Worms Armageddon Anniversary Edition (PS5) | REVIEW | Artillery Antics Return With An Update!!!

Team17 brings to us a recently updated version of the classic Worms Armageddon for modern consoles. This port of the 1999 artillery experience comes with the original gameplay elements intact alongside newer features that further flesh out the history of the franchise. Along with the single player, local couch co-op, and online multiplayer options Worms Armageddon Anniversary Edition triples if not quadriples down on the content with four bonus games from the retro era, and a War Stories historical documentary featuring videos, interviews, and informational facts about this 90's to 2000's franchise.

Zombies Overloaded (PS5) | REVIEW | A Twin Stick Zombie Shooter Of The Brainless Sort

Brainium Games' Zombies Overloaded takes me back to the early days of "OtakuDante's Gaming Inferno". A time when I spent week's churning out up to 10 indie reviews of the XBLIG kind. These Xbox 360 indies were the start of something special, both for me and the gaming community. It marked the era of indie friendly gaming that wouldn't break the bank. You could get some absolute bangers for a couple of bucks.

One genre that seemed to always pop-up on the XBLIG marketplace was the top-down zombie shooters that were based on scoring and survival gimmicks. These mindless twin stick shooters offered hours of fun, or short bursts depending upon what you were looking for. The ones with leaderboards definitely held players' attention longer. 

Antro (PS5) | REVIEW | A Music Driven Dystopian Precision Platformer

Following a cataclysmic world event known as Salvador Antro the people of Earth were forced underground. Only 1% of the population survived, but they managed to rebuild civilization through the governance of an elite seven and their AI control system known as La Cupula. As with any sci-fi story centered around cataclysm, and the survival of humanity things take a dark dystopian turn with the ruling seven treating the population as servants to their order out of chaos. Laws are introduced that prohibit freedoms including the listening to of music. 

Thus a rebellion rises up among the ranks via a secret group known as the Discordantes. This is where our hero comes in. A delivery boy named Nittch who is guided to deliver a package to the Discordantes, and aide in the taking down of La Cupula. What ensues is a rhythmic precision platforming experience with puzzle elements that are accented by El Salvadorian songs that help you keep the pace as you run, jump, slide, and bash your way through the parkour friendly playground of Antro.

Exo-Calibre (PS5) | REVIEW | Bubbly Buxom Battle Babes!!!

EastAsiaSoft is at it again!!! Publishing, and porting a brand new shmup to their growing PlayStation indie library. This time around it's Vampixel Games' own creation, Exo-Calibre that makes the cut. A sci-fi vertical scrolling shoot 'em up done as a bullet hell experience. An experience featuring three femme fatale sporting the latest mech suits from Exo-Tech, a defense force for planet Earth. It is this tech force led by the feline Nekoknight, and joined by three female Exo-Calibre Knights carrying the names Caliburn, Galatine, and Anrodight that act as protectors of the Earth and it's people. Something that goes awry rather quickly. Having just witnessed their own defense system turn against them through a rogue AI they must travel the globe, and face off against the waiting AI commanders to get to the bottom of the problem.

Vessels of Decay (PS5) | REVIEW | Scandinavian Soulslike About Life & Death

HeadUp's Vessels of Decay is a post-apocalyptic action RPG set in a dying world steeped in Scandinavian folklore. It stars two sisters named Freya and Mud who aim to restore their dead mother to the realm of the living. The only way to do this is through a vessel of decay, a shaman who uses decay to rejuvenate life. Centered wholly around this theme you'll take turns playing as each sister in a joint adventure that has them facing off against supernatural creatures using a sword, and earned powers through said enemy encounters. All of which will alter the way in which you traverse the world, solve the puzzles therein, and eventually meet up with the vessel of decay.

Chronicles of the Wolf (PS5) | REVIEW | The Castlevania Clone That Cried Wolf

Castlevania, and Metroid were the two games, and series that sparked the video game genre known as Metroidvania. Since their inception there have been plenty of games with similar mechanics as those found in said Metroidvanias. All of which include inspired features that have attempted to pay homage and sometimes surpass these trendsetters. Some have managed to improve upon what these flagship games have accomplished and others have fallen short into the realm of mediocrity. 

Dare I say it, but "Chronicles of the Wolf" falls under the latter category. Though developed by obviously passionate creators, and having worthwhile talent onboard alongside an indie collaboration with Bloodstained's developer this Castlevania clone does little to be as inspiring as that which inspired it. It comes off as being a crude nostalgia trip that should have been modernized to make it worth the effort and the money.

Skull Kid (PS5) | REVIEW | Roguelike Arena Brawler With Soul . . .

If life teaches us anything it is that immortality in a world full of the living is overrated. History tends to repeat itself in the worst ways, and being around for each historical cataclysm or reset would be an absolute nightmare. This is something the protagonist of Skull Kid learns firsthand. As a member of a cult that sought to bury the mechanism that dealt in life and death for the gain of immortality he sets forth to restore that very device so that life and death can once again run it's course. This endeavor entails going down deep into eight layers of an ancient well that requires the aid of three souls to access. Each layer being guarded by it's own assortment of creatures. Creatures that must be culled for their soul energy in order to gain access to the next layer down.

Keeper's Toll (PS5) | REVIEW | The Vampire Survivors Killer!?

You've heard of Vampire Survivors, right? The indie invention that spear-headed the survivors-like trend amongst indie devs? Well, I'd like to introduce to you a potential Vampire Survivors killer. That game being Keeper's Toll. With Keeper's Toll nothing is really new with the set-in-stone formula, but it is better in a lot of ways, regardless. 

In Keeper's Toll you have access to six different classes of characters. Each with their own gameplay gimmicks in tow. This and four larger than life maps with unique themes, looting opportunities, and a variety of animated monsters and creatures that really set a new standard for this genre. In fact it's the massive variety of enemies, their quality design, the fun to play characters, and the ability to play longer than you would in other survivors-likes that sets Keeper's Toll apart from the competition.

Eternal Evil (PS5) | REVIEW | Budget Priced Resident Evil

Mimicking the gameplay structure of the Resident Evil series while bringing forth a different kind of supernatural threat we find, in Eternal Evil, a vampiric outbreak that has turned the populous into flesh and blood hungry carnivores. As either Hank or Marcus you will set out on two paths to investigate the origins of the phenomenon. This involves Hank starting at a mansion, and Marcus in a forest. In true inspired fashion. With a gun in hand, a knife, and limited inventory space they must unlock puzzle gated access to the items, weapons, and enemies necessary for progress.

Scar-Lead Salvation (PS5) | REVIEW | A Repetitive Sci-fi Shooter Roguelike Drowned in Awkward Silence

Joining the growing ranks of modern roguelikes is Idea Factory and CompileHeart's latest indie project, Scar-Lead Salvation. This loop driven bullet-hell 3D shooter introduces to us an amnesiac female protagonist who has somehow spawned into an AI controlled military testing facility. It is through the inner dialogue of this protagonist as she navigates the futuristic maze of corridors and rooms guarded by robots along with the joint conversations with the resident AI that we slowly piece together the mystery of what is going on and who the leading lady is in all of this. It seems her Earth, in this instance, was invaded by an alien species known as the "Contractors". This unexpected event being the trigger point that pushed the need for military intervention, and a weapons experiments program. Something our leading lady finds herself a participant in whether she likes it or not.