Had this combat-focus Metroidvania launched in the ‘90s, it would be a SEGA Saturn-exclusive; the kind Saturn owners championed as a reason to own the failing system, showcasing all-manner of fancy 2D visuals. Think along the lines of Guardian Heroes and Silhouette Mirage. Or in fewer words: this is a Treasure game reincarnate. It takes …
Even in this day and age of million-dollar video games, it’s unlikely pinball will fade away anytime soon. Thanks to the popularity of Pinball FX3 and Farsight’s recreations of classic tables, pinball games for PC and consoles are unlikely to go the way of the dodo either. There’s one thing that has fallen out of …
Rift Keeper’s product description successfully manages to mask its influences. Whether this was intentional or not is unclear. A rough outline of what to expect is duly provided – suggesting a 2D side-scrolling rogue-lite – but it’s not until entering the first dungeon that it reveals itself to be a rather brazen clone of Dead …
It’s a case of survival of the fattest in this cross between Snake and Feeding Frenzy. You play as one of three types of (monster) bugs, munching your way through vegetation, people and other bugs. Every chomp propels you up the food chain – eat something outlined in green or another bug, and you’ll grow …
The developers behind this 2D arena brawler presumably didn’t intend for it to resemble a 16-bit beat’em up. To be more specific, its pleasingly brief battles have a similar flow to the boss fights found in the likes of Final Fight and Streets of Rage. A large, or new, enemy makes themselves known while several …
Have you ever played a game and had the impression the developers were out of their comfort zone? Perhaps a sports title in which the official rules weren’t followed, or a movie tie-in with the source material misused in an obvious way? Mad Games Tycoon is the complete opposite, being a video game studio management …
In the distant future, the highest-rated TV show sees people jettisoned on a desolate planet and filmed as they try and survive for as long as possible. Billions watch as participants run and gun their way through alien hordes, in a desperate bid for survival. Still, things could be worse – it could be hosted …
This bright and breezy endeavour throws out the platformer rulebook in hope of giving gamers a fresh experience, going as far to cast aside combat, health bars, and even the ability to die. Instead, there’s a focus on puzzle-solving and exploration. Or rather, puzzle-solving and wandering – Woven favours wide and open environments, the kind …
The Xbox One is about to enter its twilight years, making publishers more than happy to release niche titles on the system. If something offbeat isn’t going to find an audience now, it never will. Tracks – The Train Set Game is a perfect example, giving the chance to create, customise, and decorate a wooden …
The temptation to slap a well-known license onto a puzzle game must be hard for publishers to resist. It’s an effortless way to boost a puzzler game’s profile, making it seem more exciting than it possibly is. Thankfully – and like 2007’s often forgotten Puzzle de Harvest Moon before it – this is a game …
Don’t judge a book (eShop release) by its cover (menu icon). On first glance, Spirit Roots appears to be a cute-as-a-button platformer. Quite literally, in this case – the main character is crafted from wool and buttons. But while its exterior might seem family-friendly, the language it caused me to shout definitely wasn’t. Let’s start …
Sometimes the simplest ideas are the best. Lonely Mountains is a relatively straight forward downhill bike racer, focusing on reaching the bottom in ample time and with as few collisions as possible. There’s no procedural landscape generation, tricks or stunts, or online multiplayer functions – it’s just you, your trusty bike, and a perilous mountain …
Even though we’ve seen a few road trip adventures recently, it remains a genre (sub-genre?) full of untapped potential. The possibilities are almost limitless – a road trip can take players far and wide, entailing numerous surprises and encounters along the way. Minskworks’ Jalopy tries its hardest to tap into that potential, and while it’s …
What makes a game a game? I ask this because Winter’s Daydream has just launched on consoles and PS Vita, and it contains almost no interactivity whatsoever. Is it a game? Does it matter? A visual novel without choices or branching paths, it’s a linear experience progressed by either pressing A to move onto the …
The Switch software library is weird. It has epic technologically-astounding games like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Zelda: Breath of the Wild. It has wonderful, quirky indie games like Snipperclips and Untitled Goose Game. Then there are amazing older games like Katamari Damacy and Resident Evil 4. Sitting alongside all these gems and curios …