TheGamer - Indie Game Features

The Best Way To Find A New Game Is To Look

Stacey Henley — Wed, 31 May 2023 18:00:18 GMT

I’m in an incredibly privileged position, I know that. Sure, I was born in a country that speaks English, I have two parents who love me, I’m white, all that usual stuff. But also, I’m a games journalist. Video games are one of the most expensive pieces of media to buy regularly, and publishers email me every day with free games. Some big, some small, some medium sized. Good, bad, indie, triple-A, VR, RPG, FPS, TRPG, JRPG, CRPG, ARPG, all the letters. So I’m well placed to say to you - go find a game.

Neva's Lack Of Gameplay Made It Sony's Best Reveal

Stacey Henley — Fri, 26 May 2023 16:15:15 GMT

When I first watched the PlayStation Showcase, I came away thinking we hadn't been treated to very much game footage. Then as I listed all the games we had seen, I realised that most of them did come armed with some sort of gameplay, even if they were not the 12-minute spectacular we received from Spider-Man 2. I think part of the reason I didn't feel like I'd seen very much gameplay footage was because there wasn't much that impressed me. I don't mean that as a criticism of the games themselves, more the industry.

The Lord Of The Rings: Gollum's Digital Art Exhibition Is Better Than The Game Itself

Ben Sledge — Fri, 26 May 2023 16:01:18 GMT

The best thing, by far, about the Peter Jackson Lord of the Rings trilogy is the wealth of behind the scenes features that accompany the special edition. To this day, there is no better documentary of how films are made and the work that goes into them from legions of people in every possible department. 26 hours of footage cover everything from props workers delicately slicing rubber hosing to make chainmail, to the actual forge used to make weapons, to the room-filling ‘bigatures’ of Minas Tirith and Isengard, to the cutting-edge CGI technology used to create the Balrog and other beasties too big for Weta’s incredible workshop.

Decarnation Review - Surreal, But Not Much Of A Game

Tessa Kaur — Wed, 24 May 2023 14:00:17 GMT

Decarnation feels like bait made specifically for me. Its pixel art style reminds me of a higher-definition version of old Pokemon games, with its big heads and lovingly shaded characters, which makes you think it might be a wholesome story. It’s far from that. This story-rich horror game utilises its retro aesthetics expertly to take you off guard, creating an unsettling atmosphere that left the hairs on my arms raised. Its story is compelling, even thrilling, and I was rooting for its protagonist to survive, but the game’s art and music really carry it through to the end.

Planet Of Lana Review

Meg Pelliccio — Mon, 22 May 2023 12:00:16 GMT

A fateful meteor shower sees strange robots collecting villagers in their basket-like bellies and carrying them away into the night sky. People scream as they are abducted, larger machines stalk the waters behind your village, while smaller robots prowl the area to uncover any survivors that may be hiding. It’s easy to draw parallels between Planet of Lana and HG Wells’ The War of the Worlds, so much so that I was dreading the idea of later discovering that the collected humans were being squelched into some form of goo.

Mermaid Soulslike RPG Siren Could Be My Game Of The Year, If It Exists

Stacey Henley — Fri, 19 May 2023 16:16:17 GMT

Sometimes a game just gets you with its pitch. You don't need to see any footage or learn much about it. That quick, high concept elevator pitch has you sold. Saints Row 4's pitch was just 'we're adding superpowers' and that was enough for me. Any video game that ends '...with cowboys' will get me on board too. What is often most exciting though is when the genre isn't for you and there are red flags waving furiously everywhere, and yet there's still something about the idea that makes you root for it. For me, that game is the recently revealed Siren.

Times & Galaxy Lets You Roleplay As A Robot Journalist In Space

Tessa Kaur — Thu, 18 May 2023 16:00:15 GMT

I’m already obsessed with Times & Galaxy, and I’ve only played it for an hour. This adorable, almost comic book-style indie has you playing as the first ever robot reporter, starting an internship at the prestigious, award-winning Times & Galaxy. You can customise the look of your robot, choosing the colours of your chassis as well as your name and pronouns, before pulling up to a spaceship called the Scanner, a mobile newsroom that follows stories across the universe.

A Narrative Vampire RPG That Explores Addiction And Ethics? I’m In

Tessa Kaur — Wed, 17 May 2023 14:00:17 GMT

You’re Liza, a young woman in 19th-century Eastern Europe. You’re brilliant, one of the first female doctors in the country, though your family thought you might go another direction, career-wise. You fell ill recently, and were visited by a doctor afterwards. You died shortly after. Welcome to Cabernet.

You Might Not Have Heard Of Them, But Some Of The Best Games Are Tiny Indie Games

Andrew King — Sun, 14 May 2023 14:31:15 GMT

Earlier this week, IGN posted a TikTok video featuring a discussion about why so many games reviewed at the site end up scoring a seven. If seven means good, shouldn't most games clock in below that? If most games are good, doesn't "good" stop having any meaning?

Do Not Sleep On The Case Of The Golden Idol DLC Bundle

Tessa Kaur — Thu, 11 May 2023 14:30:16 GMT

I love games that let me do some sleuthing. I love puzzles, I love drama, and I love complex narratives. I’d heard The Case of the Golden Idol has it all, but I’d never gotten the chance to check it out myself, so when I saw it was on sale with its new DLC, I took the plunge. This point-and-click title makes me feel like a real detective. Each scene is a freeze-frame, and you get to click in to see what people are carrying, saying or thinking, and their surroundings. You can see what’s inside drawers, what people are hiding under their beds, and what documents in the room might say. Oh, and there’s always at least one dead body.

I Can’t Get Enough Of The Mickey Mouse First Person Shooter

Ben Sledge — Wed, 10 May 2023 19:00:16 GMT

Disney isn’t happy. It’s likely writing up legal documents as we speak, speaking with lawyers and drafting strongly-worded letters. The company’s beloved mascot that has projected a beloved, family-friendly message carefully curated over decades, with the ears that brand millions of t-shirts worldwide, is now an action hero brandishing tommy guns and revolvers and popping heads in a retro shooter?

Scarlet Deer Inn’s Embroidered Art Is A Marvel In An Industry That Cuts Corners

Tessa Kaur — Fri, 05 May 2023 15:30:14 GMT

Footage of Scarlet Deer Inn went viral on Twitter in late April, attracting all kinds of attention to the upcoming indie adventure game. The tweet was captioned only “Hi, I'm making a game where all characters have embroidered animation.” and included a clip of the game’s creator Eva Navratilova sewing different character frames with a sewing machine. Scarlet Deer Inn’s character frames are painstakingly drawn, embroidered in real life by machine, then scanned and cropped, with shadows and lines added with software later. The Czech-based indie studio Attu Games is a husband and wife duo who write, paint, program, score, stitch, and publish all on their own.

