REVIEW: Lou’s Lagoon (2026 Video Game) on Xbox

Review by Jon Donnis

Lou’s Lagoon has a lot going for it. The Limbo Archipelago is colourful and varied, the relaxed atmosphere suits the gameplay, and there is a good mix of exploration, crafting, fishing and platforming to keep things moving. Add in character customisation, seaplane customisation and the ability to build and decorate your own home, and there is a decent amount to get involved with.

Unfortunately, the game does not make enough of those ideas.

The islands are enjoyable to explore, particularly when you are free to decide what you want to do rather than being pushed constantly towards the next objective. The game is at its best when it lets you wander around, gather materials, fish or work on your own base without worrying about progression.

Resource gathering is helped considerably by the Resource Sucker, which makes collecting and processing materials pleasantly straightforward. It is a useful tool in a game that asks you to gather a lot of resources, and the different activities provide some welcome variety. Fishing, platforming and exploration give you something different to do alongside crafting, while upgrading your gadgets gradually expands what you can do.

Building and decorating your own home is also worthwhile. There is a genuine appeal to having your own space to customise, particularly when combined with the game's character and seaplane customisation options.

The mystery surrounding Uncle Lou gives the adventure a central thread, with clues and his trail leading you across the archipelago. 

Unfortunately, the problems start to pile up once the game asks you to work through its progression systems.

Inventory management is one of the biggest frustrations. Storage is limited, which is particularly inconvenient when gathering resources is such an important part of the game. The lack of useful storage containers makes the situation worse. You are encouraged to collect materials, yet there is not enough practical storage to make doing so comfortable.

The game also does not give you enough information about what resources you will need for upcoming assignments. That leaves you with an awkward choice. Either keep materials you might eventually need and quickly run out of space, or get rid of them and risk having to go and collect them again later.

Then there are the crafting timers. They are simply too slow, and rather than adding anything meaningful, they mainly delay progression. When combined with the repeated resource-gathering errands, this can make the game feel unnecessarily drawn out.

The errands themselves become repetitive. You are frequently sent away to gather materials for another assignment, which can interrupt the story rather than move it forward. The Uncle Lou mystery suffers because of this. Instead of always feeling like you are following an intriguing trail, it can feel as though the story is being used to justify another trip to collect something.

The islanders do not add enough personality to compensate for that. They feel more like quest dispensers than fully developed characters, while the limited voice acting makes conversations less engaging. Interactions can become something to click through rather than something you want to pay attention to, and I often found myself simply spamming the X button to get through them.

Platforming is another weak point. Some areas require precise jumping and landing, but the character feels very floaty. That makes basic jumps more frustrating than they should be, particularly when you are trying to reach a specific area and the movement does not feel precise enough.

Exploration is pleasant, but there is very little meaningful danger. Without much to threaten or challenge you, travelling around the islands can start to feel more like looking for resources than going on an expedition.

The seaplane is perhaps the most disappointing aspect of the game. It is an enjoyable way to travel between the islands, but the flying itself is not particularly exciting. Take-offs and landings are not shown, and the plane ultimately functions as transportation rather than the substantial flying experience the premise suggests.

Repeated journeys between islands are also made less appealing by lengthy loading times. When a quest sends you back and forth for resources, having to wait through those loading periods adds another layer of frustration.

These issues became particularly noticeable during my own playthrough. I eventually reached an area I needed to access but was unable to get there. At that point, I simply did not have the motivation to start another quest or spend time trying to work out what I had missed. I did not even feel compelled to look for a video online to find a solution. I had just lost interest.

That is a real shame because there are aspects of Lou’s Lagoon that I genuinely enjoyed. The colourful islands work well, the relaxed pace is appropriate, the Resource Sucker makes gathering easier, and the combination of activities gives the game plenty of variety. Building and decorating a home is another worthwhile addition, and the freedom to play at your own pace is exactly what you would want from this sort of experience.

Sadly, those positives are not enough to overcome the frustrations.

The limited voice acting makes the interactions dull, the platforming can be awkward, inventory management becomes a constant nuisance, crafting takes too long, and the game repeatedly sends you out to gather resources without giving you enough information about what you should be keeping.

The Uncle Lou storyline should provide the motivation to keep exploring, but too often it feels secondary to completing errands. Meanwhile, the seaplane, which could have been one of the game's defining features, ends up being little more than a way to travel between islands.

Lou’s Lagoon looks good and has plenty of appealing ideas, but I found myself becoming increasingly frustrated rather than relaxed. By the time I stopped playing, I was no longer interested in pushing through another quest simply to see what came next.

For a game built around exploration and discovery, that is difficult to overlook. Maybe I will revisit the game after a year of updates and bug fixes and rewrite this review.

