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If you are looking for an action-adventure game to add to your collection, you might want to look into Monolith: Requiem of the Ancients. I just saw the trailer, and it looks like a fun and whimsical adventure I’d love to go on.
Monolith: Requiem of the Ancients is a third-person action-adventure game coming to PC, Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox in early 2024. The world of Gliese is threatened by an ancient evil, and it is up to Astor to save it. Play as the young warrior as he explores a mystical world, solves puzzles, fights monsters, and uncovers the secrets that will save his planet.
I love the cartoonish and colorful aesthetic of this game. I find the art style cute, and the world looks like something I’d love to explore. Aesthetics aside, the combat is what draws me the most about this game. Monolith promises an engaging combo-based combat system, and based on the trailer, it looks well done. I am very curious to see how magic works in this game because the few moments where Astor uses magic left me hyped for the title. I would need to see more before making an informed decision, but what I’ve seen so far has convinced me enough to add it to my wishlist.
Monolith: Requiem of the Ancients has an interesting vibe that I am very much about. I will be following the game closely, but I recommend you add it to your wishlist to stay up to date.
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If you enjoy the survivor game genre, you might want to look into Solarpunk. Destroying its Kickstarter goals, this beautiful game is looking like the relaxing experience I am always down for. Players can build and design unique bases, gather resources, craft gadgets, and fly airships! The trailer gave me some serious Stardew Valley vibes, and I can play Stardew Valley for hours.
Solarpunk promises a vast open-world sandbox experience that you can share with your friends, or brave on your own. Although the game looks beautiful and relaxing, there are survival elements you should pay close attention to. Players will have to worry about health, hunger, thirst, and dangers that roam the wilderness. Solarpunk is making a lot of promises without having a finished product. I am sharing this preview because the game looks cool, but I am always weary of Kickstarter promises. Don’t get me wrong, I will keep watching this project closely, but I’ll need to see more of the game before I fomo in. Nevertheless, the devs have laid out a realistic roadmap and made impressive partnerships that ease my doubts a bit. We’ll have to wait and see how the devs deliver.
The game is set to launch sometime next year on PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, and PC via Steam. Don’t forget to add it to your Wishlist.
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Harmony: The Fall of Reveriewas sent to me as a review code. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest review.
Harmony: The Fall of Reverie is a visual novel available now for the Switch, Xbox, PS5, and PC via Steam.
Polly discovers that she can travel between her world and a spirit realm ruled by five aspirations: Glory, Bliss, Power, Chaos, Bond, and Truth. The two worlds are on the brink of collapse, and Polly is the only one who can save it. Although Polly can rely on her loved ones and the Asperations for support and guidance, she is the only one with the power to decide. Polly must make the difficult choices that could save the world. What kind of story will your decisions unlock?
The choices players make are what drive the narrative. Players are presented with multiple possibilities, but their path narrows as they make choices. Players will find themselves locked out of certain outcomes because of a previous decision. It is a cool way of making players live with the consequences of their actions, but it also makes the game highly replayable.
The game is beautifully illustrated with terrific voice acting, a fantastic soundtrack, and a compelling narrative. I finished this game in one sitting because of how much I enjoyed the story. I even debated starting a second run to experience a different outcome. I now understand why this game is award-winning. Even though you are essentially just sitting and listening to a story happens, it is a good story to sit through.
My only recommendation is that you go into this game as blind as possible. Your first playthrough should be unaffected by outside influences so that you can get a story of your own choosing. You can look up guides after if you need them, but it’s not difficult to work towards your desired outcome.
I don’t want to say more because I don’t want to spoil the story or influence any decisions. This game is worth your time and money. There are so many choices, paths, and outcomes in this game that it is going to be hard to only beat it once. If you are looking for a new visual novel, or simply trying to get into the genre, Harmony: The Fall of Reverie should be in your collection. It is available now on Switch, Xbox, PS5, and PC via Steam for $24.99.
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I was sent the Battle Shapersdemo to review, but it is unfair to review a game that is still this early in development. While the game looks fine, it isn’t finished. Instead, I will write about my impressions of the demo.
