tldr videogame curation
melbourne, australia

Platform: PlayStation 5

Revenge of the Savage Planet delivers vibrant, absurd comedic exploration across bizarre alien worlds; scan oddball creatures, gather resources, and metroidvania your way through areas with new abilities. A wild ride bursting with personality, which can also be played co-op. It stumbles in spots, but if its offbeat, slapstick charm is down your alley, there’s more than enough to hook you here.

A serene and visually stunning photography sim offering exploration and artistry in equal measure. Photo-realistic worlds, authentic camera controls, and contemplative soundscapes capture the beauty of nature and feel of real photography. Occasional bugs and performance dips, but still a unique, soothing experience worth trying if the premise is at all your thing.

Analyst mauronl has shared Devolver Digital’s 2024 investor highlights, revealing lifetime revenue of their top ten major IPs. Aussie-made Cult of the Lamb leads the bunch with over $US90M! Devolver now plans to double down on hit IPs with sequels, DLC, and definitive editions, while shifting to smaller third-party budgets and developing for Switch 2 after strong success on the original.

I cannot overstate how much I love Blue Prince. It’s an absolute masterclass in design, and oozes thoughtful passion. Every mechanic interlocks with intent, it rewards curiosity without ever hand-holding, exquisitely links story and gameplay, and its puzzles are a seemingly endless cascade of satisfying eureka moments. Smart, stylish, deep - Blue Prince instantly joins the ranks of the best puzzle games of all-time. Go in blind, bring a notebook.

I’ll say it: it’s not bad. Shadows won’t win any gamedesign awards, but it’s fun. Looks gorgeous and actually tries a couple of bold things (for Ubisoft standards), but gets lost in its own systems and identity at times. Feels like a noble swing at evolving the series, but ends up more empty than inspired - it’s impossible to ignore how far behind this type of design is. Still, there’s fun to be had, beautiful visuals to behold, and I respect the effort.

inZOI captures the spark The Sims lost - freeform, funny, and full of promise. Stunning character creation, but once you’re in the world, it feels a little hollow. So far a solid foundation with huge potential, just needs more life behind the beauty.

I love everything about KCD2. It’s a rich, grounded RPG that pulls you right in with incredible worldbuilding, smart writing, and deeply satisfying systems. At every turn, you can sense it’s something made with genuine passion, not boardroom metrics. It won’t be for everyone - I’m not sure it’s even for me - but for what it’s trying to do, it’s perfect.

My search for a monster-hunting game I actually enjoy, regrettably, continues. Clearly, plenty of people love the heavy, sluggish movement and combat - some might even like the characters and story. But for me, everything is just too hard in all the wrong ways. The difficulty itself is fine, but every action feels like wading through mud: the sheer effort required to do anything - progress quests, rush through lifeless dialogue, and of course the combat - are just draining, not engaging. And, like always with this franchise, hunting feels more like an endurance test than an actual thrill.

A surreal mystery built on perception, memory and art, wrapped in a cryptic, looping narrative. Its design deliberately disorients, making you feel lost - both physically, within its maze-like setting, and mentally, as you untangle cryptic symbols, shifting perspectives, and hidden logic. Like a living puzzle box, every solution peels back another layer of meaning, rewarding deep engagement and lateral thinking. Very good.

A solid follow-up with a “refined” UI (which I’m still not sure whether I like) and quality-of-life “improvements” (which I didn’t really feel necessary), atop weaker storytelling and puzzle design. The mystery unfolds a bit too predictably, and some puzzles feel like busywork rather than meaningful deduction. Still enjoyable, but an unfortunate step down.