Mark Pell

“By now, I thought I’d be tired of the formulaic cat hunting. Alas, I am still here and I know the community is still behind the series, for now. ‘Cats’ fans can expect more of the same, though with little innovation I wonder whether the cat-shaped bubble will burst in the near future. For now, Istanbul has been a visual pleasure.”

“Stunning colours, lovingly recreated Brazilian settings and the right amount of content make Hidden Cats in Rio de Janeiro one of my favourite entries in Nukearts’ franchise. I would have loved for there to have been a favela stage but there’s still plenty of game in here for the price of a warm drink.”

“Abysmal game breaking bugs destroy any opportunity A Pizza Delivery had to be a good indie. Progress preventing issues plagued my playthrough, with visual bugs leaving the game’s pretty environments and textures to pop in and out so badly I often couldn’t see the way forward. Whilst bugs can be forgiven for a solo-developer who likely has limited QA testing options, A Pizza Delivery needed more time in the oven and simply should not be launching in the state of the build I was provided.”

“Miho’s 5-hour adventure is one that’ll be sticking with me for a while and it is one that I plan to come back to with my young children when they’re ready to play video games. Like the best kids movies, there are important moral and social messages within that I believe this game can be a conduit to communicate.”

“Cats and Seek: Kyoto is another cats game that offers micro advances to the genre. The new painting mode and cat bios add something welcome and I hope they return. The core gameplay remains the same as its always been. Kyoto was a pleasure to virtually visit, though this entry is a short one that should have had at least one more stage.”

“Having played all the console Hidden Cats games and spinoffs, I’d started to burn out a little. However, Tokyo is a return to form as the expanded title provides more stages than ever but never drops the quality.”

“Platypus Reclayed is an excellent remake of a classic shooter. A full rebuild that has been crafted with a lot of love and community engagement (do checkout the fun Claymatic Discord) that met every expectation I had. Showing no signs of ageing, the gameplay improvements make the 23 year old game feel brand new.”

“A harmonious soundtrack, gorgeous painting-like graphic design and a short, yet memorable story which will stick with me. Well, at least until I alter my choices for my second and third playthroughs. I best get the tea leaves in the pot, hadn’t I?”

“1000 Deaths is an enjoyable indie that takes a lot of inspiration from TV pop-culture and infuses it with classic platforming gameplay, then garnishes with its creative gravity-bending mechanic. The story and all the paths we can take are interesting, even if a little confusing at times.”

“Bambas! is a game unlike anything I’ll probably ever play again. It’s a short indie with a lot of ideas and gameplay designed for the missions given to players. Unfortunately, there are two fundamental problems – the repetitive trigger spamming and camera angle – that prevented me from having a good experience. It’s unfortunate as some of these issues would have likely been flagged with some extra playtesting.”

“If you’ve never played one of these games before, just about every other title is superior. But for those who can’t get enough of seeking kitties, this game will scratch that itch – albeit leaving you coughing up a fur ball by the time you’re done.”

“Lushfoil Photography Sim exceeded every expectation I had and it is now my favourite walking simulator ever made, and to-date my 2025 GOTY. In a year full of AAA games and some incredibly exciting indies, Lushfoil is proud to stand as its own entity and it does something new in an incredible way. Matt Newell has transformed his personal love for photography into the video games medium and I truly hope this is something he has the opportunity to create DLC or a sequel for. This is as much a game for people who love photography, as those who love video game or real world exploration.”

“Cats and Seek: Dino Park is easy to recommend to fellow cat hunters, or anyone looking for a relaxed one hour palette-cleansing game. The formula is exactly the same as similar titles but the fresh environments, audio and dinosaurs make it worth the investment.”

“Glover is a beloved title of an excellent era of 3D platformer games, so it’s really disappointing the developers did not adapt the game to be playable to modern standards. The game didn’t need a rebuild, but it clearly didn’t get the quality of life features it needed to be accessible to first-time players, especially frustrating given the title has been on Steam for so long. If you’re a big fan of Glover and are confident you won’t be frustrated by the old-school controls, then this will be perfect be for you. However, if you’ve no affinity for the game I strongly recommend you avoid or wait for a significant store sale.”

“Police Shootout is a competent game that delivers on its premise. The game is certainly rough around the edges and some extra QA should have been implemented given the period of time since the 2022 Steam launch. The turn-based FPS battles are a fresh twist on the genre, though they’re not something we need to see become a trend.”