Essentially Portal filtered through an anime lens, this puzzle adventure has you flipping gravity to walk along walls and ceilings, carrying size-altering jelly-like cubes to marked destinations, and leaping through portals that offer mind-twisting perspectives on the 3D environments. Alongside its themes of Japanese folklore, the game draws inspiration from the four seasons, while its …
In 1994, the arcade scene was enjoying a resurgence, fuelled by a double whammy of the monster success of one‑on‑one fighting games and the advent of 3D polygon‑pushing technology. Step into any arcade around this time and you’d doubtlessly be greeted by the likes of Daytona USA and Ridge Racer, along with the first entries …
I was immediately struck by how slickly presented NASCAR 26 is, with video introductions and all the official branding that you can shake a dipstick at. That plus Sweet Home Alabama by Lynyrd Skynyrd being the default music track in the playlist gives you some idea as to the target audience here. It’s been a …
Deduction games are in right now. We’ve had Curse of the Golden Idol, Duck Detective and The Roottrees are Dead in the last few years, all being massive hits. Now comes Little Problems with its own spin on the deduction formula. Firstly, what do we mean by a deduction game? Let’s do a little history …
The Amiga computer line had a lifecycle nothing short of turbulent. Despite the original model outclassing its competitors in 1987, quality software was slow to emerge. Then came the threat of piracy, the rise of Windows-compatible PCs, the arrival of the Mega Drive and later the SNES, the advent of DOOM and its sequel in …
It isn’t hard to imagine Minecraft Dungeons II having a bigger mandate than most projects based on an existing franchise. In addition to the need to adhere to Minecraft lore while implementing enemies and biomes fans will recognise, along with a fresh and suitably heroic world-saving storyline, the developers were clearly tasked with keeping things …
The Royal Writ is so called due to King Mikolt II, the ineffective ruler of the kingdom of Aranfold, who rather than act directly against those who his ruling council advise are causing trouble, is more minded to send a letter decreeing the course of action. This is secondary to the matter at hand, which …
History has a habit of repeating itself. As the humble Amiga entered its twilight years in 1995, British studio Vulcan released Hilsea Lido – a business sim in which you managed a quintessentially British beachside promenade, placing shops and stalls to keep sunburnt punters happy. Now, as the Switch approaches its tenth birthday, Boardwalk Builders …
For a character with no discernible skills other than a passion for eating and sleeping, Garfield has a surprisingly long lineage of video games, traceable to the Atari 2600. Recent tie-ins have simply plonked Garfield and company into generic kart racers and party mini-game collections. Setting sights far higher, Escape from Monday is a 3D …
Remember that episode of The Simpsons where Homer acquires a pistol and uses it recklessly for everything, from changing the TV channel to opening a can of beer? Sniper Dan takes that concept and runs with it, swapping the pistol for a high-powered sniper rifle. From the top of his tower, Dan looks down on …
After tackling The Karate Kid trilogy in 2024’s The Karate Kid: Street Rumble, developer Odaclick Game Studio has turned its attention to The Walking Dead. Rather than hastily condensing all 11 seasons into a single video game, the studio has wisely chosen to focus on the show’s “All-Out War” storyline from season 8, which sees …
The mouthful that is The Alighieri Circle: Dante’s Bloodline is quite the descriptive title, all told. Hailing from Rome-based One O One Games, it riffs on Dante Alighieri’s fourteenth-century narrative poem Inferno, itself the first part of the Divine Comedy. Nothing to do with that bloke Neil Hannon in this case. You play in first …
Thirty years on, Super Mario 64’s influence continues to be felt. Just like how manipulating Mario’s pudgy face taught the basics of analogue controls, Woodo’s title screen involves grabbing and slotting wooden letters into their designated space to form the logo. This teaches the basics of this tactile puzzler before even meeting central character Foxy, …
It can be difficult to see the value in re-releases of old sports sims. After all, these were the games commonly found in bargain bins throughout most of the ‘90s and noughties. Even now, the vast majority can still be had for £5-£10 if you look in the right places. Helping to justify Jaleco Sports: …
Imagine the scene. You’re at the park, and a stray football rolls your way. You go to kick it back towards a bunch of lads having a kickaround, only for your shoe to go flying off in the process. Much to your embarrassment, everyone cheers. The only positive is that if someone managed to catch …