REVIEW - Mr. Dave Pizza

Bear & Breakfast is the Huge, Hilarious Life Sim I Wanted

Posted on January 31, 2023January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Finally, I sat down with the tremendous Bear & Breakfast, a game I’d wanted to try since last year. Now, my personal quest has resumed with a plunge headfirst into this BEARY good game. Here are my thoughts on all the vast building and crafting systems, quests, and exploration features that make this game so good. Not to mention the fantastic hand-drawn woodland setting and the game’s humble (and hilarious as it were)… Read the rest

Wanderful is a Cozy Puzzle Demo from Steam Next Fest

Posted on January 29, 2023March 21, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Daedelic Entertainment is a huge high-quality game publisher featuring a range of developers from small to major, including the new Gollum game and also Wanderful from the German developers Tiny Roar. I have my eye on this publisher as an unbiased indie gamer because while, yes, the smaller indie community is my foundation, I also like really good games. So, when you can, there’s a great game you need to try from them… Read the rest

Grow: Song of the Evertree is Super Cute, And Maybe A Bit Juvenile

Posted on January 20, 2023March 21, 2023 by Dave Pizza

If you have ever picked up a farm sim as a sim lover, you might feel there is no limit to how absolutely open and customizable the cozy mechanics are. That’s what is going on in Grow: Song of the Evertree, a resource-gathering sim that appeals to a family-friendly player. As you progress in Grow, you need to gather resources to replace, a giant world tree known as the Evertree, which has declined… Read the rest

Spiritfarer: Farewell Edition is Excellence Beyond the Veil (I Finally Tried It)

Posted on January 18, 2023March 21, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Spiritfarer: Farewell Edition touches my heart in a way that’s genuine and welcome. It’s one thing for a game to speak of the hereafter as a storyline, but another to make one truly wonder as this game does. It is also an excellent example of intentional gameplay that makes you want to keep going deeper and reveal all its fruits. I’ll share with you why Spiritfarer: Farewell Edition combines the deep spiritual context… Read the rest

Cult of the Lamb is Slightly Gnostic

Posted on January 14, 2023March 21, 2023 by Dave Pizza

I’ve been aiting way too long to try Cult of the Lamb. From its conceptual uniqueness to its popularity, I’ve been waiting (shudder.) I like to ask why people do certain things–like why everybody from a certain culture believes in the same thing but others don’t. OR: Why does this cute indie game exist about a tiny lamb who is forced to destroy hordes of cultists and collect woodland creature followers to build… Read the rest

Nordic Ashes is More Adventurous and Polished than Vampire Survivors

Posted on January 1, 2023March 21, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Nordic Ashes: Survivors of Ragnarok is a ride and a vibe–or whatever these new Midgardians call things. It was a great time trying the early access on Steam, and I’ll tell you about it. This is a passive auto-combat… roguelike–it’s a Vampire Survivors type game basically. Overall, these are good fun, and anybody can play them with a little familiarity with the genre. In this one, you play a Viking warrior (is that… Read the rest

Grey Block is a Mental Health Conspiracy Game by an Ambitious Dev

Posted on October 27, 2022March 21, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Grey Block is a new psychological interactive fiction. This is a story about Theo Church, a young man who is involuntarily committed to a place called the Green Valley Psychiatric Hospital. Within the framework of a mysterious conspiracy, he tries to escape with the help of a hired assassin, who Theo tells a nurse was originally hired to take Theo out but instead rescued him. She is the primary secondary character outside of… Read the rest

Have You Tried Terrene? Check Out This Indie Bit-Art Space Dev

Posted on October 21, 2022March 21, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Hey, thanks to JustWall Games for letting me try Terrene: An Evidence of Life. This is an indie open-world space exploration game with some sweet pixel graphics and the types of deep-cut quirks that make me play indies, seriously. I didn’t know what to expect at first, to be honest. I suspected some kind of multi-faceted character-based system, but that is only part of it. Actually, there are so many open-ended exploration features… Read the rest

DreamCell Is a Dark But Not Scary Rogue-Like, and I Got To Name Some of the Characters

Posted on October 17, 2022March 21, 2023 by Dave Pizza

DreamCell: Lost in Nightmares is a 2D action twin-stick rogue-like that landed on my desk today. I have been hooked on the rogue-like/lite genre quite a bit lately. You may want to navigate to my YouTube channel for proof with the video below. Despite that, games like DreamCell: Lost in Nightmares give enough content to chew on for a regular day’s gaming. The game is currently in a demo stage, scheduled for release… Read the rest

If You Like Starship Troopers, Check out Stories From Sol

Posted on September 27, 2022March 21, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Stories From Sol: Part 1 Gun-Dog is a new game entering onto the scene. It’s a hard space sci-fi story, a genre not without a plentiful fandom, although this sneak peek led me mostly through sharp comedic timing and even a romantic interest? Looks pretty cool. Please note that not only is this a demo, but it also’s part one of the whole story, so if you enjoy it, make the dev know… Read the rest

NeuroNet: Mendax Proxy Is an Upcoming Tale of the Dangers of Artificial Intelligence

Posted on September 22, 2022March 21, 2023 by Dave Pizza

“Dream Harvest,” the developers of NeuroNet: Mendaxy Proxy have provided a demo that gives a special preview of this futuristic fiction that showcases a highly visual and highly interactive story experience. The synopsis goes something like this. Wake up, you’re the newest programmed artificial intelligence developed by a very prominent corporation in the high-tech metropolitan Catena. Take it into your own hands in the bizarre POV of the AI, who is named Arc… Read the rest

Kraino Origins Spins My Spooky Indie Wheels

Posted on September 20, 2022March 21, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Here we go with Kraino Origins. Add this to your Halloween Indie Game countdowns, because it’s got enough spook for the whole community. This game feels like it was made from the plucking of my own seasonal heartstring, with its borderline creep-fest color scheme and environment. Slash your way through constant monsters, zombies, and ghouls in this 2D platformer that spans 8 bosses–now out on Steam! Kraino Origins – What Is This Magic?… Read the rest

Overboard! is A Visual Novel That Floats my Boat, With a Great Narrative

Posted on June 19, 2022March 21, 2023 by Dave Pizza

This article about Overboard is in the June 2022 Issue 4 of ChoiceBeat: The Visual Novel and Interactive Fiction Zine.With eye-catching flat graphics and exciting period stylized environments, no one could say the game Overboard! doesn’t have class. (Also known as Overboard! Get Away With Murder.) Literary elements and composition create an intellectual environment on the fictional steamship SS Hook, where your task is to resolve speculation on a murder. It’s not just… Read the rest

Hayai is an Awesome Artistic Enemy Hell With Samurai Action

Posted on May 22, 2022March 21, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Hayai is a pretty cool game. I played another game like it recently called Pizza Tactics, but only in the sense that the main mechanic is drawing a path with my mouse. Really though, Hayai is a full-feature game aimed at casual play. Control one of 5 Ronin, and clear hordes of enemies swarming from the sides of the map by dragging a line between the individual enemies in one long swipe. It… Read the rest

Firegirl: Hack ‘n Splash Rescue is a Neat 2.5D French Firefighting Game

Posted on May 17, 2022March 21, 2023 by Dave Pizza

The idea behind Firegirl: Hack ‘n Splash Rescue is in the title, Firegirl. I find myself drawn to this game due to its slight quirk and frank concept. But the game deserves a little more credit than assuming the entire plot is based on a conjunction of the words “fire” and “girl.” Although you are exactly that in the game, Firegirl is the type of game that should have been made, conceptually, at… Read the rest

Haiku the Robot is a Surprising New Indie I Played

Posted on May 14, 2022January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Yep, Haiku the Robot is about robots, although you’re more likely to catch on fire before most of its poetics! It’s a dystopic pixel platformer with a variety of routes to navigate through. The tunnels are left from the aftermath of an apocalyptic turn. It does have somewhat of a narrative for the first minute. Mostly, you’ll be in the heat of battle. You are thrown into the general theme of trying to… Read the rest

A Showcase of Vesper: Zero Light Edition (On Switch)

Posted on May 13, 2022March 21, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Vesper: Zero Light Edition is out on Nintendo Switch and PC today! Players can find this new version, plus the big debut Switch release, on eShop and Steam. It’s an innovative platformer with arcane space vibes and shimmering, colorful environments. It also includes a compelling and innovative storyline told through holographic recordings and plentiful checkpoint diversions. I played the first twenty minutes on my Switch for you. I have to say it’s one… Read the rest

Rotund Zero is a Super Cheap Preview of the Rotund Franchise

Posted on May 12, 2022March 21, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Back with another Indie Game Collective showcase for Rotund Zero. It’s a precision platformer with a Game Boy monochrome style that uses directional keys only to solve puzzle levels made of bouncing blocks. It’s only $1.99 on Steam at the moment and encourages problem-solving in timed runs. You have 5 minutes to complete as many levels as possible, and there are 26 levels, 1 for every letter of the alphabet! You’ll be on… Read the rest

Galacticon Really Plays Like an Old Arcade Cabinet Style Game

Posted on May 5, 2022March 21, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Today, I’m taking a look at the soon-to-be-released, arcade-style title Galacticon from developer Radin Games. It’s similar in style to 1980s arcade games like Defender, Joust, and Jetpac. You might be familiar with some of these from the book Ready Player One; and maybe the film, but I can’t remember, although I know Joust featured prominently in the book. I sat down with the space-themed preview they provided and honestly got really into… Read the rest

Jaded – Another Game From My ItchIO Free Game Binge

Posted on May 4, 2022March 21, 2023 by Dave Pizza

I love these platformer games that emerge from the woodwork every single day. Today, that game is Jaded by Shellsnore games, up on Steam. It’s a standard platformer with directional keys, jump, attack, and a special mechanic which is a time warp. Although the time warp mechanic is more of a cacoon slingshot kinda thing, it works pretty well. I was able to bind my controller to the basic keys with no problem.… Read the rest

