Firefighting Simulator: The Squad Xbox Series X Review 5.5/10 "Smouldering Embers" 🔥🚒🧯 @FirefightingSim #IndieGame #GameDev

A game that looks and runs much more smoothly and cleanly than others of its ilk, catastrophic AI and flat gameplay let down would could have been an interesting title.

The tutorial of Firefighting Simulator: The Squad does a decent job of laying out the core mechanics of the game, with an oddly rousing tutorial musical score, you’ll use one of your tools to smash down a door, rescue a smoke inhalation victim from their bedroom floor, and carry them to safety before returning to fight the blaze. 

This will pretty much be the main recipe for each of the numerous missions ahead of you. First impressions are quite solid, the frame-rate rocks a steady 60fps for most of the time, the visuals are crisp and grounded, and the overall mood is quite earthy and practical. It’s only after this tutorial that the issues creep in.

Shadows of Doubt XBOX Review 5.5/10 "A Fantastic Premise Sandbagged By Technical Issues" 🕵️ @colejefferies #IndieGame #GameDev #IndieGameDev

Much like my review for Cloudpunk and more recently, Wartales, Shadows of Doubt is a game that is packed with great ideas, a cracking premise, eyecatching visuals and intriguing gameplay, but is hamstrung by technical issues that will hopefully be a distant memory after several months’ worth of updates and patches – but sadly can’t be ignored at the time of launch.

Shadows of Doubt is game that I’ve been following for a while, the premise of being a private detective in a dystopian future comprised of glorious voxels, spending your days solving cases and scouting for clues very much appealed to me. When it was announced for consoles, my trousers were neatly folded in a drawer, hopefully to never be needed again. 

Hotel Renovator PS5 Review By Lowri 5.5/10 "If you're a fan of building and decorating games, then Hotel Renovator will probably be on your radar" 🪛🛠️ @2_Horizons #GameDev #IndieGame

If you're a fan of building and decorating games, then Hotel Renovator will probably be on your radar. In this game, you're tasked with remodelling a hotel, clearing away decades of junk and vermin to create a gleaming, stylish, and appealing space. With two modes - story mode and sandbox mode - you have the freedom to create the hotel of your dreams. 

Cions of Vega XSX Review 5.5/10 "He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother" 🏘️ @eastasiasoft #IndieGame #GameDev

I’m a big fan of walking simulators, some can be quite affecting and haunting, such as Dear Esther or What Remains of Edith Finch, whilst others can perhaps not connect as deeply with the player, but still be positive and fun experiences as you get lost in the atmosphere and chill out for a few hours.

Cions of Vega is unfortunately a very scattered and tonally uneven game, and this affects the way that I reacted to the story, that of a man searching for his missing daughter through rural countryside and small, forgotten villages – with his brother tagging along, spouting exposition to our silent protagonist.

EDENGATE: The Edge of Life XSX 5.5/10 "Hello? Is it Mia you’re Looking For?" 🏃‍♀️ @HOOKcrew #IndieGames #GameDev

I am a fan of walking simulators. The appeal of a snack-size, unfolding story over a handful of hours will always appeal to me. It’s a genre that is ripe for narrative opportunities with a light interactive touch. Of course, there’s also room for things to slip into the more generic territory, with poor story-telling, stilted gameplay and an unrewarding tale.

Ultimate ADOM – Caverns of Chaos XSX 5.5/10 ⚔️ "rock, rock, stairs, rock, rock, stairs" @adom_dev #IndieGames #GameDev

I covered ADOM (Ancient Domains of Mystery) back in 2018 and remember thoroughly enjoying my time with the game and the level of depth that it offered, catering to different styles of play and offering high levels of replayability. At the end of that review, I mentioned that Ultimate ADOM would be released for consoles at the tail end of 2018 – and now, four years later…it was time for me to return to the world of ADOM.

🗡️ Pathologic 2 | Xbox Series X | Review | 5.5/10 | "Tedious mechanics wore down my love for its creepy atmosphere and intriguing mysteries" 🗡️ @transvaalgf @IcePickLodge #IndieGame #IndieGameDev

After a few hours of Pathologic 2, I could tell this was going to be a real marmite game, there was a great atmosphere and an interesting mystery being developed but the mechanics were already becoming beyond tedious, so the question would be, “would the interesting philosophical plot with a great atmosphere be enough, or would the increasingly frustrating mechanics be too much of a pain and drag the entire experience down?”

⛳️⚔️ RPGolf Legends | Nintendo Switch | Review | 5.5/10 | "Fighting for Par" ⛳️⚔️ @KEMCOGLOBAL #IndieGames #GameDev

I went into RPGolf Legends with as much enthusiasm as I could possibly muster for a game.

Being a huge RPG fan and a complete golf nut, my excitement for this game was immense. All signs pointed to a hole-in-one but, like my actual golf game - it didn’t take long to realise it's more likely going to be a double bogey.

⚔️🛡️ Guild of Darksteel | Nintendo Switch | Review | 5.5/10 | "Immortality Ain’t What it’s Cracked Up To Be" ⚔️🛡️ @DigeratiDM #GameDev #IndieGames

Guild of Darksteel has a promising and high concept setup. As a mercenary ‘cursed’ by immortality, you wearily make your way to the titular Guild of Darksteel in order to join a shady clan of immortals who use their eternal life to solve problems for others in exchange for coin, usually by stabbing things with their swords.

🧙‍♂️⚔️ Hellbreachers | Xbox Series X | 5.5/10 | "Are You Ready To Go To Hell?" 🧙‍♂️⚔️ #GameDev #IndieGames

A 2D action-platformer in which you can choose your class of character and even switch between styles mid-game, Hellbreachers looks good and has some nice ideas but suffers in level design, control and repetition.