DeVuego

Fun and clever 2D minimalist adventure that is a must-have on Nintendo Switch

The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood is a point and click narrative-driven arcane deck-builder that is a must-play on Nintendo Switch. It’s hard to review games like this one since saying too much can end up ruining your experience, but hopefully you’ve gotten the gist of it. As you build your divination deck from a variety of elements, you’ll be able to shape and tailor your experience. Will you use the power provided by Ábramar for good or for vengeance? How will you affect the destiny of the witches you’ll interact with? 

SuperEpic: The Entertainment War is a charming, funny, and entertaining Metroidvnia that pays homage to classic 2D action games such as Mega Man, Metroid, and Castlevania, with a lot of references to other games that in some gamers eyes are not going to fit into the Metroidvania genre – see Teenage Mutant Ninja Turles on the Nintendo Entertainment System. As commentary on the free to play model and how microtransactions are running gaming in general, and what the world would look like if a single company controlled all of the video games… and said company is all full of pigs. As in, pig the animal – see the game’s trailer. This is a solid Metroidvania on Nintendo Switch for $17.99, and one you should definitely check out!

I wanted to check out Endling – Extinction is Forever from the moment it was revealed since it was a game that had an interesting premise. After giving it a go on PlayStation 4, I’m here to report that it offers a simple but fun gameplay loop that will keep you coming back for more as you search for the trace left behind by the one who took your cub away. Explore a world on the brink of collapse in a colorful and charming 3D sidescrolling experience. Endling – Extinction is Forever is out today on PlayStation 4 with a $29.99 asking price.

Fun and dark Puzzlevania on Nintendo Switch

Lords of Exile is a solid old-school-style 2D action game on Nintendo Switch. It’s a game that mixes 8-bit visuals and a 16-bit gameplay feel with a Sega Genesis/Megadrive soundtrack for an excellent experience that you should definitely check out. Once you beat the game, you’ll unlock the additional character, Lyria, along with Boss Rush Mode and Speed Runner Mode. 

I’ve been waiting to play the final version of HyperParasite for a while now, and I’m happy to report that the wait has been worth it. The game’s retro art style and synthwave soundtrack certainly help to make this one stand out on Nintendo Switch. HyperParasite is a full-on homage to the 1980s and is packed with pop culture references that give a huge nod to that era. You will run in so-called “heroes” that are parodies of beloved icons such as Rocky Balboa, Peter Venkman, John McClane, and more. 

Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX is a good remake of the Master System classic, revamped with new graphics, new music, and rebalanced gameplay. It doesn’t stray far from the source material, which was needed in order to be able to switch between the remake’s graphics and music and the original’s game look and feel, but it does throw some new levels into the mix. This does mean that you’re looking at around 2-3 hours to beat the entire game at most, depending on your experience with 2D action platformers in which a single hit is all it takes to kill you. Once you save the land, you’ll unlock a Boss Rush Mode, as well as Classic Mode, which features the original Alex Kidd in Miracle World in all its glory. Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX is available on PlayStation 4 with a $19.99 price.

Ruin Raiders is a good option for fans of turn-based tactical roguelike games. You’ll be pushed to explore “just one more ruin” as you try to collect enough Entium to make one more update to your structures so that you can make some permanent progress that will make the next run a bit easier. The game’s art style does feel a bit generic at times, but the gameplay is what really helps this one keep you coming back for more. Ruin Raiders is out with a $19.99 asking price.

Frogun is a fun old-school-style 3D platformer that will remind you of the Nintendo 64 and PlayStation games from back in the day. Along with the regular platforming levels, you’ll also have to work on special race stages, as well as on clever and challenging boss fights. 

If you´re a fan of horror games – with a dash of escape room antics – that lean into gore territory, then Oxide Room 104 is going to be right up your alley. The game’s grotesque enemies, eerie setting, and how your character is abducted for who knows what purpose means that this is a game that is going to rub some people the wrong way, especially given its Rated M for Mature rating. Oxide Room 104 is out on PlayStation 5 with a $29.99 asking price. There’s also a PlayStation 4 version available as a separate purchase for $24.99.

