A.J. Maciejewski
There are many excellent indie games recently and you can definitely add Dreamscaper to the list. With its pitch-perfect game world, highly rewarding gameplay loop, imaginative premise, and personal boss fights; you'll regret sleeping on this one.
Take it from someone who doesn't usually enjoy unchallenging laidback adventures; OMNO is undoubtedly a wonderful experience. From its stylish visuals to its consistently rewarding collectibles and sense of progression, it really is the cat's pajamas.
It's not what I expected from an expansion but Flames of the Nether managed to impress me with its variety of levels and top-notch gear. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that it's my favourite of the 6 expansions so if you'll excuse me, I'll go roast some Piglins.
Hidden Depths features some cool gear and an epic boss battle but its reliance on recovering oxygen definitely takes away from the fun.
Echoing Void may start with tedious treks through already completed levels but it ends up being quite an awesome final chapter.
SkyDrift Infinity is such a fun and challenging racer that it makes me wonder why there aren't more games like it. I'm very happy that they resurrected it from the PlayStation 3 graveyard and hope to see more gems from that era resurface.
B.ARK definitely looks like a promising shmup with its cartoon visuals and variety of animal chums but it falls apart at the seams when you compare it to its genre predecessors. It's still kind of fun at times, though, especially with its 4 player co-op component.
As prolific game reviewer A.J. Maciejewski once said: "Give a witch a gun and she'll shoot for a day; teach a witch to shoot and she'll pulverize forest creatures for a lifetime." In other words, Trigger Witch is a ridiculously fun game that manages to remain enjoyable for hours upon hours due to its reliance on satisfying gameplay, colourful well-animated visuals, and rewarding upgrades.
Blaster Master Zero 3 is a rewarding and memorable conclusion to an epic trilogy of incredible games.
Ayo the Clown is exactly what a 2D platformer should be; silly, fun, challenging, varied, and intuitive. So, if you enjoy the genre then adding this indie gem to your collection is a must. Plus, it's sure to make you smile and that's always a good thing.
Dariusburst: Another Chronicle EX+ is a fantastic shoot 'em up with one of the most satisfying mechanics in the genre; F-Burst. On the other hand, I can't help but wish it received the same treatment as the far-superior Chronicle Saviours.
As a game reviewer, I assumed I was bad at games so how on earth did I find Death's Door to be an unchallenging and somewhat unsatisfying experience? Whatever the reason, it's still a good game and I enjoyed mercilessly slaughtering its unique bosses.
Batbarian has you play as a barbarian who's friends with a bat and that's pretty cool. Not only that; its gameplay strikes a perfect balance between combat and puzzles to make a supremely rewarding formula and it's quite funny to boot.
Although loads of shoot 'em ups have incorporated a similar grazing gameplay gimmick before, Risk System manages to still forge its own identity in the genre with its easy to pick-up-and-play controls, rewarding boss fights, and stylish graphics.
Is it out of time for games like Out of Line or did it run out of shine which made me go out of mind? Either way, now that I'm out of whine, I'll slap a 5.6 on this review and look forward to what the devs come up with down the line.
If you're ever in doubt that video games are a true form of art, play Crash Drive 3. Its thought-provoking missions that are set in a variety of whimsical environments really spoke to me in a deep, personal, and meaningful way. Oh, and the cars go vroom-vroom!
If your idea of fun is flicking your boogers on the wall to see which ones stick, you probably won't enjoy Curved Space. However, those who simply want some old-school action in a roguelike setup will surely appreciate what it has to offer.
Cotton Reboot provides an incredible experience for shmup fans with its expertly-crafted arrange mode that modernizes the classic to new heights. In fact, it does such a good job with this that it could be used as a template for any shoot 'em up remake.
For a game based on maintaining your momentum, it's disappointing that Cyber Hook wears thin after playing it for only a short while. That being said, some gamers who enjoy re-playing levels repeatedly to outdo their previous efforts might enjoy it.
Induction is perhaps the most satisfying puzzle game that I've played all year but that level of satisfaction can only be achieved after lengthy periods of carefully fine-tuning your solutions. This won't appeal to everyone but I like it and that's all that matters, right?