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.

Stunt Flyer Xbox Series X Review 7/10 "A fun title for casual pilots, tally-ho!" ✈️ @TorusGames @ULTGames #IndieGame #GameDev

Originally released on the Wii back in the ‘00s, Stunt Flyer is now unleashed on Xbox with a host of visual upgrades to bring it up to speed. Also playable in local multiplayer, Stunt Flyer is a game more suited to more casual, or younger gamers.

You’ll find yourself diving into action with very little tutorial, and working out the majority of the buttons for yourself, as you barrel roll and loop-de-loop through various rings and missions, shooting your water guns at hidden gift boxes along the way in a bid to unlock all three islands and a host of aircraft. 

Survivalist: Invisible Strain Xbox Series X Review 7.5 / 10 "More zombies than you can shake a selfie-stick at!" 🧟‍♀️🧟‍♂️🧟 @bob_the_PR_bot #IndieGame #GameDev

Zombies are very much here to stay! Luckily, I am nowhere near tired of the shambling monstrosities in gaming, and so the chance to delve into Survivalist: Invisible Strain was very much up my strasse.

Casting the player in the role of a wandering survivor, Survivalist: Invisible Strain is playable in both campaign and sandbox modes, with the sandbox mode especially offering an incredible amount of customisation options to suit your preferred approach, with the ability to pretty much knock the zombie element on the head and focus purely on city-building and the more social aspects, should you so wish. 

The game features graphic novel-style visuals, with quite a unique screen layout, including portraits of the characters and enemies taking up a fair chunk of the screen real estate. It’s quite an idiosyncratic premise, but really does give Survivalist: Invisible Strain a sense of identity, and the focus on individuality in the game also ties in with this design aspect.

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. 

Trident’s Tale Xbox Series X Review 7.5/10 "Pirate fun for all the family!" 🏴‍☠️⛵@3DClouds #IndieGame #GameDev

The chandler never mentioned the glow in the dark sails at the showroom

My four-year old son has a penchant for open world games in which you are free to do as you please, with LEGO City Undercover, little Kitty Big City, and Goat Simulator 3 being firm favourites that will seemingly never be uninstalled from my consoles. When I caught wind of Trident’s Tale, I snapped up the chance to cover it, as the cartoonish darkness and spookiness appealed to me, and pirate games are always worth a blast of the cannons!

Playing the part of Ocean, a young pirate who yearns to explore the seas, she soon finds herself mourning the loss of her guardian as skeletal pirates hunt her down, seemingly due to her discovering a small trinket that has a lot of otherworldly folks very interested in it!

The Precinct Xbox Series X Review 8/10 "Pick up that candy wrapper, punk – go ahead, make my day" 👮🏻‍♀️🚔👮🏻 @fallentreegames @Microids_off @kwalee #IndieGame #GameDev

Basketball Hoop looked on longingly from the side of the court

A top-down, action-packed police procedural with simulation elements, The Precinct is the latest title from Fallen Tree Games, the developers who previously gave us a game that I have always had a soft spot for - American Fugitive. Whilst this is a worthy follow-up to American Fugitive – and definitely improves on the frame rate issues that plagued that title (on Switch, at least) – I couldn’t shake the feeling that there are a couple of little, missed opportunities along the way.

Hot Rod Mayhem Xbox Series X Review 6.5/10 "Smooth Racing and Vibrant Visuals" 🚘🚔@CasualBrothers #IndieGame #GameDev

Kart racing is a genre that has certainly had its ups and down over the years, it feels like there have been an incredible amount – of varying quality – that have been released in the last few years alone on the Switch and Xbox, where there will always be a niche due to the focus on local multiplayer, after all – bashing around with friends is always fun!

To this end, Hot Rod Mayhem makes a great first impression, with energetic music, and a colourful customisable cast of characters as well as several vehicles to choose from, each with their own stats. 

Peglin Xbox Series X Review 7.5/10 "Can Peglin best Peggle as the king of the ball game?" 🏐 @rednexusgames @BlitWorks #GameDev #IndieGame

The Peggle series of games has been a hit in our household for almost a decade, heck – it even sucked in my non-gamer mum for a few months at one point! Much like word-based RPGs, the pachinko genre is one that always gets my britches twitchin’, and I can’t seem to turn down the chance to play and talk about them.

Peglin begins with your initial character – a little goblin (possible the titular ‘Peglin’, thinking about it) – taking a rogue-like path through various stages. It’s all about how the balls fall, you’ll find treasure, upgrades, stores, random encounters, and of course – enemies to thwart. 

Beyond the Ice Palace 2 Xbox Series X Review 6.5/10 "Worth a go if you go mental for this stuff" ⚔️ @PQubeGames #GameDev #IndieGame

Beyond the Ice Palace 2 has a heritage longer than many people reading this have been alive. The original BTIP was released in the Stone Age (1988) for the first mass-market home computers, including the Commodore siblings C64 and Amiga, the Atari ST and the ZX Spectrum. You take the role of the Cursed King, champion of the gods, raised from the dead in order to whip and grapple your way through your decaying kingdom.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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. 

Into Death and Beyond Xbox Series X Review 3/10 “Crash Landing” 🔫 @Dolores_Ent #IndieGame #GameDev

Into Death and Beyond is about a bounty hunter named Mark Helkins who is on a mission to capture a rogue alien mutation. He crash lands and is now trapped with limited resources and now facing a hostile alien threat. That is the crux of the plot, and though it slightly expands upon itself with discoverable logs scattered throughout the game, the plot is a really by the numbers affair. A seedy corporation conducting dodgy experiments that get out of hand etc. it is a story that has been told many, many a time.

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)

RetroMania Wrestling Xbox Series X Review 7/10 “Going Old School” 🤼‍♂️ @RetrosoftStudio #IndieGame #GameDev

I grew up in the ‘90s with an older brother, and we were – and are - both wrestling fans, so I have spent many an hour playing wrestling games. 

The favourite in our youth was WWF Royal Rumble on the Sega Mega Drive, a game in which I currently think I’m on a 30 year losing streak, as then and now my brothers fingers move quicker than mine, and in a very button-bashy fighting game, it is quite the advantage. 

I bring this up because RetroMania Wrestling is made for someone like me, someone who grew up in the ‘90s with fond memories of these arcade style, 2D wrestling games, you don’t have to have that nostalgia - but it does help.