“This Game Broke My Ankles – Sociable Soccer 25 Madness!” ⚽🥅

Welcome to another ⚡Ten Minute Taster⚡ where chaos reigns and tackles fly (nearly)!

What If the USSR Built Terminators? SovietBorgs Answers That ~ Ten Minute Taster Quick Look 🚩🤖 #IndieGame #GameDev @RetroSumus

Rich takes a look at a brutal alt-history where Cold War paranoia meets cyberpunk mayhem. In this Quick Look, we dive into SovietBorgs, a gritty side-scrolling action game where Soviet-era tech fuses with biomechanical terror.

Sovietborgs for Sega Genesis, Neo Geo & more! | Indiegogo

ANTANK S3 MAX TV Dock Station for Nintendo Switch 2 - Unboxing & Setup Video 🎮

Join Rich as he takes a look at the ANTANK S3 MAX TV Dock Station for Nintendo Switch 2.

From first impressions to setup walkthrough, Rich covers everything you need to know about this nifty bit of kit for the Switch 2.

• Unboxing the ANTANK S3 MAX
• Step-by-step setup tutorial
• TV output test for Switch 2

Whether you're upgrading your docking station or looking for a reliable travel-friendly solution, this video gives you a clear idea of how the ANTANK S3 MAX performs out of the box

Purchase Link:

https://antank.net/products/s3-max?ref=wufbikcv

The Siege and The Sandfox PC Review 7/10 "A Cunningly Stunning Stealthvania That Lands On 3 Legs" 🦊 @siegeandsandfox #IndieGame #GameDev

Let me start by saying: I wanted to give this beautifully crafted game a higher score. From the moment it boots up, The Siege and the Sandfox dazzles with its pixel art—rich in detail, bursting with colour, and animated with a loving, frame-by-frame touch. The sound design is equally lush, with a narrator whose warm voice adds instant storybook gravitas to your journey.

The controls are intuitive—if you’ve played any platformer with climbing mechanics, you’ll feel right at home. On-screen prompts are crisp, and the stealth system is a genuine delight. You crouch to move silently, extinguish lights to melt into shadows, and monitor your tiptoeing like a true sneaky old fox in a one-hit-kill world.

BrewOtaku – The Homebrew Gaming Magazine Review By Britt 📖 @brewotakumag #IndieGames

 📖 Physical gaming magazines are a beautiful thing, especially when they are focused on more specialist, niche topics as it adds to that sense of a community built purely on passion. Cue BrewOtaku! A hefty 78-page magazine that celebrates all thing homebrew, with each page packed to the gills with nothing but information about upcoming homebrew projects in the form of news, reviews, and interviews.

Running since January 2024, BrewOtaku is run by a small team that have their work cut out for them, judging by the sheer amount of games covered in each issue (it’s genuinely impressive!) Produced on glossy paper and currently stocked at Gaming Museum Wien in Austria, and RETRO Games in Germany, if -like me – you live outside of these areas, you can order the physical or digital copies online via this link.

The cover stories on one of the latest issues are the Monkey Island series of games, as well as S.E.U.C.K (Shoot ‘Em Up Construction Kit), as well as an interview with Francesco Terracciano (Straynus game studio, based in Spain) discussing their new game Cronela’s Mansion – which looks to be quite cool and influenced by Maniac Mansion – as well as a plethora of mini-coverage, and articles on both commercial and free games – more on that later.

Of Ash & Steel Quick Look Ten Minute Taster "Lost In Tutorial Land" ⚔️ @OfAshandSteel #IndieGame #GameDev

Rich ventures into the unforgiving world of Of Ash and Steel, a brutal open-world RPG where survival is earned, not handed out. No quest markers. No tutorials. Just you, a sword, and a kingdom that wants you dead.

🧠 ABOUT THE GAME:

Of Ash and Steel is a hardcore RPG set in a dark medieval world. With no handholding, no fast travel, and no mercy, it’s a love letter to the days when games didn’t care if you survived the tutorial !

[spoiler alert - I didn't survive the tutorial]

System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster – Rich’s Rapid Review 🎮🔫 @NightdiveStudio #IndieGame #GameDev

In just 3 minutes, I dive into Nightdive Studios’ remaster of the legendary System Shock 2.

Is it still terrifying? Does it hold up in 2025? And what’s been upgraded for modern players? From SHODAN’s chilling monologues to the claustrophobic corridors of the Von Braun, this remaster brings back one of the most influential immersive sims of all time.

The Secret of the Four Winds SEGA Mega Drive Review 8.5/10 “One of the Most Technically impressive Mega Drive Games Ever Released” 💨 @Kai_MSX #IndieGame #GameDev

Kai Magazine Software seemed to burst from the ground with the sole mission of pushing the Mega Drive beyond its known boundaries and limits. I’ve been lucky enough to cover all of their MD releases over the last five years or so, and each one has breathed new life into Sega’s much-loved 16-bit console, and given thousands of retro gamers worldwide reason to boot up the black Sega classic.

