards. The difficulty can be incredibly punishing and it's rather drab-feeling at times, but there's rewarding depth and challenge if you take the plunge.

Revenge of the Savage Planet is a large, ambitious adventure with great visuals, varied gameplay, and split-screen co-op to boot that's a great sequel to an underrated sci-fi platformer. However, the crude humour and corporate satire can be grating and the whole game feels like a collection of shallow busywork – though the design of the final few hours is exemplary.

Hyper Light Breaker
Unscored

Switching from 2D adventure to 3D loot-based shooter/slasher has changed the feel of the Hyper Light world significantly, and not – so far – for the better. An overly complex gameplay loop, punishing difficulty, shaky performance, and repetitive moment-to-moment gameplay means this is currently way short of the best the genre has to offer, especially when played solo. The foundations are here for a particularly fun co-op experience; it just needs a lot of work to get there.

Towers of Aghasba

Towers of Aghasba

November 18, 2024
Unscored

Exploration is a joy thanks to gorgeous visuals and a varied landscape. So too is the eco-friendly job of returning the land to fertility, even if the incredible trailer scenes are not actually what you'll be playing for tens of hours. The heavy emphasis on crafting and perishable tools isn't fun, but the devs' roadmap looks promising and the rewards are certainly there if you persevere.

A surprisingly charming Lego-ified version of a PlayStation icon, this action adventure has superb combat and sumptuous, entirely Lego-built environments. Mix in some nice village cosmetic tinkering, great vocal delivery from the returning Ashly Burch, and the fact it's also on Switch and it's a very welcome offering. Sadly it runs out of steam after some 10 hours, so it's short but very sweet.

F1 24

F1 24

May 27, 2024
74

Another odd in-betweener year for the racing series.

Forza Motorsport
4/5

Forza Motorsport's fantastic online racing, brilliant weather effects, and liquid-smooth game engine are at odds with the dull, one-note offline gameplay that's nowhere near as fun as that of its superlative predecessor. Turn 10 has delivered a racing game that's slicker than ever, but also a bit of a step backwards.

The Crew: Motorfest
4/5

An open world racer that gets better the more you play it, revealing a wealth of high-quality racing in a beautiful, technically spectacular Hawaii. While it lacks originality, it is better than Forza Horizon 5 in several ways.

F1 Manager 2023
72

It’s a second season in charge, but has Frontier nailed the formula?

F1 23

F1 23

June 12, 2023
87

Brings a far better story mode and... epic loot.