My love for Doctor Who blossomed with the arrival of David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor, the height of my obsession being when I was around ten years old. I collected the magazines, plastered my bedroom wall in posters and any family members talking through an episode of Doctor Who was sacrilege! Like countless others, this era is full of fond nostalgia.
I think all of us can relate to having that one tycoon game that left us staring at a screen for hours, completely unaware of the time passing. There’s something about management games that draws many of us in and becomes addictive, whether that be running your own theme park or building your own city. I’m not sure what this power lust and control says about humans… When I saw Chef in our games list, I was happy to review it, having spent many hours on titles such as Rollercoaster Tycoon and Planet Zoo. A restaurant sim was something I’d never really played before, besides old flash games on the family PC on rainy days. But was it a recipe for disaster or the creme de la creme of restaurant tycoons?
Those were the first words mentioned about Biomutant, found in an advertisement in GamesMarkt, a German gaming magazine. However, it was officially announced a couple of days later on the 21st of August 2017: since then, the hype and expectations have been growing and growing. Personally, I haven’t been following Biomutant‘s development from the very beginning. I purposely avoided looking too much into it, first learning about it I believe at E3 last year. For open-world RPGs, I love experiencing them with just a basic idea of the story!
From the title of this game and the strange imagery of its accompanying photo, you can tell straight away it’s not going to be an uplifting game. When I saw The Suicide of Rachel Foster pop up on our review list and confirming its genre of thriller on the Xbox Store, I was wary. Horror games are not my thing; being the biggest wimp has me screaming bloody murder even in non-horror games, simply being chased has me throwing my controller down (remember The Rugrats: Search for Reptar? Well, I was terrified of the goose in the maze.)
The trailer for The Block immediately caught my interest with its sandbox genre, showing the ability to bring civilization to a blank piece of land. It looked simple but cozy and right up my street! Paul Schnepf, developer of The Ramp too, actually describes The Block as more of a digital, tiny toy, hence the tiny price tag.
My Steam wishlist is full of cute and cozy titles, many involving animals. Time on Frog Island had been there for a while, so I was thrilled to see we got a code to review! I was drawn to the art style, particularly the anthropomorphic frogs, and how colourful it was.
I first heard about Cat Cafe Manager when it appeared on my Twitter feed, instantly posting it in our ‘games to get codes for’ section of the RR Discord server. If you have read some of my previous reviews such as Calico, it’s no secret that I love cats! I also love a good sim game, so it seemed right up my street.
Like many others, gaming is the perfect form of escapism for me. Somewhere you can go to forget about real life and fully immerse yourself in a new world. But, it’s not all the time you want to be shooting bad guys, solving mind-bending puzzles or following an emotional narrative. Sometimes, you want something wholesome, and what could be more wholesome than a rabbit running its own greenhouse?
Living in an idyllic seaside town situated along the Eastern Canadian coastline, where your job is to go out on your boat, catch fish and sell them with your trusty dog Waffles by your side… sounds like the perfect retirement plan! Now what if someone told you mysterious creatures lurked out at sea, frightening the island to the point where no one will dare ride its waves? What’s worse, you rely on the fish out there to avoid bankruptcy! Well, this is the adventure that awaits you in Moonglow Bay. But, is this title a catch or was I baited? Find out in this Rapid Review.
The Worms series has been around since 1995, so I’d be surprised if any gaming fan hadn’t heard of those angry anthropomorphic fellows! To sum it up, the series largely revolves around turn-based artillery tactics. Often having to be the last one standing, you use whacky weapons to deplete your opponents’ health. Sheep, Holy Hand Grenades, and more, Worms boasts slapstick humour. It has gone through character design changes, 2D to 3D, and even a mini-golf spin-off!
Picture an old woman with a love of gardening followed around by cute, chubby mushrooms as her loyal army. Sounds pretty cute, right? Well, in Terrorarium, this granny uses those adorable mushroom creatures, Moogu, as her expendable pawns in alien gardens filled with murderous plants and hazards. Not so cute.
Being a late 90s baby, I was unfortunately just a little too late to be part of that generation who grew up on arcade games, waiting in line to slot their coin into the machine. But for those who remember that memory well, you may have heard of Missile Command. It has now made its way onto the Nintendo Switch in the form of Missile Command Recharged with some brand new features!
As the days grow darker and the nights grow colder, a relaxing game on the Switch is just the thing you need to cuddle up with on the sofa. APICO is a title which certainly ticks that box; leaving city life behind, you move to Port APICO to carry on your family’s beekeeping legacy. With a cutesy pixel art style too, is this a bee-autiful indie to chill with, or does it really sting? Find out in this Rapid Review!
Upon watching the trailer for The Excavation of Hob’s Barrow, I was intrigued by not only its mystery aspect but by its use of pixel art, unsettling at times. It was clear this wasn’t going to be a whimsical adventure, but something sinister lurked underneath. I also love a good point and click game! So, was this game a hidden treasure, or should you keep digging for more? Keep reading this Rapid Review to find out.
My fondest memory with my PlayStation 2 is buying games with my pocket money from Bromley Shopping Centre, whenever I went to visit my late grandparents in London. On one of those occasions, the game in question was Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life. I read the manual (I really wish games still had those!) front to back while I visited since I had to wait to get home until I could play.
The 2D Platformer genre is not a newcomer to the gaming scene, of course our Italian plumber friend is a prime example of that. Neither is the Top-Down Puzzler genre, though perhaps not as widespread as the former. So, what can be done to make these genres new and exciting? Merge them together of course!
Across the years in gaming, we’ve seen plenty of reimaginings of the future, quite often a post-apocalyptic Earth. It isn’t exactly a new concept. However, Mutropolis takes this trope and makes it its own! This time, we are transported to the year 5000, where Earth had been abandoned in favour of a move to Mars. But, clues leading to a lost city bring an archaeology team back to their ancestral home.
How many of us go through life saying yes to people’s demands or requests? It may be a family member, a friend, or even a work colleague. It’s easy to slip into the habit of trying to please everyone and being too nice, even if it’s detrimental to our wellbeing. You can end up burnt out, or in an uncomfortable situation. Do you find it hard to tell others no, out of fear of upsetting them?
The latest Indie Showcase for Nintendo Switch revealed that Calico was coming to the handheld console. Though I didn’t watch it myself, another member of the Rapid Reviews team instantly branded it as a “Chloe type of game”, and he was not wrong! I had actually played the demo on Steam, had the game in my wishlist and followed its development on Twitter.
The Drawn to Life games stand out for me when I think of my time with the original Nintendo DS. The first title, originally developed by 5th Cell, came out in 2007 whilst its sequel, The Next Chapter, released in 2009. There was even a spin-off in 2008, Drawn to Life: Spongebob Squarepants Edition! A criminally underrated series, you are the Creator, looked up to by a species named the Raposa. Using the DS touch screen and your stylus to draw, you could create your own hero and items such as platforms and signs within the game. As someone who has always loved drawing, it was innovative to see my creations come to life in game!