Mediterranea Inferno is an ambitious visual novel set in the Italian countryside. It tells the story of three friends who reconnect following the COVID-19 pandemic. Their interactions follow themes of love, drugs, sexuality, anxiety, and loneliness, providing a bleak experience that isn’t for everyone.  The story follows Claudio, Andrea, and Mida, three young, homosexual men who were the height of popularity in Milan prior to the pandemic. Once lockdowns were put in place, the three lost touch with each other. Cut to several years later, and Claudio reaches out with an offer to stay at hi ..read more

The latest in Digital Eclipse’s “Gold Master series,” Llamasoft The Jeff Minter Story, contains much of what fans have come to expect: an interactive timeline packed with cool videos that excel more in this format than they ever could on YouTube, plenty of candid history showing not only the growth of the developer in question but also of the industry as a whole, and, of course, numerous games to test your thumbs. It’s a good collection, kept from “great” territory by only telling a small portion of Minter’s story. As a U.S. gamer, I mainly knew Minter for his habit of attaching himself to unp ..read more

Anomaly Agent is many things. It’s part platformer, part brawler, and part shooter. It involves time travel, combo moves, boss fights, and upgradeable weapons. It also has a rocking soundtrack. In short, it’s a fun and fast-paced action title from newcomers Phew Phew Games. It happens to be the first title for this indie dev, and it’s a stellar way to kick things off. In Anomaly Agent, you play the role of the renowned Agent 70 as he embarks on his final mission before a promotion. He works for a company called TDAY, a peace-keeping outfit similar to the TVA of Marvel’s world. Their job is to ..read more

In the opening segments of Demon Slayer: Kibetsu no Yaiba, a kind-hearted boy named Tanjiro returns from a day of work to find his entire family brutally murdered by a demon, with his sister having become a demon herself. So, clearly, let’s make it a family board game! (Honestly, if you’ve read the manga or watched the show, you’ll know it sounds kind of perfect.) SEGA has announced that Demon Slayer ~Kimetsu no Yaiba~ Sweep the Board! is now available for Nintendo Switch. Akin to Super Mario Party, Sweep the Board allows up to four players to enjoy board game style gameplay, events, and ..read more

When El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron was originally released in 2011, I couldn’t believe someone had created a game based on an Amy Grant song. Ends up that wasn’t the case; the game is actually based on an ancient Hebrew text called the Book of Enoch. Now, if you’re a firm believer in the separation of church and game, you can put away your protest signs; the Book of Enoch is not actually in the Bible. Most Jewish and Christian church bodies view it as non-inspired…or maybe just too freaky-deaky, because this game is visually and thematically nuts. The story centers around Enoch, a scr ..read more

Cricket Through The Ages is a physics-driven arcade game where you only need to use one button. Developed by Free Lives and published by Devolver Digital, this title is short and sweet, though can be frustrating at times. First, let me begin by saying the graphics were simple, yet pleasing. I enjoyed the bright, colorful ambiance throughout the ages. The music was pleasant, and the narrator’s voiceover work was on point. Not to mention the sound effects were satisfying, as well. Hearing a rock clonk someone’s head was funny, and I loved the sound of the audience clapping when a match complete ..read more

Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley is an adventure-puzzle game for the Nintendo Switch. It sets out to bring a relaxing experience to players with its charming aesthetic, cute critters, and melody-inspired gameplay.  If you’ve never heard of the Snufkin series of books from Finnish author Tove Jansson, you’re not alone. This game served as my introduction to the charming world of Moominvalley, though the characters appear to be semi-popular in Nintendo’s homeland. This serendipitous discovery was made as I reviewed the game while traveling Japan.  The story of Melody of Moominvalley beg ..read more

I hate this game. More precisely, I hate games like this one. You see, I play games to relax. I play games to feel smart, to feel a false sense of power, or to have a story told to me that makes me feel I’ve learned something. And mostly I play games to feel that my leisure time has not been wasted. Lunar Lander Beyond is based around the premise that frustration and failure are valid recreational activities. I reject this idea. Utterly. The central notion of the game is that you are in charge of a spaceship that must navigate various 2D space landscapes, collecting power-ups, r ..read more

Make Way is a multiplayer racing game developed by Ice BEAM and published by Secret Mode. The premise of this game is to race against NPCs, local friends, or online opponents based on the tracks you built. Honestly, this title isn’t what I expected it to be, so let’s talk about it. One of the main selling points of Make Way is the multiplayer. It has cross-platform online co-op, which is great. The few times I connected with someone online, it was usually me and one other person. Otherwise, it wasn’t often other people were online. I was able to play a few times with my sister and cousins, an ..read more

As far as game setups go, Passing By – A Tailword Journey may have one of the most unique ones. A young woman, Curly, lives all alone on a floating island. One day, a mailman shows up with his balloon and somehow convinces her to do his job. He gives her the basics of balloon flight mechanics, hands her a letter she has to deliver without telling her who gets it, then…I don’t know. I guess he takes over her island while she does his job? I don’t know why Curly falls for this. Like, imagine if your Door Dash driver showed up with your food, but instead of handing it to you he makes you finish h ..read more