Loads of puzzles and action

I've been enjoying 4 absolutely excellent indie games on PlayStation 5 lately so I decided to review them all in one convenient place. Huzzah!

Just like with PlayStation 5, Video Chums utilizes an SSD on our server to deliver lightning-fast page load times. ⚡

Order of the Sinking Star Review PlayStation 5 ★★★★☆

As one of the biggest and most diverse puzzle games I've ever played, Order of the Sinking Star really sets a high bar for clever concoctions. v1d30chumz tzyzvvyztxyzre

I often feel like that when I'm solving elaborate puzzles in real-life

Order of the Sinking Star is such a jam-packed puzzle experience with so many different kinds of practical puzzles and loads of rule variations that constantly mix things up. For starters, you're plopped in the middle of its game world and can explore in 1 of 4 directions and as you do and chip away at the puzzles that await, you'll expand the game world and feel a grand sense of accomplishment. The puzzles themselves range from sokoban-oriented ones to positioning mirrors so you can work your way to the exit as well as ones where you manipulate objects in interesting ways. There's just so much and when things switch-up, you'll always be impressed. For example, playing as a character who pushes blocks then switching to a character who automatically pulls blocks puts a fresh spin on familiar puzzles. It's incredibly clever stuff! 🌠

As a culmination of many puzzle concepts and a deeply rewarding sense of progression, Order of the Sinking Star is a shining star indeed.

Order of the Sinking Star gameplay video → Dungeons & Degenerate Gamblers Review PlayStation 5 ★★★★☆

I played countless card-based roguelikes at this point but I haven't played any as funny as Dungeons & Degenerate Gamblers so let's deal.

I can't quit you, Racer

Dungeons & Degenerate Gamblers is an absolutely ridiculous game that essentially plays like Blackjack but with so many constant twists that it's absurd. You start off with standard cards but as you defeat opponents in the RPG-like battle system, you'll acquire loads of other cards that have all sorts of rules and effects. Now, you may think that these are standard playing cards yet they're almost anything but with credit cards, cards from other games, and everything you can think of; including the card that tells you the rules! There's so much variety that I often found myself taking forever to decide whether to hit or stand or perhaps use a special card in my hand. In other words, it's impressively strategic and the variety of opponents are almost as hilarious as the cards. There's a lot to love here for sure and I think I'll go play it again now. 🃏

With a ridiculous sense of humour and loads of strategic opportunities, Dungeons & Degenerate Gamblers is a wonderfully adept roguelike.

Dungeons & Degenerate Gamblers gameplay video → Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor Review PlayStation 5 ★★★★☆

There are so many Survivors-likes now but that's great because games like Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor prove what a fun genre it can be.

It's a tough job but the pay's good

I already covered Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor when I played it via Game Pass and now that I played it all over again on PlayStation 5, I can easily say that it's one of my favourite entries in the genre. You play as a miner who automatically shoots ever-encroaching monsters and you can also mine which already creates a lot of nifty balance. On top of this, there are usually many side-missions you can try to accomplish as you fend off hulking boss monsters and consistently choose which power-ups to deploy next. You'll also earn oodles of ores that you can use to unlock permanent upgrades and there's equipment, too. As you get better and better, you'll unlock a bunch of super-fun modes, stages, and characters and the amount of content is staggering. I also love the degree of challenge where you have to escape before a timer's up. ⛏️

There's so much packed in to Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor and it's quite an attractive game to boot with plenty of mayhem on display.

Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor gameplay video → Game Pass Hidden Gem: Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor Shockwave Triggers Review PlayStation 5 ★★★★☆

As a massive shoot 'em up fan, I'm happy when new games in the genre are as competent as Shockwave Triggers so get ready for explosions.

There's a lot going on but my eyes are peeled

Shockwave Triggers is played with 3 buttons which let you deploy a rapid shot, focused shot, and bombs. The first clever (and titular) mechanic is that you can wait for enemies to shoot then destroy them and doing so will convert all the projectiles in a radius to score pick-ups. Meanwhile, your bomb button can convert projectiles to even more potent pick-ups whenever you deploy it around you then fly around the playfield. Outside of these mechanics, it's a fairly standard shoot 'em up yet the constantly exciting enemy formations and entertaining bosses make it a very well-done experience. I don't particularly like the character art or dialogue but the action is great, especially with these super-clever scoring mechanics where timing is everything. Oh, and grazing things even grants you bonuses so it's quite the skill test! 💥

With unconventional scoring mechanics that make mastering its gameplay super-fun, I easily recommend Shockwave Triggers to genre fans.

Shockwave Triggers gameplay video → Gameplay video playlist for 4 More Great Indie Games for PlayStation 5 18:04

Sections on this page: Order of the Sinking Star Review, Dungeons & Degenerate Gamblers Review, Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor Review, and Shockwave Triggers Review.

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