Lou’s Lagoon is a disappointing 5 out of 10.

Out Now on Xbox for around £20

https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/lous-lagoon-deluxe-edition/9pdgqpbsrr0m

REVIEW: This Bed We Made (2026 Video Game) on PlayStation 5

Review by Jon Donnis

Set in the Clarington Hotel on 17 February 1958, the game puts you in the role of Sophie, a chambermaid whose curiosity leads her far beyond simply making beds and tidying rooms. What begins with a strange discovery in room 505 gradually develops into a much larger investigation involving the hotel's guests, employees and the secrets they are trying to keep hidden.

The story is easily one of the game's biggest strengths. Rather than throwing everything at you immediately, it allows the mystery to build as Sophie discovers more objects, conversations, letters and clues around the hotel. Individual mysteries gradually begin to connect, giving the investigation a satisfying sense of progression. There is enough uncertainty surrounding the characters to keep you questioning what is really happening, while the personal stories discovered along the way add depth to the wider mystery.

The 1950s setting also works extremely well. The Clarington Hotel has a distinctive period atmosphere, with its rooms, corridors, lifts and other details helping establish the era. The game understands that a mystery like this benefits from its surroundings, and the hotel becomes more than just a backdrop. Exploring its three floors and gradually learning more about the people staying there gives the whole experience a strong neo-noir flavour.

A large part of the enjoyment comes from Sophie's willingness to investigate things that are really none of her business. Searching through belongings and inspecting rooms makes the player an active participant in her curiosity. There is something particularly satisfying about finding an apparently insignificant object and then realising that it has a connection to something else you have already discovered.

The puzzles are another positive. They generally strike a good balance, requiring you to search your surroundings and think about the information you have uncovered without becoming frustratingly difficult. The investigation feels more rewarding because the solutions usually come from paying attention rather than simply throwing arbitrary puzzle mechanics at the player.

The journal is particularly useful. As the investigation develops, it records Sophie's thoughts, information about characters and important clues, making it easier to keep track of the growing number of details. That is important in a story where several mysteries are developing at the same time.

The writing is also surprisingly strong. The dialogue is enjoyable and helps the characters feel like actual people rather than simply being there to deliver information to the player. The letters scattered around the hotel are especially effective. Even when they concern people you may never properly meet, they give those characters convincing personalities and complicated stories of their own.

The English voice acting complements this nicely. The performances do a good job of communicating the personalities and emotions of the characters, while the facial animation helps sell many of the conversations. Expressions are generally synchronised well with the dialogue, although this is not entirely consistent.

That inconsistency becomes more noticeable because some of the game's character animations can look poor at times. There are moments where movements lack polish, while some of the visual details around the hotel can look rather basic. Lip-syncing can also occasionally fall out of step with what is being said, which takes some of the shine off otherwise strong character interactions.

The sound design is another area where the game succeeds. Small sounds such as squeaking doors, keys, locks and the hotel elevator contribute considerably to the atmosphere. They help create a sense that something could be happening just around the corner, even when you are simply moving between rooms.

The game's biggest weakness is arguably its length. A typical playthrough can be completed in around three hours, depending on how thoroughly you explore and investigate. That makes it an easy game to get through over a couple of sittings, but it also means the experience can feel over before the player has had enough time with the world and its characters.

Some of the character backstories could also have benefited from greater development. The game introduces interesting people and gives you reasons to become invested in their lives, but not every character receives enough attention to make their individual stories feel fully explored.

The hint system is another minor irritation. It can be useful when you are genuinely stuck, but its suggestions can become repetitive. There are also occasions when important clues are surprisingly easy to miss, which can make progression feel more difficult than the actual puzzle solving deserves. Some of the controls are similarly sensitive, occasionally making interactions less precise than they should be.

The consequences attached to your decisions are perhaps the most important reason to return after completing the story. This Bed We Made gives your actions genuine significance. Doors you choose to open, information you uncover and the way you interact with other characters can influence how events unfold. Even seemingly mundane decisions can have consequences, which makes the player's curiosity feel like more than a simple gameplay mechanic.

The relationship system adds another layer to this. Sophie can form closer bonds with people around the hotel, including choosing between Beth and Andrew as her ally. Their different personalities and approaches to the investigation give the player another meaningful decision to make, while the possibility of seeing different outcomes provides a good reason to experience the story again.

This Bed We Made is ultimately a fun investigative story game that succeeds because of its writing, atmosphere and willingness to let the player influence the outcome. It does not have the scale or depth of the very best detective games, and its short length, occasional animation problems and uneven character development prevent it from reaching the highest tier.

However, there is a lot to like here. The mystery keeps building, the 1950s setting gives it an identity, the puzzles are well judged and the decisions genuinely matter. For anyone looking for a relatively short narrative experience built around investigation, character relationships and uncovering secrets, This Bed We Made is worth a look.

