Mariella Deadman

“xpelled! is a lot of fun if you are into a Groundhog Day story of mild insanity taking place in a seemingly mundane setting, yet you scratch the surface just a bit, and you get to see the wild twists and turns that lie beneath.”

“Cabernet is a fantastic experience. The story is so much fun, and the gameplay facilitates it perfectly. The world is fleshed out with a lot of vampire lore that feels very well-developed as you play. The visuals are another huge part of this success, and the sound is a fantastic addition. Cabernet is also fully voice-acted, and the actors bring a lot of nuance and humour to the well-written script.”

“Uncle Chop's Rocket Shop is the perfect blend of a comedic story being told with fun mechanics. Fixing every ship is suitably challenging, although the time limits do make it very difficult if you play the frantic mode before the focused one. The sound and art are nothing but assets to a game. Beard Envy Games have come out with a true hit and are one to keep an eye on for future projects.”

“Phoenix Springs offers a stunning experience. The art is wonderful, and the sound is excellent in accompanying the visuals. The hand-drawn scenery is an amazing setting that holds a strange, twisting narrative. The voice actors are an asset to the game, bringing the world more to life, and the gameplay is a great vessel with which to explore this experience. Some clues are a little less based on logic than others, although whether that is an issue or not is mostly down to personal preference.”

“The story of Five Nights at Freddy's: Into the Pit is self-contained; if you are an avid FNAF theorist, there is plenty to find in the game, but the simple story told is great and fulfilling without a huge breadth of wider knowledge. The gameplay facilitates this story perfectly; the tension is built as the nights get harder, and the chilling atmosphere is great. There is a lot of backtracking, as is the case with many horror games, although this is an opportunity for more scares, so it is a pro or con based on preference alone.”

“Closer The Distance is a fantastic game told in a beautiful way. The gameplay adds to the story in a way that helps you understand how a tragedy can affect a whole town. Every character feels deliberate, as if they exist with a purpose in the story, feeling fleshed out with a history rather than existing just to be a character in the town. The sound and graphics add to the story, both being beautiful and making the world more unique and real.”

“Rauniot is a really good point-and-click adventure with a fantastic story it has to tell. Every aspect of the game exists intentionally to help tell the story at hand. This includes the rich and detailed settings, the excellent sound and voice acting that makes the characters all feel unique and stand out, and the amazing gameplay that allows for adaptation and invention as you explore the harsh world you are thrown into.”

“Crumbling VR is a fun, unique concept that is a new way of navigating the VR space. The combat is fun and has enough variety to keep you entertained with the perks and upgrades available from the very opening. There are a limited number of worlds, and Crumbling VR would certainly benefit from adding more to the roster, as well as making a few quality-of-life changes, such as allowing the narrator to reread sections of the comic book and possibly adapting the movement system to something that causes a little less whiplash. Despite this, Crumbling VR is a fantastic game and well worth trying out if only to see VR used in a unique and very interesting way.”

“The Universim is an amazing god sim that adds wit and humor into the genre, creating an addictive game that is so much fun. There are some teething issues that have mild quality of life problems, but with a team being so willing to listen to fans and work with them to make improvements and tweaks where needed. Beyond this, however, The Universim is an amazing game. The progression between eras feels natural and strong, the skill tree for the world is fun to move through, and each research section takes the perfect amount of time to not be too long and boring. It is 100% worth checking out to those who are fans of simulators.”

“Heads Up! Phones Down Edition had all the potential to be the next big thing in party games. The mobile version meant, going into the game, most knew roughly what they were getting. Unfortunately, they knew exactly what they were getting as this was just a port with a $40 price tag slapped on the front.”

“Along with a whole new section of gameplay that will add variety and interest to the overall experience, the story is in keeping with the rest of the content in Remnant II. The visuals keep to the same stunning standard as the rest of the game and add the necessary flare to keep players interested. Gunfire Game had a winner on their hands with Remnant II and used Remnant 2 – The Awakened King to continue to grow the amazing world they have created.”

“This Bed We Made tells an amazing story with simple yet fun gameplay mechanics to frame it. The puzzles add a challenge that isn't frustrating and instead is one of the most interesting and fun parts of the game. The characters feel fleshed out and real, as though they are real people with extended backstories. The graphics are not perfect; however, they are serviceable for what is needed, and the sound design is fantastic in every way.”

“Easy to pick up, impossible to put down is the best way to describe Pizza Possum. Every element feels designed to keep you playing. The soundtrack is fun, and the excitement drawn for it keeps the player engaged as they try to beat their own score. If you are after a new classic feeling arcade game, then the simple controls with the fun power-ups and exciting chases are definitely the way to go. On top of all of this, the co-op is fantastic, adding hilarity at every corner. And never forget, screaming and giggling as a crazed possum is always a fun way to enjoy a game.”

“Unholy’s ending is yet another disappointment. The plot is simple, with a predictable ending in terms of story. The characters aren’t really likable enough to feel a sense of great sadness at any of their fates, and the whole ending section of the game is beyond disappointing. Not because, as it would be safe to assume, the combat is too weak to handle an end-game boss, but instead because the whole of the ending of the game is one uninterruptible cutscene with no input from the player.”

“Lunacy: Saint Rhodes is far from an unenjoyable game, and if you can see past the inconsistencies in the sound effects and are willing to go through some moments of frustrating or boring gameplay, the surrounding elements are very good. The story is well told, and a lot of the gameplay elements can be extremely fun. I was particularly fond of the inclusion of the glasses and their need to be cleaned at various moments of the game. I felt it added a unique element and proved the creativity of the development team behind Lunacy: Saint Rhodes.”

“Daydream: Forgotten Sorrow is a wonderful sidescroller that shows great potential from a clearly passionate and skilled new developer. While there are some teething problems with the 3D elements of the game and some object collision issues that can make puzzles frustrating, the game definitely demonstrates what it does right far more than what it does wrong. I thoroughly enjoyed my time playing and can’t wait to see what Frozen Line will be up to next. Daydream: Forgotten Sorrow comes out on June 14th and it well worth checking out.”

“Shame Legacy is unfortunately just that. A shame. It is a shame that a game with so much potential was only a two to three hour experience that was ultimately let down. The sound design created a lot of tension and the opening is very effective in demonstrating the potential for an amazing survival horror experience. While some of the game play is frustrating there is definitely the seeds of a great game hidden beneath.”