We took some time out to speak to Nicholas McDonnell who is the Managing Director of Samurai Punk games who have just released their hit PC game Feather on PS4/Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.
08/10/2020
💦🍆Leisure Suit Larry: Wet Dreams Don’t Dry | XBOX | Review | "A surprisingly good-natured, innuendo-filled rump, er, romp" 💦🍆 @CrazyBunchTeam #IndieGames #GameDev
Developer: CrazyBunch
Looking back over Leisure Suit Larry’s release history is long and hard. First exposing himself on our screens back in 1987, the adventures of Larry Laffer have been received in a range of ways, from standing so achingly proud that you feel worryingly light-headed to depressingly flaccid, with the last major entry in the series, Leisure Suit Larry: Box Office Bust, being as welcome in my bed as a genital-eating spider comprised entirely of clones of my father’s disapproving eyes that can only be thwarted by watching a looped, grainy VHS tape of myself weeping into a hessian sack filled with physical manifestations of suppressed memories as I’m force-fed burnt clown-hair.
07/10/2020
📼 💻Telling Lies | Review | Nintendo Switch | "An interesting concept, if you have the patience for it to reveal itself" 📼 💻 @A_i @mrsambarlow #GameDev #IndieGames
Naturally, the order in which you watch the clips is scrambled and thus the player must make the story cohesive in their own mind from what they have seen.
This approach reminded me a lot of Simon Meek’s performance piece, Marnie Wakes, which is presented as 32 cards with fragmented thoughts and dialogue on each. This means that the order in which you approach the information dictates how the story plays out in your head, a different story for each person but the same cards are provided. Saucy.
🏎️ Inertial Drift | Review | Nintendo Switch | "A Sleek, Cool and Very Pure Racer" 🏎️ @InertialDrift #GameDev #IndieGames
Platform Reviewed: Switch
Rating: Ice Cool
Inertial Drift is a stylish racing title that may take a few minutes to click with but boy, when you get the hang of it… you’ll feel like Cole Trickle (but you probably have a name with more gravitas).
There really is a lot to love about Inertial Drift, Level 91 Entertainment’s retro-futuristic racer. The music is vinyl-purchasingly good with its moody, synth beats that bleed neon, the perfect match to the intense, focused racing.
06/10/2020
🎙️ Super Rare Games - Ryan Brown Interview - "Head of Saying Stuff at Super Rare Games" 🎙️ @Toadsanime @SuperRareGames
Britt: Hi Ryan! I know we’ve met at game conventions over the years but for those unfamiliar, could you give an overview of your personal gaming history and current position at Super Rare Games?
Ryan: Absolutely - hey readers, I'm Ryan Brown, perhaps better known as Toadsanime in the gaming sphere. I'm the Head of Saying Stuff at Super Rare Games, a company that publishes a rare print physical Nintendo Switch game every 3 weeks.
If you see newsletters, social media posts, marketing campaigns, or even press releases, that'll be from lil ol' me! I previously worked in a similar role for video game merchandise and games publisher Numskull, and as a video games journalist for The Mirror, etc.
🏔️⛺️🗻Kholat | PC | Review | “I tried so hard, and got so far, but, in the end, it doesn’t even matter.” 🏔️⛺️🗻 @PixelHunted #GameDev #IndieGame
Chester Bennington once sang: “I tried so hard, and got so far, but, in the end, it doesn’t even matter.” This could be the motto of Kholat, an indie horror title from IMGN.PRO that starts strong but gradually becomes less and less enjoyable
Kholat is inspired by the notorious Dyatlov Pass Incident in which nine Russian hikers died in Ural mountains in 1959.
An investigation revealed that they’d frantically clawed their way out of their tents in the middle of the night, with their bodies found naked and mutilated in the mountains - some reports claiming that high levels of radiation were found on the bodies.
05/10/2020
🏚️🏰🏚️ Westmark Manor PC | Review | "You can’t toss a stone in the horror genre without disturbing something vile..." 🏚️🏰🏚️ @PixelHunted #GameDev #IndieGames
HP Lovecraft may have been a daft turbo-racist, but man, that guy could nail creepy.
His Cthulhu Mythos has blossomed far beyond his books, spreading its tentacles into every facet of pop culture, finding a particularly sticky purchase in games.
