Witch Rise Nintendo Switch Ten Minute Taster "I raise my wand and cast ye a spell!" 🧙‍♀️ @byJulianoLima #IndieGame #GameDev

Rich gets his wand out 🧙🏻‍♂️and makes his way through Witch Rise’s retro corridor shooter maze of pixel art madness. Beware of those pesky Bats 🦇 spinning you around in these corridors of doom and keep your eye 👀 on the compass 🧭.

Arizona Sunshine 2 Meta Quest 2 Review 6/10 🐕 @pixelhunted #IndieGame #GameDev #VRGames

The VR dream isn’t dead, but it’s starting to look a bit wonky. The Metaverse is a joke, PSVR2 is dying on the vine and, almost four years after the release of Half-Life: Alyx, there hasn’t been a title that comes close to its production values and ingenuity.

Enter Arizona Sunshine 2. The first game released in 2016 across multiple VR platforms and, while an utterly boilerplate zombie shooter, at least delivered on its promise of letting you mow down hordes of the undead with a variety of high-powered weaponry. 

We’re now eight years on and the sequel has finally arrived. So, what’s changed?

Video Game Lo-Fi: Super Mario 64 Vinyl Review 💽 @CuragaRecords @MateriaMusic #VideoGameVinyl #Vinyl #LoFi #VGM

There’s something about these lo-fi records that makes them feel oddly perfect all year round. The last time I covered one back in November, it was a very wintry  entry in the Curaga lo-fi series, matching perfectly with the change in weather.

As I listened through this Super Mario 64 record in quite bracing weather, it felt calming and warming, but I can just as easily imagine it seeming as mellow and engaging on warm summer days, adding a layer of groovy coolness to the proceedings.

Voxlands PC Ten Minute Taster Gameplay Video "Minecraft With Guns!" 🎃 @voxraygames #GameDev #IndieGames

 
In Voxlands Rich gets to explore gorgeous raytraced voxel lands, meet the local mutated wild-life, find out what went wrong, and quest, craft, loot, build, destroy and shoot his way to the top of the food chain!

CANNIBAL ABDUCTION is coming to Consoles | February 8th 2024 🔪🩸📼

You’re the latest guest in the home of a cannibalistic family, and it’s almost dinner time… Cannibal Abduction is bringing fresh meat to Xbox, Playstation and Switch on February 2nd!

Selewi (Tomás Esconjaureguy), the developer that brought you the hair-raising hit horror game “The Night of the Scissors” is teaming up with Torture Star Video to serve this southern style nightmare to all the hungry horror fans looking for a new meal. Put yourself in Henry's sneakers and try to escape from the house of cannibals in this thrilling survival horror game inspired by classic slasher movies from the 80s and survival horror PSX games. 

Can you unravel the mystery of this freakish family before it’s time to dine?

Crashy Laps Xbox Series X (mini-review) 7/10 🏎️💨 @cheapeesoft @JanduSoft

Harking back to classic top-down / isometric racers such as Super Skidmarks, Crashy Laps by CheapeeSoft (which could have easily genuinely been a wonderfully 8-bit, British development house name back in the ‘80s!) is a budget title that aims to capture that vintage arcade-racing feel, with modern touches.

Gioteck™ Gets Smarter with the Smart TV+ Duo Wireless Controller, the Ideal Choice for TV Based Gaming Services @GioteckArmy 🎮

New Wireless Controller Effortlessly Connects to Multiple Devices Including Your Smart TV, Tablet, Phone and PC for the Authentic Pro Gaming Experience

Gioteck™, a leading videogame accessory brand and part of Embracer Freemode, introduces the Smart TV+ Duo Wireless Controller, a wireless controller which can be used across cloud gaming services on Smart TVs and PC.

Ideal for those with accessing gaming services via a smart TV, the Smart TV+ Duo Wireless Controller uses Dual Band Wireless technology in the form of advanced Bluetooth® or 2.4GHz technology via a USB adapter to provide a rock-solid, low-latency wireless connection. A fully featured controller the Smart TV+ provides a professional, reliable, and authentic gaming experience no matter the service you are using to play via your smart TV.

BIGBIG WON Unleashes the Ultimate Gaming Experience with its RAINBOW 2 Pro Translucent Frosted Wireless Controller 🎮 @BIGBIG_WON

BIGBIG WON have announced the release of their RAINBOW 2 Pro Wireless Gaming Controller. This controller is now available across multiple platforms including Windows PC, Xbox, PS4, Android, iOS and Nintendo Switch. 

