Why Cronos: The New Dawn, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater and more make this one stellar spring in video games.
As the video game season heats up there is an utter embaressment of riches. So here’s everything worth checking out this Spring season.
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC)
With no new Metal Gear Solid on the horizon anytime soon, it leaves Konami to spruce up the classic back catalogue instead. But while another release of this PS2 classic may raise a few eyebrows, this faithful remake has no need to slink around in the shadows.
Rebuilt with Unreal Engine 5, Delta is a visual delight – packing infinitely more detail into Snake’s face, while also providing richer detail to the dense and dangerous jungle environment. It skilfully walks the line between modernisation and reinvention, allowing the whole experience to remain just as you remember it, only much prettier.
This faithfulness extends to the game as a whole which long-time fans of the series will likely gel with considering Kojima’s lack of involvement in the project. What has been tweaked though is some of the gameplay, like a more modern camera angle that shows you more of the action. But while some of these changes decrease the barrier to entry for newcomers, it also arguably can remove much of the original challenge. Luckily these options can be toggled, so long-time fans can make their own judgement about what to turn on or leave off.
Combined, this helps elevate Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater to cement itself as one of the best remakes in quite some time. If Konami can bring the same TLC to the rest of the series I certainly wouldn’t be opposed.
Love Film & TV?
Get your daily dose of everything happening in music, film and TV in Australia and abroad.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Star-Crossed World (Switch 2)
While Nintendo’s pink puff doesn’t always gain the most amount of recognition he deserves, Kirby and the Forgotten Land did well to help change that.
Now this Switch 2 edition helps bring that core experience to a new audience amidst a couple of nice upgrades as well as a sprinkling of new content for returning players.
The first thing you’ll likely notice are the performance updates, and while hardly essential, Nintendo has done well to spruce up this charming adventure. Both the resolution and frame rate have been boosted, meaning you’ll nab more detail in the world while still having everything run better at the same time. As a result, I didn’t experience any major performance drops in my time with the game, including the new content offered as part of Star-Crossed World.
It’s here that you’ll be tasked with collecting ‘Starries’ blue crystal shards that are scattered all across the game’s various lands. It’s a more extensive offering than I was expecting as well – with two stages opening up in each of the game’s prior environments, but due to the crystals, each environment has been smartly reworked to feel fresh and exciting again, with new challenges, enemies and more.
That means if you’ve never played Kirby and the Forgotten Land, this edition is an obvious purchase for your Switch 2. If you’re looking to upgrade, on the other hand, the asking price might be a little steep for the inclusions, but you can be sure it’s still filled with classic Nintendo charm.
Cronos: The New Dawn (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, PC)
Bloober Team is on something of a hot streak at the moment. After a pretty stellar remake of Silent Hill 2, now the studio presents an original idea in the form of Cronos: The New Dawn.
And it’s this idea that is instantly intriguing, focusing on a time traveller tasked with going back to 1980s Poland to obtain the memories of key individuals to help prevent a disease that otherwise obliterates humanity.
The only problem with that is your journey is littered with mutated monsters dead set on tearing you to shreds. “Orphans” as the game refers to them, are no joke either – some capable of absorbing some of their fallen brethren to merge and evolve into even nastier foes. Cronos is not afraid of a bit of tentacle action, and this in turn creates a fun amount of tension to make sure you balance your resource management with the ever-present threat level.
Working out which weapon choice to prioritise and how best to take on Orphans without depleting your resources was consistently rewarding and reminded me of classics like Dead Space, even if Cronos moment-to-moment doesn’t quite reach similar highs.
Its visual performance does though, because Cronos is one very pretty video game, and combined with a spooky score, does well to establish one hell of an atmospheric nightmare that is bound to impress.
Star Wars Outlaws (Switch 2)
When I reviewed Star Wars Outlaws back in its 2024 I said it was a perfectly enjoyable romp with room to grow a little more. Now Nintendo fans can indulge in the scoundrel life with the Switch 2, and it’s truly shocking how good this port manages to be. Not only has Ubisoft managed to nail a stable 30 fps, it has done so while also offering up the rat traced effects found in the much larger, more expensive competitors. Reflections are plentiful and accurate, helping properly It’s truly incredible how well this port performs in both handheld and docked form and should be a shining example for other developers.
What’s even better is that the port also makes the most of Outlaws’ many patches to the core gameplay, meaning all those pesky insta-fail stealth sections have been given the boot. That helps the tale of Kay Vess’ antics after a heist goes awry all the more appealing and should help keep even more fans hooked.
Defying all odds this is without question one of the Switch 2’s best poets so far and is an absolutely resentment to what the Switch 2 is capable of. That helps make Star Wars Outlaws easily recommendable no matter if you’ve played it before or not.
Drag X Drive (Switch 2)
If you love your Nintendo games full of the company’s signature quirk then you needn’t look any further than Drag X Drive – a wheelchair basketball game that sets its sights squarely on the Switch 2’s new mouse mode. It sounds odd because, for the most part, it is, and the game’s unconventional control method is the main reason for that.
With each of the Switch 2’s Joy-Cons controlling one of your character’s arm, its up to you to them forwards or backwards by sliding the controllers on a flat surface (be that a table or even your legs). Add some waggling motions to shoot the ball or flag passes and you’ve got yourself the foundations of a laughably enjoyable adventure. You’ll certainly feel awkward playing, but that almost feels like the point – clearly merely a tech demo to showcase the Switch 2’s new functionality.
