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!
Dr. Fetus’ Mean Meat Machine Coming June 22nd
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.
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.
Bus Simulator 21 Next Stop – Gold Edition Review
I was sent Bus Simulator 21 Next Stop to review. I am very grateful for the opportunity, but I will keep my review honest.
Bus Simulator is getting a huge update with performance improvements, new features, more cosmetics, a new area to explore, and a very cool career mode. If you are in the market for a relaxing simulator, Bus Simulator should be in your library. It looks good, runs great, and has an amazing soundtrack.
If you are coming into this game as a new player, I recommend starting with the career mode. Do not skip the tutorial because some of the mechanics aren’t intuitive. Career mode gives players a great starting foundation as well as some goals to work towards. You are responsible for the city’s public transportation, and it is your job to make it the best possible. The recommended difficulty is also perfect for beginners, but players can adjust the settings to make the experience more immersive if needed. I recommend you mess with these settings and sandbox mode once you have a solid understanding of how the bus system works.
I had a lot of fun with this game, but it is a niche experience. If you are looking for a different and relaxing experience, this is a great title to sink some time into. The problem I see this game having is that the amount of time players will sink into this game depends on how much they enjoy the simulation. Players have to obey traffic laws, deal with customers, and drive in real-time. I enjoyed the elusiveness of the game, but I didn’t have the attention span to play for too long. My attention span has nothing to do with the game, it’s great, but it is something to think about before you make the purchase.
Bus Simulator 21 Next Stop Gold Edition is $45.99 for PC via Epic Games and Steam. The console version is $49.99 for Xbox and PlayStation. The gold edition upgrade is only $14.99 on Steam, Epic Games, PlayStation, and Xbox. The Gold Edition is a great place because it comes with the base game and all the previous DLCs. If you already have the base game, all you need is the upgrade. There are also free console upgrades if you’ve bought the game for your last gen console.
Tamarak Trail: The Roguelike Deck-builder You Didn’t Know You Needed
Tamarak Trail is an interesting rogue-like deck builder coming to all major consoles and PC that looks like it will redefine the genre. A corruption is spreading across the Canadian Shield, and it is up to you to find the cause and put an end to it. The journey won’t be easy, and you won’t make it on your first try. Do you have what it takes to be the hero, or will you buckle under the weight of the mysterious corruption?
Players can choose from three classes: the tracker, magician, and detective. Each class has its unique sets of skills and abilities. What makes this game unique is its deck-building mechanic. Instead of decks, you customize dice that you roll to cast abilities. You can fully customize each dice to fit your play style, although the RNG might be a limiting factor. The devs have published an informative walkthrough video that best explains the game’s mechanics. I recommend you watch it and become as excited as I am for this title.
Tamarak Trail is looking really cool. The mechanics look like a lot of fun, and the art is beautiful. I love deck-builders, so there might be a bit of bias in my excitement. Regardless, I think this unique game deserves some love and attention. I’ll definitely be trying to get a copy to review.
Tamarak Trail is coming to PS4, Xbox, Switch, and PC via Steam and GoG. Don’t forget to add it to your Wishlist. There is also an official wiki you should bookmark that I am sure will have lots of useful tips and tricks at launch. Make sure you join the game’s Discord and follow the official Twitter to stay up to date on all the news.
Second Wave Spoilers and Alpha Announcement!
I was fortunate enough to try out Second Wave at this year’s GDC and loved it. Second Wave is an anime-themed arena shooter coming to PlayStation, Xbox, Steam, IOS, and Android. The team behind was super nice, and the game is a lot of fun. I won’t be repeating too much from my initial coverage, so make sure you go read that if you need to catch up.
Since then, Challengers Games has released a healthy amount of spoilers and teasers that have kept my excitement for the game alive. If you care about spoilers, you can stop reading here. Otherwise, I have collected everything they’ve been posting and have organized it as best I can. Make sure you follow the publisher on Discord and Twitter to keep up with all the news from this point.
Most importantly, don’t forget to sign up for the Alpha! The playtest will run from May 26 to the 28th for Steam only, so mark your calendars. This game is going to be huge. The character design is great, the skills are unique, and it’s going to be available on everything. Challengers Games is also an official Microsoft partner, so you know this won’t be another lazy cash grab. With the time I spent with Second Wave and what I’ve seen from Spoilers, it’s hard not to be excited. Now is the perfect time to get behind a game with lots of potential. I’ve already signed up for the Alpha and am impatiently waiting for a reply. Go sign up, and I hope I see you in Armantia!
