Jason Baigent's Reviews
I love almost everything about GRIDbeat, from its pleasing aesthetic to its computer language and its wonderful synthy music. I haven’t experienced anything quite like it before, and I admire its incredibly detailed and inventive ideas. It’s just a shame that it couldn’t carry that over into its difficulty and checkpoint system. If you’re after a game that will challenge your reflexes and brain-to-hand coordination, then this is the one, but I’ll be waiting in a server somewhere for that upgrade to bring me back to my hacking ways.
Bonnie Bear Saves Frogtime really showcases Bonte Avond’s elevation in game making, as it’s a massive step up from their previous games. This frog-obsessed world comes to life through its playful writing and bright, colourful visuals. It features a strongly designed strategy game with fun mechanics that fits well into the main game and, behind the jokes, puns and songs, features a narrative that many will resonate with. With a bunch of characters I want as my friends, Bonnie Bear turned out to be so much more than I expected and an experience I won’t forget anytime soon.
There’s so much potential and promise baked into Fallen Tear that with all the rough spots ironed out and improved narrative beats, I can see this being one heck of an experience, and I can’t wait to see what state the game is in 6 months’ time. But until then, it might be best to stick this on your wishlist and watch its progress from afar.
The lack of any connectivity makes Anthem#9 feel more like an arcade game, which hurts, as this world is ripe for exploration. The deep and robust battle mechanics and bright visuals help to feed your attention, but even those are not enough to maintain long-form interest. Passionate roguelite players will find a game that will sing through its unconventional ways of handling the genre, but the rest of us might need to look elsewhere.
Successfully building upon the first game in every way, Planet of Lana 2 delivers a fascinating and sometimes emotional experience heightened by stunning visual and sound design. The time taken to explore Mui’s backstory and the machine's connection to the world in general is such a welcome addition and only aids in making this feel like more than just a platform game. Fans of the original and newcomers alike will have one heck of a ride, and I can’t wait to see where the series goes from here.
For Berangin Creative’s debut game, Keejora is good first attempt. Even with the game’s problems, there’s still just enough here to make for a worthwhile playthrough, but the game’s unutilised potential brings down what could have been something quite special.
If, like me, you are a Metroidvania geek, you’ll have a great time with MIO, just as long as you don’t come in with too high of an expectation, and for everyone else – especially people who turned away from Silksong – this might be the Metroidvania you’ve been looking for.
There’s much reward to be had for successfully navigating the game's many obstacles, but it’ll take a strong level of patience and determination to complete them, especially with the unconventional controls. There’s plenty to love with Baby Steps, but the potential for much frustration by the controls and hazards made it all one step too far for me.
With likeable, charming characters, a ton of side quests to keep you distracted, and interesting level design, Ruffy and the Riverside is a delightful experience which has easily copy-and-pasted itself onto my favourite games of the year list.
I highly admire everything that 11 bit studios has achieved in The Alters. At its core, there is a fascinating, emotional sci-fi narrative that demands attention and which is surrounded by high-intensity management gameplay. It’s finished up with some beautifully detailed and polished visuals that perfectly promote its futuristic world and eerie atmosphere.
PaperKlay is the ideal game to introduce your child or spouse to the gaming world. Its simple platforming and bright visuals are perfect for a small child and the secrets and the more involved tasks will fill the curiosity of an adult. Its clear objectives will be appreciated by many, with the same going for its fun writing.
Old Skies is a shining example of a strong, well-written, and original story. Considering the subject, that’s an impressive feat. With the game's other shining examples of strong voice acting, superb music, and wonderful visuals, it was worth every second of the time I spent with it. I can’t recommend this enough to any point-and-click fan out there, and even if this genre isn’t your forte, it’s still worth a shot.
The team’s incredible hard work has produced a wonderfully unique, deep, and rewarding game that fulfils its ambitious scope and has easily been seated as my favourite visual novel of all time.
The imagination is clear throughout, and the team at Caracal Games has done a wonderful job in creating an interesting world that deserves your attention and time. If you're looking for a unique Zelda-like, with a rough 20-hour playtime and a mysterious sci-fi tale, then Star Overdrive might just be what you're after.