Movies Games and Tech

Review: Otherwar

Daniel Waite

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Oct 9, 2025

Otherwar is a game that didn’t initially appeal to me. It was slow, testing, and a little strange. However, its hybrid gameplay, tactical edge, and reasonably casual mindset grew on me. Moreover, I liked its pixelated style and the twists and turns I encountered.

This tower defence and bullet hell mash-up was developed and published by Take IT Studio. It is a single-player top-down game with a dated aesthetic. Furthermore, the action is linear in its design as monsters follow a set path, and your defences can only be placed in certain areas. This makes it differ slightly from its peers, as you can’t manipulate more powerful options in your favour.

Otherwar is all about survival.

Heaven vs Hell is an age-old tale. Though many do not believe, I like how it is used for entertainment purposes. Otherwar is a prime example of a solid idea being used sparingly. The concept of good vs evil is always at the fore, but it quickly becomes forgotten. This isn’t a complaint as you focus your energy on defeating waves of mental foes.

You control a defender Angel who must prevent the hordes of hell from breaking down the gates. If they succeed, you’ll die and all hell will break loose. This isn’t ideal as you must dodge an array of horrific projectiles. As the game progresses, this becomes particularly difficult, and a solid tactical foundation is required if you wish to succeed.

Towers, coins, and luck.

The aim of the game is simple. Kill every foe with your army of towers. If you survive, you’ll move on to the next wave and eventually the next level. However, this is easier said than done, as projectiles become nigh on impossible to dodge. This keeps you frosty throughout.

Things are made a little easier as you unlock each of the 10 towers on offer. Moreover, each tower can be upgraded 3 times to improve your chances of survival. Yet, don’t think that’ll happen quickly, as you’ll need gold and plenty of grind to be victorious.

Understanding the route of your foes is easy. They follow paths that are lined by your towers. Consequently, you can slow them down by selecting the correct defences for the job. This is restricted slightly as you can only buy 5 of each tower. This was annoying, but a good idea as it prevents cheating and “cheesing” victory.

Finally, luck will be your new friend. As the bosses appear, these tanks run riot. They follow no set path, so it’s a bit of a pain to take them down. This is where lucky placement and the right blend of towers are important. Get it right, and the gates will remain intact.

Otherwar is incredibly old-school.

Pixelated games are my thing. Yes, I love modern realism, but I grew up with limited graphics and horrible colours. Thankful, Otherwar captures that perfectly. The sprites look rough, and the levels are basic and understated. Additionally, the animation is particularly smooth. These choices are deliberate and enhance the retro feel.

The audio follows suit with an aggressive but dated soundtrack. The sound effects are simple, effective, and define a bygone era. Though the aesthetic will not appeal to everyone, I appreciated the nod to my gaming roots.

Simple controls.

Otherwar is bloody slow. The bullets are slow, the monsters move like snails, and the Angel doesn’t fly. However, it doesn’t matter. The controls are wonderfully refined, and the UI works well. The result is a rudimentary affair that is relatively simple to master.

Dying was a familiar experience. Yet, I wanted to push on and try to win. This tough but rewarding design creates a basic and addictive gameplay loop. Subsequently, there is replay value and longevity if you fall for its charms.

Otherwar is a slow burner.

Slow-burning games don’t always strike a chord. I want to get on with things and plough through the content. Luckily, I gave Otherwar enough time to grow on me. If I hadn’t, I would have missed out on some retro and challenging tower defence action.

Though this isn’t perfect and it won’t appeal to everyone, I like it. The graphics are old-school, the music is aggressive, and the controls are simple to master. Yes, there are a few bugs, and things are awkwardly slow, but I grew to ignore these shortcomings. Accordingly, I like it and recommend buying it here! Can you stop the hordes of hell? Choose your towers, avoid the projectiles, and protect the gates with your life.

Review: Folly Of The Wizards

Patrick Sullivan

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Oct 9, 2025

0

Folly Of The Wizards is another entry in the roguelike genre. Developed by UpFox Labs, this 2D roguelike action video game follows a young wizard who must go out and save the world. Unfortunately, this game does the one thing I think every roguelike game should avoid: it becomes boring.

Die And Go Again… Not In This Game Please

Like I said above, Folly Of The Wizards becomes a boring game the more hours I put into it. But let’s get some positives out of the way first. The plot is simple and quite humorous: you play as a simple young wizard apprentice who must save the world. You can choose one from multiple wizards but the game tells you they are all terrible so just pick one. Nice little humor here just to let you know how unprepared you are. Even when you die, a message tells you it was expected that the wizard would die. Once you pick your wizard, you jump into the game.