You can’t toss a stone in the horror genre without disturbing something vile, ancient and unknowable.
Eternal Darkness, Darkwood, World of Horror, The Sinking City, Moons of Madness, Call of Cthulhu, Sunless Sea/Skies, Bloodborne… Hell, even the venerable Quake ends with you telefragging the pulsating and veiny Shub Niggureth.
Do we really need more Lovecraft games?
Well, Nodbrim Interactive and Toadman Interactive think there’s room for just one more…
🔪 Party Hard 2 | Nintendo Switch | Review | @partyhardgame #IndieGames #GameDev🔪
“Andrew... Buddy. What’s up?
Yeah, it’s Jimmy here.
Yeah, JIMMY. Ya fuggin’ agent. Calling up to see how ya doin’. Don’t mean to bust ya balls, but the guys up here at Island Records are getting real twitchy.
They loved Party Hard man, LOVED it. Great tune.
But that was then and this is now. They need another hit. Tell me you got another hit in that monkey brain a yours? Another smash for your pal, Jimmy?
You have? Really? So what’s it called? Party Hard 2...
Oh, ok. Just as long as it’s not a rehash of the first one…”
04/10/2020
💻 Zasluke Game Capture Card | Unboxing & Tutorial | Nintendo Switch | OBS 💻 #CaptureCard
⛵️ Spiritfarer DEMO | PC | Ten Minute Taster | "Row Row Row Your Boat" ⛵️ @ThunderLotus #GameDev #IndieGame
03/10/2020
🕴️ Peaky Blinders Mastermind | PS4 | Review | "By Order Of The Peaky Blinders!" 🕴️ @FuturLab #GameDev #IndieGames
It’s obviously based on the multi-award-winning TV show Peaky Blinders and it tasks you with becoming the Mastermind as you control key characters in puzzle box levels and attempt to pull off perfectly synchronized plans by moving each character into positions to utilise their special skills.
🚀🪐🛸 Stellaris | PC | Ten-minute Taster | "Tactical Space Exploration & Diplomacy At Its Finest" 🚀🪐🛸 @StellarisGame #GameDev #IndieGames
Which lets you Explore a galaxy full of wonder!
02/10/2020
🚴♂️🚴🚴♀️ Descenders | Review | PS4 | "Fast, Frantic, Fun and Filthy" 🚴♂️🚴🚴♀️ @RageSquid #GameDev #IndieGames
At its heart, Descenders is a simple idea – get your bike to the bottom of the hill – but done with some really neat touches. This intrinsically accessible gameplay means that whilst the game can be challenging - and boy, does it get challenging – players of all skill levels can dive in and get involved.
Art of Rally | PC | Ten Minute Taster | "An Outstandingly Beautiful Rally Game" 🏎️💨🏁 #GameDev #IndieGames
Art Of Rally Lets YOU Race in the golden era of rally.
Drive iconic cars from the 60s to Group B on challenging stages through stylized environments inspired by real worldwide locations.
Will you master the art of rally?
❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️
01/10/2020
💻 Becoming A PlayStation Animator 💻
https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-holding-game-pads-1174746/
Do you have dreams of becoming an animator for PlayStation games, video promos, and such like?
To become an animator, it goes without saying that there are various software programs you need to be familiar with and be able to utilize in order to do so.
Whilst at any animation institute or school for animation, you should be learning to use the following interactive design and software programs as they are quite frankly crucial:
📽️📺 £16 Mayeah Video Card | Budget Video Card Unboxing & Review | Nintendo Switch Compatible 📽️📺
30/09/2020
👁️ As Far As The Eye | PC | Ten Minute Taster | "Here Comes the Wave" 👁️ @AFATEGAME #GameDev #IndieGames
🧟♀️🔪🧭 Night Of the Dead | PC | Gameplay | Part 3 | Coordinates Episode 🧟♀️🔪🧭 #GameDev #IndieGames
29/09/2020
💥 Freedom Fighters | PC | Ten Minute Taster | " FreedomFighters2020 " 💥 #FreedomFighters2020
It’s been 17 years since iO Interactive released Freedom Fighters and it has never been available digitally – until now!
See how Rich rises to the challenge and proves himself as a true Freedom Fighter!