Ocean Fishing Hits Different After Dredge

Ben Sledge — Mon, 01 May 2023 16:46:14 GMT

I’m out on the open water. A bright orange fishing line trails from the back of my yellow kayak, the only splashes of colour cutting through the grey ocean and rapidly descending fog. Suddenly, my lovely fishing trip at the edge of the Atlantic is beset by fear, a fear that wouldn't have ever entered my consciousness a couple of months before.

I Hope Remnant 2 Doesn't Get Lost In The Crowd This Summer

Eric Switzer — Fri, 28 Apr 2023 19:43:15 GMT

Remnant: From The Ashes is one of those games that most people know but no one ever talks about enough. When it launched in 2019 it consumed a hundred hours of my life in a matter of weeks, and it’s still my go-to game when I want to kill a few hours - or get killed for a few.

Epic Store Free Game This Week Is A Hidden Gem Of The Survival Genre

Eric Switzer — Fri, 28 Apr 2023 19:09:51 GMT

I don’t know how long I’ve been collecting free stuff on the Epic Game Store, but it feels like forever. I don’t remember the last time I actually played any of the free games, and it might be never. In fact, the only reason I even open the Epic launcher is to add a free game to my library, then I log off and wait for the next batch of freebies before I come back a week later and do it all again. The cycle repeats, and I leave these freebies to gather dust.

Who Are The Five Bishops In Cult Of The Lamb?

Matt Arnold — Thu, 27 Apr 2023 12:00:17 GMT

In Cult Of The Lamb, the protagonist's power is granted by an eldritch deity called The One Who Waits Below. Usually shortened to The One Who Waits (or simply him), the god of death has influence over the world despite being chained into his realm by the Bishops of the Old Faith.

Don’t Play The Cop Bodycam Game, Play The Horror Bodycam Game

Tessa Kaur — Sat, 22 Apr 2023 16:30:15 GMT

Everybody’s been talking about Unrecord since the game revealed footage that looked so real, people were unsure if the clip was actually built using virtual assets or if it was simply edited camera footage. That led programmer and co-director Alexandre Spindler to post a video of the game in the Unreal Engine 5 editor, showing the camera moving through the level. Despite this, some are still wary and asking for more proof.

The New Stardew Valley Update For Mods Might Finally Get Me To Go Back To It

Tessa Kaur — Sat, 22 Apr 2023 16:00:15 GMT

I never really got Stardew Valley. I’d previously played the game in my teens, but bounced off it. Then the pandemic happened. I’d sit in my room, curtains closed to block out every sliver of light, and blast lo-fi hip hop to farm to while I played hours on hours of Stardew Valley in bed. At the time, I didn’t understand what people loved so much about it. All I did was mine, fish, farm, sleep. I read every guide I could so I could maximise my in-game productivity and make as much money as I could. I was freshly unemployed when the pandemic hit and I had literally nothing else to do but play video games, and I wanted to feel like I was good at this one, not realising that wasn’t the point of Stardew.

Citizen Sleeper Creator Launches Physical Zine About Video Game Spaces

Ben Sledge — Sat, 22 Apr 2023 15:00:16 GMT

Heterotopias is the video game publication that your favourite video game publication reads. It’s different from the games writing you see every day. Here at TheGamer, we provide you with quick news, fun lists, and handy guides. You’ll find none of that in Heterotopias. It’s features top to bottom, essays from masters of their craft. While we do have features over here (hey! You’re reading one!), the time and care put into Heterotopias by true visionaries of the medium creates a volume of unparalleled criticism. This is the kind of writing I personally aspire to create, and represents the epitome of our craft.

KarmaZoo Interview

Meg Pelliccio — Fri, 21 Apr 2023 16:30:14 GMT

KarmaZoo is a cooperative platformer where players must work together to survive a loop of levels. The more you do to help your team, the more karma you earn. Though you start as a little blob, you can unlock different avatars with your hard-earned karma, with each new form possessing a different skill to help the team progress.

System Shock WASD Preview

Meg Pelliccio — Fri, 21 Apr 2023 15:31:14 GMT

Having never played the original, I had no idea of what to expect when I tried out the System Shock remake. The granular difficulty settings for all the different gameplay aspects gave me a clue, and while I felt safe keeping the puzzles at the normal level, I bumped the combat down to low. I’d just failed repeatedly at Dead Island 2, I didn’t need another ass-whooping.

Players Can't Decide If Unrecord Is An FMV, But That's Not The Point

Stacey Henley — Thu, 20 Apr 2023 16:30:15 GMT

Unrecord was announced around a year ago now, but recently revealed footage has finally gotten everyone talking about it. The game, shot from the angle of a bodycam, where you play as a cop hunting down criminals, has been praised for its visuals, leading to heavy discussion over whether the clip is made up of impressive graphics or is simply FMV footage with a HUD over the top of it. I can understand why people are drawn to that question, but it isn’t the one we should be asking.

PowerWash Simulator Is The First Thing To Bring Me Peace In Weeks

Tessa Kaur — Mon, 17 Apr 2023 14:00:18 GMT

I am a neurotic person, and I always have been. I get extremely grossed out at the sight of filthy things, and I won’t touch them even with gloves on. During the pandemic, I started using Tiktok, and got sucked into a weird niche of satisfying cleaning videos. Carpet cleaning videos, pool cleaning videos, people who spring cleaned the houses of people too depressed to do it themselves, I loved them all. I’m not a particularly neat person and I hate the chore of cleaning, but I hate dirt and spills and grime more.

There Is Nothing Like Project Zomboid’s Organic Storytelling

Harry Alston — Sun, 16 Apr 2023 15:30:16 GMT

Nancy Becker was a burger flipper. She woke up in an empty house with nothing but a spatula and two tins of corned beef in the cupboards. There were snarling zombies outside, a cooking show blasting from the TV, and a priest giving a sermon on the radio while being eaten alive by zombies. It’s July 9, 1993, in rural Kentucky. This is the frame, the canvas, the playing field, that Project Zomboid gives you. The rest is entirely up to you. Whether you play Indie Stone’s zombie apocalypse simulator alone, on an RP server, or with your friends, there is nothing like Project Zomboid’s brilliant organic storytelling.

Vampire Survivors DLC, Tides Of The Foscari, Is Just More Of The Same

Ryan Thomas Bamsey — Thu, 13 Apr 2023 15:00:15 GMT

Vampire Survivors is nearly endlessly replayable. The constant flow of dopamine as you anticipate those level-ups, the satisfaction of clearing an entire screen, the jazzy music as you open chests for instant upgrades - everything seems fine-tuned to satisfy. It has you chasing the dragon for bigger, better sensations. While most of the content added to the game is free of charge, we’re now onto our second paid (but still eye-wateringly cheap) DLC pack, Tides of the Foscari.

