Ever since I read my first Moomin book as a child – I dimly think it might have been Comet in Moominland – I’ve been besotted with Tove Jansson’s endlessly fascinating Finnish trolls and their motley crew of quite literally fantastic friends and family. The books have always been the…
Read More
Hello Kitty Island Adventure isn’t the Animal Crossing clone that the screenshots suggested it might be. It is, vaguely, similar aesthetically, but it’s an entirely different beast to play. However, what the game is is wholesome and delightful, and easily the finest game featuring Kitty and her pals to date.…
Read More
Sword & Fairy is one of the biggest properties that we in the West barely notice. As Taiwan’s answer to Final Fantasy the JRPG (CRPG?) series offers some excellent production values and gameplay systems, and it’s a pity the series continues to exist in obscurity outside of its homeland, because…
Read More
Hello Kitty faces serious competition nowadays. Once the darling of Japan’s deep and beloved mascot culture, Kitty is under serious threat of being replaced by her direct rival, Rilakkuma. It’s almost poetic. Hello Kitty is the creation of the mascot company, Sanrio, Rilakkuma is the creation of the mascot company,…
Read More
Ruku’s Heart Balloon is right up there with the sweetest games I’ve ever played. The developers set out to make something treacle-sweet, to the point where prolonged exposure to it may well sicken you, and they succeeded. I just wasn’t able to play it for long before desperately needing to…
Read More
Rabbits are the best pets. They’re fluffy and funny and it’s only when you have them as pets that you realise they’ve got big personalities that fill the home with their energy. We don’t get anywhere near enough games that make rabbits the focus, and many of those that do…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. As a rabbit owner, I’ve felt consistently aggrieved by the obsession game developers have with the endless pet the dog memes. I get that they’re “man’s best friend” or whatever, but you got yours over and over and over again. Where’s the love for the bunnehs?…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. I’ll level with you: this is going to be a really short review because, as much as I do believe that video games are a creative work and deserve the full respect of my time and effort in a review situation (whether they’re great or otherwise),…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. Ever play a game that you know isn’t all that great, but for reasons you’re not even certain of, you love it anyway? That’s my experience with the Farm Frenzy series. I’ve enjoyed these things from way back on the PlayStation Portable (where they were PSP…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. In the two hours that it takes to complete Sumire, you will be reduced to a blubbering mess. Over, and over, and over again. For a game that has a profoundly potent message of hope sitting at its core, there’s also an emotional intensity in getting…
Read More