Knights and Bikes review – a tribute to friendship and long summer days

PC, PlayStation 4; Foam Sword/Double Fine Productions
This endearing game weaves a touching story of families and loss into a nostalgic odyssey through 80s seaside holidays

Long summer days with nothing to do but hop on a bike and explore are a distant memory for most of us (not least today's children, according to depressing headlines about how much time they are permitted to spend roaming outside). Knights and Bikes captures the nostalgia of British childhood holidays in worn-down caravan parks and small-scale adventures in seaside towns. Designed to be played with a friend, with both of you tapping a button to careen around on extremely 80s bikes, it is energetic and charming enough to make you laugh all the way through.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, considering the developers' connections to Media Molecule, makers of the most unassailably sweet video games around, there is a gooey emotional centre to Knights and Bikes. A genuinely touching story of loss and family hardship bolsters the whimsy of the madcap art, ramshackle seaside architecture, punky soundtrack and endearing writing.