I adored Europa, the “last human alive” game that made me sob

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Trouble in paradise

I picked up Europa at the suggestion of a friend, but his recommendation (“it’s very pretty”) understated its breathtaking beauty. Masterminded by environment artist Helder Pinto (whose credits include Overwatch 2) and created by a small team of developers in their spare time, it feels like a labour of love; at one point I ended up sobbing at my keyboard, although it should be noted that I was quite tired at the time and I’m generally a bit soppy.

It’s initially very tranquil, but the game’s more sinister elements slowly creep up on you

These factors notwithstanding, it’s an emotionally resonant “last human alive” tale of a small android boy (named Zee, equipped with a jetpack) who wakes and sets out to discover the secrets of Europa’s leafy paradise. Encouraged by words written on pages from his late father’s notebook that he finds strewn along the way, he jumps, hovers and glides through lush fields, abandoned ruins and icy wastelands, solving elegant puzzles and steering clear of mechanical creatures (“gardeners”) who tend to the flora and deeply resent the presence of anyone in human form. It’s initially very tranquil, but the game’s more sinister elements slowly creep up on you, superbly enhanced by Matthew Thomason’s soundtrack.

The gameplay is a joy, particularly when manoeuvring Zee in flight, with clever in-game devices guiding you down the correct path. But it’s the visuals and cinematics that really draw you in and propel you forward, and with no distracting heads-up display you become completely absorbed in Pinto’s extraordinary world. Many of the creatures (both real and fantastical) are inspired by Cornish wildlife, and as Zee occasionally pauses on his quest to draw them in his own notebook, the actual draft sketches of those animals (by artist Uriel Cordas) are revealed on screen.Pinto aimed to recreate “the illusion of a watercolour animated movie within a game engine”, which he has certainly achieved. Europa is a timely tale of nature trying to protect itself from the worst excesses of humanity, but it’s told with tenderness and affection. I adored it.

The art of noise

Razer’s new flagship headphones bring together some of the best aspects of its range – flexibility, long battery life, immersive sound and LED lighting. The biggest draw, however, is the integration of its new haptic technology, Sensa HD, where compatible games can deliver feedback to the headset. So you’ll feel the rumble of a vehicle or the crack of a gun through your head – and it’s not only responding to audio; the effects can be programmed by the developer (Hogwarts Legacy is one current example). They come with a control hub with a screen that can display anything from graphics card diagnostics to details of the music you’re listening to. (Speaking of which, dub reggae plus haptic feedback is really something.)

A good turn

If you’re standing up in an empty room, 360-degree VR games are amazing. When seated, however, they’re locked in a battle with your brain. If your character turns, you can’t, and that disconnect between your eyes and inner ear feels deeply uncomfortable. (Recognising this, developers rotate gameplay in 30-degree increments if you’re sitting still – far from ideal.) Roto VR, working together with Meta, has ingeniously addressed this with a chair that physically rotates you as the game requires, effectively eliminating motion sickness. A seated session playing Iron Man VR, first without and then with the chair, was like night and day. Setting it up for the first time takes about 45 minutes, but thereafter it’s a liberating thrill.

Squeak performance

Gram for gram, this super-light carbon fibre mouse is pricier than saffron. It was developed by ASUS’s high-end gaming brand ROG (Republic Of Gamers) in collaboration with esports professionals, and it’s a perfectly contoured, supremely tactile device; no surprises button-wise (left, right, front, back and a scroll wheel) but its operation is highly customisable across multiple user profiles via the Armoury Crate Gear software. You can connect via Bluetooth, a USB cable or a (provided) RF dongle; the latter two can optionally connect via a thumb-sized booster that ups the polling rate to 8,000Hz, which is as high as any mouse can go. Reactive lighting effects are the cherry on the cake. £239.99

Game and bike

Not a gaming product, but an electric motorbike inspired by retro gaming – specifically the “Atomic Purple” Game Boy Color. Freed from the constraints imposed by petrol power (eg, engines and exhausts), designer Simon Dabadie has embraced the idea of creating motorbikes as works of art. All the design cues of this machine are taken from the Nintendo console: a body made of translucent plastic to showcase the mechanics, handlebar-mounted controls based on the D-pad and A-B buttons, a vintage game cartridge start key, and hidden cheat codes integrated into the bike’s software to unlock special features (eg, display variations and 8-bit sound effects). And it’s all put together at Peugeot’s motorbike factory – the oldest in the world. From €14,900

@rhodri