Brave Soldier: Invasion of Cyborgs XSX Review 6.5/10 "Cyborgs Schmyborgs" 🤖 @eastasiasoft #IndieGames #GameDev

Brave Soldier – Invasion of Cyborgs is a pretty direct run ‘n-gun shooter in a 16-bit style. The game sees – as you would assume from the title – cyborgs invade Earth, and (for some reason) only you can stop them.

Gigantosaurus: Dino Kart XSX Review 6.5/10 "A Simple Racer, Perfect For Hatchlings" 🦖 @3DClouds @Outright_Games #IndieGames #GameDev

Based on the French educational TV series Gigantosaurus, Gigantosaurus: Dino Kart puts the main characters of Rocky, Bill, Tiny, and Mazu – along with a  host of their friends – into various pre-historic kart-type vehicles and sets them speeding around their world through 15 different tracks, avoiding hazards such as steam blasts, chasms, rockslides and, of course – Giganto himself!

Gigantosaurus: Dino Kart is a game aimed at very young children, as is its TV show counterpart. So straight off the bat, it’s worth getting out of the way that this title – even on its hardest difficulty setting – isn’t going to be a challenge for those adult karting veterans out there.

That said, the way in which Gigantosaurus: Dino Kart caters to the younger demographic is impressive and made it possible for even my two-year-old to have enormous fun joining in the races.

Arcana of Paradise - The Tower Nintendo Switch Review 6.5/10 “A game full of charm that just needs more variety” 🗼 @TheTowerEN #IndieGames #GameDev

I picked this game purely on the strength of its trailer and the interesting concept. Several children suffering from amnesia are stuck on top of a gargantuan tower, the top of the tower is in ruin and the kids are barely surviving, but in their minds lies a thought that if they can reach the bottom of the tower and escape - they will enter paradise. It’s an interesting set-up, so I was eager to play, I then learned it was a roguelike deck-builder, which are two words I understand but have never seen together, so I was excited to dive in.

Right out of the gate, Arcana of Paradise has a very ethereal feel thanks to its wonderful art style and gorgeous music. You feel you are in a strange - almost dreamlike - world, the combination of both really paints a vivid picture, and I was sucked into its vision very quickly. 

King of the Arcade XSX Review 6.5/10 "A fun, mini-game-laden budget title" 🕹️ @SuperVillainDev #IndieGame #GameDev

King of the Arcade casts the player as a once-adored arcade master that has now fallen to the lows of living in his mum’s basement, with zero cash and mounting debt. In a last-ditch attempt to get a job, he applies at the local arcade, where the owner recognises him from his glorious gaming past.

Sworn to a life out of the limelight, our protagonist is dragged into a situation where he must once again waggle his joystick better than anyone else, as he strives to best the thugs from a competing arcade at their chosen games…or not, as the case may be.

Redemption Reapers Nintendo Switch Review 6/10 “A Decent SRPG, That Doesn’t Want To Take Too Many Chances” ⚔️ #IndieGames #GameDev

Redemption Reapers opens with a very engaging cinematic, it’s very effective and does a good job setting up the narrative whilst sowing intrigue. It introduces us to our band of mercenaries, ‘The Ashen Hawk Brigade’ who have taken up the fight against The Mort - a destructive band of orc-like creatures who have swept through the land, decimating village after village.

It’s an interesting setup and I was definitely invested quickly, the problem came about three-quarters of the way through my time with Redemption Reapers, when I realised the opening had been the most impactful thing so far - and though I was enjoying my time in this world, it never managed to recapture that initial interest.

41 Hours XSX Review 5/10 "An Initially Fun But Flawed FPS" ⏰ @ValkyrieInitia1 #IndieGame #GameDev

41 Hours – despite being set in a pretty standard genre (FPS) – began in an oddly endearing way for me, the narrative kicks off in media res, with the protagonist – Ethan – having rescued a mysterious woman with whom he is apparently fixated and escaping from the facility in which she was kept.

The opening chapter is all about putting as much ground between you and the mysterious enemy forces as possible, as fragments of the narrative are laid out. It’s here that the game sets out its stock, and I was initially intrigued due to several aspects of the design choices made.

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.

Wanted: Dead Review 6/10 "This game is a mess, but that's part of its charm" 🤺 @110industries #IndieGame #GameDev

With Wanted: Dead coming from some of the team behind the Ninja Gaiden series, I was looking forward to a challenging melee combat experience with a nice cyberpunk aesthetic, as shown in the trailers. 

You get flashes of both, but it doesn't come together in the way I would have hoped.

Sakeworld PS5 Review 5/10 "Outsider art that’s crowbarred its way onto the PlayStation Store" 👊 @pixelhunted @Sakeforever15 #IndieGame #GameDev

Sakeworld is objectively not a good game. This side-scrolling brawler boasts some of the worst combat mechanics I’ve played in years, janky animation, repetitive stage design and generally feels like something that might have popped up on Newgrounds twenty years ago.