The only problem with that is the entire game feels a little light on depth as a result. Although you can play solo against bots, Drag X Drive feels built around friend-focused multiplayer and that’s certainly where the game excels as you laugh and strategies your way through matches. But outside of various challenges you may run out of steam quickly unless you have a team of friends always at the ready.
If you’re looking for a unique Switch 2 experience, Drag X Drive is your game, but if you’re after something meaty, you may need to look elsewhere.
Echoes of the End (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC)
Over the course of the last decade the humble AA game has all but fallen by the wayside, but every now and then a game like Echoes of the End comes along and reminds us that not every new release needs to be a lavish big-budget adventure.
Following the plights of Ryn, a powerful magic user attempting to rescue her kidnapped brother amidst an empire on the brink of war, the resulting yarn does well to blend combat, exploration and the odd bit of puzzle solving. With its flashy visuals and magical flourishes there are definite vibes of God of War here, just with a little bit more jank.
The force-like powers that are peppered into combat, for example, show promise, but can make encounters feel repetitive, and there’s just a slight lack of polish to the overall experience. Still, for a debut effort from the Icelandic developer, it shows a lot of promise and I’ll be interested to see what they produce next.
Herdling (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC)
Herdling is a game that isn’t focused on sweating the big stuff. There’s no dialogue, no major story and no large-scale set pieces. Instead, as a young boy who awakens xxxx your job is to herd a group of callicorns (think large horned beasts not too dissimilar from a ram) from one location to another.
Things start off small as you set your sights on a single companion, but as your adventure grows, so too does your group – eventually tasking you with wrangling a large herd. Using a semi-magical stick, sometimes that will involve solely keeping the herd on the right path, while other times it’ll be to help instruct them to solve puzzles, like moving heavy objects to clear a new path.
But while it sounds simplistic, and is never particularly challenging, Herdling is helped along by a beautifully expansive landscape and thoughtful score that always seems to swell at just the right moment.
It makes this a considered, thoughtful experience that doesn’t overstay its welcome and will linger in your mind after the credits have rolled.
SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, XBO, Switch, PC)
Classic franchises are having something of a resurgence at the moment, despite a 10+ year hiatus, Shinobi: Art of Vengeance instantly shoots itself straight to front of the pack. A 2D action platformer packing series style, the game follows the legendary Joe Musashi, who has his peaceful life thrust into chaos after the nasty Lord Ruse devastates his village.
This kickstarts a quest for revenge that is as enjoyable as it is brutal. That’s because slicing up enemies feel so incredibly polished. Movement feels fast and fluid, and with an extensive combo system behind the scenes that allows you to chop and change your approach with extra add-ons like amulets. It helps keep each of the many combat encunters exciting and engaging.
Likewise the game’s art style is stunning and easily one of the best-looking modern 2D sidescrollers, with a rocksolid performance that never dipped during my time with it.
Suffice it to say if you’re a serious Shinobi fan or looking for a new ninja-based jaunt, Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is well worth looking into.
Metal Eden (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC)
For better and for worse Metal Eden is the perfect example of prioritising style over substance. A frantic first-person shooter that has the frenzy of games like Doom and the parkour of Titanfall and Ghotrunner, it’s focused on ASKA, a cybernetic warrior sent on a suicide mission to uncover a deadly and mysterious project.
It’s all pretty generic fare, so if you’re somebody who needs plot or dialogue to propel them forwards, Metal Eden is likely not the game for you. But if you’re after some flashy fun, then Metal Eden delivers it in spades.
That’s because the core loop on offer is ultimately satisfying, dealing with an often-overwhelming horde of robotic foes with a slew of different weapons and gadgets at your disposal. The more you play the more you’ll be able to level up your weapons or boost ASKA’s abilities, and utilising both across the game’s eight levels is a real treat, especially when it feels like you’re dancing around levels as well.
The whole package feels a little light on content, and much of the game’s dialogue is pretty poor, but Metal Eden is still worth a look if your focus is on finding the fun.
Everybody’s Golf: Hot Shots (PS5, Switch, PC)
In what felt like an unexpected swing Everybody’s Golf: Hot Shots is attempting to bring back the longstanding sports franchise, but while it’s good to see the series back on the green, it’s also hardly a hole-in-one.
Despite no longer being handled by previous series stewards Clap Hanz, Hot Shots has to be commended for still retaining the core look and feel of what fans have come to appreciate. The signature cartoon/anime-like aesthetic is still very much accounted for, as is the classic 3-click gameplay – carefully controlling your power and accuracy. That means there’s a decent amount of challenge at play here as you try to account for factors like wind speed, weather and terrain, especially if you’re playing with friends.
The slew of characters are also a bit of fun, although their voice acting can become a bit reptitve and over the top at times, and it’s dissapiting that the character creator hasn’t returned as well.
Overall Hot Shots just has a lack of polish throughout, leading to the odd blemish in performance and some inconsistent visuals. If you’ve been itching for a round, Everybody’s Golf: Hot Shots is still mighty enjoyable, we’ve just come to expect a bit more.
