Ready or Not Xbox Series X Review 8/10 “A Surprisingly Dark Descent Tied To SWAT Tactics” 👮‍♀️💥 @VOIDInteractive #IndieGame #GameDev

I tend to play online co-op games with fellow GFer Transvaal, and our usual approach of ‘shoot, shoot, shoot’ sometimes hits a wall when playing games frolicking on the more tactical side of life, such as here with VOID Interactive’s Ready or Not, a game playable in both single and multiplayer modes that casts you in the role of a SWAT team commander in the fictional Los Suenos Police Department (LSPD) as you make your way through a surprisingly generous amount of missions, in the hope of arresting the guilty whilst protecting the innocent. Each mission leading on from the last – although you wouldn’t necessarily know this until you get a high enough ranking in completion of said missions, which adds key context to your actions, filling out the narrative background.

Hole Digging Master Nintendo Switch Review 8/10 “Take a deep breath, and dig...deep.” 🕳️⛏️ @nostra_games_ #IndieGame #GameDev

I have to admit to covering Hole Digging Master out of sheer curiosity, the premise seemed somewhat bland, but hey – Fishing Vacation was awesome! There was also the fact that the trailer promises mysteries and treasures, tied to relaxing gameplay...good.

Hole Digging Master begins with a swift tutorial that introduces the game mechanics and core loop, that is – you dig, you sell, you upgrade...you dig. Played out entirely in POV, Hole Digging Master takes place entirely in a garage and the nearby garden, with a large square marked out on the grass, and the surrounding paraphernalia suggesting that the reason for digging – initially, at least! - is to get a swimming pool on the go. And so you grab your – erm – battery-powered shovel, and get to work. 

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.

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.

PGA TOUR 2k25 PS5 Review 8/10 “Drive For Show, Putt For Dough” 🤑⛳

I always enjoy reviewing pretty much any golf game, it’s something I don’t just like - I love it, and I’m not just talking about the video games, I enjoy watching it on TV - seeing Rory McIlroy complete the Grand Slam brought me a lot of joy - I also love playing it in real life.

Well… I say ‘playing it’ but even though I do suck I still love being out on the course. I noticed for the previous instalment in the PGA2K series how many reviewers stated that they ‘tried golf once, sucked at it and would never play it again’ which is fine, you don’t have to do something in real life to review a gamified version of it, I'm neither a professional hitman nor have I ever been trapped in a town overrun by zombies, but I have reviewed games about those things and my knowledge and experience is a big fat zero. 

It doesn’t matter really, but I do like at least the thought that when the game tells you about the different shot types, that I at least understand the difference between a punch shot and a flop shot. I struggle to do them in real life mind you, but I know what they are, and I come at both PGA2k25 and golf itself with some knowledge and a lot of love.

The Precinct Xbox Series X Review 8/10 "Pick up that candy wrapper, punk – go ahead, make my day" 👮🏻‍♀️🚔👮🏻 @fallentreegames @Microids_off @kwalee #IndieGame #GameDev

Basketball Hoop looked on longingly from the side of the court

A top-down, action-packed police procedural with simulation elements, The Precinct is the latest title from Fallen Tree Games, the developers who previously gave us a game that I have always had a soft spot for - American Fugitive. Whilst this is a worthy follow-up to American Fugitive – and definitely improves on the frame rate issues that plagued that title (on Switch, at least) – I couldn’t shake the feeling that there are a couple of little, missed opportunities along the way.

WWE2K25 PS5 Review 8/10 “Strong and Steady” 🤼‍♂️ #WWE

The WWE2K games have been on a nice run, just like the product it’s based on, we haven't had any massive backward steps, and whilst there are some things that don’t land or could be improved upon, it’s nothing that makes you want to throw your WWE merch into a pit of fire. 

After loving the last few entries I wondered if we would finally have the rug pull, modes and match types taken out, corners cut etc. but to my very pleasant surprise we are still on a great roll, remaining modes have been improved, and most of the new additions are good - but I do think one game mode should have been left out... or maybe sent to an island, never to return.
The first thing I always talk about when reviewing WWE games is GM mode, probably the best thing in the entirety of human existence...OK, maybe that is a stretch - but it is one of my favourite things, so how does this mode hold up this year? 

Life On Earth: Reimagined SEGA Mega Drive Review 8/10 "Boobs, bullets and a bloody serious challenge" 🌎 @Kai_MSX #Retrogaming #IndieGame #GameDev

I previously covered KAI Magazine Software’s Metal Dragon and Life on Mars: Genesis, thoroughly enjoying both. Life on Earth: Reimagined is set in the same universe as Life on Mars, and casts you in the role of the extremely buxom and impractically dressed Zhira, who is on a mission to halt the progress of a Mars-based lifeform that was brought to Earth for study and has - naturally - broken free of its restraints, and is quite frankly – causing ructions.