Ark: Survival Ascended Is Abhorrent, Heinous, And Sadly Not Surprising

Eric Switzer — Mon, 10 Apr 2023 20:23:18 GMT

Studio Wildcard, the creators of Ark: Survival Evolved, are about to pull one of the biggest scumbag moves in gaming history. Ark 2 has been delayed until next year, so in order to generate some much-needed profit, the company is releasing a new version of Ark made in UE5, called Ark: Survival Ascended. When it launches in August, the official Ark servers are shutting down for good. If you want to continue playing Ark online without paying for your own server, you’ll need to buy the Ark: Survival Ascended for $60. The news has been received as a giant middle finger to the community that is already well aware of Studio Wildcard’s history of dubious decision making. It’s a terrible move that deserves all the criticism it’s getting, but if you're an Ark fan, you’re probably not the least bit surprised.

The Best Early Access Games You Probably Forgot About

Eric Switzer — Mon, 10 Apr 2023 20:09:40 GMT

I’ve been reviewing Everspace 2 over the last couple of weeks and it’s got me thinking about early access games on Steam. Everspace 2 officially launched this week, but I first played it in January 2021 when it hit early access, and rarely thought about it since. It’s nice to revisit it now and see how much it has evolved over the years, but I wish I had checked in more often to see how it was developing along the way. I feel the same about Terraformers, an exceptional strategy game that left early access last month, and Boratrauma, a horror-tinged submarine sim that’s been around since 2019, but only hit 1.0 in March.

Dredge’s Secret Ending Shows The Power Of A Good Twist

Ben Sledge — Sun, 09 Apr 2023 15:30:15 GMT

You’d be forgiven for not realising that Dredge has more than one ending. The indie fishing sim stuck its puckered tentacles onto me last weekend and wouldn’t let go. Within ten hours I’d finished the game, completing nearly every achievement as I did so, before I heard rumblings of a secret ending doing the rounds on social media. Was this a Mew-under-the-truck situation, or was there a kernel of truth at the centre of this writhing monstrosity of a rumour?

Could You Conquer This Pokemon Escape Room ROM Hack?

Ben Sledge — Sat, 08 Apr 2023 18:00:15 GMT

Pokemon’s puzzles have never been too difficult. Maybe you got stuck on the Strength boulders in Ice Path, or struggled to work out the logic of Wallace’s Gym, but you were a child back then. Those kinds of things wouldn’t trouble you now. The Braille to unlock the Regis, on the other hand, was completely unfair, albeit easily solved with the help of the internet or a visually impaired friend.

Trombone Champ Is The Funniest Game Ever Made

Tessa Kaur — Sat, 08 Apr 2023 14:30:14 GMT

A friend of mine bought Trombone Champ last week and has been sending a steady stream of gameplay videos to our group chat. I am not exaggerating when I say that watching her play Supermassive Black Hole terribly gives me enough strength to get through the day. A few nights ago, my friends and I got drunk and she played us videos of her first attempts at Killing in the Name, Under the Bridge, and The Mandalorian Theme – I was wiping tears off my face by the time she ran out of recorded clips.

Dredge Makes Me Love My Steam Deck, Dredge Makes Me Hate My Steam Deck

Ben Sledge — Fri, 07 Apr 2023 18:00:16 GMT

I binged Dredge this weekend. It’s an excellent game with immaculate horror vibes, which I described before playing as Wind Waker meets Majora’s Mask. I was correct in more ways than I could have thought, which shows how on point the marketing has been. But I’m not here to talk about marketing, I’m here to talk about fishing. Kinda.

Citizen Sleeper Developer Gareth Damian Martin Wants To Do A Tabletop Version

Meg Pelliccio — Fri, 07 Apr 2023 17:30:14 GMT

Citizen Sleeper was last year’s sleeper indie hit (pun very much intended), with players falling in love with its classic tabletop RPG elements and rich sci-fi narrative. It was crowned TheGamer’s Game of the Year for 2022, and even after three DLC drops, fans are still clamouring for more.

I Need More Games Like Tchia In My Life

Josh Coulson — Thu, 06 Apr 2023 19:00:15 GMT

People play video games for an almost endless number of reasons. Thanks to The Last Of Us, a lot of outsiders are learning that some video games tell incredible stories. 2023 has also shown just how many people like to be scared by their games, especially ones they've probably played before, via the success of the Dead Space remake and the resounding reviews for Resident Evil 4 Remake. You might even play games for nothing more than competitive reasons, loving the thrill of battering someone on FIFA or picking up a Victory Royale in Fortnite.

Indie Roguelike Ravenswatch Could Be The Next Hades

Ben Sledge — Thu, 06 Apr 2023 18:00:16 GMT

There are probably a hundred games that have already been described as, “the next Hades.” But none deserve that title more than Ravenswatch, an indie roguelike from Curse of the Dead Gods developer Passtech Games. Ravenswatch feels like Hades in countless ways, from its art style and presentation, to its version of boons, to its launch into early access this week. And it might just have what it takes to replicate Supergiant’s success.

Mindhack Preview

Meg Pelliccio — Wed, 05 Apr 2023 14:00:15 GMT

Stylish cartoon-like graphics and a dark, dystopian world in the form of a visual novel with hacking elements — that’s what attracted me to Mindhack. You find yourself in the role of the Doctor, a Mindhacker you never see other than their ever-present, twitching gloved hands on the screen before you.

Fans Are Reviving The Best Lord Of The Rings Video Game

Ben Sledge — Tue, 04 Apr 2023 15:30:15 GMT

The number of Lord of the Rings games being made is rapidly increasing. Movies, too. We’re verging on the MCU-ification of Tolkien’s work, and frankly, I hate it. There are still good Rings games, but we’re getting to the point where quantity is taking precedence over quality.

I'm Still Waiting For Warhammer PowerWash Simulator DLC

Ben Sledge — Mon, 03 Apr 2023 16:30:14 GMT

PowerWash Simulator is great. Simulator games often are, I’ve gotten lost down the rabbit holes of lawnmowing, construction working, and Euro trucking rabbit holes before, and I dread to think what a sorry state my social life would be in if I downloaded PC Building Simulator or got into Farming Simulator esports. Yes, that’s a thing, and it’s just as exciting as CS:GO or League.

Mobile Game Advertisements Need To Chill Out

Tessa Kaur — Sat, 01 Apr 2023 18:00:16 GMT

In the last decade, mobile game ads have gone from annoying to downright insufferable. If you’ve ever had a guilty pleasure, free-to-play mobile game that subjects you to advertisements between each and every level, you probably know what I’m talking about. I have the bad habit of getting hooked on mobile games that function in this way, so I’ve seen enough to rot my brain – they’re all terrible in different ways.

The Mageseeker Is Going To Be 2023's Sleeper Hit

Eric Switzer — Fri, 31 Mar 2023 12:10:14 GMT

The Mageseeker, an upcoming Riot Forge game set in the League of Legends universe, was just announced in January, yet it already feels like it’s getting lost in the shuffle. Ever since Riot revealed its major publishing ambitions during 2019’s ten year anniversary event, it’s been hard to keep track of everything coming out. But before you write The Mageseeker off as just another one of ‘those’ League of Legends games, take a closer look. Digital Sun’s pixel-art brawler game may wear its inspirations on its sleeves, but it has the potential to be one of the year’s biggest and best action games.

