ZX Dreams The Follow Up To ZX Nightmares Is Coming Soon... SPRING 2024 🕹️ @Wizwords #Retrogaming

You’ve read about the ZX Nightmares – now sit back and re-discover your ZX Dreams, those brilliant gems we played back in the Eighties. 

From glorious 16K wonders such as Deathchase and Jet Pac to extreme-value budget releases like Booty and Rebelstar and the beautiful games of Pete Cooke and Raffaele Cecco, ZX Dreams celebrates all those games we played – and loved.

My Time At Sandrock Nintendo Switch Review 7/10 "Sandrock is a love letter to the life simulator genre" 🪨⛏️ @MTaSandrock #IndieGame #GameDev

My Time At Sandrock is the follow up to My time In Portia from Pathea Games

This review is for the Nintendo Switch version which we received from the developers for review purposes. I found the Switch version to have a few framerate issues but nothing that made the experience unplayable.

My time at Sandrock is a charming and engaging life simulator game that sets you down in the role of an aspiring builder tasked with rebuilding the bustling town of Sandrock. From the moment you step into the world, you're greeted by a vibrant and welcoming community filled with quirky characters, each with their own unique stories and personalities. 

The game's art style is a delightful blend of cartoon style character graphics and watercolour-inspired hues, creating a visually captivating world that's both nostalgic and refreshing.

Hero Survival PS5 Review 7/10 "a fun rogue-like game with great music and weapon/item combinations" 💥 @dev_pigeon #IndieGame #GameDev

As we all know, there are many, many rogue-like games available. The one that I am covering today is Hero Survival on PS5 (it’s also available on all other major platforms).

Hero Survival is a classic survival game featuring enemies such as ghosts, werewolves, and jack-o-lanterns, etc. The objective is to progress through the 10 levels of each stage and then defeat the boss at the end. However, each stage takes roughly 20 minutes or more and surviving for that long is not an easy feat!

FROM ANTS TO ZOMBIES: SIX DECADES OF VIDEO GAME HORROR Book Review "The Gaming Necronomicon" 🧛‍♂️ @BitmapBooks #Retrogaming

Sam Dyer – the brain behind Bitmap Books – is someone that I imagine laughing wildly in a vast, ever-growing library somewhere, surrounded by mad monks engrossed in ever-more-perfect drafts of upcoming books through which they will eventually devour the gaming world. Each time I read a book by the publisher, it always feel definitive and individually voiced. I’ve commented before on how each release doesn’t feel like a run-through of the topic at hand, moving from genre-to-genre with a  vanilla, ‘one-size-fits-all’ sensibility. From the all-encompassing JRPG book to the laser-focused CRPG tome – and the surprisingly moving release on Gremlin Graphics – these books really do each have their own approach and style. 

From the moment that I caught wind of From Ants to Zombies, the fact that it was covering video game horror – a genre incredibly dear to me – I was desperate to discover what approach this book would take - and as it turns out, it’s possibly the boldest move by Bitmap Books yet, and one that absolutely lives up to the lofty heights that author Alexander Chatziioannou sets out in the first few pages.

Mondealy XSX Review 8/10 "I completely fell under the pastel-coloured, joyous sway that it conjures" 🌻 @ValkyrieInitia1 #IndieGame #GameDev

I’m very much on board with playing a wide variety of genres, and I appreciate that sometimes you need a game like Mondealy to slow you down and allow you to take stock of your life, appreciate what you have, and perhaps take a break from blowing up demons, shooting thousands of bullets at an alien threat, or squeezing your controller in love/respect/frustration because you missed that pixel-perfect 100th jump, and how need to do the last hours’ worth of progress again.

I initially played Mondealy off the back of a pretty full-on game, and switching from that to this mellow, slowly-unfolding world was initially a little jarring, but after a mental reset, I completely fell under the pastel-coloured, joyous sway that it conjures, especially enjoying the soundtrack, courtesy of the below talented composers:

Avatar: The Last Airbender: Quest For Balance Nintendo Switch Review 5/10 💨 @BamtangGames #IndieGames #GameDev

The Avatar: The Last Airbender franchise is now almost two decades old, and Avatar: The Last Airbender - Quest for Balance is the newest video game release and follows the epic adventures of Aang and his friends on their adventure to master all elements -water, fire, air and earth. 

Before we dive into things, I wanted to point out that this content is geared towards younger audiences. The game is designed to be easy to progress through, and the fighting mechanics are very accessible and straightforward, so you might find this slightly less enjoyable if you want to revisit the beloved story in real depth or were perhaps expecting advanced combat mechanics.

