Review by Matt S. “But optimism dribbles away when horror repeats.” I have no idea how good Tim Reed’s novel, Spider from the Well, is, but I came across this quote from that novel when researching Returnal, and I think it’s a perfect encapsulation of that game. Returnal is a…
Read MoreNews by Matt S. It has been a tough time to be a fan of the Tales series. Where once Bandai Namco was reliably turning them out, things seemed to unravel a little with Tales of Arise, which has seemed like it was on the horizon forever and a day.…
Read MoreVideo by Matt S. NieR Gestalt is – or at least was – my favourite game of all time. I’ve had the opportunity to get hands-on time with NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139 and… well, unless something catastrophic happens with the stuff I haven’t seen yet, it is the perfect remaster of…
Read MoreNews by Matt S. Blue Reflection is one of the most beautiful games that has ever been made. But it was also one the flew right under the radar (people saw bath scenes and the school setting, and really got the wrong idea about what the game is about), so…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. I know that space is a cold place and all, but that doesn’t mean that games set in space should leave me feeling cold. Unfortunately, Spacebase Startopia, which does try to be a satirical simulator in the vein of Two Point Hospital et al, has left…
Read MoreNews by Matt S. Don’t worry if you don’t remember Zodiac: Orcanon Odyssey from 2015. It was a mobile JRPG with some incredible production values, and was quite the decent game to boot. Indeed, we loved it at launch. But it didn’t make much of a splash at all, and…
Read MoreNews by Matt S. If you’re going to be doing something inspired by the horror of the 80’s, you do need to go into it with a balance of humour and the grotesque. Those films are simply not there to be taken seriously as horror artefacts now (I would argue…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. Maquette is a game that has been inspired by a lot of things. The first person puzzler (it’s clear the developers have spent a lot of time inside The Witness and Portal) is certainly one. Walking simulators are another, in the way that the game shares…
Read MoreNews by Matt S.Cuphead really paved the way for a revival of older, more traditional animation styles to become an aesthetic in video games, and it’s something I am very much here for. At this stage, the only issue with Chicory: A Colorful Tale is the lack of localisation of…
Read MoreNews by Matt S. The Disciples series has been kicking around for quite a few years now, though often without fanfare or celebration. The original Disciples was released way back in 1999, and gained the dubious award of “best game no one played” in Gamespot’s awards that year. There were…
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