This week on Critical Arcade, Dave and Nick once again wake up thirsty, overdesigned, and deeply unsure of what’s happening in the gothic anime apocalypse of Code Vein 2. Thrown back into a dying world of Revenants, blood codes, and coats with more belts than structural integrity, the pair find themselves navigating the aftermath of humanity’s last stand against extinction. Society has fractured, memories are currency, and everyone they meet is either traumatised, mysterious, or moments away from a tragic sacrifice.

As they carve a path through ruined cities, cathedrals, and blood-soaked wastelands, Dave and Nick experiment with expanded blood code systems, new weapon types, and combat that somehow feels faster, meaner, and more anime than ever before. Along the way, they uncover a story steeped in loss, rebirth, and the question Code Vein loves asking most: how much suffering is too much suffering before it loops back around to being cool again?

But it wouldn’t be Critical Arcade without chaos. Can Dave resist spending hours in the character creator just to make someone emotionally devastating? Will Nick finally accept that dodging is mandatory and not “optional flavour”? And how many boss fights will end with one of them yelling “that move is absolute nonsense” while secretly loving every second of it?

Tune in as they drain ichor, befriend companions who are definitely going to die, and roll their way through a sequel that doubles down on style, melodrama, and very large weapons. It’s Code Vein 2 — sharper, sadder, and somehow even more anime than before. 🩸⚔️

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This week on Critical Arcade, Nick and Dave adjust their sensitivity sliders (and immediately regret it) as they dive deep into the stylish, suspicious, and surprisingly prophetic world of Perfect Dark. Set in the far-flung future of 2023, the game casts them as elite Carrington Institute agent Joanna Dark, a super-spy with a cooler name than everyone else in the building and an arsenal that seems designed by a mad scientist with a grudge against balance.

What starts as a routine corporate espionage job against tech giant dataDyne quickly spirals into a full-blown conspiracy involving rogue AIs, secret government agencies, mind-controlled soldiers, and an interstellar war between alien factions who are way too invested in Earth politics. From sneaking through poorly lit offices and secret labs to escaping flying alien temples and stealing hover bikes, Nick and Dave follow Joanna as she uncovers the truth behind dataDyne’s shady experiments and the alien Skedar, who are absolutely not here to make friends.

Along the way, they’ll wrestle with famously aggressive enemy AI, guards who can hear footsteps through concrete walls, and guns that reload themselves because… the future. Can Dave keep track of the plot once Elvis the Grey Alien becomes a main character? Will Nick ever stop complaining about aiming with a controller while simultaneously insisting it’s "part of the charm"?

Join them as they unravel conspiracies, praise the soundtrack, curse the difficulty spikes, and ask the important question: was Perfect Dark ahead of its time… or just deeply committed to ruining your evening?

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This week on Critical Arcade, Nick and Dave drift off into the calm, colourful, and deceptively tricky universe of Harmony’s Odyssey. A puzzle game that looks like a bedtime story but thinks like a logic exam, Harmony’s Odyssey sends them hopping between floating constellations inspired by ancient myths, musical patterns, and cosmic folklore. Each world is a handcrafted diorama where perspective is everything, rules are meant to be bent, and the solution is rarely as simple as it first appears.

As they guide the silent protagonist through starry landscapes and rotating puzzle boxes, Nick and Dave must learn to slow down, observe, and rethink how space itself works. Shapes become pathways, background details turn into solutions, and every new constellation introduces a fresh twist on the game’s core ideas. It’s soothing, it’s clever, and it’s constantly asking them to trust their instincts rather than brute-force an answer.

But beneath the cosy visuals and gentle soundtrack lies a puzzle game that can be quietly ruthless. Will Dave’s patience survive when the solutions feel just out of reach? And how long before Nick breaks the zen atmosphere by confidently declaring he’s solved it—only to be very, very wrong? Tune in as they try to restore harmony to the stars, one brain-melting puzzle at a time.

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This week on Critical Arcade, Nick and Dave make the deeply questionable decision to wander into the suffocatingly quiet, deeply cursed world of Fatal Frame, a survival horror series that proves the scariest weapon imaginable is a camera. Set across abandoned mansions, forgotten villages, and ritual sites soaked in tragedy, the duo must rely on the mysterious Camera Obscura to confront vengeful spirits who linger between life and death—and who really, really don’t want their photo taken.

As they peel back layers of grim folklore, failed rituals, and generations of sorrow, Nick and Dave discover that every ghost has a story, and none of them end well. Combat means standing your ground, letting spirits drift uncomfortably close, and snapping photos at the exact right moment for maximum damage—an act that feels deeply wrong when your instincts are screaming to run. Exploration is slow, methodical, and filled with notes, whispers, and environmental details that make every empty hallway feel watched.

Will Dave keep his nerve when the game demands he calmly walk toward the ghost instead of fleeing? How many times will Nick shout “WHY IS IT BEHIND ME?” after turning the camera? And just how long before they start checking corners in real life? Join them as they confront jump scares, creeping dread, and the uniquely Japanese horror that makes Fatal Frame one of the most unsettling survival horror experiences ever made—where the closer you get to the danger, the deadlier (and scarier) it becomes.

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This week on Critical Arcade, Dave and Nick dust off their dual pistols, crank up the early-2000s angst, and step into the shadowy, conspiratorial world of Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness—the game that tried to reinvent Lara Croft… and occasionally forgot how legs work in the process.