Peglin and its Pachinko Goblins – Trying the Demo

Posted on May 3, 2022March 21, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Peglin is a great game where you complete levels by dropping a ball into a destructible pattern of mechanic-activating orbs. You can activate critical strike boosts, or replenish the board. And, before I gloss over too quickly, the purpose of this strategy is to rack up points that can then be used to attack mob health points, in effect winning the level and moving on. I was lucky enough to find the demo… Read the rest

BIOTA the Robot Action Monochrome Indie

Posted on May 1, 2022March 21, 2023 by Dave Pizza

I’m going to try something new here. I have been known to review demos in the past, but they get kind of buried under other projects. I really want to dedicate time to as many as I’d like to. All things relevant, I made a post on Twitter about needing to play for Game Boy-style indies. I got a great tip from cshPinecone of Indie Game Collective about the game BIOTA from “small… Read the rest

Labyrinth City – A Fun Where’s Waldo? Type Game

Posted on April 30, 2022March 21, 2023 by Dave Pizza

It’s been some time since a game like this has been featured on MrDavePizza. Labyrinth City: Pierre the Maze Detective absolutely belongs. As a game that originated in a book series, the game takes many cues from the visual classics of growing up for me. Incidentally, I was a big fan of books like Where’s Waldo? and Eye Spy, which are similar in scope and content as Pierre the Maze Detective–perhaps you remember… Read the rest

Recommendation: Ducksoup Dungeon

Posted on April 27, 2022March 21, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Let’s jump right into Ducksoup Dungeon. It’s a free web browser playable rogue-lite on Itch.io by developer Richard Lems, also known as Blastmode Games. You might have heard of Lems’ work on the game Mighty Goose. In the game I’m discussing here, Ducksoup Dungeon, you choose one of four heroes. It is playable in a web browser or can be downloaded. Starting with “Slashchicken,” the first hero is a chicken. Gameplay With amazing… Read the rest

Dogurai – Heck Yeah, a Doggo Samurai!

Posted on April 25, 2022March 21, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Dogurai by HungryBear is a Game Boy-style indie Metroidvania. I know about it through, a couple of co-creators from Indie Game Collective. Thank you, Jaunty Adventures and Pursuing Pixels. Their taste is superb, as this turned out to be an exciting game. I’ve covered very few Game Boy titles here, aside from Lasagna Boy and… actually, that might be it. It’s a great genre if you want to get into indies. In summary,… Read the rest

Bumballon Strikes My SNES Nostalgia Chord HARD, Plus it’s a Great Game

Posted on April 23, 2022March 21, 2023 by Dave Pizza

I’ve got a great video up for Bumballon on my YouTube channel because I found this game on a Steam sale for 89 cents! With some investigation, I narrowed down some impulse options for pixel art platformers in the likes of some recent faves like Grapple Dog (which hopefully I’ll get to) and PomPom. It’s a game with unique characters and a traditional SNES-type side-scroller game that puts me into an optimized chill… Read the rest

Earth Day Game Pick: Tadpole Tales

Posted on April 22, 2022March 21, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Today is Earth Day, and that’s why my free game pick for the day is Tadpole Tales. I played this last year with a fair amount of amusement at the concept. The art style is juicy and vibrant like a Miyazaki film or perhaps some other manga animation. It’s an arcade-style game. This doesn’t mean it’s confined to an arcade cabinet somewhere, it’s a Steam title that’s easy to start and has a… Read the rest

Blastronaut, a Game Kind of Like Starbound But Kind of Different

Posted on April 20, 2022March 21, 2023 by Dave Pizza

So, this game is a mining platformer, pixel art with the likes of games like Terraria or Spelunky. You use a jetpack and hose to douse the caverns of the planet so you can collect mining materials. I don’t have tomes of content to say, because apparently, I played this without creating a log of the gameplay that explained any of it. However, this game has become one of the top games on… Read the rest

Hivemind 2: Stargrove Scramble is A Sweet SNES Style Indie

Posted on April 20, 2022March 21, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Hivemind 2: Stargrove Scramble is a 2D pixel art platformer part of a 2021 Newgrounds dev jam with an “egg” theme by the dev group Team Bugulon. You play a little cloaked lizard, progressing through various spring-sunset-toned environments, collecting candies that in turn give you eggs that you can use to hurl at enemies and unblock paths. The music is a touch above fun, along with the sound effects, making the game have a… Read the rest

Moonstuck is Literally Impossible, Stop Now

Posted on April 20, 2022March 21, 2023 by Dave Pizza

When I posted this game, the dev joked to me that I’d done a really great job, which if you watch this video, you’ll realize is hilarious. The game is literally impossible. What? Why am I writing about that? It’s free, otherwise, there’d be an uproar on Steam. Gameplay Moonstuck is a 2D platformer from CozyGames and Black County Games available on Steam just released today. It utilizes a very difficult mechanic involving… Read the rest

Octarina, A Game About an Octopus Trapped in a Sushi Factory

Posted on April 20, 2022March 21, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Octarina is a physics puzzle game about an octopus escaping a sushi factory (don’t worry, you’re on the side of the octopus!) Using your squiggly limbs and momentum, propel yourself around the interior of the factory with the intention of escaping. You can use suction cups to climb structures and hurl objects at switches to reverse conveyor belts and such. Gameplay There are three modes: speed mode, story mode, and “the floor is lava.”… Read the rest

BRIMO from Mama Makes Games

Posted on April 20, 2022March 21, 2023 by Dave Pizza

“It’s got what plants crave.” That’s the tagline for this game from Kim of Mama Makes Games, a dev friend who makes some really fun games. It’s another free one, and I am not totally sure how I found it (don’t worry I found the link,) but it’s a good one to share here. The game runs on any web browser, and it’s about a plant named Audrey who waters plants in a… Read the rest

With You is Still Fun For “Single” Players

Posted on April 20, 2022March 21, 2023 by Dave Pizza

With You is from Carol Mertz and Insatiable Cycle, the same publisher of “We should talk.” It’s a simple co-op puzzle platformer that can be played with a keyboard. It can also be played as one player using the respective sides of their keyboard to control the two main characters. How to Play Solve puzzles by figuring out geometric obstacles, flipping around your square and half-circle buddies so that they can fit into the floating… Read the rest

Bunny Bye-Bye is a Cute, Simple Indie Game

Posted on April 20, 2022March 21, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Okay, IN MY OPINION, but it’s cute and it’s the free game today. Actually, I really did like Bunny Bye-Bye and it deserves a break from my sardonic quips. This is a 2D pixel-art platformer about a little alien named “bobe” who needs to clean dust bunnies around a space station using a vacuum called a clean0tron. I can’t promise I have a ton to say about this game, but it’s a neat… Read the rest

Easter Pick: Super Star Duck

Posted on April 20, 2022March 21, 2023 by Dave Pizza

There’s a really neat ItchIO developer called “eggnog.” They’re publishing all sorts of harmless, fun games apparently. In Super Star Duck: Escape From Nefarious Castle, you’ve got the option to play as Esdee, Flan, or Bean, a duck, hippo, and dog (respectively.) The game is one of many free games on ItchIO that I cover, not because it’s a great place to lurk, but because indie developers love the attention there! Why wouldn’t they?… Read the rest

Gummy Shooter Looks SICK (And You Can Play it On Your Phone)

Posted on April 20, 2022March 21, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Mostly created for its novelty probably, Gummy Shooter is an amusing side-scrolling thumb blaster. To be honest, I’ve never tried anything like it before, but I was moved to try the Android category of ItchIO as I was out and it was really quite easy. I don’t always cover games like this, because there is a conflict with how much praise I can gloat over a game versus how simplistic they actually are,… Read the rest

ItchIO Spotlight: Eats Shoots and Leaves

Posted on April 20, 2022March 21, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Here’s an amusing little platformer over on ItchIO called Eats Shoots and Leaves. The name is a parody of the famous writing device expressing how a simple lack of punctuation makes a sentence mean something completely different, especially phonetically. “Eats Chutes and Leaves” and “Eats, Shoots, and Leaves.” This game takes this idea and literally makes it the theme. If you’ve never played an indie game like this, it’s not a broad blanket experience… Read the rest

More ItchIO Binging: Space Adventure by e9k9

Posted on April 20, 2022March 21, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Just a fun little platformer today called Space Adventure. Found this on ItchIO. You play as a small alien crashlanded somewhere, a moon perhaps, wandering around collecting green dots. Works great on a controller, and the music is pleasant. The original language of this game is German, so if you don’t speak German you might not totally understand what’s going on. Everything is pretty intuitive though, including the universal basics of all platformers… Read the rest

Random Free JAM Games: Daydream (Kowzak)

Posted on April 20, 2022March 21, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Daydream is a simple keyboard controller platformer made for an ItchIO Dev jam. The protagonist is a woman on a bus daydreaming out the window, as you control one of three recurring daydreams, jumping over obstacles and creatures and avoiding water. It varies from creative to bizarre. I know it seems like I’m just picking these games randomly, but the purpose is to provide inspiration for whatever I need to work on next… Read the rest

This Game is Basically Cyberpunk Pong

Posted on April 20, 2022March 21, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Exoblast is basically a very extreme version of pong. Made by the French developer DreamIRL Games, it hit Steam last month and is free as of version 1.0. You control a machine slider in charge of one side of the screen playing against either an AI or another player (there seems to be a function for online mode too.) It’s got some great gameplay and as far as pong goes, might be the… Read the rest

Super Duper indies: Hip Witch

Posted on April 20, 2022March 21, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Hip Witch is a free adventure game released on Steam this week by developer Studio Hip Sword. The environment is handmade, and the storyline involves a lost young witch boarding in a state park, where she begins a quest to investigate odd happenings on the park’s grounds. It is playable with a controller or keyboard and is short but charming and cozy met with positive reviews. Gameplay in Hip Witch: You Got Spells,… Read the rest

Caves Ablaze Feels like a Super Old School Platformer

Posted on April 20, 2022March 21, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Caves Ablaze is a 2D Metroidvania Platformer. Play as a ball of fire that completes puzzles deep underground by using flames and dashing abilities to unlock paths. Avoid water and slowly make your way to the surface. Playable with an X-Box Input Controller or keyboard. This was the inaugural free games post for the FGV blog. Not a lot documented here, but a perfectly enjoyable game. Caves Ablaze Gameplay Ah, okay, another fore… Read the rest