First impressions are fantastic, the action is quick and precise, with the gameplay being reminiscent of titles such as Rolling Thunder 2, or Sunset Riders as Zhira combats spawning enemies from all sides as she makes her way through the stages. Oscar Albero’s graphics are genuinely stunning in some areas, as cherry blossom trees and cityscapes at night rush past in a whirlwind of cyberpunk. Zhira’s arsenal consists of a melee attack and well as standard, triple, auto, and explosive shots to take down the myriad enemies that come at her in waves. There’s also other vehicular sections to add variety to the gameplay, not to mention multi-section bosses to take down in pitched battles scattered throughout.

I also have to mention the incredible music in Life on Earth: Reimagined, as the composer Savaged Regime has created something glorious here, it’s one of the most ‘Mega Drive’ scores I’ve ever heard and pulls out all the stops in creating an audio environment for the game that absolutely rocks, fantastic stuff! They also have more music available so please check out the incredible talents of Savaged Regime.

So, there’s a lot to love about Life On Earth: Reimagined, with solid mechanics, tasty gameplay, incredible audio….but it’s also worth mentioning the difficulty, as this is a game that is not shy. In the tougher stages, enemy respawns can be problematic and pretty consistent, alongside a chase stage in which Zhira is pegging it away from an encroaching explosion that will really test your patience and get your MD controller creaking. That said, if you like a challenge in your games, that will very much be of appeal, as – although you can lower the difficulty, completing the game on easy mode doesn’t show you the full game, so you’ll need to up the challenge to see the true end of Zhira’s adventure.

In terms of the physical release, the clamshell box is solid and features a reversible cover that alternates between the early and later styles of releases on the MD, inside are some art cards featuring Zhira, as well as a multi-language full colour booklet that is packed with information about the game. 

SUMMARY

As usual – KAI Magazine Software have released a top quality modern MD game that feels right at home on the system, with the music especially feeling like it’s showing SEGA’s 16-bit console at its best. A great run n’ gun title that doesn’t take any prisoners when it comes to challenge!

8/10

🆒COOL🆒

🔗Purchase Link: 

Life on Earth: Reimagined for the Sega Genesis (European classic cover)

The Cursed Legacy SEGA Mega Drive Review 8/10 "Run n’ Gun? Metroidvania? Mini-games? The Cursed Legacy has you covered!" 💥 @Goodgamestudios @Broke_Studio #IndieGame #GameDev

The last game I played from GGS Studio was The Cursed Knight back in 2022, an awesome title that was also distributed through broke Studio. The Cursed Legacy is again a Mega Drive release that continues the high quality production values laid down by Broke Studio, as well as classic retro gameplay from GGS, and again continues their quirk of mixing up genres, in this instance those genres being run n’ gun, metroidvania, and riffs on classic mini-games.

Catagrams iOS Review 8/10 "Like word-based puzzle games? This could be purr-fect for you" 🐈 @catagrams #IndieGame #GameDev

It’s not often we cover mobile games here at GF, but I’ve yet to find a word-based puzzler that I didn’t like and so Catagrams was installed on my phone faster than a moggy racing to the milk bowl. 

A simple and addictive title that caters for all skill levels, Catagrams is a very calming and cat-centric title that presents multiple scrambled words that need to be re-aligned, there are multiple coloured threads that run through each word to assist you in showing how they fit together, and you can also adjust the difficulty by selecting longer, more complex words – or simplify things by using the inbuilt hint system to show as many bonus letters in the words as you’d like to help you on your way if you are a little stumped.

Atomic Heart DLC : Enchantment Under The Sea [DLC3] PC Review "A wife in the hand is worth 3 in the bush?!" 🌊 @mundfish #IndieGame #GameDev

I've admired Atomic Heart from afar over the last couple of years with it featuring on my "Must Play" list for that time. With all the great games that have come out in that time Atomic Heart has been pushed to the back of my queue.

Now that I finally get a chance to cover the game through Games Freezer I am glad to say that I finally got to play it! Although, as I have been asked to cover the Enchantment Under The Sea DLC this means that I have committed a gamer crime by playing the 3rd DLC before I've even played the base game!

Someone may already be knocking on my door to take me away for such heinous crimes to gaming but for now I'm on the run and able to give you a review of my time with Atomic Heart: Enchantment Under The Sea.

Westild’s Law Nintendo Switch Review 8/10 "How the west was won and where it got us" 🤠 @BUG_Studio #IndieGame #GameDev

Westerns and gaming go together like bourbon and gherkin juice – perfectly well. The rootin’-tootin’ wild west is ripe for gun play, gals n’ galoshes, so whenever a Western-themed title tips its hat at me as it mosies on into the saloon, I’m more than happy to challenge it to a duel at high noon.

Priced extremely fairly, Westild’s law is a top-down shooter that casts you in the role of a male or female bounty hunter (the gender can be changed at any time) as they take on bounties from the Westild town sheriff, all the while upgrading their abilities, guns, and skills.

