Callum Rakestraw

“However, due to the game’s length (my playthrough took around 40 hours), even though I enjoyed the core foundation of combat, it does drag a bit on occasion due to the sheer number of fights you encounter. While Demonschool does give you plenty of characters and abilities to play with, as any RPG, once you settle on a team and kit them out properly, you’re gonna just use them whenever possible. The game does smartly force you to use certain characters in enough fights to force you to change your approach occasionally, which does prove to be a fun challenge especially when your party is split in certain stretches or the rare case where you’re controlling two teams in a fight, but it only does so much to keep battle fresh across 40 hours of play. It’s not a problem unique to Demonschool by any means — it’s a difficult challenge for any game that long — but it also cannot avoid it either.”

“The inherent friction of achieving competency and excellence still applies (it is a rhythm game), but it makes the process as approachable as it can. Combined with the casual tenor of random conversations that you can have at the Wellspring’s bar, Hyperbeat tries to match the vibe and purpose of being a space of serenity, a place to step away for a moment and indulge in some music and relax for a spell and succeeds.”

“Platforming is the star of the show, but the stories 1000 Deaths tells are fun and sometimes resonant.”

“Its easygoing nature suggests a straightforward tale, but has plenty to dig into if you’re willing to follow its many threads.”

“A slow rollout of characters and decks creates a rather plain early game, but Shuffle Tactics shines once everything opens up.”

“A successful caper is only as good as the numerous ways it can suddenly fall apart.”

“A short and sweet platformer with tons of charm, MainFrames is excellent time all around.”

“A party-based Souls-like is an inventive idea, but Deathbound can’t meet its lofty ambitions.”

“The sequel to the excellent Lucah: Born of a Dream is a stylish action game that’s as heartfelt as it is intense.”

“Worldless captures the thrill of a good close fight.”

“With the inclusion of the original game and a set of new mechanics that slot in naturally, Bit.Trip Rerunner is a stellar example of a remake.”

“This small metroidvania has some of the best movement you’ll find in a game this year.”

“Bleak Sword is quick and to the point. Sometimes that’s all you need.”

“It does speak to where Rhythm Sprout‘s interests in difficulty tend to lie, though. It’s a game that has a clear interest in providing challenge wherever possible, and it’s very good at doing that. It thankfully doesn’t forget approachability in that pursuit, but your mileage may vary on its effectiveness. If you’re able to put up with some of the more demanding levels, though, Rhythm Sprout is worth your time.”

“With the addition of cross-play, Them’s Fightin’ Herds‘ console debut makes an already great game even better.. As more and more games steadily adopt that standard, for fighting games especially, it becomes easier and easier to grow and keep a community alive since there’s no worrying over which platform is the most populated, as has so often been the case for many fighting games over the years. Them’s Fightin’ Herds has already been getting by just fine, but now, so many more avenues to play, it’ll hopefully be able to thrive even more.”

“In a time where games are frequently seeing full-scale remakes, often trying to replace the original works in the process, to see a classic come back out with only the smallest of changes made is welcome. And with the original game still readily available on Steam, Shatter Remastered Deluxe isn’t seeking to replace the original: it’s just an opportunity to bring the game back into the spotlight. If re-releases remain the best means to achieve that currently, then at least Shatter Remastered Deluxe takes the right approach.”

“Betrayal At Club Low‘s humor may be one of its draws, but the way it plays with dice rolls and captures the sensibilities of tabletop games is what makes it shine. The myriad ways any one playthrough can go – or a single roll even – make it a joy to constantly revisit and see what happens if you try this instead of that. This is my first experience with a Cosmo D game (I’ve meant to play Off-Peak for ages but haven’t because I’m terrible) and I feel like a fool for putting them off for so long. If this is just a peek at what the stories of Off-Peak City has to offer, I’m very excited to see what else this surreal world has in store.”

“Once a run gets underway and everything starts to click, it’s a good time. Being able to construct a build fully formed before you make another attempt at the 50 level gauntlet that Blacken Slash presents is a great hook that the game delivers on splendidly. I’m probably a long way out from actually getting a win still, but at least I’m always getting somewhere in the meantime.”

“Puzzle games are good because you can take just about any premise and turn it into something fun. Building snowmen in A Good Snowman Is Hard To Build, guiding water to create waterfalls in Spring Falls, splicing microbes in Splice… just about anything can be turned into a puzzle. In the case of Freshly Frosted, that’s building donut factories.”

“Why hours of failure is worth enduring for the sweet taste of victory, if only for a second. There may be a few skill hurdles to overcome at first, but once you best them, 10 Second Ninja is nothing short of sublime.”