F Zero 99 Nintendo Switch Ten Minute Taster "F Zero F*cks Given!" 💥

Rich jumps into the carnage of a 99 player F Zero Rumble and has lots of fun catching sparks and taking the elevated highway!

eShop Link:

F-ZERO 99 | Nintendo Switch download software | Games | Nintendo

Coffee Talk Double Pack Edition lands in Europe from today. ☕ "Let’s talk about it!" @SerenityForge #IndieGame #GameDev

Coffee Talk Episode 1 & 2 Physical Collection lands in Europe from today in collaboration between Serenity Forge & Numskull Games.

Serenity Forge & Numskull Games are thrilled to confirm the European Retail release of Coffee Talk: Double Pack Edition is available now at leading retailers for Nintendo Switch. The PlayStation Editions will arrive slightly later, in early December.

Haunted House Nintendo Switch Ten Minute taster "Don't Let It Grab You By The Ghoulies!" 👻 🏚️ @atari

Rich dares to enter a reimagined version of Haunted House from Atari on the Nintendo Switch and is genuinely surprised and not horrified by the experience.

For The King 2 PC Ten Minute Taster "Spiders and Goblins" 👑 @IronOakGames #IndieGame #GameDev

Rich gets stuck into the second For The King game and begins his adventure in this lovely game from Iron Oak Games. In For The King 2 you will Battle against Fahrul's tyrannical Queen alone or as a party of four players in the sequel to For The King, the massively popular turn-based roguelite tabletop RPG. Will you unravel the once beloved Queen's terrible secret?

PGA TOUR 2k23 PC Ten Minute Taster "Take The Driver Out The Bag" ⛳️ @PGATOUR2K

 

Rich decides to hit the links with more swagger in PGA TOUR 2K23. The game now features playable male and female pros, including Tiger Woods, new licensed courses, more control options, an authentic PGA TOUR MyCAREER, Course Designer, and new MyPLAYER Skills and Archetypes! PGA TOUR 2K23.

The 7th Guest VR Meta Quest 2 Review 9.5/10 "Feeling…looooonely?" 🏚️🩸 @the7thguestvr #IndieGame #GameDev #MetaQuest2 #VRhorror

This is probably one of only a handful of reviews that I’ll ever write with my current mindset, due to my personal history with the game in question. The 7th Guest was - and is - a constant presence in my life.

I initially played the game on the Philips CD-i back in the mid-90s (with a friend called Brett, nonetheless) and I was completely mesmerised by what was - to me at the time- absolutely the future of gaming, in that it felt like a movie that you could control yourself! Between this and Burn Cycle, my young mind was blown wide open, and although I didn’t complete the game at the time, when I managed to get hold of a PC version a while later and play it through - with headphones - The 7th Guest made me feel like no other game had before.

I was completely pulled into its atmosphere and world, full of wonder and terror at what it offered both visually and sonically.

Over the years - thanks to Games Freezer - I’ve been in the position to interview George Sanger (the esoteric and wonderful composer of the music featured in the original game) as well as cover fan versions of The 7th Guest. In fact, I’m currently waiting on the release of an industrial rock vinyl of the soundtrack, as well as (hopefully, eventually) a hinted-at vinyl release of the amazing 7/11 album by Team Fat.

The 7th Guest soundtrack still often haunts the halls of my home, and I firmly believe it to be one of the most evocative and singular soundtracks ever laid down - so, what I’m trying to get at here, is ‘I like The 7th Guest’.

Fusion Retro Book: The Book of the Game of the Film Author – Jerry Ellis "The Review of the Book of the Game of the Film" 🎞️🎮📕 @Retro_Fusion #Retrogaming #Retrogames

This is the second book published by Fusion Retro Books that I have covered this year, and I own several others by them that I’ve picked up over the years and it’s all been very good stuff. This 300-page hardback continues the trend of high quality releases, and celebrates those oh-so-often movie, TV, and product tie-ins that were released so freely across the cluttered 8-bit landscape. Author Jerry Ellis crams as much gold as he can in those 300 pages, covering a huge amount of movie, TV, comic, product and even board-game tie-ins in a style that blends humour, insight, research and approachability.

Cardiff Gaming Market - 22nd October 2023 "Britt's Birthday Bonanza!"🕹️ @ReplayEvents #Retrogamer #Retrogaming

I’ve attended several Replay events over the years, and they have all been well organised, with some great stalls present that always have something that catches my eye. 

There were two things that had my trousers a-twirling this time around, though. Firstly, this was to be the first (as far as I’m aware) games market in my hometown of Cardiff - with the previous closest being in Bristol, several years back.

