JDM: Japanese Drift Master Xbox Series X Review 6.5/10 *Don’t let me drift away, babe* 🏯🚗💨 @GamingFactorySA #IndieGame #GameDev

Firstly, I have to say that whilst I didn’t fully click with JDM: Japanese Drift Master due to several issues that I’ll elaborate on below, this is clearly a game that’s been crafted with love, and has some real high points in the visual departments and world design. That said, there were too many issues to ignore and it all resulted in JDM feeling like a game that needed a bit longer in the oven to really make an impact.

The narrative of the game is told through Manga style comic imagery, a really cool touch that adds to the Japanese vibe of the game and bookends the chapters that make up the story in a fun way. The look and layout of the map is surprisingly varied as well, with some lovely touches and flourishes in the landscapes and environments that you’ll be whizzing through. 

RIG R5 Spear Pro HS Gaming Headset Review By Britt 🎧 @RIGGaming

An officially licensed PlayStation product, the R5 Spear Pro HS headset from NACON’s own RIG range gives a lot of bang for your buck. Coming in just shy of seventy quid, the headset has a lot going for it, with only a few minor niggles as drawbacks.

Coming packaged with a set of alternative PS branded mod-plates that can be swapped out for the standard RIG plates, the RIG R5 Spear Pro HS makes a great first impression out of the box as they are lightweight, sleek and matte black, with foam ear cups and headband as opposed to leatherette that can crack and peel off, meaning that these are built to last. I’ve used them for some pretty hefty gaming sessions (I’m still rocking 7 Days To Die with my GF cohort, Transvaal) and they actually hold up in terms of comfort more than the more expensive pair I used prior to receiving these, with no dip in sound or mic quality, according to my fellow players.

Dark Quest 4 Xbox Series X Review 8/10 *A Quest Very Much For Heroes* 🎲⚔️🧙‍♂️ @brainseal #IndieGame #GameDev

Dark Quest 3 was installed on my Xbox for a very long time back in 2023/24 when I covered it, and earlier this year I covered Brain Seal’s Blow It Up! Which was also a good time. 

Whilst I haven’t played the first two iterations of the Dark Quest series, I can tell you that whilst it looks the same in trailers, and the artwork and characters are familiar, this is a different beast to Dark Quest 3, moving away from random encounters and luck-based sections, and more towards a style of gameplay that feels more akin to the quest-based Hero Quest board game that Dark Quest gets some of its inspiration from. 

Whilst this does freshen things up, it also feels oddly stripped back, as the mechanics now feel quite bare, and I found myself wishing for a little more depth and camera control, especially in areas where parts of the environment were a mystery to me because of the locked view.

Desert Race Adventures Nintendo Switch Review 7/10 "Oregon Trail With Less Dysentery and More Horsepower!" 🚛 @bssgameshq #IndieGame #GameDev

This new title from Firedrake Games is a rally game with a difference, as opposed to actually racing, your vehicle instead trundles on regardless as you take a backseat from driving, and instead focus on the logistical side of this mammoth task – which is driving across Europe and Africa.

With some lovely pixel visuals, and simple, looping music to keep you company on your trip, Desert Race Adventures begins with choosing your driver and co-driver from the six available and selecting up to three items for your vehicle loadout. 

Whilst each driver / co-driver has their own strengths and accompanying weaknesses – perhaps they fatigue slower, or require less nourishment than the other, greedier drivers, but also suffer more in crashes – the balancing act of switching between the stock in your limited carrying space makes up a very important part of your journey.

GXT 735 Mylox Wireless Mobile Gaming Controller Review By Britt 🎮 @TrustGaming #MobileGamer

We continue our Trust odyssey with the Trust Mylox Wireless Mobile Gaming Controller, a mobile controller that I received – handily – just before a family holiday. Eschewing the usual Nintendo Switch, I instead decided to holiday away with the Trust Mylox Wireless Mobile Gaming Controller in a bid to really immerse myself in its abilities.

I tried out a few different genres on the system, but the game that I found myself really diving into over that period was Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, which really ended up highlighting the strengths of the peripheral.

The GXT 735 Mylox Wireless mobile Gaming Controller can be played for up to twelve hours before needing a recharge – which then takes three hours to recharge, but you can use whilst charging – and is very snappy in its approach to everything.

Infinity on Game Boy Color "2 Decades In The Making" ♾️ ⚔️ @Incube8Games #IndieGame #GameDev #RetroGaming

Purchase Link

I came across an upcoming game release a few weeks ago that caught my eye, a Game Boy Color title named Infinity, originally created by Affinix Software back in 2001, the game was never fully released due to publishing issues at the time.

