Story of Seasons, Hearthstone: the League of Explorers, Game of Thrones: A Telltale Game, gaming reviews

Looking for a relaxing game to enjoy regularly over a long period?

Cutesy farm simulator Story of Seasons is a charming little time-sink

Story of Seasons

***

3DS (£39.99)

Story of Seasons is a Harvest Moon game in everything but name. A cutesy farm simulator, it offers various types of farming, including crops, livestock and a safari park. In addition, you are encouraged to pursue a social life and befriend the other villagers. For those looking for a relaxing game to enjoy regularly over a long period, Story of Seasons is just that. There's not much in the way of plot but this is a charming little time-sink.

Jack Fleming

Hearthstone: the League of Explorers

****

PC/Mac/IOS (£14.99)

With every expansion of this digital card-playing game there have been complaints about the overall playing style not changing enough, meaning decks such as Secret Paladin would dominate for weeks on end. Luckily for players aching for something new, League of Explorers changes almost everything. Heroes once seen as unplayable – such as Shaman – have become good, while new cards like Reno Jackson offer new play styles. The boss challenges may be relatively easy for experienced players, but people joining the game will find it a perfect mixture of challenging and rewarding.

Jack Shepherd

Game of Thrones: A Telltale Game

***

PC/Mac/PS3/PS4/360/Xbox One/IOS/Android (£17.99)

Telltale Games ventures in to the Game of Thrones universe for this disappointing entry in its episodic adventure series. The storyline focuses on House Forrester, briefly mentioned in the George RR Martin novels, meaning all point-of-view characters are new creations while fan favourites such as Tyrion Lannister and Jon Snow are reduced to cameo appearances. While the player is led to believe their choices will directly influence the outcome of the game, the clunky ending makes it feel like each decision had little impact.

Sophie Witts