Grimvalor (Nintendo Switch)

Originally an iOS touch pad focused game, "Grimvalor" finds it's way to the Nintendo Switch in a competently readjusted port that makes the Metroidvania Soulsborne experience that it is all the more engaging and atmospheric in the console sense. Taking place in a cursed kingdom known as Vallaris the game puts you in the role of a nameless female or male scout who is assigned to search for the missing King Valor as encroaching monstrosities make their way in. Armed with dual weapons, Metroidvania mechanics, and equipment fitting for the task you will fight your way through multiple paths crossing both the land of Vallaris and the Nexus hub.

HyperParasite (PS4)

Oozing with 80's pop culture references, presidential pokes, and a dash of identity politics "HyperParasite" aims to entertain the gamer with an infinite rogue-like replay rich gameplay loop done up in a slight twin-stick shooter fashion. This semi-top down action packed alien adventure puts the player in control of a parasitic mass that is intent on reaching it's presidential target. All in hopes of conquering humanity via nuclear warfare through body snatching. Kind of like the current COVID-19 versus POTUS situation. Something that is oddly referenced in the game's opening cinematic where a Nick Fury looking Commander in Chief puts a bounty on the parasite's head giving the public a shoot on sight order in hopes of thwarting the end times ploy. With the parasite's ability to take control of a host's body though this means that those looking to capitalize will be killing their own kind if they miss the mark. In a villain versus hero situation how you fare as the alien invader will depend fully on how well you can utilize the game's unique mechanics. That, and how well you can make use of Wito's shop upgrades.

Snakeybus (PS4)

Do you remember classic 'Snake" from the old Nokia cellphones? Do you remember Katamari Damacy from the the OG PlayStation? If you do you'll find that this particular game, "Snakeybus" is a familiar mixture of the two. As the title of the game suggests the gameplay contained within is all about a snake-like bus. A snake-like bus that picks up passengers, and grows in length as it does so. Ultimately dropping off said passengers for points. All while trying to dodge it's own trailing tail as well as collision with the vertically stacked, and boxed in environmental obstacles.

Beyond that basic premise of familiar origins lies a simple start menu where the action kicks off. A start menu with a simple setup consisting of bus types, map locations, modes of play, and a leaderboard listing for all those high scores you earn along the way. As previously mentioned Snakeybus is a score based game. In each of the given modes you will be earning points by picking up passengers, and dropping them off at highlighted locations, or by jumping through rings via boost in the Aerial mode. As you go about doing so your bus will lengthen very much like it does in "Snake", and will make traversing the 3D maps more challenging as they are tightly cramped and cluttered with limited space for movement. To counter the quick end by default flat level driving, and automated acceleration you are given a jump with a limited jump gauge that can get you out of stalled situations. Once you get stuck though or go out of bounds it is GAME OVER.

Oniken: Unstoppable Edition (PS4)

What can a ten dollar bill buy you in the world of PS4 gaming during the COVID-19 pandemic? Well, if you fancy a retro inspired action platformer of the 8-bit kind then developer Joymashers and publisher DigeratiDM might just have the game for you. That game being "Oniken: Unstoppable Edition". Oniken isn't anything new outside of it's own lore and design, mind you, but it holds it's own as a unique experience regardless. It personally reminds me a lot of games like the OG Ninja Gaiden back from the NES era without being a mirror image of said games. The plot, as it were, is your run of the mill sci-fi warfare setup with humanity ravaged by an invading cybernetic alien species known as Oniken, and the world falling apart due to the invasion. All taking place at a generic 20XX date with a heroic protagonist named Zaku who is working with a resistance leader and two tag along partners to thwart the extenction agenda at hand.

You basically play as Zaku, a sword wielding and grenade chucking warrior of legend, who looks like a mix of that dude from Berserk or a lost concept version of Mad Max. As Zaku you'll clear armies of lesser enemies of varying types along with bosses with multiple attacks using your sword, grenades, and a berserk power that is activated by collecting a sword power-up. It is with this trio of weapon options that you will have to figure out strategies, and an approach to each of the given six stages plus additional bonus missions or succumb to the "Surprise MF'er!!!" moments which happen so often they will no doubt catch you offguard time and time again in your initial playthroughs. It is ultimately learning the layout of each stage, and where enemies lie in waiting that will either help you accrue a leaderboard score worth noting, or keep you repeating the whole entire thing as you continue via GAME OVER prompt after exhausting each of your allotted lives.

