Review: Shakes on a Plane

Daniel Waite
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Review: Shakes on a Plane

Your dream job fills your head from a young age. Doctors, vets, nurses, teachers, and so forth always make the list. Another industry that’s always fashionable is aviation. No matter the role you wish to take, they are all sexy and undeniably cool. When you are eight years old, that is. If you’ve always aspired to work at thirty thousand feet, but never made it, now is your chance! Shakes on a Plane is a comical, hectic and fun solo and multiplayer experience that lets you live out this fantasy.

It has been developed by Huu Games and Assemble Entertainment, and published by the latter and Whisper Games. It’s a fast-paced, challenging and amusing look at the job of an air steward. The aim is simple, fulfil each passenger’s desires, no matter how weird, and be awarded the maximum score. Sounds easy, right? It’s anything but, and it’ll test the most hardened veterans of the genre.

Shakes on a Plane stands out from its peers.

The multiplayer cooperative genre is loaded with top-end titles. Moving Out, Overcooked, and Tools Up are, to name but a few. I have a soft spot for this genre, and when Shakes on a Plane was released, I jumped at the opportunity to review it. You see, I’m a glutton for punishment, as these games are becoming increasingly harder and more experimental. From stage one my predictions came true, and I knew I was in for a tough but enjoyable time.

The whimsical and bizarre story revolves around a group of aliens who wish to win an interstellar food competition. Their cooking skills are non-existent and so they visit Earth to capture some chefs. Only the best will do, and this eclectic bunch is unusual to look at, and each has special skills. Once the story is explained, the game focuses on fulfilling passengers’ needs.

If you love this genre, you’ll know that the standard mechanics are similar across the board. Where Shakes on a Plane stands out is its combination of theme-specific mechanics. These amusing and tough twists set this apart from its peers and will bring a wry smile even when they are driving you mad.

Complete missions from around the globe.

The difficulty quickly ramps up. 

The gameplay focuses heavily on drip-feeding new mechanics to make the action increasingly hectic and harder. You’ll begin by frying food, serving drinks, and dishing up ice cream. Next, it’ll be smoothies, adding toppings, removal of luggage and passengers, and more. This wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t for turbulence, annoying children, vomit, and moving objects. These problems are but the tip of the iceberg, and it quickly becomes unbearable. 

Attempting to get three stars on every level is tough, and as a solo player, it quickly becomes impossible. You have two characters to share the load, but each is controlled separately. This saves time but is nowhere near as efficient as multiple human players. I’d imagine with three friends this would be hilarious and an enormous amount of fun. Whereas being a lone wolf becomes overwhelming quickly. 

I adored the challenge and lowered my hopes accordingly. I simply wish the developers matched Team17’s option of an easier solo setting.

Keep every passenger happy.

Shakes on a Plane is colourful and captures the aviation industry perfectly. 

I was amused by the little details that reminded me of every flight I’ve taken. The blend of passengers, the bland and calming colours, and the plane layouts were all interesting to look at. The cartoon style adds a comical edge and each of the playable characters is unique with a striking image. The bird’s-eye perspective allows a clear view of the mayhem that unfolds, and visually Shakes on a Plane is well-designed. The gameplay is smooth, and I experienced no problems, even when all hell broke loose. The developers have created several environments and aircraft to explore, and this variety will hold your interest from start to finish. 

The audio comprises the normal upbeat soundtrack that the genre is renowned for. I loved the pace of the music and it’ll drive you to move at a million miles an hour. The sound effects were exceptional, and I chuckled repeatedly. You’ll hear the steward call button, the wind blowing, and turbulence impacting the engines. You’ll not tire of the sound of vomit or angry passengers when you mess up their order. 

Aesthetically Shakes on a Plane delivers what I expected from the genre. Yet, its little nods to air travel were appreciated and make the game that bit more enjoyable.

Why not serve food and beverages in an alien ship?

Hectic, difficult, but easy to control. 

Yes, the gameplay is brutally tough, and you’ll be fed up with Joan in seat 21c, but the controls are a dream to master. An extremely basic layout allows you to focus on cleaning up sick, serving food, and ejecting annoying brats. You’ll master the fundamentals in no time, and new mechanics are thoroughly explained at the start of each level. The developers covered every base, and I was very grateful for their effort. 

Shakes on a Plane is addictive and will keep you playing. However, its peers perform better with challenges and drawing you back in. Sadly, there are no additional aims and this prevents it from excelling. I was desperate for the game to have secret collectables or tasks for me to achieve, yet none exist. This was an oversight and I hope it can be rectified in future DLC. 

Shakes on a Plane is fantastic fun, especially in a group. 

This is undoubtedly a fun game to play! It’ll test your resolve and will push you to your limit. If you have a group of friends who enjoy couch co-op action, you’ll have a great time. As a solo gamer, it’s not as enjoyable and feels a little imbalanced. There are minor shortcomings, but these are overcome because of the excellent game mechanics. I had a great time and recommend you buy it here! Jump onboard your aircraft, serve up some food, and keep everyone happy. 

Review: Observer: System Redux

Daniel Waite
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Review: Observer: System Redux

When it comes to depicting images of the future, the entertainment industry is a pessimistic bunch. With diseases, famine, and technology the bane of our lives, these dystopian ideas don’t fill me with hope. Observer: System Redux paints a grim picture of what’s to come, so buckle yourself in as the future is a rough place.

Developed and published by Bloober Team and supported by Anshar Studios, this is a dark horror-thriller title. You are a cop, an “Observer” who uses his abilities to jack minds to solve crimes and murders before him. With a range of tools at his disposal, crime scenes have never been easier to map out and extract evidence from.

Observer: System Redux is suspenseful, grimy, and bleak.

The year is 2084 and the place is Krakow, Poland. A terrible digital plague called the Nanophage has ripped through society. It cost thousands of lives, divided the world between rich and poor, and allowed a new power to take over. Chiron, a megacorporation, forms the Fifth Polish Republic and the Observers are born. Denizens were split into classes and those addicted to drugs and holograms are labelled Class C and cast off to live in Tenement buildings.

These run-down hovels are depressing and dangerous places, and here is where the gameplay resides. You are Daniel Lazarski and, out of the blue, you receive a call from your estranged son. He’s in trouble and you track his call to a Class C building. Fearing the worst, you race over to discover a horrendous murder scene. The building is locked down and the whole story is restricted to the confines of those walls. Or is it? With the ability to hack minds, you will free yourself from the oppressive prison while solving the crimes before you.

Which part will you choose?

Crime-solving has never been so tense.

Bloober Team balanced the story and gameplay mechanics perfectly, mostly. A tense and slow-paced tale is supported with creepy imagery and silent moments. Every scene is charged with suspenseful energy and the anticipation of what may not come was well-delivered. Less is always more, and I was on the edge of my seat while searching the maze-like building and questioning suspects. 

You must befriend the Denizens as they are your only hope of solving the many mysteries. Their hatred of authority and distrust is apparent during every interaction. This beautifully depicted the political landscape and matched the nods to George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four. I adored how the plot and gameplay intertwined key points from the novel and there was the odd Easter Egg to bring a wry smile.

Observer: System Redux infuses hacking minds, special vision, and stealth mechanics.

The core premise of solving crimes through conversations, hacking, and searching scenes was well-conceived. Observer: System Redux allows for many tools to aid you in your job. You have three visors that enhance your vision; Electromagnetic to pick up electronic signals, Biovision for biological clues and then there is night vision. The latter is extremely useful, especially when you explore the creepy basement.

Much of the gameplay was great, with the exception of the bizarre stealth moments. They are tedious, slow, and don’t match the rest of the gameplay. I can see what Bloober Team was attempting, but its execution was poor. Instead of adding fear and tension, it was just annoying and felt as if it didn’t belong. Fortunately, these moments are sporadic, but yet they still stick in your mind. If these moments were avoidable, I’d have chosen any other path. Sadly, they are not.

The oppressive Class C building is a horrific place to explore. Fortunately, mind jacking allowed you to escape the claustrophobic confines for a short time. These colourful and surreal experiences broke up the gameplay nicely while using the detective mechanics. It was fantastic to see through the eyes of each interrogated resident.

A grim neon glimpse of our future.

Mysteries upon mysteries and multiple choices.

Much of the pleasure found in Observer: System Redux is found in the many unexplained mysteries. Your choices impact the story and create many outcomes. This freedom plays on your mind and you constantly question whether you’ve made the right decision. This uncertainty was fantastic, and it added a sense of morality to a dark and cold plot. 