28/09/2020
⚽️📓 Championship Manager 2 - Nottingham Forest vs Birmingham City - Episode 35: "Bennett Blocks Balls" ⚽️📓 #RetroGaming #ChampionshipManager #CreatorsUnite
Come see how my season unfolds in these short sharp Champ Manager vids.
📽️Please Subscribe to our channel📽️
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTXmH31QkkBMtLvGHzQxt2w
27/09/2020
🏨 The Suicide of Rachel Foster | Review | PS4 | "A walking simulator you perhaps shouldn’t ‘Overlook’" 🏨 @One_O_One_Games #GameDev #IndieGames
Platform Reviewed: PS4
Rating: Melting
I was in the perfect zone for The Suicide of Rachel Foster. My partner had some stuff to sort out in the apartment and I had just been given a load of wine as a gift so I settled down on the couch in my usual, unusual but unusually comfortable position and turned up to the Timberline hotel.
26/09/2020
🔪🩸 Night Of The Dead | Gameplay | PART 2 | PC | "Crafting & Zombie Killing" 🧟♀️🧟♂️ #GameDev #IndieGames
25/09/2020
🌋 Welcome To Elk | PC | Ten Minute Taster | "Hello f**kheads!" 🌋 @TripleTopping #IndieGames #GameDev
GAME LINK: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1015940/Welcome_to_Elk
24/09/2020
🍗 Bite The Bullet| Review | "I love a good virtual nosh" 🍗 @megacatstudios #IndieGames #GameDev
23/09/2020
🧟♂️🧟♀️ Night Of The Dead | PC | Early Access | Ten Minute Taster PART 1 | "Seeds and Axes" 🧟♂️🧟♀️ @8uDui6pcA5Vv51w #IndieGames #GameDev
22/09/2020
🐛 Metamorphosis | PC | Review | "Its A Bug's Life For Us" 🐛 @metamorphgame #GameDev #IndieGames
In Metamorphosis, you Play as Gregor, who has been turned into a tiny bug and sets out on an extraordinary journey to unravel the mystery of your transformation.
Your main aim at the start of the game is to find your way to the Tower!
The game plays out as a first-person 3D platform puzzle adventure game set in a surrealist world inspired by Franz Kafka’s novella of the same name.
You will use your new-found Bug abilities in order to traverse the world and inch your way to the tower to reclaim your human form.
21/09/2020
Re: Turn One Way Trip | PC | Ten Minute Taster | A Creepy Pixel Play-through #IndieGames #GameDev
Trapped in a ghostly train, Saki must search the past and present to find and save her friends. More importantly, Saki must use her wits if she is to survive against an unspeakable evil hellbent on avenging unrequited love.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1195360/ReTurn__One_Way_Trip/
20/09/2020
🧭 DANDARA | Review | Switch | "A Pixel-Art Metroidvania With a Movement-Based Twist" 🧭 @RawFury #IndieGames #GameDev
Platform Reviewed: Switch
Rating: Melting
A pixel-art Metroidvania with a movement-based twist, Dandara’s neat approach to the genre really opens it up to some interesting puzzles and a fresh vibe in terms of exploration.
‘The world of Salt hangs on the brink of collapse. The citizens, once free spirits, now stand oppressed and isolated. But not all is lost, for out of this aether of fear arises a heroine, a ray of hope. Her name is Dandara’
19/09/2020
🏎️🏁 Mini Motor Racing X | Review | Switch | "I Am On a Personal Quest To Find The Perfect Top-Down Racer" 🏎️🏁 @TheBinaryMill #GameDev #IndieGames
Nintendo Switch
The Binary Mill
A wonderfully playable game that is packed with content and some really neat touches but feels subtly tarnished by its mobile roots.
As longtime readers will know, I am on a personal quest to find the perfect top-down racer. There have been many contestants but games such as Mashed and Wrecked still hold the top spot in my heart.
Whilst some are fundamentally flawed - such as the controls and physics in Tiny Racer - most are decent but lack the punch to really shake the genre. I’m pleased to say that Mini Motor Racing X is a very solid and fun experience, especially in multiplayer!
18/09/2020
🏎️💨🏁Hotshot Racing | PS4 | Review | "A Game That Should Definitely Be Drifting Into Your Game Library" 🏎️💨🏁 @CurveDigital #IndieGames #GameDev #HotshotRacing
Publisher: Curve Digital
Platform Reviewed: PS4
Rating: Ice Cool
I’ve been on a bit of a racing binge the last week or so with a few games skidding into the GF virtual office that needs the flaming gavel of justice to cast judgment upon them.
