Platinum #185: Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion (PS4). This indie action RPG was shorter than I was expecting, only taking about four hours to complete. It has its charms, but it didn't live up to what I had heard about it. It's ok, but I can't recommend it as a game to rush out and play.

Platinum #184: Chicken Police (PS5). Once you get used to the characters with animal heads but human bodies, there's a lot to enjoy in this noir point-and-click visual novel. The voice acting is suitably hammy and hard-boiled, and the story is well written. Boring Plat video to avoid spoilers!

Platinum #183: Slay the Princess (PS5). This visual novel has shades of Doki Doki Literature Club, where you are trying to work out what's going on under the surface. The story goes off in many unexpected directions, although exploring all of them takes a long time. Minor spoilers in the Plat clip!

Platinum #181: The Ascent (PS5).
This twin stick shooter has its moments. The shooting is solid and the world is beautifully realised. But the story is incomprehensible, it's very buggy so long after launch, and it does get repetitive. Thanks to my co-op partner Marc for the backup bullets 😄

Platinum #180: Dysmantle (PS5).
I had a good time in this crafting survival game. It's not particularly taxing and there's no real penalty for dying. The map is surprisingly large, but to the point of feeling a little bloated, so it feels a little repetitive by the end.

Platinum #179: Gas Station Simulator (PS4).
After enjoying other cosy busy-work games, a colleague from work recommended this for me. It's ok, but I preferred Arcade Paradise, House Flipper, and Powerwash Simulator. The grind for the Plat was pretty egregious as well.

Platinum #178: Glass Masquerade 2: Illusions (PS4).
I enjoyed the first game for its relaxing jigsaw puzzles with stained-glass windows. This sequel ramped up the difficulty to irritating, and the designs of the windows became more abstract and harder to "read". Just play the first one.

Platinum #177: Gotham Knights (PS5). Much like the four protagonists, this game has struggled to get out of the shadow left by Batman and the Arkham series. But it's not an Arkham game, and I don't think people gave it a fair chance. I enjoyed it overall, despite the technical limitations.

Platinum #176: Vampire Survivors (PS5). Don't be fooled by the seemingly simplistic graphics. Vampire Survivors is one of the best arcade "reverse" bullet hell games I've played, chock full of characters, weapons, and secrets. And it's cheap to boot as well.

Platinum #175: Need for Speed Hot Pursuit Remastered (PS4). This was the final NFS game for PS4/PS5 that I had to Platinum. I enjoyed it (and the driving feel) a lot more than some of the more recent NFS games, although the online grind was fairly hefty.

Platinum #174: Firefighting Simulator - The Squad (PS5). After enjoying Police Simulator Patrol Officers a lot more than I was expecting, someone recommended this game. But it's nowhere near as good, with buggy controls, very repetitive tasks, and an incredibly grindy Plat. Avoid.