Incub8 Games then picked up the project during a Kickstarter back in 2021, and now over 20 years on, the game is completed and finally ready for a physical release (a digital version is also available).

It’s always a pleasure to get the opportunity to play games lost to the mists of time, and so this is definitely one for the GBC fans out there to get excited about! In the coming months we will be reviewing the full game, but until then, check out the information below, and get your pre-orders rocking and rolling, should it tickle your fancy.

GXT 709 Luminus RGB Gaming Desk Review By Britt 🎮 @TrustGaming

There’s something very special about having a gaming space, a temple of solace in which you can squeeze the controller until it creaks, pore over stats, and laugh with friends. It genuinely has the power to be an oasis from the stresses of reality, and as someone who has a home office, I like my gaming area to feel separate from work so that I can zen out and have that separation from the stresses of the work day.

Cue the GXT 709 Luminus RGB Gaming Desk, a glorious piece of furniture that – quite literally – highlights when it’s time to chill out and game.

Britt’s Brief Bulletin - November 2025: Zen Pinball DLC, Junkyard Builder, Castle Crumble, Warlock of Firetop Mountain & Beaked Buccaneer 🦤 #IndieGame #GameDev

Hello to all, it’s time for another catch-up of some titles that may have passed you by over the last few weeks!

Zen Pinball DLC – Elvira’s Scared Stiff, and Elvira and the Party Monsters

It’s always time for some pinball action! In our household, we have been longtime fans of Elvira and so it was fun to get our flippers on with these two new tables, now available as DLC for the incredibly popular Zen Pinball franchise. Available on not only console and PC, but also VR and mobile platforms, Elvira and the Party Monsters is a digital version of the 1989 Midway table, whilst Elvira’s Scared Stiff was released in 1996. Both tables were designed by pinball wizard Dennis Nordman and are available now!

Fast & Furious: Arcade Edition Nintendo Switch Review 5/10 "Not a (Raw) thrill to play" 🛻🔥@CradleGames @GameMillEnt #GameDev #IndieGame

I don’t usually directly compare games when I discuss them, but I do feel that I have to open this review by saying that you can currently get a physical copy of the infinitely superior Cruis’n Blast on Amazon UK for twelve quid, should you so wish (and you should wish so). 

Fast & Furious is a console port of the 2022 arcade title, which was originally developed by Raw Thrills – who were also behind the original arcade version of Cruis’n Blast – and whilst the port to consoles has some brief action, it’s far too insipid to be a recommendation beyond a few minutes of simple fun.

I’m not too au fait with the Fast & Furious franchise, but the links here seem pretty tenuous – there are a few recognisable cars, and each of the six stages (which last around two / three minutes each) set the task of reaching the finish line and thwarting various events such as a missile launching, a bomb being detonated or a plane taking off. You can choose from a handful of supercars, and play with up to two players, but the issues reveal themselves quite quickly as you dive in.

Deathless. The Hero Quest Xbox Series X Review 9/10 "A Deck Builder Based on Slavic Folklore" 🃏 @Deathless_TOR #indiegame #gamedev

I’ve been quite partial to digital card games recently, and whilst I’ve played some corkers over the last year, Deathless. The Hero Quest seems to be pulling me back more than most, it’s blend of beautifully expressive and smooth animations, rousing soundtrack and compulsive gameplay means that I find myself settling down for that golden sense of ‘one more try’.

Set in the fictional fantasy world of Belosvet, the game begins with a number of options to tailor your journey to your specific level of difficulty, as well as letting you decide which hero you will take on this epic quest first, will it be the sword and (surprisingly gun-like) wand-brandishing Alyosha? The towering Dobrynya, an armoured warrior who wields a huge sword and dragon skin covered shield? The sorceress Vasilisa, or perhaps the treasure hunter Varvara who tears into battle with a pickaxe and magic braid? Whoever you choose, fun is certainly imminent.

Trust GXT 409 Oxxie Wireless Gaming Earphones Review by Britt 🎧 @TrustGaming

We’ve recently received a selection of products from Trust which I’ll be covering over the next few weeks, the first of which is the Trust GXT 409 Oxxie Wireless Earphones.

I’ve been using these pretty consistently for over three weeks now, and I’m impressed with what the GXTrust Oxxie offers, in fact – they have usurped my previous day-to-day earphones due to their more balanced, yet still bass-heavy sound.