The graphics and art style is also a highlight for the game. Everything looks beautiful, enemies look threatening. Hell was my favourite and most memorable with its Hellish design. The multiple levels you go through and clear are well-designed. Boss fights also look cool, well some of them at least.

Now into the gameplay. The gameplay is simple. Clear enemies in rooms and make it to the final boss fight to pass the level and move to the next area. Like all roguelikes, you die you go again. When you die you start again to try and level up and gain better gear. This is a fun mechanic in these games but in Folly Of The Wizards, it becomes tedious. Tedious is not something you want when playing roguelikes.

Is That It?

One of the most frustrating parts of Folly Of The Wizards is it doesn’t explain things very well. Sometimes when I died and went back again to unlock new items to do better in my next run, I found myself getting confused about what some items do. There are relics that you can pick up and they are never really explained. Does it modify my current weapon? Is it a weapon? What does it do? Sometimes I don’t know. The odd time I kind of understood what it does and changes, but this seemed rare.

Furthermore, after a few hours of play I became bored with the game. The combat in the game isn’t that interesting. You just press attack button and that’s it. Many of the weapons are not that different from one another. Although the ice-cream is favourite. Felt like it was the most powerful. Especially in boss fights. I would spam the boss with the ice-cream cones and they would melt the enemies health away. Truly amazing. After dying many times though, I found it difficult telling some of the levels apart because they are meant to be different in every run. It just becomes repetitive.

Friend Or Foe?

Another mechanic in the game is the ‘affinity system’. You can encounter other characters in the game when passing through the levels. Sometimes they are locked behind locked doors which need keys to access or clearing a room full of enemies. Doesn’t matter what their names are, they are forgettable like every other character. But when talking to them, you have dialogue options. One increases affinity bond with them while the other brings it down. It changes the items, weapons and even boss fights that you encounter in the levels.

While this sounds interesting, it is never fully explained. Even after hours of playtime and doing both ways when talking to them, I still don’t fully get it. Do you get harder boss fights if you decrease affinity? Better weapons when it goes up? No idea. Another unexplained mechanic in Folly Of The Wizards.

Verdict

Folly Of The Wizards is just a boring, repetitive game. Mechanics, relics and weapons are never fully explained. The affinity system is interesting but never becomes something good. Another confusing addition that is just confusing. All this makes the game frustrating. Graphics and the level design is good and some of the boss fights are cool and challenging. Unfortunately, this is one roguelike where you do not want to try again after dying. There are better options out there in this genre. Folly Of The Wizards isn’t one of them.

Review: Mortal Sin

Luke Hedingham

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Oct 8, 2025

0

The combat was addictive, bloody and brutal

If you ask gamers what they want from a combat-focused game they would most likely say one that’s addictive, enjoyable and interesting enough to want to put many hours into. Well, that fits the description perfectly of Mortal Sin, a blood-soaked and brutal dungeon crawler, with fast-paced and addictive combat.

Whilst there were a lot of good aspects about the game, to no surprise the combat was the main standout, I mean it is a hack and slash game, after all. What made it so addictive and fun was that it was fast-paced, bloody and brutal. Who doesn’t like a game where you can slice off limbs? Anyway, as fun as that is the variety of weapons and the different combos you can perform is what truly made the combat so enjoyable.

In terms of weapons, each character has a specific one apart from the struggler, who has access to all skills and weapons. In total, there are 28 weapons so there are quite a few, some are definitely a lot stronger and satisfying to use than others, which can massively impact the overall enjoyment you get from the combat. Weapons and armour can be found in chests and on corpses scattered around the areas, some with much higher stats than others, such as attack, defence and luck.

But the combos regardless of what weapon you used were the core aspect of the combat, they allowed for increased damage and bonuses such as invincibility and explosions. The more combos you perform the higher the chain which in turn resulted in more damage dealt to enemies. I’ll be honest, I didn’t actually focus on the combos and instead just kind of randomly kicked, thrusted and swung whenever I felt like it, it was a lot more enjoyable than trying to master and practice different combos, though if you really want to beat the game then I would suggest not doing what I did.f

If you do want to use combos but have trouble remembering them then luckily you have the option to have a specific one on the screen at all times, the auto-combo system is also very helpful for less skilled and newer players, allowing you to perform automatic combos just by clicking your mouse.

