Preview by Matt S. Demon Gaze II’s full release in English is just around the corner, and NISA (the publisher in the west) has been kind enough to allow us to go hands on with the game. Demon Gaze II is notable as the first Japanese dungeon crawler on the…
Read MoreInterview by Matt S. The dungeon crawler genre has been around since the very foundations of the RPG. Most of us older people have fond memories of playing through the Wizardry and Might & Magic games of the ‘80s and ‘90s, and indeed the early dungeon crawlers featured prominently in…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. Mary Skelter is the oddest game that Compile Heart has produced. It’s the least sexualised game from the studio that has made it its M.O to get girls down to their underwear at every opportunity, and yet it’s also often the most erotic in tone. It’s…
Read MoreReview by Ginny W. Like any other dramatic medium, games have cottoned onto (and often gleefully exploit) suffering and tragedy as a means to establish narrative depth and strength. When we reach for reasons why protagonists behave in a certain way, it’s incredibly easy to root motivations in tragedy –…
Read MoreReview by Ginny W. There are some games that are better off played in the privacy of your own home. No one wants to board a bus, find a comfy seat, and realise that the person sitting next to them is playing God of War on the Vita and that…
Read MoreRetro reflections by Matt S. One of my favourite genres is the dungeon crawler. Forming a party of heroes, and then inching my way around a labyrinth of of death, filled with monsters, traps, and, of course, loot, really appealed to the Dungeons & Dragons player in me. The dungeon…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. Operation Babel: New Tokyo Legacy faces the unfortunate reality that it has been released onto a console that has, over the years, absolutely nailed the dungeon crawler genre. Whether it’s Demon Gaze or Stranger of Sword City, the creative (and different) Ray Gigant, through to the…
Read MoreReview by Clark A. Detractors of dungeon crawlers often claim these games are all too similar, but perhaps that’s also why the titles under that umbrella are so endearing. From traditional mystery dungeon games like Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja to more classical Wizardry clones in the vein of…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. If you had asked me before I started playing around with Virtual Reality, “What genres are best suited to VR?” I would have said racing, horror, space games, arcade-style rail shooters and, of course, rhythm games. Despite my love for the RPG genre, however, I wouldn’t…
Read MoreReview by Clark A. Dungeon crawlers have a reputation for being daunting, often unfair experiences. Based on MeiQ’s subtitle, you’d expect a game in the same vein as Etrian Odyssey; a punishing but rewarding roguelike loaded with thrilling randomness at every turn. In actuality, MeiQ represents one of the cosiest,…
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