Scrap Riders is an interesting mix of the classic point and click adventure game formula and a simple but satisfying beat ‘em up gameplay that helps to keep things feeling fresh. As you try to make ends meet in its futuristic cyberpunk world, taking on rival gangs and completing this and that objective, you’ll start to uncover the truth about what is really going on with all of the stolen cargo. Scrap Riders is out today on Nintendo Switch with a $19.99 asking price.

Seven Doors is a bite-sized escape room experience that is fun to play on Sony’s console. The gameplay mechanics are simple enough, and the logic behind solving each of the puzzles is solid, making it a great option for escape room aficionados. I also have to mention that this indie game looks great on PlayStation 5, so kudos to the devs for their effort in that aspect. Seven Doors is available on PlayStation 5 at a budget price of $4.99. There’s also a PlayStation 4 version available as a separate purchase for the same price.

Anyaroth: The Queen’s Tyranny is a pixel 2D action platformer with an old-school style and simple gameplay mechanics that make it an easy one to pick up and play. As the latest member of the Rebellion, it’s up to you to make a difference in the good fight. As a former member of the Queen’s Royal Guard, you’re the best soldier the Rebellion has ever had. Are you up to the challenge? Anyaroth: The Queen’s Tyranny is out on Nintendo Switch at a $14.99 price.

UnderDungeon is a fun black and white top-down action adventure that takes inspiration from the beloved The Legend of Zelda series, especially from The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. You’ll have to help Kimuto become the best delivery cat in the world, as you deliver all of the items requested by the company’s clients as you travel to some peculiar locations. UnderDungeon is out on Nintendo Switch with a $13.99 asking price.

Scrap Riders is an interesting mix of the classic point and click adventure game formula and a simple but satisfying beat ‘em up gameplay that helps to keep things feeling fresh.

Bleak Sword DX offers a fun minimalist Soulslike journey on Nintendo’s console. As you play through each bite-sized diorama-style level, you’ll need to attack, roll, block, and counterattack your way to victory as you gain experience points and level up, obtain new items to equip and consumables to heal your wounds. You can customize your experience on the settings menu. You can change the language or set the value for the volume for music and sound effects. Set the values for camera movement, screenshake, runble, and lighting strength. There’s even the option of choosing between a Performance Mode or a Quality Mode for the game’s graphics. 

After Lezal unleashes his army through a humongous portal, he takes back his trident and uses it to swiftly defeat all of the soldiers below him. Angels fall down to the ground after this attack, and one of them is going to take centerstage now. Ramila was asleep during the Priest’s sermon, so she has no idea what happened. Her body hurts, and she must now find a way to return to the Heaven Kingdom. She finds a nearby aureole and uses the Synchrony Ritual to connect with the halo, which contains Ryleth’s soul. You must return to the Heaven Kingdom within a day so that he can ascend, or his soul will dissolve with the ether. This is where you come in. Are you up to the challenge? Aureole – Wings of Hope launches today on PlayStation 5.

TEMPUS is a colorful and chill first-person puzzle adventure that will send you on a time travel journey on PlayStation. It’s a game that you can play at your own pace as you find the clues that will allow you to solve each puzzle so that you can escape into the next area. Overall, you’re looking at around 2-3 hours at most to complete TEMPUS, depending on your experience with first-person puzzle adventures on the console. Tempus is available as a Cross-Buy title with a $6.99 asking price, so your purchase will give you access to both the PlayStation 4 and the PlayStation 5 versions of the game at no extra cost.

Astronite is a fun and challenging 1-bit Metroidvania in which you’re going to be dying a lot during the first segment of the game, right after losing all of your equipment. But once you learn from your mistakes and get into the groove, you’ll be gaining access to more and more areas of Neplea. Astronite is out today on PlayStation with a $14.99 asking price, and it offers an entertaining 2D 1-bit Metroidvania.

