Is This Game Trying To Kill Me? X Box Series X Review 8.5/10 "a glorious blend of horror, intrigue, and puzzles." ☠️🗡️ @StatelySnail #IndieGame #GameDev

I’m a big fan of escape room games when they are done well. It’s all too easy to dig into one with a friend or two, before finding in short order out that the puzzles are either tedious or far too abstract – not so here! Is This Game Trying To Kill Me? Is one of the best escape room style ventures I’ve embarked on for quite a while, with a neat central premise and a well-balanced tone that gives it character without being all doom and gloom, there’s humour in the game, alongside a few well-timed jump scares!

Mega Cat Studios: Britt’s Mega Drive Odyssey Part 5 – Rocket Panda SEGA Mega Drive Review 🐼 @megacatstudios #IndieGame #GameDev #Retrogaming

As someone who has played games for almost forty years, as much as I love heavy-duty RPGs, horror titles, and a good story – there’s always a part of me that lights up when a game is outright charming, and a celebration of gaming at its most wholesome, it almost feels like gaming at its most pure and innocent.

Cue Rocket Panda, a game developed by Space Pants Games, in which you – as the titular Rocket Panda – must save Biscuit Land from the clutches of the evil Biscuit Head, saving your caged badger friends as you do so.

Mega Cat Studios: Britt’s Mega Drive Odyssey Part 4: Yazzie ⬜ @megacatstudios #IndieGame #GameDev #Retrogaming

It’s been a little while, but once again it’s time to spend some time with my favourite console, and take a look at another title from Mega Cat Studios ever-expanding repertoire of video games released on classic systems. I’m also planning a sort of sister article to this series focusing on upcoming Mega Drive games in 2025 – exciting stuff!

Anyway, on to the wonderful Yazzie!

Developed by Retro Souls – the brains behind the addictive Old Towers -  the titular Yazzie is a gold digger that must traverse myriad single-screen puzzles, collecting all of the gold in each area, whilst avoiding the zombies, ghosts and hazards that act as obstacles between Yazzie and riches! 

Caligo Xbox Series X Review 6.5/10 "Striking Visuals and Imagery, with Heavy Iconography" 🕯️🗼 @Krealit_team @Pinkerator #IndieGame #GameDev

"Jane's tent was a bitch to put up but it was a hit at Glastonbury"

One of the most visually interesting walking simulators that I’ve played, Caligo begins with your unknown player character being beckoned forth by a masked entity through a series of locations to meet a mysterious individual. 

The first thing you’ll notice is how crisp and interesting the game is visually – with each area you pass through being rich with things to take in, as well as the occasional, scattered collectible item to pilfer. 

Pacific Drive Xbox Series X Review 6/10 "Now my car has a slightly stronger left door. Thrilling!" 🚘🌲@ironwoodtweets #IndieGames #GameDev

Keith was a little disappointed that the picture on Auto Trader didn't quite match the car which was on the car salesman's forecourt...

What happens when a heaping pile of things I love crashes at full speed into a brick wall of stuff I despise? Pacific Drive, that’s what! On paper, this chill, spooky, and surreal adventure is very much my bag. Within the first few minutes, it becomes clear this is a big honking homage to Andrei Tarkovsky’s monumentally awesome 1979 film Stalker, with a killer indie-synth soundtrack and fun 70s aesthetics bolted on top.

The game opens with you driving through a beautifully realized recreation of Washington state’s rainy Olympic Peninsula, before being accidentally tossed into the “Zone”. This walled-off area is the testing ground for mysterious technology, resulting in chaotic, dangerous, and surreal phenomena. After finding a working station wagon, you must figure out a plan of escape, aided by eccentric scientists and technicians on radio comms.

That crack in John's windscreen was something that AutoGlass just outright refused to fix.

Moving Houses Xbox Series X Review 7/10 "Time to Get a Move On" 🏠 @gordlittle #IndieGame #GameDev

Keith's favourite party trick was the levitating controller

A game that features bright visuals that hides a darker underbelly, Moving Houses is a 1st person title that begins with your character in the process of – as the title suggests – moving house. It starts off simply enough, grab a cardboard box and fill it up before chucking it in the back of the van blocking the driveway, whilst hurtling larger objects in by themselves – no box needed. 

