Rebecca Stow's Reviews
Along with Kay, the player is subject to a rollercoaster of emotions, each of which is elevated due to the poignant soundtrack composed by Guy Jackson; a soring orchestral onset that isn't afraid to quietly hide in the background when it needs to.
The soundtrack is also beautifully composed, and different sounds match the tone and vibe of different levels and constellations perfectly. It's another strong element that adds to the superb achievement that is Gravity Ghost.
With its charming 2D style, exceptional voice acting and hilarious moments, Afterparty ultimately ticks all the right boxes. Bottoms up!
Paper Mario: The Origami King is a vibrant, detailed, and exciting adventure filled with bustling hubs and lots of hidden treasure. Sadly, whilst the battle system looks good on paper, it isn’t the enjoyable or in-depth RPG system long term fans were hoping for. The writing is consistently laugh-out-loud funny though, and that’s the most important thing in any Paper Mario game.
The Blackout Club is a strong addition to the co-op horror genre. Enemies and gameplay are really well handled, and playing with friends is a brilliant experience. If the story was a little more in-depth and better paced, this might be considered unmissable. As it is, The Blackout Club is a worthwhile game if not an essential one.
Planet Alpha is an enjoyable sci-fi indie, one that is undeniably stunning and engaging thanks to a unique day-night dynamic and interesting puzzles. Its major downfall is the glaring predictability of the story, but most players will be over the moon with what this game has to offer.
Luckily, the more time you spend in Portia the more the world will reward you. The game is effortlessly simple, but it excels in almost everything it aims to achieve. It's one of the most relaxing indie life-simulation games out there, and yet it still offers enough adventure and addictive crafting opportunities to keep you hooked. A totally new spin on the post-apocalyptic experience, My Time At Portia is vibrant, relaxing, and brimming with charm.
F1 2019 takes all the elements of the previous games and adds a very thin layer of polish. The introduction of F2 makes Career Mode a little more exciting, and the racing gameplay and graphics are still top notch, but there's no getting away from the fact that this is really just F1 2018 again.
Sadly, Harvey’s New Eyes stumbles with occasional poor voice acting, and story and character work that doesn’t quite live up to the standard of the puzzles and visuals.
If you’re a fan of the genre, you could do a lot worse than picking up Ary and the Secret of Seasons. After all, ‘tis always the season for adventure.
Playing as a young child, you awaken on a beach at the edge of a gorgeous, Zelda-inspired tropical island surrounded by the remnants of a shipwreck. With no idea how you arrived or how you are going to get back home you set off to explore.
Whilst State of Mind boasts an impressive level of immersion for an indie title, its let down by its content. Half is exciting and fresh and involves unravelling the plot and exposing the secrets of the game, whereas the other half feels like filler. It’s a slow burning mystery and one that has a great finale and conclusion, but slow gameplay may result in the stones in this thriller being left upturned.
Just from the first episode is impossible to know the layout for the final season. Done Running gives players a taste of its new graphical style, collectibles and introduces an array of secondary characters, most of which probably won’t survive to see the finale. Done Running is just a taster of what’s to come, and we’re hungry for more.
For now, the future of the final season is up in the air and we can’t be sure as to what will happen with the two remaining unpublished episodes. If this is the last, we see of Clementine its been a bittersweet adventure, one which I hope gets the ending it deserves.
We Happy Few is enticing, and the premise of this twisted dystopian thriller certainty has its hooks. The setting is eerie and heavily implemented regulations leave the city of Wellington Wells feeling dense with pressure and rules. It’s a tale reminiscent of George Orwell’s 1984, but for this game to also become a classic it still needs some work.
Overall the game encompasses a powerful message told in a powerful way. Everything is thoughtfully implemented, faded colours show signs of depression and in Anamorphine small and subtle acts lead to bigger things. Anamorphine and its core message made me wonder. However, when I look back on this game I will remember the lags, repetition hidden amidst Elena’s powerful story.
Online-only play taints Next Up Hero and obviously puts off potential players, but this bright and colourful world can be enjoyable at times. Repetitive gameplay prevents the release from becoming a standout indie title, but it may have enough charm to entice a few aspiring heroes for at least a few hours.
Airheart: Tales of Broken Wings has potential but without a solid story powering it forward and lots of tedious grinding, you'll struggle to see it through to the end. While the game is visually stunning and at least exciting in principle, Airheart never quite takes flight.
There are moments in The King's Bird where it's easy to lose yourself in the gameplay and striking visuals. Rocketing around colourful stages and indulging in the serene soundtrack is fun, but frustrating puzzle mechanics and little variance in the gameplay taint the experience.
Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey has a huge gene pool of potential, but endless repetition and clunky controls need to be removed from its DNA. For die-hard survival and exploration fans there is a worthwhile experience here, but for everyone else this is a game that's so repetitive it'll drive you bananas.