You’ll finish the story mode of Gibbon: Beyond the Trees in an hour, give or take, but what a potent hour it is. It begins with a gibbon family frolicking in the forests of Southeast Asia, swinging playfully through the treetops, but that soon gives way to a more grim …
The influence of samurai film classics on Trek to Yomi is abundant. The latest game from eclectic director Leonard Menchiari is a loving homage to the heyday of jidaigeki cinema in the ‘50s and ‘60s, with a distinctive tone and aesthetic that Yomi goes to painstaking lengths to authentically recreate. …
There’s something a little ironic about having such a blast mowing virtual lawns while the real one outside my window goes neglected for weeks, sometimes months on end. But then, that’s a big part of the appeal of “job simulator” games like Lawn Mowing Simulator: they’re a chance to enjoy …
I didn’t necessarily go into Waifu Impact expecting it to be great, but I hoped it’d at least be a bit of silly fun. There’s potential in the concept of a shooter given a fanservice-filled makeover by replacing firearms and combat gear with swimsuits and water blasters is a neat …
The “Simple Story” subtitle for Arise is fitting: there’s a beautiful simplicity to Piccolo Studio’s heartfelt adventure. Through the eyes of elderly man moving on from this world to the next, reflecting on most important moments in his life—from the most joyous to the most heartbreaking—it weaves a tale of …
I really want to like Ganryu 2. From the instant you load it up, its vibrant, detailed pixel art and slick character designs call to mind the twilight years of the Neo Geo arcade system, when SNK (and other developers) were really pushing that hardware as hard as they could. …
Hyperdimension Neptunia and Senran Kagura seem like a natural fit for a crossover. They’re both series driven by irreverent senses of humour and fanservice, underpinned by much richer characterisation that you might expect from a quick glance. They approach from very different angles—Neptunia is an RPG series built on game …
I don’t know what I was expecting when I spent five bucks on a cheap-looking Metal Gear Solid clone, but it sure wasn’t whatever the hell Hundred Fires: The rising of red star is. For one thing, I thought I was getting a full game, since nowhere on the eShop …
Slipstream isn’t the first retro-style racing game on Switch, but absolutely nails that ‘80s pseudo-3D arcade racer aesthetic. Back before 3D graphics were the norm, games like Hang-On and Out Run managed to simulate three-dimensional effects with sprite scaling; aside from being an impressive technological accomplishment for the time, it …
In a sea of survival horror games citing classic Resident Evil as an influence, Tormented Souls stands out for its willingness to wholly, uncompromisingly commit. It can be abrasive, even hostile to the player to a point of frustration—especially in a time where there’s so much focus on “good UX”. …