The story proves you don’t need an evil protagonist chasing you to create fear. The stillness and emptiness can be just as scary, and Observer: System Redux builds this into its gameplay perfectly.

Observer: System Redux tells a fantastic story. 

Observer: System Redux excels in its storytelling mechanics. Combining fantastic graphics and a wonderfully awful environment with excellent audio and brilliant acting was a great experience. The stunning futuristic imagery is masterfully delivered and complements the dystopian world. The claustrophobic labyrinthine building creates tension, and you wait to be scared senseless as your mind plays tricks on you. 

I’m not a gamer who obsesses over specific actors, and I’m happy as long as the quality is good. However, I can’t ignore the acting that supports the protagonist’s speech and inner thoughts. Rutger Hauer, the actor behind many cult classics, adds his gruff tones to this Cyberpunk world. The tough Observer role matches Hauer’s perfectly delivered script and I admired the developers for attracting such high-quality talent. Alongside the excellent acting was an atmospheric soundtrack that had heavy futuristic undertones. 

Technology sets mankind free.

Designed with PC in mind. 

Observer: System Redux suffers from inaccurate controls when selecting interactive objects. You’ll jostle and edge closer to each hitbox as you try to open doors or turn on electronics. It was annoying, especially as I know it works perfectly on PC. Other than this problem, the controls are straightforward and flitting between visors is quick and easy. 

I didn’t expect a detective horror-thriller to have much replay value, but this one surprised me. With an array of dialogue choices and never knowing if you made the right selection, there’s plenty to make you come back. Its moderate achievement list takes time to complete. It proves to be great value for money, and gamers will play for hours.

Observer: System Redux is the future I don’t want to experience.

None of us can predict the future, but if Observer: System Redux is anything to go by, I don’t want any part of it. A torturous tale where the rich stamp on the poor and leave them to fight and die like rats. I thoroughly enjoyed this dystopian tale and recommend you to buy it here! Use your powers of deduction and well-honed questioning to solve the crimes you find. The future is bleak and you are but a cog in a powerful and oppressive machine. 

Review: Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector

Davide Roriz
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Review: Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector

Although a lot of Slitherine published games tend to be too strategic for me, I became a huge fan of Black Lab Games’ work after playing Battlestar Galactica Deadlock, their previous game. After about 3 years worth of post-launch content updates, both paid and free, they decided to focus on their next project, and that would come to be Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector. As a huge fan of Warhammer 40k, I got really excited when I saw the announcement. Based on my previous experience with Battlestar Galactica Deadlock, I was hopeful that Black Lab Games wouldn’t disappoint. Now that I’ve played the game for a decent amount of time, I’m happy to say that they certainly didn’t disappoint.

For better and for worse, Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector is your typical turn-based strategy game. For solo players, the game features a 20-mission campaign, and a skirmish mode that lets you play against AI. Meanwhile, there are some surprising options for multiplayer fans. Not only there’s your typical versus mode where you face other players live, but there’s also an hotseat and an asynchronous mode. What this means is that, instead of having to wait for players to be online at the same time as you, you can just play a match at your own pace. There’s no need to play it all in one session, because once you make your move, you can go back to whatever you were doing until the other player plays their turn. It’s pretty ingenious.

Unfortunately, there’s only one campaign at the moment, the Age of Crimson Dawn. If you’re into Warhammer 40k, then you might already be guessing as to what the campaign is all about. If you’re not, fear not, because the game doesn’t require you to have any prior knowledge about the Warhammer 40k universe. In reality, as a fan of the series, I didn’t care too much about the main plot of the campaign. The whole story revolves around a company of Blood Angels Space Marines hunting down the remnants of Hive Fleet Leviathan on the moon Baal Secundus. With that being said, if you don’t know much about Warhammer 40k, then I guess you won’t be able to appreciate a lot of the finer details. Nonetheless, the main plot about the Tyranids is pretty easy to follow. However, if you’re a fan of the franchise, you’ll find a lot more value here, and an unfortunate, but inevitable, sad tale.

In terms of gameplay, if you’ve played turn-based strategy games before, then Battlesector will feel extremely familiar. Each match and mission all take place on a single map, where you start by deploying your forces on the side where you start. After that’s done, then it’s your typical turn-based combat action. Units move and act based on a point system, and they all have different stats, abilities, and optimal ranges for attacking. In fact, although the game is turn-based, each side actually gets to move all their units on each turn. Furthermore, you can actually issue as many orders in succession as you can. You don’t have to wait for each unit to finish attacking or moving before you’re able to order the next unit. This is pretty neat, as it cuts turn time considerably.

Despite how much I’ve enjoyed my time with Battlesector, the truth is that, unless you’re playing against other players, the combat might feel pretty simple and straightforward. This mostly comes down to a few issues. First, there are only two factions in the game at the moment, the Blood Angels Space Marines and the Tyranids, the latter of which can only be played in Skirmish and multiplayer. Then there’s the enemy AI, which feels pretty basic. It never seems to prioritize units that are out in the open, nor does it seem to care about focusing on taking down the units that are dealing the most damage. For the most part, it just seems to run straight at you and throw everything it has.

Besides that, another issue that I have with the game is that, for a game of its kind, the cover system is pretty barebones. As far as I can tell, there isn’t any indicator that tells you if you’re protected by cover from one side. The only way you see cover in action, is when you try to target an enemy and the game says you can’t attack them because they’re behind cover. Other than that, the game makes no other mention of it, which is really disappointing.

In any case, the fact that Battlesector is extremely faithful to the source material does make the game shine in a lot of areas. There are plenty of units that are pretty fun to play with. There are the Inceptors with their jump packs that can quickly move around the map and harass enemies. Then there are also the Dreadnoughts which can soak a lot of damage and unleash hell amongst the enemy ranks, right in their faces. If you’re a Warhammer 40k fan, there’s plenty to enjoy here.

Visually, the game looks great. Still, it’s not a grim-looking game, as one might have expected from a game that takes place in the grim darkness of the far future. Most of the weapon’s visual effects are pretty well done and animated. From regular bolters to the slow and devastating plasma shots, the battlefield can sometimes look like a fireworks show. I’m not a huge fan of the Tyranids, but the Blood Angels are clad in their gorgeous distinct red armour that immediately stands out in whatever environment they’re in. 

In addition, the sound is pretty on point. The weapons feel powerful and impactful, with every single shot fired from a bolter really making it feel like it does pack quite a punch. Likewise, the voice acting is exceptionally well done. Even though the story isn’t the most engaging, the dialogue and writing certainly make up for it. The music also has its epic moments, as most Warhammer games tend to have. The combat music is a bit of hit or miss, but I did stay in the main menu listening to its theme quite a few times. It’s just that good.

Besides the novelty of being a Warhammer 40k game, as a turn-based game, Battlesector left me wanting for more. Sure, it’s cool to see the game in motion, units triggering overwatch, flanking armoured enemies and engaging in melee combat, but there isn’t anything about it that makes it feel special. It’s a decent and entertaining turn-based game at best. If you were hoping for this to be a groundbreaking game or a must-play for turn-based fans, then I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed.

The single-player campaign is good for what it is. As I’ve already mentioned, I didn’t find the story to be that charming, but some of the characters do carry the game forward, partially also thanks to the incredible voice acting. Brother Quindar, in particular, is a force to be reckoned with. A Librarian Dreadnought who is starting to show his age was clearly the star of the show for me.

In terms of structure, the campaign provides a constant sense of progression. As you complete each mission, not only you’ll unlock new units, but you’ll also gain points to spend on upgrades. These upgrades range from basic stat boosts, to new weapons and even powerful abilities. Speaking of which, the way the game balances out things in the campaign is by imposing an army point limit for each mission. Basically, each mission gives you a set number of points that you can use to deploy your army. These points aren’t only used to get units, but also weapons that you may have unlocked for them. At least the main hero units are free of charge. In any case, the Tyranids always outnumber you, so you have to use terrain and your abilities to turn the tide of battle.

Unfortunately, mission design is one of Battlesector’s weakest points. Although there is a fair degree of variation in regards to environments, the objectives always boil down to killing all Tyranids. There are a few missions where you have to reach a specific spot, or defend a key location, but after doing that, it always tends to go back to “Exterminate all Tyranid forces”. Nevertheless, the campaign does feature a decent variety of scenarios, ranging from old Dark Age of Technology ruins, to more basic open areas.