PAX East: Warstride Challenges Preview

Andrew King — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 17:30:16 GMT

In Warstride Challenges, it's rare for one of the titular challenges to last longer than 10 seconds.

Dark And Darker's Copyright Explained, And Why It Matters

Stacey Henley — Wed, 29 Mar 2023 14:30:14 GMT

The case of Dark and Darker is a messy one, and there's very little to go off when determining who's right and who's wrong. However, even with the slivers of information we have, it's a fascinating case that raises the ethical question of who exactly owns an idea. Let's start with the facts we have, and go from there. A few years ago, Korean studio Nexxon was working on a variety of prototypes which it codenames with Ps; P1, P2, and so on. There's a Dark and Darker-style game called P3. Nexxon decides instead to make P7, so several of the devs working on P3 leave and form the studio Ironmace to make their own game - which, as you might have guessed, is Dark and Darker.

Pax East Preview: Goodbye Volcano High

Eric Switzer — Tue, 28 Mar 2023 19:02:17 GMT

I remember the existential dread of finishing high school. Even though those weren't exactly my golden years (I haven't even begun to peak) my little friend group of oddballs was very precious to me, and in my 17 short years I couldn't imagine what my life would be like without them. The adults in my life who dragged me to college visits and ACT prep classes seemed way more concerned about my future than I did. All I really wanted to do during my senior year is watch Jerry Springer reruns with my friends, play Left 4 Dead, and pretend my life wasn't about to change.

Kana Quest Failed To Teach Me Japanese

Meg Pelliccio — Tue, 28 Mar 2023 18:00:15 GMT

Last year I decided that I would start learning Japanese. It’s always been something of a bucket list item for me, despite the fact I’ve always struggled with learning other languages. I failed miserably at French and German at school, and, despite my best efforts, I tend to butcher pronunciations in the worst ways possible, leaving me lacking in confidence to even try.

Dredge Can Be A Cozy Fishing Sim If You're Smart

Tessa Kaur — Tue, 28 Mar 2023 16:00:15 GMT

I’ve never done well with horror games, which is strange because I adore horror movies. As much as I want to play Resident Evil 4 Remake, I know there’s a real possibility my heart will give out – just playing the demo took me ages, because I had to keep pausing to pace around my room out of pure stress. I once attempted to play Outlast 2 and had to stop after half an hour, because I kept jumping so hard that the controller would fly out of my hand. I’m hesitant to play the Dead Space remake or Metroid Dread, because I know it would take all my dwindling courage to finish them. For me, horror games are a spectator sport. I make my friends play them while I watch, because it’s the interactivity that makes my heart rate spike.

Gareth Damian Martin On The Past, Present, And Future Of Citizen Sleeper

Ben Sledge — Tue, 28 Mar 2023 15:30:16 GMT

I chat to Citizen Sleeper developer Gareth Damian Martin over a video call, but it feels more like we’re tucked in a small corner of a bustling cafe. It’s less of an interview and more of a philosophical discussion, and Damian Martin is a talker, answering questions with digressive tangents and discursive ideas - fitting, for the range of life experience they bring to Citizen Sleeper’s team.

Bloodborne Fans Are Going To Dig Mina The Hollower

Eric Switzer — Mon, 27 Mar 2023 18:13:07 GMT

Building a follow-up to Shovel Knight must be a daunting task for Yacht Club Games. Over the last ten years the Blue Burrower has ascended from a classic side-scrolling send-up to an iconic video game character in his own right, and now the studio is embarking on a new journey to canonize a retro-inspired hero in Mina the Hollower. Director Alec Faulkner has proffered that if Shovel Knight is the studio’s Mario, then Mina the Hollower is its Zelda. After playing a chunk of the game at PAX East this past weekend, it’s hard to dispute that.

Whitethorn Games Is Building A Cozy Game Empire

Eric Switzer — Sun, 26 Mar 2023 17:14:15 GMT

I love a publisher that stays on brand. There’s plenty of successful publishers with great track records out there, but if you asked me to name my five favorite games from 505, Focus, or Daedalic Entertainment, I wouldn’t have a clue. That’s why I’m smitten by Whitethorn Games, an up-and-coming indie publisher that specializes in all things comfy and cozy. When you browse Whitethorn’s catalog you know exactly what you’re going to get, and if you like any of its games, there’s a good chance you’ll like all of them. I went hands-on with a selection of Whitethorn’s new and upcoming slate at PAX East this weekend, and they ended up being some of my favorites from the entire show.

Amanda The Adventurer Will Ruin Your Childhood

Eric Switzer — Sun, 26 Mar 2023 16:11:55 GMT

I’m becoming a DreadXP fanboy lately. The indie publisher has quickly established a great track record for bizarre, experimental horror, and even though I’ve only seen a few minutes of its new game, Amanda the Adventurer, I’m already obsessed. DreadXP’s game seems to be made exclusively by mid-00s Creepypasta writers that graduated to game design, and I’m here for it. If you spent countless hours of your childhood reading about abandoned Disney resorts or searching for the real Squidward’s Suicide, Amanda the Adventurer is will be right up your very traumatized alley.

You Probably Haven’t Played The Best Game Of The Year

Stacey Henley — Sat, 25 Mar 2023 14:00:16 GMT

Whenever someone mentions the lack of video games in any given year, someone in real thick glasses pops up and says "akshully..." with a list of games you never heard of. I'm not here to do that. 2023 has yielded a disappointing return so far, and there aren't too many major games on the docket for the rest of the year - Zelda and Spider-Man need some buds. Games have always moved through peaks and troughs, but the pandemic and ballooning development times (which often still result in mediocre releases) is a major problem that we can't fix just by talking about great indie games. We need strong triple-A releases for the medium to flourish, and we should be worried that we can seemingly no longer rely on that. But while we're all busy worrying about that, let me look through my real thick glasses and give you a list of games you never heard of. Just give me a second to get into character. “Akshully....”

Storyteller Falls Into All The Narrative Pitfalls

Stacey Henley — Fri, 24 Mar 2023 18:00:16 GMT

Over the past few years, indie games have been the ones I've thought about the most when I've put them down, or when reflecting on my favourite games in any given year. Immortality, for example, was not my Game of the Year last year but it is the one that will stay with me for the longest. Triple-A games are engineered to give you hours of fun, and the best ones do it successfully, but only on a rare occasion do they leave much of a lasting impression beyond enjoyment. Because of this, while my most anticipated games of the year are big, meaty triple-As like Spider-Man 2 or Resident Evil 4, I also have my eye on indie games that I hope will linger long after the credits. This has already paid off with Paranormasight, but in the case of Storyteller, I've been left wanting.

