Lumines Arise PC Review By PixelHunted 9/10 *Lumines Arise is an incredible game played on any size screen* ⏹️🟥🟧 @enhance_exp #IndieGame #GameDev

Many of you will know what it’s like to feel the cold hand of Father Time on your shoulder when it comes to gaming. Such is the case when I booted up Lumines Arise and grimly realized I’ve been playing this game for… Christ. 20 years…. Where did the time go?

I picked up the original Lumines in 2005 along with my shiny new PlayStation Portable. After Rez on Dreamcast I’d become a firm Tetsuya Mizuguchi fan, and his stylish little puzzler had me hooked. A year later, I had Lumines II, and in 2018 I was pleased to see the game return in shiny enhanced form as Lumines Remastered.

My Time at Sandrock PS5 Review By Lowri 9.5/10 ⛏️🪨 @MTaSandrock #IndieGame #GameDev

After playing a wide variety of games in 2025, I can confidently say that "My Time at Sandrock" stands out as my top gaming experience of the year.

Having previously enjoyed "My Time at Portia," my expectations for its spiritual successor were high, but "My Time at Sandrock" managed to surpass them in almost every way. 

While it retains the cozy, farming-sim elements that made the first game so charming, Sandrock expands the genre with incredible depth, creativity, and a vibrant desert world that feels both fresh and inviting.

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.

HELLDIVERS 2 XBOX SERIES X Review 9/10 "A Veritable Cornucopia of War Crime Options" 🦟 @helldivers2

I had had my eye on Helldivers 2 since the PC launch last year, and had been itching for the promised Xbox release for a long time. The release actually got me to pay for an Xbox game for the first time in ages, Game Pass being what it is.

For the uninitiated, Helldivers 2 is a squad-based shooter, where you and up to three team-mates drop onto a planet to achieve your mission objectives before being airlifted to safety. These objectives range from 'take this thing here', 'blow this thing up' or 'defend this bit of ground while a thing happens', through to 'kill as many enemies as you can while staying as alive as you can'. It's safe to say that it's not a story-heavy game. 

However, there is some framing. You are a Helldiver, one the elite soldiers of Super Earth, sent to battle its enemies while championing liberty, spreading Managed Democracy and staying true to the cause. Of course, it's all camouflage over the fact that you fight for a totalitarian dictatorship, with the satire very reminiscent of Starship Troopers.

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.

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.

Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon Xbox Series X Review 9/10 "Take a swig from a true holy grail" ⚔️ @TaintedGrail_AR @awaken_realms @Aga_Szostak #IndieGame #GameDev

I’ve played some very good games over the last year, but very few gripped me quite as much as Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon. Polish developers Questline have created what I’ve secretly yearned for, for many a year - a spiritual successor to the likes of Oblivion and Skyrim with a nod to the darker side of life. 

A huge world begging to be explored, tied to an Arthurian storyline courtesy of Polish writer Krzysztof Piskorski, who originally created the world of the Tainted Grail for a board game that was an enormously successful Kickstarter project back in 2018. Questline previously released a game based in the Tainted Grail universe that was in the deckbuilder genre back in 2021, called Tainted Grail: Conquest – which I haven’t played – but the fact that four years later they’ve released a fully-fledged open world RPG in a ‘Western’ style is incredibly impressive, not to mention the full voice acting, audio, narrative and all the other glorious aspects of Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon that I’ll delve into here. 

Basically, this game is absolutely fantastic and has kept me apart from my trousers for over two weeks now, it’s one of those games that creeps into my mind throughout the day and pulls me back towards it with an almost sexual magnetism. If there was ever a game designed to seduce me into neglecting my family so I could play it all day long in 2025? Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon is that game.

Inspector Waffles: Early Days Game Boy Color Review 9/10 "A Purrfect GBC game, this cat definitely gets the cream!" 🐈 @golosogames @Broke_Studio @HomebrewFactory #GameDev #IndieGame

A feline-centric police procedural with a lightness of touch and a sharpness in its design, Inspector Waffles: Early Days has very quickly become one of my favourite Game Boy games.