Battle Shapers is a fast-paced arcade shooter for PC where players fight off hordes of robots as they try to take their city back from the evil overlords that now run it.
This demo is not the best start for this game. If the goal was to spark interest for the game, it fails to do so. I wasn’t able to enjoy the demo because it stuttered so badly that it became unplayable. It isn’t a hardware issue because my computer can easily run this game on the highest settings. I tried playing the game on the lowest setting, but encountered the same issues. It might be an issue with Windows 11, but I am unable to test the theory. I forced myself to play this game as long as possible, but the constant stuttering ruined the experience.
If ignore the performance issues, the game play is okay. I enjoy the fast pace, there is an interesting melee mechanics, but I can see it become a bit repetitive. You make your way through areas, clearing room of mobs, and gathering loot. Unless the full release comes with different areas, mobs, and bosses that introduce different mechanics and require different strategies, this game is doomed to grow stale. It’s a game that sort of reminds me of Borderlands, but I would rather be playing Borderlands. At least based on my experience with the demo, this opinion could change at release.
It is a shame because the game looks cool. I love the art style, I enjoy fast pacing, and it has a fantastic sound track. Unfortunately, I can’t recommend it because it isn’t a good demo. I can only hope that they patch the demo and start working closely with the community to make the game better, or at the very least playable. I’ll keep an eye out for future updates and try to get my hands on the full game, but as it stands, I am not impressed.
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I was sent Nocturnal as a review code. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I will keep my review honest.
Nocturnal is a unique Metroidvania game with an interesting mechanic and a beautiful art style. You play as a soldier who returns after years at war to find his home afflicted by an evil darkness. As you investigate the cause, you will face off against the monsters that now inhabit the island, dodge deadly traps, and fight citizens afflicted by the darkness. Will your flame be strong enough to rid the land of this darkness, or will you fall victim to its inescapable allure?
What makes this game unique is its light and dark mechanic. You have learned to wield the flame as your own. Use it to light your way through the shadow, fight shadow monsters, solve puzzles, and even heal yourself. But beware, your flame isn’t permanent. If you don’t tend to your flame, it will go out. Stay in the dark too long, and the shadows will consume you.
Like any other Metroidvania game, you have to memorize enemy locations, attack patterns, and trap locations. What makes Nocturnal unique is that you also have to memorize fire sources. Your flame is on a timer. The only way to recharge it is by hitting lit torches. Torches are scattered throughout the levels, but not all of them are permanent. Some traps and monsters will snuff out your flame, leaving you helpless. I loved this mechanic because of how creative it is implemented, and how intense it makes certain moments of the game.
There is a story to this game, but you won’t need charts to keep it straight. I enjoyed the flavor it adds to the world, but I enjoyed the gameplay more. Even though I am bad at this game, I had a lot of fun with this game. The art is beautiful, the music is fantastic, and the puzzles were creative. The combat can feel a little repetitive at times, but I didn’t find it to be an issue. If you are a fan of the genre, Nocturnal needs to be in your library. If you have never played a game in this genre, this is a great place to start. If you are a veteran of the genre, there is a harder difficulty, permadeath, and some nifty speed run features you might want to check out.
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Nocturnal is a beautiful-looking metroidvania-type game that definitely has gotten my attention. I don’t normally play games in this genre, but when I saw the gameplay, I had to reach out and get myself a copy to review. It has a simple yet beautiful art style that I enjoy and an interesting fire and shadow mechanic that promises to make this a unique experience.
Ardeshir has returned to his home Island Nahran, only to find it afflicted by a mysterious shadowy mist. Use fire he can wield to solve puzzles, fight enemies, and light your way through the darkness. Can you find the cause and heal your home of this strange affliction?
This game seems perfect for those who enjoy the genre. It has a permadeath mode for those who need the extra challenge, and some nifty speed run features like faster transitions, skippable cutscenes, and a pausable timer if that’s more your speed. For everyone else, the gameplay just looks fun.