Indie Fishing Sim Dredge Is Wind Waker Meets Majora’s Mask

Ben Sledge — Fri, 24 Mar 2023 17:30:17 GMT

I haven’t played Dredge yet. I wasn’t assigned to review it and my guide writing days are long behind me. But I’ve seen a lot of it. Probably more than you, at a guess. That’s because I’ve followed it closely, since Dredge’s premise immediately intrigued me when it was revealed – an indie fishing sim with a dark, Lovecraftian side that emerges at night.

Disco Elysium's Kim And Harry Kiss Is Desperately Uncool Pandering

Stacey Henley — Tue, 21 Mar 2023 14:30:15 GMT

Disco Elysium is one of the most critically acclaimed games of all time. In this industry, it feels like anything even half decent is known as a masterpiece, but in a world of masterpieces, Disco is king. It doesn't have phenomenal sales records smashed, with millions upon millions of copies sold to its name. It's probably the closest gaming gets to a real hidden gem, not just a Mad Max decent game that was okay and if you played it you'd probably like it, but a truly special game that takes you to places few other games do, and that once you've played it, you feel part of something. It's not just a great game because it's fun or because the combat is intuitive or anything like that. It's great because it means something, and that's rare. Except now the characters can kiss each other, and it all means nothing.

Aethermancer Looks Like The Roguelite Monster Tamer I've Always Wanted

Ryan Thomas Bamsey — Sun, 19 Mar 2023 15:00:15 GMT

I don’t know what it is about the monster tamer RPG subgenre that compels me so strongly. Maybe it’s the emphasis placed on build and team crafting, the ability to form a party of adorable creatures, or simply the satisfaction I get from filling up yet another encyclopedia of critters. Perhaps Pokemon was simply that formative an experience for me. Who’s to say? All I know is that for me and many others out there, monster tamers scratch a very particular itch.

Myst Is Now An FPS Game

Stacey Henley — Sun, 19 Mar 2023 14:00:16 GMT

Myst was one of the first games to be unilaterally declared one of the greatest games of all time, and of every game to hold that title with some degree of seriousness, it might be the most forgotten. Though remembered fondly by older gamers twiddling their thumbsticks in the ‘90s, Myst has not endured. Now though, it’s back - only it’s an FPS.

Mortal Sin Is Exactly The Kind Of Indie Game I Need Right Now

Harry Alston — Fri, 17 Mar 2023 16:31:15 GMT

Whenever you see a game on Steam and it has a single person’s name listed as the developer, you might be about to play one of the best games of the year. Obviously, this logic doesn’t always apply, but for games like Manor Lords, Vampire Survivors, and now Mortal Sin, it’s not an awful rule to follow. Mortal Sin is a stylish action-roguelike developed by solo dev Nikola Todorovic. It’s fast-paced, brutal, has an extremely unique art style that looks better in execution than it does in a YouTube video, and a banger of a soundtrack that perfectly harmonizes with the dismemberment of your enemies.

The Wreck Review - A Sensible People Carrier

Stacey Henley — Tue, 14 Mar 2023 14:00:16 GMT

Video games often try to mimic movies, but none do it quite as literally as The Wreck. The game is told via a screenplay, with the protagonist a strange mix of narrator, creator, and star. It's a bold risk that I'm not sure either works nor justifies its odd structure, but it does display the levels of creativity The Wreck is hiding, which only become more layered as the narrative unfurls. Unfortunately, it's also emblematic of the game getting in its own way a little too often. There are clever ideas and intimate storytelling here, but the execution is as likely to frustrate as it is to intrigue.

Infinity Nikki Is Breath Of The Wild Meets Dress Up Games

Stacey Henley — Sun, 12 Mar 2023 17:30:13 GMT

I feel like I’ve been waiting all my life for a serious dress up game, and now two have come along at once. There’s Fashion Dreamer, an evolution of Style Savvy by the same team, and now there is Infinity Nikki, which blows the doors off everything. Infinity Nikki asks ‘what if Breath of the Wild was also a dress up game?’, and the answer is a startling gorgeous adventure that combines my favourite games from my childhood which always felt disrespected and cheap, as well as the best games around right now.

Think AI Art Is The Future? Pay Attention To Roguelikes

Andrew King — Mon, 06 Mar 2023 19:00:15 GMT

With rapid advancements in AI-created media, proponents of the technology are insisting that this is the future of entertainment. “AI will be able to make infinite amounts of content for you to watch!” they say. “You’ll be able to tailor what you’re watching to your specific interests! Want to watch Rambo with Arnold Schwarzenegger as the lead instead of Sylvester Stallone? AI technology will let you do that.”

Rytmos Review – A Love Letter To World Music

Tessa Kaur — Tue, 28 Feb 2023 22:30:16 GMT

I’m a sucker for a good puzzle game, especially a portable one. Seven years ago, I was banging out levels of games like Cut The Rope and Blackbox on long bus rides, and now I’m doing that same thing with the musical puzzle game Rytmos, but on a Switch. It feels perfect for a bygone era of ad-free iPhone games, ideal for playing on the go with earphones in so you can properly hear its music – each level is quick, and not difficult enough to leave you stuck for more than a few minutes but not so easy that you don’t get that sweet, sweet dopamine hit when you work out a solution.

What Exactly Is Enhance's Humanity Trying To Tell Us?

Tessa Kaur — Mon, 27 Feb 2023 15:30:16 GMT

At PlayStation’s 2019 State of Play, Enhance (the developer best known for Tetris Effect), announced Humanity in collaboration with Tokyo-based design studio tha ltd. It was received with much confusion as to what the game was actually about. Now we have the demo, we know it’s a physics platformer where you, a glowing Shiba Inu (really), command massive, marching crowds of people to goals so they can get sucked into the sky (really). Its 2019 reveal trailer shows masses of human bodies pushing blocks, swimming through large, static blocks of water and fighting each other, and little clue as to why.

The Point-And-Click Adventure Genre Is Thriving

Tessa Kaur — Fri, 24 Feb 2023 19:00:14 GMT

I can’t act under pressure, which is why I don’t play most sports and I’m terrible at shooters. I played Bioshock as a teenager and dropped my controller the first time something ran towards me – the same thing happened when I revisited the game a few years ago. I’ve always been more inclined towards point-and-click games, with their slower pace and focus on puzzle solving. However, because I didn’t own a PC and grew up in the ‘00s when the genre’s popularity was waning, my access to these games was limited at best. I had to turn to Newgrounds to get my fix. I shudder to remember the filth I was exposed to while hunting for games to play, but I distinctly remember playing the gory Alice Is Dead. It was this same drive that later drove me to interactive fiction, which consumed several years of my life.

