Hospital Manager, Fez, Luftrausers, gaming reviews: Comedy illnesses and glitches

Hospital Manager is a suitable transplant for Theme Hospital

Hospital Manager

***

ios, android (£1.99)

If, like me, you've been searching for something to fill the void left by Theme Hospital, Hospital Manager is certainly a suitable transplant. There's a healthy borrowing of most of the key gameplay features, but less of the specifics on offer: you can't change features within rooms, or priorities of staff. The macabre feel and comedy illnesses make for compelling play – though irritating glitches on some later levels close the game intermittently (much like its predecessor), which is the only reason it didn't nab an extra star.

Laura Davis

Fez

*****

PS3, PS4, PS Vita (£7.99 )

In what is ostensibly a nostalgic throwback to 2D platformers of the 16-bit era, hatted avatar Gomez discovers he can rotate 2D landscapes from a 3D perspective. Fez's simple, responsive gameplay encourages exploration within its Escher-inspired terrain of nebulous cubes disguised as flat squares. With tricky, dimension-based puzzle-platforming that rivals the ingenuity of Portal and a myriad of obscure secrets that perfectly complement the playful surrealism of the art design, this is a charming and unique take on a classic genre.

Oliver Cragg

Luftrausers

****

PC, Mac, PS4 (£14.99 or free on PS Plus)

Originally developed by Vlambeer as a Flash game, Luftrausers is an ingenious 2D physics-based shooter that transcends its well-worn war tropes by transforming dogfighting into a cloud-bursting experience. Taking to the skies, the goal is to destroy enemy planes and battleships without getting killed – with stalling as a key mechanic. Sporting a neat monochrome colour scheme reminiscent of classic Gameboy visuals, Luftrausers also manages to capture the addictive quality of the best 8-bit games.

Sam Gill