REVIEW: Night Call

I love mysteries. I love reading about true crime, looking at all of the clues, and hearing everyone’s different theories. But it’s rare that I’m able to partake in a real mystery myself. That’s why I was excited to check out Night Call, a neo-noir mystery game.

MMORPGs In Concept

Name an idea better than the massively multiplayer online role-playing game. It’s such a perfect concept. A vast, open fantasy world filled with countless quests, fully customizable characters, and the ability to team up with thousands of other players all around the world sharing the same virtual fantasy as you. It’s probably one of the best concepts in video gaming history. So why are they all terrible?

REVIEW: Golf Story

I don't like sports. At all. And I, obviously, don't like most sports games. That being said, one of my favorite games on the Gameboy Color was Mario Tennis due to the fact that it was a boarding school RPG about a less common sport (and barely about Mario) that made the sport fun in a different way. All these years later, Sidebar Games recaptures that magic with another boring sport.

REVIEW: Monster Sanctuary

Monster Sanctuary  is one of those games I’ve been following since before this blog even existed. Players collect, train, and battle different monsters - a subgenre I believe there can never be enough of - while also adding a unique spin by setting the adventure inside of an interconnected Metroidvania world. The game is available now from Moi Rai Games.

REVIEW: Uurnog Uurnlimited

After success of Super Mario Bros. in 1985, Nintendo released a sequel that was deemed too similar to the original and too difficult for western players. So Nintendo America took an unrelated platformer called Doki Doki Panic, threw Mario in it, and called in Mario Bros. 2. The game's most notable departures from its non-predecessor was the ability to jump on top of enemies, pick them up, and throw them. Game designer Nicklas Nygren must've thought that one concept was so hilarious because 30 years later he made a whole game based around it.

REVIEW: Penko Park

There are two things everyone should know about me. First, I think Pokemon is an objectively bad franchise and every piece of its media is bad. Second, Pokemon Snap is my favorite game on the N64 and I am still mad that it’s virtually the only game of it’s kind. That is until Berlin-based developer Ghostbutter’s recent release: Penko Park

REVIEW: Parkasaurus

When I was in high school I was a big fan of two games. One on the PS2 where you build and manage different types of theme parks, and another that was a flash game on Adult Swim’s website where you run a dinosaur zoo. Canada-based WashBear Studio has finally done the unthinkable - they merged both games into one.

REVIEW: Pikuniku

This is another game I picked up in itch.io's Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality. I've heard about it before and regretted not getting it when it was on sale for $0.99 on the Switch, so I'm glad I was finally able to play it. But was it worth the wait?

Remembering Mineral Town

 

Harvest Moon is a JRPG series of farming simulators where the objective is to grow crops and tend to livestock instead of fighting monsters and exploring dungeons. Players also interact with the locals and build relationships with them, which usually concludes in a wedding. The franchise has had it's ups and downs over the years, but without a doubt the best Harvest Moon game was Friends of Mineral Town on the Game Boy Advance. 

REVIEW: Spiritfarer

Life simulators have been getting a nice renaissance lately. Indie games like Stardew Valley are outselling Triple A franchises, Animal Crossing has overtaken the internet, and the once mocked concepts of farming and dressing up a room have risen as one of the modern staples of video games. Spiritfarer is a very different take on the subgenre. It's not exactly a life simulator. It's an afterlife simulator.

The Case for Linear Gameplay

These days, video games are all about two things: open world, and open ended. In the old days, almost every game ever made was played on a straight line. While I think we can all agree that more open games are a great thing, they shouldn’t be the only thing on the table. We shouldn’t abandon linear games altogether.

REVIEW: Fossil Hunters

Next up from itch.io's Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality is Fossil Hunters. Developed by Reptoid Games, Fossil Hunters is a casual action-adventure game about digging for fossils and building your own dinosaurs. Every kid's wildest dream!

REVIEW: Orion Trail

Back in June we purchased itch.io's Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality which included 1,741 items in one bundle with proceeds donated to the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and Community Bail Fund. A lot of those items were assets for developers and PDFs for tabletop RPG modules and campaigns. But a significant chunk of them were indie games which means I'm pretty much set on review material for a while. Here's my first review of Orion Quest, developed by Schell Games right here in Pittsburgh.

REVIEW: Kingdom Two Crowns

Originally created by Thomas van den Berg AKA noio, Kingdom is a series of games unlike anything I've ever seen before. Now in the hands of Raw Fury, Kingdom is back with a new game of monarchs and monsters.  

REVIEW: Atomicrops

It's no secret that Stardew Valley is one of my favorite games of all time. I've sunk over 600 hours into it with no sign of slowing down. The success of the indie title has lead to dozens of copycats, but few have stuck out as their own. Among them is Atomicrops from Bird Bath Games, which brings virtual farmlife to the action-packed end of the world.

REVIEW: Path of Giants

Who doesn't love a good puzzle game? Path of Giants is one of the better puzzle games I've played so far this year. The married duo of developers at Journey Bound Games whisk players high up into the icy mountains where dozens of unique puzzles await.

REVIEW: A Fold Apart

Puzzle games are a perfect genre for developers to experiment with unique yet simple concepts while also exploring their own creativity beyond game design. A Fold Apart from Lightning Rod Games is one such example that takes a single gameplay mechanic and using it to further a visually charged, emotionally driven narrative adventure.

REVIEW: Hidden Through Time

If you were a kid in the 90s you probably spent a significant portion of your childhood staring endlessly at the pages of Where's Waldo, I Spy, or some knockoff of the sort. They're still around today but not to the extent they once were. I was a big fan of these kinds of books and always wanted to create my own. Twenty years later, that dream is finally possible.

REVIEW: SteamWorld Dig 2

I can't get enough SteamWorld. It appeared on my computer one day, introduced me to my favorite band, and invited me into a whole universe of A+ worldbuilding and game design. My latest game in the series is the sequel to Image & Form's inaugural robot spelunker game - and it might be their best yet. 

REVIEW: Spaceland

A lot of my recent dive into indie games can be traced back to SteamWorld Heist, a game that mysteriously appeared on my computer one day and introduced me to the turn-based shooter genre. Right away, I wanted more. It wasn't long until I stumbled onto another such game: Spaceland.