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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.
Every once in a while, a little gem drops onto your review list. Vesper is one such gem. It’s one of those games that stays with you long after you finish playing. What is it about this indie title from Cordens Interactive that I found so enchanting? You’ll have to read my Rapid Review below to find out.
Much like Shadow Gangs, Okinawa Rush is an arcade-inspired action-platformer that showcases a ninja on a journey to save their family. This title stands out because of the varying and tough-to-master character capabilities. Is this ninja game a standout hit? Or does it blend into the background? Find out in this Rapid Review.
Seed of Life is a semi-open world puzzle platformer from MadLight Games, published by Leonardo Interactive. The game follows Cora, the last known survivor on the planet Lumia, as she seeks to restore life to her dying homeworld. An alien race – the Namurians – had drained its precious Lumium resources and left the planet to perish. After her grandfather fails to return home, and darkness continues to befall the land, she becomes determined to follow in his footsteps and find the ‘Seed of Life’ – a device that holds the key to restoring light and life to Lumia.
My Singing Monsters is a popular mobile game focused on collecting monsters that when put together, make a lovely melody. When I heard they were making the spin-off party game, My Singing Monsters Playground, I was incredibly intrigued. I was looking forward to traditional party game features enhanced by the innovative and unique music that I enjoyed listening to in the original title. Does My Singing Monsters Playground deserve a standing ovation? Or did I leave early? Find out in this Rapid Review.
Gynoug is a side-scrolling shmup, a.k.a. shoot’em up, which was first released as Wings of Wor way back in 1991 for the SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive. The game tells the story of the angel Wor who must come to the rescue of the Heavens which have been invaded by the demons of Iccus led by the Destroyer.
After getting encapsulated in the wonderful yet horrific world of DUSK, I decided to play something different. Sheepo is a very calming, therapeutic experience. Instead of blasting through hordes of enemies, I learned to carefully manoeuvre the world around me and manipulate the enemies to act under my command. Did the passive gameplay leave me counting sheep? Or did I enjoy this mission? Find out in this Rapid Review.
Märchen Adventure Cotton 100% tells the story of Nata de Cotton who comes across Silk, a fairy who’s looking for help as the world fell into darkness. At first, our little heroine is uninterested in helping the fairy in need until Silk tells her that giant Willows, Cotton’s favourite candy, is waiting for her at the other end of the darkness. Without hesitation, Cotton changes her tune and she sets out along Silk to find the cause of the darkness.
Each year, as Halloween approaches, developers release spooky titles celebrating the scariest holiday of the year. As someone who typically avoids horror games, I never rush to pick these games up. However, this year, DUSK caught my eye. Even though I had goosebumps the whole way through, I was pleasantly surprised by the fluid controls, multiple difficulty settings, and a variety of weapons. Does this set it above the rest? Or is it a rotten trick? Find out in this Rapid Review.
Mario Party is one of those series that has stood the test of time, ever since its introduction on the N64 back in 1998/1999 (depending on where in the world you were). With several different games on each respective system, it has entertained gamers for over 20 years now. So with the Switch being in its fifth year on the market, it is time for another new entry of the iconic series. How does Mario Party Superstars compare to the previous game, Super Mario Party, on the Switch? And is this the return to form that fans of the series have been clamoring for? Let’s roll the dice and find out the result.
Let me start this review by saying I loved the Pixel Ripped games on PSVR. They were unique, brilliantly implemented and a boatload of fun. So when the opportunity to review ARVORE’s latest foray onto PlayStation’s VR headset dropped into my inbox, I jumped at the chance. I had also heard it was a roguelike, one of my favourite genres, colour me intrigued.
I’m an admirer of the Darksiders franchise, with its heart on its sleeve inspirations from the greats of gaming such as Zelda, Diablo, God Of War and now Dark Souls!
After playing Dojoran, I was inspired to continue playing games with minimal colour palettes. Apple Slash stood out to me, and I eagerly partook on this adventure. Is this title a cut above the rest? Find out in this Rapid Review.
Embr is a brand new co-operative firefighting game that is now available on the Nintendo Switch. Will it ignite your passion to put out blazes and save civilians from towering infernos? Or will you watch it all burn? Let’s take a look into the world of Embr and how it plays on the Switch.
Raiden IV is a top-down, vertical shmup (shoot’em up) that was first released way back in 2007 in Japanese arcades. A year later, the game was ported to Microsoft’s Xbox 360. An updated version of the game dubbed Raiden IV Overkill was released for PC and PS3 in 2015 and 2014 respectively. The Overkill version included 2 new stages, 3 different ships, newly added Overkill Mode and Replay & Gallery Mode. Fast forward to 2021, where UFO Interactive Games released Raiden IV x MIKADO Remix for the Nintendo Switch with a handful of additions.
Ghostrunner originally launched a year ago on last-generation consoles and had a lot of buzz surrounding its fast-paced parkour platforming, stylish action, and the one-two punch of its cyberpunk aesthetic and banger-filled soundtrack. An enhanced version was then released at the end of September for the Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5, allowing for up to 120 frames-per-second in 4K, 3D audio, raytracing, and near-instant load times. Going from the start menu to loading on my recent save took just 4 seconds!
I shouldn’t have to say too much about Tetris’s gameplay. Tetris has been a staple of video gaming since 1984 and has appeared on various consoles and handhelds over the last thirty-seven years. My first introduction to the game was on my original Game Boy, which my mom still has and plays on to this day. For many of us, Tetris was that go-to game we enjoyed and put tons of hours in throughout our gaming journey.
Friends of mine will know I have limited patience when it comes to puzzle games. Purely because the second I start playing, I lose every brain cell. It becomes impossible to remember how to complete games and even the simplest of challenges. Something about the style initiates a wall to come up in my brain. Because of this, I am very picky in choosing which puzzle/arcade types I play. One common feature in all puzzle games I have played, are those that seem to have been published by our friend Ratalaika Games.
The first person shooter market is quite bloated. With FPS titles almost launching on a weekly basis, it’s easy for the odd diamond to get lost in the rough. With Call of Duty still being the FPS king, it’s also used as the benchmark for everything else. One title that’s aiming to take – or at least challenge COD’s supremacy is Insurgency: Sandstorm. Developed by New World Interactive, Insurgency: Sandstorm is a bare-bones multiplayer FPS that aims to highlight the brutal nature of modern warfare.
The description of Kitaria Fables on the Nintendo Store calls it “a delightfully cute action-adventure RPG with farming and crafting”. As someone fond of farming simulations like Harvest Moon, Story of Seasons and Stardew Valley, I was immediately interested in giving the game a try. I dove into it expecting a rewarding experience, and after playing for a few hours, admit that the aforementioned description is accurate. The game is incredibly cute, it does incorporate elements of action, adventure and roleplay into its gameplay, and it does involve farming and crafting – but, sadly, it didn’t turn out to be the dreamy experience I was hoping for.