Score: 7 out of 10

Out Now on PlayStation

https://store.playstation.com/en-gb/concept/10008630

REVIEW: CINESCAPE VR (2026 Video Game) - on MetaQuest VR

Review by Jon Donnis

CINESCAPE VR arrives on Meta Quest as an ambitious puzzle adventure set across a series of film studio environments, and at its best it captures that playful sense of stepping behind the curtain of cinema itself. Developed by Super AC Games, it builds its identity around Cinemorphosis, a distinctive mechanic that allows players to transform objects between real and fake states, reshaping the world around them in order to solve increasingly intricate puzzles and uncover the secrets buried within the Cinetech company.

There is an immediate charm to the concept. The idea of moving through themed studio sets, each one layered with subtle cinematic references for keen-eyed film fans, gives the game a strong sense of place. The environments are visually detailed and often atmospheric, with a clear effort made to make each stage feel like a functioning production space rather than a simple puzzle box. It is the kind of setting that encourages curiosity, even when the puzzles themselves begin to test patience.

Cinemorphosis is the game’s standout feature, and when it clicks it feels genuinely inventive. The ability to shift objects between states adds a tactile, hands-on quality to progression, and later stages build on this foundation in more demanding ways. As the mechanic evolves, so too does the complexity of the puzzles, which can be satisfying for players who enjoy working through layered environmental logic. There is a real sense of escalation here, even if it does not always land smoothly.

Supporting this journey is P4-TRIC, a robotic assistant created by the former director of the studios. He acts as both guide and companion, offering encouragement and direction throughout the experience. However, his presence also introduces a quieter tension, as his intentions are not entirely clear. There is a suggestion of something more deliberate behind his advice, and this undercurrent helps to support the broader narrative thread about identity, the Codex, and the hidden motivations behind the studio’s creation.

That said, CINESCAPE VR is not without its issues, and they become more noticeable the further you progress. Early interactions can feel confusing and unintuitive, leaving players unsure of how certain systems are meant to function. Even once the mechanics settle into place, the puzzle logic does not always feel consistent, and there are moments where solutions appear slightly disconnected from player expectation. This can disrupt the flow of problem solving, particularly in a game that relies so heavily on experimentation and spatial reasoning.

Pacing is another area where the experience wavers. While the game is clearly aiming for a slow burn mystery, there are stretches where the lack of clear structure makes progression feel uncertain. Instead of building steady narrative momentum, it sometimes drifts, leaving the player to push forward without a strong sense of direction. For a story that hints at deeper revelations around Cinetech, the Codex, and the protagonist’s true identity, this uneven pacing can dilute the impact of its narrative beats.

Even so, there remains a solid foundation underneath these rough edges. The creativity of the core concept, the ambition of the Cinemorphosis system, and the visual detail of the studio environments all work in its favour. When everything aligns, CINESCAPE VR delivers a genuinely engaging puzzle experience that feels unlike many other VR titles in the genre. It is also consistently enjoyable on a moment-to-moment level, particularly for players who are willing to sit with its slower, more methodical rhythm.

Ultimately, CINESCAPE VR feels like a game that is very close to something exceptional, but not quite there yet. It has the ideas, the atmosphere, and enough mechanical originality to stand out, but it is held back by inconsistency in puzzle design, unclear onboarding, and a narrative structure that struggles to maintain momentum.

It remains an entertaining and often striking experience, just one that could benefit from further refinement. As it stands, it earns a 7 out of 10, with clear potential to become something far stronger if its rougher edges are smoothed out.

Out Now on MetaQuest - https://www.meta.com/en-gb/experiences/cinescape-vr/9089051267851590/

REVIEW: Midnight Swamp (2026 Video Game) - on PS5

Review by Jon Donnis

Midnight Swamp arrives as a dark point and click adventure that leans heavily into eerie fairy tale energy, dropping the player into a strange world where nothing feels entirely safe or familiar. The setup is simple but effective, a restless night by a lake, a strange laugh from the water, and one wrong step that pulls you into a shifting swamp filled with odd creatures and hidden secrets. From there it builds a compact but focused experience that feels deliberately old school in its structure and pacing.

The strongest part of Midnight Swamp is how confidently it commits to its classic point and click identity. It feels like something that could have comfortably existed in the 1990s Amiga era, not in a dated way, but in a way that understands the charm of that design approach. The puzzles are the highlight, offering a balance that feels challenging without tipping into frustration. There is enough logic and restraint in their design that most solutions feel fair, even when the setting itself is deliberately strange. The hand drawn visuals also deserve credit, with a style that suits the swampy, fairy tale tone and helps sell the unsettling atmosphere without overcomplicating it.

