The longevity of the metroidvania continues to impress. It feels as though every new year brings with it an ever flowing stream of new iterations to the genre that expand on its staples while throwing their own flavors into the mix. Astronite, releasing November 30th, 2022 from developer Dume Games Studio and publisher JanduSoft, is
William Goldman wrote the novel The Princess Bride inspired by stories that he told to his two daughters, who at ages 7 and 4 requested a story about “princesses” and “brides” respectively. That’s the origin of that title. Yes, an excellent novel which was adapted into an amazing film came from just slamming two concepts
About a month ago, I took a brief look at the resurrection of yet another long-dormant franchise. I walked away thinking that the opening hours in that preview meant that the comeback of Beyond the Grave was in good hands. Because of that positive first impression, taking on the review for the final build seemed
Oh boy, we’re going to have a clackety-clack-clack-clacky good time with this one! Okay, I admit it: I have a bit of a soft spot for typing games, and perhaps I have them to thank for being a pretty good typist (and high school typing class- F G F SPACE F G F SPACE!). The
The Star Ocean series is a storied one that has been going through somewhat of a rough patch recently. Typically releasing a game once per console generation, the series has gone from unknown (the previously Japanese only Star Ocean for Super Famicom) to cult favorite (Second Story and Til the End of Time) to generally
Given its status as one of the most recognizable franchises on the planet, the Dragon Ball series has seen video game adaptations across a wide swath of genres. From fighting games to RPGs and action adventure titles, we’ve seen different takes on the events of the series from a variety of gaming perspectives.
One of the recurring problems that has plagued the Soulslike genre basically since the beginning is that there isn’t a very good pipeline for getting into the games. Even if you’re someone who absolutely adores these titles, you had to get into it by just finding a game that really clicked for you and then
For those of us who stumbled across its initial pre-alpha footage all the way back in 2014, waiting for Scorn has been quite the test of patience. A first-person horror adventure game rooted heavily in the singular art styles of artists H.R. Giger and Zdzisław Beksiński was an immediately captivating prospect. The footage was replete
More often than not, the games I review here are not games I specifically knew about beforehand. That is not the case for Potionomics, though. I forget how far back I first learned about it, but I had flagged it as something that looked lovely and like it could be a lot of fun quite
The last few years have seen an explosion of a certain kind of game, a genre we have yet to really have a solid name for – or if we do, it’s one I haven’t seen floating around. Even if you don’t know the name, though, you know the type. It’s a whole lot of
My relationship with the simulation genre is a little complicated. I don’t play this genre that often, and when I do, it’s usually the kind that’s still very much a game. For instance, games like Civilization are designed to (loosely) simulate how actual civilizations grow, develop and change over time. Racing sims are designed with
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
You know, I could kick off this review by talking about the history of the Trails series, or its developer Falcom, or how long fans of the series have been waiting for the opportunity to play the game we are discussing here today (previous fan translation notwithstanding). However, I’m pretty confident that if you’re here
Cyberpunk. An evergreen aesthetic beloved by many, especially those of us in “geeky” communities such as gaming and anime. A genre and/or theming that has birthed both greats in their respective mediums, as well as some impressive flops. In some cases both at the same time, what with the reception Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is receiving and
Back in June, I had the chance to preview Soulstice, a character action game that stood out from its contemporaries for its dark aesthetic and hectic action, pitting its two protagonists against hordes of enemies as they traverse the ruins of a gothic city thoroughly inspired by anime and manga.
Look, it’s been six years. We don’t need to beat around the bush or hedge any longer. Stardew Valley was a phenomenal game that had an enormous cultural impact on gaming and the indie scene in general. You might be about to point out that this is not the game I am reviewing today, and
People don’t often consider gamers to be the kind of people who are also audiophiles. More often than not, the concern is more along the lines of “is the game fun” than it is “am I able to get theater quality audio from a gaming headset.” It shouldn’t be a surprise the focus is often
Every once in a while, something comes along to surprise you. You got the job, a freak thunderstorm appears out of nowhere, or perhaps best of all, you come across a game that defies your expectations. Tower of Fantasy is an action-oriented MMORPG now available on mobile and PC that aims to take on some
What is it that we all want from our gaming handhelds? Long battery life? Comfortable to hold in our hands? All of our favorite games available on the go? Nah, it’s all about that big screen life, baby! Gone are the days of the big brick Game Boy with a screen the size of your
It goes without saying that many developers have tried their hand at the Soulslike genre over the years. Generally speaking, the most successful of these attempts are those that take the familiar staples of the genre and reinterpret them to create an experience that’s fresh and engaging while still staying true to player expectation. If
