Pass the Controller | Latest news, reviews and reviews in video games
  • Home
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Videos
  • Community
  • About
    • Contact
    • Meet the Team
  • Home
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Videos
  • Community
  • About
    • Contact
    • Meet the Team
>

The Station | Xbox One | Review

19/2/2018

 
The Station is an indie horror from a team of industry veterans.

​Upon discovering a planet with a biome conducive to habitation, Axiom Space Agency deploy a probe to scan the new world. They find intelligent life and decide it's prudent to observe this species before making first contact.

Picture

​by Chris
​Brand

Picture

@SuperCrisco

Picture
Developer: The Station Game
Publisher: The Station Game
Platforms: Xbox One, PS4, PC
Players: 1
The advanced Espial Space Station and its three-person crew have been orbiting the planet, designated Psy Prime, collecting data whilst hidden from the population. Something has caused the eponymous station to lose power and the stealth systems keeping the ship concealed are no longer operational. After failing to contact the crew, a recon specialist is sent in. Enter, player one.

Following a rather lengthy load time, the game starts with you stepping aboard the Espial and you're tasked with locating each member of its crew. As you may expect from a ‘walking simulator’, you aren't given much in the way of clues and must unravel the mystery using whatever intelligence you can glean from the ship and its barely functional systems.

You’re aided in doing so by a continually updating map complete with a, somewhat superfluous, inventory and a list of tasks which are revised as you progress. The map is projected as a floating hologram in front of you and remains stationary until you call it back; it's a neat little mechanic, though it does have its drawbacks. You’ll require some space to deploy it and you then can't walk whilst checking your position, which is slightly inconvenient.

​Right from the off you'll find an audio log left by one of the crew. These are the meat of the story and detail the mission and various thoughts of the team, each one adding another piece to the puzzle. You'll also learn more about the crew via their email terminals and notes that they leave lying around. Cabin fever has definitely set in, with their petty squabbles and jokes exuding an endearing charm.
The messages are prominent enough to easily draw the eye, ensuring you won't miss a single one, whilst fitting in nicely with the game’s futuristic aesthetic. Visually it evokes a certain familiarity, contrasting dark blues and greys with stark, gleaming whites. Further accentuating this with bright neon hues makes the Espial feel like any of the other spacecraft we've served on throughout our gaming career, though a pervasively uneasy atmosphere does serve to set it apart.
The Station’s narrative is masterfully weaved, giving hints throughout to those with a keen eye.
Which brings us to the real draw: the plot. The Station’s narrative is masterfully weaved, giving hints throughout to those with a keen eye, but ultimately keeping you in the dark until it reaches its climax. Everything comes together right at the very end, which left us mentally replaying key moments and realising their significance as the credits rolled.

The accompanying musical score is barely noticeable at first, allowing you to fully concentrate on the audio messages and sounds coming from elsewhere on the ship, before building to a shattering crescendo as you approach the finish line, adding more than a note of tension.

​
You can expect the whole experience to last an hour or two, depending on how diligently you explore. Repeated playthroughs will cut that time drastically, though there's relatively little to draw you in for a second round.
Some slight control niggles, a somewhat awkward map and limited gameplay interactions don’t necessarily make The Station a great videogame. Its story, however, makes it a fantastic experience that couldn't be conveyed with as much impact in any other medium.

Pros


  • First rate story
  • Suitably tense atmosphere
  • Excellent sound design

Cons

  • Limited control schemes
  • ​Brief & not hugely replayable ​​

9/10
0 Comments

The Fall Part 2: Unbound | Xbox One | Review

14/2/2018

 
The Fall Part 2: Unbound - Pass the Controller

Artificial Intelligence is undoubtedly a hot topic these days. Everything from the cheerful Alexa and Google Assistant to the constant, nameless analysis of personal data across the internet aim to make people’s lives easier. As a game which explores these themes head on, The Fall Part 2: Unbound is perhaps more relevant now than ever. This sequel delves deeper into the rules and logic which make constructed intelligence work, and how the smallest actions can push the boundaries of what programming can do.
Picture

by James Michael Parry

Picture

​@james_parry

Picture
Developer: Over The Moon
Publisher: Over The Moon
Platforms: Xbox One, PS4, Switch, PC
Players: 1

Let’s take a step back, though: what is The Fall? Released in 2014 on PC before jumping to consoles by 2015, Over the Moon’s puzzler with combat elements had a good reception, and all the strengths of the original take a strong step forward in this sequel, or, more accurately, the second of three planned parts.

