Astro Bot ©2024 Team ASOBI/Sony

Springtime is full of terrific twosomes: rain boots and umbrellas, birdsong and buzzing bees, new seeds and rich soil. Yet, these delightful duos can come with less charming companions—damp clothes, allergies, and mud. Cozying up inside with video games might be the safer bet. Whatever the reason for staying indoors, this month’s video game reviews feature their own perfect pairings—Mario and Luigi, Sonic and Shadow, and more—to keep players entertained.

Astro Bot. Sept. 2024. Team ASOBI/Sony. PlayStation 5. $59.99.
Rated E10+–While Nintendo players may have Mario as an exclusive character, Playstation’s newest star might leave them feeling envious. As with the previous games in the Astro Bot series, this installment is a fun ­platform that honors Sony’s popular hardware while doubling as a tech demo for the PS5’s DualSense controller. The award-winning Astro Bot expands and improves on the mechanics of its predecessors and serves as a joyous celebration of 30 years of Sony’s iconic games. To repair Astro’s crashed spaceship, which resembles an intergalactic PS5, the player must find and rescue the lost cameo bots, who are decked out like famous Sony heroes, such as Kratos and Nathan Drake. ­Astro’s move-set is genius in its simplicity. The robot runs, jumps, punches, and spins. But most levels include a companion that changes Astro’s mechanics. One transforms Astro into a sponge that grows when it absorbs water. Another turns the bot into a heavy, impenetrable bowling ball. Numerous levels explore the mechanics of these transformations in genius ways. Former attempts at Sony mascots, like Crash ­Bandicoot, Sackboy, and the abominable Polygon Man, have all faded in varying levels since their debuts. Astro Bot has the power to stick around. VERDICT This title fills the gaming crave for fully 3D adventures and provides the most fun on any console, hands down, in almost a decade.

Dredge. Mar. 2023. Black Salt Games/Team17. macOS, Nintendo Switch, ­PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S. $24.99.
Rated E10+–For those who prefer their ocean exploration with a dash of eldritch horror, look no further. Players assume the role of a male fisherman who washes ashore with amnesia in a strange fishing village. He must catch fish to survive, but some of the fish are weird—bulbous protrusions, too many eyes, bodies composed of unknown inorganic material. Odd, but not scary, its mysteries slowly unfold as players explore at their own pace. The only “character” to control is the boat itself. Fishing and dredging up salvage occurs through time-based mini-games. The ship’s inventory is limited, and players must keep their cargo hold organized by arranging various shapes akin to top-down Tetris. A day/night cycle adds strategy to seafaring. Some fish only surface at night, forcing the player to risk the inky blackness for a valuable catch. Players must manage their sleep cycle: Insomnia causes distressing hallucinations that affect the voyage. Copious text and no voice acting require strong reading skills. Despite the E10+ rating, this title is best suited for intermediate to experienced players; however, a wealth of accessibility options exist to modify the game for players of many physical abilities. VERDICT An unexpected mix of calming ocean fishing and Lovecraftian horrors make for a compelling and addictive gaming experience.

Endless Ocean Luminous. May 2024. Akira/Nintendo. Nintendo Switch. $49.99.
Rated E–This third installment in the Endless Ocean series puts players in the scuba suit of an explorer in the fictional Veil Sea. In an expansive 3D ocean, players swim at their own pace, analyze sea creatures, and gather relics and trash to bring life back to the legendary, but slowly dying, World Coral. Scanning fish releases energy that can restore the endangered coral structure. Although the setting is fictional, the ocean life is real. Scanning fish unlocks real-world facts about countless sea creatures, from ubiquitous clownfish and tang to obscure denizens of the deep, like the humphead wrasse. The underlying motif is inspiring: gaining knowledge brings healing light. Recovering artifacts and completing quests gives players coins to customize their gender neutral diver’s suit colors. Most text, including the fishy facts, is read aloud by the player’s companion AI, Sera. Human ­characters are not voiced, and their text must be read to understand the story. Gentle tutorials ease the most inexperienced gamer into the game’s relaxing depths. VERDICT While action gamers will be bored, recommend this to players who want to live a dream of gliding through the water without a need for air or fear of danger.