Village Monsters: A Pleasant Town Sim Borrowing From Made Up Myths

Posted on April 13, 2022March 21, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Village Monsters is a solo dev project from Josh Bosser. It’s a pixel art town sim that departs from conventional titles with an alternative community of friendly monsters. The game plays on similar genre themes as Stardew Valley but the content goes into the outsider/quirk genre of games with its monster acceptance communicated in each character’s unconventional friendliness. It departs from too much comparison by offering a vast amount of exclusive unique story… Read the rest

Showcase: Pompom is A Challenging, Colorful Hamster Platformer

Posted on April 10, 2022March 21, 2023 by Dave Pizza

The recently released pixel platformer Pompom: The Great Space Rescue ran across my desk as a showcase opportunity through my friends at Indie Game Collective. It’s a precision platformer, sort of, with a feature I’ve never seen before this involving time slowing AND improvised platform placement. You can play with a controller, or you can play it with a mouse (or hamster actually, since that is Pompom’s main character you play as.) The… Read the rest

Moonglow Bay Takes a Slice Out of Those Times I Went to Canada

Posted on March 16, 2022March 21, 2023 by Dave Pizza

I’m a big fan of fishing in games, but even more so a good story involving it. Moonglow Bay has done it. It’s a story about a retired fisher getting back out there. It is also about settling a community’s superstitions and getting back to the foundation of their livelihood. The story takes place in a traditional Eastern Canadian seaboard fishing village in the 80s. It is otherwise perfectly afloat in its conventional… Read the rest

Pupperazzi. Am I The Only Who Loved This Or Something?

Posted on March 15, 2022March 21, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Dogs dashing, catching, posing, and dogs riding scooters to surfboards throughout the whole game. Pupperazzi is a comedy game with a pretty clean content concept. In all honesty, I initially wasn’t too interested in the game, until I saw it was on Xbox Gamepass where I tried it for free. To my surprise, I found this game very funny, and it had enough achievement-based gameplay that it was actually quite fun. I know… Read the rest

Donut County is Definitely Immature and Has GREAT Dialogue

Posted on March 14, 2022March 21, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Forgive, me, because we’re about to “dive into” some game material from the past. All the way back to the year 2018. Which isn’t really that long ago, making the sentiment of that sentence nearly arbitrary actually. Donut County is on its fourth year after release, and I’ve been meaning to play it for about half of that time. Why did I wait so long? I have no idea, but anything that was… Read the rest

Eternia is a Unique Visual Novel About Pets I Played For No Reason

Posted on March 12, 2022March 21, 2023 by Dave Pizza

There’s a short, charming story in Eternia: Pet Whisperer. Even if you’re a cockatoo/border-collie lover like me, or whether you lean more toward the exotic koala/frill-necked lizard, or rat brothers. These animals have a slight backstory, and cute appearance, plus a natural subtle wit. It’s got that solo dev quirk that I love best of all, where the plot derails to form a full loopable plot-line but keeps things manageable; that’s a plus,… Read the rest

Moonlighter is a Much Better Game Than I Thought

Posted on March 10, 2022January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

The game Moonlighter is a combination of rogue-lite dungeon-crawler mixed with trade simulation and story-rich RPG elements. This timeless, beautifully rendered pixel top-down was released by Digital Sun in 2018, and the game is available on most platforms like PC & Nintendo Switch.Moonlighter is a story about hopeful adventurer Will, a shopkeeper in the small commercial town of Rynoka. Although his family’s shop offers stability and prosperity, it is sustained by the materials… Read the rest

Showcase: Inked: A Tale of Love Is a New Hand-Drawn Game (Nintendo Switch)

Posted on February 23, 2022March 21, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Well, here I am, back to keep things fresh here with a showcase for Inked: A Tale of Love I have the privilege of receiving a review copy for what was originally a PC game, now out on Switch, Xbox, and Playstation. Today I tested out the Switch version on the handheld mode and made my way through the first couple of chapters to see how well the transition has been (plus promote… Read the rest

Mago is a Colorful SNES Style Platformer About a Sorcerer

Posted on February 10, 2022March 21, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Let’s take a look at Mago: The Villain’s Burger. It’s filled with so many fun easy-to-learn but masterable abilities and unique mechanics that you just don’t find in every game. The best way to understand it is most likely visually, but today I’ll be talking about why Mago is a promising look at how its developers are creating something that is, possibly, capable of going big if they wish. So, let’s get started.… Read the rest

Indie Spotlight: Fayburrow – a Super Cozy Student Project

Posted on February 3, 2022March 21, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Today, I plunged headfirst into the free games pile of new releases over on the Steam store. On my arrival, I discovered a cozy little visual novel among the listings called Fayburrow, and I decided to take a look at it. Fayburrow is a free game created by the self-named “Fayburrow Troupe” at VIA University College in Denmark. It just hit the Steam store today. What was first intrigue, turned into a fascination… Read the rest

Dadish 2 is an Amazing Radish-Themed Epic Adventure

Posted on January 31, 2022January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

I’m spending time playing a lot of food games lately. While cooking sims are the most obvious manifestation of this, platformers like Dadish 2 are right on board too. Dadish 2 is a continuation of the original Dadish game and both are available on most platforms. You, Dadish, awake from a nap at work one day when your several radish children come to visit you for “bring your kids to work day.” They… Read the rest

Make The Burger is an Indie Hidden Gem

Posted on January 30, 2022January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Welcome to my post about Make the Burger. This game’s release date on Nintendo Switch occurred this week, although it has a presence on Steam and ItchIO as well. This is a casual food truck sim with catchy and fun pixel environments and a line-up of hungry and paying illustrated customers. Your entire success is dependent on your ability to remember ingredient symbols and who ordered them. Take orders from customers to cook… Read the rest

I Played Owlboy With a Library Copy on Switch – This is a Classic

Posted on January 29, 2022March 21, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Let’s talk about Owlboy. Sometime about 100,000 years ago Owls became all the rage. I joke since owl knickknacks and stories have surged in popularity over the past couple of decades. But they’ve long symbolized intelligence, wisdom, and ability. This is a nice bonus to covering commentary-based analysis because those are common themes in Owlboy too. I tested this game on Nintendo Switch, but it is a cross-platform Metroidvania, an acceptable umbrella term… Read the rest

Pizza Express is an Indie From Before the Times Before Good Pizza, Great Pizza

Posted on January 28, 2022March 21, 2023 by Dave Pizza

My hunger for low-res grounded pixel games lately opened me up to a stellar sale on a game called Pizza Express. Pizza Express is an indie pixel-graphic pizzeria simulator about a fast-paced solo restaurant run by animal friends Gastone the cat and Lucky the rabbit–and also you. The game is fairly simple but incorporates playful dialogue and gameplay that is quirky in the best indie-adhering ways. It is very similar to the game… Read the rest

Necrow Co. Takes the Melodrama of Psychopomps And Gives Them a Fun Indie Spin

Posted on January 23, 2022March 21, 2023 by Dave Pizza

If this headline doesn’t raise an eyebrow, then stick with two, because this article is tapping into some unexplored territory with the game Necrow Co. by creator Zahran Worell. The game Necrow Co. is a 2D pixel platformer, playable with either a controller or keyboard. It’s a light narrative about a crow who starts work for a company of reapers, featuring a cozy skeleton psychopomp grim dispatching you to a national park filled… Read the rest

Showcase: What Lies in the Multiverse is a New Game With One VERY Interesting Feature

Posted on January 22, 2022March 21, 2023 by Dave Pizza

We’ve got a big event going on right now for THE BIG ADVENTURE. Many demos, and many great indies. I set my eyes on What Lies in the Multiverse first. It’s a collaboration between Studio Voyager, IguanaBee, and Untold Tales. Everything you’ll see in this game has a silvery thread of classic games like Fez, Owlboy, etc. But it’s a little more than technicolor flashing pixel animations, it’s dealing with a really awesome… Read the rest

Remember When I Played Soul Delivery And It Got Like 40,000 Views?

Posted on January 21, 2022March 21, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Alright, folks, I am compelled to write about this. Last night I posted a video of a game on itch.io called Soul Delivery. Yes, it is true, the graphics in this game are so stunning, it’s enough to short-circuit. Though, until now, I’ve never even heard of it. I don’t know who the dev is, and I don’t know anything more than what’s covered on the itch.io page. But, since there’s a demand… Read the rest

Celeste is Ultimately the Best Game I Have Ever Played

Posted on January 19, 2022January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Celeste. Yes, it’s about time we did this. The renowned precision platformer from Extremely OK Games has been out for approximately three years now (Celeste was released on Jan. 25, 2018, hence the three-year anniversary,) and it’s not lost its charm. And why would it? The game sold over a million copies by the end of 2019. Whether you’re hanging out in your game room or playing on your Switch en destination, this… Read the rest

Unpacking is Great For People Who Obsess About ORGANIZING But Need To CHILL While They Organize

Posted on January 14, 2022March 21, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Unpacking is an isometric puzzle game by Witch Beam, an Australian developer, published by our very own sponsor Humble Bundle. You are a third-person clicker, looking down into an empty room with a stack of boxes sitting in the middle of the floor. There’s no direction or impetus, but as you open the box, intuition sets in, and you start to place objects from here and there. Before you know it, you’re an… Read the rest

Indie Spotlight: Down In Bermuda is a Tropical Hidden Gem on Switch

Posted on January 5, 2022March 21, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Yak & Co released Down In Bermuda catering to the growing indie cozy fanbase in Q3 of 2019. Yes, this game is over two years old, but with the occasional mega discounts, from time to time and continuing interest it’s cognizant to explore. It’s still relevant, fun, and cozy–indeed. The level of a-ha moments in this puzzle platformer is suited to YouTube, Twitch, or wherever you want to turn a gathering into a… Read the rest

Spotlight: Greak Feels like Hollow Knight But Is… Different (Nintendo Switch)

