July2023
Review Everdream Valley (Switch) – A Cute Yet Clunky Farm Sim That Tries To Till Differently
Things that go ‘baa’ in the night
Farming games are well-tilled territory. It’s near-impossible to play a new one without comparing it to the many predecessors on Switch. Everdream Valley knows this, and uses it to both its benefit and detriment. Released on PC and PlayStation last month from newbie developer Mooneaters and publisher Untold...
June2022
Review Gamedec (Switch) - A Gripping, Gritty Cyberpunk Detective Adventure
"The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel..."
It’s interesting to consider how the role-playing genre has grown over the years, changing expectations around what somebody can expect from one. These days, an RPG usually consists of a relatively big fantasy or sci-fi world, a deep narrative, and a combat system...
April2022
Mini Review Arise: A Simple Story (Switch) - An Audiovisual Treat With Emotive, Elegant Storytelling
Arise and shine
Is a platform game a good medium in which to tell a story of agonising tragedy? When the tears fall on the joysticks, is it appropriate to say, “Now, jump from there to there”? It’s hard to see how it wouldn’t be insensitive, after a heart-rending calamity, to chime in, “Chin up! Swing on your grappling hook over that lava...
September2021
Mini Review Golf Club: Wasteland (Switch) - Surprisingly Engaging Post-Apocalyptic Putt Putt
Not a birdie in sight
If the world were to become a wasteland, chances are your main priorities will be obtaining food, water, shelter, and perhaps an abandoned Game Boy to pass the time (because you know those puppies can last for decades). It’s unlikely that playing golf would be at the top of your bucket list at that point, so it’s a good...
June2021
Review Beautiful Desolation (Switch) - Good Ideas Lost Down Obscure Pathways
Possibly the most aptly-named game ever
At first, we assumed that Beautiful Desolation was some kind of lost late-nineties PC game. Its isometric perspective and visually spectacular pre-rendered scenes immediately called the likes of the original Fallout and Planescape: Torment to mind, and this comparison was cemented with the user interface,...
January2021
There is no spoon
One quick glance at The Hong Kong Massacre, and you’d be forgiven for thinking that Hotline Miami has been given the Legend of Zelda Space World treatment. On face value, the two games are remarkably similar, with the same birds-eye viewpoint and absurdly over-the-top violence right from the start. The Hong Kong Massacre is a...
