Skautfold: Shrouded In Sanity | PS4

Blended together like a hot take on Lovecraftian horror and the Soulsborne genre, Red Art Game's "Skautfold: Shrouded In Sanity" brings the challenge unapologetically to the player in a masterfully crafted way. As a dug up, and resurrected corpse of no particular name you'll be tasked from the start with killing off certain manor inhabitants via a contract signed with the manor's overseers. Namely the 4 knights that act as the game's bosses. Equipped with a pistol, a katana, and a lantern you must trek through the darkness in the unnerving maze of the Waltham estate as you deal with deadly denizens who are hellbent on ending your quest before it begins. Limited by health, stamina, battery acid for your lantern, and health potions you must brave the odds. In true Soulsborne fashion. Even upon death you will not find reprieve though as the binding contract you signed at the beginning has you eternally bound to the deal you are obligated to fulfill. Death only brings with it psychological affliction which will affect your sanity, and increasingly so. Causing hallucinations, and the appearance of Lovecraftian creatures that will only make your job a hell of a lot harder to complete.

Dialing it Back ... El Gancho

Instead of going back to the original review where this additional information is likely to be missed I will do a follow-up right here. Apparently there's more to El Gancho than I previously thought. I gave up on it early due to control frustration, and didn't give it the proper playthrough it deserved. When it comes to things I left out there's a couple, or more. Initially I claimed that the selectable Coco's were merely cosmetic. This is false. Each costumed Coco has their own ability that changes gameplay. The Astro Coco, for example, defies gravity allowing it to reach greater heights easier ...

El Gancho | PS4 Review

It would seem that EastAsiaSoft's latest indie release, "El Gancho" takes place in the same sci-fi setting as Task Force Kampas. Task Force Kampas being a shoot'em up with a colorful cast of characters who are also out against all odds facing a particular enemy threat. Like that game El Gancho is also a spacey arcade adventure, but one with it's own unique take on gameplay. It's centered around a nameless cheddar cheese colored dino known as a Coco. Coco's, the happy little critters that they are, are the target for a power hungry space conquering empire known as the Pogovon. The Pogovon, being the dastardly villainous scum that they happen to be, see power potential in the Coco's happiness supply. They aim to capture the entire Coco population, harvest their infinite supply of happiness, and put it to use in their latest weapon designs. Standing between them, and that endgame though is a lone Coco with a pistol whip. A literal pistol that fires a laser whip. With this weapon the daring Coco can not only grapple to higher surfaces within a given area, but also fire deadly bullets at enemies. Something that will have to be put to good use if the Coco hopes to rescue it's kidnapped mates.

Millie & Molly | Nintendo Switch

Ported from the Commodore 64 version that came to light back in 2020, "Millie & Molly", a retro inspired game which was created by industry veteran Carleton Handley, makes it's way onto the Nintendo Switch in true to Switch fashion. This 'Thalamus Digital' and 'Below The Tower' published indie is a casual yet challenging interactive handheld experience brought to life with retro inspired pixel graphics. The game follows, without a backstory, two pigtailed protagonists with two different hair colors as they take on, in tandem or alone, puzzles involving monsters. These two devoted sisters, as you'll find out, are separated by 100 stages of monster filled madness, sometimes uniting for the cause ...

This simple yet complicated 2D puzzle platforming game that is divided by chapters, and further by numbered stages has both Millie and Molly fighting off monsters of varying sorts in an attempt to reunite at the end of it all. There's 100 stages in total spanning 5 chapters. Each chapter with 20 stages to unlock before the next chapter is made available. Past the initial tutorials brought to you by pop-up text inclusive panels in the early stages of chapter 1 you'll find that the game kicks into high gear with increasingly challenging puzzles centered around ladder climbing, the movement of objects, and the manhandling of monsters. Despite it's spike in difficulty at chapter 1 stage 20 there is an additional rewind/restart mechanic built in that allows the player to rewind actions taken, and correct any mistakes that were made. As hand holding as this key component might sound you'll find that you still have to figure out how to solve the puzzles, in the end, and that is honestly no walk in the park.