Soma
PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, Frictional Games, cert: 16
★★★★

From Amnesia to Total Recall, indie horror darling Frictional takes you to the bottom of the sea in this trans-human mind-bender. Simon undergoes an experimental medical procedure after suffering life-threatening brain damage, only to wake on Pathos-II, a research facility under the ocean. Stalked by murderous machines and confronted with questions of morality and the nature of life, Simon has to rely on stealth and his wits to survive. But is any of it real?

The environments and situations that confront the player in their trip through Pathos-II are genuinely unsettling in places and the story and characters are well written. Inspired by  Philip K Dick, the game grapples with the conscious mind, the soul and artificial intelligence; questions about what makes something (or someone) “real”.

Unfortunately, it could be better paced and a little less ponderous. Soma really feels like it’s trying to be BioShock and while it’s a solid horror experience, it’s just not quite on that level. PH

Transformers: Devastation
PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Activision, cert: 12★★★★

Revisiting the cartoons of the 1980s, Transformers: Devastation walks a line between understatement and excess, with surprisingly impressive results. Created by Japanese game powerhouse PlatinumGames, it is, like the studio’s masterpiece Bayonetta, a well-considered brawler. Strapping its players into the cockpits of a selection of robots, its focus is on fisticuffs seasoned with a little shooting and driving gameplay. This is, ostensibly, straightforward, a somewhat short-lived experience that has no reservations when it comes to action, during which the Autobots and their foes can largely be found razing city squares as they let fly with metal fists.

Yet behind Devastation’s obvious excess lies a seam of beautifully functional minimalism. For this is a game stripped down to its interactive fundamentals. Some may find the lack of level variety and its mechanical simplicity a little too pared back, but there is a real purity in the gameplay and its unadorned combat is a joy to master. And more than all that, it is tremendous fun.WF

Animal Crossing Happy Home Designer
3DS, Nintendo, cert: 3
★★★★

Animal Crossing returns for a second helping on the Nintendo 3DS, but this time the action is focused on home layout rather than the wide-ranging tasks of Animal Crossing New Leaf. As a new employee in home decor specialist Nook’s Homes, the task is to match soft (and hard) furnishings to a range of island inhabitants.

Interior duties spread to gardening and home layout as the game develops but Happy Home Designer keeps things very streamlined throughout. Fans of the series may miss the fishing bug and fossil hunting as well as the deeper relationships with townsfolk. This simplicity is part of the attraction, however, as are the collectible amiibo cards sold separately in foil packs that grant access to a wider range of clients, when placed on the new 3DS screen.

Although a more restrained outing, Happy Home Designer does retain plenty of charm, which will be the real attraction for its younger players. AR