Gaming
2024
Important note: Although I only post positive reviews, that doesn't mean every game automatically gets one. My biggest layer of quality control is that I only review games I think I'm likely to enjoy. Even then, only around 75% of games reviewed have received my recommendation. Long story short? Just making it to this list is a mark of quality.
Nuke Them All
11 April 2024
Nuke Them All is a promising new RTS that replaces base building with Capture the Flag and tick timers. It's an interesting concept held back at the moment by balance issues. But still in Early Access!
Cease to Breathe
10 April 2024
Cease to Breathe is a faithful rendition of the parser adventure games from the 90s. It's big for the genre; tons of screens & interactables. Nice art. Very challenging - not for the faint-hearted!
A Living Room
09 April 2024
A Living Room is an interesting foray into.. existentialism, maybe? Presented as a quirky point and click. It's surprisingly clever, often funny, but only around ~30 minutes playtime.
Citizen Sleeper
07 April 2024
Citizen Sleeper is an absolute top shelf text adventure with a deep, complex narrative, engaging world building, and full of very real characters with very real problems. Every decision matters.
Mighty Mage
05 April 2024
A bullet heaven with some promising new mechanics that's unfortunately a little too shallow to really deliver on. Keep going, devs! This could really be great!
Koala Kids Golf
04 April 2024
Koala Kids Golf is fantastic, one of the best party/golf games I've played. Really fun (and huge) levels, love the special challenge levels & had a great time playing multiplayer with my young fella.
Azoove
03 April 2024
EA: Azoove is a fun new card-based survival game with strong resource management elements. I love the way you build your story as you play through. Could benefit from more variety but still in EA.
Outpost: Infinity Siege
02 April 2024
Outpost Infinity Siege is a very ambitious shooter with base management, exploration/salvage elements, and a campaign story. Looks great but needs more TLC, particularly AI upgrade. Keep an eye on it.
StarsAway
01 April 2024
StarsAway is a genuinely fun & challenging rail shooter reminiscent of maybe Star Goose (1988)? 3 difficulty modes which is good but could use a tad more variety in the track with each run
Cosmic Express
30 March 2024
Cosmic Express is a bloody big puzzle game. It's sokoban-based, but the addition of the rail system means you can't backtrack, adding another layer of complexity. Fun but gets challenging quickly!
Starlight & the Silver Key
29 March 2024
Starlight & the Silver Key has a grindy repetitive start that's a bit of a turn-off.. but once past that I was hooked for the next two hours. Decent puzzles, quirky story, great sense of humour
A Good Snowman is Hard to Build
28 March 2024
A Good Snowman is fun puzzle game built on a simple premise. Cute graphics & kid friendly although puzzles do get more challenging as you progress. Clever level design makes for a fun game.
Acolyte of the Altar
25 March 2024
Acolyte of the Altar is a strong entry to the card battler genre with a small range of exciting new mechanics for an engaging and challenging experience. Awesome card art & UI too.
Sokobond
17 March 2024
Sokobond's fun. Could benefit from a touch more guidance as working out the winning bond can be trial & error but good range of chemistry-themed mechanics, clean ui, and 100 levels to play through.
A Monster's Expedition
16 March 2024
A Monster's Expedition is a super chill puzzle game where the world itself is the puzzle. Its best feature is its sense of humour as you explore the strange world of humans through a monster's eyes.
Bonfire Peaks
15 March 2024
Bonfire Peaks under-sells itself. It's actually a great little puzzle game. Sokoban-based but it makes great use of all three dimensions. Includes a good range of layered mechanics. Looks good, fun.
Astral Vangard
11 March 2024
EA Review: Astral Vangard has the bones of a good game. Full version should have ample variety of upgrades & enemies. Needs animations or SFX and greater variety in enemy attack patterns to shine.
Cat & Onion
10 March 2024
Cat & Onion is a delightful little platformer. Cute characters, charming story, good sense of humour, few secrets to find. Fun but very short (~30 mins). Would love if it was 10 levels longer!
Bore Blasters
09 March 2024
Bore Blasters is an addictive loot & shoot game. A story pushes you through the game with missions but you can play each level in a different world. Tons of upgrades. Good simple fun - addictive!
Showdown Effect: Reloaded
07 March 2024
Showdown Effect's a fun multiplayer brawler. Fast paced and can get intense. Best feature is the level design; sprawling but somehow never feels empty and plenty of environment interactions.
Potions: A Curious Tale
06 March 2024
Potions is a lovely child-friendly RPG with a nice story. A touch heavy on fetch quests but also includes exploration, puzzles, battles, and a solid crafting system that encourages trial & error.