Grizzland (PS4)

Sometimes simplicity can make for a beautiful spectacle in the world of pixels, and video games. I think the layered 1-bit nature, and scale of black to white within Grizzland achieves something both impressive to look at, and fun to play. It is a well thought out, and well constructed Metroidvania that doesn't hand hold, but gives the gamer just enough comprehension to move forward, explore, and uncover the many secrets hidden within. With basic combat and platforming tools at your disposal you, as the main character, must try to bring back to life the thirsty plant life while finding out exactly why it is you are on this adventure. You'll face alien threats along the way as well as some puzzle solving situations. There's plenty of backtracking to be done, and hidden areas to find. You'll even find scattered notes that get tucked away in your journal disclosing the details of the world around you, and your role therein.

Code Shifter (PS4)

Shifting from fighting games to fan service Arc System Works brings to us a gaming experience unlike any seen before in their gaming library. One that shows us a hands on side of game development while allowing us to tackle one of the biggest issues therein via platforming means. This game that is centered around action platforming is tied to the outside work of a fictional development crew run by a handful of studio staff members that are each experiencing bugs in their latest project. It seems a hacker or someone on the inside has infected their software with a transformative virus. In order to combat the virus, and get to the bottom of the problem a programmer by the name of Stella creates a code shifter program with an avatar named Sera that can enter the code, and correct any problems that are occurring. This is where, you the gamer, step in. You get to control Sera in avatar form as she gains help from other Arc System Works characters which she can transform into, and use as assists as she collects data crystals, breaks bug boxes, and destroys attacking viruses. This is a folder by folder or stage by stage ordeal with each of the staff's folders containing inner stages of varying difficulties that must be completed in order to unlock, and fully correct said folder's programmed content.

Willy Jetman: Astromonkey's Revenge (PS4)

Have you ever heard of or played Solar Jetman on the NES? If you haven't it is a metroidvania space salvage game where you guide a ship pod, and an astronaut with a jet pack in zero gravity as you collect parts for your mothership. Your goal in that game was to find all the ship parts, and tow them back to the mothership piece by piece. Along the way you'd get ship upgrades, and find hidden treasures that would add to your overall score. All done in zero gravity inclusive planet environments with a maze-like design that harbored enemies, and hazards that must be avoided to succeed in your mission. Well, Willy Jetman takes that core premise, changes it enough to be different, and makes it more about metroidvania platforming and recycling instead of salvaging parts via a spaceship ...

At the beginning of the playthrough of "Willy Jetman: Astromonkey's Revenge" the story elements are laid out in two parts. In one part Astromonkey is caught with his pants down taking a poo in his own ship's bathroom as an asteroid heads in his direction. This results in his ships cargo falling down onto planet Gravos along with parts of the very same ship. Shortly after that intro we get Willy's entrance into the world of Gravos. There we guide him to save the alien residents from a dragon before stopping by a campfire to tell the tale of how Willy became the hero he is. This tale from Willy takes us back a few days earlier where he, and his "garbage" ship Gladys set out to clean-up the fallen ship debris. What ensues is a comical relationship between the AI ship Gladys, and Willy the Jetman. A relationship that unfolds as Willy goes about recycling the debris, and scavenging the planet for resources as well as gear to help him move forward.

Straimium Immortaly | Space Ninjas Fighting Tha Queeni & Her Nasties

If "The Binding of Isaac" were warped six ways from Sunday, and thrown into the void of space in the presence of a crude alien narrator with worms gouging out it's eye sockets then "Stramium Immortaly" would be that experience. It's oddities, and innuendos know no Earthly bounds, and the stuff you'll encounter as a Straima Ninja is not something easily rationalized. Amid the grotesque alien world, and it's biologically diverse ecosystem you'll be tasked with engaging a randomized room to room hunt for loot, keys, and the final boss. It is a trek with numerous secrets to uncover, and mysteries to reveal. Much like Isaac's battle through his Mother's dungeon basement you will travel room by room dealing with deadly enemies of varying types as you find weapon upgrades, and abilities to see you through to the end. It is by no means an easy undertaking even with the modifiers you can unlock to cheat the system. Nor is it made any easier with the seed keys that can be generated for map replay.

