Detective: Rainy Night Nintendo Switch Review 6/10 *Care for a room, detective?* 🕵️‍♀️☔ @K148_GS #IndieGame #GameDev

I covered k148 Game Studio’s Detective: The Motel back in January, and whilst I relished the thought of the basic premise – a short detective title focused in a single location – the execution and layout of the game really hindered my enjoyment. Fast forward to the end of the year, and I got to tuck into Detective: Rainy Night, a title that moves away from tedious box-ticking exercises and instead more towards a supernatural, psychological horror bent. Good!

The POV adventure begins with your character arriving at a supposedly rural hotel (more on this later), with your character getting to briefly know the inhabitants of the scattered rooms, as well as the kindly motel manager. 

After a quick kip, you wake up to find that the heavy rain from the night before has now morphed into an impenetrable fog (again, more on this later) and to make matters worse, one of the temporary residents of the motel has been murdered, leaving you to don your detective cap and try to get to the bottom of what the heck is going on.

As much as I had fun with Detective: Rainy Night, there are a lot of caveats here. Whilst I enjoyed how stripped back and focused the narrative was – it’s a game that can be completed in a couple of hours – the game is very ‘assety’ and that does bite it on the arse somewhat.

For example, you are supposed to be in the middle of nowhere, but you can clearly see many houses around the motel, and at one point towards the ending, there’s a glitch (at least I assume its a glitch) in which you can openly leave the area and see the awkward surroundings/limitations of the street that the motel is plonked on. 

It doesn’t help that the burgeoning narrative really tries to drive home the fact that this motel is supposed to truly be miles out of town and almost unreachable. The sparsity of audio works with the unfolding tale, and I enjoyed how the story is set over five nights (shout out to the awesome Five Days a Stranger), with the creeping imminence of death closing in as the hapless residents get picked off one by one.

Again, as much as there are strengths in the interesting premise, the character models move like they are encased in cement, and the dialogue is less than ideal. The light environmental puzzles and brief fetch quests never slowed the pace down, and the character archetypes work insomuch as they fill a hole; you’ve got a moody young woman, an unhappy couple (the male is possible the horniest person I’ve ever encountered in a game, there should honestly be a copy of Readers Wives poking out of his jacket pocket), a miserable rich bitch, a chubby food-focused schlub, and an alpha male – but it all works in the sense that this is a trashy horror story.

SUMMARY
All in all, when playing Detective: Rainy Night, it’s best to keep in mind that this is the work of a single individual, and quite frankly this is light years ahead of their previous releases. 

Whilst I’ve only rated this a 6/10, I’m genuinely looking forward to what the developer hits us with next, as there really is something here, and I hope that in a year or two I’m singing the praises of their newest release to the high heavens. 

As it stands though, this is flawed, silly fun that will appeal to those that like to smash through a light-horror title of an evening, and there’s absolutely nothing at all wrong with that.

6/10 

🧊💦MELTING🧊💦

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(also available on PS5, PC, Xbox Series X/S)

Developer – k148 Game Studio [SOLO DEV]

Publisher – Jandusoft

Neon Inferno X Box Series X Review 8.5/10 *never reload, never stop shooting* 🏍️🔫 @ZenoviaLLC #IndieGame #GameDev

There are a lot of genres in the world of video games that slide by, or don’t feel like they got as fully explored as they could have at the time of release on whatever systems they found their home on. 

Quite often I’ll go back to one of my favourite consoles and wonder why there weren’t more titles in said genre – Landstalker springs to mind! - as they nail a niche that feels like there are deeper depths to be plumbed. 

Back in 1990, Dick Tracy on the Mega Drive was the first time I played a game that melded both side-scrolling action and gallery shooter mechanics, and despite its flaws it remains a strong title in the MD library for me; not only because of its awesome music, noir atmosphere and presentation, but because it felt truly different on Sega’s awesome 16-bit machine.

Cue Neon Inferno. Yes, there have obviously been other titles in this dual genre over the years, but since the 16-bit heyday, I can’t recall too many games that blended these genres so well.

Citizen Sleeper 2 PC Review 7.5/10 "Cracked Dice N Glitches Means Stitches" 🎲🎲 @FellowTravellr #IndieGame #GameDev

Not many games embrace uncertainty as boldly as Citizen Sleeper 2. Following in the footsteps of its acclaimed predecessor, this narrative-driven, dice roller, sci-fi RPG once again places you in the fragile body of a Sleeper—a digitized consciousness fighting for survival in a hostile universe. But where many games punish failure, Citizen Sleeper 2 thrives on it. Every dice roll, every misstep, every imperfect outcome becomes part of a living story that adapts and grows around you.

At the heart of Citizen Sleeper 2 lies its signature dice system. Each cycle, you’re given a pool of dice representing your available actions. High rolls can be assigned to critical tasks—repairing a ship, negotiating with a faction, or uncovering lost technology—while low rolls might be relegated to riskier endeavours. 

Borderlands 4 Xbox Series X Review 8/10 *More shooty, less bang bang* 💥

I covered Borderlands 3 back in 2021, scoring it a 9/10 and celebrating the zany world of Pandora and its myriad denizens. Whilst there were hardly any immense leaps in terms of core gameplay between games, the series always delivered mindless blasting action, which ramped up gloriously when playing with friends. 

This newest instalment instead shifts the action to Kairos, a hidden planet run by ‘The Timekeeper’; a masked, golden, and seemingly immortal figure that plants chips in the minds of his subjects allowing him to control their will, or to drive them insane, if he deems necessary…which he does deem quite often, quite frankly.

I was hips deep in the initial unveiling and first couple of hours, everything that I enjoyed about the series had returned, and now it was tied to a story that - although basic - seemed slightly more serious and focused which was certainly refreshing. Starting the game off with an epic prison escape got my engine revving and my guns cocked and loaded.