The earphones feel solid and robust, and the charging case - whilst it is plastic - also feels resilient, as well as being stylish in design. The case also handily holds a USB-C Bluetooth adapter for those platforms that require it.

Goosebumps: Terror in Little Creek Xbox Series X Review 7.5/10 "Perfect For The Spooky Season!" 🔦 @PHLCollective @GameMillEnt #IndieGame #GameDev

The newest title from the Philadelphia-based developer PHL Collective, the classic spooky children’s franchise Goosebumps is getting the PHL treatment. 

The last game that I played by this development team was DC’s Justice League: Cosmic Chaos which I covered last year, and much like this one, whilst it isn’t a trailblazer in the genre, the respect for the franchise in hand combined with a high quality presentation means that this is another great game to play with youngsters. 

The main difference being that whilst Cosmic Chaos was an entry towards an ARPG style of game, Goosebumps: Terror in Little Creek acts as a gateway of sorts to the survival horror genre, much as the books will eventually pave the way to Clive Barker et al. Good!

Dark Deity 2 Nintendo Switch Review 9.5/10 "Sword & Axe LLC Shine Once More!" ⚔️🪓 @DarkDeityGame #GameDev #IndieGame

I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to cover the original Dark Deity on Switch back in 2022 when I awarded the game 9/10, having thoroughly enjoyed the experience… with the exception of the downtime between the turn-based skirmishes in which a light visual novel element crept in, and I found myself mindlessly skipping through paragraphs of seemingly endless dialogue and banter between the characters in my party. 

With this sequel, Sword & Axe LLC have found a way to tighten this aspect, blending in the more dialogue-heavy sections into the actual plot itself, making it a much more seamless experience, that makes the game feel more cohesive, and much more inviting and playable, with these scenes feeling as important in terms of unveiling the expanding tale as the core combat sections themselves.

The Edge of Allegoria Nintendo Switch Review 6/10 *A Game Boy-styled JRPG with a lot of effing and jeffing*🧑‍🌾 @its_avg_joe @CobraTekkuGames #IndieGame #GameDev

The Edge of Allegoria is an atypical Game Boy-esque JRPG in that, whilst it has the usual turn-based battles, top-down adventure vibe, and glorious chiptune music, the basis for the writing is a pretty vulgar crudeness that, whilst setting it apart from more generic titles in the same genre, means that your mileage will very much vary dependent on how amusing you find crass language.

Whilst there’s nothing offensive about The Edge of Allegoria, the story sort of sits in the background, and gameplay overall is pretty standard with the main hook in the combat being that you acquire certain masteries of weapons after using them for a short while that broadens your arsenal of attacks against monsters that have physical. Magical, and elemental abilities. 

There are some nice visual flourishes, such as the overall colour palette changing as you get poisoned or wounded etc. with the music being the usual jaunty GB fun, but the very thing that sets The Edge of Allegoria apart – its use of adult language and humour – makes it a game that people will either click with or find tiresome. 

"50 Indie Games That Changed The World" Book Review By Britt 🎮 @BitmapBooks #IndieGames #GameDev

Another day, another glorious release from Bitmap Books! As someone who finds the indie game scene absolutely vital, when I initially caught wind of this book a few months ago, it was instantly close to my heart. That said, with hundreds of video games released each month, I was intrigued as to how the fifty games covered in the final release would be selected as it appeared to be a bafflingly monolithic task that seemed destined to end in myriad keyboard warriors tearfully ruing that their dearly beloved indie game wasn’t included. 

I mean ‘changed the world’ is a pretty hefty sentiment. And after reading the book, whilst – inevitably – some games included aren’t my jam, the beautifully written histories, interview snippets, and summaries that sum up the sheer impact of said game on the overall industry is hard to argue with, making this a surprisingly bold – if not definitive - tome on some of the most influential games ever released.

Chronicles of the Wolf Xbox Series X Review 9.5/10 "My New Favourite Metroidvania" 🐺 #IndieGame #GameDev@PQubeGames @Migami_Games @PixelHeart_eu

I was introduced to Migami Games through their 2020 title Wallachia: Reign of Dracula, which I reviewed back in 2021, which was a throwback to 16-bit era arcade action games. They have a rich history with Castlevania fan games, and when this was initially released, it slipped me by due to us having an extremely busy time here at the Welsh branch of GF. 

Re-discovering it recently, it turns out that I was a fool, a damn fool for skipping over Chronicles of the Wolf upon its release back in 2023 as it’s very clearly one of my games of the year, blending as it does nostalgia of the past with an eye on modern design. 

