REVIEW: Ayasa: Shadows of Silence (2026 Video Game) - on PlayStation 5

Review by Jon Donnis

Ayasa: Shadows of Silence is a dark, surreal puzzle-platformer with an impressive visual style, an eerie atmosphere and a world that immediately sparks curiosity. Drawing comparisons with Little Nightmares III and Inside, it combines environmental puzzles, platforming and exploration with a story told through imagery, music and character movements. Unfortunately, while the presentation is often excellent, the gameplay is let down by poor controls, technical problems and some incredibly frustrating platforming. There is a good game buried somewhere beneath these problems, but finding it requires considerably more patience than it should.

The adventure takes place in the Inverted World, a once-balanced place where light and shadow existed in harmony under the watchful presence of Tas, the Absolute. Following a devastating war, darkness has spread across six symbolic lands representing Faith, Hope, Love, Greed, Indifference and Betrayal. Playing as Ayasa, you must explore these corrupted environments in search of the remnants of Tas's light. Your actions and how you treat the world around you can also influence the outcome of your journey.

There is no spoken dialogue, with the story unfolding through surreal imagery, character movements and environmental storytelling. I actually like this approach. It encourages you to pay attention to your surroundings and piece together what is happening rather than having everything explained. The strange creatures and unusual environments also maintain a sense of mystery, making exploration one of the more enjoyable aspects of the game.

Visually, Ayasa is easily at its strongest. The graphics are very good, with imaginative environments, distinctive character designs and a wonderfully unsettling atmosphere. The restrained colour palette works particularly well, while the use of light and shadow gives each location its own identity. There are some genuinely impressive scenes, and I regularly found myself appreciating the creativity behind the world design.

The soundtrack and sound effects deserve similar praise. The music complements the surroundings beautifully, while the various environmental noises help create an unsettling atmosphere. Combined with the visual presentation, they give the game a distinctive personality that makes exploring its strange world genuinely appealing.

Gameplay combines platforming, environmental puzzles and stealth, with light playing an important role in revealing paths, activating machinery and overcoming obstacles. As you progress through Faith, Hope and Love, you unlock additional abilities that introduce new ways to interact with the environment. These powers are a welcome addition, providing some variety and allowing you to approach certain obstacles differently.

Unfortunately, the actual gameplay is where my enjoyment starts to fall apart.

The biggest problem is the jumping mechanics. There is a noticeable delay between pressing the jump button and Ayasa actually responding. It might only be a fraction of a second, but when attempting precision jumps, that delay feels like an eternity. Platforming requires accurate timing and responsive controls. Unfortunately, neither is particularly reliable here.

What makes this especially frustrating is that the problem has reportedly existed in the PC version for at least six months. To see the same issue carried over into the PlayStation 5 release is simply unacceptable. This isn't a minor technical annoyance that occasionally gets in the way. It affects the very foundations of the gameplay and regularly turns otherwise straightforward sections into exercises in frustration.

The camera makes matters worse. Angles frequently make it difficult to judge distances and positioning, while character movement and collision detection lack the precision needed for a platformer. There were several occasions when repeated failures felt less like mistakes on my part and more like the game simply wasn't responding as it should.

Other problems include technical glitches, inconsistent stealth encounters and puzzles or interactions that don't always provide enough guidance. Loading times are another irritation, particularly when repeated deaths force you to sit through them again. When the controls are already making progress unnecessarily difficult, having to wait before attempting the same section again does little to improve the experience.

And that is what makes Ayasa so disappointing. I genuinely enjoyed exploring its strange environments, appreciated the visual design and found the soundtrack particularly effective. The developers have created an intriguing world that deserves to be explored, but too often I found myself fighting the controls rather than enjoying the adventure.

Games such as Little Nightmares III and Inside demonstrate what can be achieved with this style of atmospheric puzzle-platforming. Ayasa has similar ambitions, but it lacks the polish, responsive controls and technical consistency needed to deliver the same level of enjoyment.

Ultimately, Ayasa: Shadows of Silence feels like a game that should still be in beta testing on PC rather than receiving a full console release in its current condition. I would genuinely like to revisit it in a year's time to see whether the developers have addressed the problems, because the visual presentation and underlying concept deserve a better game. However, given how long some of these issues have apparently persisted on PC, I am not particularly confident that meaningful improvements will arrive.

For now, I cannot recommend Ayasa without significant reservations. It has the atmosphere, creativity and visual identity to be something special, but the poor controls and technical problems constantly undermine those strengths. Fix the jumping mechanics, improve the overall responsiveness and address the loading times, and I would happily reconsider my score. Until then, this is a disappointing experience that falls well short of its potential.