Nevertheless, if Black Lab Games track record with Battlestar Galactica Deadlock is anything to go by, the future of Battlesector should be a good one. I’m sure the game will eventually receive a good chunk of DLC, both paid as well as free. Hopefully, we’ll see more factions added to the game and the base game becoming more refined.Despite everything, although I’m a huge fan of turn-based combat games, I don’t consider myself a hardcore fan to the point of playing them in the most difficult settings. I tend to play them for the visual spectacle. With that in mind, I’m pretty happy with the time that I’ve spent in Battlesector. Overall, it’s a fun turn-based Warhammer 40k game that I easily recommend to any fans of the franchise. It might not be the most engrossing turn-based strategy game out there, but it certainly is worth your time.

Review: Barry the Bunny

Daniel Waite
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Review: Barry the Bunny

Few people dislike rabbits as they are cute creatures living a quiet life. There are, of course, the odd exceptions of Elmer Fudd, the shotgun-wielding farmer, and the array of creatures in Barry the Bunny. They hate him for unknown reasons and will stop at nothing to kill him.

Developed by lightUP and published by Ratalaika Games, this is a colourful 2D platform title. With a mixture of basic mechanics, traps and simple stages, this is great for both beginners and veterans of the genre.

Barry the Bunny harks back to the genre’s heyday.

The game revolves around Barry, who is a simple rabbit and a builder bunny! This odd skill comes in very handy as his world has been overrun by dangerous creatures. Using his hammers as weapons, you must hit each one to clear your path. He uses his building skills to create bridges to save each trapped rabbit on every stage. Now, you may wonder how a rabbit can’t leap a small gap. I certainly did! But I let this slip as I allowed the retro gameplay to wash over me.

Comprising four worlds that have many stages, you must collect hammers, carrots, and three logs before you exit each level. The logs are used to build the bridges to save each stricken rabbit. This goal can be ignored if you wish, but doing so removes much of the fun to be found. The gameplay lacks complexity, and though more elements are added to the latter stages, it never stretches you.

Barry remembers his PPE.

Traps and an array of enemies.

Barry the Bunny demands some accuracy and a small amount of logical thinking. Simple puzzles are laced with traps that require forward-thinking and quick reactions. Spikes fall from the sky, tnt ticks away, and explosives blow up when touched. The difficulty increases as you progress, but it’s never unachievable. The basic gameplay will not test veterans of the genre, but they will enjoy the varied stage layouts.

The game slowly adds new enemies that should increase the challenge. Sadly, they offer no further difficulty than the opening creatures. Simply throwing your hammer at every one you encounter clears your path. This portion of the title is underdeveloped, and I desperately wanted it to evolve past its basic approach. I hoped that the end of world bosses would fulfil this desire. Unfortunately, they didn’t! The easy encounters were quickly overcome, leaving you wanting more.

Don’t get crabby.

Barry the Bunny a colourful retro treat.

Barry the Bunny may lack in difficulty, but it makes up for this with its retro presentation. The simple colourful world screams old-school gaming, and I loved it. The different environments have a unique look that prevents the action from getting stale. They vary from bright and vivid tones to earthy oppressive stages, and each is enjoyable to explore. The classic 2D side-scrolling action was reminiscent of early NES titles and worked perfectly with the basic platforming elements.

The early gaming influences continued with the shrill 8-Bit audio. This high pitched ear-splitting noise was a little annoying but worked with the retro gameplay. With a simple chiptune soundtrack and basic sound effects, it’ll transport you to classics such as Mario. I adored the presentation, and its high energy in your face style made up for the title’s shortcomings.

Evil snakes and a dark world.

Easy controls for a basic game. 

Barry the Bunny is extremely easy to pick up and play. The simple concept and retro gameplay unsurprisingly ensure that the control setup is quick to master. LevelUP added a timely tutorial that allows you to learn the fundamentals instantly. The hardest part of the game is dodging traps and remembering where they are hiding if you die. However, this won’t push you and you’ll fly through the levels.

With many stages to explore, you’ll be kept busy as you attempt to beat them all. If you are a completionist, you’ll obtain all achievements within an hour. Sadly, a lack of collectables or any true challenge restricts the replay value. Fortunately, though, the old-school experience is worthy of your time, and the cheap asking price makes it good value for money.

Barry the Bunny adds little to the genre, but it’s fun, nonetheless.

The simplicity of the gameplay and the lack of difficulty ensure Barry the Bunny adds little to the genre. Yet, I still enjoyed my time with it. The colourful and basic worlds capture your attention and the music reminds you of the genre’s heyday. I liked it and recommend you to buy it here! Can you collect each log to save the bunnies? Avoid the creatures, dodge the traps, and help your fellow rabbits. 

Review: Rogue Explorer

Daniel Waite
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Review: Rogue Explorer

The draw of searching dank dungeons never gets old! No matter the genre, it’s always enthralling to discover the mysteries while uncovering the secrets. Rogue Explorer lets you explore many locations while battling monsters and collecting treasure.

Developed by ZOO Corporation and Eastasiasoft Limited and published by the latter, this is a rogue-lite dungeon crawler. Presented using a retro side-scrolling style, you’ll experience old-school vibes while destroying an array of monsters.

Rogue Explorer captures the best elements from the genre.

Rogue-lite games are brutal and unfair! But fans of the genre love the difficulty curve and harsh nature of the gameplay. Rogue Explorer offers the tough elements while allowing new players a fair chance. Death brings about the loss of many things, but it doesn’t wipe all your progress. This small mercy makes the action much more accessible and enjoyable.

With no story to follow and an episodic approach for each stage, you are kept focussed by the evolving mechanics. With new equipment to find and craft, and tougher monsters to overcome, you’ll want to keep playing to see how it progresses. You’ll first be asked to explore ten different dungeon types, each with unique monsters and an enormous boss to defeat. As you explore, you’ll discover new weapons, gold, and health vials that aid you on your journey. Killing monsters awards you with XP, which levels your character up with unique skills.

Faster movement or attack skills, increased XP, powerful attacks, higher health, and so forth. Your warrior becomes exponentially more powerful and this evens out the difficulty curve. However, word of warning don’t get used to these skills if death is on the cards. The moment you die, your abilities are wiped and your character is reset.

The bosses are enormous and angry.

Evolving dungeons offer a fresh challenge.

As you delve further into the adventure, you’ll note that the levels become increasingly more challenging. During the early stages, the labyrinthine dungeons change design only after the day/night cycle has been completed. Yet, the more complex levels are unpredictable and every time you enter them, their layout alters. This was fantastic, as you never knew what dangers lay ahead, or what treasures were waiting for you. This was a brilliant move from the developers, as the action never became stale and I was happy to repeat each world, knowing a new journey was guaranteed.

The level design was fantastic, but I appreciated the character details more. With an array of skills on offer, and permanent upgrades available for purchase, I could customise the warrior for my game style. With so many variables on offer, the combinations and approaches were endless. This was a clever twist on a much-loved genre, and I admired the attention to detail.

Choose from an array of equipment.

Rogue Explorer fills you with nostalgia. 

The rough pixelated imagery reminded me of early Mega Drive titles. I adored the presentation and smiled as it tweaked at my heartstrings. The grim colour palette and duller shades emphasise the dungeon atmosphere and give the game ominous overtones. The variety of enemies you encounter were fantastic, and the bosses were an awe-inspiring sight. The backdrops each had an interesting look, and I enjoyed exploring each dungeon.

The audio was strangely at odds with the overall feel of the game. With everything out to get you, I expected a heavy and sombre soundtrack. Instead, the upbeat music fills you with hope and you are inspired to keep going. You’ll love the sound effects as you slice the air with your sword or pierce monsters with a spear. It has a brilliant arcade edge that matches the high tempo music.

Throw everything you have at them.

Simple controls but fiddly to master.

The premise makes the approach straightforward. Your character must hack and slash their way through each dungeon while leaping from walls. In theory, this should be easy, but in reality, it’s fiddly to master. If you fail to time your jump correctly, you’ll fall off the wall and have to start again. With some practice, you’ll be leaping around with ease while collecting the treasure on offer. 

The constantly altering levels make the action moreish. With secret levels to discover and oodles of treasure to collect, you’ll adore the replay value. Customise your warrior as you see fit and equip them with an array of weapons and armour. Rogue Explorer offers many approaches to completing the action, so experiment and find the right one for you. 

