Category: Reviews
Scrabdackle – Adventure into the Whimsical World of Wizardry
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Indie developer jakefriend released a playable demo of a passion project in September 2020, titled Scrabdackle. Word quickly spread around of an upbeat and quaint, top-down adventure game for a few months, motivating Jake to debut the project on Kickstarter in March 2021. What happened next was unbelievable. Within a…
Blood Mall is an intense game about a dinosaur rampage
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Blood Mall is a short, low-poly/VHS style horror game that will give those traumatized by Jurassic Park as a kid some nasty flashbacks. Created by Ollie Hall for the Dinoshorror Jam, this faux video nasty has had a fair share of recognition for being a surprisingly intense chiller. With intentionally…
Out of Hands is a unique deckbuilder about mental health
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What if you woke up as a monstrosity made up entirely of hands? Developed by Game River and published by Chinese-based Lightning Games, Out of Hands is an interesting mix of deckbuilding, adventure, and psychological horror. In it, you play as a shut-in who is plagued by trauma and conflicting…
Building Relationships puts Humanity in Absurdity
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Building Relationships is a surprisingly delightful dating sim developed and published by Tan Ant. Set upon a charming Island with multiple biomes, you play as an eligible building on a mission to find love amongst the “bachelorx pads.” Gameplay The demo dropped me in a green grove with Mint, a…
We Harvest Shadows – Sowing Seeds, Growing Dread
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Until recently, farming-centered games have ranged from cozy and cute like Stardew Valley, to realistic and technical like the aptly titled Farming Simulator franchise. We Harvest Shadows separates itself from the typical farming simulators by dipping into the horror genre to deliver a thrilling, narrative-driven experience that mixes psychological dread…
Until Then Brings a Rain-Soaked Mystery Demo to LudoNarraCon.
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Until Then presents as a simple enough game: a mix of side-scrolling and visual novel brought together to immerse the player in a world not unlike their own. What begins as a run-of-the-mill high school drama, however, quickly shifts into a narrative that offers questions just enticing enough to make…
Jump the Track’s demo is a colorful pachinko novel
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Showcased as part of the LudoNarraCon, Jump the Track is an interesting blend of genres. Created from the minds of Seed by Seed, Jump the Track combines elements of visual novels with pinball/pachinko machine gameplay. With wit and conscientious themes of fighting the system, this choices-matter demo has plenty of promise.…
The Rise of the Golden Idol is a Dangerous Treasure
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Whether it be mystery novels, horror podcasts, or detective games, people have a fondness for stories where they get to puzzle out scenarios and pose theories. Being a fly on the wall is a common fantasy. Having some red-string-conspiracy type enrichment is necessary for some — me included. The Rise…
R.E.P.O.: A Haunting Heist With Hi-jinks Galore
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From developer semiwork comes R.E.P.O., a chilling (unintentionally hilarious) online co-op horror experience where teamwork and tension collide. Up to six players take on the role of robotic agents employed by a cryptic AI overlord, venturing into derelict human ruins to retrieve valuable—and often perilous—artifacts. With its fully physics-based object…
Pulling Into Saihate Station is Relaxingly Horrific
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There is nothing quite like an RPG Maker horror game. Saihate Station is a short narrative experience created and published by developer びぶ/viv. The story follows two men in their early 20s as they try and get home after their regular train ends up at an unknown station. Despite it…