I score Ayasa: Shadows of Silence a disappointing 6 out of 10

Out Now on PS5

https://store.playstation.com/en-ca/concept/10018080

REVIEW: Lost Twins 2 (2026 Video Game) - on Nintendo Switch

Review by Jon Donnis

In a gaming landscape obsessed with combat, chaos, and constant noise, this Nintendo Switch puzzler takes the opposite route. It slows things down, trusts the player to experiment, and builds its entire identity around creativity and calm exploration. The result is one of the most charming puzzle platformers to arrive on Switch in quite some time.

At the centre of the game are Abi and Ben, two separated twins navigating a strange and dreamlike world made from shifting pathways and floating puzzle pieces. The core mechanic revolves around physically rearranging the environment itself. Entire sections of levels can be moved, swapped, or rotated to create new routes forward. It sounds simple on paper, but the way the game constantly builds upon the idea is genuinely impressive.

What makes the puzzles work so well is how carefully balanced they are. They are challenging enough to make you pause and think through your next move, but never so frustrating that progress grinds to a halt. Every solution feels logical once it clicks into place. That steady sense of reward gives the game a wonderfully satisfying rhythm, where each completed puzzle feels earned rather than handed to you.

Visually, Lost Twins 2 is absolutely lovely. The influence of Studio Ghibli and the work of Hayao Miyazaki is impossible to miss, though thankfully it never feels like outright imitation. The soft colour palette, handcrafted environments, and expressive animation give the game a warmth that suits its relaxed pacing perfectly. There is a cosy, storybook quality to the presentation that makes even the smallest moments enjoyable to look at.

The soundtrack deserves equal praise. Gentle piano melodies and ambient orchestral tracks quietly sit in the background, adding atmosphere without ever becoming intrusive. Combined with the game's slow, thoughtful pacing, it creates an experience that feels genuinely relaxing to play. It is the sort of game you can disappear into for an hour without noticing the time pass.

Importantly, the gameplay never becomes repetitive. New mechanics are introduced at a steady pace throughout the adventure. Pressure switches, lifts, breakable domes, water gates, and environmental interactions constantly reshape how puzzles are approached. The game keeps layering fresh ideas into the mix just before older mechanics risk becoming stale.

Playing solo works remarkably well thanks to the ability to switch between Abi and Ben, each often needing to stand in specific positions or interact with different parts of the environment. That said, local co-op is where Lost Twins 2 truly shines. Solving puzzles together with another player feels natural and genuinely rewarding. Communication becomes part of the challenge, and there is real satisfaction in figuring out solutions side by side on the sofa.

The controls can also take a little time to settle into. Shifting the world around and swapping between characters occasionally feels fiddly during the opening stages, particularly in handheld mode. Thankfully, once the control scheme clicks into place, it becomes far easier to navigate instinctively.

On the positive side, the game feels perfectly suited to the Nintendo Switch Lite. The pick up and play structure, relaxing pace, and compact puzzle design make it ideal for handheld sessions. Few games this year have felt so naturally at home on Nintendo's portable hardware.

What really separates Lost Twins 2 from so many other puzzle games is its complete lack of pressure. There are no enemies chasing you, no timers counting down, and no punishment for experimentation. The game simply invites you to explore, think, and enjoy the process of discovery. That design philosophy gives it a broad appeal that works equally well for younger players and adults looking for something more thoughtful and relaxing.

The story itself is fairly light, and those hoping for deep character development or major narrative twists may come away slightly underwhelmed. Still, the game understands exactly where its strengths lie. The creativity of the puzzles, the warmth of the art direction, and the peaceful atmosphere carry the experience effortlessly from beginning to end.

It is rare to find a puzzle game this inventive while also remaining so welcoming and accessible. Lost Twins 2 manages to feel clever without becoming smug about it, and relaxing without ever becoming dull. Beautifully designed and consistently engaging, this is one of the Switch's most delightful hidden gems of 2026.

9/10

Out Now on the Nintendo Switch for about £13.49

https://www.nintendo.com/en-gb/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/Lost-Twins-2-3055149.html

Thank you to Playdew for the Key.

REVIEW: Planet of Lana II (2026 Video Game) - On Xbox

Review by Jon Donnis

Planet of Lana II picks up two years after the events of the first game and brings players back to the mysterious world of Novo. Developed by Wishfully and published by Thunderful Publishing, the sequel sticks closely to the formula that made the 2023 original memorable. It remains a 2.5D side scrolling puzzle platform adventure built around atmosphere, environmental storytelling, and the bond between Lana and her small cat like companion Mui. The result is a game that often feels warm and familiar, though not always in ways that benefit it.

