Ever get the feeling that you’re a bit thick? If the answer is no, boy howdy, have I got a game to test that confidence. Order of the Sinking Star is Jonathan Blow’s latest endeavour, and it melted my mind on an hourly basis. The set-up drops you into a top-down overworld, possibly the afterlife, …
Wasting no time – much like this introduction – this rhythm-based roguelike presents its protagonist, premise and combat system within its opening. Cello, a puppet, lands with a bump in a strange world. When she comes to, she discovers a pair of carelessly discarded, rainbow-hued xylophone blades. They are among a few novel instrument-based weapons …
This week’s UK retail (physical) chart is a sight for sore eyes, featuring seven new releases. We almost even saw an all-new top five. There was no toppling EA Sports FC 27 though, which remains no.1 for a third week. It also holds onto no.1 in the Switch, PS5 and PS4 charts – but not …
Konami continues its redemption arc this week with Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse. Like the recent Silent Hill: Townfall, it was developed by a Western studio – in this case, Evil Empire, which worked on the Dead Cells expansion Return to Castlevania. The story sees Trevor and Rose Belmont travel across Paris to face Death, Medusa and …
Compilations of old sports games aren’t too exciting, understandably. But when rally racing and snowboarding are involved? That’s a different proposition entirely. Gaelco Sports Collection features five arcade games from the Spanish developer Gaelco – not to be confused with Japanese studio Jaleco. Earlier this month we looked at their Thunder Hoop run ‘n gun games, …
Essentially Portal filtered through an anime lens, this puzzle adventure has you flipping gravity to walk along walls and ceilings, carrying size-altering jelly-like cubes to marked destinations, and leaping through portals that offer mind-twisting perspectives on the 3D environments. Alongside its themes of Japanese folklore, the game draws inspiration from the four seasons, while its …
Chip shortages be damned. Atari has announced THE 800XL – a modern recreation of their 1983 computer system, featuring 25 built-in games, a working cartridge slot, a mechanical keyboard, and HDMI connectivity. Retro Games Ltd are behind the project, with PLAION REPLAI both manufacturing and distributing. Of the 25 built-in titles, eight are licensed Atari …
The very good, and surprisingly lengthy, pixel art horror Dead of Darkness is set to gain a sequel. The original game was, essentially, a 2D top-down take on PS1-era Resident Evil. This sequel appears more ambitious, viewed from a fresh isometric perspective and featuring more detailed visuals. The story meanwhile from the first game, involving …
Ahead of next week’s triple whammy of Capcom’s own Resident Evil conversions comes Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen for Switch 2. This is somewhat timelier, with Dark Arisen hitting other formats this week too. £44.99 gets you the base game and expansion, which is set in a snowy mountain range and features new weapons to …
In 1994, the arcade scene was enjoying a resurgence, fuelled by a double whammy of the monster success of one‑on‑one fighting games and the advent of 3D polygon‑pushing technology. Step into any arcade around this time and you’d doubtlessly be greeted by the likes of Daytona USA and Ridge Racer, along with the first entries …
I was immediately struck by how slickly presented NASCAR 26 is, with video introductions and all the official branding that you can shake a dipstick at. That plus Sweet Home Alabama by Lynyrd Skynyrd being the default music track in the playlist gives you some idea as to the target audience here. It’s been a …
EA Sports FC 27 continues to dominate the UK retail (physical) charts, remaining no.1 in the all formats top 40, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series and Switch charts. The only chart it can’t conquer is the boxed PC chart, where it has to settle for #4. The sports sim was even able to fend off competition …
E-Day is upon us. Not Egg Day (that’s later this week, believe it or not), but rather Gears of War’s Emergence Day – the day the Locust Horde erupted from below and left the world ravaged. This prequel story stars Marcus and Dominic and promises a darker twist on things, with enemies more threatening than …
Deduction games are in right now. We’ve had Curse of the Golden Idol, Duck Detective and The Roottrees are Dead in the last few years, all being massive hits. Now comes Little Problems with its own spin on the deduction formula. Firstly, what do we mean by a deduction game? Let’s do a little history …
The Switch 2 is in for a bunch of remasters and re-releases over the next two weeks, most of which fall into the RPG genre. Indeed, there’s quite a bit of overlap. Seeing the Kingdom Hearts franchise re-release the same day as Epic Mickey Rebrushed is certainly quite the coincidence too. How is anyone …
