Here’s one of the weirder and more imaginative examples of the Roguelike genre. Uncle Chop’s Rocket Shop features the concept of runs, permadeath, and permanent upgrades, only it’s based around fixing spaceships. Said crafts must have their faults diagnosed and be repaired sufficiently, using an amusingly compiled manual, all while a clock ticks. It’s very …
Detective stories are hard. Not only must they work as stories in their own right, designed to introduce interesting characters and intriguing locations, but they need a sense of mystery. If the solution comes out of nowhere, that mystery can seem contrived. If the solution is too obvious, the entire thing becomes an exercise in …
After the mundanity of working 9-5 in a heaving city takes its toll, adventurous redhead Isla heeds the call of nature. Fresh air and picturesque views aren’t the only reason she’s strapping on a backpack and kitting out her 4×4 – her brother Kai also enjoys mountaineering and has recently gone AWOL after trying to …
The popularity of the auto-shooting genre doesn’t seem to be on the wane, with 2-3 typically launching weekly. With stiff competition in mind, it definitely helps to have a unique selling point or at least attempt to incorporate something new. Simply being a cheap download offering similar thrills to Vampire Survivors no longer cuts it. …
This deckbuilding top-down hack ‘n slash presents an alternative take on the French Revolution. How alternative, you ask? Well, there’s a cosmic humanoid dwelling within the lower levels of Paris, spawning brain-controlling flower blossoms. Referred to as Lady Bliss, this entity descended from space during the King’s coronation. Playing as skilled swordsman René, renowned for …
When famous landmarks are transported into space by a cackling skull-shaped UFO, it falls upon not the army or even superheroes to retrieve them, but rather the planet’s sports stars with their powerful backhands and precision slapshots. It’s a simple premise, but enough to facilitate a jaunt around the globe, with this being an arcade-style …
This hand-drawn Lithuania developed RPG commences in a magical realm full of floating platforms, giant mushrooms, and demonic monsters. Magic users known as Veds protect this world, guided by mystical creatures and a powerful witch. No sooner than being introduced to this fantasy setting, we’re flung into the near future where a shady corporation is …
It seems fair to say that games based around caring for animals are aimed at a younger audience, specifically those looking to pursue a career as a vet. With this in mind, and using the likes of Nintendogs as a comparison, you’d expect a game titled ‘Pets Hotel’ to be filled with bright colours, fun …
Over the past few months prolific indie publisher Ratalaika has been re-releasing games in the 16-bit platformer series Aero The Acro-Bat, including spin-off Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel. We’ve duly arrived at the last entry in the franchise, and it’s something of a departure. Whereas the previous games were for Mega Drive and SNES, Aero The Acro-Bat: …
A snow coated cyberpunk city provides the backdrop for this top-down twin-stick shooter. Although our gruff private investigator protagonist Yanus – who has a penchant for strong liquor, along with anything else he can get his hands on – carries a machine gun, I don’t think we’ll be debating whether SlavicPunk: Oldtimer is a Christmas …
A few generations ago horror games were seldom seen, especially on Nintendo platforms. Even something low budget such as Cursed Mountain – a forgotten survival horror from 2009, published by a fledgling Deep Silver – gained a reasonable amount of press coverage, at least during launch week. Skip forward some fifteen years later, and things …
Several developers are currently working on the next evolution of Vampire Survivors-style auto shooters, aiming to refined, expand, and put their own stamp on the genre. The creators of Vampire Hunters are arguably ahead of the curve, presenting the world with a first-person roguelike auto-shooter in which our hero carries numerous weapons at once, populating …
Christmas games were seldom seen a few generations ago and it’s easy to comprehend why. Development costs swiftly rose around the time the Xbox 360 and PS3 launched, and creating something that would only have a shelf-life of a month or two in the run-up to Christmas would be an extremely risky proposition for any …
In his free time, police officer Rick enjoys exploring houses allegedly haunted. His latest pursuit, however, sounds more like a case for the boys back at base. Screaming has been heard coming from an abandoned house once belonging to a late ventriloquist. If that wasn’t enough, the last person brave enough to investigate never returned. …
This 16-bit style vertical shooter has been crafted with a very astute eye for detail, borrowing graphical tricks from both the Mega Drive and SNES and employing them with surprising authenticity. It also uses elements from Truxton and Axley as inspiration, using demonic imagery but never fully committing to full hellishness. It perhaps helps that …