“Horizon Chase” is an arcade racing game that has managed to capture the essence of what makes the genre so exhilarating and accessible. With its vibrant and eye-catching graphics, delightful soundtrack, and straightforward yet engaging gameplay mechanics, it stands out as a hidden gem that I’m sure to return to.

The first thing that strikes you about “Horizon Chase” is its simple but highly appealing graphics. The game’s bright colours and distinct artistic style make each level feel unique and alive. The tracks take you on a global journey, with each map offering a fresh visual identity. Whether you’re racing through the neon-lit streets of Tokyo or the serene landscapes of the Italian countryside, the game’s environments are always a treat for the eyes. Not only are they all vastly different from each-other, some will even offer environmental “hazards”. From dessert levels being covered in sandstorms or the cities changing into night time over the course of the race are among some of these nice little additions.

Complementing the visuals is an amazing soundtrack that perfectly matches the game’s high-energy races. The music in “Horizon Chase” is not just background noise; it elevates the entire experience. Each track feels tailor-made for the high-speed, adrenaline-pumping action, making every race not only a test of skill but also an auditory delight. That being said it was also the only bad thing I can say about the game, as I have experienced a couple bugs that resulted in the music not playing. From the music playing while paused which resulted in the track running short and me finishing the race in silence, to one race straight up being longer than the track playing no matter how fast the player gets through it. This was not a super prominent issue but it happened enough to have to mention it.

One of the standout features of “Horizon Chase” is its easy-to-pick-up driving mechanics. Even if you’re new to racing games, you’ll find yourself quickly getting the hang of it. The controls are intuitive, allowing you to focus on enjoying the race rather than grappling with complex manoeuvres. This accessibility doesn’t come at the cost of depth, however. The game offers plenty of challenge for more experienced players, especially in the later stages.

“Horizon Chase” offers a variety of modes to keep you engaged. The main World Tour mode takes you through a series of progressively challenging races across different locations. This is where you’ll spend most of your time, honing your skills and unlocking new cars. Tournaments provide a side activity, stringing together a series of levels from the World Tour in quick succession, perfect for those looking for a bit more structure and competition

In addition to the regular races, “Horizon Chase” features time trials that offer a greater test of your driving skills. While the early time trials are relatively simple, the difficulty ramps up quickly. Mastering these trials requires precision and perfect turns at maximum speed, providing a satisfying challenge for those looking to push their abilities to the limit.

The progression system in “Horizon Chase” is straightforward but effective. Completing races earns you XP, which can be used to level up your cars to a maximum of level 10. As you unlock new cars, they start at higher levels, ensuring they remain competitive in later stages. This system keeps you motivated to continue racing and improving your vehicles, providing a steady sense of achievement. In addition to these, completing races with the same car will unlock new body customisation as well as completing certain events will unlock new wheels and livery’s to ensure you can keep your looking fresh throughout your journey.

For those who enjoy racing with friends, “Horizon Chase” does not disappoint in that aspect either. The game includes a robust multiplayer mode and supports split-screen play. This feature is a fantastic addition, making it an excellent choice for gatherings and parties. The thrill of racing against your friends on the same screen is something that many modern racing games have neglected, and it’s refreshing to see it included here. The best part for me is that the world tour is also playable in split screen, which means the game can be enjoyed with a friend or partner and not hinder the progression.

Overall, “Horizon Chase” is an absolute joy to play. Its combination of stunning visuals, engaging music, and accessible yet challenging gameplay makes it a standout in the arcade racing genre. Whether you’re in the mood for a quick race or a longer session tackling the World Tour, the game is always ready to provide a good time. It’s the kind of game that you can easily pick up for a few minutes or lose yourself in for hours. With its variety of modes and multiplayer options, it’s a game that will keep you coming back for more.

Horizon Chase 2 is available on all platforms now.

“Be my Horde” is an intriguing blend of wave-based gameplay and Overlord-style minion summoning that offers a fresh and engaging experience. As a player, you control a powerful necromancer who raises fallen enemies to join her ever-growing undead army. The game’s art style is simple yet effective, and the gameplay, while initially straightforward, reveals a surprising depth as you progress.

In “Be my Horde,” you navigate through a field teeming with scattered enemy groups. Every minute, an event occurs that sends a stronger group of enemies your way, adding a layer of intensity to the gameplay. The core mechanic revolves around defeating enemies and then raising them to join your ranks as undead minions. These minions surround and follow you, albeit with limited direct control. Initially, this lack of control can be frustrating, but as you grow accustomed to it, you discover the strategic nuances it brings.

Each run is structured around a very simple gameplay loop. You scout around the field, defeat enemies, raise them, and face increasingly challenging waves. This loop is easy to understand and pick up, making the game accessible. However, the difficulty spikes noticeably around the 7th minute, that made me reconsider how I’m playing the game and revealing a deeper layer of strategy than initially apparent.