Posted on January 2, 2022March 21, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Amongst the trove of pale-skinned characters, glowing misty caverns, and punchy character abilities, this one might be new to you. Greak: Memories of Azur is similar to platformers like Hollow Knight and Undertale, perhaps even Ori or maybe Hoa, sure. Don’t worry if you haven’t heard of any of those! What Greak offers is a borderline cozy adventure with very unique, engaging gameplay that is an experience of its own. Greak, Adara, and… Read the rest

GOOD PIZZA, GREAT PIZZA is the Ultimate Pizzeria Simulator

Posted on December 28, 2021March 21, 2023 by Dave Pizza

In the Fall of 2020 when I was just launching the Mr. Dave Pizza concept, I played Good Pizza, Great Pizza by Tapblaze on an Android tablet, one of the many formats this game is available on. Today I played the official version released for Nintendo Switch to go back and really see what amused me about this game. Pizza, the food, has always been pretty popular, but in the last five years,… Read the rest

The Gunk is Simply a Kinda Random 3D World Game on Game Pass, But I Enjoyed It

Posted on December 20, 2021March 21, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Discovered through Game Pass, I’m rather fond of this new title, The Gunk, from Image and Form/Thunderful Development, which just launched a few days ago. It fits neatly into the category of games I usually enjoy which are casual character development, soft sci-fi, and familiar mechanics of resource-collecting games. And this version of those styles is well presented here. While the game is really very straightforward without much need for introduction, a quality… Read the rest

Figment 2: Creed Valley is a Vibrant & Dali’esque Game

Posted on December 16, 2021March 21, 2023 by Dave Pizza

It seems that Figment 2: Creed Valley, is a new game headed to Nintendo Switch in February of 2022. I’ve been all about checking out these Switch demos right away, and when I saw this listed today I downloaded it immediately. I wasn’t quite sure what I was dealing with here, as it seemed somewhat derivative but also cozily familiar, the reason of which I discovered later. This game is really pleasant-looking though.… Read the rest

Loading Story Killed An Afternoon For Free

Posted on December 12, 2021March 21, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Today’s game, Loading Story, listed as developed by “potatodog” on Steam is a tad quirky but genuinely satisfying. It’s a very short game about a character troubleshooting a game loading error in an imaginary video game town, where the loading tube passes through. Just wander around and solve the mystery. It’s good that it’s free because it only takes about 20-30 minutes to play, which is fine. I’ll tell you enough about it… Read the rest

Shindig is the Ultimate Happy Family Indie

Posted on December 11, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

This is a game that had come across my desk yesterday, which I had accidentally overlooked because of my new format, but I was really interested in it. Shindig is an interactive fiction in the style of something like a family-friendly exploration picturebook with some tried and true interactive gameplay. As you might know, it’s always been my goal to seek out wholesome indie games because I’m a bit jumpier than a jackrabbit… Read the rest

The Last Friend is a Great New Game With Dog Buddies Out Now

Posted on December 3, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

In between monitoring my every action, eShop suggested I check out what demos were out. I had really been looking for them though! So, this game The Last Friend showed up as a demo out. The art looked cool and didn’t seem too derivative of anything course. So, I downloaded it and loaded it up. The Last Friend is a brawler kind of game with some turret defense mechanics. Most importantly, however, is… Read the rest

The Lightbringer (Demo) is What I Played Today

Posted on November 29, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Okay, let’s talk about The Lightbringer. This is kind of random. No, really, it is. Might as well roll for initiative. Anyway, I’ve been spending a ton of time on the Switch lately, since I was traveling with the handheld recently and got kind of used to it. However, I recorded it while playing on my TV, so I don’t know. Anyway, was looking back through some of my YouTube videos and realized… Read the rest

Date Night Bowling: This is a Visual Novel About Fun Love

Posted on November 28, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

For the record, I am a big fan of Way Down Deep and their dating sim releases over the last year like the socially distanced romance sim Romantic Distancing and the popular release Half Past Fate. I’ve been eyeing Date Night Bowling since I first saw it in an upcoming game roster. So when the opportunity to play it on Switch arose, I snagged it and slipped on some bowling shoes. Eww, digital… Read the rest

Ghostbusters are Back and Even Better in Their New Game

Posted on November 18, 2021March 21, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Nobody asked for a Ghostbusters Video Game Remastered review in 2021, especially from a guy who reviews indie games. It’s sure to be overshadowed by the mega Afterlife release coverage, but maybe, just maybe, you weren’t sure who to call. So, that’s where I spawn my digital specter presence and declare, “No, Mr. Parker, no I ain’t ‘fraid of no ghosts.” I’m not sure if there’s anybody on the planet who has never… Read the rest

Alchemic Cutie is the Most Bright, Colorful, & Beautiful RPG

Posted on November 12, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Alchemic Cutie is, once again, a game running across my desk from Indie Game Collective. I really have no particular context for describing it, although it fits into a few neat descriptors as a bright, colorful, cute, RPG. In all fairness, it is a monster collection game, à la Pokemon-style games. My “stinky alchemy on purpose” subtitle has to do with the game objective of collecting “smelly beans” as a primary task of… Read the rest

Not It: Spookiest Edition is a Dark & Amusing Visual Novel

Posted on October 10, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Earlier this year, I took a look at a visual novel from this developer called The Last Act. Incidentally, they have a new act called Not It: Spookiest Edition just in time for Halloween. In fact, this whole game’s story revolves around an old legend of a curse that arrives every Halloween. I suppose, being on hiatus and everything, I can still find some room to squeeze this one in because this whole… Read the rest

Beautiful Halloween Games For Your Darkened Heart TOP LIST

Posted on September 28, 2021January 29, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Spooky Station, Fifo’s Night, Haunt the House, Pumpkin Jack, and Monster League. Spooky Station is actually 9 games too, I was boggling over what games to include, but I ultimately realized: how about everything? Let’s go! Fifo’s Night is some major deep cuttage, which we love here. And some recent covered games too! Are you ready for this frightful/thoughtful indie Halloween game list? Anything could happen… Hit it! 1. Spooky Station: A Collection… Read the rest

Monster League Will Make You Think Differently About New Racing Games

Posted on September 27, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

It did The Mash! Monster League is essentially a complete kart racing Halloween game from the makers of Medieval Dynasty. It sits on the roster of Early Access titles and has since 2019, but fans are still playing it and are still nudging the team for a full release even now. Nobody really knows what is happening, but I had a lot of fun with this game and encourage you to purchase it… Read the rest

Pumpkin Jack is the Best Spooky Game Out There Now

Posted on September 25, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

I petitioned my friends yesterday for a list of games they consider Halloween thematic for an easily spooked dude like myself. I knew of Pumpkin Jack as a backburner game that I had seen last year and lamented myself for not having my affairs in order to get it on the review list! That was during that standalone year of 2020 that had enough triggers as it is. That’s why, when my peers… Read the rest

Hogwarts Legacy: A Preview

Posted on September 23, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Hogwarts Legacy is a Harry Potter game that is now a rumor up in the air for years. Now, its makers have finally lifted the veil and delivered an owl letter for all! We’re going back to Hogwarts in 2023, everybody, and it looks downright magical. Expecto Patronum!!!!! So far what we know is that this will be an open-world RPG. It will take place in and out of Hogwarts in the Wizarding… Read the rest

T-Minus 30 is a Chilling but Unique New Indie

Posted on September 16, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

T-Minus 30 is a top-down city sim, with an apocalyptic twist, and a rather casual, no, ultra-casual gameplay style. I know some are great fans in the apocalyptic genre, and I definitely have been before, so I was actually very surprised at the relaxing aspects of this survival sim. T-Minus 30 took care of my personal checklist for a casual game so easily that I felt essentially at peace as I played it.… Read the rest

Blake (The Visual Novel) is a Colorful Grit Filled Thrill & I Love It

Posted on September 10, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Blake is an interesting new visual novel from LegendOri Productions about a complacent computer programmer turned vigilante in a futuristic cyberpunk city. The primary scenario within the game involves a new technology that can make somebody totally anonymous. Even amongst the modern people-tracking computers of its era, a criminal of heinous description is leaving a fatal trace and incidentally has decided to start toying with Blake’s sanity. The visual amalgamation of all the… Read the rest

Onirism is A Colorful Dream & Nightmare World

Posted on September 9, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

“Onirism” is a good example of another game where French indie dev teams are making games potent in fun and translates to a wide audience. This goes beyond exaggeration and is an interesting subject to me, but one which I don’t know a lot about. Regardless, I committed to this game, so I’ll take you through a brief but satisfactory run down of the world of Onirism. Additionally, the game recently received a… Read the rest

Sable – This is a Strange Game But Freaking Beautiful

Posted on September 7, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Sable is a very promising story-rich open-world game with lots of punch in the aesthetics and some very captivating design qualities. Most noticeably, is the 2D illustration in a 3D environment, but also the story. Gamers will feel like they are flipping through a really high-quality graphic novel that has come to life on whatever system they’re using to play it on. I wondered throughout the demo whether this was an alien world,… Read the rest

Beacon Pines is Finally Out Now and It’s Astonishing

Posted on September 3, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Beacon Pines is interactive fiction, but really it qualifies with a new level of cozy interaction and fathoms deep optimistic complexity to its characters. The basic structure of the story relies on an interesting plot device made of… well, plot devices! You start in a storybook tale of a young fawn, though I’d say that’s up for interpretation, named Luka at his grandmother’s. Through exploration and experimentation and interacting with those around you… Read the rest

OPUS: Echo of Starsong is a New Staggering & Attractive Game

Posted on September 2, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

OPUS: Echo of Starsong is a narrative sci-fi drama taking place in the far reaches of lawless space. The game is part of a series that are all part of the OPUS universe. I covered the previous two OPUS games in the series last year, and they were very popular, accounting for a ton of traffic on my site! I also thoroughly enjoyed them. So, when I started off today learning that I… Read the rest

Kraken Academy – Why am I in Love With Broccoli Girl?