Frank and Drake is a rotoscoped branching narrative adventure with a bit of a supernatural twist to its story. You’ll be taking on this journey as you alternate between Frank and Drake, with one leaving messages to the other by way of Post-it notes and vice versa. It’s an interesting Rated M for Mature experience that is not going to be for everyone. Oh, and Drake totally talks to ghosts and visits his mom’s grave. You know, the usual. Frank and Drake is out tomorrow with a $24.99 asking price.

Kemono Heroes brings us an old-school-inspired run ‘n’ gun arcade-style experience set in a fantasy world with anthropomorphic characters. The indie studio previously gave us the 2D action platformer A Hole New World, a game that I had a chance to review on PlayStation 4 many years ago. In Kemono Heroes, the Moon God ends up turning the inhabitants of the forest to stone, which is why the four Animal Ninja Masters jump into action and go on a mission to Mt. Fuji to try and break the spell before it’s too late. The game can be played on your own, or you can have up to four people playing simultaneously in local co-op multiplayer. You’ll be taking on 4 worlds, with 3 levels each. 

Bleep Bloop is a game that you can finish in a few hours depending on your expertise with puzzle games, and it’s a fun experience until the end. It’s certainly a minimalist indie game, and it’s making the Nintendo Switch its home, which definitely feels just right. If you’re looking for a relaxing and colorful puzzle game to play at home or on the go either by yourself or with a friend in some hectic local co-op session during which you will probably end up shouting instructions at each other, then be sure to give Bleep Bloop a look!

Purrs In Heaven is a challenging but fun puzzle platformer with a great pixel art style, easy to understand gameplay mechanics and a steady difficulty curve that will have you trying out new stuff at a steady pace. 

Timothy vs the Aliens from Wild Sphere is a fun action platformer on PlayStation 4. It is not without its flaws, such as when there is some slow down during crowded fights or when the prompt for the Circle button remains in the screen even after you activate, but is a good indie release you will enjoy. It will take you around 3-5 hours to complete the game and get your Platinum trophy, depending on how long you take to find all collectibles.

If you want a colorful autorunner type of platformer with a llama as its main character and love burgers, then you should definitely check this one out. Add the short but fun Alpaca’s Redemption bonus game, and this is an easy budget title to recommend. Superola Champion Edition is out today as a Cross-Buy title, so your $4.99 purchase will give you access to both the PlayStation 4 and the PlayStation 5 versions of the game, each one with its own Platinum trophy.

Galacticon does a great job of paying homage to the old-school 2D arcade cabinet games of the early 1980s on Nintendo Switch. The game’s look and feel, as well as its sounds, will certainly have you feeling a bit of nostalgia for the good old days!

Hyper Shapes is a minimalist boss rush experience that is easy to understand but hard to master. Each new boss you run into will have a different movement and attack pattern to consider, so you’ll need to pay attention and be patient so that you can find the right time to strike. Hyper Shapes is available as a Cross-Buy title, so your $4.99 purchase will give you access to both the PlayStation 4 and the PlayStation 5 versions of the game at no extra cost.

Colorful arcade-style experience that will bring you back to the 1980s

Minabo – A walk through life is a colorful 2D social sim experience in which you’ll take on the role of a turnip going through the whole journey, from the moment you sprout to when it’s time for you to bid adieu to the world of the living. Depending on your interactions with other turnips, you’ll end up with many acquaintances, siblings, friends, best friends, partners, buds, unfriendlies, pets, and even some romances along the way. It’s an adventure that won’t be for everyone since it’s a minimalist type of experience through life. There are 25 different missions to work on, as well as the Free Life Mode that allows you to take on the journey as you best see fit. Minabo – A walk through life is out today on Nintendo Switch at a $14.99 price.

Death or Treat gives us a great-looking hand-drawn 2D roguelite on PlayStation 5. As you make your way through each area to try and reach Faceboo and beat Fackerberg, Scary will go over the same stages over and over again, just presented in a different order for each run. Save as many resources as possible from each run so that you can restore the buildings in town and unlock more upgrades that will hopefully help you to extend subsequent runs. Because of this, it’s a game that won’t be for everyone since progress can feel a bit slow. 

