Clash: Artifacts of Chaos XSX Review 8.5/10 "Pretty Pugilism" ⚔️ @theACETeam @NaconFR #GameDev #IndieGame

It was only as I was installing Clash: Artifacts of Chaos that it dawned on me that I’d played the previous games in the series a decade ago - Zeno Clash and Zeno Clash 2 (2009, 2013) – and enjoyed their idiosyncratic take on the 1st person melee fighting genre.

As the installation percentage slowly rose, I cast my mind back to the sessions on my PC with the initial Clash games, they were incredibly unique titles with flawed but fun mechanics that had a narrative style and structure that called to mind Ice-Pick Lodge’s Pathologic – but the Clash series was different in that they actually held up to close scrutiny and were fun to play.

It’s a heady combination when you discover a developer that isn’t afraid to go off-piste with their narrative presentation, whilst also pushing forward a pretty niche genre, in this case, an FPS melee combat / RPG hybrid.

Fast forward to the present and within a couple of hours, I was completely on board with the third title in this long-running series - Clash: Artifacts of Chaos.

Loretta Review 7/10 "A Nice-Looking Tense Horror Title" 🔪 @yabutuzoff @PixelHunted #IndieGame #GameDev

It’s 1947. You’ve just killed your useless writer husband and dumped him the well. Time to get out of town and start a new life… if only you could get into the safe where he’s locked away his final manuscript so you can make a decent payday from his publishers.

This is the setup for the tense and atmospheric Loretta, from developer Yakov Butuzoff. The game wears its influences on its sleeve, attempting to capture the paranoid vibes of Hitchcock movies like Vertigo, Dial M for Murder and a smidge of the desolate Psycho. Less a game and more of a visual novel, Loretta lets you guide the titular housewife through one of the worst weeks of her life while her sanity gradually crumbles under the weight of her past and her murderous inclinations.

Syntech launches its 6-in-1 USB-C Docking Station for Steam Deck with ergonomic design and 4K@60Hz output 📺

Syntech, an innovative manufacturer of quality and affordable electronic accessories and consumer technology products has today announced the launch of its new 6-in-1 USB-C Docking Station for Steam Deck. 

Providing users with 6 different ports to meet most needs, and the ability to output to a 4K monitor or TV at 60Hz, it is a handy and ergonomically designed gadget to complement a Steam Deck gaming setup. 

The Syntech 6-in-1 Docking Station for Steam Deck is available for £39.99/$39.99 on Amazon UK and Amazon US

POST VOID PS4 Ten Minute Taster Gameplay "Life Is Dripping Through My Hands" 💥 @YCJYgames #IndieGames #GameDev

 
Post Void is a hypnotic scramble of early first-person shooter design that values speed above all else. Keep your head full and reach the end; Kill what you can to see it mend; Get the high score or try again.

ESR Launches the world’s first MagSafe power bank with integrated wallet and stand 📲

The latest addition to the HaloLock™ system continues ESR’s mission to level up MagSafe

ESR, a leading global brand in tech accessories, today launches its latest product to level up MagSafe, the HaloLock™ Power Bank Wallet. Instead of having to choose between attaching a wallet, stand, or a power bank on the back of a phone, the HaloLock™ Power Bank Wallet combines all three in one convenient, user-friendly accessory.  

The HaloLock™ Power Bank Wallet is available from 6^th April on Amazon for $59.99 with UK and European availability on Amazon in May.

Mothered PS4 Ten Minute Taster Gameplay "Mother Is Home..." 🏡 @ENIGMA_STUDIO_ #IndieGame #Horror #GameDev

Mothered is an immersive first-person horror adventure where you play the role of LIANA - a young girl who arrives home after major surgery and is met with a strange mannequin claiming to be her mother.

River of Slime Vinyl Review "River of Slime is a Beautifully Presented Release" 💿 @shapeshiftvinyl #Vinyl #VideoGameVinyl

Shapeshift Records came hurtling onto the vinyl scene in 2022, when they released GOTHAM ‘89, a soundtrack of an imagined 16-bit Batman video game, good.

When a label does something this audacious, it tends to stick in the mind, I mean – if that’s how they kick off – what is the next release going to be, can they top this?

It turns out that the guys and gals behind Shapeshift Records are not shy, and this, their second release is an absolute belter-  and will make a lot of Ghostbuster-lovin’ folks very happy.

Saga of Sins Nintendo Switch Review 8/10 "A Story in Stained Glass" 💀 @BonusLevelEnter #IndieGame #GameDev

I covered Bonus Level Entertainment’s first release, Fox ‘n Forests back in 2018, it was a SNES-tastic throwback to the style of mascot-driven platformer that was pretty rife on the 16-bit machines by the mid-’90s, although FNF would have clearly been a celebrated title should it have been released on Nintendo’s flagship console at the time, and indeed – it still stood out in 2018 as a great release that harked back to that golden era for 2D platform action.

It wasn’t until after I’d played Saga of Sins for a few hours that it dawned on me that I’d played a game by the developer before and it was interesting to compare the style of the two releases, especially visually!