Posted on August 31, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Kraken Academy has been on my mind since I first eyed a trailer of it some months ago. “I have to play that one,” came to mind. Many of you are probably familiar with my love of visual novels. And in this case, I’m working with a combination of visual novel and interactive fiction characteristics–an all-things-aside awesome and hilarious game. Explore the bizarre introduction to Kraken Academy with me, and I’ll explain why… Read the rest

Kick Bot is a New Indie That I Played & it is Awesome

Posted on August 30, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

“Kick Bot,” it’s an exciting precision platformer on the way from Two Scoops games. It’s time for Dave Pizza to step outside his comfort zone and try some of these more challenging game foes. And I’ll tell you, I thought it was broken because I didn’t know how to play it. It’s definitely challenging, but definitely possible. And with the retro-tastic sound effects and neon robot package, it’s exciting to look at and… Read the rest

Glyph is A New Hidden Gem Platformer I Played

Posted on August 30, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

“Glyph” is a puzzle/platformer released this month. I was able to secure a copy through my friends at Indie Game Collective. I was curious about Glyph, primarily because of the smooth and colorful graphics, pretty apparently Egyptian theme, and also because, while I don’t excel at puzzle platformers, I am getting better. And naturally, I just wanted to test my skills at what seems to be an extremely feature-rich game. I made it… Read the rest

“non – The First Warp” is a Bizarre Alien Puzzle Game

Posted on August 29, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

“non – The First Warp” is a unique puzzle platformer released this summer. It stirs up themes of hypnagogic-like environments and alien sci-fi worlds, that feel like a strew of estranged organs and strange puzzles. Okay, I’m in. Play a purple alien in this squishy puzzle environment, where clues seem to live within the structure of the game like some giant biological telephone book. non – The First Warp never seems to push… Read the rest

Timothy Vs The Aliens Might be the ONLY Noir Alien Invasion Game

Posted on August 27, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Timothy Vs The Aliens is a moderate difficulty action-adventure that takes place in a 1940s’ish era gangster-ruled city. Timothy, the protagonist, is a likable ace who derives superhuman luck from an ace of hearts given to him by a race of alien masters when he was a child. In this hardboiled work, worlds and their creatures are in separation by fluorescent color, googly-eye aliens, and the stark black-and-white nighttime of the city in… Read the rest

Doggone Hungry & This Good Boy Want All Of Your Snacks Now

Posted on August 26, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Doggone Hungry is a lovely little PC doggo game about an adorable pup, his favorite toy, some loveable humans, and that gosh darn cat. You’ll pounce countertops against the clock to acquire enough, and by enough I mean as many as he wants, snacks to bulk up and solve the exasperating crisis of your unreachable toy duck Quackerjack. The style is a colorful pretty much low poly location-based game filled with humans relaxing… Read the rest

Hoa is a New Indie Adventure With a Magical Vibe

Posted on August 25, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Hoa is an intricate hand-painted character and environment art platformer released this week. Visually it succeeds wonderfully with Miyazaki-like aesthetics in illustration, animation, and special effects. It also boasts an absolutely charming ambiance in its background music plus sound effects that are cinematic in quality and effect. It also is available in 10 different languages right from its launch. I feel very relaxed playing Hoa, and even watching someone playing it can be… Read the rest

Arietta of Spirits – This is Really a Charming RPG

Posted on August 23, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Arietta of Spirits is a story-driven action-adventure set in a bustling forest teeming with creatures from the spirit realm. Your identity is Arietta, a young lady camping at grandma’s cabin along with Arietta’s mom and dad. Arietta meets a spirit named Arco on their first night. After Arietta’s departed grandmother greets her on the cabin pier and sends her on a quest to retrieve a silver ring, things take a major turn. With… Read the rest

Golfie is a Cozy New Golf Card Game Indie

Posted on August 20, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Golfie is a new concept game from Triheart Studio labeled rogue-like deck-building mini-golf. They’ve just released a demo, and I was able to get a first-hand look at the game and its odds and ends. The environments are pleasant, the gameplay fun, and I’d love to see more down the line. I had to doubletake the genre with all those tags, but it’s a neat little game that actually maintained my attention quite… Read the rest

Cosmo’s Quickstop is The Best, Alien Roleplay Co-Op

Posted on August 19, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Cosmo’s Quickstop is a hilarious new game out about an alien family who runs a gas station in outer space. It’s your job to learn how to run things pretty much by yourself unless you’re playing co-op. The game displays an absolutely fun design direction, with chunky colorful spaceship interiors and holographic control screens for tasks. It also has a goofy fun bug-eyed alien cast which reminds me of the excellent TV show… Read the rest

Big Boy Boxing is a Great Game Homage That You Have to See

Posted on August 17, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Big Boy Boxing is a cartoony indie boxing dev inspired by Cuphead and the classic late 80’s NES game Punch-Out!! The concept is polished and shiny for contemporary indie players who thrive on retro quirks in new games. You play as a new boxer, trained up through the earnest beginning in the ring with a trainer, Coach Hank. At this stage of development, the demo is pretty short with only one contender, but… Read the rest

The Wratch’s Den is a Feast of Excellent Challenges

Posted on August 16, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

The Wratch’s Den is a rogue-like dungeon builder from the depths of the PUNKCAKE Délicieux inventory on Itch.IO. The gameplay involves building a pixel art-style base by mining the surrounding layers of cave rock. The core of the base is a simple brick square structure that houses a minotaur villain on a throne that oversees a group of minions. Progress is measured by how quickly you respond to crusading do-gooders and the retrieval… Read the rest

Mini Motorways is A Little Great Game About Traffic

Posted on August 13, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Mini Motorways is a delightful traffic planning sim released within the last month. It boasts charming flat graphic aesthetics with an intuitive casual style game experience. The sleek 2D environment bleeds indie simplicity worthy of a gaming machine or a new phone. The gameplay is relatively simple but allows interactive city planning in a selection of metropolitans all around the world. Start with a small group of structures within the map and drag… Read the rest

Raptor Boyfriend is A Game About Love Unlike Any Other

Posted on August 12, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Raptor Boyfriend: A High School Romance is an ambitious and masterfully crafted visual novel/dating sim that takes place in small-town Ontario. With fun cryptid characters and absolutely stunning illustrations, its gameplay value is probably some of the best I’ve seen for this genre. I have been excited to play this for some time, as a general fan of visual novels and cryptid fantasy games. You don’t have to worry about anxiety-driven creature interaction… Read the rest

Dark Dragonkin is A Little, Simple Indie I Played

Posted on August 10, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Dark Dragonkin is an indie dev project from Twintertainment that is a top-down pixelized fantasy RPG/dungeon-crawler. Players control multiple characters in a group to make them work together to defeat enemies and advance the story. This game is still deep in the dev process with a potential audience of RPG fans and general indie gamers. It feels very attended to as a solo dev project though, and the potential to scale abilities and… Read the rest

Colorblend fx Desaturation is an Interesting Freebie

Posted on August 9, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Colorblend fx Desaturation is an upcoming game released in demo form shortly before testing it here on my end. It’s a 3D platformer with story-rich puzzle-solving elements that blend ideas about color and storytelling. The characters in Colorblend fx Desaturation consist of a wholesome-ish pack of potato-headed buds called the Splatians. And deep in the fire and brimstone caverns of who knows where is the abode of nefarious minions sworn to a meanie… Read the rest

Toodee and Topdee is one of the Best Indie Puzzlers Out

Posted on August 6, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Toodee and Topdee is so far one of my favorite platformer concepts that I’ve ever tried. A while back I did a documentary review that talked a bit about the game Fez. While much different conceptually, they both have a neat mechanic that combined 2D platforming with shiftable perspectives. I’m not sure how efficiently I can describe this concept without getting into some straight-up academic theories involving geometry, so be sure to watch… Read the rest

Haven Park is One of the Best Cozy Park Life Sims

Posted on August 5, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Haven Park is here today and we’re happy to have it. Where to start? Let’s start with adorable cute animal heads making friends in the woods. I’m drawn to them the moment I glimpse at them, and my heart gets their attention quickly. Haven Park is a three-dimensional open world that expands on the social crafting genre. And it’s a cool option that addresses the demand for games of this nature. In Haven… Read the rest

Unbound: Worlds Apart is a Unique & Thrilling Indie Out Now

Posted on August 3, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Unbound: Worlds Apart is a unique new 2D platformer with a fantasy twist and versatile special abilities. On the surface, it’s a beautiful game, on par with the likes of Ori and the Will of the Wisps. On inspection, there’s a heck ton of attention paid to the fine details of the environment. And when you actually play, solving puzzles with your special ability rolls off your controller quite intuitively. This is a… Read the rest

The Universim is a Fantastic New World Sim I Tried

Posted on August 2, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

The Universim is a civilization simulator from Crytivo that combines features from planet sims with more advanced skill trees. The game touts a robust planet-level environment with the ability to manage the course of civilization from primal to advanced stages. The game is still in development but is going through a rigorous beta, although you can purchase early access on Steam, which many have. I’m kind of reminded here of experiences of other… Read the rest

Mini Racing World is one of the Most Unique New Racing Games

Posted on July 30, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Mini Racing World is a newly released game that fits comfortably into the big leagues of indie racer games. As you may know about me, but probably not, I’m quite fond of low poly racing games. There are not a lot of options available for this genre, so it is refreshing to see this out there. Mini Racing World is an indie race circuit and stunt track game with an emphasis on style… Read the rest

Weaving Tides is a Hidden Gem I Played

Posted on July 29, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Weaving Tides sits comfortably in a genre of its own. Unlock a world map woven together through magic threads. You’ll ride upon friendly creatures known as carpet dragons and weave new threads to move forward. With brilliant surface-swapping mechanics that allow you to traverse impossible terrain, exquisite graphics, and smooth gameplay this is surely a work of art as much as a playable game. The artistic aspects of Weaving Tides are exquisite. You… Read the rest

Existensis is a Little Known Indie Hidden Gem

Posted on July 27, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Existensis is a hand-illustrated philosopher platformer game from the creative spirit of dev Ozzie Sneddon/Librarium Studios. In Existensis you play a masked character known as The Mayor, who is actually an artist. The objective is to gather inspiration in a journal so you can use it to create a tower to represent the journey of life. From situations and interactions with characters spread throughout vaulting platform areas and cities. You can learn more… Read the rest