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. Sept. 2024. Grezzo/Nintendo. Nintendo Switch. $59.99.
Rated E10+–After Link is sucked into a mysterious void, Zelda must use the Tri Rod to save the kingdom of Hyrule. The Tri Rod and Zelda’s adorable spritely companion, Tri, allow Zelda to conjure up replicas of almost any creature or object she encounters. Need to scale a cliff? Poof! A staircase of white clouds allows the princess to ascend. Some players may combat enemies by carrying around a rock-spitting Octorok, while others may use a sword-swinging Mobiln as a shield. There are 127 echoes to be found. The variety provides players more flexibility than classic Zelda titles, but expect to use some echoes far more than others. The old bed, for instance, has become a minor meme due to its whimsical versatility. Despite having the proportions of Fisher-Price Little People toys, the residents of Hyrule have never been livelier. Character faces are spirited, emoting with the brilliant simplicity of Nintendo’s all-but-forgotten Mii characters. Familiar fantasy races, like the Deku, Gorons, Gerudo, and Zora, are all present and cuter than ever. This is the first mainstream Zelda title to let players inhabit the role of the titular princess. VERDICT Masterfully blending the freewheeling ingenuity of Tears of the Kingdom with the nostalgic dependability of A Link to the Past, this installment in The Legend of Zelda series provides the best of both worlds.

Mario & Luigi: Brothership. Nov. 2024. Acquire/Nintendo. Nintendo Switch. $59.99.
Rated E–The sixth entry in the “Mario & Luigi” series, and a spiritual companion to Paper Mario, this game centers on traditional RPG turn-based combat. With Mario and Luigi on the left side of the screen, and baddies on the right, the brothers fight to save Concordia, a fantasy world torn into various islands by a mysterious force. No one does video game water like Nintendo, and it is always a treat to be lost at sea in their games. Mario and Luigi have been a duo for over 40 years, but thanks to the game’s dynamic animation, they feel more inseparable than ever. Their eyes express emotion, their limbs comically flair, and their mustaches jiggle during their zany antics. Even though the characters are 3D models, their fluid movements and vibrant expressions evoke classic cel animation. The spirited addition of “­Luigi Logic,” which are goofy ways of solving puzzles, adds a hilarious touch. Combat is spiced up with the addition of time-based button presses. For instance, hit the right button as Mario attacks or Luigi defends for a boost. Plot is text-heavy and requires strong reading ability to enjoy. Combat can be repetitive and frequent load times grate, especially in an era of instant gratification, but the world is rich and lively, easily immersive, and inhabitable. VERDICT An ideal game for Mario fans looking to branch off into other gaming genres.

Sonic X Shadow Generations. Oct 2024. Sonic Team/Sega. Nintendo Switch, ­PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S. $49.99.
Rated E10+–This two-pack is a remaster of 2011’s Sonic Generations bundled with a brand new side story, Shadow Generations. Shadow debuted in 2001, starred in his own game in 2006, but still feels like the byproduct of the extreme 1990s primordial ooze that branded Sonic as an edgy foil to Mario. Where Luigi is Mario’s brother, Shadow, unrelated to Sonic, is a hedgehog genetically engineered from alien space DNA who seeks revenge after the murder of his human friend, a young blonde girl named Maria. Shadow looks like a Dragonball Z character on rollerblades, and in his 2006 self-titled game, he carried a gun. Sonic Generations is a celebration of Sonic games past, both 2D and 3D, with modern bells and whistles added for this remaster. Despite spanning more than 20 years, all the games ironically feel firmly stuck in the 1990s. S hadow Generations can be played immediately from the title screen. In it, Shadow speeds along like Sonic, but with added mutations that allow him to fly, throw spears, and freeze time. The extra content adds value to this blatant marketing tie-in with the third Sonic film. VERDICT The Sonic franchise has never evolved but will still fly off the shelf.

Chance Lee Joyner, Tyngsborough P.L., MA