You level up upon packing each batch of items and unlock little bonuses such as a jump, or the ability to fit more items in boxes etc. but what you’ll notice as you get deeper into the game is that house seems….a little…off. The further you get into the house and various rooms, the more unusual things become, it’s never outright horror or even anything close (as is evident by the age rating), but it is a touch surreal.

Mortisomem Xbox Series X Review 6.5/10 "Bite-Sized Brazilian Folkloric Horror"

A new title on console from solo developer David Pateti, Mortisomem casts the player in the role of protagonist Donald Barnes, a merchant in Brazil during 1917 who walks home from his local one night to discover that the feared Mortisomem is after him. 

Long believed to just be a story designed to scare children into behaving, it becomes clear very quickly that Donald Barnes is up against a supernatural force determined to hunt him down, and this is NOT a harmless kid’s tale.

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.

The Blue Prince Xbox Series X Review 10/10 "A Labyrinth of Love" 🩵 @dogubomb @RawFury #IndieGame #GameDev

I’ve had my peepers on Blue Prince since it appeared as the cover article in issue 6 of Debug, a narrative-led puzzle title, it certainly sparked my intrigue.

The young nephew of a recently departed uncle, the protagonist has been tasked with locating the 46th room deep in the heart of a sprawling mansion that resets its rooms each day. 

The setup and premise – as well as the future revelations and key moments - are delivered perfectly, with every aspect of the game seeming a perfect fit with the other. For example, the rich, graphic-novel style visuals dovetail with the lilting, curious audio in a way that really pulls you into the game as you delve further and further into the mansion, collecting coins, jewels and more incremental permanent unlockables as you do so. 

Care Bears: Unlock The Magic Nintendo Switch Review 4.5/10 (also available on PS4/5) "lacking charm and magic" 🐻🐻‍❄️🐼 @MaximumEntmt

As a man in my forties, The Care Bears were very much a part of my childhood, and I watched show a lot as a kid, I was convinced that there was a Care Bears game on the C64, but in researching this article, I have very much been proven wrong, as the first released Care Bears title was in 2004! (WTF!!! - ed)

Regardless of my foggy memories, Care Bears: Unlock The Magic is unfortunately a charmless dud that feels like a half-finished game that had the Care Bears licensing slapped on during development, and really doesn’t feel that it’s taking full advantage of the rich, generation-spanning Care Bears heritage.

Effectively a single-player collection of mini-games, with an included digital art book, Care Bears: Unlock The Magic has an adventure mode that has you dancing along a 3D board in a 3D take on Snake, driving the Care Bear bus to pick up hearts in a simple vehicular section, pogoing across rivers, popping coloured bubbles a la Puzzle Bobble, and several more derivative mini-games that combine to allow you to make your way across the overworld game board, of which certain section are blocked by thunderstorms that require a certain amount of points to pass. The music is gentle and lilting, the frame rate 60fps, and the mini-games do ramp up in difficulty – so this isn’t a mindless trudge - but they always felt arbitrary, and there was no sense of charm or a love for the licence at hand.

SUMMARY

At it’s current price, Care Bears: Unlock The Magic is a tough game to recommend as it just feels like a compilation of forgettable – yet competent – mini-games that feel more at home on a mobile device. It was far too slight to engage me as an adult, and my four year old had no interest in the game, so unless you have a youngster that really has a connection with the franchise, this is a game that makes me dress up in my Grumpy Bear costume and sulkily fold my arms.

4.5/10

💧MELTED💧

🔗Care Bears: Unlock The Magic | Nintendo Switch games | Games | Nintendo UK

Desktop Golf Nintendo Switch Review (also available on Steam) 8.5/10 "A Hole-in-One!" ⛳ @SAT_BOX_EN #IndieGame #GameDev

SAT BOX have quietly impressed me with their releases over the last few months, specialising as they do in simple premises done well. This latest release pretty much does what it says on the tin and casts you as a desktop golfer, you’ll be sailing your ball across fairways and dog-legs whilst making your way across bridges made of binders, whilst avoiding toys and pencils as well as the standard sand and water hazards. 