A prequel to Goloso Games’ 2021 release Inspector Waffles, Inspector Waffles: Early Days follows the cat detective in his rookie days, as he finds his place in Cat Town. 

Under the guiding eye of your partner, Pancakes (yes, this game will make you hungry), you’ll crack six cases in total, cases handed into your capable paws by your chief – Patches. 

The first of these cases deals with the theft of a rare video game cartridge (good!), and you’ll soon find yourself falling into the satisfying pattern of discovering clues, interrogating suspects and solving crimes– as well as hopefully discovering some secrets along the way!

Monster Train 2 XBOX Review 9/10 " One hell of a freight" 🚂👹 @TheMonsterTrain #IndieGame #GameDev

In most visions of apocalyptic battles between heaven and hell, between angels and demons, between God and the Devil itself, the battleground is a scarred wasteland and the warriors are on horseback, wielding swords and axes. Something distinctly more Tolkienesque than Shiny Shoe’s interpretation in the Monster Train games. If their idea is to be believed, then the final tussle on earth takes place in a train carriage more reminiscent of something halfway between Snowpiercer and the climatic fight in Broken Arrow.

But what of the game itself? I’ll get this out straight away. Fans of the original certainly need not worry. This is everything the first game was and more. Expanded and enhanced in terms of options, cards, clans and mechanics.

I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream Xbox Series X Review 9.5/10 “I think therefore I AM” 👄 @NightdiveStudio #RetroGaming #IndieGame #GameDev

I don’t think any other title of a game has ever conjured up things in me that I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream has. When I was a 14-15 year old kid and watched my brother play this game the title alone deeply affected me, it conjures up an awful image, it’s a title that's creepy before you even play the game or read the short story. It is a powerful title, but when you learn what it relates to in the story - its power is magnified tenfold.

I’ve experienced the game three times, once as previously stated, then again in my 20s, and now in my 30s, and each time my love for it grows, it is such an interesting and engaging story, based on Harlan Ellison's short story of the same name, it takes everything that's great about that story and adds to it. 

9th Dawn Remake Xbox Series X Review 9/10 "A Glorious CRPG that kept me coming back for more"⚔️🛡️🧙‍♂️ @Valorware #Retrogaming #IndieGame #GameDev

Five years ago I covered 9th Dawn III: Shadow of Erthil, and whilst I had a good time with it, there were some issues that chipped away at the fun somewhat. Although this is a remake of the first game in the series (which I haven’t previously played), there’s a freshness and tightness to the experience that really makes this stand out from the crowd, and especially when compared to the 3rd title in the series, with a lot of issues ironed out, and more accessibility and snugness in the design whilst also feeling incredibly expansive and very rewarding in terms of exploration.

Assassins Creed: Shadows Xbox Series X Review 9/10 “Sharper combat and characters make this a top target” 🗡️ @assassinscreed

I’ve always been a big Assassins Creed fan from the start, which is amazing when you replay the first game in the franchise and spend most of it shouting at Altair for how badly he controls as he leaps and jumps in any direction he feels like. Now, I know what you’re thinking - the ‘i’ in Altair doesn't have a diaeresis over it in this article, and that's because even after looking how to do it on Google, I still couldn’t work out how to do it so maybe I shouldn't be as critical of old Altair, he won’t take direction, and I won’t spell his name correctly.

Anyway, I actually became a bigger fan with the change of direction that Origins brought to the series, although I loved all the previous games, I must say that the last few have delivered some of my favourite Assassins Creed experiences, so when this was announced - combined with the fact that I really like the Feudal Japan setting - meant I was buzzing with excitement.

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!

Starbound Xbox Series X Review 9/10 "Terraria in Space" ⭐️ @ChucklefishLTD #IndieGame #GameDev

A few years ago, my partner and I were hips deep in Terraria, I genuinely think I own a copy on every system it’s been released - aside from Switch, thinking about it - and we would often spend weeks just getting back into the groove with the amazing music (which I am lucky enough to own on vinyl) and just the pure sense of wonder and relaxation that exists in the quiet exploration. To be honest, we barely bothered with the boss fights, it was all about pottering about for us.

