Welcome to Mars 9
(available on PC and Switch)
Developer – Sonomio Games
A short, narrative-driven experience presented in 2D with a pixel art style reminiscent of the Darkside Detective series, Welcome to Mars 9 casts players in the role of River, someone who has been rescued from floating in deep space and has been taken to a space station, which all may not be what it seems…
I enjoyed this as a brief evening’s worth of light sci-fi adventuring, with puzzles that are simple enough to keep the story driving along but still feel satisfying to complete. I’m a sucker for chunky pixel art, and the writing is minimalist but still manages to breathe life into the characters that are dotted around the space station. Whilst the resolution was interesting, it did feel abrupt, and I would have liked a little more on the back end of the experience, but all in all – a solid experience that put the developer on the map for me; I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on their future releases!
The Bee Hive
(available on Switch)
Developer – Neversleep Games
As long-time readers of GF will know, we love indie games and try to champion them whenever possible; unfortunately, we do cover some that perhaps needed overhauling or a little more time in the gaming oven to really be recommendable, and in this case, The Bee Hive sadly falls into that category.
A passion project from solo developer Neversleep Games, The Bee Hive aims to recapture the N64 era in its visuals and gameplay but ends up feeling like a half-finished tech demo of a hi-res Windows game. You are a bee that is on a quest to save the insect kingdom; and whilst the setup and hand-drawn comic intro are well-handled, in terms of actual gameplay, an erratic camera, floaty controls, unsatisfying combat and landscapes that feel bland and empty as opposed to retro and nostalgic aren’t helped by the hard crashes that plagued me when playing on Switch 2 (which is stated to be fully supported). Whilst I hope that I enjoy Neversleep Games’ next release, this one unfortunately doesn’t get a recommendation from us due to the issues listed here.
Cakey’s Twisted Bakery
(Available on Steam, Xbox, PlayStation 4/5, Switch)
Developer – TinyMindz
A first-person candy-themed horror title that has you stealthily creeping around a very creepy bakery and collecting strange ingredients in order to proceed; this is very much set in the ‘90s, and doesn’t break any ground in the new-ish genre of ‘mascot horror’. Its short length and overall spookiness punctuated by jump scares feel somewhat designed for streamers, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing if that’s your bag. It’s got a great look with some very impressively creepy sound design that helps the scares no end. All in all, if you like being scared and fancy making some unusual baked items – jump in!
Miniatures
(available on Switch, PC, Linux, macOS)
Developer – Other Tales Interactive
A short narrative experience that collects four short episodes together, a largely wordless experience; the expressionistic visuals, minimalistic audio approach and slice-of-life vibe make this a gentle experience that touches on loneliness, family life and more. Only a few quid, this is one for those that enjoy gentler, more sparse experiences in their gaming.
Endoparasitic
(available on PC, macOS, Linux, Meta Quest, Switch, Xbox One / Xbox Series X/S)
Developer – Narayana Walters
Endoparasitic kicks off with possibly one of the harshest game introductions I’ve ever seen - your character having both legs and one arm ripped off, before you quickly cauterise the wounds and begin dragging yourself around a darkened building in a desperate bid to stop the parasite worming its way to your brain. This is a tense, top-down experience that flits between making your way around and finding keycards for doors, etc., and extremely stressful action sequences (have you ever tried loading a gun with one hand before?) as the horrors that stalk the corridors bear down on you. A unique premise that plays out well here, developer Narayana Walters really drives home the incredibly dire situation the protagonist is in as they try to save themselves. One for the gorehounds out there!