The Caligula Effect 2 is the latest RPG from Japan to see an overseas release from publisher NIS America, but its original release actually came courtesy of FuRyu. This is important, because FuRyu is one of the last publishers left still making RPGs for a shrinking Japanese market after the locally established Nintendo 3DS and …
This Mega Drive horizontally scrolling space shooter harks back to 1992. It certainly resembles a Mega Drive game from that year, and we don’t necessarily mean that in a bad way. By 1992 developers were starting to push the system, learning new coding tricks in the process. It looks leagues better than earlier launch titles, …
Due to its focus on evolution and survival, I expected ‘The Eternal Cylinder’ to be a metaphor for life and death, much like Disney’s patented (presumably) Circle of Life. It soon transpires that the titular cylinder is a physical object – a colossal, world-spanning, metallic drum that steamrollers its way across an alien world, killing …
Tetris is eternal. Throughout the past three decades, the falling block puzzle game has evolved across a plethora of appearances, many of which have earned their status as all-time classics. From the simple appeal of marathon mode in Tetris DX, to the puzzle trappings of Tetris Plus and Tetris with Cardcaptor Sakura, all the way …
Arriving on the just-released Super Famicom during the tail-end of 1990, Actraiser’s juxtaposition of side-scrolling action with god simulation put Quintet – a then-new developer formed primarily of Falcom alumni – on the map as a developer unafraid to innovate. This thirty-year-old game saw you in charge of an almighty God, tasked with restoring peace …
SEGA’s original early 2000s arcade game Monkey Ball, along with its home console remake, Super Monkey Ball, are both what we like to call “forever gamesâ€. Two decades after release and they’ve still yet to outstay their welcome. In true classic SEGA arcade fashion, the games were graced with an incredibly simple concept that was …
Surrealism is tricky. When done correctly, nothing is better at hitting those emotional centres of your brain. When done poorly, however, it can seem random, disjointed and silly. It’s the difference between David Lynch and a film student’s attempt to be David Lynch. Tux and Fanny is a surrealist adventure game, derived from a 2019 film. …
I’ve always had an appreciation for artwork created using ballpoint pens. I think this comes from the fact that they’re simple, everyday, items. Ergo a reminder that striking art can be created using even the most basic of writing implements. Puzzle adventure Inked: A Tale of Love taps into this, featuring isometric levels with a …
Narrative-driven dystopian crazy golf. It’s a high concept, but all three elements are crucial – Golf Club: Wasteland works because it adds up to more than the sum of those three parts. The dystopia is enjoyably bleak. Having made an absolute mess of Earth, the super-rich have moved to Mars, and come back to Earth …
Remember the scene in Finding Nemo where the clownfish and his newfound friends find themselves trapped in plastic bags following a daring escape? Bossa Studios’ I Am Fish takes that idea and runs with it, being a physics-based adventure in which four fishy friends – separated from a pet shop – attempt to escape from …
On the first day of the year, most of the population is waking up with a hangover. Either that or they’re contemplating a gym membership. For humble medieval shop keep Merek, it’s a case of getting back to work to make some serious Crown. His friend Tess has just returned from travelling the world, bringing …
You’ll know exactly what to expect from brand new arcade-to-home port Cruis’n Blast just moments after firing it up for the first time. This is a game that unashamedly revels in its garish demeanour, its flashy presentation and wild vehicle line-up accurately setting the tone for its racing, where the difference between a first place …
Essentially a cat simulator, in a similar vein to the equally daft Goat Simulator, Catlateral Damage: Remeowstered entails making a mess in various households – in first person – before letting your chosen kitty run riot in a supermarket, a museum and a few other spacious locations. If you’ve ever returned home to find your …
The current year in video games may well go down as one of the best as far as unexpected revivals of Japanese classics go. So far, we’ve seen classic shooting game series Cotton rebooted, No More Heroes 3 was finally completed, and classic adventure games Famicom Tantei Club and Tsukihime were remade entirely. Konami has …
Late last year, Triangle Studios gave the world Slide Stars – a wet ‘n mild obstacle course-style party game starring real-life YouTubers and Vloggers. Think Trials HD, only with log flumes and novelty inflatables. The ideas it presented failed to mesh – events weren’t particularly chaotic or comical, and because characters were mute throughout it …