Rogue Explorer is a fun and accessible rogue-lite title. 

My love-hate relationship for rogue-lite titles will never dissipate, yet I enjoyed Rogue Explorer! Its fun, challenging, but accessible gameplay is a refreshing change for the genre. The different dungeon layouts, the array of monsters, and the selection of equipment keeps the gameplay fresh and held my attention throughout. It’s addictive and I recommend you to buy it here! Select your character, upgrade your equipment, and stay alive! The Tower hides many mysteries and treasures, and you must discover them all. 

Review: Ion Driver

Alex Chessun
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Review: Ion Driver

If there was an award for the greatest proof of concept, Ion Driver, a fast and futuristic budget indie title, would win 1st, 2nd and 3rd place every year. Developed by indie studio Moon Whale Studio via the Spanish Playstation Talents initiative, the title describes itself as ‘defying all laws of physics’ – which is true, but not in the way you’d expect. 

Strongly influenced by classics such as Wipeout and F-Zero, this title has great aesthetics, with cell-shaded car designs and shiny neon levels that run smoothly in 60fps, and such is their effect that you believe you’ve struck gold. Preventing the ‘Hidden Gem Achievement’ from popping, however, is a drop-off in both quantity and quality so extreme, that this title soon degrades itself to little more than a demo with a price tag.  

As soon as you start driving, you strafe into the wall (it turns out R2 isn’t the accelerator) and spawn back to your starting position, for no discernible reason. Utterly confused by the game’s first few moments, you soon realize that the odd controls are but a minor annoyance in comparison to the barriers of the track that spin you off course after even a minor tag and/ or reset your position to a few meters back up the road.  

You’ll be going too fast to really appreciate the tremendous visuals as you race, so take a moment to enjoy them now!

Rational minds might point to the price point of $4.99 at launch as a fair warning – but no risk, no reward – right?

Discovering that the game only has two races, similar cars (in all but design) and the guarantee that you’ll experience at least one bug per race brings you back to reality, but even so, you can’t help but feel a tiny bit disappointed with the game’s influences at least being recreated visually, if not in their slick gameplay.

Avoid the walls long enough, and you’ll discover that there are 11 other competitors to race against, assuming of course that your next rendevous with the wall that flips you 180 doesn’t have you racing in the opposite direction without you realizing. Manage to stay in the middle of the road, however, and your victory is all but assured with the competitors moving at pedestrian speed and can’t be collided with, meaning you are basically racing ghosts in a time trial.

The laundry list of issues is seemingly never-ending but despite this, like a guilty pleasure that you don’t want to admit…….I kinda like it. Making it through a race without hitting the walls while boosting to high heaven is not only difficult but thrilling regardless of how long it lasts or how many tracks it can be played on. Its also good fun trying to beat your own lap times, but that is hardly unique to this racer.  

I’m like a moth to a flame with this aesthetic.

One interesting tool at your disposal is ‘magnetization’ that sticks you to the road when flung into the air by the track and is quite frankly, awesome. It’s only used on the second of the two tracks and isn’t even all that accurate, but sue me, it’s cool. In addition to single-player, there does also exist a local multiplayer mode for those who have friends, but without online leaderboards and the amount of buggy forced restarts, it might not make that bridge worth crossing. 

Your magnetization technique comes in handy when landing this jump.

One could hope that Ion Driver is a launching pad for a more in-depth sequel later down the line – perhaps like one of my favorite racers Airace, released by indie team NoWay Studio, which was preceded by a comparatively rudimentary version in Airace: Tunnel. With a world as brilliantly designed as this, I would be very interested in seeing it fully realized.

Ion Driver is a short bug-filled ride that you won’t regret assuming that you know exactly what you’re getting – a glorified demo. Irrespective of the price, a paid-for title shouldn’t be released in this state, but like eating the ingredients of a cake before you’ve finished making it, there are still some redeemable features to enjoy – notably its speed and visuals – before the lack of content starts to disappoint.     

Review: Foreclosed

Daniel Waite
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Review: Foreclosed

The draw of futuristic games and the unnerving thought of Big Brother watching us spurs on gamers to adore the Cyberpunk theme. We’re all aware of CD Projekt RED’s unfortunate shortcomings with Cyberpunk 2077, but this hasn’t put us off. Foreclosed allows you to put your realistic ideals aside while taking a journey into the neon and morally corrupt future.

Developed by Antab Studio and Merge Games and published by the latter, this is a dark, seedy, and futuristic action-adventure title. The game revolves around corrupt corporations, money, and the desire to be powerful. The neon-infused game is told through a stylistic comic book panel effect that flits between perspectives. With hard-hitting audio and badass characters, you’ll quickly fall for its cool aesthetics and punchy storyline.

Foreclosed is a tale of deceit and tainted power. 

You control Evan Kapnos a man who wakes one day to find his identity being stripped away. His personality and implants and been foreclosed and they’ll be sold to the highest bidder. He loses all privileges, and his only right is to go to court to have his case heard. As he starts that painful journey, he is ambushed and here his true path begins. You discover that your body has been used as an experiment and a powerful and rich collaborator cannot allow for this top-secret tech to be seen. He closes your place of employment and, subsequently, your life as a desperate way to regain control. You must discover this individual’s identity and escape before your personality is taken from you.

Foreclosed blends a wonderful mixture of action-adventure and visual novel mechanics as you take on its narrative-driven story. You’ll learn special powers, battle goons, and sneak in the shadows as you edge closer to the truth. The action and text-based conversations seamlessly flow. No matter how hard you try, you’ll be glued to the dramatic plot.

Take your time and don’t slip.

Experimental implants = awesome mind-blowing abilities.

Futuristic games never cease to amaze me! With the freedom to do as they wish, developers bend the laws of physics and create some truly awesome experiences. Foreclosed makes the most of this artistic licence with its fantastic special powers that aid the protagonist throughout. His experimental implants may have caused his plight, but they also help to make him superhuman. Starting off relatively low key, he can hack open electronics and cripple unsuspecting humans. These are soon upgraded to allow for; telekinesis, new attacks, shields, and so forth.

Evan can combine each skill and this makes for some truly memorable moments. Lifting a goon and smashing him to the floor was fantastic. Alternatively, you’ll throw someone in the air to use them as a human clay pigeon. You’ll snigger and laugh as your opponents drop like flies. It’s evil, sadistic, but you remember you didn’t start this war, they did.

The upgrades and new abilities follow a more traditional route. You gain them through natural progression or after XP is collected. The adage “if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it” is true. Most gamers will enjoy this comfortable mechanic as XP is awarded for; successful battles, completion of tasks, and hacking hidden devices. It added a nice layer to the well-paced gameplay and allows you to dictate your approach and style.

Such a warm welcome.

Other heating implants and lethargic combat.

I admire many of Foreclosed qualities, however, sadly, there are some glaring pitfalls. Evan should be powerful, agile, and leave you in awe, yet he doesn’t! Every action he undertakes generates heat within his implants. This is made worse when you improve your pistol. Three upgrades can be used, but doing so causes it to overheat in seconds. You’ll spend most of your time cowering in a corner waiting for your meter to cool down. Instead of annihilating your opponents and losing yourself in each battle, you sit patiently, waiting. It reduces the excitement of any battle situation and undoubtedly is the common cause of your death.

You’ll load up with armour piercing rounds, bullets that explode, rapid-fire and more. It all sounds great, but it makes the combat clunky and lethargic. You’ll hide while your foes stand by shooting at a wall. It’s silly, unrealistic, and reduces any fear factor during every battle. It’s a shame as I wanted to feel like a superhero, instead, it was just lame and understated. Fortunately, though, the stealth moments pulled the gameplay back in line and prevented the action sections from being a complete failure. Frying someone’s mind or sneaking through restricted areas was great, and I wish there was more of this.

Foreclosed is colourful, stylised, and wonderful to look at.

Foreclosed is undeniably great to look at. Its vivid colours, neon hue, and comic book styling are fantastic. The way the gameplay flows from top-down to the first-person perspective is buttery smooth and the comic panels work in perfect harmony. As the screen splits into micro scenes, you’ll observe the action from CCTV, through Evan’s eyes, and from a birds-eye perspective. It was unique, and it instantly captured my attention. Though it was great, there were a few issues with camera movement and positioning. It appeared to judder at times and this was uncomfortable to look at. There were also moments where you’d pan around and be stuck staring at a wall. These drawbacks didn’t ruin the game, they simply stood out against the well-polished finish.