Lack of levels and areas left me quite bored after a while

Despite Mortal Sin having many positives such as a wide variety of characters, fun and addictive combat along with appealing graphics, one thing that it doesn’t exactly excel at is the few amount of levels and areas available.

Don’t get me wrong, the areas and randomly generated levels are designed very well along with the enemies that appear in them, but there just aren’t enough of them for me to not get bored of them after a while. I came across the same levels regularly which given I can’t criticize too much since I had several different playthroughs, so the odds of playing the same levels is quite high, but replaying the same three different areas along with that also contributed to the boredom and repetitiveness.

Mind you there are actually more than three areas, as a matter of fact there are six but the last three you can’t access until you beat the main ones, which are the cave, dungeon and forest. You play 15 levels across the three, five in each area and depending on what one you choose to play first will give you different generated levels for each area, this does make playthroughs slightly less boring by not playing the same areas in the exact order each time and coming across different variants of levels, but it only does so much until it becomes boring anyway. But hey, at least it postpones that feeling only if for a little while.

The maw of sin, trial of resolve and the vessel are the other areas available. The maw of sin involves fighting a few hordes of powerful enemies from the first three areas and you’re met with a massive durable boss in the end, if you defeat it well you’ve completed the game, so congratulations. The trial of resolve is optional, however upon beating it you gain strong passive skills and an achievement of course, who doesn’t want a rare achievement? Finally, the vessel is practically similar to the first three areas in the sense of facing occasional waves of enemies and fighting your way through five different points.

Those three areas do add more to the already limited and repetitive levels, but it’s still not really enough to eliminate the boredom completely, but with that said it’s pretty much impossible for a game to not feel boring after a while, though I think my point of the developer adding in more areas and levels is fair feedback.

The amount of classes however, was the opposite of boring

There were plenty of classes (characters) in Mortal Sin which made the overall experience a lot more enjoyable. Having a relatively big roster to choose from each playthrough was really fun and made each one different from the last despite the limited levels, especially since each class was different in many ways.

Each character had different starting stats, weapons and special abilities, and after playing as most of them it became clearly obvious that some are a lot stronger and more fun than others. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing because there are many games where certain characters are stronger or the smarter choice, but it does mean that the weaker classes such as monk are often left to rot, though I would suggest trying each character once just to get the experience of playing as all of them.

The list of classes are as follows:

. Berserker

. Duelist

. Enigma

. Gladiator

. Hoarder

. Hunter

. Mage

. Martyr

. Monk

. Paladin

. Pirate

. Reaper

. Stalker

. Struggler

. Vampire

. Warlock

I personally found mage to be the strongest, purely because of his time stop ability which was really helpful for getting out of sticky situations, especially when being overwhelmed by enemies. It also allowed me to charge my attack which wiped out several enemies and made clearing the areas so much easier. I also enjoyed playing as the pirate, his ability which allowed him to throw a bomb was very helpful, plus I enjoyed his duel weapon of a sword and gun, allowing to engage in close and long range combat.

So if you do give this game a go I would highly recommend going with the mage or another character with a very strong ability, beating the game is so much easier and makes for a more enjoyable experience.

Review: AULA F75 keyboard

Daniel Waite

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Oct 8, 2025

0

We live in an age of affordable but highly impressive mechanical keyboards. Wherever I look, there is a company offering amazing keyboards at a fraction of the cost. Mechlands has sent me one of their latest devices. The Epomaker AULA F75 keyboard is a versatile tri-mode 75% form factor device. Furthermore, it is durable, vibrant, and it comes in a range of unique colours.

I was sent the white and lilac option. This design looks fantastic with or without the stunning RGB layout. Additionally, the comfortable cherry profile keycaps are familiar and easy to use. If you love to customise your peripherals, you can adjust the settings using the Epomaker software. Furthermore, the handy media knob lets you adjust your audio settings with ease.

Finally, this mechanical device sounds fantastic. 5 layers of sound and shock-absorbing materials deliver a rich and solid audio profile. The familiar clacky typing sound is rich and loud without being obnoxious. Consequently, it has that reassuring noise without annoying your online friends and anyone within a 5-metre radius.

What’s in the box of the AULA F75 keyboard?