From the moment the journey begins, it is clear that the visual presentation remains one of the series' greatest strengths. The hand painted environments are striking. Frozen mountain ranges, deep ocean spaces, and ancient ruins unfold across the screen with a quiet sense of scale and detail. The world feels alive without the need for spoken dialogue. Characters communicate through an alien language while the environment and music carry the emotional weight. It is a confident storytelling approach that invites players to read between the lines rather than be told everything directly.

The orchestral score plays a huge part in that atmosphere. The music gently moves alongside the action, swelling during moments of discovery and pulling back when the story becomes more intimate. It is consistently pleasant to listen to and helps maintain the calm cinematic tone the series is known for. Combined with the visual design, it gives the game a polished and thoughtful presentation that is easy to admire.

Lana herself feels more capable this time around. Set a couple of years after the first adventure, she is older, more confident, and noticeably more agile. Players can now wall jump, dash, slide, and move through the world with greater freedom. Mui also receives expanded abilities. The small creature can hack machines and use telepathic powers to briefly control other creatures in the environment. These skills feed directly into the puzzle design, which relies heavily on cooperation between the two characters.

Many of the puzzles are genuinely clever. They often ask players to observe their surroundings carefully, time actions correctly, and use Lana and Mui together in small but satisfying ways. Compared with the first game, some challenges are more layered and make better use of the characters' expanded abilities. When the design clicks, solving a puzzle feels natural and rewarding rather than overly mechanical.

The story also deserves praise. The narrative explores the consequences of technological progress on Lana and Mui's home world. New inventions promise advancement but also bring greed and imbalance among the planet's tribes. As the journey unfolds, the pair uncover buried truths about the planet and hints about Mui's origins. It is an emotional thread that encourages players to care about the characters and stay curious about what comes next.

Despite these strengths, the sequel struggles to feel like a true step forward. One of the most noticeable issues lies in the pacing. The adventure lasts roughly six hours, yet stretches of that time are spent simply running across environments while little happens. The scenery is attractive, but extended quiet sections can make the experience feel padded rather than purposeful.

The puzzles themselves are also inconsistent. While some are clever and satisfying, others feel strangely simple or unnecessarily convoluted. At times the game introduces an idea only to resolve it quickly without much challenge. This uneven balance removes some of the tension that puzzle platform games thrive on.

Controls present another frustration. Lana's new abilities expand what she can do, but the movement never feels quite as smooth as it did in the original game. Something about the responsiveness feels slightly off. Actions can seem less intuitive, which is surprising given the additional movement options. Instead of making progress feel fluid, the extra mechanics sometimes slow things down.

Audio design is another mixed area. The orchestral music is excellent throughout, yet the character sounds are less successful. The laughter, chirps, and fragments of alien language can become grating over time. What is meant to add charm occasionally ends up distracting from the otherwise strong atmosphere.

The short length of the adventure also raises questions. A six hour journey is not necessarily a problem for a story driven game, but here it feels slightly thin. The original title offered a more consistent flow of puzzles and discoveries. In comparison, this sequel contains fewer memorable puzzle sequences and more stretches of simple traversal.

The ending does little to resolve that feeling. The story closes on a cliffhanger that feels abrupt rather than exciting. After investing several hours in Lana and Mui's journey, the conclusion arrives quickly and leaves more questions than answers. For some players that may hint at a future continuation, though it risks feeling unsatisfying in the moment.

Taken as a continuation of the first game's story, Planet of Lana II works well enough. The characters remain likeable, the world is still beautiful, and the emotional tone is intact. However, as a full sequel it never quite improves on what came before. The original game felt tighter, more focused, and more confident in its design.

That sense of familiarity is both the sequel's strength and its weakness. Returning fans will appreciate revisiting Lana and Mui, yet the experience rarely evolves beyond the foundations already established. In some ways it almost feels closer to an extended follow up episode rather than a major new chapter.

For players who already subscribe to Xbox Game Pass, it is certainly worth a look. The atmosphere, music, and character driven storytelling remain engaging even when the gameplay falters. Those expecting a significant leap forward from the first game may come away a little disappointed.

Planet of Lana II is still a charming and thoughtful adventure, but it struggles to escape the shadow of its predecessor. What should have been a confident next step instead feels like a smaller return to familiar ground.

Score. 6.5 out of 10.

Out Now on Xbox