When a game demands that you fall for its dark and seedy nature, you know the audio will be heavy. The loud and uncomfortable soundtrack adds energy and tension throughout. You’ll be on edge constantly as you wait for enemies to jump out on you, or something to go wrong. There were moments when the audio didn’t match the action and this was obvious in the slow-paced combat. With the music blaring I expected to go in all guns blazing however, I was sat behind a wall waiting to cool down. Other than the slight pacing issues, the sound was great and helped to suck you into the futuristic world.

Work together to save each other.

The controls are super sensitive!

I rarely adjust the controls as I usually make do. Sadly, Foreclosed has got the control sensitivity wrong. The twitchy set-up is all over the place and aiming and shooting is almost impossible. Adjusting the settings to your liking is a must, otherwise, you’ll be frustrated from the moment you are given a weapon. If you overlook the sensitivity issues you find a well set up title that is easy to get to grips with. Abilities are mapped to your liking and the rest of the controls are responsive.

As the gameplay unfolds linearly, you’ll be pushed to find fresh action if you were to return to it. There is the option for different upgrades, but I don’t think this is enough of a draw to make you complete it again. The replay value isn’t enhanced by the game’s moderate achievement list, sadly. Therefore, completionists will have this finished in one playthrough. Luckily, the first run is worthwhile, and it provides great value for money.

Foreclosed brings the Cyberpunk world to life. 

Foreclosed captured my attention immediately! Its hard-hitting story and wonderful aesthetics are tough to resist. I loved the stealth elements and wanted more hacking and sneaky kills. The game is sadly lacking in its combat elements and the overreliance on the implant heat meter made the action unnecessarily slow. Evan appears more vulnerable and human than a superhero and this was a letdown for me. With some wonderful ideas and a great world to explore, the gameplay isn’t tainted by its few shortcomings. I enjoyed it and recommend you to buy it here! Losing your identity is not a laughing matter. Fight for your freedom and escape before the system sells your life. 

Review: Bustafellows

Michael Hoade
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Review: Bustafellows

As someone who has never played an Otome game, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect with Bustafellows: a new visual novel that blends crime, dating and time travel all in one dense package.

For those like me, that are unfamiliar with the ‘Otome’ genre, generally speaking they are story based games primarily targeted towards women. Alongside the main story, another goal for the player is to romance a number of different (traditionally) male characters. 

I’m typically more of a JRPG / ARPG person, but I went into Bustafellows with an open mind, and a curiosity towards the unknown.

And, after a lot of shameless romancing, underworld exhibitions, and anime goodness, I am excited to talk about a game that has a surprising amount of substance.

Delightful presentation:

The initial allure of Bustafellows for me was the anime esque presentation of the game. From the delightful animated character sprites that bring life to each and every interaction; to the jazzy background music that helps capture the game’s cosy – occasionally tense – ambience, Bustafellows nails its presentation.

Having not delved too far into the visual novel genre, I had no real set expectations when it came to immersion and presentation, but Bustafellows really blew me away on this front.

The UI interface is incredibly clean, and modelled after the in-game AI system: Anima. 

Each character has a distinct, vibrant and memorable design that also reflects their personalities. For the dating simulation element, I also found this helpful in deciding which characters I preferred. 

Furthermore, whilst there is no English dub, the Japanese voice acting is excellent; full of personality and emotion. 

The occasional animated cutscene, and stylish chapter intros and outros (in the next episode!), all contribute to a very impressive visual experience. 

There are a couple issues that I did have with the presentation, however. Typos and grammatical errors are minor, but just frequent enough to be noticeable. One character in particular, had the misfortune of their name being misspelled on the regular. 

Some of my favourite presentation came in the ‘scene’ setters that segwayed nicely between new areas and plot points. 

Unfortunately, the background dialogue between the characters is not translated to text on screen! Now, I did manage to read up on the dialogue in the games menu, but this is something I happened upon, rather than having been directed to by the game. 

Nothing major enough to take away from the games overall excellent presentation and undeniable style. 

Time travel, dating and finding the perfect scoop:

Bustafellows story was also a pleasant surprise for me. 

Set in the fictional American town of New Sieg, you play the role of freelance journalist, Teuta Bridges. Teuta isn’t any old ordinary journalist; she has the ability to leap into the past – for a brief period of time – and assume control of someone else. 

Now, on the surface, this sounds rather insidious. Thankfully, Teuta uses this quirk for good, and it comes in especially handy when she witnesses the murder of the charismatic, crooked lawyer: Limbo Fitzgerald. 

This sets the story in motion, as Teuta explores how to save Limbo, and on the way, engages with a rich cast of friends, foes and, of course, dashing love interests.

A crooked lawyer, a hitman, a coroner, a plastic surgeon and a computer hacker make up our cast of potential love interests for Teuta. Exploring each of these potential love interests is what leads to diverging narrative paths, with the true ending being locked behind completing each of these routes.

Crucially, depending on the choices you make, it will alter both the order of routes, as well as potential endings you may get. This relatively free form approach immerses you into the role of Teuta, as you put together the pieces of a much, much larger puzzle.

All of the suitors’ backstories are worth pursuing, and completing each route further develops the overarching narrative. There is an impressive amount to the story, and you can easily spend 40+ hours exploring all of the routes. 

Pacing is generally good as well, although perhaps the writers were a bit too concerned about the game dragging, and near the end I feel like I was being thrown twist after twist. Most of them felt earned to be fair, even still, I think it slightly lessened the impact due to sheer volume. 

There are also extra bits of optional story that can be unlocked as you play. Whilst not essential, these additional ‘episodes’ add more backstory for other side characters and minor plot points. 

Overall, Bustafellows narrative is well worth putting the time into. Excellent writing (aforementioned typos aside), themes and loveable characters help contribute to a really fun experience. 

Combined with the brilliant art style and tone, I found myself immersed within the life of Teuta, and the various denizens of New Sieg. 

If you’re someone like me that is new to the Otome genre, Bustafellows provides a fantastic entry-point. And if you’re already a fan of this genre – what are you doing? Go get this game.

Review: Tetragon

Alex Chessun
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Review: Tetragon

Arguably the hardest thing about reviewing video games is getting a really challenging game ahead of or around its release date. There are no playthroughs and no guides to help you progress – you are left to your own devices, which more often than not means floundering around like an idiot as you reach your deadline.

The game responsible for today’s floundering is Tetragon, a mysterious but serene indie puzzler that’ll confuzzle even the most hardened of puzzle fans. Developed by 9-person indie outfit Cafundo, Tetragon is a title of modest ambitions and few mechanics, aiming to blend in with its peers without re-inventing the wheel – even if it does let you rotate the world around you.

Smoother visuals than peanut butter sandwich

A magic stone called TetraGen has granted you the power to rotate the map and extend columns (either vertically and horizontally depending on the column) to reach the floating Rubik’s cube goal in each map. It’s a fun gimmick that manifests itself slightly differently in each map, often using both mechanics in each level, and will have you fixated on the screen as you attempt to stare the game into submission. Adjusting the map back and forth, getting stuck for hours, falling asleep, and then waking up to finally solve the damn thing was just par the course over my playthrough.

With no skill or time-based requirements, this is very much a game you can enjoy at your own pace, and with 40+ levels spread out over 3 different worlds, there is no shortage of content available. 

In terms of its presentation, creating colorful and mysterious visuals is the Unity engine, well-known for its smooth output and clean textures. The soundtrack on the other hand is both relaxing and serene, with a xylophone and a piano bringing a calming effect to proceedings. These features, while decent in isolation, blend rather poorly as their tone’s contrast to the emotionally-driven story with an amnesia-affected lumberjack attempting to find his son, but is restricted to ‘ghosts’ located in corners of each map and lines of error-strewn text interactions. It’s hard to reconcile the difference with the relaxed soundtrack which suggests are more pleasant storyline.

While impressing in the first few maps, the game’s minimalistic features start to show their slightly suspect implementation and rough edges not long after. The biggest offender of this is the game’s tower manipulation mechanic, which as its main gimmick, should be its most consistent, but poor collision detection and a host of other bugs will see blocks force themselves through each other, cause inconsistent deaths or simply break the level requiring a level reset.