Bluey: The Videogame brings us an all-ages take on the beloved TV show to PlayStation. You’ll be taking on a brand-new four-part storyline featuring the characters you know and love as you work your way through bite-sized adventures featuring the original cast as your favorite characters. You’ll then be able to revisit locations to search for collectibles or to play the mini-games you unlock along the way. It’s a short journey that you can complete in a couple of hours and then revisit to get the Platinum trophy. It’s a good option for families to play with their young ones since up to four players can play this one as Mum, Dad, Bluey, and Bingpo. Bluey: The Videogame is available as a Cross-Buy title, so your $39.99 purchase will allow you to download both the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 versions of the game at no extra cost.

BAMBAS! de Devilish Games es un simulador de paseo en el que te abrirás camino hacia un buen rato. El estudio indie español nos presenta un juego en el que jugaremos como un par de zapatillas en un mundo lleno de otros calzados que han cobrado vida.

Freddy Farmer is a colorful retro-inspired arcade-style game on Nintendo Switch. You’ll be taking on the role of the titular Freddy, who must do whatever it takes to save his daughter, who has been kidnapped by an evil dragon that lives on top of an abandoned castle! You’ll be exploring 5 different worlds with 7 levels each, as you take on more than 25 enemies trying to stop you. There are also 5 bonus levels you can play, which will then unlock 5 mini-games for you to take on later. As you can tell from the trailer and screens in this Freddy Farmer review, the game has been inspired by games from the 1980s and 1990s. Freddy Farmer is out today on Nintendo Switch with a budget price of only $4.99.

Zeroptian Invasion is a fun minimalist arcade-style release that pays homage to video games of ages past such as Space Invaders. It’s an easy pick up and play experience that focuses on the action as you try to stay alive in your fight to defend the planet system from the zeptorian aliens. Plus, you know, two quick Platinum trophies for the price of one!

Charon’s Staircase is a first-person horror game in which you will take on the role of Special Agent Codename Desmond who must find and remove all of the documentation and evidence of the evil acts performed by one Doctor Lewelin. You’ll spend around 5-7 hours playing this one depending on your experience with puzzle solving, as you dive deeper and deeper into what really happened. Charon’s Staircase is out on PlayStation 5 with a $34.99 asking price. There’s also a PlayStation 4 versions available as a separate purchase for the same price.

Touchdown Pinball is a fun sports-themed pinball table to play on Sony’s PlayStation 5. It has several mini-games to offer and even a mini playing field that will show up on the table’s screen as you use the pinball to remove opponents so that you can score a touchdown to greatly boost your score.

Inner Ashes is a first-person narrative adventure dealing with how Alzheimer’s affects people. You’ll be experiencing this through the eyes of Henry, who has been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer, as he remembers how things have been with his daughter, Enid, who seems to have been MIA for a while now. It’s a game of the walking sim variety with some lite puzzles, which means that it’s not going to be for everyone. 

Naught is a fun 2D platformer with a solid difficulty curve… for most of the time. The one complaint I’d have is that the levels that feature walls full of spikes in which you have to be extremely precise about how you twist around the level drive the difficulty up to 11, while the stage immediately following each of these stages goes back to the steady difficulty climb experienced before. Other than that, it’s an entertaining experience that will challenge your senses and coordination.

If you’re looking for a short but fun beat ‘em up on Playstation 4 that pays homage to classics such as Final Fight and Streets of Rage, then Itadaki Smash is a good option. It does not reinvent the wheel, but it has a good flow, a colorful presentation, and local co-op for up to two players, along with a Platinum trophy. Itadaki Smash is out on PlayStation 4 with a $14.99 price.

If you’re looking for a colorful and fun puzzle game with a new twist, then Indigo 7: Quest for love can certainly scratch that itch. There’s a bit of a learning curve as you get to learn the combo system and better understand the peculiarities of each of the game modes, but then it all clicks with ease. I do have to mention that I ran into a bug that would make it so the game would not recognize any inputs from the D-Pad or the left analog stick to select colors – which forced me to close the game and load it up again – that will hopefully be addressed soon by way of a patch. Indigo 7: Quest for love is out on PlayStation 4 with a $14.99 asking price.