Demon Pit | Arcade Arena Shooting In Hell

Demon pit, a pit of demons. That pretty much sums up this oldschool 3D arena shooter. You are basically a no named demon hunter who finally succumbs to death, and is thrown into the fiery pits of hell with the very demons you killed in life. While that would be torment in, and of itself, this unnamed and marked protagonist that you are is not unarmed. He comes packing a pistol with infinite ammo, and can collect new weapons as he faces endless waves of demonic denizens. The end goal, being to survive as long as humanly possible before being put back into the fray again with weapons collected remaining available. Outside of the simple plot it is a score based affair with a global leaderboard. A leaderboard with waves completed, and score accounted for.High scores being the endgame.

Tamashii | Puzzling Occult Horror

Normally one wouldn't think of occult horror when they think of December or the Christmas holiday season. That sort of entertainment is usually reserved for Spring time or October for Halloween's sake. Oddly enough Digerati Distribution decided to publish, and release such a game though. That game being "Tamashii". Tamashii which could best be described as Luciferian, or Pagan in nature features a light illuminated, and pyramid headed female-like God whose temple has been corrupted by minions of darkness. To combat the problem he/she send his/her loyal subject, which happens to be the character you play as, to deal with the corruption culprits. To do this you will be entering portal chambers in puzzle platforming areas that require your timer inclusive effigies (a limited set of 3) that can be sped up to deactivate or waited on in order to activate switches, avoid hazards, and do what needs to be done to open up sealed gates to the next area. Along with an additional double jump or delayed jump you will need to figure out each room's puzzle, solve it, and move on until you reach the boss. Between start, and finish you will find challenge portals that are either difficult and highly rewarding, or easier and less rewarding. A play on the left hand and right hand of God premise with the left handed choice bringing the biggest reward.

SuperEpic: The Entertainment War | A Poignant Parody Of The Pig-Like State of Gaming (PS4)

SuperEpic is a poignant parody of the pig-like state of the pay to play, and pay to win parasite that is a good portion of today's games industry. In it's humor, and quite fun metroidvania platforming experience the game not only opens the gamers' eyes to what is going on in real life, but offers gameplay not ruined by the monetization efforts it pokes fun at. The story that you'll start off playing features a raccoon protagonist named TanTan, and his Llama sidekick. An unlikely duo that dishes out corporate punishment via a trio of weapons that allow for direct, upwards, and downwards strikes that can be delivered from the back of your trusty Llama pal. With this accompanied by RPG gear, upgrades, and abilities tied to meters TanTan is set to join the revolution against Regnant Corp, and it's staff.

Pig Eat Ball | Grotesque Game Of Gluttonous Gobbling

Mommy's Best Games once again delivers an indie of insane proportions. A grotesque game of gluttonous gobbling. This time it is centered around a junction of connected space stations, the Cake King who is the ruler of them all, and his daughter to be wed, Princess Bow. For whatever reason the king decides it's high time his daughter, who happens to be a pig, gets married. To find a suitable suitor he plans on hosting a series of challenges. Learning of his plans Princess Bow decides to enter the contest herself in disguise to keep from having her dreams of getting out, and exploring the universe to be dashed to bits. And thus it is through these disguises that she gains abilities that will help her better suction tennis balls like a Hoover vacuum cleaner as she attempts to collect them all in order to win the pearls that it takes to advance to the next part of the competition. As you will find out this is done by taking on clam challenges, winning medals for timed completion, and objective based goals bested. The competition along the way is varied, and the challenges challenging. You'll find Princess Bow facing simple ball collecting challenges, racing against the clock to collect balls, and even fighting for survival in challenges filled with bacon letting hazards that will keep Princess Bow from collecting what needs to be collected. Supposing you are able to help her through though she will come out on top as the victor, and not be made to marry her life away.

Verlet Swing (PS4)

Verlet Swing. What exactly is a Verlet Swing? To understand this you need to know what Verlet Integration is, and in laymen's terms that is Newton's equations for motion. It is used for calculating trajectory in regards to particles in various types of simulations including that of the molecular, and computer graphics kind. I think it's safe to assume that this is the foundation on which Flamebait Games based their own trajectory focused swinging simulator. It's like they took Spider-man's web slinging antics, threw in a timer, and end objective to reach amid many obstacles and paths as well as an added a sort of 80's art flair. Something like you'd see on the old Trapper Keeper notebooks, and portfolio folders from back in the day. Keeping the mechanics simple, and the challenge progressively challenging the developer does good to create something unique among the speed run gaming greats.

