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I have a rocky relationship with puzzle games. Sometimes, I enjoy them and other times I don’t. So where does arcade-shooter puzzler Flowing Lights, the first game developed by gFaUmNe, land in this? Read on to find out.
As a writer, I love it when a game has a solid story. This can be over multiple titles, and it could be through narrative alone or expanded upon by collecting notes or other items that tell the overarching tale. Either way, I appreciate a good story.
Admittedly I was sceptical about what Knockout City would be like looking from the outside in. As an adult, it is difficult to take games with cartoon-style graphics seriously sometimes, I’m looking at you Fortnite. The truth is when titles like this are developed properly and pushed in the right direction they can be a massive success. Being old enough to recall the 2004 hit movie Dodgeball (which was hilarious by the way), I often wondered how well this ideology would transition to a video game.
On May 10th, after a weekend of early access for those who had preordered, Hood: Outlaws & Legends was released. This PvPvE title combines elements of action, strategy and stealth to create a unique new experience centred around the Robin Hood myth. You’ll join Robin Hood’s band of merry men, helping to steal from the wealthy and give to the poor. In the process, you’ll fend off against not only the state but also a team of four enemy players. As such, across each of the five maps, you’ll need to watch out for potential ambushes and obstacles. When transporting your hard-fought-for loot to your team’s chosen extraction point, don’t get cocky!
Otti: The House Keeper has a simple concept with a take on the tower defence genre mixed with a few puzzle elements; you’re tasked with keeping thieves away from your treasure by placing various traps and fixtures to stop them reaching Otti at the very top of the map. There does seem to be a bit of confusion surrounding the title of the game. The console reads as “Otti House Keeper” whereas the Switch eShop page titles it “Otti: The House Keeper”. For the purpose of this review I’ll be using the latter.
Resident Evil Village is finally here in the series’ 8th incarnation. The formula has matured since the days of tank controls. Yet survival horror, is a genre that was defined by Capcom 25 years ago and refined ever since, offering an experience imitated by many and replicated by none.
Who didn’t love balloons when they were younger? They can provide endless amounts of fun until the air inside, gradually withers away. I remember spending so much time trying to keep them from hitting the floor as part of a game. But there was one thing that was weirdly satisfying about balloons…popping them. Just like with bubble wrap, it was only a matter of time until the dying urge to burst the balloon became too much. It’s no wonder then that Tamiku, developed by Josyan and published by Ratalaika Games, is a game that takes this idea and runs with it.
Diving into new kinds of genres you’ve never played before can be interesting. Today I dive into the rhythm genre of games. Double Kick Heroes was my start in this genre, but it combines shooting and strategy in it as well. How did this game do at combining these into one? Read and find out.
We all love a relaxing game from time to time, don’t we? A game that requires no thinking, just easy, mindless gameplay. Deiland: Pocket Planet Edition is a great relaxation game and I’m here to tell you why.
In Death: Unchained is a procedurally generated game for the Oculus Quest that originated on PCVR in 2018. Focusing on archery with a bow and then later a crossbow, you will work to kill enemies and navigate around various levels taking down hordes of enemies. In Death: Unchained makes you traverse through the world using a teleport mechanic as you shoot arrows at the ground. This allows you to zip towards or away from them while targeting or running away from battles. Traversing the levels can be a bit of a dance in ways as lining up your shots from a distance can be rewarding albeit difficult to accomplish.
I think most of us can agree that none of us like a nightmare in our routine of sleep. However, some of us might all enjoy a point and click game that mimics a bad dream. Bad Dream: Coma has been on the scene for quite some time originally launching way back on 9th March 2017. Bad Dream: Coma was developed by Desert Fox and published by Ultimate Games. Finally, the title makes its mark on the Xbox family of consoles. For the purpose of this review, I’ll be playing using an Xbox Series X.
In this review, I’ll be sharing my thoughts on the “out-of-the-box” (non) point and click puzzler from developer Draw Me A Pixel which was (not) announced and then (not) immediately released in the latest Nintendo Indie Showcase. Reviewing this experience almost seems redundant. After all, There Is No Game.
Overcooked! All You Can Eat is a party game for 1-4 players. It includes both Overcooked and Overcooked 2, as well as a little additional content. Tasked with receiving a certain level of income, players will attempt to prepare food while the kitchen and other chefs cause chaos around them. Prepare to test your friendships before entering the kitchens in Overcooked! All You Can Eat.
Star Wars: Republic Commando has finally made its modern console release. The Star Wars-themed squad-based FPS was originally released back in 2005 for the Xbox and PC. Star Wars: Republic Commando follows a clone spec-ops team through a story set within the Star Wars Legends expanded universe. As Delta Squad you have to endure increasingly difficult missions set through the Clone Wars. But does the once much applauded FPS still hold up? Find out in my Rapid Review…
In 1999, Pokémon Snap was released for the Nintendo 64. One of the first console-based games as a spin off for the Pokémon series, and featuring Pokémon rendered for the first time in real-time 3D, it remains a fond memory for many. It was something unique and much different from the mechanics in the main line titles, with first-person rail shooter gameplay.
Have you ever looked at a game and thought it was going to play one way, but it plays another? Well, that is my opening thought with Evergate. When I first saw it at the end of the August Indie World of 2020, I thought it looked like the Ori games because it had a similar art style. Needless to say, I was completely wrong. What followed was a surprise though, as even though it wasn’t what I thought it was going to be, it still stunned me.
Ashwalkers feels like several games in one, incorporating various unique gameplay elements pulled from the survival and choose-your-own-adventure genres. But where this may seem like cause for concern, it expertly brings them together to create a special experience unlike anything else. My time with Ashwalkers was brief, but enough to leave a lasting impression that has me yearning to go back and play it all again.
Rain on Your Parade is the weather-based equivalent of Untitled Goose Game. You play as a mischievous cloud – aptly named “Cloudy” – whose goal is to annoy anyone and everyone who happens to be standing under them. If you think raining on people is a little dull, when you add in thunder, snow, and copious amounts of acid, petrol, fire, and even a little “Tactical Espionage Action” then Rain on Your Parade brings a whole new meaning to “cloud-based gaming”.
Inter-dimensional puzzling isn’t new to video games, but there’s something about World Splitter’s take on it that just feels so satisfying. Having a screen split into two different worlds with the player able to constantly change up the split-ratio to traverse each challenge they offer? It just works.
In my early days of playing adventure games on my Xbox 360, one series always had my heart. As campy and ridiculous as it was, the Saints Row series has and always will be one of my favorite series of GTA-like games. I often call Saints Row “Goofy Grand Theft Auto,” a perfect parody of practicing crime while also shooting obscene mascots with a Dubstep gun (yes, that’s a real weapon in this series.) If you’d like to read our past review of Saints Row The Third: Remastered, check it out here!