It's a competition grade controller that boasts an array of high-end features that cater to the needs of both hardcore gamers and casual gamers alike.  

The RAINBOW 2 Pro is available for RRP £64.99 from Amazon UK and $64.99 on Amazon. It is also available as a combo with a charging dock, 3 sets of joystick caps and 2 sets of D-pad caps for RRP £79.99 on Amazon UK and $79.99 on Amazon.

Uzzuzzu My Pet: Golf Dash (mini-review) Nintendo Switch 4/10 ⛳️ @RedDeer_Games #GameDev #IndieGame

Based on a popular South Korean franchise, Uzzuzzu My Pet: Golf Dash takes visual, stylistic and gameplay cues from What the Golf?

But it unfortunately fails to capture the charm and replayability that oozes from every pore of the game that it apes. 

Super Arcade Racing Nintendo Switch Review 7/10 🏎️💨 @outofthebit #IndieGame #GameDev

I recently covered Full Void by OutOfTheBit, and in requesting a code for reviewing purposes, I noticed their previous release, Super Arcade Racing.

As a fan of top-down racers, I thought it would be fun to do a mini-review of this, as I hadn’t heard of it before stumbling across it on the developer’s website, and it takes a slightly different approach to its gameplay when compared to games of a similar ilk, in that it’s much more of a fun, unfolding narrative than simply disjointed races.

Kingdom Eighties Summer of Greed – Original Score by Andreas Hald Vinyl Review 💿📀 #Vinyl #VideoGameVinyl

I do enjoy diving into a soundtrack for a game that I have no context for, having covered Raw Fury’s previous OST Cassette Beasts – a game I was very familiar with – Kingdom Eighties is a game that I was aware of, but hadn’t yet played.

Written and performed by Denmark-based composer Andreas Hald, This soundtrack hurtled at me out of nowhere to become a real favourite due to the world conjured up by the rich production, emotive compositions and powerful melodies. There’s so much to take in here, with echoes of some of my favourite albums through the years from the wonderful, alien oddities of Chase Bethea’s work on Aground, through the wide-eyed synth innocence of Salvinsky’s Narita Boy, the cyberpunk expanse of Encodya, to name a few that come to mind – all popping with the expertise mastering at the hands of Adam Ayan at gateway Mastering Studios, a huge high-five especially in this regard as the album is so clear and bright, it makes for a glorious listening experience and completely brings the music to life.

The 10 Best Video Games To Play With Your Kids 💙 🕹️ @CommonSense

As a gamer of many years, playing video games with my children has been a constant soure of joy and I thought it would be great to cobble together some recommendations based on what works for us as a family of gamers with children aged between 8 and 11.

Hopefully this is useful...let us begin.

SpecialEffect Invite gamers to join GameBlast24, their annual charity gaming spectacular 💙❤️ @SpecialEffect @GameBlast #GameBlast24

 

Gamers’ charity SpecialEffect invite gamers across the world to join the growing community of streamers, creators, and games studios who’ve already signed up for GameBlast24 over the weekend of 23-25 February

Heralded as ‘the best reason to game ever’, the charity’s GameBlast weekend will see gamers take on sponsored fundraising gaming-themed challenges including marathon livestreams, speed runs, esports tournaments, board games sessions and games-themed office events. GameBlast has raised over £1M to support disabled gamers over the past eleven years.   Signups are open now at https://tiltify.com/specialeffect/gameblast24 or donate at https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/gameblast24   SpecialEffect COO Tom Donegan said, “GameBlast has always been very close to our hearts, because it reflects the very essence of what we do: gamers coming together to help their fellow gamers. The buzz is incredible over the weekend and the creativity of the participants each year in devising new challenges to raise much-needed funds for SpecialEffect never ceases to astound us!”   Content creator and SpecialEffect ambassador Kolo, who is also a beneficiary of the charity’s support, will be running a charity stream during the weekend. She added, “SpecialEffect isn’t just about allowing somebody to play a game, [They] help people engage with an entire beautiful community and allow people to do things independently... I’m forever thankful for the help SpecialEffect gave me.”   In addition to the individual gamers and stream teams who’ll be gaming hard over the weekend, a host of games industry partners will also be taking part.   This year, participants can choose to join one of four optional teams on Tiltify to support and inspire each other during the event. Details of the GameBlast Teams can be found here: https://tiltify.com/+specialeffects-fundraising-teams/profile   GameBlast apparel partners Insert Coin have this year created a limited edition GameBlast pin badge with all profits going to SpecialEffect. When taking part in GameBlast24, you've got the choice of signing up via Tiltify or JustGiving! We'll also have access to Crowd Control, which lets your viewers interact with the games you play on stream in return for donations to your Tiltify fundraising page. Sign up on Tiltify here. Sign up on JustGiving here.

