We’ve been here before. No, not the fact that Dust & Neon is a former Switch exclusive making its way to new formats, but rather the concept of robots in the wild west. Both 1994’s Wild Guns and the popular SteamWorld series use this premise, along with the occasional episode of Futurama – all of …
This charming puzzle game, developed by Puny Astronaut, invites players into the vibrant musical world of Brinn. The premise revolves around Theo, the town’s inventor, who finds himself overwhelmed by the demands of the townspeople and in desperate need of a vacation. Instead of hiring an assistant or simply refusing requests, he takes a unique …
It has been said that Xbox Game Pass is the Netflix of gaming. That certainly rings true with Venba – also available on PC, PS4, and Switch – with this being a short narrative-driven affair with a runtime of a typical movie. It even resembles a contemporary animated Netflix film, featuring a bold and heavily …
It’s 2009 and Nintendo is about to release Pokémon Platinum on DS to critical acclaim. Seeking something similar for the PSP, Sony snaps up the publishing rights to Adore – a top-down creature capturing game with an Aztec theme and a slightly edgier tone. Whereas Pokemon’s critters are mostly cute, Adore’s beasts display large fangs …
Despite most of the population owning a smartphone with a decent camera, the idea of a photography sim still holds much appeal. This is largely due to developers choosing fun or interesting locations and themes, rather than opting for everyday settings. Flutter Away is a fine example, involving a city dweller spending five days in …
1987’s Double Dragon was such a huge hit that bespoke conversions for all manner of formats were released for many, many, years after its arcade debut. The Atari Lynx version even released as late as 1993. As such, many gamers born in the ‘80s and ‘90s had very different experiences with the franchise’s beginnings. They …
Based on the acclaimed sci-fi novel and TV series, The Expanse takes players on an immersive interstellar journey through the vast and intricate universe of James S.A. Corey’s creation. In the episodic narrative-driven format we’ve come to appreciate and expect from TTG, it seeks to captivate fans of the original show, while also enticing newcomers …
Success often leads to imitation. Whereas Souls-likes took a year or two to surface following the critical and commercial success of Dark Souls, games looking to replicate Vampire Survivor’s winning formula started to appear within months. This was clearly due to their simplistic nature, with the first batch of clones mimicking the retro-style pixel art …
Play Capcom’s fast-paced dino blasting online shooter for just an hour or so, and you’ll start to notice similarities with the Japanese giant’s previous works, most of which contribute to its existence. The obvious example is the celebrated Dino Crisis, but in truth, it owes its creation to Capcom’s other dino wrangling series – Monster …
This 3D platformer features a PlayStation 2-style low-poly aesthetic. While this art style is usually reserved to evoke a sense of nostalgia, that isn’t the case here – Sephonie is far removed from the cutesy, mascot-starring, platformers of the early noughties. Instead, it’s an experience far more ‘out there’ and contemporary, being a combat-free experience …
The platforming genre is one of the oldest around, so it’s no surprise to discover developers going to great lengths to implement innovative mechanics to keep things fresh. Just as a dash of garlic is enough to give a mid-week dinner a spicy kick, the 8-bit inspired platformer Garlic will also leave you tingling. Our …
[Edit: Review by Lauren Relph] Set on the cartoony Octane Isle, this couch co-op game is a race against time where you make fenders funky, re-energise engines and rebuild cars to transform them from battered jalopies into the machines of dreams. Don’t panic if you prefer to work alone, as this is possible too, though …
You’d think that the very first Deadliest Catch tie-in would be subtitled ‘The Game’ to make it apparent that it was based on the TV series. But no – this is the latest in a long line of tie-ins, and the first to make it clear that it’s a licensed product. The early noughties run …
Nobody wants to see a system fail – competition is healthy, after all. But the death or failure of a system can also benefit former rival platforms. It took the fall of the Dreamcast for SEGA to go multi-format, resulting in Sonic gracing a Nintendo platform – something ‘90s gamers never thought they’d see. The …
In these times of colossal updates and install sizes, it’s likely most gamers have a quick blast ‘go-to’ game to play while installing their latest purchase. For me, it’s the Xbox One tile-absorbing city-themed puzzler SubaraCity. It’s a mellow experience that’s easy to jump into. Despite playing it on and off for over four years, …