Postal 4: No Regerts Review 1/10 "I tried... God help me I tried. " ❌ @RWSstudios #IndieGame #GameDev

I tried... God help me I tried. 

Look I'm not a fussy gamer. Of course, if I'm spending £70 on a AAA title I'll want a bit of spit and polish but, like anyone, I'll always cut smaller, independent studios some slack. Arizona-based studio Running With Scissor is never going to have the resources or money to put out the next Elden Ring so I went into Postal 4: No Regerts with what I thought were appropriate expectations. 

All you want from a game like this is some silly fun. If it's rough around the edges, even intentionally so, that's just part of the deal, maybe even part of the charm. So with that said... 

Postal 4 is fucking awful.

Peaky Blinders: The King’s Ransom VR Review 6/10 "TV Tie-Ins Are Difficult Territory" 👒 @PeakyBlindersVR #IndieGame #GameDev

For those who don’t know, the BBC TV series Peaky Blinders is an international phenomenon. Set in Birmingham just after the first World War, it focuses on the titular street gang as they… well, I don’t know, do street gang stuff, presumably.

I don’t know because I’ve never watched it. I’ve seen it, but I haven’t watched it. The main reason for this is that I am a native of those lands, and after about 10 minutes of it, the accents grated on my nerves so much that I turned it off, never to watch it again. 

MEGA REMIX MAN.EXE Vinyl Review "This Album Runs The Gamut of The Earlier Mega Man Games"💿 @FiragaRecords #Vinyl #VideoGameVinyl #VGMVinyl

Another vinyl release is here from the excellent Firaga Records and Materia Music. This time it’s an eleven-song number comprising RoboRob and friends’ takes on tracks from Capcom’s venerable Mega Man series. 

For your hard-earned, you get a clear vinyl pressing in a gatefold sleeve inside a printed plastic wallet, which gives the whole thing a premium feel. As ever, you can also grab this from the Firaga Bandcamp page ($29 vinyl/$15 CD/$10 digital) and on streaming services too.

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.

The new 800 series of gaming chairs from Vertagear with revolutionary ContourMax™ lumbar support and VertaAir™ 💺

View a video of the new range here

Now on sale for Spring - The new 800 series of gaming chairs from Vertagear with revolutionary ContourMax™ lumbar support and VertaAir™ Seat caters for all shapes and sizes with RGB lighting options

 

Also featuring HygennX™ premium fabrics with superb odour control and anti-bacterial functionality

Vertagear is celebrating Spring by offering customers the chance to enjoy its new premium gaming chairs at fantastic discounted rates until the end of April. The lineup is equipped with Vertagear’s patent-pending ContourMax™ and VertaAir™ Seat and promises to tailor itself to each individual’s specific needs to maximize comfort and healthy posture.

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.

Play Live Baccarat with a Live Dealer at a Real Online Casino 🎰

How to Play Live Baccarat in a Real Online Casino

Baccarat, in various forms, has been around for over 200 years. Its popularity among gamers is one of the foremost games that come to sense when you hear "card games" and "board games." It is comprehended that she was well-known among the elite of France. Nevertheless, it has become a standard game in a real online casino.

DREDGE | Nintendo Switch Ten Minute taster Gameplay Video "Spooky Fishing Instead Of Just A Wishin'" 🎣 ⛵️ @BlackSaltGames @BSG_DREDGE #IndieGame #GameDev

DREDGE IS AN UNUSUAL FISHING RPG

Catch more than 125 deep sea denizens and pack them into your cargo hold for maximum profit.

Dredge the seabed for valuables and relics. Who knows what you’ll find in the depths of these dark waters?

Get acquainted with the locals of Greater Marrow, just one of the dozens of islands in the archipelago.

A fishing RPG with a sinister undercurrent.

Gunman Tales Nintendo Switch Review 8.5/10 "Moonstone Meets Wild Guns" 🤠 @FobTi #GameDev #IndieGame

Considering how much I adore the game, I can’t believe that FobTi interactive’s Gunman Tales didn’t set off my inner ‘Moonstone Alarm’ when it was originally released on PC back in 2018. Regardless, am I glad I got a chance to enjoy this Switch port in 2023!

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.

Meg's Monster Nintendo Switch Review 7/10 "If she cries, the whole world dies!" 👹 @OdencatGames #IndieGames #GameDev

Meg’s Monster on the Nintendo Switch is a Turn Based RPG that could also be classed as a pixel art visual novel-style video game.

In Meg’s Monster, you Take control of Roy the grumpy monster and you will be trying to help a lost little girl find her way home. 

Early on in the adventure you realise that if she cries, the whole world dies!

Gamesir T4 Mini Multi-Platform Game Controller Review "T4 Mini or Nothing in Our House!" 🎮 @mygamesir

The Gamesir T4 Mini is a really funky little thing. As I waited for its arrival, I wondered if it would be great for kids, but perhaps too fiddly or dinky for adults – which would be a shame, as quite frankly – I liked the design and lighting setup.

As it turned out, those concerns were unfounded, as I not only found the Gamesir T4 Mini to be an awesome little controller for my own use, but it got great feedback from the three other people that have used it over the last few weeks as well, all of whom are very much of differing sizes.*