Shania Olivier
Bernard Bronzestone
Cozette Russel
Amelda Luce
Ess’el Verto
I actually got to try Ess’el when I got to demo the game and had a blast. I wasn’t good, but thankfully the girls I played against also picked her and didn’t know how to use her.
Aegis Tefnut
This might be my main. I love playing the healer/support class in everything I play and switching between light and dark is always a fun mechanic.
Michaela Seraphine Lopez
Merope Sessile
Dio Zahaman
Batu Deidara
Gameplay For Merope, Dio, and Batu!
And The Score Card!
This game is going to be a lot of fun, but I don’t want to speculate more than I already have. Make sure you add it to your Wishlist on Steam, sign up for the Alpha, and join the Discord!
Game Review: Mia and the Dragon Princess
I was sent Mia and the Dragon Princess as a review code. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I will be honest with my review.
Mia and the Dragon Princess is an interactive action movie you can play on Android, IOS, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, and PC via Steam and Epic games.
Mia feels trapped in a boring job and wishes for some excitement. Her wish comes true when a mysterious woman ends up in her alley. Before Mia can find help for this mysterious woman, a group of thugs barge in and threaten her friends. What will Mia do?
Occasionally while watching this movie, viewers will be given choices that will affect the outcome. The movie has ten endings and different storylines. The timer for each choice gives this movie its urgency, and some choices will be tricky to make. By the end of your first playthrough, you are going to want to play for a different ending. You skip scenes you’ve already watched to make the experience less tedious, but they are available if you need a refresher.
Mia and the Dragon Princess is a solid action movie.The story is a bit cheesy in parts, but it is a lot of fun. The acting is fine, the action is well-choreographed, and the stories are well done. I do have to warn you that the stories do get dark. There is death and violence in this movie, but nothing too gruesome. I loved all the small jokes sprinkled throughout, but I have a soft spot for cheesy movies. I want to keep this review a bit vague because I don’t want to spoil the story. I suggest you go as blind as possible for your first playthrough.
I was surprised by this title because I didn’t know what to expect. I loved it, and see myself returning to the title a few more playthroughs. It was a unique experience with a solid and fun story that I recommend to everyone. That said, it is a bit of a niche title. If you are someone who enjoys b movies or cheesy ones, this is a fun title. Otherwise, I would wait for a discount. I wouldn’t call this a game because of how easily you can earn all the endings, but it is also a bit more complicated than a movie. Mia and the Dragon Princess is a cool concept with an impressive execution, and I recommend you try it at least once with friends.
You can buy Mia and the Dragon Princess for $12.99. You can play it on Android, IOS, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, and PC via Steam and Epic Games. You can also try out the demo on Steam. Get your copy today!
Destiny 2’s Guardian Games are Here!
If you’ve been away from Destiny 2 for a while, it might be a good time to make your return, especially if you enjoyed its PVP. If you’ve never played Destiny 2, the base game is free-to-play, and the event is free to everyone. The Guardian Games pits its different classes against each other in a fun and limited event that runs for three weeks. The event will end on May 23rd, which should be plenty of time to grind out its unique cosmetics made available through the exclusive event card. The event card is available to all players, but there is a paid track for those who want to earn a bit more bling.
Players who participate in the games will have the opportunity to exchange their medallions for two exclusive weapons.
This year’s weapon is the Taraxippos, the game’s first legendary strand scout rifle.
Who wouldn’t want this colorful rifle?
Players can also earn last year’s The Title, a void machine gun with the unique perk, Repulsor Brace.
If you didn’t get a chance to win it last year, it’s a great time to start working towards it now.
You can also earn some other cool cosmetics like:
Armor
Ships and Sparrows
Ghost Shells
Emotes and Finishers
And Stuff from the Event Card
There is a lot to earn, so make sure you hop in today! The breakdown for earning medallions are as follows:
Activities that award you low-tier (Bronze or Silver) Medallions include Gambit and Quickplay Crucible matches, anything from the Vanguard playlists, as well as most Neptune activities and Defiant Battlegrounds. For high-tier (Gold and Platinum) Medallions, play Nightfalls, raids, dungeons, Competitive Crucible, Trials of Osiris, or Legend Defiant Battlegrounds.
You do not need the latest DLCs to participate in the event. While you might be at a disadvantage gear-wise, I never found it an issue as a free-to-play player. If it’s been a while or you’ve never played before, now is a great time to log in and start blinging out your guardian. Who knows? You might like the experience enough to stay.
To get started, talk to Eva Levante for access to the Guardian Games quest and your class item. I hope to see you there!
