I’d brushed the proximity of Jack Move several times this year. Seeing it here, seeing it there, probably even passing up a demo. When I just had to have the Tactics and RPG turn-based bundle from Humble Bundle this month, I got a chance to play it. Turns out Jack Move, the pixel graphic cyberpunk RPG, is a fantastic, well-paced and interesting adventure. Here are my first impressions of the game along with…
Terraria is simply one of the most famous games ever made, yet I hadn’t ever played it until just recently. The gameplay is engaging and the pixel art graphic style is pretty satisfying. It has a simple premise that matches other survival craft games, like Minecraft, that being: build a fort, fight or hide, and survive–then just keep building and building and building. And though I only put effort into one aspect during…
Grab your mop, bring your Stardew Valley membership card, and head into olden times with Travellers Rest. Yes, I literally just started this game, so I’ll continue to update this as time goes on, but I’m already hooked. I do in fact still love that old classic Stardew Valley, a basic grounding point for this game. But I have also enjoyed the medieval theme of RPG’s for a long time. The concept is…
MMORPGs get tossed into the indie content spin room all the time these days, generally with a slight irreverence. Inkbound is different though, it has A LOT of potential. I sat down with the game at my PC to test out a new character in this magical book-themed MMO. Is Inkbound actually “a world” yet? Yes–and a plentiful one–which I’m still exploring the depths of. A couple of important facts: This early access…
Black Skylands is an immersive fantasy skypunk 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. I revisited this game in 2023 after a couple of years to see how it…
This review was rehauled for 2023 with the whispers of the internet saying once again “Silksong.” Will this be the year? Gamers have been waiting patiently for a sequel to Hollow Knight for, well, A LONG TIME. But the creators of this series know that their audience needs, no wants, no gnashes for it. And it’s not totally obvious to some players, who just see it as a mid-tier hand-drawn platformer. Either way,…
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)…
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…
I’ve been waiting 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…
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…
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…
