Lauren Relph 
With games such as Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley both being classic life sims, it will be difficult for current and future developers to hold a torch to their legacies. Hokko Life gives it a good try, clearly drawing strong influence from both. We fall asleep on a train and alight at an unmanned station …
Roguelikes are tricky beasts. They take a certain amount of resilience to take on. With highly randomised elements they can be fun after obtaining items that synergise well, or your YouTube-worthy controller smashing moment as you take that disastrous final hit which ends the run far too soon. You die – a lot, essentially with …
Portals have become somewhat ruined in recent years, being the literal butt of jokes for media like Rick and Morty, where the handy dimension dipping device often opens doorways into a land of giant farting butts. Thankfully the juvenile nature of portals is waning, and while we can put parping posteriors to the back of …
In a small woodland copse, a protective grandfather and his granddaughter Anna live out their days safely ensconced from the villainy of the Outside World. Anna, like most children would be, is curious about what lies beyond their farm perimeter, but Grandfather warns her off with tales of robbers and witches. One day he becomes …
Pierre is an incredibly special detective. He has the ability to find his way through any maze. Labyrinth City: Pierre the Maze Detective is a cross between a platformer game and Where’s Wally, with perhaps a dash of Professor Layton. Based on the children’s activity book, each level is a wide and distracting map full …
This explorative shooter is a sequel to Aqua Kitty (UDX) – a game where a team of milk mining cats overcome their seafaring fears to tap into a huge natural reserve of deliciously creamy milk that has been discovered under the sea. This direct sequel launches the felines into space for more RPG shooter action, …
Around a decade ago I strolled into my local GAME with the intent of picking up a new release. I hadn’t decided on which – I was merely looking for something that took my fancy. I walked out with what was going to become one of my most longstanding gaming loves. Purely by accident, I …
Once known as Formula Fusion, Pacer is an anti-gravity combat racer, aiming to become the successor to WipEout – the game that helped make the PlayStation brand ‘cool’ in the ’90s. A pounding soundtrack accompanies needle-nosed ships streaking around beautifully designed tracks while decked out with a combination of deadly weapons. Like the saying goes, gotta …
Imagine you’re the ruler of a fancy realm. The citizens are great, and the land is lush and fertile, but there’s a bit of a creature problem. The beasties have managed to sneak into the castle and steal your hairiest (read: bearded!) daughter. Alas, you’ve sent all your worthy heroes on quests to slay dragons …
Hoverboarding aliens surfing at warp speed over golden sparkling dunes? Sign me up. AnShi is a cinematic experience to be savoured slowly and at your leisure. It’s a short-lived experience lasting just a couple of hours, though this could be fleshed out only a little by the more exploratory players. Though it looks like an …
Cross-pollinate a farming simulator with a fetch quest game, expose it to sunshine, and you get Summer in Mara. You play as Koa, a young girl adopted by Yaya – a grandmotherly figure who found Koa lost at sea. After hopping into Yaya’s boat and skimming off across the seas to visit other islands, Koa …
My other half has taught me a lot about cars over the years. I can’t tell you how many we’ve owned in this time – I lost count after the third Mark 4 Golf, the second Audi A3, the two Ford…somethings and the countless others. As he is an appreciator of older cars, things tend …
Logic and stealth. Two genres I generally avoid because I am neither a logical nor stealthy being. However, I am easily wooed by stunning 4K pixel art and the promise of fiery fun, prompting me to step outside my comfort zone for this ‘ye olde folke’ stealth platformer. Your village is under attack and your …
Some might argue that there is nothing better in the world than pixel (Picross) puzzles and making out. The afterglow of a tough puzzle finally completed, and the burn of the first kiss with someone new. I haven’t played many dating simulators, if any at all, because I’ve personally never really seen the appeal (unless …
As time passes, I’ve fallen away from ‘big boom-boom AAA titles’ and fallen in line with gentle indies – games where you grow crops or build little towns and spend your days fishing. If you’re a fan of having your heart relocate into your mouth while you play a twisted game of cat and mouse …