Goodbye Volcano High Looks Like My Dream Game

Tessa Kaur — Fri, 24 Feb 2023 17:00:15 GMT

Despite having been announced at the PS5’s reveal in 2020, we’ve heard very little about Goodbye Volcano High since – until today’s State of Play, when we finally got to see a trailer with some gameplay, and a June 14 release date for PC, PS4 and PS5. Made by worker-owned game studio KO_OP, Goodbye Volcano High looks like a game that’s incredibly in touch with internet culture (dril tweet in the trailer, not joking), while exploring queer narratives… and also featuring anthropomorphic dinosaurs.

Blumhouse Getting Into Games Is Great News For Interactive Horror

Andrew King — Wed, 22 Feb 2023 20:00:15 GMT

Blumhouse, the extremely successful production company behind movies like M3GAN, Get Out, and Paranormal Activity, is getting into horror games. That's scary good news.

Touch Type Tale Preview - Gorgeous Art And A Killer Gameplay Loop

Tessa Kaur — Wed, 22 Feb 2023 15:30:15 GMT

Typing games have a reputation for being made for children, probably because millennials grew up playing them as a way to teach them how to use keyboards for the first time. I don’t think they’re really needed anymore, since children are growing up using smartphones and keyboards from infancy, but I have fond memories of playing typing games as a child on my family desktop.

Season: A Letter To The Future Is About Climate Disaster

Tessa Kaur — Tue, 21 Feb 2023 19:00:15 GMT

Season: A Letter to the Future is a relatively short game where you play as a young woman tasked with recording the world before the “season ends”. What the season ending will bring is never clearly defined, but it’s implied things are about to change drastically, possibly meaning a cataclysmic event. You are meant to explore the world and memorialise things in a scrapbook that will be left for people in the next season. You take photos, record sounds, sketch things, and jot down your thoughts about what you witness. In the future, an archivist examines your records.

Kentucky Route Zero Inspires Awe Of The World Around Me

Tessa Kaur — Tue, 21 Feb 2023 18:00:14 GMT

Kentucky Route Zero’s first and second acts came out in 2013, a whole decade ago now, and still people are using it as a touchstone for incredible game writing and impact on the genre as a whole. It most recently drew comparisons to Norco, as both are point-and-click adventure games highly focused on a sense of time and place, with surreal elements, and both are highly lauded for their excellent writing and evocative atmospheres. Some have called KRZ a masterpiece – for me, it was also an agonising fever dream. I still finished it, because I was feeling a sense of awe that no other game has made me feel.

No Rhythm Game Understands Music Like Sayonara Wild Hearts

Stacey Henley — Tue, 21 Feb 2023 17:30:19 GMT

I’ve finally given up on Hi-Fi Rush. A combination of its long levels and poor platforming eventually convinced me to call it a day, but underneath it all I just didn’t ‘get’ the rhythm. I had the same problem with Metal: Hellsinger last year - I’m not that into first person shooters, and I think the old school vibe wears thin, but ultimately I didn’t ‘get’ the rhythm. But I’m still not willing to admit rhythm games aren’t for me, and Sayonara Wild Hearts is the reason why.

Angry Birds' Shutdown Is Disgustingly Anti-Player And We Should All Care More

Stacey Henley — Tue, 21 Feb 2023 15:08:55 GMT

Angry Birds is dead, kind of. Rovio announced today that the game will be delisted on the Android store on February 23, and will be renamed to 'Red's First Flight' on iOS. It was like when the grandmother of a not so close friend dies. I'm sad, but not really, and you get the sense that maybe it was due. We have a major problem with game preservation in general, and it's worse in mobile, but it's the way in which Angry Birds has been killed off that has managed to make me angry about a mobile game I have not played in half a decade.

Loretta Review - A Spiral Of Madness

Tessa Kaur — Mon, 20 Feb 2023 18:00:14 GMT

Loretta opens with a woman, the eponymous Loretta, meeting a private detective on the porch of her house. In this first scene, she allows this strange man into her home as he asks her questions about the mysterious disappearance of her husband. You, as the player, click through different dialogue options, deciding how much she reveals. I quickly realised that clicking the option highlighted in red would lead to graphic violence – something the game doesn’t shy away from.

The Combat Is Great Because It's Tough In Sea Of Stars

Andrew King — Mon, 20 Feb 2023 17:31:14 GMT

Last weekend I played the demo of Sea of Stars on Switch and had a terrific time with it. The game looks great and, given the way the demo hops around and closes off certain content, it feels like it will still offer a fresh experience when I pick up the full release in August.

Dreams In The Witch House Is A Chaotic Blend Of Genres

Ryan Thomas Bamsey — Mon, 20 Feb 2023 16:00:15 GMT

Dreams in the Witch House tells the story of the classic H.P. Lovecraft tale of the same name, placing you in the shoes of its protagonist, Walter Gilman, a student of the legendary Miskatonic University. The game follows the short story’s plot closely, revolving around Walter’s disturbing dreams and the interference of Keziah Mason, a witch who escaped execution during the Salem Trials.

Idle Mergers Are the Clicker Game Evolution I've Been Waiting For

Eric Switzer — Sun, 19 Feb 2023 21:19:52 GMT

Covering the mobile game market can be pretty tricky sometimes. There’s a lot of predatory garbage out there, and I often cover games that represent the platform’s worst qualities. Recent titles like Disney Mirrorverse, Diablo Immortal, and Devolver Tumble Time are all easy to criticize because they’re nothing but casinos decorated with popular mascots. The mobile market is full of developers you thought you could trust taking characters you love and jamming them into soulless, money-grubbing slot machines. Even the games I respect have some questionable monetization. Marvel Snap and Pokemon Unite do a lot to elevate and legitimize mobile, but I’ll be the first to criticize their horrifically overpriced bundles and cosmetics.

I Have A Real State Of Survival Problem

Tessa Kaur — Fri, 17 Feb 2023 18:30:14 GMT

This is extremely embarrassing for me to admit, but one of the first things I do when I wake up is open State of Survival and check on my settlement. I collect the soldiers I trained overnight, I collect energy bonuses so my troops can go out into the zombie-infested wilderness and gather intel’, which is just stuff on a radar you can send your troops to collect or fight. I clear intel collected over the night immediately. I make sure my research station is put to work. I make sure troops are training. I collect all the various rewards claimable for that day.

Wild West Dynasty Is The Roughest Early Access Game I've Played In A While

Harry Alston — Fri, 17 Feb 2023 17:46:15 GMT

I was initially excited when I heard that Toplitz Productions would be publishing another Dynasty game. Toplitz published Medieval Dynasty back in September 2021, which started out pretty empty but developed over the next couple of years into one of my favourite simulator games. Wild West Dynasty promises the same, except with a fresh setting and a different developer. But the problems are already pretty apparent: this game isn’t ready for early access. It needs a lot, lot longer in the stove pot.