Go Heroes: Prometheus is an Interesting Project

Posted on July 26, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Go Heroes is a coming soon, turn-based RPG based on the stories of Greek Mythology. Each level is filled with puzzles that not only advance your progress in the game but progress the story. It is not quite isometric but rather described as four-directional–it is sort of like using a board game with camera controls. You play as Prometheus, the Greek titan, who dared give the gift of fire to mankind. I am… Read the rest

Say No! More is A Staggeringly Hilarious & Fun Indie

Posted on July 23, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Say No! More is a super funny, narrative-driven comedy office sim. These office sims have been coming out of the walls lately, but this game is one of the most hilarious out there. It uses an experimental “combat” system, where you start a job as an intern at a big company, then, thanks to a motivational cassette tape, take over the compliance-enforced company with the powerful magic word: NO! I snagged this game… Read the rest

Widget Satchel is an Interesting Hidden Gem

Posted on July 22, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Widget Satchel is a cross-platform indie platformer out a couple of years but is still very fun and fresh. It’s also a great project from Mark of Nice Games Club, which is a podcast I listen to from time to time. It is currently available through the Itch.IO Palestinian aid bundle. Widget Satchel is a delightful flat graphic style game, where you play as an adorable ferret upon a space station. You start… Read the rest

UROS: A Trip Through Shadows is a New Freebie Student Game

Posted on July 20, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

UROS: A Trip Through Shadows is a game from the ESAT student game studio program in Valencia. I previously reviewed a title from this group called Twin Stones which was extremely fun. UROS is a 2D fantasy action platformer-style game that exhibits independent lore that borrows from Hades-like underworld lore. As you progress through the map of UROS you will unlock new areas and obstacles and make your way toward, presumably, a scenario… Read the rest

Potion Party is That Great Colorful Pixel Alchemy Sim Out

Posted on July 19, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Potion Party is a recently released indie co-op that involves running an alchemy shop and racing around part of your lab to create potions for hurried customers. Its style is a pleasant top to bottom, cute, pixel art environment. Get in the groove as an alchemist to the thumpy party music of its namesake. Players may enjoy reasonable tasks along with adequately challenging objectives. In addition, there is a respectable host of elements… Read the rest

Indoorlands is an Awesome New Theme Park Sim… Indoors

Posted on July 16, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

So, here we go with this first look at Indoorlands. Greetings gamers and spectators alike. Today, I have a showcase on a game coming soon to Steam in an early-access stage. I’ve acquired access to the game via my community at Indie Game Collective. I have a fondness for sims and a passion for indie games. So, I am mentally ready to try out Indoorlands I think. This is a concept with high… Read the rest

Neo Cab is a Unique and Post-Modern Forewarning

Posted on July 15, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Neo Cab is an award-winning visual novel released in 2019 somewhere within the future echoes of driver automation and the course of smart services. It involves themes of corporate monopolization, intimate driver/passenger simulations, and the management of being a business in the contemporary market. The story features Lina, an empathic cab driver new in Los Ojos, where being an actual cab driver is a rare occupation. There are many nuances to Neo Cab.… Read the rest

Black Skylands is Awesome (And Big)

Posted on July 13, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Black Skylands is an immersive fantasy sky punk RPG that takes place in the colorful airborne landscapes of another world. As an indie gamer, this is indeed one of the most optimistic projects I’ve looked at, and yet very promising indeed. Take the helm of a family airship and float between islands in the sky to claim your stake. This review is sponsored by a free copy through Indie Game Collective, which I… Read the rest

Runo is a Finnish Game That I Absolutely Love

Posted on July 12, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Runo is a cultural indie game and a very unique project based on the Midsommer mythos from traditional Finnish culture. Its intellectual deduction and story track lead you through a complex story that involves the protagonist’s grandmother and family tradition. The story takes place in a cabin next to a forested lake. The goal is to use clues from your dad’s text messages, your personal journal, and what you observe around you. There… Read the rest

Twin Stones: The Journey of Bukka is the Staggering Freebie Student Game

Posted on July 9, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Twin Stones: The Journey of Bukka is a 3d animated fantasy platformer that was released in early July 2021. As it were, I received the privilege of showcasing my first pre-release game through my community at Indie Game Collective. The game was a very intriguing story involving protagonist Bukka, a runner for lack of a better word, and a, I suppose, serpent companion identified as Shiva, the god of destruction. The obstacles are… Read the rest

Tales Of The Neon Sea is a Colorful Yet Dark Cyberpunk Interactive Fiction

Posted on July 9, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Tales of the Neon Sea is a bright pixel art in the hardboiled cyberpunk detective style. It’s also borderline platformer and adheres to a very high-density environment in synch with some of the best cyberpunk cinematics out there. Explore shadowy laboratories or deep dungeons sewers. This game is not for the light-hearted but it does deliver on content. This is probably the most sophisticated pixel art game I have ever played. Let’s take… Read the rest

Fugl is a VERY Colorful Little Indie That I Played

Posted on July 8, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

The word Fugl means bird in Norwegian. Fugl is a casual sandbox indie game created by a small group of dedicated developers. Its story is whatever you make it, and the gameplay is most certainly endorsed by all birds. I started as a colorful neutral voxel bird in a voxel world and glide through the treetops and oceans, plus more. Interact with your environment to test new experiences. Transform into other birds, try… Read the rest

My Cup Of Coffee is a Wonderful Little VN Freebie

Posted on July 6, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

My Cup of Coffee: The Trouble with Earl Grey is a visual novel that takes place in a very imaginative turn-of-the-century coffee shop presumably somewhere within Victorian society. You play as a family apprentice of the coffee trade and you more or less are plonked right into days as a barista. The story revolves around a casual plot involving a group of customers known as the Grey family. Using clues from casual conversation,… Read the rest

GeoGuessr is The Best Browser Game You Can Play Right Now

Posted on July 5, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

GeoGuessr… Ahh, I’ve waited so long to delve into this one. I present to you today a non-traditional game review to showcase a game that is on the fringe of traditional games but so fresh and fun that everybody is finding out about it. GeoGuessr is a browser-based game that uses images from Google Streetview. You are dropped off in a random lat/long on Earth or whichever area/theme you specify and you use… Read the rest

Universe for Sale Looks Like a Good Sci-Fi Game

Posted on July 2, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Universe for Sale is an upcoming title that combines sci-fi themes and metaphysical themes into a quirky and compelling visual novel/interactive fiction. I already do not recall the main character’s name, and neither will you, as the shroud of mystery is an important part of this introduction. He is a self-described “cultist” with a floating head who drops into a tea shop on Jupiter to meet with a young lady named Lila. The… Read the rest

Magic Trick is A Cool Little Freebie Indie About Skating

Posted on July 1, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Magic Trick is a 3D first-person skateboarding game that combines elements of popular wholesome achievement games with a skateboarding theme. It is rich in cotton candy pastels, low poly maps, and anthropomorphic characters to interact with through each island. You can play this game with a controller or keyboard and mouse. The storyline is driven by skateboarding objectives of traditional moves like ollies, grinds, flips, and jumps. It is a fully released game… Read the rest

Astroneer is The Best Space Sim Taken to New Heights

Posted on June 28, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Astroneer is a low poly space sim with a playful and colorful, stylized atmosphere. It uses its practical fundamental mechanics and graphics to pull off an engaging and creative experience. After completing the tutorial on your basic tools and resources available, the game is essentially an open-world sandbox where you can develop your base camp or head to another planet. It is similar to games like The Outer Worlds and No Man’s Sky,… Read the rest

What Comes After is a that New Mystical Interactive Fiction

Posted on June 28, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

What Comes After is an interactive fiction from the creator Coffee Talk in collaboration with the Rolly Glory Jam. This story-rich game takes place on a pandemic-era commuter train that transforms into a ferry for souls to the afterlife after Vivi falls asleep. There’s no set directive, but the game is experienced through interacting with souls on the train. This ranges from average folks to owls and trees! It is a highly creative… Read the rest

Monster Pub is a Hidden Gem I Will Always Love

Posted on June 25, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Monster Pub is a neat and funny narrative wrapped up in a nice isometric, pixel art game that is ultra-casual. You’re whoever you want to be, a shadow-cloaked being, approached on a dark rainy street by a bright pink monster named Pfeffer. She leads you to a mysterious location that turns out to be a public house… for monsters, which is apparently based on the set for the ’80s TV show Cheers. Only… Read the rest

Wheels of Aurelia 1978 is a Free Hidden Gem

Posted on June 24, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Wheels of Aurelia is an interactive-fiction-style racing game set in Italy in 1978. The left-hand steers the wheel of a gritty game that is full of themes of crime, punk, and danger. While the themes are a bit serious, its thematic integrity is in check by fun, innovative game design, and a serious historical snapshot. Drive through the coastlines in low-polygon graphics and talk to your passengers about anything. Wheels of Aurelia: Clarification… Read the rest

Fall Guys is Still Awesome and Now It’s a Freebie on Nintendo Switch

Posted on June 22, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

So, the idea behind Fall Guys is this: you create a jelly bean-like thing character and design them, then you push play and skydive (on a load screen) into a pink, purple, and cotton candy blue obstacle course of hilarious wonder with 60 other jelly beans. If you make it to the finish line in time before at least 40 players you qualify for the next round. If not you have to start over. Fall… Read the rest

Shu’s Garden is a Slightly Old, Fun Hidden Gem I Found

Posted on June 22, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Shu’s Garden is a game that’s part of the huge Itch.IO bundle released recently. It is essentially an open playground experience, with no strict rules or goals. Play a little space cactus named Shu, a ball of shine with a friendly symbiotic tail that bounces around planets. This game holds up well over time, and even without any clear direction or strategy, it is still quite enjoyable as a mini-session or even a… Read the rest

