Filled with quirky 90s cheese, engaging characters, and some fantastic animation, Murder by numbers is the sort of case file that goes above and beyond the line of duty.
Shadow In The Ice is a solid expansion of the first Season 5 episode.
As you step up into your airship to take on the mid-game, there’s a long grind ahead.
Clock simulator really is a cluster of mini-games that set players against the clock. This is an interesting idea that doesn't quite go far enough meaning that the bell tolls far too quickly for this unusual indie game.
As you dig into this tale of survival, I can’t help feel that it would have been better suited to a 2D point and click. The Uncertain: Light At The End does play on establish genre tropes but still manages it convincingly. Where it falls down is when it jams in odd immersion breaking puzzles and drops in yet another bug. Uncertain is an appropriate description for this tale of tin and while I’d give it a whirl once it’s had its chrome plated spit shine, I would hold off for some Walking Dead with better footing.
Despite the positives, my lasting impression of FMT 2018 is of a rich, complex game that is utterly crippled by the user experience. I really want to give FMT 2018 more of my time but could not bring myself to do so.
Suicide Guy is an attempt to do something different but ultimately fails to be much more than a mild distraction from the gent in the seat two rows back that we call Thundersnore.
An ambitious new open world adventure from Netease that straddles the boundaries of VR and traditional desktop MMORPG. Nostos is a magical experience that ultimately has some way to go before it hits its lofty goals
At Sundown Shots in the Dark is fundamentally a good game. It has a quirky retro graphics, some intelligent design and I'd happily give it another try on the PC.
Solo, is an ultimately laudable attempt that sails off course somewhat.
If you grew up way back in the olden days like me and can't stomach another anime RPG then YIIK is worth a look. YIIK: A Postmodern RPG is out now on Nintendo Switch.
A group of high school students, an alien attack, and Metal. Gal Metal is a unique rhythm based game that mixes metal with a free form playstyle, from DMM Games. Nothing could quite have prepared us for this as we defend earth from certain doom.
Old School Musical is ready to rock PC and Nintendo Switch with a mix of nostalgia-fuelled narrative and a mix of melodies. Take two adventurers through a series of adventures in a range of worlds that are drenched in nostalgia and chocked full of chiptunes.
Despite some great puzzles and an interesting group mechanic, I will be waiting before returning to Hyakki Castle. If you love dungeon crawlers and need something new, give it a try. If you are new to the genre then maybe start with the superb Legend of Grimrock. Hyakki Castle is out now on Steam.
Frivolous, farty, and gloriously chaotic but not the best episode of South Park. Snow Day is a mix of ideas all balled up into an action brawler. if you and your friends love South Park then some genuinely inspired moments make this worth taking the time to play.
These issues barely even touch on some of the very manual control systems used for troop deployment and the hit or miss mechanics of attacking enemy troops. Frozenheim has a huge amount going for it and manages to touch on a number of ideas that do, largely, work. It just needs a little more time to the in game combat, but there is a great game in out there on the open plains just waiting for Odin’s blessing.
New World is not a paradise for all comers by any means. It's an escape for those willing to put up with some oddly misbalanced elements to get a taste of some really excellent PvP encounters. If you have a guild ready to grind out results and become kind of the mountain then New World is worth a look.
Sure, the idea’s aren’t genre defining and the story itself is a bit of a cheesy romp, but when my biggest complaint is that the port to Nintendo Switch could really have done with narrative and UI text that isn’t minuscule, there’s not a lot wrong. Pathway is a wonderfully upbeat ode to adventure flicks of old. The deliberately arcane pixel art shines though while the tone and setting never make gameplay a second fiddle.
A nice follow up to a much loved Doctor Who episode and a fun found phone game all rolled into one. For Doctor Who fans, there's more than one reason to keep your eyes on this new adventure.
Despite Earthblood's roughshot ride over opportunities to dive deep into the lore of Werewolf: the Apocalypse, the focused exploration of this end of the World Of Darkness manages to deliver a bloody good time when the claws come out. It's just a shame that some of the loftier ideas are let down by repetitive stealth gameplay and poorly developed mechanics.