From the tongue-in-cheek MERCS-esque Metal Dragon through the Metroidvanian Life On Mars to the run-n-gun ‘tastic Life On Earth: Reimagined, Kai Magazine Software push the hardware in different directions, through differing genres – but none have felt quite so special as The Secret of the Four Winds.

Beginning with Inspector Henge in pursuit of a suspect – a suspect running on foot as Henge chases in his cop car!- resulting in them both entering an abandoned warehouse, where the suspect disappears and Henge watches a man die, stealing his gun to discover it’s a supernatural weapon that kills ghosts, it’s safe to say that The Secret of the Four Winds has one of – if not, THE – best kick-off to a Mega Drive game, helped immensely by the anime-style cut scenes, and – I will be talking about this a lot – the incredible, INCREDIBLE music.

Honestly, when the game first booted up and I could select between between the enhanced or standard music, I sat bolt upright the moment the energetic, sax and guitar laden soundtrack kicked in during the intro chase, it was a clarity – and style – of audio that I had simply never heard come from my Mega Drive in the thirty-five years I’ve spent with the console, and on the strength of that aspect alone, my genuine, reflexive initial response was “well, this game is getting 10/10 as far as I’m concerned”.

Even more impressive was the fact that, when I switched the audio to ‘FM’ style, there was still a gorgeous swing to everything, that called to mind the saucy soundtrack of Side Pocket (which is yearning for a vinyl release).

Moving away from the soundtrack though, the visuals are tasty, and depict a top-down world in which the characters that you control – an eventual choice of three in total  - move through with quite a unique control scheme. One button runs – and drains stamina – whilst the others act as aim and shoot. It initially feels very esoteric, but quickly becomes second nature as you make your way through the mostly night-time locations that the game takes you through.

Whilst some stages require simple detective work and puzzle solving, the vast majority of The Secret of the Four Winds involves making your way through the waves of enemies – most of which are weak to light and strongest in darkness – as you hold down the aim/shoot buttons, taking them out before they can get anywhere near you.

Whilst there are three characters to – eventually – choose from, and there are RPG aspects of the game that level up stats such as accuracy, health points, and power etc. this is the part of the game that starts off positively, but becomes a crutch relatively quickly.

Look, I love this game, and I’ll reiterate that the retro Japanese style of visuals, incredible music, beautiful physical presentation, nuanced and bold control scheme, as well as the mood and narrative of the game is fantastic...but my word, does the core gameplay result in a bone-crushing grind. Not just a grind of the type you’d see in most modern games, where you hit a rut and go off exploring, giving at least a little variety in the proceedings, this is a game in which you hit various points that result in you incrementally making your way forwards through areas that are just designed to kill you over and over until the numbers in your stats are high enough for you to make progress.

Thus making what is initially a thrill in how it blends action and RPG (and that world-beating music), and the heart of the enjoyment of the game itself an eventual brick-sieving, repetitive sludge-fest of progress. I promise you that there will never be a speed run of this game, the grind is too built-in to ignore.

SUMMARY

Kai Magazine Software are one of the most exciting developers around for the Mega Drive, and The Secret of the Four Winds is a game that deserves to grace a lot of shelves, pushing the Mega Drive not only through its saucy music, but also in blending genres, visuals and creating a mood in general that seems genetically designed to please me on a cellular level.

That said, the incessant grind and repetition that kicks in after a couple of hours can’t be be ignored, and perhaps leans too heavily on retro-Japanese design philosophies to connect with me, personally. That said. The music? Play it again, Sam.

Purchase Link

Locomoto Nintendo Switch Review 8/10 “A wonderfully cosy train ride with a few unfortunate bumps” 🚂🚂🚂 @GreenTileGames #CosyGame #IndieGame #GameDev

As the father of a four year old who loves trains, Locomoto was a no-brainer when it came to having the chance to cover it. I don’t particularly have a history with the cosy game genre, but I have enjoyed Stardew Valley in the past, and watched my other half pound hundreds of hours into Animal Crossing over the years – a game I find too oddly regimented to enjoy.

Locomoto allows you to create an animal character, who naughtily ‘borrows’ an abandoned train in a bid to help the local villages and towns with the various issues that raise their cheeky heads, thus begins our adventures in the world of Locomoto.

Retro Football Fever! Jaleco Sports: Goal! on the PC Quick Look ⚽🕹️ @RockitGamesNOW #GameDev #RetroGaming

Rich Steps onto the pixelated pitch with this Ten Minute Taster of Jaleco Sports Goal! on the PC! ⚽

Rich gets the opportunity to relive the glory days of 8 and16-bit football as he dives into two classic soccer title from the golden age of gaming. Whether you remember renting this from your local video shop or you're discovering it for the first time, this quick gameplay session is packed with retro charm, crunchy tackles, and those unmistakable NES and SNES soundtracks.