Catlateral Damage is A Hilarious Hidden Gem

Posted on June 17, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Catlateral Damage is a game from Itch.IO that is so simple in concept, but so enjoyable that way! I also know it is time for another review! This game is part of a bundle I obtained and is one of many great games over at Itch. The game is about you, a cat, in a playground suitable for the mischievous antics of a cat. The objective of the game is to knock stuff… Read the rest

Sky Rogue is a Unique Retro Flight Sim

Posted on June 9, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

When I first started reviewing games, I wrote a list of flying games that I found intriguing around the time Sky Rogue first appeared on my radar. I feel like Sky Rogue has evolved from my first perception of it though. My own style is a bit different too since I’ve stepped out a bit more from my digital pacifism, at least on principle. Not much though. This is another game that has… Read the rest

Wild Dive is A Simple Freebie Platformer

Posted on May 29, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Hello friends. Today I’m reviewing a really brief but beautiful and fun game called Wild Dive. You may have noticed some changes around here in content and how often I’m posting. No worries, this is still a regular blog, only I’ve been spending a little more of the time I allot for it on cosmetic aspects of the site and refining older posts. I’m not done yet, but it’s getting there. I also… Read the rest

Power Rangers Battle for the Grid is a Morphin’ Good Time

Posted on May 26, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

The Power Rangers Battle for the Grid DLC packs showed up on Steam today. While the DLC’s don’t interest me yet, I did remember I have been eager and hopeful about the core game which is available on Xbox Gamepass, and I knew what I had to do, review the core game! It’s not accurate to sort Power Rangers into any category I decided. This is because it’s a phenomenon in and of… Read the rest

I Played Chair Simulator, that Hilarious Freebie Indie On Steam

Posted on May 24, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

I must have a sick sense of humor if I decided to go on this journey so eagerly in the gaming universe. I have a sense of humor, sorry for the orneriness. C’mon though: Chair Simulator!? I love it. What’s weird is it actually wasn’t that bad. And it’s free. If you literally have nothing else to do, just try it. Obviously, the creator was tongue in cheek when they created this, but… Read the rest

Because It’s Hot! Why Pizza? is a Weird, Interesting Indie

Posted on May 20, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

I’m back, reviewing a game. An indie game. A very indie game. An indie game prologue. Because it’s hot! – Why Pizza? Freeze frame. But seriously, I am in recovery from an intense year of reviews. So, when I saw this perfectly amusing stylized demo on Steam with a radical pizza theme, I narrowed in on it. What IS this!? Because it’s Hot is a platformer y’all. But I almost forgot since this… Read the rest

Space Mechanic Simulator is a Really Terrific Game I Tried

Posted on April 27, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Let’s talk about an upcoming space game! Space Mechanic Simulator is a 3D space-sim in outer space. So far, this game is still in development, but that may have changed by the time you read this. It is currently in development with a demo on steam that I am reviewing here. Your job is to repair space stations, spaceships, and presumably other space vehicles with a sophisticated drill and a meter. Obtain parts… Read the rest

Orbital Racer is the Awesome Space Racing Game Out Now

Posted on April 25, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Orbital Racer is a realistic space-sim pilot racer originally released for PC in 2017, now available on Xbox One and Series X. At a standard indie game price for nominal quality, I think this is one of the best racing games I have ever played. Players are given a selection of ring-wing fighter jets that can be raced with or without combat. Each race starts off in an area in orbit around a… Read the rest

Surviving Mars is the New Staggeringly Ambitious Space Indie

Posted on April 21, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Surviving Mars is a scientific strategy and simulation game about colonizing the red planet. Players are taken through the very basics of roving the terrain for information and resources. As their knowledge increases, it becomes possible to start envisioning an extraplanetary colony. Learn about theoretical technologies as well as real ones and how they interplay in our future on Mars. Within this context, it is a game about exploration and survival! Surviving Mars:… Read the rest

Genesis Noir is a Unique, Interesting Indie in the Hidden Universe

Posted on April 19, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Genesis Noir is an experimental detective story that takes place in a cosmogonic setting in different parts of the universe. If that already sounds mind-blowing, it’s artistically extravagant in the creative gears that turn its two-dimensional, or even 5-dimensional, gameplay mechanics–metaphorically at least. The game starts wandering the streets of some strange alternative 1950s cityscape and blows open a new case to investigate with a bang, a big bang. Yes, that one. In… Read the rest

Forgotten Fields is a New Indie About a Young Man’s Private Life

Posted on April 16, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Forgotten Fields is an indie-developed story-rich interactive game by Frostwood Interactive. It is about a young Indian author seeking inspiration for his next book in the midst of a major family transition at his childhood home. The character, Siddharth, visits home which at first seems a distraction but may help him re-think his writing completely. The game design is aesthetically pleasing low-poly 3D modeling combined with interactive puzzles and visual novel-style dialogue. It… Read the rest

Bard Harder! is the Weirdest, Funniest VN Out Now

Posted on April 15, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Bard Harder is a visual novel by Shark And Pelican Games. The story is about Robin, who is at a casual imaginary tabletop RPG campaign for a TTRPG called Wizards and Wyverns. The game takes place in alternating environments inside the fantasy game world and the real world amongst teammates and the DM Subin. The gameplay is surprisingly a very good simulation of what it is like to play a TTRPG without actually… Read the rest

Nyaa-Kuza!! is a Freebie Indie Student Game

Posted on April 14, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Nyaa-Kuza is an illustrated half-action interactive fiction title from the self-dubbed Catzooka Studios out of the University of Utah’s EAE program. Play as Mochi, an ex-Nyaa-Kuza brawler cat, whose cat wife, Hime, has been “catnapped” by the syndicate. You’ll traverse the outskirts of a Japanese city interacting with leads and allies in a conventional visual novel style to find Hime. At other times, the game is highly interactive with button-mashing fight scenes with… Read the rest

Til Nord is a Free Student Made Snowmobile Game

Posted on April 13, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Til Nord is a free open-world snowmobile game released by students at Breda University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands. The gameplay is straightforward with its mobile open-world gameplay and pulls off a finished level of design from the beginning. Ride your snowmobile around the Loften Islands of Norway. Day and night, bright snowy roads and northern light skies at night, solving delivery missions for enterprises around the village like lumber mills and… Read the rest

Rail Route is a Train Dispatcher Simulator Railfans Love

Posted on April 12, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Rail Route is a railroad dispatch strategy game for PC. Trains that travel between stations, railyards, and tracks do so at the discretion of railroad dispatchers. They use special display maps to direct traffic. This game takes most of the nuances of this real technology and has created a simulation. It uses simple mechanics to build a railroad empire. With many options, an informative tutorial, and room to expand, you’ll be keeping an… Read the rest

Doubts is A Surprisingly Great Little Visual Novel

Posted on April 11, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Doubts is a short interactive fiction game from a talented solo developer & German artist, Fulmen. Play the role of Gerda, a woman in 1926 Berlin, Germany. She is a runaway with her boyfriend and is by herself during her boyfriend, Joseph’s, temporary absence. She contemplates her surroundings and decisions in a session of examining items around their hotel room while he is away. Without certainty, she wonders if her decision to be… Read the rest

Lab Rags is a Freebie Hidden Gem By Students With a Unique Feature

Posted on April 10, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Lab Rags is an upcoming title from the student project studio Salt Mine Studios. It is an art-deco-era puzzle-level game that shares mechanics with games like Portal and its descendants. Start solving puzzles right away as a mechanical android with a neat gun similar to the classic gravity gun. You can advance within the game by respawning and then grabbing your previous housing to fling at door-opening buttons, traverse over spike pits, and… Read the rest

Scarlet Hood and the Wicked Wood is What I Played Today

Posted on April 8, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Scarlet Hood and the Wicked Wood is a new visual novel/interactive fiction game. The story follows Scarlet, a budding musician in an aspiring band of close friends. Start your journey on route to your band’s major performance at a club in the city. Plus, explore the opportunity it provides with a heavy offer from the club’s boss. In an unexpected twist, you’ll soon find yourself, through unforeseen circumstances, in another world! This land… Read the rest

Taranasus’s Vecter is the Long Time Indie Sadly Ending Now

Posted on April 7, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Vecter is a free racing game available on Steam from Taranasus. The game is a procedurally generated vector-based graphic racer/flyer with a catchy background. It has thousands of overwhelmingly positive reviews on Steam. It has recently come to a conclusion and left a legacy of the power of free games and participants from an adoring community. Up until April 3rd, 2021 the game was served with constant improvement and imaginative gameplay. It is… Read the rest

The Last Act is a Terrific Little Visual Novel About Ghosts

Posted on April 5, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

The Last Act is a visual novel with a theatric theme about an actress in a lead-play character. Interact with a social group of charismatic characters, while finding yourself getting more and more into the script as the serious drama unfolds. The choices you make unfold the story in different ways, but ultimately you’ll find yourself interacting with supernatural characters that seek to interact with your fate. Will you continue on with the… Read the rest

Half Past Fate is the Best Distanced Romance Sim Out

Posted on April 4, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Half Past Fate: Romantic Distance is a visual novel about dating during the pandemic. It is out as of February 2021. The story revolves around a mutual interest involving a young man and his broken laptop named Stephen and a clerk at a computer repair shop named Robin. Soon after they meet, the city goes into lockdown because of the pandemic. They try to make it work using video dating for multiple months… Read the rest

//TODO: today is The Most Colorful Game I Have Ever Played

Posted on April 3, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

//TODO: today is a visual novel and dating sim. You’ll follow the main character through a crisis involving life direction in the context of paying rent, becoming an artist, working in a bookstore, dating, and the help of a cute but invasive artificial intelligence named Joyce. The game takes advantage of bright pastel colors and hand-drawn art. It conveys a message of getting out of a rut as an adult and using motivation… Read the rest

VA-11 Hall-A is the Ultimate Cyberpunk Indie You Need

Posted on April 2, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

VA-11 Hall-A (Or Valhalla as it’s known) is an interactive cyberpunk bartending simulator with elements of visual novel character interaction. Play from the perspective of Jill, a young woman who lives in the year 207X in a city called Glitch City. You’ll learn to mix drinks for customers using a unique interface and alter them based on customers’ needs and personal touch. Customers are customers, but many are absolute troublemakers. You’ll talk them… Read the rest