X-Out: Re-Surfaced Xbox Series X Review 7/10 "a little different from the other horizontal shooters of yore" ❌ @ININ_Games #Retrogaming #IndieGame #GameDev

Originally released in 1989 on the Commodore 64 before being ported to the Amiga and others in 1990, X-Out differentiates itself from other shooters of the time by being set underwater. It also allows you to spend credits on customising your craft before each run – and there will be many – which adds a layer of personalisation when deciding if you want something nippy, or more robust, as well as choosing your weapon load out, limited only by your cash flow.

The original game was well-received, and it is a bit of a lost title when it comes to other shooters from the era, so it’s great that it’s been remastered for modern audiences, but how does it stand up over thirty years on from its original release?

Quite well, it turns out. The simple, but effective customisation options ensure that you have a sense of personalising each crack at the game to suit your play style, and the visuals have received a tasteful overhaul that makes things pop and run more smoothly, but don’t lose the identity of the original design and style, which can really be a deal-breaker in instances such as this - this is still very much chunky pixel action. Good. 

The audio has also been re-vamped, and I quite enjoyed the soundtrack which is energetic and engaging without being ostentatious or over-bearing. There’s also a neat option in the menu to switch between the original soundtracks on the 8/16-bit systems or the modern take on it, which was the one I went for.

X-Out is not an easy game. Whilst your ship has a health meter and can take a decent kicking from enemy fire before giving up the ghost, if you even touch the environmental obstacles or even a boss, you die in one hit, with no continues. It’s straight back tot the ship selection screen for you. It’s very clear that this is a game that will appeal to those that enjoy a serious challenge. There’s also a two-player mode for local co-op, which is a nice inclusion.

It’s a very bare-bones remaster in terms of historical content, such as design docs, artwork and interviews with the original / new developers etc. which is something I do like to see included with these remasters, but it appears that in this case these aspects are only included with the limited and special editions of the game, available from ININ.

SUMMARY

All in all, X-Out: Re-surfaced is a little different from the other horizontal shooters of yore, and this does give it its own identity. I would have liked some more content on the history of the game, but the more tasteful aspects of this remaster give it appeal, just be prepared for a serious challenge!

7/10

🆒COOL🆒

(also available on PS5, Switch, PC)

Skull & Co. Product Review (Audiobox BT Audio Transmitter 5.2, Savage Raven Phantom Stand, Savage Raven Thumb Grips, Controller Case) 🎮 @skullnco

Something that has long irked me as an Xbox gamer is that Bluetooth earbuds can’t natively be used for gaming on the Xbox, I use headsets – of which there are many – but sometimes the ease, comfort, and practicality (for example, just popping one earbud in when gaming late at night with the TV on mute so you can hear the action but also hear your young child should they call from the next room) of earbuds has always been something I’ve yearned for over the years.

A couple of weeks ago, I discovered that there were adapters on the market that solved this very issue, with Skull & Co’s Audiobox being one of them.

They kindly sent across the Audiobox for coverage, along with a handful of other products which I’ll also mention below. All of which can be purchased at the Skull & Co. website.

TerrorBytes: The Evolution of Horror Gaming Documentary - Preview by Britt 🔪🩸🧟 @Terrorbytesdoc

An upcoming – and exquisitely titled - five-part series on the history of horror in video games, I was lucky enough to get a peek at the two of the five episodes, and it’s safe to say that horror fans are in for a treat with this deep dive into one of gaming’s most prominent categories, featuring as it does such luminaries of the genre as John Romero, John Carpenter, Akira Yamaoka, as well as various developers, composers and scholars of video game horror to add key context to the on-screen discourse.

Each episode focuses on a specific era of video game horror – the two that we at GF have seen are ‘Enter the Survival Horror’ and ‘Lethal Licenses’, both of which dive into not only the more seminal titles that are the cornerstones of the genre, but also mention underdogs and games that introduced specific mechanics and approaches that may have shaped horror video games somewhat under the radar.

Trust YUNIX USB Gaming Microphone Review By Britt 🎙️ @TrustGaming

The very definition of a plug and play device, the Trust YUNIX is a desk top microphone with a 6-foot hardwired USB cable that is ready to rock within a few seconds of unboxing.

