DeVuego

Were a lot of those purchases made by cult fans of the 007 series? Perhaps, but were they treated to a master craft of a title? 100%. Stealth, ingenuity, and the ability to use your surroundings to your own benefit are the backbone of this title. We will all get the same result in the end, but how you get there can differ in so many ways, which gives the title its longevity. To quote from the Goldfinger movie, this title is “Shocking, Positively Shocking”, in a good way!

There were no spoken words to explain the story, yet they were still able to convey emotions through body language. Small cutscene moments would play out as you found statues that revealed the character’s life journey to the player. To bolster the impact of these moments, the orchestral melodies became a major contributor to emotional impact. It was amazing to be led down the garden path as the atmosphere would shift from mysterious yet hopeful to immediately hitting me with a pang of sadness. Even when things seemed to be at their lowest, they still managed to circle back the feeling of happiness with the addition of collectable hand-drawn memories of his happiest moments with his partner.

Blades of Fire is well crafted, beautiful, and engrossing. I would highly recommend it to RPG fans. It is a great contender in the area. It can be very difficult at times, but with patience and a steep learning curve, it becomes very rewarding.

Her first appearance in a “proper” videogame may not have lived up to its full potential, but loyal fans, especially the kids, will appreciate what this game has to offer, and this is only the beginning.

Ereban’s vibrant landscapes pulse with life as NPCs bustle about, engaging in their own conversations and routines, further drawing you in with the sounds of the world around you. Their presence not only enriches the immersive world but also serves as a poignant reminder of Ayana’s solitary struggle against overwhelming odds.

Despite the lack of impactful storytelling, the unique stealth gameplay utilising shadows is what really sets Ereban: Shadow Legacy apart from others in the same genre. Having to look around, plan your route, and adapt if things don’t work out, all while remaining undetected, creates a whole new set of challenges not seen in other games.

Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara can be a perfect fit for many different reasons. Whether you are looking for a lazy weekend with a 3D platformer, a low-effort achievement hunting game or sharing it with a child, with the added benefit of introducing them to a world like the works of Studio Ghibli, then Koa and Five Pirates of Mara will fit the bill.

Overall, Manairons is a top-tier 3D action platformer game. If this is your genre, it is a must-play. Even if it isn’t your go-to genre, you won’t be disappointed. It’s all here: the beautiful graphics and the well put-together storyline combine to take you on a journey. Even after the frustrations of falling 20 times and getting back up and going again on the same puzzle, it really is an enjoyable experience and the true definition of a cozy game.

Moons of Darsalon has a lot of creative ideas but has too much going against it. The game can be fun, but constantly losing can be discouraging rather than urging you to keep trying. The controls need a lot of refining as they can dampen the experience.

Overall, this is a hard game to score as it is aimed at a younger audience. While I personally became disengaged after a few hours, the plethora of modes and content for children, along with the overall quality of the experience, make it a great sports game for any wee ones to enjoy. The ball is definitely in the court, and a slam dunk to keep the children occupied.

Nomada Studio, creators of one of my fave indie titles ‘GRIS’, brings you their newest creation, ‘Neva’. Similar to the stylings of anime, ‘Princess Mononoke’, this 2D platformer is an epic adventure of a girl and her wolf. With it, they answer the age-old gamer question… “Can I pat the dog?” The answer is a profound YES.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has all the ingredients to make a fantastic game. However, following the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem film will likely put it into the same pile with all the other underwhelming titles.

The escape room-style gameplay is what kept me hooked, and with multiple endings, I wanted to start again straight away and experience more.

There is no doubt that this game is meant for a younger gamer as the puzzles and stages are pretty easy and the enemies are easy to kill. There is properly not much replay value unless you want to get everything in the every stage. I thought the loading time in-between the stages was a touch too long for a game like this. But this is a game that’s mainly for the younger generation.

There was a huge accident at the PJ Power HQ and it has scattered pieces of technology like mechanical cogs and reactors all over the world. It’s the PJ Masks’ job to go and retrieve all the items back to fix up the HQ, but little do they know there will be some speed bumps along the way with some familiar faces.

Rally Arcade Classics caters to players of all experience levels in racing games. You can be a veteran player or a newbie and still have a blast racing around their various tracks and, arguably, in some of the most iconic rally cars the motorsport has seen.

Overall, The Cabin Factory is a very good narrative-driven story, and while the gameplay isn’t the most exciting, the twists and turns make up for it. This is definitely a tale perfect for any horror fan and a must-try for this Halloween season.

The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood has a lot of things going for it. For me, it was a mixed bag but ultimately not delivering to my expectations. With beautiful music, pleasant graphics, an interesting story, and my fondness for Abramar it just wasn’t enough. The emotional impact I was preparing myself for never arrived, either that or I’m just dead inside.

Tiny Garden is such a comfort game, but it is very much a complete cycle of monotony. The inspiration is great on the surface level, and I did enjoy it for its calming experience, but I needed a bit more to dig into.

Overall, UFOPHILIA has some fun ideas and genuinely strong sound design, but it feels mislabelled as a horror game. As scary as staring at a screen trying to figure out which alien you’re hunting can be, the aliens themselves simply aren’t scary enough to support that label.

‘Your House’ is a short visual novel with well-designed puzzles and a clever hint system if you get stuck, but constant backtracking and a predictable story hold it back. Minor technical issues, like typos and a late-game bug, also detract from the experience.