Plot Twist, a Melbourne-based games studio, has announced that the visual novel Ashes will launch in Early Access this May, with a full launch planned for December. This period of time will be used to finish the story, refine the existing minigames/add new ones, and provide new narrative content. The game blends graphic novel panels with interactive puzzles.…
Tove Jansson’s Moomin characters long ago stepped outside the pure world of just their books; even when Jansson was alive she was experimenting with different forms such as comic strips and limited merchandise. That has extended into video games in the past with very mixed results, though I did rather…
Did you know that, while mazes are designed to confuse and confound…
Not A Cat Studios has announced STARCULT. Night: Twisted Age. The dark…
Developer OutOfTheBit definitely has experience with cinematic puzzle platformers: Full Void was all about handcrafted 2D art, innovative mechanics, and atmospheric storytelling. OutOfTheBit is taking on that genre again with Nanuka: Secret of the Shattering Moon. Announced today, the game promises to fuse handcrafted animations, engaging combat, and magical adventure.…
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Heavily inspired by the game mechanics of Battle City (a popular game during the ’80s), newly-announced Threads of War is designed in the style of Ukrainian embroidery. The visual style particularly attracted my attention. War and embroidery may seem like complete opposites, but many Ukrainian artists have used the skillful…
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Once upon a time Kemco was a developer and publisher of a very wide range of games. These days it sticks to generic RPG Maker-like JRPGs designed primarily for mobile, but the company has been operating all the way back to 1984 and the NES era. Back in those days…
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Full disclosure: I have no semblance of a green thumb. Sometimes it feels like I can just look at plants and kill them. I think that’s why I have come to appreciate games with/about gardening in any capacity: I use video games as an escape, and escaping to something you…
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Welcome to Digitally Downloaded’s weekly catch-up news feature, the catch-up coffee. With each issue I will bring you the best news that you may have missed. Grab the biggest mug you’ve got, fill it with your favourite brew, and catch up with us (and our favourite news anchor, Dee Dee)!…
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I can only assume that the modern media’s obsession with the idea of a metaverse has to do with the fact that in this particular reality that we live in, we drew a really crappy hand, where stupid things are happening with such frequency that it’s nice to imagine that…
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Adorable, cozy, animal-themed games are trendy these days thanks to titles like Apico (okay that’s technically an insect but close enough), Bunhouse, Calico, and Cat Café Manager – and I’m into all of it. Last June I learned about Kamaeru: A Frog Refuge, a cozy froggy farming sim that was…
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With Easter being last weekend, it is now basically the month of the bunny. And when it comes to bunny games, Bunhouse can’t be beat. It’s got fuzzy bunnies frolicking through a garden. It’s perfectly happy, perfectly soothing, and perfectly non-violent. In 2022, it was announced that Bunhouse would be…
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Violet Wisteria is two things – firstly, it’s a brute of a game that wears its old-school homage on its sleeve. It’s also heavily inspired by the classic Valis series of fanservicey magical girl platformers. Things start off really well with a story sequence pulled directly from the PC-98 era…
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We need more art in games. Period. There is an entire world of the fine arts just begging to become someone’s inspiration, but instead it feels like new game releases just repeat its genre’s common formula with a new skin. That is what makes me so excited about puzzle platformer…
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