Growth Nintendo Switch Ten Minute Taster "Grow Your Bush and Let Your Bees Roam Free" 🦌 @AssembleTeam #IndieGame #GameDev

Rich takes on Assemble Entertainment's relaxing puzzle game Growth for Nintendo Switch. Growth is a cosy, hexagonal-grid based soft-strategy game by VoodooDuck. Explore and populate a procedurally generated world by utilizing the unique abilities of animals. Growth blends the beauty of cosy exploration with challenging navigation around obstacles.

This Bed We Made PC Ten Minute Taster Gameplay "What The Maid Saw" 🛏 @LowbirthGames #IndieGame #GameDev

Rich dons his frilly maid's apron and begins making beds, picking up dirty socks and scrubbing baths in This Bed We Made on The PC.

This Bed We Made is a third-person mystery game in which you play as a maid in a 1950s hotel and snoop around strangers' rooms to uncover their deadly secrets. Discover what links guests together in this tale of love, heartbreak and murder!

The Kindeman Remedy PC 6/10 “Shock and awe, or shock and bore?” 💉 @_Troglobytes_ #IndieGame #GameDev

“The most blasphemous, diabolical and insane management game ever created!” – a quote taken directly from the trailer of The Kindeman Remedy, and the main reason I wanted to play this game, now granted I’m not sure how blasphemous or diabolical other management games are, so I was just going to have to take their word for it. That said, it’s an interesting hook, and I was dying to see just how insane this game was.

The Invincible PC Ten Minute Taster Gameplay "Walking In A Sci Fi Wonderland" 🚀 @StarwardInd #GameDev #IndieGame

Rethink human’s dominion in The Invincible: a story-driven adventure set in a hard sci-fi world by Stanisław Lem. Discover planet Regis III as scientist Yasna, use atompunk tools looking for a missing crew and face unforeseen threats. Make choices in a philosophical story that’s driven by science.

Blasphemous 2 Nintendo Switch Review 9/10 "Blasphemous 2, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways" ⚔️ @BlasphemousGame @TheGameKitchen @Team17 #IndieGame #GameDev

I’m going to start off by saying that the original Blasphemous is one of my favourite games of recent years. A difficult hack and slash platformer? Check. Monstrous religious cult storyline with Lovecraftian elements? Check. That’s one for me all day long.

I’m pleased to be able to say that the sequel has all of these elements in spades and may even be better than the first game. 

Toaster Ball Nintendo Switch Ten Minute Taster "Pop Dat Toast!" 🥪 🏐 @toasterball #IndieGame #GameDev

 

How much fun can you have with multiple toasters, a ball and constantly changing arenas?

The answer is surprisingly, a massive amount of toasty ball FUN!

A ball, two goals and... toasters! Welcome to Toasterball. Play against your friends in this physics-based multiplayer sports game, where toasters are athletes, bread flies everywhere and the gameplay changes every time you score a goal!

Gothic 2 Classic Nintendo Switch Review 7.5/10 "odd characters, amusing dialogue and locations" ⚔️ @gothicthegame @AlkimiaGameDev #IndieGame #GameDev

I’ve been a fan of Piranha Bytes since discovering the first Risen game back on the PS3. After completing that game, I was so taken by the rough ‘n ready (also slightly bizarre) style of the Piranha Bytes games that I worked backwards and picked up Gothic 3, also enjoying that title – but finding it a bit awkward to get to run on my PC, at the time.

Since moving on from both the Gothic and Risen series, Piranha Bytes are now working on their third ELEX game, a series that I’ve had a mixed opinion of, especially because of the game-breaking bugs I encountered when reviewing ELEX 2 last year.

Through all of this though, Gothic 2 is held as somewhat of a high watermark of their games in terms of narrative, quest design and atmosphere. Playing it on the Switch was my first time with the game, and whilst it is certainly showing its age in many areas, that janky charm and idiosyncratic approach to quests and dialogue does still feel fun and fresh, and kept me coming back for more, each evening.