Honestly, I’ll say this at the start of the review, aside from the fact that this leans heavily on Castlevania in most ways, and some people may find this aspect a little too close for comfort (it doesn’t bother me in the slightest), I have nothing at all to critique about Chronicles of the Wolf, it feels like the perfect throwback game in the Metroidvania style.

Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3 Xbox Series X Review 8/10 *Spooky Match 3 Action!* ⏹️🔼⏺️ 🦖 @StrangeScaffold #IndieGame #GameDev

I had no idea what to expect when I was installing Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3, but it very quickly became apparent that I was going to love it. 

A hybrid game that blends traditional Match 3 style gameplay with light horror-comedy elements in a setting that becomes very meta very quickly, it initially feels like a hodgepodge of ideas on paper that somehow works surprisingly well together in practicality!

Ataraxie on Nintendo Switch, PC and Linux ⚕️☣️

Originally released on Windows back in Aril 2024, Ataraxia casts players in the role of the ancient Pharaoh Antef, who has been awoken from his eternal slumbers to find his kingdom in a state of flux and corruption, courtesy of of the evil Apis, and sets off to sort all this nonsense out!

Developed and published by Gravenoire Studio, who also have a game entitled Labyban (a game in the sokoban genre) available now!

From the Website:

Forcefully awaken from his eternal sleep, ancient pharaoh Antef fearsomely discovers the horror his kingdom has fallen into. His throne stolen, his cult tarnished, the corruption, started by Apis, will soon be engulfing the world. The time has come for you to bring back order and give your people the peace they much deserve.

Traditionally respectful of the Metroidvania genre, ATARAXIE is a 2D platformer which takes place in a world with interconnected levels. From maze to tombs, from desert to fortress, this a vast universe you will have to discover. Confidence is key, though, if you wish to put an end to this conspiracy.

A unique journey lies ahead! Through mastery and dexterity, ATARAXIE will face you with a plethora of fiend and foes, each of them disposing of unique powers and abilities. Explore the world, find its secrets and become stronger!

A thrilling adventure, worthy of hours of gameplay!
Luxurious and diverse environments, filled with puzzles!
Numerous Boss fights! A tribute to its inspirations, like Mega Man!
The possibility to choose your own path, making the gaming experience unique to each player! 

Ataraxie is available now on Switch, Windows, and Linux

Heading Out Xbox Series X Review 8 /10 "drive your fears away" 🚗💨 @SeriousSimGames @CrunchingKoalas #IndieGame #GameDev

Heading Out single-handedly saved my entire weekend recently, I had a rare free day and fully intended to veg out on the couch, getting slowly tipsy on bourbon whilst diving into some gaming gold. Unfortunately, the gaming ‘gold’ that I initially decided upon was the recent Game Pass title ‘Dragon Age: Veilguard’ which I’ve been keenly awaiting since release last year, having been a huge fan of the previous Dragon Age games. Within a couple of hours, I was deflated, morose, underwhelmed…and quite frankly uninstalling Dragon Age: Veilguard quicker than Oliver Reed can get the free drinks vouchers out of his pocket at a wedding.

Having no intention of playing further through the insipid, tedious game, I was flustered as to where to turn next, my Saturday plans lay in ruins. It was then that I remembered I had been sent the review code for Heading Out and decided that it could be a saucy palette-cleanser, and indeed it was, thank you, Serious Sim!

Echoes of The End Xbox Series X Review 7/10 "a visually stunning action-adventure title that fails to entirely engage" ⚔️ @MyrkurGames @deepsilver #IndieGame #GameDev

Myrkur Games began work on Echoes of the End back in 2016, and that length of time and dedication shines through in a lot of the visuals and audio work, but the core puzzling that makes up the bulk of the gameplay feels somewhat inserted, and actively works against the games’ strengths, meaning that each area soon stops feeling exciting and evocative, as you instead grit your teeth and wonder what contrived puzzle you’ll have to work your way past in order to proceed further through this genuinely beautiful and desolate world.

Echoes of the End begins with Ryn, our heroine, and her younger brother Cor, as they make their way through a rocky, mountainous region of their land of Aema. Ryn is a ‘vestige’, a person who has magical powers feared by the majority, leaving her a fiercely independent spirit who prefers solace to the city. Cor, on the other hand, is a youthful optimist that seeks out adventure naively, often at his own risk. As the game begins, we find that large, vital crystal formations called ‘wards’ have begun to be destroyed, and whilst trying to find out what is causing this, Cor gets kidnapped, leaving Ryn to try and locate him with the help of Abram, a mysterious older adventurer that luckily happens across her path just as her brother is taken away.