This Charger Costs Less Than a Soda – Can It Handle Switch 2? 🔋🔌⚡#switch2 #budgetfriendly #aliexpress

Can a budget charger really power the Nintendo Switch 2? In this quick hands-on test, I try out one of the cheapest Switch 2 chargers I could find online—priced lower than your average soft drink. But is it safe? Is it fast? And most importantly… does it actually work?

🔗 AliExpress Link [Not An Affiliate Link] :

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005009183154917.html?spm=a2g0o.order_detail.order_detail_item.2.f6daf19cncl43Z

How People Spend Their Free Time Online 💻

How People Spend Their Free Time Online

Leisure habits have undergone a digital transformation in recent years. While people once flocked to cafés, cinemas, or sports venues, more individuals now spend their evenings behind a screen. This shift toward online entertainment is particularly noticeable in the rising popularity of interactive digital gaming environments.

Recent data shows that people now spend an average of three hours a day online for relaxation. A significant portion of this time goes to interactive activities, especially online casino games, which have become increasingly accessible. Smartphones, fast internet connections, and a growing array of digital options have led to new patterns in how people spend their leisure time.

Interestingly, many users are drawn not just to the games themselves, but also to the social aspects and exclusive casino bonuses frequently offered. This trend highlights the growing competition traditional entertainment faces from digital alternatives that are available around the clock.

Utopia Must Fall Ten Minute Taster Quick Look - "Survive The Vector Apocalypse!" ☄️🏢☄️ @pixeljamgames #IndieGame #GameDev

Rich dives into the chaotic, neon-lit battlefield of Utopia Must Fall – a frantic blend of bullet hell, tower defence, and retro-futurist vibes. In this first look, we defend the last bastion of humanity against waves of rogue AI and vectorized nightmares.

Can Rich hold the line, or will utopia crumble under pressure?

Lies of P: Overture PS5 [DLC] Review 8/10 – "The Deserved Encore to a Twisted Puppet’s Tale" 🎻 @Liesofp #GameDev #IndieGame

When Lies of P launched in 2023, it stunned the Soulslike community with its twisted reimagining of Pinocchio’s tale. Now, with the Lies of P: Overture DLC, developer Round8 Studio proves that the puppet strings still have plenty of tension left. This DLC doesn’t just extend the story—it elevates the entire experience, delivering a prequel that’s as emotionally resonant as it is mechanically refined.

Set years before the events of the base game, Overture transports players to a Krat untouched by the full devastation of the Puppet Frenzy. The narrative uses time travel to explore the roots of the Petrification Disease and the Alchemist faction’s twisted experiments. You encounter characters whose fates were only hinted at in the original game, adding emotional weight and tragic irony to every interaction.

Kiborg Xbox Series X Review 7.5/10 "lock ‘n load...again, and again, and again" 👊💥 @SobakaStudio #IndieGame #GameDev

I was quite a keen follower of Kiborg during its development, developers Sobaka Studio (I previously covered their game Redeemer in a past, pre-GF life) very clearly have a knack for guttural combat, and the trailers promised a silky smooth 60fps title featuring some very involved melee combat that gnawed away at the part of me that still craves visceral versions of the 16-bit brawlers that used to rule the roost such as Streets of Rage, Cadillacs & Dinosaurs... and Crisis Beat. 

A genre that is very much alive today thanks to Lizardcube and Cartel Studios frankly amazing Mother Russia Bleeds (another blast from the past). Kiborg though, leaned into a 3D realm and seemed to encompass the glowing, beautiful future that titles such as Fighting Force merely hinted at. 

What Kiborg ended up delivering, however, was a brawling rogue-lite that has an incredible amount in it’s favour, but feels oddly limited by the very rogue genre that it so leans into. This is a solid and fun game that could have been truly great.

Turtle Beach Kone II Mouse Review By Britt 🖱️🐁 @TurtleBeachPC

We’ve covered a few Turtle Beach products here at GF, and today we’re going to take a look at the Turtle Beach Kone II:

The mouse makes a great impression straight out of the box with the bold design, and smoothness of use. The Kone II is a wired mouse, and as such there’s no need to worry about dongles and charging etc. as that’s covered by the braided USB-A cable that feels practical and robust as well as being lightweight. 

The Kone II has two side-strips of RGB lighting as well as a lit mouse-scroll, which is initially set up to phase through the colours with a breathing effect. This is also customisable, and you can fiddle with the brightness of the LEDs as well as the many effects and colours on offer – all of this is explained clearly in the included quick start guide.