Hotshot Racing really stood out with its accessibility, stylish visuals, smooth gameplay and a great sense of balance.
17/09/2020
🧟♀️🧟♂️ Outbreak: The New Nightmare | Review | PS4 | "A Lo-Fi Survival Horror" 🧟♀️🧟♂️ @deaddropstudios #GameDev #IndieGames
Developer: Dead Drop Studios LLC
Platform Reviewed: PlayStation 4
Rating: Melting
I am always surprised by what one-man development studios can achieve and whilst there are some noticeable flaws here and the game really won’t appeal to everyone, Outbreak: The New Nightmare is a labour of love that has its moments.
16/09/2020
🌳🌲 Cloud Gardens | PC | Ten Minute Taster 🌳🌲 @noio_games #IndieGames
15/09/2020
🎺 CrossCode on Nintendo Switch Gets an EU Boxed Release! 🎺 @ININ_Games @HoundPicked #CrossCode #IndieGames #GameDev
🎶🎸 No Straight Roads | Nintendo Switch | Review | "Great Licks and Solos But Not Always Bang on The Beat" 🎸🎶 #GameDev #IndieGames @MetronomikIncEN
Platform Reviewed: Nintendo Switch
Developer: Metronomik
Rating: MELTING
From the minds of Wan Hazmer (Lead Game Designer of Final Fantasy XV) and Daim Dziaudin (Concept Artist of Streetfighter V), No Straight Roads puts you in control of May and Zuke, a duo that make up the band Bunk Bed Junction and who use the power of rock to defeat the ‘evil’ EDM that has completely taken over Vinyl City, their hometown.
A game that dances around several genres, No Straight Roads has some really tasty ideas and great moments but it does feel like it is spinning too many records at once and this adds up to a game that doesn’t feel as flowing and cohesive as the amazing soundtrack and artwork that backs it all up.
14/09/2020
💀🏔️ KHOLAT Nintendo Switch Classic Horror Is Getting Physical (Based on True Events)... 💀🏔️ @REDARTGAMES #IndieGames #GameDev
Red Art Games has announced that the online pre-order for the physical boxed version of Kholat on Nintendo Switch is available now, with a limited edition of 3800 copies (€29.99/£27/$35)
Pre-Order Link: www.redartgames.com
Billed as the most terrifying journey of your life, Nintendo gamers can experience this epic adventure game, which was created by Polish indie developer IMGN.PRO and narrated by British actor Sean Bean.
📜 A Fold Apart | PS4 | Review | "An Emotionally Charged Origami Puzzle Platformer" 📜 @LRGthunder @AFoldApart #IndieGames #GameDev
13/09/2020
⚔️🛡️ The Vale: Shadow of the Crown | PC | Ten Minute Taster | " A Game That Requires You To listen" ⚔️🛡️ @FallingSquirrel #IndieGames #GameDev
The Vale is a story-driven, action-adventure that utilizes the full potential of 3D audio and haptic controller feedback to deliver visceral gameplay that shatters the barrier between player and character.
As an audio-based game, The Vale sets out to breathe new life into medieval combat and provide a truly novel experience for visually impaired and sighted gamers alike.
12/09/2020
🧃 Britt’s Brief Bulletin | Drink More Glurp / Haunted Halloween '86 🧃 #GameDev #IndieGames #Nindies
Rating: MELTING
Billed as ‘a wacky physics, sports(ish), hot seat, party game set on a distant world where aliens have copied Earth's summer games and got everything slightly wrong.
Having binge-watched broadcasts of Earth TV the aliens are convinced that advertising is the most important part of any sporting event.’
Drink More Glurp uses purposefully loose controls –the flailing of limbs, mostly - to create humorous events in which you must either traverse the landscape, collect items or use one of the sponsored items (such as the brilliant turbo glove) to boost your way around ad complete the many events.
The single-player experience does offer an online leader board and whilst it is surprisingly fun to see yourself inch your way (hopefully) closer to the top with each event, much like Heave-Ho, this really needs multiple players to get the most out of it.