Your enjoyment of the game will depend on how you feel about walking simulators, which is why this one is not going to be for everyone.

Basureroes: Invasion is a retro action platformer in which you’ll have to save the world. Ten years ago, the evil Doctor Diogenes and his robots wreaked havoc in New Genesia. Luckily, a group of heroes – known as Basureroes – joined forces to save the day. As the years went on, new members joined the cause and the team’s roster changed. With Doctor Diogenes back, the Basureroes must once again jump into action to put a stop to his plans before it’s too late. Oh, and when you do beat Doctor Diogenes, aliens swoop in and invade the planet! This one offers some replay value since each of the heroes will have a special ability that will make it possible to explore different sections of each level. Basureroes: Invasion is available as a Cross-Buy title, so your $12.99 purchase will allow you to download both the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 versions of the game at no extra cost.

I liked that each of the characters in Nuclear Corps: Veterans in Fukushima had a different set of special skills that were used to complete each level. Unfortunately, the puzzle design feels a bit unintuitive, and the difficulty curve is a bit harsh as well.

Horned Knight is an old-school infused 2D action-platformer on PlayStation 4 that could use a bit more variety. The controls feel a bit off at first, but you should get used to them after completing a handful of stages at most. It’s a minimalist arcade-style game with 32 levels to complete, two difficulty settings, and some bosses to challenge you along the way. Horned Knight is available on PlayStation 4 with a budget $5.99 asking price.

Add stealth sections during which zombies are not properly scripted, forcing you to restart sections until the layout is just right for you to sneak up to them to get proper stealth kills, and there’s some stuff to love and a lot of stuff that feels off. I really liked the premise, voice acting, and the cel shaded presentation for MalnaZidos, so hopefully a patch is on the way to fix some of the issues. MalnaZidos is out on PlayStation 4 with a $19.99 asking price.

Surface Rush is a colorful arcade-style physics-based experience with a simple control scheme that makes it easy to get the hang of things right away. It also offers four game modes that introduce different rules to consider, as well as a Platinum trophy. Unfortunately, the game is not without issues. The game gets a lot of slowdown for no apparent reason since there’s nothing on the screen that would make you consider the PlayStation 5 hardware is getting a workout. Surface Rush is out on PlayStation as a Cross-Buy title for a budget price of $4.99, which grants you access to the PS4 and PS5 versions of the game.

El Gancho is a platformer set in the same universe of shoot ’em up Task Force Kampas, thus offering a very different experience. Its randomly generated levels, physics-based platforming, and roguelite nature won’t be for everyone. Trophy hunters will dig that it’s a Cross-Buy release, so the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 versions are included with a single purchase, and each version features a separate trophy list with a Platinum trophy. El Gancho is out with a budget $6.99 price.

Skeler Boy will take you on a quest to find your girlfriend, who has disappeared without a trace. As the titular Skeler, you’ll need to search for any clues that might lead you to her as you collect the items needed to hopefully succeed. Things take a turn for the bizarre early in the game, with a series of events that start to blur the lines. Skeler Boy is available as a Cross-Buy title, so your $7.99 purchase will allow you to download both the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 versions of the game at no extra cost, and each one will have its own trophy list for you to work on.

The Five Covens showed some promise but it, unfortunately, fails to deliver. The controls feel as if they were closer to the tank controls for 3D games of the 1990s than what you’d expect from a platformer releasing in 2021, and it feels as if it was aimed at younger gamers, yet features platforming sections that will end up frustrating them very early in their run. The Five Covens is out on PlayStation 4 with a $12.99 asking price.

A broken first-person walking sim that you should avoid

Leopoldo Manquiseil is fun 2D minimalist action platformer that has been created to support a member of the Spanish video game industry who has had to leave BadLand Games due to an illness. It features a good amount of content for its $5.99 budget price, and since you’ll be getting a couple of hours or so out of your purchase. It’s pixel retro looks and chiptune soundtrack also help to make this one an easy game to recommend for platforming fans.