Octogeddon (NS)

I do so like games with odd blends of retro experiences. They are rare occurrences in the industry, but when done well they can bring together genres in such a way as to revitalize them. Octogeddon just so happens to be one such experience. To me Octogeddon is a game that takes the rolly polly action of Katamari Damacy (Calamari Damacy ... sorry, couldn't help it) at it's base level, and blends it quite nicely with the city destroying antics of Rampage. The gameplay revolves around a disgruntled social media consuming cephalopod with interchangeable arms, and pits him against a world of cruel humans who engage in regular mockery of his species on a Youtube-like streaming platform known as "Stoopstoob". From the display of sea creature butchery to comedy at the expense of octopus kind this tentacled terror finds himself enraged enough to enact Armageddon. Octogeddon, if you will. Using advance DNA splicing he replaces his tentacles with various creature DNA, and even welcomes support of aquatic mates to aid in his wanton destruction of cities, and famous landmarks. Starting with New York City, and the Statue of Liberty he sets out on a mission spanning across oceans and land to put a stop to the stoopidity of Stoopstoob, and the human consumption thereof.

Lovecraft's Untold Stories (PS4)

Like one of my other all-time favorite Lovecraft inspired indies called "The Darkest Dungeon", "Lovecraft's Untold Stories" really captures the essence of Lovecraft's lore. The very effects of insanity, and fear in a world haunted by the Old Ones. This time around the developer in question allows the gamer to experience the disorienting fright in the roles of a handful of unique individuals. Each with their own backstory, locations to explore, and mechanics based on a sort of twin stick shooter build. Initially you'll get to reprise the role of a named detective who finds himself, as most unfortunate Lovecraft characters do, searching for clues pertaining to a missing individual in a mansion. Through the shotgun armed detective you'll search for clues in the form of items with textual descriptions, and face off against cultist, and other Lovecraftian horrors as you try to solve the mystery at hand without completely losing your mind. Choosing the wrong actions in multiple choice situations can make things hairy scary though by inflicting an abnormal sanity status. Ultimately warping your perception of the world around you, and bringing you closer to facing the sum of all humankind's fears. Those fears being the Old Ones themselves. Fear inducing Old Gods such as Azataroth, Shubb-Niggurath, Cthulhu, Nyarlathotep, and Dagon. You will traverse various locales inspired by Lovecraftian lore including mansions, port city, hospitals, the jungle. and even the world beyond. Making rounds from area to area unlocking the mysteries through the roles of a detective, a professor, a witch, a thief, and even a ghoul. Each with their own unique play style.

RYM 9000 (PS4)

If you are a fan of things like Projekt MKUltra, and Polybius you might find yourself right at home playing this latest shmup by Sonoshee. Full of deliberate visual, and audio mind f**kery this one-of-a-kind shmup aims to take you on a hardcore flight to the moon. A sensory overload in the form of a shoot 'em up. As the story goes there is a prophecy detailing a certain eclipse foreseen by the green dweller which has come to be. According to said prophecy there is a treasure to be found upon the eclipsed moon called the RYM 9000 which will gift ownership of the world, and beyond to the one who finds it. You happen to be one of those pilots, a revolutionary. With your ship you will be tasked with piloting through several stages of alien infested defenses in an attempt to claim the RYM 9000 as your own. The task might seem simple at first, but through limited ship capabilities attributed to damage taken you will need to pilot carefully lest you find yourself among the many failed attempts.

Horizon Shift '81 (Nintendo Switch)