CRASH Autodrive is A Really Unique Interactive Fiction I Played

Posted on April 1, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

CRASH: Autodrive is a point-and-click interactive fiction that takes place in Pittsburgh, PA, in the year 2027. You are a passenger in a robot auto cab that hosts you and three other passengers on your way to your respective destinations. The car takes an unanticipated detour and strikes a crossing bicyclist on a deserted back road in the city. With the aid of a host full of clues from your cab sharers, you… Read the rest

Arcade Spirits is the Ultimate Retro Arcade Visual Novel

Posted on March 31, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

I keep an eye on Steam’s demo listings on a daily basis. I’ve been really into visual novels for some time now. I like the way they hit my palette when it comes to emotionally charged game content. The game Arcade Spirits: New Challengers is a sequel to a 2017 visual novel named Arcade Spirits. The story takes place in an alternate history, the year 20XX, where arcades have not been subjected to… Read the rest

BattleCakes is an Astonishingly Colorful and Sweet Indie I Played

Posted on March 28, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

BattleCakes is a game in development by Volcano Bean, an indie studio. Play as a customizable cupcake person and explore the town you live in. Talk to other cake-like characters around town and even solve some mysteries. You can solve the problems around town when you head out the gates and take on the gumdroplins, some goblin gum drops, in the park. You can battle, you do indeed have a sword, but you… Read the rest

Escaping Winter is a Simple Little Indie I Played

Posted on March 27, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Escaping Winter is a strategy game about a forest colony that has to survive the winter every few turns. It’s safe to say that this is more of a JAM than anything, solely representing some conceptual ideas. Indeed, civ strategy games are not my forte, but I think this idea is unique enough. If unprepared a winter might be the downfall of a society if it lasts long enough. Luckily it just makes… Read the rest

Hades is the Best Rogue-Like Indie Ever Made

Posted on March 23, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Hades, the countless award-winning indie rogue-lite from the makers of games like Bastion, is everywhere including Nintendo Switch. The game is a procedurally generated beat-’em-up in the underworld realm of Hades itself. Play as Tartarus, prince god of Hades, in a simply brilliant gameplay idea involving fighting through chambers of monsters in an attempt to escape the realm of Hades itself with the help of gods and goddesses of realms below and above.… Read the rest

Coffee Talk is the Greatest Alternate Fantasy World Dating Sim

Posted on March 20, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Coffee Talk is an interactive visual novel released in the pumpkin spice season of 2020. You play a barista in Seattle in a futuristic/alternate universe. Your customers range from humans to succubus, and it is your job not only to make them coffee in your coffee shop but also to help talk them through their personal problems. The gameplay is interspersed with actual barista beverage-making with various ingredients and you can even make… Read the rest

Read Only Memories is a Colorful Cyberpunk Indie Now Here

Posted on March 19, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Read Only Memories: NEURODIVER is an indie interactive fiction visual novel project. Play as ES88 a psychic therapist who recovers lost memories for clients using the help of an organic “neurodiver.” You’ll start as a hybrid client named Crow. Crow has a mysterious background but is trying to restore a memory that has been tampered with to recover a memory chip at the center of a secretive trade he took part in. The… Read the rest

A Cottage Story is a Hidden Gem & Terrific Little Visual Novel

Posted on March 18, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

A Cottage Story is an indie fantasy-style visual novel currently in development by indie developer LadyMeowsith on itch.IO. The theme is what is described as, “Cottage-Core.” You’ll play as Emory, or whichever moniker you choose. Your form is selectable as well. You are a human/changeling grown up far away from humans. You live within a fantastic forest of goblins, satyrs, elves, and maybe more. Meet characters and treat their ailments by mastering herbalism… Read the rest

The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante is One of the Best Serious Interactive Fictions

Posted on March 17, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante is an interactive visual novel. It spans the lifetime of a character named Sir Brante. Progress through the stages of life starting with childhood. You will forge deep experiences that will shape the course of your entire life later on. Your actions will affect your own character and also how others interact with you. Try to live true in a world dominated by an esoteric caste… Read the rest

Don’t Forget Me is an Interesting New Cyberpunk Mystery

Posted on March 16, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Don’t Forget Me is a pixel art, narrative investigation game about two cybernetic specialists, memory copiers to be exact. After a client visits their clinic, they find themselves in a complex situation involving government conspiracies and secret technology. The game is slated for release on April 15th, and gamers will find themselves playing a game with excellent art and unique mechanics. When I first encountered this game, I thought about some similar theme… Read the rest

Superstorm Melon Date is Weird & The Best

Posted on March 15, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Superstorm Melon Date is a visual novel that takes place in a relatively near dystopic future. People live in shelters and return to the surface only periodically because climate change has plagued the earth with frequent superstorms that burden humanity. People have developed widespread allergies and only the rich can raise fully human children. Therefore, a hybrid species of half-melon people have outnumbered humans because they have better immune systems. To tie it… Read the rest

ToeJam and Earl: Back in the Groove is Out Now as a Retro Indie

Posted on March 13, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

The game traces its origins to a 1994 Sega Genesis game called “ToeJam & Earl.” Simple enough. I suppose the novelty is that whether it is a solo team or a small team, an indie-developed video game is always a novelty when it becomes really popular. And de facto, the fact that it is indie. This is my suspicion at least.I’ve been mining the Gamefly indie genre listings for some new games lately.… Read the rest

Demetrios: The BIG Cynical Adventure is a Complex And Hilarious Interactive Fiction

Posted on March 12, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Demetrios is the second title from COWCAT’s indie studio that I have played, the other one being BROK the InvestiGator. My friends, let me preface this by saying although what I present to you are my first impressions from the demo, I enjoyed this enough that I purchased the full version because I am 100% behind this game developer and might very well go in-depth at some near-future point. Demetrios: The BIG Cynical… Read the rest

Aviary Attorney is a Beautiful and Hilarious, Stylistic Indie

Posted on March 11, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Greeting from cloud cuckoo land, I’m your host, Mr. Dave Pizza and I’m the author of this review of Aviary Attorney. The special today is hrmph. So, I’ve been scouring catalogs of games looking for something that suits my current appetite. I’m having a really good run with a few visual novels, but I am hopelessly novice to them. Yet, I was flipping through lists and it occurred to me I had this… Read the rest

Henchman Story is that Terrific & Bizarre Visual Novel About Super Heroes

Posted on March 10, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

I’ve been trying to give visual novels a place in my catalog. It’s a fun game style that is conducive to some good storytelling. Incidentally, I keep finding more and more edgy but good-natured humor in them. Pick a theme and go, that’s where I’d like to see these go. Most of these games are also tagged as dating sims. But that is pretty much secondary to my interest in them, however, it… Read the rest

VirtuaVerse is a Visual Novel in the Dark Cyberpunk World Of Indie

Posted on March 9, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

VirtuaVerse is an indie cyberpunk pixel art point-and-click adventure that exudes what some might think of as classic cyberpunk. You, a hacker named Nathan, wake up in your apartment, to which your girlfriend has changed the exit code. Stylistically it appeals to an aesthetic of a disheveled, neon glow surrounded by cybernetic paraphernalia. Solve enigmatic puzzles to progress the story. I meant to try this game around the time Cyberpunk 2077 came out,… Read the rest

The Pizza Situation is an Unusual & Interesting Interactive Fiction

Posted on March 8, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

The Pizza Situation is an indie game project found on ItchIO about a freshman college student named Roni. He has a dream about seeing a girl with pink hair at a party and her stealing a slice of pizza from him. His goal is to use social networking to solve the problem and prevent this girl in his dream from doing so in real life. It’s totally bonkers and irrational, but some games… Read the rest

SteamWorld Dig 2 and Why I’ll Always Love Steampunk

Posted on March 7, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

SteamWorld Dig 2 is a 2D platformer about a society of humanoid robots, particularly the protagonist Dorothy McCrank, that’s you. The village is plagued by earthquake-ridden mines beneath a village from which they are generally dependent on the ore mined. In addition to this, it is Dorothy’s quest is to recover a lost robot by the name of Rusty. The last time she saw him, he was lost somewhere in these chasms of… Read the rest

Rain On Your Parade is a Really Vibrant and Fun Game

Posted on March 6, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

Thank the heavens, or at least the upper atmosphere, because Rain On Your Parade gave me just the right meta-medicine I needed to make it through this day. Have you ever seen something on the internet and thought, well there goes my day. That’s really unhealthy I know, but as soon as I saw a demo for Rain on Your Parade, I immediately chippered up. There’s a bit more depth to this anecdote,… Read the rest

Cryptid Crush is Creepy, Cool, and Completely Awesome

Posted on March 5, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

I have been getting really into visual novels and interactive fiction lately. Itch.IO is rich with these games, and y’know, they’re kind of a nice gig. There’s a lot they can offer for developers and gamers. Lower production demands without sacrificing creativity, and a focused effort for players. The talent of the creator is still necessary of course. I certainly intended to give Cryptid Crush an efficient test. I played it out until… Read the rest

The Hayseed Knight is an Awesome Accomplishment

Posted on March 5, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

I’ve been getting really interested in games like The Hayseed Knight and I don’t really know why I haven’t explored them further. I reviewed a game last week called Brok: The Investigator, similar mostly in the ways of it is an anthropomorphic visual novel. The Hayseed Knight is through and through an anthro/furry/whatever you want to call it, visual novel. The themes are probably around Teen+, only in the PG-13 range though. Nothing… Read the rest

Indie Demo Reviews 3/4/2021

Posted on March 4, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza

So here’s a brief compilation of some cool indie demo reviews of games I played recently, which deserve a little cred. (Please note: some of these games have been released since I tried them, so they might be associated with a price in the Steam Store links.) Indie Demo Reviews 1: Jennifer Wilde: Unlikely Revolutionaries This demo is super short, but it lets you try out the mechanics and the art style. It’s… Read the rest

A Long Journey to an Uncertain End is Very Promising

Posted on March 4, 2021January 31, 2023 by Dave Pizza