I remember the first two Syberia games for the fairly strong story and the fact that they were good point & click adventures when there seemed to be no others around. That was about thirteen years ago though, and now Syberia 3 has arrived to carry on the story, but is it worth the wait? […]
Originally released on the PS4 back in early 2016, Japanese hack ‘n’ slash title Mitsurugi Kamui Hikae makes it way to the Switch where it’s combination of simple graphics and button-bashing gameplay fits PERFECTLY on Nintendo’s pick-up-and-play handheld console. Reminding me very much of the Onechanbara series of games (easily one of my favourite game […]
In DIGITAL SHORTS we review some of the latest video games that are only available digitally (at least in the UK), in a short-form review format. In this edition we take a look at Feral Fury – a fast-paced twin stick shooter rogue-lite available now on the Nintendo Switch. A budget title at well under a […]
Another indie hit from the Steam stable comes to Nintendo Switch. Following the likes of Shovel Knight and The Messenger, Alwa’s Awakening is a 2D pixel art platformer in an 8-bit style. It’s clearly a labour of love, but I must say I found it quite laborious. The introduction sequence kind of sums it up. […]
Reviewing Jake Hunter Detective Story: Ghost of the Dusk was a new experience as I have rarely played 3DS games, instead owning a PSP and then a PS Vita. I have played quite a few visual novels, however and found certain comparisons to the Phoenix Wright series in the deduction / interrogation sections as well […]
Originally funded through Kickstarter and Steam Greenlight, Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams has had one hell of a shelf-life. Based on The Great Giana Sisters, the classic Commodore-era bootleg version of Super Mario Bros; the franchise was reborn, as merely Giana Sisters, on Nintendo’s flagship DS handheld in 2009. Since then it has made its move […]
Amusing writing, retro visuals and a truly wonderful chiptune soundtrack combined with a surprisingly lengthy story mode and zany visual gags are on the horizon for you, but can only really be enjoyed with a Dance Mat peripheral. I’m a fan of rhythm games, a few drinks or even just a fun competition with a […]
Doughlings: Arcade is a throwback to the days of Arkanoid and Breakout but with a modern sensibility when it comes to aesthetics and power-ups. What could have been an average, passable game actually turns out to be a fun, addictive and light-hearted arcade romp with pick up and play gameplay. The story behind Doughlings (who, […]
2014 must have been a quiet one for Swedish game development if Freshly Squeezed’s Defunct could take Game of the Year at the Swedish Game Awards. Its flashes of enjoyment exist in an ocean of half-baked ideas and poorly-implemented mechanics, and there’s an overriding sense of aimlessness in the moment-to-moment gameplay. You play a one-wheeled […]
Danger Mouse: The Danger Games is a port of a (free) mobile game to the Nintendo Switch and the fact that, after paying for the game, the mobile games’ original paywall is still in effect feels like a poke in the eye and whilst some aspects of the game are fun, the repetitiveness and cynicism […]
It’s the brand that would spawn the Fallout franchise, and this throwback to late-‘90s roleplaying was directed by none other than the prestigious Brian Fargo. Sadly, while this sequel – which arrives on Switch (in its 2015 Director’s Cut form) 30 years after the first game – shows fleeting flashes of old school charm, as […]
Old school meets new school with Blade Strangers, which takes a leaf out of the SNK playbook and titles such as King of the Fighters XIV, which sees when the excitement and subtle dynamics of a classic one-on-one fighting game – with pixel-perfect characters and an old-school, streamlined four-button control scheme – combined with the […]
Almost everything about Manual Samuel is great, the visuals, audio, narration and setup are all of a high quality but sadly the main conceit of the game doesn’t hold up for the short duration it takes to complete. The game begins with the rich, vain Samuel arguing with his fiancé and getting hit and killed […]
The Low Road starts out promisingly with an initial puzzle that called to mind information-based decision-making puzzles as featured in games like Papers Please but this all too quickly gives way to bland puzzles that move ever further away from the very strong opening. Set in the awesomely funky (I literally type this whilst wearing […]
The debut game from Sabotage Studios, which was founded in 2016, is a decent enough hardcore platformer. It has great heart and a handful of neat ideas, but a myriad of niggles – not to mention a catastrophic late-game shift in gameplay – hold it back from sharing the pixel art pantheon with the likes […]
In DIGITAL SHORTS we review some of the latest video games that are only available digitally (at least in the UK), in a short-form review format. In this edition we take a look at Kero Blaster – a Nintendo Switch port of an existing mobile game. Whilst a fun game that takes basic run and […]
In DIGITAL SHORTS we review some of the latest video games that are only available digitally (at least in the UK), in a short-form review format. In this edition we take a look at Behind the Screen – an oddly engaging and quite unique indie game that has joined the line-up of Nindies on the […]
If you’re going to emulate a classic series like Diablo, you might as well get it right. So many action RPG’s have sought to recreate the same kind of balance between combat, advancement and loot collection of Blizzard’s revered classic, but few of them are able to match the formula. Victor Vran: Overkill Edition is […]
There’s something therapeutic about bringing colour to an otherwise colourless world and bringing joy back to an area of grey, colourless oppression. de Blob was one such game, originally released in 2008, where you controlled a blob in his quest to stop Comrade Black and the INKT Corporation from removing all of the colour from […]
In DIGITAL SHORTS we review some of the latest video games that are only available digitally (at least in the UK), in a short-form review format. In this edition we take a look at Earthworms – an indie game that has joined the line-up of Nindies on the Nintendo Switch. A quirky adventure that is […]
Set in the very aptly named town of Flatwood Peaks, Flipping Death is a 2D adventure with the twist, or rather a ‘flip’ that you traverse between the worlds of the living and the dead at the touch of a button. Whilst the humour, inherent charm and striking visuals are all well-used, the off-the-wall factor […]
Minit is a high-concept game wherein the gimmick is that your character dies after sixty seconds, respawning you in the nearest home (of which there are several). This neat and simple idea adds a level of panic and speed to the game that successfully separates it out from the pack and makes its running time […]
