SONOKUNI (Switch) | REVIEW | Slashing Through A Neon Nightmare

SONOKUNI crash-landed on the Nintendo Switch on March 31, 2025, bringing with it a whirlwind of biopunk chaos, Japanese mythology, and a hip-hop beat that hits harder than a katana to the gut. Developed by the audacious DON YASA CREW, a collective of seven Japanese rappers turned game creators, and published by Kakehashi Games, this indie gem is a sensory assault that dares you to keep up. Having spent several hours slicing through it's vivid world, I'm here to breakdown why this game is both a thrilling triumph and a frustrating fever dream.

Rendering Ranger: R² [REWIND] (PS5) | REVIEW | Run 'n Gun Meets Shmup In this Hybrid Retro Release

Retro Ranger: R² [REWIND], a Limited Run release published by Ziggurat Interactive, tries to emulate the nostalgia factor by reviving an old arcade style run 'n gunner and shoot 'em up hybrid. Delivering, in full for the first time within the US,  RRR² (The Super Famicom Release) and TARGA (The Original Japanese Version), alongside modernized gameplay customization options, screen filters, and a rewind function. Through the rewind feature alone the rerelease aims to correct the near impossible difficulty of the original experience. Where it shines in attempting to achieve this it also falters with some bugs, and gameplay issues tied to threat visibility and poor level design from that era of gaming. 

Dagger Froggy (PS5) | REVIEW | An Amphibian Led Assault On The Auto-Battler

Dagger Froggy, EastAsiaSoft's latest survivors-like indie, comes to us as an amphibian led assault on what it is to be an auto-battler. Taking away the automated attacks, and replacing them with manually operated twin stick controls that revolve around throwing and picking up daggers it has the main character, a cute little frog dealing damage to waves of enemies in a timed fashion with no bosses to account for, putting forth all the effort in survival. The challenge comes from the forced dodging, and dagger retrieving leaving the RNG of ability drops to pick up the slack in both offense and defense.

GladMort (PS5) | Review | A Brutal Blast from the Past

GladMort is a game that wears it's retro inspirations on it's sleeve, delivering a fantasy medieval action-platformer that feels like it's been ripped straight out of the Neo Geo era, and given modern polish for the PS5. Developed by PixelHeart and Chipsonsteroids, this title, fully funded in a mere 24 hours via crowdfunding, promises a merciless challenge wrapped in pixel-perfect aesthetics. After spending some time with it, I can say it's a punishing yet rewarding experience that's equal parts nostalgic and frustrating, though it's not without it's quirks.