You play as an AI called ARID (Autonomous Robotic Interface Device, if you’re wondering) in an involved story which examines what it means to be an AI and how the character defines itself through its interactions with its surroundings.

In terms of gameplay, the mix of puzzle and action is maintained from the game’s predecessor, with the option to tone down the combat if you’d rather focus on the story. For our money, this is arguably the better experience, as switching to this mode doesn’t tone down the complexity of the puzzles you’ll face, it just makes the combat a little easier to digest.

Some of the game takes place in the digital realm, as ARID travels between different nodes and areas within the system to discover more about her situation, other sections see you inhabit more traditional robots and mechanised combat suits to explore the real world and research the Domesticon Corporation, the classically faceless company from whence you came.

The sections where you inhabit robots, such as a simple robot butler in a stately home, going about his routine, are the most enriching. Not only are you greeted with well-constructed dialogue between the benevolent (but nonetheless invading) ARID and her robot host, but on-screen contextual prompts read in the tone of the character you’re inhabiting, meaning you sometimes need to shake their intelligence to find out more.
The Fall Part 2: Unbound - Pass the Controller
Sections within the digital landscape, while visually distinct and just as beautifully constructed as the rest of the game, consist of fairly basic platforming and exploration, paired with a handful of encounters with troublesome, formless black entities attempting to protect the system.

One of the biggest potential pitfalls in the game is that the very nature of the puzzles may go over many people’s heads and demand more patience than the fraught nature of modern life traditionally allows. For example, in order to convince the robot butler to investigate a certain area of the house you need to gradually create the environment necessary for the butler to come to the conclusion that taking a look is a logical plan, and something which falls within its given parameters.

We spent a while walking around trying to make sense of what to do with a certain item before finally finding the (or, possibly a) solution. Perhaps to others it may be more obvious, but it definitely requires a certain way of thinking. The game does very little hand-holding either, which is admirable in pushing the player to find the solution, but at times it might be nice to have a tiny clue to save going around in circles.
The player is rewarded for examining ​each nook and cranny carefully - in fact, often, puzzle-solving elements require it.
The story is the real star of the show, and something which the game clearly prides itself on. It’s unusual to see as deep a characterisation in an AI, certainly it’s the first instance since the Mass Effect series to really delve into the motivations of an artificial being, and to an extent humanise them with the unfettered determination with which they insist on surviving.

More than that, the game manages to tell a lot of its story very visually, not least through some stunning visual presentation of its world, rather than relying on tons of exposition. The player is rewarded for taking the time to examine each nook and cranny carefully - in fact, often, the puzzle-solving elements require it.
All too often when a game has something to say it can hit you over the head with it, but Over The Moon have done an outstanding job balancing the parallels to our world while examining the contradictory nature of imperfect beings striving for perfection through technology.

This cerebral experience is not a popcorn, throwaway title. To crack its tough, mind-bending exterior you’ll need to adopt a certain way of thinking, but once you do, there’s nothing more satisfying than feasting on its gooey centre.

Pros

  • Some of the most intriguing passive storytelling since BioShock
  • Visuals ooze style and create levels perfect for its world
  • Finding the answer is extremely satisfying

Cons
​
  • Often you’ll find yourself wandering about not sure where to go
  • Combat sections add variety, but could almost be done without
  • 'Part 2' sounds a bit intimidating for newcomers (consider picking up the bundle with Part 1 for £14 at time of writing)

9/10​
Comment on the Forums
0 Comments

Aperion Cyberstorm | Wii U | Review

8/2/2018

 
Picture

Yes, you read that right, folks: Aperion Cyberstorm is a brand new twin-stick shooter for the dusty, clapped-out Wii U (it’s also available on the Switch and PC, plus it’s on the way to Xbox One, if you’re suitably modern). We enjoyed our brief hands-on preview with the game at last year’s Rezzed, but has that early glimpse of glitter faded, or blossomed into something altogether more splendid?

