Britt’s August 2026 Mini Review Round‑Up: Adorable Adventures, Star Wars Monopoly & Parking Garage Rally Circuit
Adorable Adventures
Platform reviewed – PlayStation 5 (also available on PC, Xbox Series X/S)
Developer – Wild Sheep Studio
Publisher – PQube
Rating - 8/10
From the developers that brought us Maestro - and the sadly cancelled Wild - comes Adorable Adventures, a beautiful game that puts the players in the excitable trotters of Boris. This young boar must use his nose-based talents to track down his family after a forest fire has separated them. A family-friendly adventure with gentle narration that adds to the cosy vibe, Adorable Adventures makes a great first impression with rich visuals, lilting audio, and fun gameplay mechanics as Boris runs, skids, leaps, and joyfully discovers the world around him. A heavily scent-based game, the aromas in the air often act as guides towards the next narrative step, and there are also areas and items to discover and collect, all of which are kept in a scrapbook so that you can see your collection grow. Boris is the heart and soul of this adventure, and as he races around in a bid to reunite his family, this short and snouty adventure can’t help but warm the cockles of your heart.
Monopoly: Star Wars Heroes Vs Villains
Platform Reviewed – PlayStation 5 (also available on PC, Switch 1 & 2, Xbox Series X/S
Developer – Behaviour Interactive
Publisher – Ubisoft
Rating – 7.5/10
Not being a huge Star Wars fan, I was intrigued as to how much this game would twist the rules of Monopoly, if at all – and it certainly isn’t shy in that regard! I was half-expecting a typical Monopoly game with Star Wars aesthetics and branding slapped on, but Monopoly: Star Wars Heroes Vs Villains really takes advantage of the Star Wars license and leans into the cast character traits and powers, as well as using a lot of key locations and lore from the franchise to give an energetic and stylish flair to the gameplay. There are a host of fan favourites here, and whilst it can seem quite frenetic at the start, the bones of the rules of the original game are still here and will have you picking up on the gameplay in no time at all.
The game is really meant for multiplayer, though, and whilst single player modes do exist, the fun is in the moment-to-moment action against other players, as opposed to lifeless bots…that can’t be shouted at or cussed out in the grand old tradition of local multiplayer. A great version of Monopoly for Star Wars fans that takes full advantage of its license and has its own take on the rules to make this feel a little different…so Monopoly purists, beware!
Parking Garage Rally Circuit
Platform Reviewed – Switch (also available on PC, Mac, Linux)
Developer – Walaber Entertainment LLC
Publisher - Walaber Entertainment LLC / Pineapple Works
Rating - 8.5/10
Parking Garage Rally Circuit is a racing title that has been on my radar for a good while. From the moment I saw the crunchy Sega Saturn-esque visuals well over a year ago, I had to loosen my tie in anticipation as it’s a style that very much revs my engine. Set inside various multi-story car parks, the game has you drifting and boosting your way around these narrow, busy areas as a ska-punk soundtrack assaults your ears.
Very much a glorious throwback, before you even put the pedal to the metal, the care and love the developers have for the game and overall vibe of authenticity is immediately apparent as you wade through the myriad options that allow you to tweak the game to your tastes, from a 3:4, CRT-tastic Sega Saturn setup running at a rock solid 30fps through to hi-res Windows action at a silky smooth 60fps and everything in between – and beyond! One of those games wherein every few races I would fiddle and tweak with the setup and get a completely different vibe.
The racing is also up to snuff, with time-based laps being the focus here, as you weave and work out the best way around each stage (eight in all, with a further eight being available through reasonably priced DLC), discovering shortcuts and corners to cut. There’s a wonderfully bouncy sense of fun to the whole experience, ramped up by the soundtrack, and with up to four-player local play on offer as well.
Parking Garage Rally Circuit very much caters to me and my love of ‘90s arcade racers, with a charming coat of paint all of its own. Pairs wonderfully with Agent 64: Spies Never Die, and a can of Lilt, or two.
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