Fashion Dreamer Is The Evolution The Dress Up Game Genre Needs

Stacey Henley — Fri, 17 Feb 2023 17:00:15 GMT

I like to think we've all grown up to the point where we no longer split games into 'real' games and 'not real' games. A quick look at the rest of my work at TheGamer will reveal a black-hearted critic who will never march to the vapid tune of 'let people enjoy things!', and even I don't stoop to the level of dismissing games as being 'not real', as writing off their quality and purpose as so insignificant that they become fictional. However, fashion games are still routinely dismissed as being 'not real'. Fashion Dreamer might not change that, but it will at least give the genre a shot in the arm.

I Wish Hi-Fi Rush Had House Music

Tessa Kaur — Fri, 17 Feb 2023 15:00:14 GMT

If you haven’t played Hi-Fi Rush yet, you should. Made by The Evil Within devs Tango Gameworks, these games have very little in common, if anything. In Hi-Fi Rush, you play as Chai, a wannabe rockstar (his words) who goes to the Vandelay Corporation to replace his broken arm with a robotic one and accidentally ends up with his music player implanted in his chest. Because of this accident, he’s labelled a ‘defect’ and has to go up against various high-ranking members of the corporation to defend himself, getting mixed up in nefarious corporate plots in the process.

The Community in Pentiment Could Never Exist Today

Tessa Kaur — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 17:30:15 GMT

Pentiment mainly revolves around a single character, Andreas Maler, an illuminator (that’s a fancy word for illustrator) living in the small fictional Bavarian town of Tassing. He lives with a local family of farmers, eats meals with his neighbours, and explores both the town and the countryside. Due to unfortunate circumstances, he also finds himself solving murders.

Dredge Preview - Eldritch Horror Never Felt So Calming

Harry Alston — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 14:00:16 GMT

I have an intense fear of water—a full-body, panic-attack-inducing fear of water too deep to stand up in. It has always been this way, at least as far back as my mind can go; one particularly bad memory is when I got caught under a surfboard and couldn’t get my head out from under the waves. I prefer the sea over the swimming pool, probably because just the smell of the pool makes me feel queasy. And the sea is easier to swim in, as long as it’s calm, the sun’s out, and I’m not too far from solid ground. More buoyant. All that salt.

Fantasy Critic Is The Best Way To Keep Track Of Upcoming Indies

Stacey Henley — Tue, 14 Feb 2023 17:30:14 GMT

A few of us here at TheGamer are doing a fantasy gaming league this year, which involves picking an array of games in a draft system and hoping they review better than the games others have picked. It's like fantasy football, but for people with body pillows. Those of us playing got together for an hour where we, in a randomly generated order, picked five games each, as well as two counterpicks - these are bets against a game, meaning you expect it to either be delayed or score poorly.

Review - Blanc

Lex Luddy — Tue, 14 Feb 2023 16:00:15 GMT

The longer you play video games, the more you realise that you have no idea what you actually want. When I was younger I’d dream of infinite open worlds with limitless quests, crafting, multiplayer, and all the other features I could think of. Like Skyrim with guns, a neverending story, and set in space with thousands of planets. Not anymore. As I’ve gotten older, life has come at me fast, and now I love nothing better than a tight, punchy, linear game that I can pick up and put down in a reasonable amount of time. Enter Blanc.

For Movie Lovers, Cine2Nerdle Is The Best Wordle

Andrew King — Mon, 13 Feb 2023 19:00:14 GMT

The explosion of Wordle-likes remains an under-discussed development in gaming's recent history. The sheer number of titles that have emerged in the proliferation of the genre since the daily word game became a hit has put similar booms — like 2017-18's trend-chasing in the wake of PUBG’s release — to shame. Back then it felt like the industry was being bombarded by battle royales. But, in Wordle’s wake, far more imitators have gripped their gliders than ever hit the island in that Fortnite-led assault.

I'm Scared We'll Never Have Another Game Like Outer Wilds

Issy van der Velde — Sun, 12 Feb 2023 17:00:15 GMT

Brilliantly referred to as a metroidbrainia, it’s entirely possible to beat Outer Wilds on your first attempt. But you won’t, because you won’t have the faintest idea what to do or where to go. If you’ve not played it yet, do yourself a favour and dive into its brilliant solar system before you read this.

Steam Next Fest: Boundary Is Counter-Strike In Outer Space

Eric Switzer — Fri, 10 Feb 2023 22:51:14 GMT

Boundary is a tactical space-based shooter where two teams of astronauts try to kill each other with AK47s and sniper rifles. Why are the astronauts shooting at each other? I don’t know if Boundary has an answer, but in the hours I spent whipping around space stations, dodging EMP blasts, and spraying bullets into the cosmos, I never found the time to stop and ask what the point of it all was. Boundary’s 3D degree combat makes for some of the most intense firefights you’ll find anywhere on this planet, or orbiting around it.

Afterimage Reminds Me Of Child Of Light In All The Best Ways

Stacey Henley — Fri, 10 Feb 2023 16:00:16 GMT

The name 'Metroidvania' has always seemed a little weird to me. It's not unheard of for games to become so ubiquitous they give birth to the genre ('roguelike' literally means 'like the game Rogue'), but come on guys. This is just two game names slapped together like they're a celebrity couple who name their children after fruits or states or ingredients in a consommé. We've convinced ourselves that it sounds catchy, but that's only because we say it so much. It's too long and the '-oidvan-' hits the ear wrong. Plus, 'vania' sounds too much like 'mania', making you think a Metroidvania is a cabal of screaming Metroid fans. All this to say I don't really like it, but I have found myself going all in on the latest Metroidvania: Afterimage.

Steam Next Fest: It’s A Wrap Is Half Platformer, Half Movie Maker

Ben Sledge — Thu, 09 Feb 2023 19:00:15 GMT

Have you ever wanted to direct a movie? No, me neither. But I’ve played out a thousand action sequences in my head whenever I’m staring at some parkour-able rooftops while waiting for a train, or approaching some bends in the road that would be perfect for a police chase while staring out of the bus window. I take a lot of public transport, okay?

Pacific Drive Preview - We Go Cruisin', Entertain Ourselves

Stacey Henley — Thu, 09 Feb 2023 17:00:15 GMT

When I was younger, my family drove a grey car. It was big and bulky. Before that we drove a black car. That was big too, and uglier. Before that, red, and smaller, because my sister had not been born yet. It was green before that, and smaller still, but though I had ridden in it, my only memory exists in photographs. These days, I don't drive, and my wife has a white car. I have only ever defined cars by colour and by size. I know that some are loud and some are quiet, some are expensive and some are cheap, some are new and some are old, but these distinctions mean little to me. Like trees in a forest, I can not tell one car from another. Previewing Pacific Drive, I felt the weight of this empty knowledge.