 I’ve often asked folks over the years about a full-blown convention in Cardiff, but as the majority of the pinball and arcade cabinets for these events are based/stored up north, the logistics seem to be an issue, for now at least.

The second thing that made the day so special, was that the gaming market was due in my hometown...on my 40th Birthday, October 22nd 1983. A date I’m sure resonates with everyone reading this because you’ve got it tattooed on your face because I play such an intrinsic part in each of your lives. Needless to say, I was excited. Especially as this was the first gaming event that we (@kingdomofcarts and I) would be taking our two-year-old son - Brian Blessed* - to.

GuardGrave PC Ten minute Taster "Burger Time Inspired Arcade FUN!" ⚰️🔨 @realMonsterBath #IndieGame #GameDev #Arcade

Rich starts hammering coffin lids in GuardGrave while collecting stars and winged boots. What a classic arcade game this is in the year 2023! 

GuardGrave is an old school styled game in the vein of BurgerTime. Players must close the coffins on each stage before the sun comes up. 7 Worlds, 7 Bosses and 37 Stages of co-op monster bashing mayhem! 7 Worlds of monster bashing action!

• 1 or 2 player co-op madness!
• 3 gameplay modes to choose from!
• 12 unique enemy types!
• Simplistic Pick up and play arcade action!
• Another outstanding soundtrack by the master of retro audio, Gryzor87!!
• Farting Viking Zombies!

Help a couple of old fellers take on the evil Muppitmouth and save the world of grave digging from evil!

🔨 GAME LINK:  ⚰️

GuardGrave by Chris O @ Monster Bath Games Inc. (itch.io) 

UBISOFT AND SAFE IN OUR WORLD PARTNER TO CREATE THE GOOD GAME PLAYBOOK 📙 @SafeInOurWorld #GamersUnite

Ubisoft has joined forces with videogame mental health charity, Safe In Our World to promote positive in-game interactions. Together, they aim to address disruptive in-game behaviour and provide tools to help players navigate it.

Drawing on Safe In Our World's in-depth understanding of mental health in the gaming community and Ubisoft’s long-term commitment to create positive gaming experiences, they co-developed the “Good Game Playbook”, a guide designed to equip players to identify, counter, and shield themselves from in-game toxicity. 

Puppet Combo's Stealth Slasher Horror 'Christmas Massacre' is Coming to PlayStation 4 and 5 on November 17th 🔪🎄 @PuppetCombo #IndieGame #GameDev

Christmas is coming the goose is getting fat and Larry's got a big problem - his Christmas tree is telling him to KILL!

Christmas Massacre is an over-the-top Slasher horror simulator with fast-paced stealth gameplay inspired by Hotline Miami and Manhunt.

Lead Larry through his murder rampage to satisfy the Christmas Tree’s bloodlust in this reverse horror thrill ride.

Release Date: November 17th, 9am EST
Price: $11.99

PUPPET COMBO WEBSITE

Ghostrunner 2 PC Review 8/10 "Ah, endorphins" 🏍️ @GhostrunnerGame #IndieGame #GameDev

One hit means death. I can’t help but respect the purity of Ghostrunner 2, which follows in the muffled ninjacyborg footsteps of its excellent predecessor.

Just as before you’re Jack, a true glass cannon protagonist whose speed, agility, and ever-growing suite of techno-ninjutsu abilities is matched only by his constant fragility.

In Ghostrunner 2 you will enter a combat arena and die instantly. At the tap of a bottom (and with no loading) you’re back to try again. This time you might die after a few seconds. Rinse and repeat twenty times and suddenly you have a plan:

Wallrun, slowmo dodge, kill, grapple, deflect, kill, boost pad, shuriken toss, mid-air grapple, kill, slide, vault, slice your cyberkatana through a cyberfreak’s body as the two cyberhalves spiral through the air in front of you. Ah, endorphins. There you are…

Lord Of The Rings Return To Moria PC Ten Minute Taster "Lets 'mine' Rock! 🪨@ReturnToMoria #IndieGame #GameDev

Rich heads into the Mines and attempts to gather resources and dig his way out of Lord Of The Rings Return To Moria.

🕹️ GAME LINK:🕹️

https://www.returntomoria.com

Papertris Nintendo Switch Ten Minute Taster Gameplay "Paper Fun For Everyone!" 📜 @_Paper_Games_ #IndieGame #GameDev

Rich dives into the paper world of Papertris and gets his head around this take on Tetris that is heaps of fun to play! Papertris is a fast and exciting arcade puzzle game that combines classic gameplay with fresh new features.