Fresh off being framed for the murder of her mentor Werner Von Croy, Lara finds herself plunged into the underbelly of Paris. She escapes through rain-soaked streets, dingy back alleys, and the world’s grumpiest cafés while trying to unravel a string of occult murders tied to a secret society known only as the Cabal. Their motives? Mysterious. Their fashion sense? Impeccably leather.

As Lara goes on the run, Dave and Nick try to keep track of all the new “features” this game introduced: morality systems that don’t really matter, stealth segments that no one asked for, and strength upgrades that somehow require Lara to repeatedly push boxes like she’s training for the Olympics. Meanwhile, Nick insists the game’s moody Paris soundtrack is underrated, and Dave keeps asking why every locked door looks like it might actually be a puzzle but… isn’t.

To complicate things further, the boys meet Kurtis Trent, the trench-coat-wearing, telekinesis-dabbling enigma who may or may not be flirting with Lara—or the player, depending on the mood. While Lara chases ancient artifacts tied to the Nephilim, Kurtis does his best to appear cool.

Their journey eventually leads them from grimy nightclubs and abandoned museums to high-security compounds and eerie, centuries-old catacombs. They’ll face mutated monstrosities, secret experiments, and plot twists that feel ripped straight from an early 2000s sci-fi channel marathon.

Find out as Critical Arcade tackles one of the most ambitious, bizarre, and surprisingly charming entries in the Tomb Raider saga—a game that may be flawed but still shines with atmosphere, attitude, and enough early-2000s energy to power a thousand leather jackets.

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This week on Critical Arcade, Dave and Nick strap on their sandals, grab their gleaming katanas, and dive headfirst into the stylized, time-warped epic that is Samurai Jack: The Shadow of Aku. From the moment the boys hit “Start,” they’re hurled into a world where the future is corrupted, everything has an angular edge, and Aku’s voice echoes like a disappointed dad trying way too hard to sound intimidating.

Guiding Jack through swarms of beetle drones, lumbering robots, and Aku’s endless parade of weirdly buff minions, our hosts quickly realize that the game is less about slashing and more about deciding which direction they’re supposed to be slashing in.

As Jack travels across dystopian cities, alien-infested swamps, and Aku’s infernal domain, the duo uncovers fragments of Jack’s journey back to the past. The Shadow of Aku looms large over their adventure, manifesting as everything from boss fights to Aku’s signature evil cackle.

Can Dave and Nick help Jack get one step closer to rewriting his destiny? Will Nick ever master the timing of the jump-slash? And will Dave finally admit that Aku is kind of funny… in a “please stop shouting at me” kind of way?

Tune in as the boys tackle corrupted futures, ancient destinies, and the eternal struggle of trying to look cool while missing every single combo.

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This week on Critical Arcade, Dave and Nick dust off their detective hats, light a cigarette under the flickering glow of a neon sign, and step into the rain-soaked, crumbling streets of dystopian Vancouver in Backbone. This isn’t your average pixel-art adventure — it’s a smoky, jazz-drenched neo-noir where everyone’s an animal, the city’s rotting from the inside, and the truth is far more terrifying than it first appears.

Players take on the role of Howard Lotor, a weary raccoon private investigator barely scraping by, whose latest case — finding a missing husband — leads him into a web of corruption, crime, and existential horror. What starts as a simple domestic investigation quickly unravels into a conspiracy involving the city’s oppressive class system, grotesque secrets hidden by its powerful elite, and a mystery that forces Howard to confront his own humanity… or what’s left of it.

As Dave and Nick follow Howard’s trail through smoky jazz bars, shadowy back alleys, and the towering decadence of the rich, they’ll face moral dilemmas and uncomfortable truths. Dave spends half the episode trying to figure out if raccoons can get PTSD, while Nick insists on narrating every line like a 1940s gumshoe. The two debate everything from the meaning of the game’s shocking transformation in its final act to whether or not the raccoon trench coat counts as “drip.”

Will Dave keep his cool as the story descends into surreal, body-horror-infused madness? Can Nick make sense of the game’s philosophical curveball ending — or will he just blame it on “art”? And most importantly, can anyone really find hope in a world built on lies and fur?

Find out as the Critical Arcade crew peel back the layers of Backbone — a haunting, beautifully realized descent into noir, nostalgia, and nihilism that asks not just who we are, but what we’re willing to become.

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This week on Critical Arcade, Nick and Dave dust off their swords, shine their armor, and set out on a nostalgic journey through the land of Alefgard in “Dragon Quest I & II Remake.” Square Enix has taken two of the most important JRPGs ever made and given them the full HD-2D treatment—complete with shimmering pixel art, dynamic lighting, and a soundtrack that will make even the slimes tear up a little.

In Dragon Quest I, our brave hosts take on the role of the legendary descendant of Erdrick, tasked with defeating the evil Dragonlord and restoring peace to a world teetering on the edge of ruin. Along the way, they’ll explore charming towns, uncover ancient secrets, and save a princess who’s just a little too comfortable being kidnapped.

Then, as the story seamlessly continues into Dragon Quest II, the stakes—and the party size—grow. Joined by three royal companions, the adventure expands across continents, oceans, and a world haunted by the legacy of the first hero. Monsters get tougher, castles get grander, and Dave’s inventory management skills are tested like never before. Meanwhile, Nick can’t stop humming the battle theme and pretending he’s composing a full orchestra.

Together, they’ll uncover how these two stories intertwine, setting the foundation for decades of RPG storytelling. Will Dave survive the grind without rage-quitting? Will Nick finally admit that “random encounters” are not a personal attack? Tune in as they laugh, strategize, and occasionally cry their way through one of gaming’s most legendary remakes—where every slime defeated brings them one step closer to destiny.

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