The version we received is white, but the microphone also comes in purple and black variations to suit your particular setup. With a built-in pop shield to cease your more plosive propensities, the YUNIX continues the sense of accessibility and sleek style by only utilising a couple of buttons on the mic itself, you can alter the RGB light-ring around the base, and mute yourself.

There is also a socket for a wired headphone jack – which will probably be needed as the microphone will pick up room sounds due to the cardioid design. It’s not a stiff setup, with the microphone able to be tilted back and forth a few degrees to angle towards your mouth when speaking, as the weight and rubber base grip ensuring that you won’t have to deal with unwanted sliding and movement when in use.

Also, whilst the YUNIX is targeted at gamers, I used it for podcast recordings as well as work meetings, and it coped just fine in all situations. It was a perfect match with the Trust TORIX keyboard, which has a snazzy volume / mute dial, so that I could breezily mute / unmute as I typed, so that the keyboard clacking wasn’t picked up on the recording.

SUMMARY
The sound recording quality is solid and I appreciate the ease of setup and use – but there are things that could have been improved, such as the connection cable being braided, just to reduce ugly kinks if you have a setup in which it’s difficult to hide cabling, but at the price point that the YUNIX is, it’s hard to knock what it offers, which is an easy, solid, and well-designed multi-use microphone, the base grip is robust and that RGB ring adds a subtle flash of character if you want things to pop a little in your home setup, a recommended purchase from us here at GF!

From the Trust website:

Trust.com - GXT 234 Yunix USB Gaming microphone - Black

Specifications

• Connectivity

• Connector type3.5mm, USB-A

• Connection type: wired

• Cable length: main cable - 180 cm

• Audio

• Frequency response: 100 Hz, 16.000 Hz

• Impedance: 2200 Ohm

• Sensitivity: 32 dB

• Sound pressure level: 100 dB

• Features

• Noise reduction: No

• Microphone

• Pick-up pattern: Cardioid

• Signal-to-noise ratio: 62 dB

• Sampling rate: 16bit, 48kHz

• Echo cancellation: No

• Sensor type microphone: condenser

• Size & Weight

• Weight of main unit: 216 g

• Total weight: 216 g

• Height of main product (in mm): 108 mm

• Depth of main product (in mm): 55 mm

• Width of main product (in mm): 55 mm

• Mount

• Type of stand: desk stand

• General

• Application: Indoor, Desktop

• Compatibility

• Compatible Device Types: laptop, pc

• Control

• Controls: microphone mute, lights on/off

Police Shootout Xbox Series X Review 5/10 "A Quirky Blend of Genres Sandbagged by Technical Issues." 🚨🚔 @GamesIncubator #IndieGame #GameDev

A turn-based FPS game with investigative qualities was very much of appeal to me when I was offered to cover Police Shootout, and whilst it is an intriguing blend of genres that comes frustratingly close to being an idiosyncratic gem, there are just a few too many rough edges to ignore.

The game begins with your character moving from the big city to a small American town, transferred in a bid to find out what happened to his brother. Your commanding officer is a rather brusque gentleman who hints at knowing your ulterior motives for being in his neck of the woods, but initially seems to be warning you off your private quest of familial revenge.

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.

Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 Xbox Series X Review 9.75/10 "Welcome back, Henry" ⚔️🐎 @KingdomComeRPG

The first Kingdom Come: Deliverance had a huge impact on my life upon my first playthrough four years ago, It was my ‘go to’ game in the days when my fiancée was pregnant and often napping or getting comfortable in bed whilst chugging back bottles of Tums. 

I’d pop KCD on the Xbox in our bedroom and get lost in 15th century Bohemia, my beloved often chiming in, whistling along to the music, commenting on my less savoury deeds, and questioning why the main character – the son of a Czech blacksmith – spoke as if he’d never left the borders of Mousehole. What does she know, eh?

My point being that I pumped almost two hundred hours into Kingdom Come: Deliverance (Well, 150 in hours of actual game time and probably 50 hours of LOADING SCREENS, something that is thankfully, thankfully remedied in this sequel) over those last few months before we became parents, and the game now reminds me of a pretty special time of my life, so getting the opportunity to lose myself again in the world of Henry of Skalitz was an exiting proposition to say the least!

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.