Recent reviews by Cian

There are so many great games to release this year that it feels unfortunate how Tetrachroma will be overlooked by most, as after all, it is *merely* Tetris but with colour matching. But its kinda nuts how thoroughly this singular change completely affects the way you are to play. Standard Tetris builds and metas will not assist you here, requiring you to examine the board in whole new ways and avenues.

As a certified Tetris Freak, it's been so great to get this opportunity to effectively Relearn a Tetris game, and on top of that this is a title with a deep love for other Tetris titles. The aesthetics are clearly inspired by both the beloved Grand Master games by Arika, but also with notes taken from the ur-aesthetic game of Tetris for CD-i. Bonus modes in the game also offer experiences based on the arcade only Tetris Giant and a puzzle mode taking cues from Tetris with Cardcaptor Sakura. It's a genuine Tetris feast, with the only real omission being a multiplayer mode, which I won't hold against a real indie passion project like this.

My only critique is that games of Tetrachroma will last far longer than your typical game of Tetris, leading to larger time commitments than one might be expecting. A standard Marathon Mode in most Tetrises will run for around 150 lines, but Tetrachroma has Marathon last for a staggering 400 lines. It's a lot! Still, will heartily recommend this to any Tetris aficionado.

a fantastic core game saddled with the worst Battle Pass progression and monetisation I've ever seen. Play, but don't waste any money.

15+ years after it's release, Killer7 is still one of the most striking and effective video games ever. No matter how old this game will get, it will still visually be stunning and it's multilayered storytelling will still resonate. Thrilling gameplay and political satire, a must play for everyone.

I am suffering a toxic crisis.

What if Devil May Cry was an FPS? What if Doom Eternal looked like a PS1 game? What if every gun in a game was the best gun in the game?

Petal Crash is a fantastic action puzzler with a really funny and cute Story Mode, an extensive and challenging Puzzle Mode and fantastic competitive multiplayer. No online play but Steam Remote Play works fantastically. Petal Crash manages to fit the perfect Puzzle game balance of having a low skill floor but a very high skill ceiling. Heartily recommend to all puzzle game fans.

The most striking thing about If Found is how it is tactile. The feeling of erasing the words in a dog-eared, tired old diary envelops you deep into the journey of Kasio and the ones she meets along the way. Every word is savoured when you are rubbing them all away. There is beauty in impermanence, and If Found asks us to embrace it. There will always be more pages to write in after all.

Every single screen of If Found is beautiful, and features incredible sound work by 2Mello and Eli Rainsberry. It is one of the most heart-felt and real narratives I've experienced in a game and I absolutely recommend it to all. Please, play this game.

Bioshock 2 was underappreciated at the time of it's release for being too similar to Bioshock 1, however with time and distance to its release, Bioshock 2 is an incredibly rewarding experience far stronger on all fronts than Bioshock 1.

Risk of Rain 2 is a pitch perfect translation of the first game into 3D. A superb roguelike with incredibly fun item stacking and tremendous atmosphere.

Devil May Cry 5 is absolutely fantastic. Nero, Dante and V are all tons of fun to play as and the game is start to finish filled with so many moments that had me jumping in my seat with joy. Nico is fantastic. DMC5 feels like the worlds most polished, highest production value PS2 game, and I love it.

My only critique is that Lady and Trish deserve to have a bigger presence in the story. DLC campaign?