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Labyrinth City: Pierre the Maze Detective is a New Game

Posted on 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

Owlboy is an Awesome Indie I Played & Love

Posted on 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

Wild Dive is A Simple Freebie Platformer

Posted on 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

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

Posted on 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

The Last Act is a Terrific Little Visual Novel About Ghosts

Posted on 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

Arcade Spirits is the Ultimate Retro Arcade Visual Novel

Posted on 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

Drawing + “Patchless” PizzaPost 🍕

Posted on by Dave Pizza
drawing practice goblin As I’ve been writing about, I’m still in some brainstorming stages of a visual novel. I saw a post on Reddit about spending 15 minutes a day practicing, with a disclaimer that after 15 minutes you’ll want to draw all the time. That’s one thing I’ve always liked about drawing, it’s a relationship between you and the sketchpad but between you, you can create worlds. Same for writing really. Anyway,… Read the rest

Coffee Talk is the Greatest Alternate Fantasy World Dating Sim

Posted on 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

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

Posted on 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 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 Hayseed Knight is an Awesome Accomplishment

Posted on 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

Lo-Fi Room is One of the First Indie Games I Played

Posted on by Dave Pizza
I had the privilege of playing an itch.IO demo today called Lo-Fi Room. It is a member of the rhythm genre. It’s taken on a new kind of life within the indie game scene though. You can search game databases for games that have tags like “rhythm” or simply music. There are incarnations of this genre for Android and iOS devices as well. Developers have really gone hog wild with the possibilities. Rhythm… Read the rest

Loco Motive is Coming to Nintendo Switch

Posted on by Dave Pizza
UPDATE: Loco Motive is headed for full release on Switch & PC in 2023 (sorry if I don’t update this right away.) I absolutely adore it, and if you want to watch the awesome trailer for it, check out this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFahJJOdMzII’ve spent a good amount of time my life on trains or watching, learning, and reading about trains. For my own context, it’s always been a novel way to travel, and some… Read the rest

Phoenotopia is the That Terrific Pink Hair Indie Game

Posted on by Dave Pizza
I sat down this morning, had something to drink, and thought, let’s play that really cool game that makes me feel good whenever I see art from it. Let’s play… Phoenotopia: Awakening. Heads up: this is based on the demo on Steam. There’s quite a bit of content in the demo though. Don’t contemplate the parallels of one or the other too much, at least for this review. Probably better to get the… Read the rest

Cloudpunk is A Game That Deserves Reward For What it Has Accomplished

Posted on by Dave Pizza
The way games roll out in relation to cult themes these days feel like popping a bean bag chair full of glitter. Shiny and colorful, but spreading everywhere. Cloudpunk IS DEFINITELY a cyberpunk game. Life exists in an oppressively technological Babylon run by criminal overlords and the rebellious underdogs to send it tumbling–not always in an obvious way either. Of course, Cloudpunk is massive, and I have no idea how long it takes… Read the rest

Lasagna Boy is Weird and Scary But Really, Really, Hilarious

Posted on by Dave Pizza
“HEADS UP,” Moderately creepy imagery is in Lasagna Boy, this will be my only warning. I don’t generally review horror games, but Lasagna Boy made me laugh, and then, it intrigued me. It merits analysis based on absurdity alone but also on design. I also personally understand people like illustrating and drawing creepy monsters because… well, it’s fun! Why not throw in a third or fourth eyeball here and there? We’ve been doing… Read the rest

Potion Craft is the New Alchemy Game That Everyone Loves

Posted on by Dave Pizza
Okay, let’s talk about this brilliant game, Potion Craft. The idea is you are an alchemist, your regular fantasy world potion maker basically. Without too much ado, you take over an old wizard’s house and are tasked to turn it into a flourishing potion shop. Everything involves active interaction with objects to create, discover, and learn new potions. This game kind of reminds me of Good Pizza, Great Pizza, only medieval with healing… Read the rest

Planet Zoo is an Awesome and Fun Animal Game

Posted on by Dave Pizza
Personal revelation: I love animals! Always have, and always will. When I travel, one of my first attractions is usually a zoo, aquarium, or natural history museum. Not to mention beaches, refuges, and forests. And while we’re at it, throw some vegetarian restaurants into the mix. That is one reason today I’ll be reviewing Planet Zoo. Unfortunately, haven’t been able to go much of anywhere in a while due to you know what.… Read the rest

8 FREE Indie Android Games Reviewed 2/11/2021

Posted on by Dave Pizza
I cleaned this article up, and it’s a lot more consistent with everything else here now. I’ve been sifting through back logs like Gandalf the Grey in Minas Tirith. I’ve got some great new resources for keeping my eye on the Android app market now. I’m not here to be stingy, so if you want to know what it is, check out this awesome aggregator: appagg.com. It will change your world, if you’re… Read the rest

5 More Great Itch.IO Games in 2021 TOP LIST

Posted on by Dave Pizza
Here are 5 Itch.IO games that are either demos, choose your own price, or free–depending on how much you want to contribute or can afford. You may have noticed I am very enthusiastic about this platform because it is where indie games are happening every moment! I’ve got some great titles for you, so let’s get started. 1. Doggo Quest https://meebob.itch.io/doggo-quest The dog is pretty cute and funny and the interactions with the… Read the rest

NES Nostalgia: Games From My Youth

Posted on by Dave Pizza
I wanted to call this “NES Games That Influenced Me” or something like that. Honestly though, I can’t totally remember WHY I remember these games, only that they evoke some mood or emotion when I play them. I guess you could call it nostalgia. Yeah, that’s probably it. The main reason for this is I wanted to try writing about something I haven’t tried. So here we go, six games I played when… Read the rest

OPUS Rocket of Whispers is Beautiful & Full of DEEP Gameplay

Posted on by Dave Pizza
Mysterious backstory, cosmic balance, ancestral duty. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. Heavy topics, yes, but not to worry. This game is poetry, and these types of themes are in the prequel OPUS: The Day We Found Earth. It seems that there is even a theme in common between that game and OPUS Rocket of Whispers, but I am hesitant to say, conclusively, what it is. I’ll give you a quick… Read the rest

Android Games I Found Out About on Twitter!

Posted on by Dave Pizza
Alright, people, it’s time to adore some Free Android games. I suppose I should have anticipated this but I’ve had a good chunk of people on Twitter asking if I’d check out their game. Some just have it linked on their profile so that works too. So, I wanted to not be a flake though and check some out. Here are some Android games (also known as Google Play) from the people, cats,… Read the rest

Yoshi’s Crafted World is A Beautiful Cardboard Dream

Posted on by Dave Pizza
I had to remember how to play this game, but once I did I remembered how carefree it is to play this game, a nice array of forgiving obstacles and high attention to detail in its very particular artistic style. I meant to write something about it a while ago, but I kept overthinking it. Today I have some videos, screenshots, and seasoned thoughts on Yoshi’s Crafted World. What is Yoshi’s Crafted World?… Read the rest

The Gardens Between is a Game That Does Some New Things

Posted on by Dave Pizza
The Gardens Between is a breathtaking puzzle platformer from the indie but tremendously successful studio Voxel Agents in Australia. It was released in 2018. I played it on Switch but you can find it on many platforms. I’m not sure if the preface of this game is an homage to any other pop culture time-traveling islands, but maybe not. I had some theories while playing that maybe some kind of altered planes of… Read the rest