The game’s strategic depth becomes evident when you consider minion positioning and management. Raised minions join you in a circle, and their placement can significantly impact your success. For example, positioning your minions to fight on multiple fronts without being overwhelmed is crucial. This strategic placement not only helps manage enemy waves but also optimizes the growth of your undead army, setting you up for future challenges.

After each run, you respawn at your lair, where you can use harvested souls for various upgrades. These upgrades include increasing the number of minions you can raise at the same time, boosting health, and enhancing speed for both the player and the army. Additionally, there are scrolls that unlock new troops or modify the map with features like graveyards, where you can raise additional troops. This progression system adds a layer progression. Especially the speed of raising the undead which makes waves far more manageable than at the beginning, this encourages players to continually improve and adapt their tactics.

Despite its many strengths, “Be my Horde” does have moments that feel excessively challenging. The lack of variety during runs, with no pickups or level-ups, can make the game feel repetitive. However, the strategic elements of minion placement and army management help mitigate this to some extent. At the time of this review the game is in early access which is important to state as the game has a lot of room for improvement.

I have spent around 5 hours in the game before I upgraded the lair fully and then played for another hour or so just trying to get better and adapting different strategies to survive as long as I could. The key additions that would benefit the game would be adding more variety during runs. Adding pickups, more temporary power-ups, or dynamic events could break the monotony and provide additional layers of strategy. More diverse enemy types and environmental hazards could also keep the gameplay fresh and engaging.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with “Be my Horde”. For its very low price, the game offers a compelling and unique experience that is both challenging and rewarding. The premise is fantastic, and the potential for future updates to expand on its core mechanics is exciting. The game’s early access status means there is room for improvement, but even in its current state, it is a worthwhile experience.

I highly recommend checking out “Be my Horde”, especially given its affordable price. It’s a game that rewards strategic thinking and planning ahead, and with continued development, it has the potential to become a standout title in its genre. Keep an eye on future updates, as they are likely to bring even more depth and variety to this already promising game.

The Exit 8 is an Indie game which has taken the gaming community by storm. The game by Kotake Create is a walking simulator based in a Japenese subway. You play as someone looking to leave the building by getting to exit 8 (you start at Exit 0). Advancing up the levels is done by anomaly spotting. You really have to adjust to this and keep your eyes peeled at times some of these can be very difficult to spot. It takes a very short time to realise this game is a loop. The game uses its eeriness to creep the player out which makes us really second-guess every decision we make.

Pick a side

The game essentially works by the player being stuck in this loop. It’s up to the player to notice any anomaly in the environment. These can be completely obvious, like a literal waterfall chasing you out. Or perhaps something very specific like the writing on a sign changing. If you notice an anomaly, you should go back. When you do you’ll see the number on the yellow sign go up. The goal is to get to 8. When you do not see any anomalies, you should walk forward. If you were correct in thinking there were no anomalies, you will also be rewarded with the number increasing. However, any wrong decision will result in the number resetting all the way back to 0. This adds to the desperation of focusing hard on each area desperate not to miss anything. Every time I decided to walk forward, I never felt certain that there was no anomaly.

Eerie Environment

While what I have described may not instantly sound very scary, this game is really creepy. It achieves this through various methods. For starters, the sound in this game makes the player feel on edge. It’s pretty much silent except for the footsteps of you and the man who walks past you(more on him later). This adds to the sense of wanting to escape this place and hopefully reunite with society. This stressful, lonely feeling is added by security cameras and signs which make you feel like you’re perhaps not supposed to be there. Now onto the man. While you continue through the loop of hallways, you cross paths with a man holding a briefcase. His expression is muted, he has no dialogue and, unless if there’s an anomaly, he will do the same thing every time. This is a great way to heighten the tension as it feels like he’s part of this surveillance. This game really succeeds in making the player feel a bit claustrophobic and desperate to get out of this place.

Verdict

The Exit 8 is a fun near-horror experience. This game is all about its eerie atmosphere, as soon as you boot the game up, you are in. There are no menus or anything. Its looping Groundhog Day-esque style successfully makes the player feel claustrophobic and desperate to exit. The actual environment this game creates is probably the best part, despite it being so repetitive and minimal. It boosts the high stakes from the established tension by making any errors relegate you back to zero. The game does provide a fun and thrilling experience and allows you to get right in thanks to its simplicity. However, this simplicity does limit it to being a game that struggled to entertain for more than one evening or so. Though there is still a lot of content, you can finish the game 3 or 4 times over and there will still be anomalies you haven’t noticed before. Some of these anomalies are almost too tricky to spot. So much so that players believed there to be a glitch where there would be no anomaly but they were still penalised for going forward. Things like noticing the posters have gotten bigger might be a step too far for the game’s casual audience. Though overall, The Exit 8 definitely provides a good time. It’s simplistic and minimal yet very rewarding and immersive so for its low price, it’s worth a try.