The packaging is simple but informative. Furthermore, it is robust and can be recycled.
The AULA F75 keyboard is great to look at. It has a simple structure, 3-way adjustable feet, a media knob, and full RGB. Moreover, it has tactile switches for connectivity and a place to store the USB dongle.
Power the device with the USB-C cable.
Connect wirelessly with the USB dongle.
A keycap puller, switches, and spare keycaps are provided.
Learn the basics with the user manual.

Technical aspects.

Though I play almost exclusively wired, I like the chance to use my keyboards when I commute. Thankfully, the AULA F75 keyboard has a massive 4000 mAh battery for extended battery life. This monster battery can be charged in no time because of the rapid charging facility. However, if you wish to check your remaining power level, the RGB lighting highlights the juice you have left.

Flitting between modes is as easy as flicking a switch. Whenever you play wirelessly or wired, you’ll enjoy 1000Hz polling rates. This blistering speed reduces latency issues and is perfect for fast-paced gaming. However, if you want to use Bluetooth, the rates drop considerably. Accordingly, I wouldn’t want to use the 125Hz polling rates for anything other than work, checking emails, or playing slow-paced offline games.

Usability.

The AULA F75 keyboard is one of the most user-friendly keyboards you can purchase. If you are a bit of a technophobe, you can enjoy a plug-and-play approach from the start. However, if you like to test new features, adjust RGB settings, or play with macros, this can be done with the free-to-download software.

Changing switches is the new norm. Luckily, this device has hot-swappable 3/5-pin switches. I didn’t play with the provided LEOBOG Reaper switches because the linear style and actuation distance were comfortable and suitable for my needs. However, if you have a preferred switch, you needn’t worry about soldering. Simply grab the keycap puller, remove every keycap and switch, and install your switch of choice.

Changing connectivity modes was just as easy. The rear-mounted tactile switch has clear labelling to ensure no mistakes are made. Once you’ve made your choice, the device automatically detects the nearest compatible option. Accordingly, no mistakes can be made. Whether you are connecting this to your PC, mobile phone, console, or tablet, you will not struggle.

Build quality.

The AULA F75 keyboard is built to last! The durable, hardened plastic case is reassuringly rugged. Moreover, the cherry profile double-shot PBT keycaps are oil and stain-resistant. This approach reduces the awful shiny finish that undermines cheaper products. The finely-calibrated stabilisers increase keystroke accuracy and reduce unwanted keycap wobble. This is important for gaming and will offer a comfortable edge during tough and fast-paced moments.

The 5 layers of acoustic sound and shock-absorbing materials enhance that feeling of stability. Each keystroke feels firm but smooth, and the actuation distance of the provided switch reduces fatigue during lengthy gaming sessions. Finally, the provided accessories are well-built, and the USB cable is durable and long enough for most gaming arrangements.

Is the AULA F75 keyboard worth it?

I use an Epomaker keyboard every day. The quality, style, typing position, and aesthetic are appealing. Thankfully, the AULA F75 keyboard is no different. Its versatile nature will appeal to a wide audience. Furthermore, the 75% form factor is perfect for smaller workstations or commuters. If you love to play wirelessly, the large battery and quick charging keep you in the game for longer. Accordingly, this affordable device is great and I recommend buying it here!

_{(More information on Mechlands can be found here!)}

The AULA F75 keyboard from Epomaker has been awarded the Movies Games and Tech Gold Award.

_{(Full disclosure! A sample was provided for an unbiased and free review!)}

Review: Wander Stars

Rhys Speight

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Oct 8, 2025

0

Apparently, actions speak louder than words. Though it may be hypocritical for me to say this as a writer; I completely agree. But what if there was a video game where your words were your actions ? And what if, cos why not, it was heavily inspired by old school 80s/90s anime’s that the developers obviously grew up watching reruns of? Y’know, the ones where characters spent a lot of time stood on open ground talking about fighting instead of actually fighting. Well then you’d have Paper Castle’s Wander Stars, and you should count yourself lucky, because this game is a delightful little gem.

Our hero Ringo (no, not the drummer) is a spunky 14 year old aspiring Kai fighter, with giant legs and an indomitable spirit (and temper). She’s essentially just young Goku, gender swapped and minus the monkey tail, and the art style only reminds you of this. Orphaned at a young age due to a flood on her island, she and her older brother were taken in by an incredibly muscular older woman they refer to as their grandma, who trains them in Kai Fighting, the combat of choice in this universe. However, the older brother leaves home (and the planet) upon turning 18 and is never seen again. Years later, a spaceship crash lands on their island, and Kai meets its pilot, an anthropomorphic wolf brilliantly named Wolfe. He is hunting down pieces of the Wonderstar map, one of which Ringo just happens to possess; likewise with her lost brother. Chased down by slightly inept space pirates (there’s a throwback), Ringo leaves the planet to join Wolfe in his quest for the map shards, in the hope of reuniting with her sibling.