Outlaws + Handful of Missions: Remaster Nintendo Switch Review 7/10 *Some Rootin’ Tootin’ Old School Shootin’* 🤠 @NightdiveStudio #IndieGame #GameDev

First of all, the game runs gloriously on the Switch - for some reason gyro controls were turned on automatically, so I kicked those off as fast as humanly possible - but there are a lot of accessibility options for you to tweak the game to your tastes as you walk – or glide, rather - in the well-worn boots of James Anderson, a retired U.S Marshal who is out to rescue his kidnapped daughter from the casually named ‘Slim’ Sam Fulton, and his associate, the more worryingly monikered ‘Dr. Death’ Matt Jackson.

Outlaws really felt apart from other FPS of the time as the slim, stark visuals almost echo the rangy James Anderson himself. The dusty soundtrack, satisfying weapons and combat take centre stage in the relatively empty-feeling levels that you will be blasting your way through.

Yes, the stages in Outlaws feel far more dated than a lot of other titles from around this time, and I can’t quite work out if I like that aspect or not. There seems to be a lot of big, empty rooms and outside space to roam through, but with only a handful of secrets in each of the nine levels (and five extra in the expansion, bringing it to a total of fourteen overall) the sparseness of each one will either appeal or be a detraction of your enjoyment. 

Marvel Cosmic Invasion PS5 Review 8/10 "It isn't a reinvention of the genre, nor does it need to be" @MARVELCosmicInv #IndieGame #GameDev

Marvel Cosmic Invasion doesn’t waste time pretending to be anything other than what it is: a loud, colourful, unapologetically arcade brained brawler where superheroes knock extra-terrestrial pests into orbit. It’s simple, it’s fast, and it wears its comic book heart proudly on it's sleeve, sometimes a little too proudly, but we’ll get to that.

What stands out straight away is the presentation. The game is a love letter to past Marvel fighter/brawlers like Marvel vs Capcom and the X-Men side scrollers. It has a punchy Saturday morning cartoon energy, all neon space vistas and chunky comic panel transitions. 

Every character, from deep cut favourites to headliners, move with personality. Rocket Raccoon scurries and blasts everything that looks vaguely flammable; Captain Marvel practically glows with stoic swagger; and even the grunts have expressive, over the top animations that make fights feel busy and chaotic in the best way.

Britt’s December Review Round Up! 🗓️🎮 #IndieGames #GameDevs

Pour yourself a large glass of Malbec and hook it up to your veins as Britt delves into the December Games Freezer games locker and digs for some Class A Indie Gold in his Brief Bulletin December Review Round Up!

Angry Video Game Nerd 8-bit (8.5/10)

The new house in rural Cambridge wasn't exactly what the Nerd had in mind.

Platform Reviewed – XSX (also available on Switch, PS5, PC)

We’ve been AVGN fans in our household for almost as long as the man himself has been uploading videos to YouTube, and over the years I’ve covered his previous games as well as their soundtracks. The news that another game was on the way was very much welcomed. I also have to say that even though I sort of knew what to expect, there were some very cool aspects around the game itself that blew me away!

From developer Retroware, Angry Video Game Nerd 8-Bit – whilst in the same genre as the previous games – feels a continuation of the genre as opposed to AVGN 1 & 2 a few years ago which came across as more of a highlight reel of it. This means that it feels like a lost game from the NES days as opposed to a purely modern spin on those classics. The music is as chiptune-tastic as you’d expect, and the difficulty ramps up nicely – in a Mega-Man-esque touch, you can also select the order in which you would like to play the game’s six stages,  each ending with a boss that will be familiar to fans of the show.

A huge boon here is the games lengthy opening cinematic that is basically a full episode of AVGN, it was such a great – and surprising! - way to kick off the game that I actually forgot I was playing one, and just sat back to enjoy the ‘episode’.

The game is available on all modern platforms with a NES physical edition en route. For fans of the AVGN, this is a no-brainer, and even without that nostalgia, this is a fun and solid 8-bit platformer with some hilarious moments and a challenge that is not shy.

A Pizza Delivery Xbox Series X Review 6.5/10 *fancy a slice (of life)?* 🍕 @Dolores_Ent #IndieGame #GameDev

The first release from Spanish video game developer Eric Osuna, A Pizza Delivery is a game that overreaches its grasp, but is painfully close to being a glorious experience, blending as it does a scattered narrative with simple mechanics. 

Although, as much as certain sections of the game appealed to me, there were too many aspects that dragged my interest down, eventually making the game feel a bit meandering and light as opposed to being the vehicle to a budding realisation as the narrative would perhaps like me to believe.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Psychopathy Assessment PS5 Review 5.5/10 “A Game of Two Halves” 🥼🩻 @galacticcrows #IndieGame #GameDev

I went into Psychopathy Assessment completely blind, and the first 15-20 minutes deeply unsettled me, the experience made me squirm and feel nervous. The initial psychopathy assessment section really has a creepy vibe to it, the fact there is no explanation for what is happening, no explanation of the controls - it just starts asking you very interesting and thought-provoking questions about morality, justice, spirituality etc. and with only three possible options - yes, no, and unsure - it did lead me to think about them. 

Straight after this, the game moves to an interview between two people and I initially wasn’t sure if this was a design choice or a glitch, but the text for the dialogue was cut off at the bottom, and I couldn’t read some of the lines, the rest of the text is perfectly readable throughout, so I’m assuming it was done to add confusion - it is a really cool touch. The next section (which I won’t spoil here) is really unsettling as well, the music is wonderfully atmospheric and the VHS lines and flickers added to the horror vibe.

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.