Picture

by Rob
​Holt

Picture

@acousticmagic


Picture
Developer: aPriori Digital
Publisher: aPriori Digital
Platforms: Wii U, Switch, Steam, Xbox One
Players: 1 - 5
From bullet one, Bristolian developer aPriori Digital ladles on the neon colours and hammering techno beats and synthesisers, bombarding the senses across all three main game modes. Something that sets the game apart from the opening salvo of mayhem onward is the option to play any mode with four fellow humans, which is an enticing addition for those of you with multi-chums.

Cyberstorm’s gameplay is pleasingly simple: blow everything up, look for collectibles and survive - not necessarily in that order. Left stick moves your ship, right stick fires the guns, the bumpers provide a welcome speed boost, and the triggers utilise two special abilities, chosen from a selection including rapid fire, spread shot, shield, shotgun and more. Combining these abilities with the right ship - some crafts trading manoeuvrability for firepower, and vice versa - will aid in meeting your personal playstyle.

The enemies you engage get progressively more difficult, graduating from teeny-tiny buggers during the infancy of your quest(s), to truly dangerous foes with brutal, express bullet patterns. The power-ups you gather from the fallen (freeze bullets, fire shots, etc.) will, in turn, assist you in destroying the next batch of baddies - trust us when we say, you’re going to need ‘em!

Campaign mode takes you on a tour of four worlds, each consisting of several branching levels in which you endeavour to uncover the mysteries surrounding a faceless organisation, your lost crew, and a bunch of dudes called the Paladins. The levels are largely made up of quiet, empty corridors and loud, enemy-filled arenas, but the balance never quite strikes it right.
Cyberstorm’s gameplay is pleasingly simple: blow everything up, look for collectibles and survive - not necessarily in that order. 
We would’ve loved to have seen more emphasis on the calmer, explorative sections, as, although the arena and boss encounters are regularly thrilling, juxtaposing moments serve to make them all the more special. A stronger story and deeper exploration would’ve elevated the campaign on the whole, though that doesn’t do too much to detract from the fabulous, frenetic combat and boss designs that are on display and can be tweaked to your liking with a well-balanced array of difficulty settings.

Versus mode brings the party to your front room, in a way only a handful of titles do these days. Get four friends over and you really are in for a treat; you’ll fight each other in a variety of arenas, across nine different match types, in a sea of retina-obliterating colours and patterns.

There’s good ol’ fashioned arena fragfest, a heart-limited survival mode, the you-only-live-once anarchy of Last Stand, timed matches, standard King and Control match types, and even more. This Doctor recommends a prescription of pop and pizza to perfectly compliment the glorious, is-it-skill-or-luck fracas on offer in Versus. If you do happen to be a William-no-associates, fear not, as aPriori have been decent enough to include an option to add bots instead of flesh and blood players.

Onslaught mode is the tenser, Gears-esque Horde mode, where you smash endless waves of radiant rascals, achieving a star rating based on your lasting power. These stars then unlock new, trickier Onslaught maps to weather.
Versus mode brings the party to your front room... Get four friends over and you really are in for a treat!
It’s hard to deny the sheer amount of content on offer here, both in single and multiplayer, but there are a few areas that could’ve done with an extra bit of chim-cheroo. Aside from the Campaign mode misfires, the chief culprit here is the music, which just doesn’t quite achieve true synergy with the game's visuals. Fights generally develop into bullet hell madness, so it’s strange that the techno doesn’t follow suit and amp up the rhythmic intensity.

So, in spite of its limitations, it’s hard not to recommend Aperion Cyberstorm. The music might be a bit of a letdown, the campaign might be a tad corpulent, and the gameplay might not be particularly innovative, but what is here is just ruddy good fun. Get some friends round, bust out those Wiimotes (or Joy-Cons) and enjoy £10.99 well spent.

Pros

  • Huge amount of content
  • Fantastically fun multiplayer
  • Intuitive controls
  • Great value for money

Cons

  • Music doesn’t quite match the action
  • Campaign lacks variety
  • Low on originality

7/10
0 Comments

Shu | Nintendo Switch | Review

5/2/2018

 
Picture

Platformers can be tricky. The art of a great platformer is to pose a challenge without being frustrating to the point that players are tempted to throw their controller across the room. Somewhat like fighting games, not everyone is gifted when it comes to tackling the genre (*raises hand*), and so there’s equally a challenge in making a game feel accessible to that demographic too. Shu, a delightful indie offering from Coatsink, happily toes that line and - more often than not - passes with flying colours. 