You can get Nocturnal on PlayStation, Switch, Xbox, and Steam. The game is $19.99 for consoles, and $16.99 for PC. The game doesn’t seem to have been launched on PS5 in NA yet, but I’ve added the European link just in case. There is a 10% discount for the Switch and Steam version if you buy them before June 14th. I’ve already gotten my review copy and will be posting my review sometime next week. Until then, thank you for reading!
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I covered Dr. Fetus’ Mean Meat Machine in a previous post when I got to try the game early at GDC. I loved the little I got to play and have been eager for its release since. This game will be one of the most stressful yet addicting match-four games you’ve never played. It is a neat concept set in a familiar world with a cute yet gruesome aesthetic. What more can you want?
Dr. Fetus has built a machine to clone his own Meat Boy. The machine weeds through DNA samples to collect the perfect specimen. Players will match DNA while avoiding terrifying traps. There are over 100 puzzles to solve and a few difficult bosses along the way. Can you make it through this game without breaking your controller?
I’ve only played a couple of the Meat Boy games, but I am impressed with how creative they get with the IP. It’s hilariously frustrating to sit there and try to match colors while avoiding saws or missiles. The challenge this game will have to overcome is finding the perfect balance where the game carries the difficulty now synonymous with the IP while still being fun. I am curious to see how well they find this balance.
1 / 9
Dr. Fetus’ Mean Meat Machine comes out on Switch, Xbox, PlayStation, and PC via Steam, Epic Games, and GOG on June 22nd. No price has been announced yet, but you can add it to your wishlist. I’ll be publishing my review as soon as the embargo gets lifted. Make sure you check out the demo available for Switch and PC via Steam and Epic Games.
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I was sent Super Meat Boy Forever as a review code. I am very grateful for the opportunity, but this will be my honest review.
Super Meatboy Forever brings the infamously difficult platformer to Android and IOS. DR. Fetus has stolen the meat baby Nugget, and it is up to Meat Boy and Bandage Girl to get him back. But can they survive the deadly traps that wait for them?
I’ve only ever played the unreleased Dr. Fetus’ Mean Machine, so I can’t speak on how it compares with the original platformer. I have never been a fan of platformers, so I’ll admit that I was hesitant to start this title. I quickly learned that as frustrated as this game made me, I couldn’t put it down.
In classic Meat Boy fashion, this game is hard. You will die a lot, but the sense of accomplishment when you finally complete a level remains unrivaled. There were moments when I couldn’t put it down because I just needed to beat the level.
Super Meatboy Forever plays like the Super Mario Run mobile game, but I would argue it is more fun. The characters run automatically, and you tap either side to jump or complete other actions. When you die, you restart at a checkpoint. This game is generous with checkpoints, so you won’t need to replay too much of a level when you die. To clear a world, you must complete a set number of stages before facing off against the world’s boss. Boss fights are creative, but you might break a few phones trying to clear them. This game also has challenges, a leaderboard, and collectibles to help motivate players further.
Super Meat Boy Forever is the cutest platformer to make you angry. I loved this game despite my aversion to platformers. The gameplay loop is addicting, the art is great, the music is fantastic, and the story is adorably dark. If you are looking for a fun phone game and don’t mind the challenge, you need to buy this game. You can pick up Super Meat Boy Forever for $0.99 on Android or IOS, and for that price, it’s worth it.
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Suffer the Night just came out on PC, and it might be worth looking into if you are a fan of retro horror. Stacey plans on a quiet night of gaming, alone in her secluded cabin one dark and stormy night. But her quiet night turns into a night of nightmares and survival. Stacey must now beat her game and survive the horrors that manifest from it. Will Stacey survive the night, or is this Game Over?
Suffer the Night combines a text-based dungeon crawler with first-person survival horror. As Stacey, you must play through the retro dungeon crawler to progress through the story and survive rounds of traps and monsters in between. The text-based game will help players relieve a different era of gaming, while the first-person gameplay will give them anxiety. The trailer shows terrifying mayhem with fast-paced gameplay.