Tropey of course, but I do love my tropes, especially when they’re played with the right amount of tongue in cheek, and this game perfectly manages to balance its wacky humour with genuine character moments. Ringo’s curiosity contrasts with her stubbornness in a way that never grates, an easy trap to fall in with talkative child characters. She plays well off of Wolfe, a canine Han Solo with a heavily implied romantic past with one of the pirates pursuing them. The NPC’s, varying species of the galaxy with outlandish designs, may not offer deep conversations or side quests, but they do offer opportunities for Ringo and Wolfe to argue; nice light entertainment. In episode 4 you meet Camela, a young witch in training, who dumps a bit of dorky optimism into the mix. It all falls into a story that isn’t particularly intense or unique, but has a strong emotional heart. Oh, and where does the Wanderstar map actually lead to? The characters don’t even know for most of the game.

As mentioned above, the game’s art style emulates the look of classic anime’s, mainly OG Dragonball, with some animated segments for key story moments absolutely nailing the look. There’s even an audio setting that muffles the sound and replaces the sound effects with the wooshes and heavy bass of the shows that inspired it; I highly recommend turning this on and I even wish there was a similar CRT visual filter. My only complaint about the presentation here is the lack of fully animated segments; dialogue is portrayed through a visual novel style mix of characters striking poses on a static background, and you’ll see a lot of these repeated, with some feeling out of place for the aesthetic they’re going for. There’s also zero voice acting, minus character grunts during combat, perhaps a shame but not entirely necessary; you can hear these characters well enough through the written word.

Speaking of the written word, the game’s turn based combat revolves around you selecting them to build up attacks. Starting with a central act command, you can then select modifiers to power it up and then top it off with an elemental effect if you feel like it. A simple kick can become an Extra Super Special Fire Kick (anyone remember that show?) and rank up your damage output alongside a negative status effect. It’s very typical turn based RPG stuff, but it also kinda begs the question; why use words when they’re all just the usual physical combat abilities? There’s no way of actually talking to characters in combat, using your words to convince, charm or negotiate. True, Undertale did this a decade ago almost pitch perfectly and yes, there is a mechanic where beaten up enemies will surrender and you can choose to end the encounter peacefully. Am I asking too much here and projecting my own expectations unfairly onto it? Perhaps yes, because at the end of the day, the combat is still engaging and surprisingly satisfying.

You explore the land via a board game map screen, moving space to space and encountering your usual NPC’s, combat encounters and ships. It’s rudimentary but perfectly functional, and actually presents you with a fair amount of optional routes and rewards. A random encounter may be a wishing well, and you are given the choice to peer down and fall into, losing HP but finding some cash at the bottom. For my favourite thing about this game is the pacing, the game is broken into segments labelled as Episodes, and they follow the typical 3 Act structure of an anime episode, ending with a giant To Be Continued banner. If you breeze through the quickest routes, an episode can take less than an hour and there’s a nice round 10 here, subverting the anime and JRPG trope of going on and on.

Wander Stars is a lovely little JRPG that never overstays its welcome, with a cute, charming cast and a fun but basic combat system. Broken down into parts, it’s nothing special, but as a complete package it might just be one of my favourite gaming experiences of this year. And keep in mind; I am not an anime fan and have never seen an episode of Dragonball, so if you are then this is an even bigger no brainer, especially at just £21 on Steam. Like its own protagonist, Wander Stars is short, punchy and sweet.

Review: Mars First Logistics

Saim Khurshid

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Oct 8, 2025

0

Physics games like Mars First Logistics are usually made for a laugh or a chin scratch. This game was anything but. Mars First Logistics had me coming back over and over again to see what else the game had under its belt… I still have not reached half of it.

Developed by Shape Shop and published by Shape Shop and Outersloth, Mars First Logistics is a 3D Sandbox delivery game with brilliant vehicle design and driving simulation.

I was casually recovering from a sickness when I received a code for this game. The Title Sucks, the visuals look pretentious, and the vibes are down. But then I pressed play.

GAME OF THE YEAR!

Mars Lego

If you have seen those shorts on YouTube where some random schmuck tries to shred paper or cross a fridge with Lego, then you know exactly what to expect from Mars First Logistics.