Floramancer
05 March 2024
Floramancer is a chill top-down shooter with an impressive variety of spells, randomly generated areas for better replayability, exploration, and some challenging boss fights. Fun for all ages.
The Thaumaturge
04 March 2024
The Thaumaturge is fantastic. With its unique setting, engaging story, strong writing, and surprisingly nuanced combat, it's rapidly shaping up as one my favourite recent RPGs.
Sokobond Express
29 February 2024
Sokobond Express features a range of chemical interactions turned into sokobond puzzle mechanics. It's very clever but can be challenging to engage with if your chemistry knowledge is not solid.
Nemire
26 February 2024
Nemire's kind of like Dungeon Keeper if DK was a turn-based tactical game. Could use a touch more polish but I love the characters - weapon skills and perks actually make for interesting combat. Fun.
Geometry Survivor
25 February 2024
Geometry Survivor is more retro arcade shooter than it is survivors-like, and I love the splash neon vector art. Tons of variety, very replayable (addictive!) - it's definitely worth the look.
Which Way Up Space Olympics
20 February 2024
Which Way Up is an awesome multiplayer arcade game that features a stack of different game modes to compete against. Fun with 2P, be even better with 3-4. Young fella and I love it!
Of Murder & Moonshine
16 February 2024
Unusual mission-based shooter where you play a hitman. Features a great noir setting, jazz track, glorious pixels, delightfully challenging gameplay, and a sense of humour. Loving this one!
Rotate Word Puzzle
14 February 2024
Solid puzzle game - doesn't break any new ground but it looks good, clean UI, it's very simple to jump into, the clues give just the right amount away, and there's plenty of randomisation & variety. Not super challenging but enough to get the brain ticking and a relaxing way to kill some time.
Panda Go
11 February 2024
Panda Go is a clever turn-based puzzle game. Puzzles are all logic based but take patience and forethought. Some clunky moves but great range of guards and trap mechanics & well-designed levels.
Exiled Survivors
8 February 2024
EA Review: Exiled Survivors is an exciting upcoming survivors-like that feature skill trees and more diverse enemies & bosses (some shoot back). Needs more polish (particularly UI) but v. promising.
Magnus Positive Phototaxis
7 February 2024
Magnus Positive Phototaxis is a short but neat puzzle game with some engaging visual storytelling elements. There's a decent range of puzzles packed into such a short game. Worth the jaunt!
Lazarus AD 2222
6 February 2024
Lazarus is a v. short but decent visual novel with an interesting story and some surprisingly engaging puzzles. I like the art style - evocative - but it and the writing could use a touch more poilsh.
Ruiga Pirates
5 February 2024
EA Review: Ruiga Pirates is a well-made survivors-like with a sweet nautical theme. Still some kinks but constantly being improved. Love the different ships & weapons. Missions & deeds will be awesome
Jett Rider
4 February 2024
I'm a sucker for any game with a jetpack but Jett Rider really is an exceptional modern platformer. Tons of variety, loads of secrets to find, smooth controls, super polished, really heaps of fun.
Twilight Oracle
2 February 2024
A delightful light-hearted point and click. Veterans may find the puzzles a little simplistic but the retro feel's authentic, the story's fun, the locations and inventory are interesting. V. enjoyable
Quantum Fluctuation
31 January 2024
Great puzzle game - very unusual and very hard. Graphics are minimalist but clean but you won't have time to worry about them anyway. Trying to match (or sometimes oppose) colours, symbols & sizes to get another series of different colours, symbols & sizes, while trying to ensure you get exactly the right amount for the final product after splitting and putting back together, creating layers of challenges while also competing against a time limit. Enjoyable but very tough!
The Cub
26 January 2024
One of the best visual storytelling games I've played. Great art, surprisingly interactive for the genre, but the real standout is the martian radio element. Only a few hours long but memorable.
Wild Legion
23 January 2024
Wild Legion's a fun new Survivors-like. Needs a little more polish in some areas but looks & sounds great. Good range of weapon and I love the pet catching, day/night phases & turrets were interesting
Hidden Through Time 2: Myths & Magic
26 January 2024
Hidden Through Time 2 is an exceptional "Where's Wally-like." Great graphics, user friendly, super interactive and I love the themes. A chill way to spend a lazy afternoon and kids will love it too.
Hidden Through Time 2: Myths & Magic
13 January 2024
I wrote an in-depth review of Vagrus: The Riven Realm last month. I've now added additional review for all current DLC: Vorax, Seekers of Knowledge, and Sunfire & Moonshadow
IREM Volume 1
11 January 2024
IREM have come out swinging with Volume 1, bringing us Raiden-like titles Image Fight 1 & 2 as well as X-Multiply, which plays similarly to R-Type