But - and this is a big but - it’s interesting. And interesting goes a long way.

Hogwart’s Legacy PS5 Review 6/10 "...It's fine" 🧙‍♂️

Let’s get one thing right clear right off the bat: I didn’t buy Hogwarts Legacy. I wouldn’t be seen dead giving any money to J.K. Rowling after the shit she’s come out with over the last few years and, as someone who doesn’t care in the slightest about Harry Potter, would have been a very easy game to skip. 

But, for professional reasons, I was obligated to play the game prior to release and was sent a code by WB Games in order to do so. So here’s what I thought after coming to this game with zero excitement and a powerfully icky feeling at loading it up for the first time.

….It’s fine

Panda Punch Nintendo Switch Review 6/10 "A Punching Panda Platforming Puzzler" 🐼 @whited43 @RatalaikaGames #GameDev #IndieGames

A cute platformer with simple puzzle elements, Panda Punch casts you in the role of a red panda named Zeep, who has injured his arm in an attack and then has his blacksmith father replace it with an extendable bionic fist – good.

Featuring over 50 levels of action, and a light upgrade system, Zeep must clench his metal fist, punch robots and move a serious amount of boxes in order to save the land.

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.

Police Simulator: Patrol Officers XSX Review 6.5 / 10 "Finally, a police simulator with promise!" 🚔🚨👮‍♀️ @PolSimulator @AesirInteractiv #IndieGames #GameDev

Those who have followed my reviews over the last few years may remember my odd fascination with Autobahn Police Simulator 2, a game that -  whilst not scoring highly due to the numerous technical issues - ignited my passion for a police simulation title that focused on the basics of the job.

There was clearly a lot of fuel in the tank in pottering around handing out tickets, catching crooks and generally doing pretty standard police work. I was genuinely disheartened when Autobahn Police Simulator 3 failed to capitalise on what could have been a wonderfully quirky game based on typical police work…

BUT... then along came Police Simulator: Patrol Officers, and whilst this admittedly isn’t a super-high-scoring-rootin’-tootin’-Frozen-In-Time-Games-Freezer-10/10-recommendation… there really is a lot to appreciate here, and again – patch up and build on, hopefully, end up with a pretty top-class game, although that does feel some ways down the line.

Batora: Lost Haven XSX Review 6.5/10 🌳🎋 @stormindgames #IndieGames #GameDev

Batora: Lost Haven was a game that really caught my eye when I first saw the trailer, I hadn’t played an ARPG in some time and fancied getting hips deep into some demon-killing action, and if there was a narrative to suck me in, all the better! 

⌨️ Outshine PC Review 6/10 "Outshine is one of those games that’s like patting your head while rubbing your belly" ⌨️ @PixelHunted @OutshineGame #IndieGames #GameDev

As someone who spends literally every hour of my working day with my fingers on a keyboard, I figured I’d sail through Outshine. Type words to blast enemies? 

Pfft, whatever’s in my path is going to be absolutely obliterated. 

So, Area 1, Level 1, max difficulty. Let’s go.

🧑‍🎓 Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? XSX Review 6.5/10 "well...are you?" 🧑‍🎓 @MassiveMiniteam #IndieGames #GameDev

I think I’ve only ever played one truly awful quiz game – downloaded from the Nintendo eShop, natch – and so it almost feels like it’s impossible to make a bad game based on the quiz show format.

That said, it is very much possible to make games that don’t stand out from the crowd – and that’s kind of the high-wire on which Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader teeters.

⚔️ The Tale Of Bistun Xbox Review 6/10 "A little less conversation, a little more action…" ⚔️ @IMGNPRO @Bart_IMGN #GameDev #IndieGames

The Tale of Bistun appeared to be an interesting prospect. It’s a heavily narrative-driven adventure, and most that we Western audiences are exposed to commonly involve a modern setting and/or some sort of zombie apocalypse. So, this was certainly something new.

I can safely say that this is the first game I have played that is based on a Persian poem, namely Khosrow and Shirin, written by Nizami Ganjavi in the 12th century. I won’t go into what the poem is about because it unfolds in front of you as you play the game.

🧟‍♀️ REDO! XBOX Review 5/10 "You are scratching a living as the last surviving human..." 🧟‍♀️ @REDO_99 #IndieGames #GameDev

REDO! is a 2D Metroidvania set in a dystopic future where you are scratching a living as the last surviving human.

That is until you receive a message from a mysterious person who wants to meet, kicking off your adventure.

🩸📸 MADiSON PS5 Review 6.5/10 “Many Scares To Be Had, But Far Too Formulaic” 🩸📸 @transvaalgf @MADiSON_Game #IndieGames #GameDev

MadiSon is a first-person psychological horror game, in which you play as Luca, who wakes up to find his hands covered in blood, and his father screaming at him through a door, questioning how he could ‘do this to the people he loved.

It’s a very exciting and tense opening!

You manage to escape the room and now explore your grandparent’s home, where you learn its dark secrets and understand how Luca has come to be in this position.