Blake Wilcox

“What’s especially interesting about the story is that it isn’t told in a traditional way. Most games rely on dialogue or text to move the plot forward, but Unpetrified: Echoes of Nature speaks through motions and atmosphere. The story unfolds through your actions, the world’s reactions, and the subtle animations that bring everything to life. There are a few written tutorials and bits of information to help you in the beginning, but most of what you understand comes from the overall atmosphere, graphics, and visual animations rather than writing.”

“The story in Biped 2 isn’t exactly the main attraction. It serves more as a gentle backdrop than a driving narrative – a reason for your mechanical duo to explore new areas and tackle a variety of clever mini-puzzles. It gives the journey just enough context to make each challenge feel meaningful, without ever getting in the way of the gameplay. It’s simple, sweet, and exactly what it needs to be, just enough story to give purpose to all the fun chaos that follows.”

“Sushi Ben is a game that thrives on its story, humour and style. The characters are larger than life, the writing is hilarious, and the manga-inspired visuals give it an unforgettable look. Add in full voice acting, and the world feels full of energy. Now, the gameplay isn’t perfect, and at times, you can feel its VR roots holding it back. A few mechanics are touchy and don’t quite shine as brightly as they might in VR. Even so, the variety of activities, the ability to replay quests, and the sheer charm of the town keep things moving forward.”

“Dinotica splits your time between two distinct environments: your home base and the outer world of Dinotica. Your home base acts as a hub for crafting, resource management, and preparing for adventures, while Dinotica is where the actual exploration happens. A land filled with dinosaurs, enemies, mysteries and loot. There’s a good balance between building and maintaining your base and venturing into the unknown. ...the downside is that the system is a little too basic. Crafting often comes down to just gathering the right number of raw materials – need fibre? Collect x amount and you’re set. While functional, it feels like the game could have benefited from an extra layer of resource management or complexity. Like requiring players to spin fibre into rope or string before using it for some recipes. It’s enjoyable for what it is, but players who love deep crafting systems may find it a bit barebones.”

“For an idle game, Whimside demands a surprising amount of micromanagement. It doesn't feel like a background game; it feels like a never-ending loop of low-energy busywork. If Whimside excels in one area, it's definitely the art. The pixel art style is charming, with a soft, cozy feel that perfectly suits the game's laid-back concept. As a fan of pixel art in general, I really appreciated the effort put into making each creature look distinct, even with their modular mash-up designs. Seeing how different body parts combine together is genuinely one of the most creative aspects of the game, and easily one of the most fun to explore early on.”

“Once you are born, The Necromancer’s Tale begins to blur the line between fixed narrative and player-driven storytelling. Your character’s early years play out with some key events already set in stone, but you’re given meaningful choices throughout. Almost like a choose-your-own-adventure novel, but darker and more immersive. These early decisions don’t just affect the story; they directly impact your character’s stats. It’s a smart and creative way to build your character through narrative instead of menus, and it adds real meaning to the choices you make.”

“It’s a fun setup that gives your shopkeeping grind some narrative weight. Instead of building an empire for the sake of it, you’re hustling to escape undeath – one skeleton customer at a time. The undead pirates that shuffle into your shop aren’t just members of your crew also stuck on the cove, they’re your customers. They bring plenty of personality and requests as you expand your small business. It’s not an overly story-heavy game, but the premise adds just enough to keep your gold-hoarding goals interesting.”

“Going into Island Robot Farm, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I had never played an idle game before, and at first, I wasn’t completely sold – the gameplay felt slow, and I wasn’t sure if just watching progress happen was going to be enough to keep me interested. But the more I played, the more the game opened up. What started as a simple two-bot farming setup gradually evolved into a complex, self-sustaining operation filled with new features, mechanics, and tools to experiment with.”

“You start with a small, barebones shop and an arguably tight budget. You have no voice in your ear guiding you or NPCs to interact with, just one clear objective: buy, collect, race, and sell supercars. All while upgrading your shop along the way. It’s a simple setup, but one that lays a solid foundation for hours of gameplay.”

“Despite some glitches and a small learning curve, the game’s unique blend of skateboarding and roguelite mechanics kept me coming back. All aspects of the game combined made for an engaging experience…even when things got frustrating. The game’s visuals are very well done and I honestly wish more games had a similar style – it gives Helskate a distinct personality that sets it apart from a lot of other roguelites and skateboarding games.”

“While Find Love or Die Trying doesn’t rewrite the visual novel genre, it does offer players witty storytelling, pop-culture references, humour, and mystery at every turn. The episodic format keeps the story engaging, and the choices you make truly feel impactful, which adds depth to the overall experience. The visuals are amazing, if not somewhat standard for this genre and the audio complements the atmosphere perfectly. Whether you are a fan of visual novels or brand new to the genre, Find Love or Die Trying is well worth checking out.”

“The gameplay of Wings of Njord is, at the end of the day, pretty straightforward. However, that doesn’t mean it isn’t frustrating. I’m not sure exactly what I was expecting when I started the game, but I definitely wasn’t expecting to be thrown straight into gameplay without any information. Trial and error led me to sorting out how the game is played.”