Picture

​by James
Michael
​Parry

Picture

@james_parry

Picture
​Developers: ​Coatsink, Secret Lunch
​Publisher:​ Coatsink
Platforms:​ Switch, PS4, PS Vita, Steam
Players: ​1

From the introduction, presented in the game’s impeccable 2D art style, it’s clear that your village is in a spot of bother. Townsfolk of all shapes and sizes have gathered as a wise old elder shares a vision of the coming rains that threaten the area with destruction. The titular Shu, a small, bird-like creature, must set off on her own to find a tower which may be their only hope. What follows is a series of levels spanning vibrant locations, in which you gradually push back the darkness from the land.

Sounds easy enough, right? While the levels begin slowly, letting you get your bearings and learn the controls, at a certain point the screen dims to black and you are told to RUN! It’s these sections, as you attempt to outrun an apocalyptic storm that chomps at you from the left side of the screen, where the difficulty can spike and your careful control of the game’s characters can quickly give way to panicked button-mashing.

There are ten characters in the game, each of whom have a specific ability. Shu alone can glide, not unlike Knuckles of Sonic fame, but as soon as you bring other characters into the party - who join hands to form an adorable chain - you’ll suddenly be able to bash through obstacles, wall jump and even walk on water for a limited time.

Controls are kept very simple, so a single button press, if needed, will activate a power, and the game’s 21 levels, split across six varied worlds, each have different paths to work your way through by making good use of them. Checkpoints are plentiful too, each one resetting your lives to five and making it possible to turn a performance around following a tricky section.
If you’re in need of a traditional platformer with some fresh ideas, Shu won’t disappoint.
​The musical score really helps to bring the game’s world to life, and while not quite as memorable as the recent instalments of Rayman, which are arguably the gold standard for 2D platformers overall, it brings the kind of gravitas you’d expect from a AAA release to the carefully crafted package of an independent one.

​
Shu has been available on Steam and PS4 from back in 2016, and since then a few new levels have been added in. On the Switch, which is perhaps the best-suited platform to its pick up/put down gameplay, the Caverns of the Nightjars add-on is bundled for players to enjoy once they’ve polished off the main storyline.

While, at times, frustration can still build and you’ll need to step away (thanks to those race-against-the-end-of-the-world sections), there’s an excellent time to be had here on the whole. If you find yourself on the opposite end of the spectrum and things are feeling a bit easy, you can always try again with a mind to gathering all of the collectables or setting a new best time, so there’s some replay value too.

If you’re in need of a traditional platformer with some fresh ideas, Shu won’t disappoint.

Pros

  • Great value for money at only £7.69
  • Beautiful score is cherry on top of a wonderful world
  • Short, challenging levels ideal for gaming on the go

Cons

  • Difficulty spike in timed sections can be extreme
  • Some levels are less inspired than others
  • Why do you keep taking my friends away at the end of the level?!

9/10​
0 Comments


    READ MORE

    News
    Features
    Videos

    Comment Here

    Categories

    All
    Action Adventure
    Adventure
    Air Combat
    Arcade
    Family
    Fantasy
    Fighter
    Hardware
    Horror
    Indie
    Management Sim
    Multiplayer
    Narrative
    Open World
    Party
    Platformer
    Puzzler
    Racing
    Roguelike
    Roguelite
    Role Playing
    RPG
    Shmup
    Shooter
    Sim
    SoulsLike
    Sports
    Stealth
    Strategy
    Survival
    Virtual Reality


    Archives

    February 2025
    December 2023
    November 2023
    September 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    July 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015


    RSS Feed

Pass the Controller

News
Reviews
Features
​
Videos
Community
About

What is PTC

About Us
​Meet the Team
​
Contact Us
Find our reviews on:
  • OpenCritic
  • vrgamecritic
© COPYRIGHT 2014-2022 PTC / JMP.
​ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.