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Sometimes, I like to ignore problems until they go away. In Nicole, a slice-of-life mystery visual novel from WinterWolves, you can do just that! Arriving at college full of optimism and energy, Nicole is ready to make the most of her new life. However, she’s soon caught up in a series of kidnappings, and perhaps more concerning, the world of dating.
The events of Natsuki Chronicles take place three years before a battle between Natsuki Sugiura, our protagonist, and the Garm in Ginga Force. The game begins with players as Natsuki where they go through her first assignment with the RDF as the rookie right up to her confrontation with Alex and Margarette. Afterwards, Natsuki realizes the truth about the Magni Company, MSS and RDF and decides to go against them.
Journey of the Broken Circle is a story about friendship, loss, love and beauty. Most of all though it’s a story about a little circle who likes to stick random things in his mouth. How does he still talk when his mouth is holding a random object? Who knows, all I know is that this game hits some narrative tones that I was perhaps not expecting and perhaps are unheard of for a game of its ilk.
WarriOrb tells the story of a mighty demon known as a Spirit of the Unknown who, after failing the summoning spell to revive the Wizard’s daughter, is forced into a pathetic, powerless body. In order to regain his freedom and sanity, the Spirit needs to cooperate and find a way to resurrect the girl by exploring a decayed realm, solve puzzles and defeat twisted creatures. Fail and this new body will be your tomb.
When we were young, we were told in many fairy tales that the hero saves the day from evil. Fighting monsters and saving the captured princess in a tower has been ingrained in our heads from day one. What if I told you that those stories got it wrong and that the hero was actually the monster? That’s what A Hero and a Garden seeks to show us.
The ‘Soulslike’ genre has taken off over the last few years. Ever since Dark Souls brought the notion of challenging and unforgiving gameplay to the masses, more and more titles are attempting to recreate the formula. Hellpoint is the latest to attempt to break into the Soulslike genre. Whilst it’s Xbox One, PC and PlayStation 4 release was in 2020 (check out our review of Hellpoint on the Xbox One), it’s only recently made it’s way to the Nintendo Switch. Developed by Cradle Games, Hellpoint takes the Soulslike genre into the dark depths of space, but can it hear us scream?
I have fond memories of playing Crazy Taxi on my SEGA Dreamcast in the noughties. When offered the chance to try out Taxi Chaos – a perceived spiritual successor to Crazy Taxi – I was keen to see whether the classic arcade racer’s gameplay could be brought back to modern screens in style. I was also curious about whether I had improved my virtual driving skills in that time. Perhaps unsurprisingly, I haven’t.
The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match is a remake of 2002’s then Neo Geo exclusive King of Fighters 2002, which was the ninth entry in SNK’s most famous fighting franchise. The original game was also ported to the Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, and Xbox. The Unlimited Match edition first released in 2009 for PS2 back in Japan. The game’s first worldwide release occurred in November 2010 and landed digitally on Microsoft’s Xbox 360. This brings us to February 2021 where SNK released The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match for PS4/PS5. How does this game hold up by today’s standards? Let’s find out.
WRITHE is a first-person arcade shooter. As an exterminator, you are tasked with killing mutated worms. Blast through infinite waves of mutating worms and try to stay alive for as long as possible before meeting inevitable demise.
Gnomes & Goblins is a passion project from executive producer Jon Favreau. In the game, you are surrounded by characters that resemble Grogu from the Mandalorian. The charm of Gnomes & Goblins can be seen and heard throughout the short run time in this creative cinematic experience. Gnomes & Goblins in VR melds exploration and adventure gameplay mechanics.
Injecting humour into games is nothing new. There is an easily recallable list of such titles for the Switch from the classic Undertale though to Thimbleweed Park and Jenny LeClue. Now, there is a new title to add to that list. Astrologaster is a comic look at the way certain people thought back in Shakespearian London. There are nods to all sorts of events and historic occurrences, both true and conspiratorial.
There are many RPGs to choose from on the Nintendo Switch. With the likes of Octopath Traveller, Dragon Quest XI and Divinity: Original Sin 2, why should you play Operencia: The Stolen Sun? I’m here to tell you.
No matter what type of gamer you are, whether you live and breathe video games or pick up a mobile game every now and again, life simulations seem to appeal to just about everyone. Animal Crossing: New Horizons is certainly proof of this, people who don’t usually play games are desperate to find a Switch which have shot up in demand during the pandemic. They’re relaxing, and don’t require a lot of skill or concentration. They’re the type of games you can play in chunks whenever you choose, during a lunch break or in bed late at night.
I’m a sucker for Roguelike games. The often simple yet challenging gameplay often leads to many moments of joy to then sheer frustration as you get “schooled” by a particularly nasty boss for the 100’th time. The benefits of Roguelikes is that no matter how many times you die. you grow a little stronger in both character and player as you unlock stats and learn the movements of your foes. Rogue Heroes: Ruins of Tasos takes this formula and sprinkles a world builder on the top. Not only is progress measured by how powerful your hero is, it’s also based on how big your village is.
Curse of the Dead Gods is a skill-based roguelike set inside a cruel, dark temple with a seemingly infinite amount of endless rooms and corridors. Death is always just one step behind, and that’s if the constant threat of corruption doesn’t get to you first!
Emblazoned across Pumpkin Jack’s website is the slogan “Medieval meets Jak & Daxter”. If that isn’t an indicator of what’s to follow, I’m not sure what would be. It’s indicative of everything this game stands for, warts and all, and feels very much a take it or leave it approach by the developer. ‘Remember those games from the late 90’s and early 2000’s that we all know and loved? Well, if you think you’ll still love them now, I’ve made a new one.’
I’ve always loved puzzle games, despite them often being a niche genre. They can provide a relaxing experience that also keeps the mind engaged. In some cases, they are also able to weave memorable narratives and characters, such as the Professor Layton games. It can also be difficult to make a game stand out when puzzles are the main focus. Unfortunately for The Pillar: Puzzle Escape, while offering a short but enjoyable journey, it relies too heavily on its inspirations to leave much of an impression.
The tinny whisperings of a song leaking from headphones. Faces inching towards the window; those around me noticing structures that tour books have detailed and now seen for the first time. The silent transfer from ship to tarmac. All this and the world at my fingerprints. I’m describing the coach trip taken from England to Paris in late 2019; how one game made this multi-hour coach trip with all of its stops and traffic that more bearable. This game was 80 Days, a mobile text-based role player where you take on the role of Passepartout; managing resources, helping your master and navigating the world.
When is a Wrestling Game Not a Wrestling Game? The answer is when you’re playing Wrestling Empire. This game is unlike anything I have ever played before. Created by a single developer MDickie, this game is a strange testament to what can be achieved, while at the same time being an absolutely bizarre and unpredictable experience.
Wolf. Crinos. Human. Three forms that render the moment-to-moment gameplay of Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Earthblood as unique as it comes. When you aren’t sneaking around in the shadows in Cahal’s wolf form, you are shapeshifting into a human to snap necks or transitioning into a Crinos to wreak havoc on the environment and your enemies. It’s fascinating, yet oh-so-flawed.