Ori and the Blind Forest is one of my favourite video games and the sequel was fantastic too. It’s rare for studios – especially indie studios, to completely change the types of games they make. I’ve been trying to think of some and I’m coming up short, although I’m sure there are a few examples. It wasn’t until a fair while after I’d seen the first trailer for No Rest for the Wicked that I realised it was from the same people who made the Ori games. Switching to a top-down action RPG, with a focus on slower more methodical fighting is a real 180 from the fast and fluid side-scrolling action o ..read more

Adventure across dangerous lands and overcome your fears to save your father in the remake of the award-winning Brothers: Tale of Two Sons. Delve deep into the mines, climb to the top of snow-covered mountains, and bask in the sun-kissed forests as you solve puzzles, help others, and try to make your way to a special tree that will hopefully save your father. Experience the moving story of two brothers lovingly remade with stunning visuals. Whether you go it alone or play in the new co-op mode you will have a fantastic time journeying through the game. Platforms:  PC – Steam, PS5, Xb ..read more

After helping a small coastal village with a lizard problem, I was making my way back to the Capital. The sun was starting to set I had no camp kit so we couldn’t rest with my battle-weary party. Then out of the darkness, an Ogre appeared. My pawn – Simon, sprang into action sword and shield in hand. I began weaving spells as my two other companions joined the fight. About halfway through the fight, the Ogre grabbed Simon like a dogs chew toy and smashed him into the ground over and over. He tossed him aside as if he was nothing. The battle was hard fought into the night but eventually, we won ..read more

Have you ever played a game that made you feel a bit dumb? Even after you’ve played through the tutorial, and played some of the main game. You still aren’t totally sure what you’re doing. Well, that’s how Solium Infernum had me feeling after my first game. I bumbled my way to victory against the AI. Along the way, I threw insults to the other Archfiends. I made demands for tribute. I fought in crucibles after not bowing down to others’ demands. Even though I wasn’t totally sure how I managed it I won. And I had fun doing it and reveled in the beautiful design. Platforms:  PC Players ..read more

When I first found Out of Action I thought “There’s no way this won’t be excellent”. The slick and fluid combat coupled with an amazing style made it look fresh and exciting. Then I saw some gameplay after a few content creators were invited to play an early build and those thoughts remained. Yes, this is looking fantastic, and that sentiment was echoed by pretty much everyone else I saw talking about the game. The Kickstarter is now live for the game to help push it over the line as it’s currently being developed by one person. To be honest I’m surprised that it didn’t almost immediately hit ..read more

Back when I was in college me and my friend were convinced we were going to make video games when we were older. Neither of us knew how to make games or was studying anything to do with making video games. However, we decided it was happening and our first game was going to be about street racing. We’d even come up with a trailer in our heads with the song Cochise by Audioslave to accompany it. Then along came games like Tokyo Xtreme Racer and NFS Underground which was pretty much the idea we had. Although I think in our heads it was going to be more gritty or something, I don’t know… Obv ..read more

Ever since I picked up my Steam Deck, I’ve developed a new appreciation for couch co-op and regularly enjoy gaming sessions with my partner where we solve crimes and puzzles of all shapes and sizes. After completing the fantastic Stasis: Bone Totem I was on the lookout for our next adventure and soon found Conway: Disappearance at Dahlia View from White Paper Games. Retired detective, Robert Conway inserts himself into the heart of the disappearance of his neighbour’s daughter, Charlotte May. All his other neighbours are potential suspects, and he’s determined to find out who is responsible. E ..read more

Some of my fondest memories of gaming are from back in my college days trying to complete the Resident Evil games on the Gamecube. However, I’ve never really enjoyed being the one in control when playing survival horror games. Watching them being played is fine. But there is just something different about being the one in control. A group of us would all huddle around the TV helping to solve puzzles or just to get stuck into the story whilst my friend – and former writer here, Murr, would be the one in control. We would stay up late eating snacks with the lights down low getting scared to deat ..read more

The strategy game Synergy is one that’s been on my wishlist for some time. Naturally, it was one of the first games I downloaded this Steam Next Fest. This city-builder is a little different from the ones I’ve previously played and I think it’s got every chance of being a big hit. As is often the case in video games, humanity is on the brink of extinction. Faced with trying to rebuild society in a strange and beautiful landscape. However, in order to stand even a smidge of chance of survival you will need to gain a deep understanding of the environment. As you start to develop your settlement ..read more

Indika – a young nun wrestles with the responsibility of choosing to deliver a letter to a monastery or help an injured man. The narrator encourages her to open the letter. To see if it’s important. After deliberating on it, Indika opens the letter. The room rips in two, janky electronic music blares into life, the narrator cackles wildly. You must pray to bring the world back into a calm perspective. Stopping the music, silencing the narrator, fixing the room. Stop for a moment and everything shatters around you again. This was about 15 minutes into the Next Fest demo of Indika and my confuse ..read more