So it must be said, Skylar & Plux: Adventure on Clover Island is more than a disappointment. The main heroes are likeable enough guys, and the world you get to journey through is a decent one with plenty of collectible opportunities. The problem is, there are too many glitches, stutters, pauses and loading screens for the duo to ever become really loved.
If you’re after a tense game that will have you questioning every little moment from start to finish, then Little Nightmares is most definitely for you.
Today I love Race The Sun. Tomorrow though? Well that may well be a different story. But at least I’ll only have to wait 24 hours before loving it again.
Use Your Words is a great way of entertaining the entire family for a good couple of hours.
With just enough replayability to suit all, a delightful visual representation, a soundtrack which delivers the goods and some very clever, funny, ideas in place, Frima have nearly brought the house down with Talent Not Included. Yes there are the odd issues, but nothing that is anywhere near game-breaking, and even the occasional unexpected ramping up in difficulty will see you and a friend having a great time.
Strap on some cans, turn the volume up to 11, and you’ll quickly find out how much satisfaction can be found with the visual and audio masterpiece that Aaero is.
From my first hands on with Snake Pass, I had the feeling that Sumo Digital were onto something special, and that most definitely turns out to be the case…as long as you are prepared to think like a snake.
Table Top Racing World Tour is already a hell of an addictive little racer, but its long term charm completely relies on the online community – something that past history proves is a tricky proposition. It’s currently got just enough variety and draw to keep you going back for more, but it won’t be long before you find yourself exhausting everything the single player brings and that is when you’ll start looking for something extra. Should the online side really take off though, then, well, this could be a table top racer to challenge the very best.
For the price though, and the chance to wander through a history of video gaming from start to finish, A Pixel Story more than does the job to deliver a world that has been inspired by memories gone by.
If you do ‘get it’, then I can fully understand why you’ll probably adore Chime Sharp, but if you don’t, then, well, it’ll annoy the hell out of you before you get anywhere near a zen like state.
AQUA KITTY UDX won’t appeal to all, but that would be a huge shame. It’ll whisk you back to the golden age of arcade games, before hitting you smack in the face with its modern day feel, bringing enjoyment that very few other side scrolling shooters can manage. Each and every year, an indie title pops up and wows me. Here, in 2017, AQUA KITTY is that title.
A local two player run isn’t going to save 8DAYS from the mid table mediocrity that it’ll find itself in for the vast majority of gamers. If it wasn’t so damn annoying and completely irritating, then I’d happily be gifting it a bigger, better score, but the truth of the matter is that many will find too much they dislike for it to ever be a fun little title. And that’s a shame, because it could well have been pretty damn neat.
As you would probably expect from an indie local multiplayer only title, the visuals are pretty basic and whilst they do a job, they are nothing to write home about. The audio which accompanies it though is pretty special, mixing things up depending on your place of battle and delivering some crackingly addictive tunes. But that only really papers over the cracks which have formed from lack of content. But, if you’re looking for a game that will allow you to have a bit of a laugh with a few mates prior to getting busy on the decent stuff, then by all means stick a couple of dollars each into the kitty, and look forward to the 20 minutes of so of fun you’re going to get.
On the whole though and Pix the Cat is nothing short of adorable, arriving with some of the best features, ideas and supremely high production levels that can be found in an indie title. You may well initially think that both the Laboratory and Nostalgia modes are just tacked on extras to ensure more game time is thrown in, but in fact you would be massively wrong, with both modes more than capable of holding their own in the vast wilderness of the independent games scene.
Whilst an entire playthrough of Spheroids will only take you four or five hours tops, and nothing put in front of you is likely to test any of your gaming skills, you’ll probably still enjoy the mindless ball popping mayhem that it brings – whether or not that statement says more about me and my gaming ambitions though is another matter. There are issues – most notably with the ‘shop’ which is fairly pointless, but should you be looking for a fairly cheap, simple playthrough and a whole ton of achievement gathering in the process, then you could do worse.
I love this game. I may not have completed it, chances are I'm going to struggle with a few of the stages for days, weeks and months on end, and I've more or less given up even trying to pick up half moon, full moon and full sun rewards, but the overall sense of achievement that The Sun and Moon gives in just the bog standard completion of a stage, is enough of a reason for me to keep playing.
So, Siegecraft Commander. What’s the overall verdict? Well, I absolutely adore the crisp, comedic visuals and I even find the storytelling pretty humorous. The gameplay itself is testing (in a good way), and the overall concept is well thought out. The problem is, that damn control scheme really does take some getting used to – and that’s even after switching away from the horrid slingshot method. Many may just find that the overall repetitive nature that accompanies any game of this type a bit too much to bear, but as a real-time strategic offering, it just about delivers the goods, especially if you can manage to coerce some friends into joining you for the online multiplayer modes.
Puzzles. Platforms. One hell of a bullet storm. What on earth could go wrong? Well thankfully with the unbelievably delightful Rise & Shine, not a lot. In fact, it’s very very good. But it’s also very very hard and will no doubt frustrate those whose skill levels aren’t quite up to par.
It’s pretty much a nailed on cert that any past, present or future Forza Horizon 3 player will want to take to Blizzard Mountain as a matter of priority. That’s because the sheer thrill of racing wheel-to-wheel with some of the world’s best drivers, in the dark, with a full-on blizzard hitting you in the face, is just too much to ever turn down. Just remember to bring the snow tyres.
A full on slow burner, you may well be initially left wondering at the best way to attack it. If truth be told, once you get past the opening few shooting stages, and begin to embrace the RPG side for what it is, it turns out to be a pretty damn decent shoot em up, containing enough depth to suit those looking for a game to get their teeth fully into. Oh, and it also becomes very, very, addictive especially when you team up with a second player and let them control your ever helpful drone.