Monomi Park’s slime nurturing sim possess one of the most important hallmarks of video game excellence: the ability to make hours fly by like mere minutes. This is mostly achieved via the shrewd inventory management system. That’s shrewd from a design perspective; from the player’s perspective, the small amount of backpack storage makes for a …
Ignoring the fact that a whole bunch of Monty Python games were released during the ‘90s, Oh…Sir! The Insult Simulator is essentially Monty Python: The Game. It even uses the famous ex-parrot scene as a scenario for an insult slinging stand-off. The only cause for concern here, outside of using Monty Python references a little …
Don’t come to this tower defence/role-playing hybrid expecting the unexpected. Although it does improve on its predecessor in many ways, innovation and originality are still low on the agenda. Even if you overlooked the original, anybody who’s played a tower defence game before will know what they’re in for. Hordes of enemies appear out of …
Micro Machines’ core concept is so simplistic that it isn’t in need of an explanation. We should be in safe and familiar territory here, yet after playing a few matches it soon transpires that World Series is anything but. It looks similar to Micro Machines games of yore, with its breakfast table courses and such, …
In Refunct, the end is just the beginning. It isn’t until after the initial playthrough that it starts to resemble a conventional video game. Until then, it’s less of a ‘game’ and more of an experience. Set in a world stripped of colour, it’s your job to bring it back to life, restoring colour by …
Can a game be too well designed? After playing Rime, I reckon so. It was about half way through that I realised that I didn’t need to think. I stopped worrying about where to go, because I realised that Rime is precision engineered to guide the player in the right direction. It’s really, really impressive. …
A 2D side-scrolling racer with looping stages and minuscule sprites, SpeedRunners recalls Sonic 3’s oft-forgotten two-player mode. It plays by the rules of different retro classic, however – Codemasters’ legendary Micro Machines. The idea is to outrun other players, causing them to fall behind and become edged off the screen. We could’ve use Codemasters’ own …
Even sites that focus squarely on retro gaming rarely talk about the Amiga’s once bustling public domain scene. Talented bedroom coders took it upon themselves to show the world what the humble Amiga was capable of, creating free-to-share games as well as tech demos often accompanied by ‘90s rave music. Polybius feels like the modern-day …
10tons’ Spellspire bears more than a passing resemblance to Letter Quest, another word game with light RPG elements. We’re all for expanding niche markets, but now we’re in the position where the only two word games available on PS4 and Xbox One aren’t massively different from one another. There’s also the small matter of the …
The first day at a new job usually entails watching dull safety videos about the dangers of heavy lifting and the risks of RSI. Maybe a lunchtime pint with your new work colleagues too if you’re lucky. The Surge’s grizzled lead has a far less casual first day at work, arriving at an off-world research …
A low asking price isn’t the selling point it once was. Indeed, it’s unlikely even the thriftiest of gamers find themselves stuck for something new to play nowadays. Digital sales see some hefty price drops, both Xbox One and PS4 have amassed a wealth of free-to-play games over the years, and we’re sure most gamers …
Those who can’t tolerate questions being left unanswered will doubtlessly find Little Nightmares problematic. This eerie puzzle-platformer provides lots of thought provoking moments, but by the time the ending credits roll you’ll no doubt be left with a dozen unanswered questions. Set in a nightmarish realm, it’s very much an experience left open to your …
The first two Wonder Boy games were intended to be coin guzzlers, ushering arcade players along with haste and a sense of urgency. A simple case of hot-footing it from one level to the next before the time limit was up, with no time to stop and explore. It wasn’t until the third Wonder Boy …
In an attempt to give this Kickstarter-funded RPG its own identity, French indie developer Enigami has shunned convention. This isn’t your everyday RPG; it’s a condensed role-player, with a 25-hour runtime and arena-based beat’em up combat featuring combos and special moves. An intriguing prospect, but much like the protagonist’s backstory – Chado and Poky crash …
Had this cop-shop management sim released in the ‘90s, it would’ve been an Amiga title circa 1993. It’s reminiscent of sim games from that era, complete with cut-scenes that feature minimalistic flat-shaded polygons, a la Flashback and Another Word. You know, the kind of thing that made console gamers, with their endless stream of cutesy …