Reviews

Garden Simulator review

Let’s face it, a game called ‘Garden Simulator’ was never going to feature a complex plot or premise. That’s unless we’re talking about the kind of plots where plants grow. The text-based introduction explains that our silent protagonist is a stressed-out IT worker based in a bustling city....
SCORE
6

Stray Blade review

This fantasy hack ‘n slasher introduces us to Farren West, a gallant adventurer whose bravery and determination hold no bounds. It’s easy to imagine him holed up in a tavern, capturing an audience with tales of his conquests. He speaks with a gruff British accent, describing himself as...
SCORE
6

Ravenlok review

Developer Cococucumber rounds off their ‘voxel trilogy’ with this Alice in Wonderland inspired sword-swinging adventure. You may be pushed hard to tell that it features voxel visuals at times, as a lot of the backdrop elements use regular, everyday, polygons. We’re not sure if this was to accelerate...
SCORE
7

Tin Can review

Despite the deep space setting, this simulation is less about exploring the stars and more about survival. A core meltdown has occurred on a spacecraft, prompting a frantic dash to the nearest one-person escape pod. Less than a minute is given to grab vital spare parts, with the...
SCORE
6

Hunt the Night review

A certain red-headed witch in a certain seven season HBO series once said, “The night is dark and full of terrors.” It rings true for Hunt the Night, where darkness falling heralds the uprising of unholy creatures affected by the corruption of the night, damning humanity again and...
SCORE
8

Cavity Busters review

This toothy take on The Binding of Isaac goes for a gross-out aesthetic, filled to the brim with bile, phlegm, and all manner of other bodily fluids. As the name suggests, dental hygiene is its central theme – you play as a bipedal gum able to fire teeth, via...
SCORE
8

Papertris review

Tetris is, to my mind, close to perfection. It’s also a game that can support an unfathomable amount of mutations. There’s the classic Game Boy Tetris, the annoying controls and T-Spin ticks of the arcade games, the frantic battles of Tetris 99, the blissfulness of the Tetris Effect,...
SCORE
6

Kabaret review

In this game about death, life’s regrets, and moving on the titular Kabaret happens to be a monster entertainment den, where the supernatural monsters go to hang out. They chill, unwind, and unburden themselves of their pain. And we’re talking heavy life stuff, anything from carrying the sadness...
SCORE
8

Cannon Dancer – Osman review

Nostalgia isn’t what it used to be. No, really, it isn’t. This latest release from ININ Games is a little-known 2D arcade game from 1996; one that few will have heard of and even fewer will have played, never gaining a home conversion. By 1996 the Mega Drive...
SCORE
8

King of the Arcade review

Last summer Wired Productions released Arcade Paradise, a day-to-day laundromat sim where it was possible to slack off and play arcade games in the dank backroom. While reviews were generally positive – including an 8/10 from ourselves – running the laundromat hampered the enjoyment somewhat, soon becoming repetitive....
SCORE
6

Anyaroth: The Queen’s Tyranny review

Like a certain former US president, The Queen of the dying planet Anyaroth has gone a bit crazy and started using virulent mind control against the people, including her own army. Here, we play as a soldier of said army, who has been freed from control and recruited...
SCORE
5