The fact that it is so easy to pick up and play means that it’s open to gamers of all ages and is definitely worth a purchase if you like physics-based comedy multiplayer mayhem with some folks who drink liquids with a percentage marked on the bottle that they glug from.
Haunted: Halloween ‘86
Rating: MELTING
There are two types of modern retro-styled games. The first type - such as Crosscode – which utilises the base characteristics of the console it intends to evoke (in the case of Crosscode, the SNES) whilst clearly doing things far beyond the abilities of the system it apes.
The second example is HAUNTED: Halloween ’86 which is built within the limitations of the original console, in this case, the NES. Available to purchase as an actual NES cartridge, the musical and visual stylings of the game are ones that are very much from that era of 80’s gaming.
The 8-bit nostalgia evoked here is almost palpable and the dynamic of flicking between the male and female characters to extend your health bar is a nice touch that eases off on the difficulty naturally present in this type of 2D platformer from the era.
This is a smooth ride and, aside from the occasional difficulty spike and confusion in background/foreground during some platforming segments, HALLOWEEN ’86 plays very well, especially in portable mode.
You’ll be surprised how quickly you naturally move from the thumbsticks to D-pad when those rad bleeps start pumping out of your Switch and chunky pixels fill your vision.
11/09/2020
🏀 NBA2K21 | Review | PC | "Slam Dunk The Funk" 🏀 #NBA #NBAPlayoffs @NBA2K #NBA2K21 shooting #NBA2K21 vc #NBA2K21 build
It’s the 22nd instalment in the NBA 2K franchise and was released on September 4, 2020, for PC , Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Stadia, and will later be released for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.
10/09/2020
🎮 Venom XBOX ELITE SERIES 2 Controller Customisation Kit 🎮 @VenomGamingUK #XBOXELITE
09/09/2020
🐬 Beyond Blue | PS4 | Review | "A Blue Planet Inspired Video Game" 🐬 #IndieGames #GameDev
08/09/2020
🧩 Eternal Hope | PC | Ten Minute Taster | "A Cool LIMBO Inspired PC Puzzle Platformer" 🧩 @DoublehitGames #GameDev #IndieGames
07/09/2020
04/09/2020
🌭 Teenage Blob | PC | Review | "If Sayonara Wild Hearts is The Popular Older Sister, Teenage Blob is Her Scrappy Little Brother" 🌭 @PixelHunted #IndieGames #GameDev
Everyone having access to the majority of all recorded music ever has turned it into background noise.
Before the internet you might have trawled record fairs for that one bootleg album of rare cuts, going home and listening intently to the jewel you’d finally unearthed.
Now? Everything is a few clicks away. All of which makes one relatively new trend in video games very welcome: the ‘interactive album’.
The most famous example is the amazing Sayonara Wild Hearts, in which you zip through a neon-drenched virtual world to Daniel Olsén and Jonathan Engkickass’ kickass synth-pop.
The act of playing means you don’t get distracted and the rhythm of the gameplay tangibly connects you to the music. And so to Team Lazerbeam’s Teenage Blob.
03/09/2020
🏰 Maid Of Sker | Review | “Calon Lan Has Never Been So Ominous” 🏰 @WalesInter #IndieGames #GameDev
02/09/2020
🔎 Jenny LecLue Detectivu | Switch | Review | "A Delightful Murder Mystery!" 🕵️ @Mografi @JennyLeClue @Mografi_Joe
https://joe-russ-saiu.squarespace.com
Jenny LeClue Detectivu was successfully funded on Kickstarter in August 2015, with nearly 4000 backers the campaign raised over $105,000 and was initially released on PC.
You play as Jenny LeClue, an aspiring young detective and obsessive pursuer of the truth.
The story is told through the eyes of the writer of the Jenny LeClue books as he is tasked with spicing things up in his long-running and beloved series of books.
The problem is that nothing exciting ever happens in the world of Jenny LeClue and she longs (along with the readers) for a really exciting and juicy adventure to get their teeth into.
01/09/2020
⚔️ Eastern Exorcist | PC | Gameplay | Ten Minute Taster | "A 2D Swordplay Master" | #EasternExorcist ⚔️ #GameDev #IndieGames
Play as a skilled exorcist against chaotic evil to fight your way through the brutal world, and experience different stories of joy and sorrow.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1120810/Eastern_Exorcist/