Groundbreaking and easy to understand, building vehicles or tools attached to them is addictively fun. When you take something you just brainstormed and have it successfully finish the mission at hand, it feels like seeing your child take their first steps.

Speaking of missions, you are a rover tasked with building a colony on Mars. You drive around helping deliver objects from point A to point B, collecting points and unlocking new parts as you go.

These points are used to purchase extra pieces of a part if needed, and can be used to help build certain things.

Gravity of the Situation

The physics of Mars First Logistics puts modern triple-A games to shame.

They could spend another decade perfecting horse manure simulations until every turd has dynamic shadow mapping and smell-o-vision, but none of that would come close to the sheer joy and realism of how this game handles movement, weight, and terrain.

This isn’t just a drive and deliver game; it’s a true engineering sandbox. Every nut, hinge, and piston matters. You don’t just slap parts together; you design machines that obey physics.

Build something too tall, and it’ll tip over when you turn. Make it too light, and it’ll bounce off rocks like a toy. Misjudge your centre of gravity, and your precious cargo will roll right out as you hit a crater ridge.

The vehicles you create must work, not just look cool. You’re constantly balancing torque, traction, and weight distribution, testing every angle of your design before it can even move an inch. When it finally does, the feeling is incredible.

No other game this year has made me care this much about the shape of my wheels, the length of my arms, or the angle of my cargo ramp. Every successful delivery feels earned, not because of scripted missions or cinematic cutscenes, but because your own design survived Mars’ unforgiving terrain.

And this, in its entirety, is the funnest game I have played this year.

Mars First Game

This is what happens when game design respects physics and the player. Every wobble, crash, and impossible hill teaches you something real.

You don’t just drive; you engineer, you experiment, and eventually, you master the terrain.

Sure, the title’s odd and the visuals may not scream ‘blockbuster,’ but don’t let that fool you. This is creativity in motion, a sandbox that rewards problem-solvers and tinkerers alike.

Mars First Logistics isn’t just a quirky physics sim; it’s a rare kind of magic. It takes a pile of parts, a stretch of Martian dust, and your stubborn curiosity, then turns it all into something deeply satisfying.

There’s no hand-holding, no flashy cutscenes, just you, your machine. And when that machine finally works, when your delivery makes it across the ridge and lands clean, it’s a rush no scripted moment could match.

If every big studio chased gameplay like this instead of polish for polish’s sake, we’d be living in a golden age again. Mars may be empty, but this game? It’s bursting with soul.

Review: NBA Bounce

Daniel Waite

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Oct 7, 2025

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NBA Bounce is a fun and simple addition to a normally complex sports affair. Moreover, it is perfect for families and children who wish to enjoy something more lighthearted. Though it lacks the depth of other basketball games, I enjoyed the quick action, vibrant colours, and interesting quirks.

This family-friendly title was developed by Unfinished Pixel and published by Outright Games. It is a single-player or couch cooperative/competitive affair. Consequently, it creates arguments and builds team spirit in one fell swoop.

NBA Bounce lets the action do the talking.

Unlike other sports titles, this has no career option. Instead, there are single-player, tournament, season, and party modes to enjoy. Furthermore, there is some customisation and plenty of things to unlock. Though the action is reasonably repetitive, this matters not. My kids adored the lack of complexity and the short, sharp games.

Except for the party game mode, everything else followed the same process. Pick your team, select your roster of 3 players, and take to the court. You can play for either side, and the winner takes it all. If you are victorious, you’ll unlock characters, outfits, and other bits and pieces. None of these items changes the gameplay, but they add a layer of fun to each match.

Party mode.

Party mode was great fun! As each quarter begins, you are given a special ability to deal with. These powers change the way the action unfolds and can turn the tide of battle in your favour. Moving 3-point lines, additional points, a ball with a mind of its own, and much more await keen gamers.

This madness levelled up the playing field and amused my children no end. However, it can often lead to minor arguments and strops as twists and turns affect everyone who plays. Subsequently, you may get some temporary rage quitting if you are super competitive.

NBA Bounce looks great.

The developer has created an impressive arcade experience. The cartoon characters are nicely drawn, and I like the sharp lines and vibrant colours. Though the courts could be more interesting, the game is attractive enough to keep youngsters interested.

The audio is loud and aggressive. The commentators scream stereotypical one-liners to add energy and drama to each match. Other than this, the audio treads no new ground. This wasn’t disappointing or surprising.