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…
This is the first annual Access-Ability Summer Showcase. I was pleasantly surprised to even hear that it existed, and in all honesty I’m honoured to cover such a strong selection of current and upcoming titles. While I wish I could give full coverage to every game mentioned, I honestly just…
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For most, Summer Game Fest was the big event of the day. I watched it, but didn’t even bother covering it as a whole: there were like two things I was interested in. But following that is Day of the Devs, which is far more focused on artistic indie games…
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Nightmare Reaper aims to be a blend of roguelike and nostalgic throwback to the “boomer shooter” era of Doom. In a sense, it succeeds. It is indeed a roguelike (with procedurally-generated levels and a need to start from scratch with each death), and it has the violence and manic action…
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Who doesn’t like a freebie? Midnight Witch – the first project by Crimson Moon Studio – has released today, and the developers are giving it away for nothing. There’s no catch with that either. No DLC for characters or costumes. No microtransactions. It’s just a free game to add to…
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Here we sit, two weeks away from Dordogne’s launch. The game both looks stunning and features interesting gameplay, and I’m excited to eventually get my hands on it. Set in the South of France, the game follows a woman as she explores the home in which she spent her childhood…
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Sunshine Shuffle is a fun and even clever idea that falls to bits in execution. There’s some genuine genius in there but it becomes such a struggle to play through far too quickly for its own good. Related reading: For a solid game of poker (and 50 other classic games…
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When you mash together Tamagotchi-style gameplay with RPG elements, you get Yolk Heroes: A Long Tamago. The goal is to raise elves to become heroes who save the land. It’s pretty cute, and should be rather relaxing too. The retro graphics and colouring make me super happy, there’s something familiar…
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Toodee and Topdee (it’s a weird name but I kind of like it) combines 2D platformer and top-down puzzler into one unique game. In fact, the game started with the idea to merge those two different genres as a game jam prototype. They got great feedback, and Toodee and Topdee…
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At first glance, it’s difficult to understand Ghostpia’s appeal. You place static screenshots, out of context, next to the breathtaking art of Otomate’s visual novels, the vivid energy of something like Danganronpa, or even independent efforts like Sweetest Monster or Corpse Factory, and it’s really hard to see why PQube…
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Deconstructeam is a developer I admire on principle alone. This is a team of people that are committed to building narrative experiences, and using gameplay mechanics as part of the fabric of storytelling. This is, I believe, how games should be, and Essays on Empathy and The Red Strings Club…
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