There is also a pleasing variety in how the game builds its world through encounters and mechanics. Meeting unusual inhabitants, following the guidance of a talking Cat, and learning potion basics from a Witch in a gingerbread house all contribute to a sense of playful unease. It is not trying to overwhelm the player with complexity, instead offering small, self contained ideas that fit neatly together. Exploration feels straightforward, and the lack of unnecessary systems keeps everything readable and accessible.

The main drawback is length. Midnight Swamp is very short, and it can realistically be completed in under an hour on a first run. That brevity leaves it feeling more like a concentrated vignette than a full adventure. Completionists will find a bit more to do on a second run, particularly for achievements, but even then the content is limited. One missable achievement involving feeding the cat adds a small layer of replay attention, though it also highlights how easily the experience can be exhausted in a single sitting.

Midnight Swamp is a charming and compact point and click adventure that understands exactly what it wants to be. It is straightforward, lightly eerie, and rooted in old school design principles where puzzles and atmosphere do most of the work. There is no excess here, no overthinking required, just a short journey through a strange swamp world that knows when to end.

I enjoyed Midnight Swamp enough to go back for a second run after missing the "feed the cat" achievement, which feels appropriate for a game of this size and style. For fans of classic point and click adventures, it is an easy recommendation despite its short runtime.

I score Midnight Swamp a solid 8 out of 10.

Out Now on PlayStation

https://store.playstation.com/en-gb/concept/10017538

REVIEW: The End of the Sun (2026 Video Game) - on Playstation 5

Review by Jon Donnis

The End of the Sun arrives with a quietly confident premise and, to its credit, it largely delivers on that sense of intrigue. Set within a Slavic fantasy world that leans heavily on folklore and ritual, the game casts you as the Ashter, a fire mage able to track echoes of the past. It is an unusual hook, and one that immediately sets it apart. From the moment you step into the abandoned village, with its lingering smoke and fractured sense of time, there is a strong feeling that something meaningful has happened here, even if the game takes its time explaining exactly what.

Visually, it is difficult to fault. The world has been crafted with clear care, and that effort shows in the detail of the buildings, objects, and natural surroundings. The use of photogrammetry gives everything a grounded, almost tactile quality. It does not feel like a generic fantasy setting. Instead, it feels rooted in something older, more specific. That authenticity feeds directly into the atmosphere, which remains one of the game’s strongest elements throughout.

The central gameplay loop is where The End of the Sun becomes most interesting. You move from bonfire to bonfire, bonding with each one to reveal hidden traces and fragments of past events. Follow the smoke, uncover clues, solve a puzzle, then shift through time to see the consequences. It is a simple structure on paper, yet it works surprisingly well in practice. There is a natural rhythm to it, and when everything clicks, it can be genuinely absorbing. Watching history subtly reshape itself as you intervene adds a layer of satisfaction that many puzzle games struggle to achieve.

The puzzles themselves are mostly well judged. They are not overly complex, but they demand attention and a willingness to observe your surroundings carefully. The real appeal comes from how they tie into the wider narrative. Solving a puzzle rarely feels isolated. Instead, it feeds into the broader mystery, revealing new perspectives on the same characters across different points in time. That sense of continuity, of seeing lives unfold across seasons and years, gives the game a quiet emotional weight.

Voice acting is another clear strength. Performances across the board feel natural and convincing, which helps ground the more fantastical elements of the story. Characters come across as real people shaped by their circumstances, rather than simple narrative devices. It adds a layer of immersion that is easy to overlook but difficult to replace.

That said, the experience is not without its frustrations. Technical issues do creep in, and they can be more than minor inconveniences. Encountering a situation where progress is blocked, with no clear way to reset or escape, breaks the flow entirely. It suggests a lack of final polish that is hard to ignore, especially in a game so reliant on careful progression through its systems.

Even outside of outright bugs, there are moments where the game’s structure works against it. It is easy to lose your bearings, leading to stretches of aimless wandering as you try to piece together your next move. While some level of uncertainty fits the investigative tone, it can tip into irritation when direction becomes too vague. The line between discovery and confusion is a fine one, and The End of the Sun does not always stay on the right side of it.

Despite these issues, there is something undeniably compelling at the heart of the experience. Its ideas feel fresh, its world feels lived in, and its approach to storytelling through time and interaction stands out. When it works, it draws you in completely. When it falters, it can push you away just as quickly.

The End of the Sun is a thoughtful and original adventure that does a lot right, even if it stumbles in key areas. It is well worth experiencing for its atmosphere and ideas alone, but patience is required. If you can push through the rough edges, there is a rewarding journey waiting underneath.

Score: 7 out of 10

Out Now on PlayStation

https://store.playstation.com/en-gb/concept/10017998