Games reviews roundup: ReCore; Axiom Verge; Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past

A new world proves less than brave, while a blast from the past offers retro thrills and an RPG classic is probably one for the fans

1) ReCore

Xbox One, PC, Microsoft Home Studios, cert: N/A

★★★

A strong opening hook promises much for ReCore but – proving again that a decent idea must translate into actual gameplay – fails to deliver more than a forgettable game. Here, the planet of Far Eden was supposed to be humanity’s new home, but when protagonist Joule arrives she finds the terraforming process has stalled. Instead of a lush paradise, Far Eden is a barren desert populated by hostile machines. She sets out with Mack, her robot dog, to find out what went wrong and locate her missing father. So far, so good.

ReCore’s platforming gameplay harkens back to the GameCube era. Joule fights with a rifle and grappling hook to weaken enemy robots before extracting their cores in fast-paced combat that focuses on combos. But beyond those basics, there’s little left in ReCore except for padding and bugs – and lots of them. The game, with its unjustifiable loading times and audio problems, is in dire need of patching. A shame, because with more development and content, ReCore could have been a must-have instead of another disappointment.

2) Axion Verge

Wii U, Thomas Happ Games, cert: 12
★★★★

Usually when a modern title has a retro leaning, there is a good chance it will reference the brilliant colours and brisk gameplay forged by Japanese studios through the 1980s and 90s. Axiom Verge, though, revisits a distinct aesthetic and gameplay tone left fallow by many practitioners of modern retro-mining. Now available for Wii U, in both style and mechanics this 2D platform shooter conjures a sense of playing on machines like the Commodore 64 and Amiga 500. As such, while it is unashamedly an arcade-inspired action title, it is grittier, and less frantic than its contemporaries.

It also has considered level design, a captivating atmosphere, and an inspired range of weapons, which engender much gameplay variety while exploring its labyrinthine environments. The result is a game that is both familiar and unusual, because, while Axiom Verge is ultimately conventional within the platform-shooter genre, its form is one all too rarely invoked today.

3) Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past

Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo, cert: 12
★★★

The seventh instalment in one of Japan’s best-loved RPG series centres around grand themes, but unfortunately this handheld remake of the 2000 PlayStationoriginal shows its age. Here, Estard Island sits alone in the ocean – though it wasn’t always so – and, playing as a young hero from a fishing village, gamers are drawn into the past, undoing historic cataclysms to repopulate the future and literally rebuild the world.

But the opening is interminably slow, with hours of preamble before even simple combat is introduced. When it is, it’s as rote, unchallenging turn-based battles. Classes and skills improve variety, but not until they’re introduced around the 20-hour mark.

Yet despite this, Dragon Quest VII is strangely compulsive; its charming characters, wonderful designs, and engaging story draw you into its world. To fans of the series, the stagnation in gameplay mechanics is part of the appeal – Dragon Quest is a rock in uncertain times, and this is a fine port of a classic entry point – but newcomers will find everything frustratingly sluggish.