Paperbound review – old-fashioned multiplayer mayhem

(PS4, PC, Dissident Logic, cert: 7)

This sketchpad-themed brawler is centred on the concept that gathering up to four mates together for the purpose of slicing one another's (virtual) heads off should be a communal event in a local multiplayer mode instead of an online one. Combat is zippy, with fighters harnessing a simple but effective triumvirate of weaponry: scissors, projectiles and ink bombs. This minimalism turns each match into a fierce battle of skill where speed and movement is key.

Each player's ability to invert their "personal gravity" also proves a vital tool in navigating the quirkily designed arenas. Playing against friends on the sofa may be almost archaic as far as premium games go, but this scrappy indie title proves there are still great times to be had gathered around a single screen. A slight sense of repetition across game modes is Paperbound's only failing.