This year for the games, Bunjie has partnered with Direct Relief and the International Rescue Committee to host the Guardian Games Cup. All money raised will go to some great causes, so make sure you go to the official site to find out how to participate.
Rise of the Triad: Ludicrous Edition
Rise of the Triad is getting a pretty impressive reboot and new features. If you like retro shooters or want to relive some nostalgia, this game should be on your wishlist.
Rise of the Triad: Ludicrous Edition is a fast-paced retro shooter with zany weapons, a fun story, and an epic soundtrack. The remake will have a jukebox feature so you can listen to your favorite song as you create carnage and mayhem. But the jukebox isn’t the only change you should be hyped for. This game will perform better with up to 4k resolution with more frames for a smoother gaming experience.
If you like PVP, there will also be online multiplayer with new sprites to choose from. If that isn’t enough, there is also a pretty comprehensive map maker. Now you can make your levels and share them with your friends. If you are like me and don’t have any, there will be Steam Workshop support. You will be able to download community-made levels or share some of your own. I am not creative, but very excited to see what the community has in store.
If you have already played this game, it might be time to relive the experience. There will be a new story, designs, and features to make this a fresh experience.
Rise of the Trian: Ludicrous Edition is releasing on the Xbox, PlayStation, Steam, and the Nintendo Switch for $19.99. There is no release date yet, but make sure to wishlist it on Steam. A demo will be available on June 19.
GDC Recap: Viewfinder
To conclude my coverage of GDC, I want to talk about the nifty puzzler, Viewfinder. Viewfinder is a first-person puzzle game where players can reshape the world by placing printed media like photos or drawings into the world. It is a cool concept that is masterfully implemented around an interesting story. If you like puzzle games like Portal, you need to get Viewfinder.
The biggest draw to Viewfinder is the freedom of creativity that this game allows for. There are many ways to solve puzzles, and players are only limited by their imagination. I spent way too long reshaping the world because it was fun and not because I was solving the puzzles. This game has the potential to be a huge time sink if you like to mess around with map editors. It is unbelievably cool to watch how you reshape the world with different art styles. By the end of a puzzle, you will have this insanely beautiful fusion of art that you created.
I was blown away by the amount of work that went into making this game work so well. Everything in this game works smoothly. I tried to break this game, but the physics was just too good. You can make it rain sideways or make objects fall from the sky with no visible latency. I will be the first to say that Viewfinder has an unlimited potential for shenanigans and that alone should be enough to make you wishlist.
I spent too much of my session admiring Viewfinder’s novel experience. Everything in this game from the art to its innovative gameplay is perfect for people who want to pick up a game to have fun.
Viewfinder is coming to the PlayStation and PC sometime this year, but no date has been set yet. Until then, do yourself a favor and wishlist it on Steam!
I want to thank the game’s writer for sitting down with me and answering all my questions. The game is great, the story is solid, and I can’t wait to play it!
I also want to thank you, guys, for your continued support. I was only able to go to this event because of you. I got to meet some cool people, make important connections, and play some cool games. I never thought people cared about what I had to say, and never dreamed I would have such a wonderful opportunity. I am overjoyed that there are people that enjoy my writing, and I will strive to keep doing better. Thank you so much. I love you all!
****Images are from press kit, gifs are from the steam store. I don’t own them.
The Libary of Babel
The Library of Babel just released on PC and all consoles, and it might be worth looking into if you like stealth platformers. The Library of Babel is inspired by Jorge Luis Borges’ short story of the same name. I remember reading and enjoying this story when I was younger, and I am curious to see how much this game draws from the source material.
It’s been 20,000 years since the fall of man, and a civilization of robots has risen to take their place. The origins of this new civilization are unknown, but there seems to be peace in this ignorance. But this peace isn’t permanent. The discovery of the library shakes the foundation of this new society. Within its walls is everything that was ever written. What dark truths lie within those ancient pages? Use your proficiency in stealth to sneak into the library and find out.
I like the cartoonish stylized art for this game. The cinematics looks beautiful, and the world carries a distinct post-apocalyptic flavor. Despite how cartoonish the game looks, the stealth mechanics look intense. At least from the trailer, the danger is palpable. I am terrible at stealth games because I don’t have the patience for them, but I am willing to give it a shot because I like the story. The platforming might also be a barrier for me, but it might be worth it if you enjoy the genre.
You can play The Library of Babel now on Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam and Epic Games. You can pick up your copy for $18.99. You can at least add it to your wishlist for later.
To stay up to date on all the news, make sure you join the official Discord, and follow all the socials: Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.