To the surprise of nobody, I was hooked from the moment I saw the trailer for Curse of the Sea Rats. I mean, an action platformer where you play as a cast of rats that look straight out of a 90s Disney movie with a fantastical ensemble of foes, what’s not to love? Well, as
When I first saw the trailer for Grim Guardians: Demon Purge, a few inspirations immediately stuck out in my mind. A castle of demons full of diverse architecture, a variety of abilities just as useful for exploration as they are for combat, an aesthetic reminiscent of Symphony of the Night and Aria of Sorrow, plus
When I saw that Devolver was publishing another nostalgic 8-bit inspired game, I must admit it caught my attention. I’ve generally been a huge fan of the games they support such as last year’s Cult of the Lamb, and I’m always a sucker for games with a strong aesthetic choice. So, of course I had
There are two kinds of video games: Some emphasize the “game” part and are all about a thrilling challenge, novel mechanics, or otherwise giving you an experience that’s simply fun. Others are perhaps better described as interactive narratives, primarily about the story but presented in such a way that your own choices are pivotal to
It’s October, and you know what that means! It’s time to splash just a little bit of horror into all of our favorite things. That and pumpkin spice, but that’s not important right now. Today we’re looking at NeverAwake, a nightmarish twin-stick shooter by developer Neotro Inc and published by Phoenixx, where you help a
Last month we previewed Cult of the Lamb and I left off eager to see how its combination of roguelike dungeon crawling and base building held up in the full game. Now that I’ve had a chance to sit down with it properly, it’s time to see where it’s held up and where cracks have
More and more, I feel like the most important thing in a game’s genre is how it decides to defy it. The way developers take the broad strokes and general idea of the genre and present you with something that feels fresh and new, or at the very least hasn’t been seen in a while.
It’s not often that I love a game at first glance, but I’ve always been a fan of that “dark cute” aesthetic. Of taking absolutely cute and saccharine critters and putting them in a situation that’s more than a little bit messed up. That contrast of something that wouldn’t look out of place in a
I’ve never been what one would call an avid card game player. Sure, I know which hands beat what in poker, I can count for blackjack, and I’ve bluffed my way through a game of sheepshead or two. But I have no idea if holding out for a flush is wise and I’ve never known
I’m always a bit intrigued when developers combine two genres, especially when it involves adding combat to a genre not known for it. I’ve seen combat farming sims, combat typing tutors, combat visual novels, but this is probably the first time I’ve seen combat as the core part of a restaurant sim. In hindsight I’m
Few games have been as much of a roller coaster for me as Weird West. What first caught my attention was the developer, Wolfeye Studios, being made of former Arkane Studios developers. Weird West is also an immersive sim just like Arkane’s previous titles Dishonored and Prey, but this time departing from the usual first-person
Few games have made me more excited over a simple trailer than Infernax. As someone who grew up with 8-bit action games, I eagerly covered a preview of it last month, where I was pleased with what they had and could only speculate on where it would go. When I heard I’d have the opportunity
I’m one of those “90s kids” that grew up with games of the 8-bit and 16-bit generations. I have a lot of nostalgia both for the art style and game design of that era, and I am absolutely LOVING the resurgence of retro throwbacks. The latest in this trend is Infernax, a monster-packed side-scrolling action
I’m always on the lookout for new and exciting genre mashups. It’s a great way to add new flavor to a stale scene, to challenge genre norms. So naturally I was interested in Date Night Bowling. I do enjoy bowling IRL and while it rarely comes across well in video games, the change in theme
I always have an interest in rare genres, things new or resurrected. It’s for this reason that I leapt at the chance to preview Shadow Tactics: Aiko’s Choice, despite not being familiar with the original Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun. A strategy stealth game, it combines isometric control of a squad of characters with
In the wake of the massive success that was Dark Souls, a whole crop of imitators popped up with gothic tones, corpse run mechanics, and expectations that you will die a lot. Few were quite as successful and memorable as Salt and Sanctuary by Ska Studios. With a shift to 2D platforming and a style
Nightmare House is certainly a name that brings back memories. I played that way back in 2010 and, 11 years later, it still stands out as a memorable first-person shooter that managed to genuinely frighten me. So of course when I saw the folks behind it made In Sound Mind, alongside having music from The
A short while ago we previewed Aragami 2, the sequel to the 2016 indie stealth action game Aragami, seeing what had changed from the original and what we were looking forward to. However, that preview left a few burning questions, so we just had to take the opportunity to look at the final release. Aragami
Sometimes it’s worth looking back at what you’re proud of and analyzing what made it work. What were the things you did or didn’t do that lead to its success? Where did you fall short, and what didn’t work? I had the chance to sit down with a preview Aragami 2, the sequel to 2016’s
Never before have I felt both so excited and so afraid to review a title before. The latest in the Little Tail Bronx series of loosely connected games, I’ve been a fan of the series for some time now. However, I also knew the story would absolutely break my heart. It’s a tale of vengeance,