I like the game within a game motif for Suffer the Night. The meta-narrative, when done correctly, creates a dynamic where the game is given its depth by how well the two genres mesh. It isn’t a new concept, but it is one that I’d love to explore. I enjoy text-based games, and if done correctly, might prove harder than the fps that will exist outside it. I don’t do well in horror games, but I will try to get a review copy.
You can pick up your copy of Suffer the Night for PC through Steam, GOG, and itch.io. You can buy the game for $12.49, but it is currently on sale for $9.99 till April 24. There is also a demo available if you aren’t ready to commit.
To stay up to date on the news for this game, make sure you join the official Discord or follow the socials: Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
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I got to play Liberte at GDC this year and liked it enough to try to review it for my site. I was lucky enough to have been given a review code for this game, but this will be my honest review.
Liberteis an ARPG with a unique deck-building mechanic. Instead of finding gear and customizing a skill tree, you play with a deck of cards that give your character weapons, items, and talents.
A revolution has broken out in France, and Rene finds himself in the middle. You must navigate between the four factions, choosing sides and fighting the good fight. But there is something strange behind the revolution. A mysterious plant has sprung up, turning people into monsters. Will you be able to solve the mystery, or will this be the fall of humanity?
I liked the story, but I will keep it vague to not ruin the surprise. You can figure everything out early, but I want to avoid spoilers. I love the flavor of the lore and how the game gives you choices. You choose the factions you help out during your missions, but this only affects the flavor of enemies you fight against and the rewards you unlock. I suggest you pick whatever you think is coolest since it doesn’t affect the story.
There are four factions in Liberte: the rebels, the crown, the church, and the Tribe. Each faction has a hero you can play with and unique cards you can unlock. My issue with this mechanic is that it takes a long time to unlock all the heroes. While it may be good to allow players to live with characters for a bit, I would prefer that I could choose the class from the start. There are a total of 5 classes to choose from, but I imagined Anna because she fits my playstyle the best. The character you choose only affects gameplay. You will always be Rene for the cutscenes.
Combat is what I liked most about this game. The RNG made it so I was constantly having to change my playstyle to adapt to whatever cards I pulled. This gave the game its wavering difficulty. I had the most fun on the harder playthroughs where I wasn’t pulling the cards I needed because of how safe I had to play it. The dodge and parry mechanic felt fantastic, and the kiting was very satisfying. Liberte controller support, but I preferred the accuracy I got with the keyboard and mouse.
There is an undeniable clunkiness to this game. Some hitboxes are too small, and my abilities wouldn’t go off. It isn’t so bad that the game is unplayable, but it is hard to ignore. If you run multiple monitors, you can click out of the game. This will minimize the screen without pausing it. Most of the time I was able to get back in time without dying, but not always. Dying means you have to start leveling your character all over, but you don’t lose your progress in the story. Make sure you make an offering at the altar before starting a new run for a nice little boost.
The grind for this game is the barrier to entry. To unlock new cards, you need to find blueprints, complete faction reward tracks, and farm for materials. When you get blueprints for the cards you need, you will find that you don’t have enough materials. You can increase the difficulty of each run to have better drop rates, but it will take you longer to get through the story. This wouldn’t be a problem if you weren’t constantly running through the same missions on the same maps. I found comfort in the reputation and felt the RNG did enough to keep the playthroughs fresh, but different maps and quests would have been better. The game does have a story difficulty that makes things a lot quicker. You get access to a full deck, and it is harder to die. I still found I needed to try during combat, but there isn’t as much risk involved. I suggest you try this mode if you don’t have enough time for the grind, but still want to enjoy the story.
The game is still in early access, and I find it unfair to complain about the bugs and performance. There are bugs, but the game is playable. The devs are working hard to make the game better. The launch date has been moved to May, but no specific date has been announced. It does need some polish, but the story and experience are solid. If you don’t mind the early access nature and the grind, I recommend you go pick up your copy. The aesthetic is fantastic, the flavor for the story and lore is nice and dark, and the gameplay is a lot of fun. You can grab your copy on Steam, or Wishlist it so you are ready for the full release. The game is $19.99, but on sale for $14.99 at the time of writing this.
