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 Monkey King: Master of the Clouds – a remake of an 80s shoot ‘em-up available now on the Nintendo Switch. Based on […]
It was only a few months ago that I worked my way through Lizardcube’s re-make of Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap. I picked it up at a bargain price for the Switch (from Insane Games in Bridgwater, a haven of retro gold for those interested) and merrily made my way through the adventure. Its hand-drawn […]
Made by appSide Down – a team of just two – and published by Sonka Games, who are best known to Switch owners for Astro Bears Party, Escape Doodland is an autorunner platform game with bags of charm and a practically vertical difficulty curve. There’s nothing new about the gameplay conceit of outrunning a pursuing […]
Released in 2002 and 2004 respectively, Microids’ Syberia series was a hit for the French developer, featuring protagonist Kate Walker’s escapades in the small village of Valadilene and her travels beyond. With its photo-realistic graphics and relatively dry tone, it stood out at the time as a more ‘mature’ game. Played now on the Switch, […]
War is something we see on television and in films, some of us even play it in games like Call of Duty, but we do so for entertainment. We understand that there are wars out there and people get killed, but most of us are lucky and don’t have to face that. This War of Mine […]
The last game I played by publisher COSEN was the quirky Taiwanese puzzler Behind the Screen, which was relatively basic in its execution but had enough character to keep my interest up for the duration of the play-through. Destruction however, definitely feels more at home on a mobile device than the Nintendo Switch as its […]
Originally released in 2013, Rogue Legacy makes its way to Nintendo’s handheld console and proves an ideal match for gaming on the move. I’m very wary of procedural generation in video games and so when games like Nongunz, Moonlighter and Rogue Legacy use it well, it can really enhance the gaming experience and add real […]
A game of two halves that make a cohesive and enjoyable whole, Moonlighter spends all night dragging you through ever-more-difficult dungeons and all day making sure that you hawk that broken sword for just the right price from your cosy little store. Moonlighter is the name of the town that our merchant hero, Will, calls […]
There’s nothing like getting some friends gathered around a console and spending some time blowing each other away in digital form. If this is something that you partake in, Varion will scratch that itch but feels suited more for quick blasts than a full-on session. Varion is a neon-drenched Deathmatch game featuring four tanks where […]
One of the dirtiest, grimiest, most miserable and bloody side-scrolling brawlers I’ve ever played… and I love it so. There’s something about the brawler genre that is close to my heart, from the days of Final Fight and the 90’s titan that is Streets of Rage 2 all the way through to its recent resurgence […]
It’s Pang. Or, depending on your region, Buster Bros. Or Pomping World. Anyway, to the uninitiated, this means it’s an arena shooter in which you can only shoot upwards. Enemies bounce around the screen and you must time your attacks in order to dash under them and destroy them. Some enemies split apart into smaller, […]
The newest FMV gem from the Welsh gaming mecca of Bridgend builds upon the precedent set by Wales Interactive’s previous releases but this time more than ever I felt the constraints of the genre, although the end result is still as polished and enjoyable as I’ve come to expect from the studio. In The Shapeshifting […]
The life of a serial killer can be a hard one, especially if you are caught too soon. Party Hard, originally released on PS4, Xbox One and PC way back in 2016, finally comes the Nintendo Switch and gives you the chance to stealthily kill off partying neighbours just looking for a good time. Are […]
A single-screen puzzle-platformer with a foot firmly in the 80’s, within a few seconds it’s clear to see where the inspiration for Eternum Ex comes from. Luckily, the high level of presentation and game play with arcade sensibilities make this game far more than a tip of the hat to its spiritual ancestors. The story […]
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 Pinstripe – a new narrative puzzle platformer available now on the Nintendo Switch. A platform adventure set in a gothic town […]
Playing like Gunpoint with the twitch-reflex sensibilities of Hotline Miami, the only thing that I can imagine putting people off this very addictive title is the difficulty curve… which is vertical. Deadbolt puts you in the shoes of the Grim Reaper, a Grim Reaper who knows how to handle a gun and how to throw […]
A new budget title available on Nintendo Switch, Car Quest is a very basic vehicle-based 3D adventure with a very simple premise stretched to its limits. However, it did have an oddly addictive quality that I would prescribe for hangovers and children. Car Quest is set in a world called Blocktaria, a world literally made-up of […]
There is a love that so many people have for the Nintendo Game Boy that transcends generations, I know several people who feel that the Mario games released on that small, green-screened handheld are among the best and millions of hours worldwide were lost to that classic Russian title, Tetris. I never owned a Game […]
PQube and Arc System Works have announced that BlazBlue CentralFiction: Special Edition is coming to the west for Nintendo Switch on February 8th 2019! The game lets players experience the final chapter of the epic BlazBlue saga in 40+ hours of story mode, featuring over 30 unique characters on more than 60 stages and challenge […]
After helping to form PopCap Games in the early 21st century, Jason Kapalka went on to found Blue Wizard Digital, which found success a couple of years ago with the isometric/top-down horror puzzler, Slayaway Camp. The name was a riff on Robert Hiltzik’s 1983 cult slasher, but then the team landed a bona fide licence […]
With its generic wacky title (if that isn’t a contradiction in terms), let’s hope this fun little gem doesn’t get lost like a drop in the Nintendo eShop ocean. With its Wonderful 101-like isometric aesthetic, it is certainly eye-catching. It’s also craftily designed and well-balanced enough that its technical hitches don’t result in a critical […]
