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I have played RPGs for a while. I have even written reviews on them and enjoyed them. However, Bug Fables is an experience I will never forget. Why is that? Was my experience with Bug Fables a positive one or negative? Let’s find out.
It’s a me ….. wait … 35 Marios? You are not misreading that, or the title. This is Super Mario Bros. 35, a game that was announced and subsequently released to coincide with the world’s most famous plumber’s 35th anniversary. Does this experience reach the same heights of the original NES games or does it sink like a defeated blooper on World 1-3? Find out after the “jump”.
“There must be more in life than waiting for something to happen.” One of many sentences the main character in The Longing said to me. The indie title from Studio Seufz intrigued me for so many aspects. First of all, it’s a title from Germany, the country I was born, raised, and still living in. It originates from the same state as I am from, which was another reason why I wanted to try it out.
Remastering a game from a beloved franchise can always be a dangerous game, especially one that’s held in such high regard as Xenoblade Chronicles. There are three groups that will be picking up this game and it’s important they’re all treated with the respect they deserve. Firstly you have the dedicated and hardcore fans that will want to have everything as it was, with minimal changes as to not risk damaging the memories of a game they hold dear. Then you’ll have the players who are familiar with the series but may have missed this entry; essentially they’re going back in time to try out a game whilst comparing it to the newer entries in the series.
After finishing my play-though of Manifold Garden, I’ve been left with a strange mix of elation and melancholy; a longing for just one more of those beautifully crafted, wonderfully challenging and intensely peaceful levels. Yes, it’s fair to say that I loved playing this game. Everything about Manifold Garden is right up my street; it has a unique concept, a compelling soundtrack and it’s full of intriguing puzzles and impressive visuals. It fills your mind with the experience it creates so that it’s easy to lose yourself in the game without feeling time pass. All of this combined is my equivalent of gaming catnip.
Death and Taxes is a puzzle game where you play as a newly spawned Grim Reaper. Set in an office building we are given the task of deciding who lives and more importantly who dies, through the admin of quite a lot of paper work. With a new quota of who lives and dies being set each day we can choose to either ignore these or follow them dutifully. However there are consequences…
If an Asgardian-set game inspired by 90’s shooters mixed with an awesome rock soundtrack sounds the slightest bit appealing then I’m sure, like me, BPM will probably spark your interest. The fundamentals of BPM are simple, a crosshair pulses in time with the beat. By using the on-screen signals and by quite literally playing it by ear, shots, reloads, dashes and more must all be conducted on the beat. I played the drums a fair bit when I was younger and (at least attempt to) dance every week so I know how to move in time to the beat.
This impressive collection of games boasts updated HD graphics and improved resolution as well as controls optimised for the Nintendo Switch. Most excitingly out of the 3 titles included is the chance to be able to use the joy-cons in Super Mario Galaxy to mimic the original movement controls utilised by the Wii-mote. As if this wasn’t enough the icing on the cake for this plentiful offering is the inclusion of the OG soundtracks for the games being featured as well. Plenty for fans both old and new to sink their teeth into but the proof is in the pudding.
I am always a sucker for sports games. Yes, they are mostly repetitive, but it is precisely that element that appeals to me. I don’t play exclusively in the sports genre, but if I ever want to escape into something, then its sports that I often turn to. It’s like a comfy pair of slippers or a warm blanket on a stormy winter afternoon. You can nestle down and go with the familiar. You know what to do, yet there are still variances, none more so than in an (American) football game.
Well, praise the gods, it’s finally here! I have managed to play more hours of Hades over the last few days than I care to admit and I have relished every second. Supergiant Games are one of my favourite developers. Ever since I played Transistor I have been completely captivated by their games. They ooze charm, they drip with quality and everything about them is so impeccably done.
Whilst Ageless may appear to be a pretty standard platformer on the surface, the game predominantly focuses on a unique time mechanic. Kiara, our protagonist, uses a bow which can either advance or send back an object or animal in time. For example, the opening levels feature a dolphin who, by using the bow, can be changed into a whale for a bouncy platform. This feature helps Ageless stand out from the pixel platformer genre and even the puzzle genre in general. The time mechanic is something I haven’t played before and adds a real depth to the puzzles on offer.
Visual novels… Two words that made me turn my head almost every time I hear about a new game. Since that genre recently gets more attention and love outside of Japan, I’m watching my backlog grow by the minute probably.
From what I can tell from the excellently animated introduction, Bounty Battle brings a whole host of iconic Indie stars into battle. A strange portal appears in each of their worlds, dragging our heroes into a void and bringing them to another world entirely. There, a bounty is placed on each of their heads, and each character must fight to claim the bounties on each other.
Vader Immortal Episodes I-III places you in the shoes of a smuggler aboard the Windfall after evading the Hutts with a shipment of spice. While jumping through hyperspace, you’re immediately taken captive by Darth Vader and held in his prison upon Mustafar. The VR experience found in Vader Immortal is similar in scope and scale to the Batman VR experience on PSVR. While going through Vader Immortal’s three episodes you more or less play through a short 90+ minute movie, where you teleport from point A to B while engaging in various puzzles and interactive areas within your ship, the castle above ground, and the lower portions of Mustafar, as you travel deeper within the depths of caverns and mines.
Summer in Mara has a story behind its development that is not too rare anymore: funded by a Kickstarter campaign in 2019, the simulation game with RPG elements is beyond beautiful. The colourful and fresh environment burst with rich and appealing visuals at the first glance.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like if aliens discovered Earth? Have you ever wondered how different those aliens would be from our civilization? If the answer to either of those questions is a cautious yes, then the chaos that ensues in Drink More Glurp is a game you should not miss.
90’s fashions! Upbeat jams! Sass dialled up to 100! Questionable jokes! Drag queens! All that and more awaits… in Murder by Numbers! According to my investigation on the game, the website set the bar high. What you just read was not only the start of my review for the Picross puzzle adventure game from Mediatonic but also a quote of the official website.
READY STEADY COOK OFF! Does anyone remember the incredibly famous YouTube channel YOGSCAST? Well, if you did not know they made a game called Brunch Club, and it is a remarkably interesting game they decided to make.
If you are a frequent listener to music then you would have heard of muscian Tim Bergling AKA; AVICII. The Swedish born DJ has produced some of the greatest tracks of this generation and has had multiple number one hits with tracks such as – Levels, I Could Be The One, Hey Brother, Addicted to You and SOS.
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.)