htoL#NiQ: The Firefly Diary has a title that is impossible to pronounce, but it is not a random collection of letters there before the colon. That “htoL#NiQ” makes perfect sense the moment you start playing, because it is alien, otherworldly, and perfectly represents the kind of sheer, wonderful hostility that…
Read MoreNihilumbra is a strange mix between a puzzle platformer and a narrative storybook. You play a Born, a shadow that has somehow escaped from the Void (which is what it sounds like). One a part of the Void, you move the world painting it in colours all while trying to…
Read MoreNews by Matt S. The name is unpronounceable, but don’t let that put you off hotL#NiQ: The Firefly Diary, because this PlayStation Vita exclusive is looking breathtaking. The story of Mion, a young girl with no idea of her identity and on a quest for understanding with the assistance of…
Read MoreReview by Clark A. Platformers that drown the player in obtusely hidden collectibles often don’t sit well with me, even if the game itself is a terrific example of the genre. Developers incorporate ensembles of near-useless baubles to inject games with additional hours of life, but the result is more…
Read MoreReview by Sam M. It’s surprising to see a little indie game take on the big challenge of addressing the damsel in distress trope that has been a large point of discussion in video game culture lately. But when it’s done this well it’s hardly a complaint that Dokuro’s developers…
Read MoreReview by Shaan J. If there’s one thing I’ve lamented about the Xbox One to date, it’s that Microsoft has really dropped the ball when it comes to small, downloadable titles. Looking back on my years with the Xbox 360, a good portion of my play time was dedicated to…
Read MoreReview by Shaan J. It’s been a remarkable year for the Wii U. High octane thrills were plentiful this year, with titles like Super Smash Bros. and Bayonetta 2 leading the pack, and the Wii U eShop is slowly beginning to cultivate its own stable of quirky and inventive indie…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. The games industry is still young, and so it hasn’t been especially effective in reflecting the many and wonderful cultures of the world. That’s not surprising, of course, because as with any emergent art form it has taken time for games to be accepted as a…
Read MoreReview by Brad L. Flockers represents a lot of my PC gaming childhood; when I wasn’t playing the latest Sierra and LucasArts point-and-click adventures, I was playing Lemmings, Lemmings 2: The Tribes, and Worms a lot. With Flockers, Team 17 has flown in and basically given me the core mechanics…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. Murasaki Baby is disturbed. Not just for its art style, which was clearly inspired by a mix of The Brothers Grimm and Tim Burton. That aesthetic has its role, and performs an admirable job of making it clear to players from the outset that this is…
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