Selecting the correct column with the L1 and R1 buttons can be awfully troublesome

The controls don’t fare much better either, making my aforementioned flailing ever more prevalent, with 2 and 3-block jumps having different inputs and the column selection process making about as much sense as buying this game on day one – which there is none. Wish to reselect the same block tower with a single button press after it automatically unselects as you consider a solution? Well – you can’t, you need to cycle left or right and then back again. Logic might also dictate that cycling clockwise when selecting a column be would with ‘R1’ instead of ‘L1’? Wrong again.

Spinning like a Ballerina…

The only saving grace here is that there’s no time limit, which gives you all the time in the world to get your head around these unruly controls. Oh, and for your sanity, lower the volume of the column selecting sound effect, which sounds like it’s trying to torture any animals in the vicinity with a high-pitched whine. 

With a decent concept in tow, Tetragon has all the ingredients needed for a solid puzzler but fails to make a dish worth consistently coming back to as you realize that the game’s flawed gameplay mechanic and repetitive levels are apparent throughout. If ironed out in a patch, then this title’s overall merits might be worth reconsideration, but until then there are better alternatives available, so best leave the floundering to me – for now. Having said that though, if you are sorely looking for a challenge then this game might just be up your alley, just don’t expect perfection.

Review: Deadly Days

Daniel Waite
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Review: Deadly Days

Fast food has long been adored by the unhealthy and obese. It’s the scourge of all health professionals and causes no end of problems. Yet, I’m not here to talk about the implications of your diet, mainly. I’m here to suggest a conspiracy theory. What would you do if your local eatery cut corners and contaminated their food supply? How would you feel if this caused the end of the world and a zombie outbreak? Pretty pissed off I’d imagine, and so would I! Deadly Days tells this story using a retro look with hints of comedy.

Developed by Pixelsplit and published by Assemble Entertainment, this is a rogue-lite zombie survival game. It’s a title that’ll make you laugh, cry, and scream as you control your band of survivors. The aim is simple, yet achieving your goals is anything but. You must take on missions, loot buildings, and collect segments of a map. You’ll battle hordes of undead beasts as you go about your business.

Search the graveyard and survive the hordes.

Deadly Days is simple in design but addictive as hell!

Constantly dying should be enough to put you off, however, it only serves to toughen your resolve. Deadly Days tests this theory as it pushes you to your limits! Your hapless survivors follow orders blindly, and they rely on you to lead them to safety. Your group lives in a small base that can be improved over time. It comprises your loot, a few buildings, and a yellow school bus. Here you manage your team, select weapons you wish to use, choose items and power-ups, and level up your people.

The game’s main premise is straightforward, and each day follows the same routine. You must organise your survivors, select from procedurally generated missions, and aim to get back alive. Your missions comprise different goals, and some have specific zombies or tasks for you to complete as a bonus. You’ll scavenge the locations you visit, hoping to find food supplies, weapons, and scrap. The more enemies you kill, the more XP you earn. Stronger survivors increase your chances of success, but this is no guarantee! You must know when to keep going, and when to retreat to the safety of the bus and to return to the base. You’ll quickly learn there is a fine balance between bravery and foolishness, and it’s your responsibility to get it right.

Nighttime woes, and threat levels.

The simplicity of the gameplay is spiced up nicely as time wears on. You have plenty to focus on with a day and night cycle to consider and increased threat levels to be aware of. The weak and pitiful zombies quickly gain strength and health and this makes your foes superhuman. The madness of the gameplay and the bizarre story ensure this is more than your standard rogue-like zombie survival experience.

The immediate risk to your success is the increased difficulty once your mission ventures into the darkness of night. As tradition dictates, the zombies are more aggressive and pose a bigger threat once the sun sets, so you must consider your approach. This goes hand in hand with the increased threat level as the days melt away. Larger and more powerful zombies appear and your task of finding the map and shutting down the source of all evil becomes much harder.

Build up your base to improve your chances.

What kills you makes you stronger.

You’ll take risks and death is certain, but you are helped by items and special powers. The abilities are selected at the start of a run, but they are not set in stone. Once your playthrough is finished, you are awarded XP based on your success and more powers are unlocked. This is a standard rouge-lite/like mechanics and fans of the genre will be familiar with its impact on the gameplay.

At the start, you are allocated your items and weapons. As time passes a wide array of new goods become available as you loot houses and cars. Every ability, item, or weapon can be upgraded and repaired using the scrap you find. This can be the difference between death and surviving, so equipping yourself with the best gear is essential.

Most importantly is the supply of food! You can have badass fighters, legendary weapons, and all-powerful abilities, but they mean nothing if you starve to death. Each survivor requires one item of food per day and if none is provided, they promptly die. It’s infuriating, unfair, but adds a layer of complexity that’s essential. You’ll raid supermarkets, loot trees, and steal from vending machines to keep your team going. No one cares where the food comes from, as your concern is staying alive.

Deadly Days has GTA vibes and a retro world.

Deadly Days imagery is reminiscent of the early GTA games. It has taken inspiration from old-school retro titles and I adored the style. With a brilliant mixture of zombie models, colourful and dark environments, and a clean UI, it’s wonderful to look at. Sadly, though, for all its positives, there is one humongous drawback. Each level has a distinct feeling of deja vu. With little variety in design, you constantly explore similar environments. This was disappointing and I hope the developers will add a further selection of maps to the mix.

The usual blend of moans, groans, and sounds accompanies the action. The tried and tested audio will make you chuckle and helped to create a doomed atmosphere. I loved the change of tone as nighttime came and the distinct moments created a worrying experience. Weapons blast out over the music as you shoot and slash the undead beasts. It was loud, in your face, and matched the theme perfectly.

Which mission will you take?

Patience and planning and simple controls are key.

There was such potential for this to be complicated, fortunately, Deadly Days is really simple. With a fun and thorough tutorial from a zombie teacher, you’ll learn the basics while chuckling away. The well-labelled UI helps and the simple button layout enhances the user-friendly approach. Getting to the end is difficult, but at least the controls don’t hinder your progress.

Rogue-lite games are addictive, packed with replay value and Deadly Days is no different. Though its maps add a repetitive feel to the gameplay, this is quickly forgiven as the array of missions is good, and the changes in tactical approach keep things fresh. There is then the range of challenges against other players that add a competitive edge. Mix this all up with a large and difficult achievement list, and you have a game that keeps on giving.

Deadly Days is fantastic, tough, and will make you scream.

It took little for me to fall for Deadly Days charms and I loved the look, sounds and brutal gameplay. Sure, it has its shortcomings, but these were quickly forgiven. You’ll grow attached to your virtual survivors and will do anything to keep them alive. I loved it and recommend you to buy it here! Fast food has long been the downfall of mankind, yet no one guessed it would end this way. Rescue people, loot for goods and destroy the source of the foul burgers. 

Review: Unbound: Worlds Apart

Kara Phillips
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Review: Unbound: Worlds Apart

Unbound: Worlds Apart is a breath of fresh air in the world of Metroidvanias. The gaming industry has become rapidly overpopulated by games of this type. Players have been replaying the same story with different characters for years now, so when something new and exciting comes along, we obviously all jump at the chance to play it. Alien Pixel Studios brought Unbound: Worlds Apart to the table, and boy oh boy did we eat it up. 

A world of magic and multi-dimensional travel is at our doorsteps, but we need to be the only brave survivor to face it all. Jumping headfirst into this adventure was one of the best decisions forto make, and my adventures with Soli will not be forgotten. This game is a wholesome yet terrifying journey to save what you believe in. What lies beyond the portals? And how did we get here in the first place? The history of Soli and their kind is ready for your exploration. So what is stopping you?

What makes it so special?

In case you were curious, you take on the role of Soli within Unbound. A hooded mage, who watches the world of Vaiya fall to chaos. All your fellow mages are struggling to use their powers to save it, but luckily you are one of a kind with the ability to utilize other dimensions in your travels. This is what makes Unbound so special. Multi-dimensional travel is not something I have experienced in a metroidvania, or more so not something I have seen executed well. This isn’t a one off skill you only need to use once, every single puzzle is based around these portals. You’re not just stuck to one type either, every level has new skills and new terrifying experiences to put yourself through. Whilst one portal removes gravity from the occasion, others turn innocent looking creatures into quite literal nightmare fuel.

How the world(s) work

Unbound: Worlds Apart has definitely perfected an equilibrium between special and spooky. Whilst some of the worlds you encounter are calming and gently encourage you to progress to the next level, others are absolutely blood curdling. Horrific monsters with more eyes than you can count on one hand, or enough teeth to cause some serious damage litter the majority of hidden dimensions. They all support the fall of peace in Vaiya and remind you of what you’re fighting for. If your home had been infected with these nightmarish creatures, of course you would want to save it. Though these monsters are not so easy on the eyes, they are definitely useful for your journey. Don’t forget to check how the portals you open affect them, as they might just be the key to your success.