I had a double dose of nostalgia today going into the playthrough for this review. On one hand I was once again able to play, and review a game from an old XBLIG developer favorite. That developer being Flump Studios. On the other hand I got to experience an oldschool style shmup which encompassed all the classics of old. From Space Invaders to Centipede, and even Asteroids the game at hand had it all going on. Not in a way as to be a copycat shooter, but one that actually had it's own core gimmick with the classic mechanics included on the side, and collectively so. When it comes to the experience that is, "Horizon Shift '81", it is a retro themed shmup that gets it's name from it's horizon baseline. A line centered in the middle of the screen in which the controlled ship can face or rather flip north or south while dodging, shooting, and jumping among a wide assortment of approaching and stationary lesser or greater enemy threats. It is with this grounded line that you must deal with each enemy type differently on their respective sides, and collect what can be collected according to the sides the collectibles are on. The asteroids, for example, are an enemy threat that will knock holes into the horizon creating a pitfall for your ship. A gap that can be jumped, or avoided altogether. Other enemy types like the space invaders style enemies will land on either side of the horizon line, and can only be defeated by a side dash to the left or right using the Switch's shoulder buttons once they land. Ultimately leading to score combo opportunities. Needless to say with each enemy type comes it's own set of rules. In turn making the challenge at hand all the more challenging.

Battle Princess Madelyn (PS4)

From Kickstarter to Kickstarted "Battle Princess Madelyn" by CBit Games was promptly delivered as promised, and on multiple gaming platforms. The story driven, and oldschool gameplay inspired platformer which took ideas of Chris Obritsch's daughter's vision for a Ghouls 'N Ghosts themed adventure was given life in such a beautifully rendered, and audibly enjoyable way with a handful of options made readily available to tweak the experience to your liking. Along with a couple visual/audio style options it offers two different ways to play the game including a traditional story free Arcade Mode with 10 stages, and several branching paths within each along with epic boss fights as well as a protagonist modeled after Madelyn, the daughter of Chris. In addition to the arcade mode comes a Story Mode with comic panel style animations telling a tale of a sickly Madelyn being read a fairy tale story by her grandfather. A story about a princess knight who takes up arms to save her kingdom, and avenge the death of her loyal canine companion, Fritzy. A dog who comes back to life in ghost form to assist her on her journey to topple the ultimate evil. It is a story that is mirrored, if every so slightly, in both modes of platforming play.

Scintillatron 4096 (PS4)

Scintillate. To throw off sparks or flash. That is the dictionary meaning of the aforementioned word. Looking back at my playthrough of kFunction Limited's debut shoot'em up it's quite the fitting title piece if I do say so myself. When I first began playing "Scintillatron 4096" I could see with little effort what the title and game were inspired by. The neon particle effects, and neon colored details of the tunnel-like environment in which the waves you shoot through are displayed really pushed that point home. It was something akin to the futuristic neon lit Noir setting of Bladerunner, While I understood the theme, and liked the visual presentation along with the pulse pounding electronic soundtrack I was admittedly a little confused at first with the gameplay before me though, but that confusion came from me being a dufus, and not paying full attention to the clear directions I was given from the initial onscreen tutorial. It turns out this retro-future inspired take on the shmup genre has it's own unique combo and power-up mechanics. Nothing revolutionary, mind you, but definitely something different.

Unlike most combo based twin stick shooters "Scintillatron 4096" has you achieving combos by shooting a sequence of two different colored particles in the most efficient way possible. I did say "particles", btw. The underlying theme is that of an atomic or sub-atomic one, and has you banking the big point values by shooting, in order, all the yellow or pink glowing atomic particles. All while dodging various spark sapping sub-atomic hazards, and the constantly pursuing particles themselves. Wave after wave you will basically move your tiny aiming target in front of, beside or behind the main particles, and enemy targets for targeting advantage while they follow your lead as you shoot them into pixel dust with various power-up oriented shot types. As you do so additional power-ups will appear randomly on the given board that will either complicate or aid in your high scoring goal to some degree.

The VideoKid (PS4)

If 80's were a video game I think "The VideoKid" would be that game. Not only does it take the Paperboy formula and pepper it with iconic 80's characters, and film moments, but it also captures the everything that the 8o's was about.

Imagine taking on the role of a skateboarding teenage movie bootlegger with a route of customers whom you deliver VHS copies to for pay. Then imagine that route having every character from animated 80's cartoons to 80's movies, and even TV series making their way through your route as both targets for mischief, and obstacles to avoid. This is "The VideoKid' in a nutshell. Different from the escapades of the Paperboy though you'll have various scoring opportunities in form of different kinds of themed targets to hit, and skateboard grinding to take advantage of. You'll start off as Marty McFly, or the likeness thereof taking part in his signature shenanigans as you deliver unto your customers their bootleg VHS tapes en route to your date, Jessica. A girl who waits anxiously at the end of your route for your arrival.