Rebecca Stow's Reviews
Sticking with Hello Neighbor takes a lot of patience and forgiveness. While the lure of the secret in the basement is a strong one, the glitches, complicated puzzles, and problematic AI all make for a giant slog. With improvements this indie could be a spine-tingling horror game, one which plays on deep childhood fears and leaves a lasting impression, but in its current state, we wish that we'd just stayed at home.
Quinn is the one who explores the game, each nook and cranny and the one who is a threat from a ticking clock. For the most part you are just a passenger in his story, it’s a great concept but a few creases need ironing out to make STAY an truly unmissable game.
Below struggles with its identity and, with gameplay dramatically shifting between enthralling exploration and bothersome survival, the game never quite finds it footing.
Oure’s story unfolds in a world ravaged by dusk and devoid of hope. A young girl who dreams of soaring above the clouds and gliding alongside mighty titans (ancient sky creatures tasked with keeping peace over the world below) is mysteriously gifted with the power to transform into a flying dragon and tasked with trying to bring an end to this time of darkness.
This psychological horror first-person shooter is set on the abandoned and desolate space station, Talos 1. Accompanied only by aggressive alien life, our protagonist Morgan (male/female depending on the player’s choice) is a marooned scientist suffering with complicated memory loss. Prey follows Morgan’s attempt to escape and prevent the alien Typhons from escaping with him.
Though not quite as accomplished as the recent Spyro and Crash Bandicoot remasters, TY the Tasmanian Tiger HD still delivers an enjoyable Aussie-themed adventure.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.