If eyes could speak

Unbound: Worlds Apart does not fall short of content either. Each character has a story to tell, and they are definitely more than willing to tell it. Some may initially appear as defensive, or filled with anger, but there’s only so much persuading glowing eyes needed before they’re letting you in on their history. You meet a huge spectrum of people along the way who help you remember who you are, whilst also introducing new skills for you to practise. By the end of Unbound: Worlds Apart, you’ll realise that you did all of this for them. Not just yourself. It’s a story tied up neatly with a bow, and honestly I would argue it is definitely a gift in the gaming industry.

Final thoughts

 As I’ve mentioned several times throughout this review, my time with Unbound was most certainly an unforgettable one. After spending years playing metroidvanias, it is nice to be able to sit down with one I genuinely feel should excel in the field. It is a game so obviously filled with love and passion, and has a real heartbreaking story of discovery if you read between the lines. Alien Pixel Studios absolutely hit the nail on the head with this one. If you are searching for your next adventure, and have a history with metroidvanias, then I cannot recommend this enough to you.

Review: Super Sami Roll

Frances Addison
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Review: Super Sami Roll

The last few years have seen something of a resurgence in games mimicking the platforming titles of old, as both 2D side-scrollers and more elaborate 3D adventures. Super Sami Roll is the latest offering in this arena, presenting players with a series of 3D racing stages to explore.

The game casts you as a tiny dinosaur searching for his kidnapped friend. As far as the story goes, that’s all you’re really going to get; this is not a game seeking to make a huge narrative impact. Instead, the story is set up in a few quick panes of retro artwork, and then players are free to get on with the business of platforming their way through Super Sami Roll’s various levels.

Understandably, given the genre, the game’s primary focus is on movement. Beyond simple directional keys and jumping, players are given access to a short range grapple in the form of Sami’s tongue, and a bounce jump that grants extra height. Combined with the sense of momentum players have to account for when Sami is rolling at high speed, there is a surprising amount of complexity to navigating the game’s levels and perfecting the speed at which you do so.

Each level takes the form of a short time trial, in which players have to get to the end of the track before the time runs out. The races are ranked depending on how much time you have left when you complete the course. Along the way there are coins to collect, which add seconds onto your time limit, and occasional checkpoints to give you a helping hand with the trickier platforming sections. There is also a single raspberry in each level to find. Outside of the races, the coins and raspberries both take the form of currency that can be traded in the game’s shop to alter Sami’s appearance or to buy accessories for him to wear.

These ranks and collectibles are what provide Super Sami Roll with replayability; completionists will want to ensure they find everything on offer, while perfectionists will want to shoot for a perfect S+ ranking on each level.

Backing all of this is a really solid soundtrack, helping to give the game a lot of energy despite the numerous resets players are going to have to sit through on the harder levels. And this game is hard – if you’re not a fan of replaying the same sections over and over again until you get it right then this is definitely not the title for you. Like the original platformers of the 80s and 90s, Super Sami Roll demands near perfection in places or players face the risk of falling or running out of time.

For anybody looking to divert a few hours to a reasonably simple but challenging platformer, then you could certainly do worse than Super Sami Roll.

That being said, this game is far from perfect and there are a couple of issues that can really negatively impact your play time. To start with, the levels can be a little disappointing visually. While the platforms have all been well crafted in terms of jump distance and height, all of them exist as random blocky structures in a strange, featureless void. Effort has certainly gone into making the levels feel distinct, with striking colour palettes and varied enemy types, but the lack of actual world around you can feel incredibly disconnecting. Super Sami Roll doesn’t have the same focus on world design and exploring as, say, Yooka-Laylee, so it’s not a huge issue, but it really contributes to making each level feel very small.

A much more pressing issue is the sudden, unpredictable performance crashes that crop up throughout the game. Random frame drops and sudden increases to camera sensitivity can be tolerable in some games, but Super Sami Roll relies so heavily on rapid, careful movement that the slightest drop in performance almost always necessitates a reset. Reverting to a checkpoint doesn’t take long and they are liberally spread through complicated levels, but having to restart because the game decided not to register your input for a few seconds never feels good.

Compounding this issue is Sami’s sense of momentum. As a concept, this seems like a brilliant idea, making players have to work out what they want to do before they do it instead of relying on reactionary controls when it looks like something isn’t going the way they want. However, there are places where the maps don’t feel entirely like they’ve been built with this sense of forward movement in mind. Sharp turns and narrow walkways do add challenge and that’s likely the point of them, but there are a handful of sections that feel as though they’re difficult more due to level design not meshing well with the controls than through any developer intentions.

Overall, Super Sami Roll is a decent 3D platform racer. There’s not a huge amount of variety in content, but there are enough levels to keep players entertained for some time. The art style is appealing and the music consistently manages to be engaging without being distracting. If you’re looking for a more adventure- or story-based experience then you’re probably better off with something like Yooka-Laylee or Super Mario Odyssey, but if you just want something you can breeze in and out of, then definitely give Super Sami Roll a look.

Review: Midnight Caravan

Jonah Ehlers
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Review: Midnight Caravan

Midnight Caravan is a visual novel and game of choices. While the overarching plot may be set in stone, you have agency in most of what you do. Your decisions are the deciding factor in the outcome of many encounters. As well as which doors might remain tightly shut, or wide open for you to enter.

Midnight Caravan has you play as a man who has been stripped of everything by a malignant and faceless figure known as Cassini. Years ago, your name and status came to ruin as you were framed for a crime that is never explicitly mentioned. Whatever it was, has forced you to go on the run. And you’ve been on the run for a long time. Long enough that you now find yourself as the master of the Midnight caravan, a traveling home to drinking, gambling, and harlotry to many patrons around Italy. 

Make it Glorious

The caravan you run can be whatever you make it. Perhaps it will be a micro-dictatorship with you as its ruthless tyrant. Or you might create a safe haven for any in need of one. A home for outcasts and free thinkers, or a den of criminals and debauchery. You can prioritise the people who depend on you or keep coins at the forefront of your mind at all times. 

The choices surrounding the caravan and your day to day life were easily the best part of the choice based gameplay. These choices mould the caravan and can hold all manner of possible benefits and pitfalls to your journey to find the man called Cassini. Some scenarios propose morals and honour and against making some money. Others might be strokes of misfortune that require you to weigh what resources you value more. Whether that be due to necessity or greed. 

Whatever choice you make, should never be made lightly. It might affect a resource, add a useful item, or grant you a new trait. Each of these may prove invaluable as you progress through the story. However not every trait is welcome. For example, one of the first choices you make is where to set up the caravan. One option is to choose a secluded cave where you stashed some valuables while on the run. It increases your starting amount of coins. However it’s close vicinity to a malarial swamp means a decrease in health every turn. 

However, not every choice has an immediate effect. At times you will encounter a scenario which bears unexpected fruit further down the line. Such as helping a group of beggars who in turn prove highly valuable to your hunt for Cassini. Sometimes what seems like the obvious choice can also lead to your downfall and the dreaded game over screen illustrating the one of three reasons you have failed to uncover the labyrinthian conspiracy surrounding you.

Health, Wealth, and Stealth

The three main reasons are your three vital stats. Your coins, your health and your suspicion level should all be monitored closely. Make the wrong choices and the story ends before you unveil the truth behind who Cassini is, and why they have ruined your life. 

So clearly, the choices made through the campaign have far reaching benefits and consequences. They bleed into the main plot-line quite seamlessly. The people you befriend and items you amass can open up new dialogue options that progress the story in a manner most beneficial. The default route may see you lose a segment of health or put a dent into your coin purse. However, the alternate routes that are opened up through your many choices can create beneficial paths that are all reward and no punishment. 

Though this does mean, that making the wrong choice way back when, can only send you to failure without fully understanding why. Such as one run where I was locked out of all options and promptly got killed. These moments can feel a tad unfair, and left me a little salty.

Let’s Try That Again

You’ll be replaying Midnight Caravan often if you’re anything like me. I couldn’t just let things go with me dead and the mystery unsolved. So of course, I dove straight back in. Doing so proved highly valuable. While the scenarios that crop up between the main plot are randomised, playing enough times means you’ll get a couple of familiar scenes. Knowing what benefits you can get out of each choice can be extremely useful to ensure a clean run. But it also showed me something I didn’t appreciate as much.