Nintendo Has Finally Realised The Switch Isn’t Just A Home Console

Ben Sledge — Thu, 09 Feb 2023 16:00:14 GMT

I was surprised when I found out that I’m in the minority among TheGamer staff when it comes to my Switch playing habits – I almost entirely play handheld. Editor-in-Chief Stacey Henley is obsessed with the idea of playing Pokemon on the big screen (presumably so she can see those stunning Paldean cliff textures in 4K or something) and many more colleagues plug in their Nintendo for playtime.

Steam Next Fest: Roots Of Yggrasil Is The Most Stressful City Builder Ever

Eric Switzer — Thu, 09 Feb 2023 01:24:14 GMT

I don’t know if city builders are technically considered comfy games, but they always have been for me. Designing little towns and amusement parks, drawing the roads between the buildings, and micromanaging the price of souvenirs is always a nice change of pace from the shooters and action games that dominate triple-A. Even when an unruly T-Rex gets loose and threatens to munch on my customers in Jurassic World Evolution 2, I never really feel the pressure. Roots of Yggrasil - a roguelike, turn-based city builder that has a demo in Steam Next Fest - is the first sim game of its kind that’s ever made me feel frantic. It turns out dinosaur attractions are a walk in the park, but rebuilding civilization at the end of the world? That really gets my pulse pounding.

Bramble: The Mountain King Is Now One Of My Most Anticipated Games

Harry Alston — Wed, 08 Feb 2023 17:00:15 GMT

Steam Next Fest has done its job: it’s introduced me to a game I’d only ever seen glimpses of and have now become completely obsessed with. You’ve also probably seen snippets of that moment from Bramble: The Mountain King, a scene depicting a monster emerging from the depths of a pond to chase down a very small little dude. Seen in its full context with the slow build-up, the music, the atmosphere, and the environmental storytelling, this moment, among others, has put this indie right up there with my most anticipated games of 2023.

Video Games Don't Need To Have A Point

Issy van der Velde — Wed, 08 Feb 2023 16:41:29 GMT

I’ve played video games my entire life. My earliest memory is playing on the N64 with my stepdad. Playing them is second nature to me, so much so that last weekend when my mum’s boyfriend Bob asked me, “What's the point?” as I played Exo One, I didn’t have an answer.

Steam Next Fest: Voidtrain Could Be The Next Subnautica

Eric Switzer — Wed, 08 Feb 2023 01:40:14 GMT

Voidtrain is one of those “the less you know the better” games, which kind of puts me in an awkward position as someone that writes previews. If story-driven survival/crafting games like Subnautica and Breathedge are your jam, you might want to just try Voidtrain out for yourself. There’s a demo available on Steam for the next week, which is a nice, albeit brief introduction to what it’s all about. For everyone else: allow me to explain one of the weirdest, wonderfullest games I’ve played in a long, long time.

Ubisoft Just Shadow Dropped The Sequel To One Of Its Best Ever Games

Stacey Henley — Mon, 06 Feb 2023 16:31:14 GMT

Ain’t that just the way? You wait years for a shadow drop and then two come along at once. I know technically around 90 percent of games are shadow dropped when you take into account indies with no marketing budget, but we’re not used to the biggest companies booting their efforts out of the nest in the hopes they might fly. Hot on the heels of Hi-Fi Rush though, Valiant Hearts: Coming Home just launched, and it deserves a lot more attention.

From $15,000 To $7 Million, Dwarf Fortress Devs Cash In After Steam Release

Lu-Hai Liang — Mon, 06 Feb 2023 16:01:47 GMT

If you didn't know, video games can make you rich. Very, very rich. Unfathomably rich in some cases. Video games has heard its fair share of success stories. There was Markus Persson who created Minecraft and founded Mojang and who sold his creation to Microsoft for $2.5 billionin 2014, although the money seems to have gone to his head as Persson has more recently become known for rather controversial opinions to put it lightly.

Handshakes Is A Great Free Puzzler And... A Lot Like Death Stranding?

Andrew King — Thu, 02 Feb 2023 21:00:15 GMT

Handshakes, which launched last month, is described on its Steam page as "the sokoban puzzler about shaking hands." That's a pretty accurate description, though it doesn't fully capture how fun Handshakes' 29 levels are to play or how different it feels from a basic sokoban.

Deliver Us Mars Review - Houston, We Have A Problem

Issy van der Velde — Thu, 02 Feb 2023 15:00:14 GMT

During my Gamescom preview of Deliver Us Mars, I was told by PR that developer KeokeN Interactive was referring to it as “triple-I”. Unfortunately, that ambition has forced the space puzzle game to crash land. The story of a family separated across space after Earth comes to the brink of collapse is held back by some frustrating new additions to the series. It stutters to a satisfying conclusion, but that doesn’t help wash away the lingering bitter aftertaste.

Steamworld Build Preview: You'll Dig This City Builder

Eric Switzer — Mon, 30 Jan 2023 02:45:24 GMT

In its ceaseless effort to robo-fy every genre, Thunderful is giving the city builder treatment to the SteamWorld series. Like the other SteamWorld games, SteamWorld Build is a fresh take on a classic genre that’s both approachable to city builder novices and compelling to experts. The short demo, available now on Steam, gives us just a small taste of SteamWorld Build’s story and gameplay, and as a big fan of strategy simulation games and the SteamWorld series, this one is already near the top of my most-anticipated list for 2023.

Game Industry Rebel Devolver Launches Money-Grubbing Mobile Game Without A Hint Of Irony

Eric Switzer — Sun, 29 Jan 2023 19:56:43 GMT

If the game industry was a high school, Devolver Digital would be the motorcycle guy who smokes cigarettes during P.E. and calls the principal by his first name. The indie publisher has spent years cultivating the image of a rebellious disruptor that isn’t afraid to criticize and undermine the rest of the industry. This is best exemplified by the publisher’s annual E3 showcase, which presents Devolver as a comically evil parody of triple-A companies, but it also satirizes the industry with other viral marketing campaigns such as the Devolverland Expo - a ‘marketing simulator’ set in an abandoned convention center - and Devolver Bootleg - a collection of rip-offs of Devolver’s most popular games.

Season Is Too Short, And That’s No Bad Thing

Stacey Henley — Fri, 27 Jan 2023 15:00:14 GMT

I beat Season in about eight hours, but even though I knew it took 6-12 hours to beat, I was still surprised when I reached the ending. Season presents itself as a game about a journey - when you start the game you are preparing to travel afar, the core mechanic is tapping the triggers to ride your bike, and all of the promotional materials push exploration. However, what happens in reality is you wander your home town briefly, take a short and mostly uneventful path to the next town, and then spend the rest of the game in said town.

Season: A Letter To The Future Review

Andrew King — Thu, 26 Jan 2023 15:00:14 GMT

Season: A Letter to the Future is a strangely shaped game. While its opening 30 minutes set up the idea that you will be going on a journey, that journey ends after just one stop. There's a little lead up, and a little lead out, but the bulk of your time in the game will be spent in one verdant valley on the eve of a catastrophic flood.