Tetris Forever PC Review 8/10 "The Story Is the Star" 💣 @DigitalEclipse #Retrogaming

My Tetris is Nintendo Game Boy era Tetris. Once you had that chunky Game Boy in your hand and a copy of Tetris inserted into the back of that pocket gem it meant that was all you were going to play for the next 6 months until the kid at school who had 15 game carts was able to lend you another game to play on your Game Boy.

Tetris Forever fills in the gaps of what came before Nintendo's 1989 Tetris and also what came after. During this wonderful character led journey Digital Eclipse prove once again that they are the masters of the interactive video game documentary.

49 Keys Nintendo Switch Review 8/10 🗝️ @2Pcom @49chiavi

A game based on a celebrated Italian gamebook titled ‘49 Chiavi’, released in 2022, 49 keys has been adapted for consoles adapted by the original author, and hits all the right notes as a slow-burning text-heavy adventure title.

Set in 1520, your character travels to a distant abbey - following the last wishes of your former master - on a quest to unveil the secrets held within. Presented as if in the form of an ancient manuscript, 49 keys features incredibly evocative writing, crisp visuals and puzzles that will get your grey matter pulsating. Keening, aching music will accompany you as you make your way around the island, collecting items and taking notes – all the while getting closer to the centre of the mystery.

Horror Tales: The Beggar | Xbox Review 8/10 “It’s Morvin Time” 👽 @CarlosGameDev #IndieGame #GameDev #IndieGameDev

Horror tales: The Beggar begins with introducing the titular Beggar a human(ish) creature who has been locked away. Now freed by a helpful robot he claims he will guide you out and help you on your way.

You notice very quickly the world is broken and has been for a very long time, you will find little sign of life, unluckily for the Beggar there is one being that follows him Morvin a product of his own imagination who isn't particularly friendly and will happily attack you on sight, luckily you have powers which are introduced as the game goes on, so you aren't completely helpless when old Morvin turns up, you have the power of telekinesis so not only can you move objects that are in your way, you can also hurl objects at your stalker, which after you have hurled enough objects at him you will get some respite and can continue traversing the fractured world.

Rewind or Die PS5 Review 8/10 “The Good Stuff” 📼 @PuppetCombo @torturestar #IndieGame #GameDev #IndieGameDev #HorrorCommunity

Puppet Combo games have been my jam, I think I have reviewed one of their games every month for the last several months (I have another in the pipeline already, for next month). 

I’ve enjoyed every game, and the last few releases have been some of their most diverse - with Lakeview Cabin Collection being a side scroller and The Glass Staircase being a PS2 zombie horror inspired by classic Italian films. 

Rewind or Die gets back to what I imagine when I think of Puppet Combo - A grubby, dirty slasher-inspired romp with PS1 style graphics mixed with VHS. It’s not only what I think of… it’s what I love.

CONSCRIPT Xbox Review 8/10 "It captures the grinding, stifling atmosphere of war really, really well" ☠️ @ConscriptGame #IndieGame #GameDev #IndieGameDev

War is hell. Thus spoke US Civil War veteran General William T. Sherman, and, let's face it, he's not wrong. Conscript is a top-down pixel-art survival horror set during World War I, specifically the 1916 Battle of Verdun. 

You control young French soldier Andre, slogging through unending miles of trenches and bunkers ridden with sucking mud, enemy soldiers, rats and mustard gas, in search of your captured brother Pierre and a safe return home.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Xbox Review 8/10 "Satisfying Combat and more frowning men than you can shake a stick at" ⚔️ @Focus_entmt #SpaceMarine2

There are certain franchises that can feel quite overwhelming to jump into if you haven’t been involved with them since the start, the Warhammer 40k franchise has been on the periphery for me for decades; yes, I’ve dabbled with the board games and a handful of scattered video games along the way, but as for the lore and terminology? 

Mate, I don’t know my Ultramarine from my Burnt Umber.

Just Crow Things Xbox Review 8/10 "Welcome to the Poopy Party" 🐦‍⬛ @UnboundCreation #IndieGame #IndieGameDev #GameDev

I find real pleasure in diving into games that are suitable for all the family, especially those that have a humorous streak running through them. My three-year-old is a bit of a litmus test when it comes to the child-friendly titles I cover here at GF, and when Just Crow Things came on, he was intrigued, but when he found out there was a poop button? He was sold.

From Unbound Creations – the team behind Rain On Your Parade – Just Crow Things ostensibly casts you in the role of a young crow that is on a quest to get her sunglasses back from bullies, but the real meat of the game is just having fun and causing carnage throughout the game’s stages. 

Parasol Stars: The Story of Bubble Bobble III Xbox Review 8/10 "Twirl that parasol!" ⛱️ #Retrogaming

Released by Taito in 1991, Parasol Stars - the sequel to Bubble Bobble (1986), and Rainbow Islands (1987)– stuck closer to the formula of the original with single-screen action, this time with brighter visuals, larger sprites, and advanced audio – and yes, the soundtrack is absolutely as much of an earworm as the original!