While those side scenarios affect the plot in many ways. The plot itself is really quite linear. Regardless of what choice you make, many times the outcome is the same. Often the only difference is what stat, if any, de- or increased. There were one or two occasions where an ally may be lost to me based on my choice. However, the main story often chugs along just fine without them.

Seeing as this is a visual novel, it’s understandable and acceptable. Yet, I couldn’t help but be disappointed by how linear it could be when I found myself playing through it so often. Especially when choices proved so important in the side stories.

Sights & Sounds

Midnight Caravan’s scenes and characters are illustrated quite well, and definitely add to the atmosphere and setting. It’s a story of intrigue, conspiracy and betrayal and the illustration oozes that fact. My only complaint was the amount of bare breasts littered throughout. Sure, its a caravan with sex workers on staff, but it still felt gratuitous. Every second woman you speak to is topless. Even when you’re having a private conversation where they ask for time off, or seek your help. Seeing as the caravan operates at night, don’t they get cold? A small complaint, but very noticeable.

Midnight Caravan also sports some great classical music to complement it. Strings, woodwinds and brass sections come together for a lovely symphony in its main and game menus. While the piano forms the backbone of the soundtrack when engaged in dialogue and choices. Overall the music fits really well with the kind of story you’re engaged in. And while there’s not a crazy amount of variety between the tracks. There’s enough complexity in each background song that it never felt repetitive. Even in my many playthroughs.

Excuse Me, There’s a Bug in My Game

Unfortunately the game has a few technical issues. I’ll recap the two I experienced. On one of my later playthroughs my suspicion level reached its limit and I was due to fail. But instead of the usual screen explaining why the game was over, it would just crash. This happened every time I tried, regardless of which choice I made.

The other bug was in the end of night recap screen. Here it summarises how much money, fame, health and suspicion you made or lost. If I decided to press the space bar instead of clicking my mouse, it would just add on to those amounts as if another night had passed. Essentially skipping a day each time. I could click this until I gained a certain amount of money. However, I would then not be able to progress the story, trapping me in an endless loop of pressing “continue”. I guess it’s what I get for trying to finesse some extra cash.

I also noticed a couple of grammatical errors here and there, such as using “him” where “he” would make more sense.

Midnight Caravan as a whole is an enjoyable visual novel that interweaves choices into a main plot that remains engaging all the way through.  While not a perfect experience, you may just find yourself playing and replaying. It always keeps you coming back with its great dialogue and deep conspiracy.

Review: Dust to the End

Charles Ombler
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Review: Dust to the End

‘War. War never changes.’ Except sometimes. Sometimes war changes quite significantly. If we take ‘war’ to mean Fallout, the video game franchise that harps on about war never changing, as if it makes the gameplay about slaying mutants in a post-apocalyptic wasteland somehow poetic, then war changes a great deal. Over the years Fallout has gone from an isometric turn-based RPG to a 3D first-person shooter RPG to a 3D multiplayer pile of garbage. But why am I wittering on about Fallout in this review of Dust to the End? Well, partially because Fallout is potentially my favourite video game franchise of all time and I’ll take any opportunity to talk about it, but mostly because Dust to the End gives me significant Fallout 1 and 2 vibes in its theming, art and some of its gameplay. If you love the original flavour of Fallout before ‘War. War changed’ and are upset there hasn’t been a release in that vein over the last two decades then I might have a little gem of a game for you.

Humanity is over. Standard story: boy meets boy, boy dislikes boy, boy wipes boy off the surface of the Earth with enough nukes to destroy life as we know it. It’s the sort of war that nobody wins and everybody loses. The only survivors are those who managed to get to underground vaults before the apocalypse really got going (I’ll be honest, some of the Fallout parallels aren’t subtle). Now, hundreds of years later, you play as a descendant of these survivors, still living in the vault away from the dangers of the irradiated world above. Unfortunately, your cosy existence in this protected corner of the post-apocalyptic wasteland isn’t destined to last and it isn’t long before bandits dressed in rad-as-hell plague doctor masks attack the vault and kill or capture all of your vault-dwelling companions. More through luck than judgement you manage to escape, fleeing into the wasteland with only your wits for company. It turns out that your wits are terrible company and before long you fall unconscious, surely fated to die under the scorching desert sun.

As ‘Dying Under the Scorching Desert Sun Simulator 2021’ would be a short and terrible game, the developers made the wise choice here to intervene and you are rescued by a kindly old man who nurses you back to health. However, this is a ‘you saved my life, I am eternally grateful’ situation and the old man turns out not to be that kindly after all, expecting you to work off your life debt to him by working for his caravan company. This job requires you to travel between settlements, buying supplies in one town for a low price and selling them on in another town for a higher price, repeating the process until you become some kind of post-apocalyptic Jeff Bezos, aka Jeff Bezos after a few more years of Jeff Bezos being Jeff Bezos. Your first goal is to make 5,000 money so you can pay the town’s ‘taxes’ which pay for a big can of giant-bug-repelling bug spray. A settlement will almost certainly perish without the bug spray, so the ‘tax’ is more of a protection racket run by the corporations monopolising the supply. Oh look, it’s Jeffery Bezos again.

Travelling between settlements is the main thrust of the game and is where I really pick up on the Fallout vibes the game is putting down. Much like in Fallout 1 and 2, when you travel between settlements you watch a little version of your character walking across an overview map, with the settlements highlighted, bandits and creatures roaming looking for an easy fight and random events such as supply caches marked. Your character will set off on a beeline towards the settlement you’ve set as your destination but you still have complete control of their movement, meaning you can avoid combat encounters, divert towards dropped supplied or change your destination entirely. As a pro-tip here, you should definitely do those things and not get distracted by eating a casserole, leaving your character to wander. Much like in the real world, you will get eaten by mutated bugs if you get distracted by casserole.

Speaking of food, I believe I’ve mentioned in another review on this site that I normally despise hunger and thirst meters in games. It’s enough of an ordeal monitoring your need for food and water in the real world, without having to take care of a video game character’s needs as well. Therefore, it may surprise you to hear that I love Dust to the End’s survival system, mostly because you don’t need to monitor your needs at all. The game tells you how much food and water you’ll need for a journey before you set off and you just need to make sure you have at least that much in your inventory. Beyond that, it pretty much takes care of itself. I appreciate this hands-off approach to hunger and thirst and it’s one of the few games where I think it makes gameplay sense to have survival needs, as it means you need to balance your inventory between having enough food and water to survive a journey but also carrying as many supplies as possible to sell for a profit at the next town. It’s not just the amount of food and water you carry that’s important – the quality of those items influences your ‘morale’, which impacts your combat effectiveness. So you might want to spend the extra cash and inventory space on better food so you’re not caught with your gun-belt around your ankles when you’re attacked by bandits.

The final element of gameplay is combat – you can avoid fighting enemies to your heart’s content but that won’t help you when a quest needs you to collect bug blood to free some people who may or may not be your kidnapped fellow vault-dwellers (it doesn’t sound like it but it does make sense in context, trust me). The combat is turn-based with some of your stats determining the rate at which you get another turn. This is illustrated by a turn order at the top of your screen. You can always do your basic attack which will do a modest amount of damage to a single enemy. But, what you’ll really want to do is one of your special attacks. Special attacks generally do more damage or have a chance to apply a status effect to the enemy it hits, like ‘stunned’ which forces them to skip their next turn. However, special attacks require AP and your AP is determined by your morale, so if you’ve been eating gristle and bugs for the last week you’ll be stuck doing your basic attack all of the time. The combat isn’t anything particularly special but it’s solidly put together and there’s nothing to complain about – especially when you’ll be avoiding combat as much as you can in an effort to try and stay alive.

If you want a hit of an early Fallout game in a brilliant and non-copyright infringing package since Bethesda have jumped into a lake with the concrete breeze-block of Fallout 76 tied to their ankles, then look no further than Dust to the End. Brimming with a compelling story and memorable characters, Dust to the End is not one to let pass you by. It’s got a clear mechanism for earning money, with one of the best yet most understandable economies in games – certainly more understandable than the real world economy where people starve while billionaires go to space. This mechanic is packaged next to your standard turn-based RPG combat and has a decent system for travelling and avoiding combat thrown in for good measure. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I still have a few kilos of bug blood to harvest because after all – War, war never changes.

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