Matt S. is the Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of DDNet. He's been writing about games for over 20 years, including a book, but is perhaps best-known for being the high priest of the Church of Hatsune Miku.
Him, The Smile & Bloom is a surprisingly “innovative” otome, at least as far as the narrative goes. I use the inverted commas because that word is bandied around far too much (and is far too associated with techbros – and yes I realise the contradiction between my disdain for the word and our rating system here at DDNet). However,…
Welcome to the March edition of the Digitally Uploaded podcast! In this episode we dive deep into Xenoblade Chronicles X, now that it’s finally being rescued from Wii U exclusivity. We also chat about music, with one of the music team from our very own upcoming visual novel, The Last…
There was a time when the 3D platformer was one of the…
If you were to try and narrow the entire range of TCGs…
Tales of Candlekeep: Tomb of Annihilation is one of the better Dungeons & Dragons titles in recent history (which isn’t saying much, I know, but still…). Unfortunately, it’s about to be delisted from Steam. Fortunately, I was here to remind you all to go grab it before it’s gone. The…
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Before the film that Tim Burton and Johnny Depp had way too much fun with, and before even the Stephen Sondheim musical that more people should see a production of, Sweeny Todd was a Penny Dreadful. People don’t really know what these are anymore, but they were once wildly popular…
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I’m a big fan of itch.io for the freedom and open platform that it allows for developers to be creative, experimental, and directly canvas the audience for feedback for games that are not yet ready for primetime on Steam and its ilk. In addition, itch.io allows you to be transgressive,…
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In case you missed the live stream, watch the catch-up here! Citizen Sleeper, which just released on Nintendo Switch this week, is something of an anticapitalism statement. It’s a cyberpunk RPG thingy that is apparently heavy on the narrative and pen-and-paper RPG vibe, so let’s see how it goes. I…
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We recorded this podcast just before Square Enix announced it was selling Tomb Raider and other critical properties in order to finance (among other things) blockchain and NFT projects. This makes this podcast chat that we have about how NFTs are absolutely horrible for this industry, be that gamer or…
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We’re just about to dig into the second NIS Classics volume, but NISA has announced the release date for the third volume in the series. Prinny Presents NIS Classics Volume 3: La Pucelle: Ragnarok and Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure is a mouthful of a title, but it launches on August…
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Trek To Yomi is the latest game from Devolver Digital, the developer behind the Shadow Warrior series, and the indie auteur behind The Eternal Castle. It is a darkly majestic game and one of the most distinctive artistic visions we’ve seen this year. In this video, I chat about why…
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Leonard Menchiari (RIOT: Civil Unrest, The Eternal Castle), is quickly becoming one of my favourite independent game auteurs. His work – regardless of who he is working with – has a kind of intensity and focus that is almost overwhelming and that makes it hard to tear your attention away…
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In this podcast topic, we take a deep dive into the stories that only games can tell. Whether it’s 13 Sentinels, Elden Ring, or any number of other games (particularly in recent years), game developers and writers are starting to explore the unique narrative structures that are only possible through…
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Asmodee Digital is best known for its board game adaptations (including the rather good Gloomhaven, and classics like Ticket to Ride, Terraforming Mars, and Carcassonne). The publisher is looking to push into related-but-different spaces, however, which makes the RPG a natural stepping stone for it. Enter Dark Envoy, a guns…
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