My next – and true – love, came through the glorious Aground, and once my gaming thirst had been slaked there, I vaguely hearing about Starbound, but as it wasn’t then available on consoles, I promptly forgot about it and went on my day, a day that was bereft of crafty, pixel, action-adventure games…until now.

Dance of Cards Nintendo Switch Review 9/10 "A game that won my heart...and spade, club, diamond." 🃏🃏 @FrogOfHearts #IndieGame #GameDev

I bloody love coming across games like Dance of Cards – which seems to be released on the Switch just for me, at the perfect time. I’ve been playing Balatro on and off over the last few weeks, and one evening, as I failed yet another run, I mused idly to myself how awesome a poker-based RPG would be...and a few days later, Dance of Cards sidled shiftily into my deck. Needless to say, I went in blind.

The game casts you in the role of the heroically named ‘Martin’, a magician and card mechanic in a small town that is getting sent on to the big city by his shady manager, on a cruise ship. And on said voyage...things go somewhat awry.

Home Safety Hotline Xbox Series X Review 9.5/10 “The best horror game of 2024” ☎️🖥️ @SlickNickLives #IndieGame #GameDev

I’m going to start this review off by saying - whenever you get a phone call in this game, wherever you are in the directory, it puts you back right at the start. So, if you’re at the letter ‘P’, a phone call will come in and it puts you back to the start…which is the letter ‘A’ just in case you somehow know how to read but don’t know the alphabet… which is probably one person out there, and speaking of one, that's how many criticisms I have of this game. One. the one I’ve just said, That's it, the rest of this review will be just gushing praise - I adore this title.

So, with my vast negativity about this game now out of the way, let’s get into why it’s utterly amazing.

The Plucky Squire Xbox Series X Review 9.5/10 "Is gaming art? Who cares? it can however, be truly magical" ⚔️🔖🏹 @devolverdigital @apossf @JamesTurner_42 @onebitbeyond

I remember seeing an initial reveal trailer for The Plucky Squire a few years ago, and the central conceit that the protagonist - Jot - could leap forth from the confines of the book in which he is a main character instantly appealed to me.

The blending of the illustrated 2D cartoon world in which he resides with the ‘real’ 3D world opens up myriad gameplay possibilities, and really caught my eye. Fast forward to the tail-end of 2024 – to a situation whereby I have the opportunity to play the Plucky Squire with my three-year old son - and the act of playing the game becomes a family-bonding, transformative experience.

BZZZT! Nintendo Switch Review 9/10 "A Perfect Potion of Platforming Perfection" 🤖🥪 @ko_dll #IndieGame #GameDev

The people who make the best platform games are the people that know the genre inside out from playing the classics and having an understanding of what makes a great platformer. What we have here my friends is one of the best indie platform video games that I have ever had the pleasure of playing. 

Developed by KO.DLL BZZZT! is truly a love letter to the classics of the genre and also brings its own brand of charm and sauce! Bzzzt offers up a fast-paced, precision platforming experience with the game clearly being designed to be accessible to both newcomers and veterans of the genre with its perfectly pitched variation of difficulty levels.

World of Horror Nintendo Switch Review 9/10 "A Must For Horror Fans" 🔪😱 @panstasz @YsbrydGames

World of Horror has been on my radar for quite a while, the 1-bit visual style reminded me of the incredible Return of the Obra Dinn, and the Japanese-centric horror backdrop is always appealing to me, there’s something enticing about an alien culture combined with horror, you already have a sense of being an outsider, and out of your comfort zone – before the horror even kicks off!

After playing the game, I feel pretty confident in saying that this is a title that will be raising its head again in my GOTY article in a few short weeks.

Total Extreme Wrestling 9 PC Review 9/10 “A Wrestledream” 🤼 @TransvaalGF @ArlesGreyDog #IndieGame #GameDev #TEW9

I've always been a huge fan of GM (General Manager) mode, a mode that for some unknown reason comes and goes from WWE games. Luckily, it is currently back in the last few games and I have spent many hours living out my dream of being a wrestling booker. The main criticism these games have is the lack of features, things that have been taken out, or should be have been in from the start. TEW9 doesn't have this problem, it was my first time playing this series and wow! Was my mind blown.