Author: Jahanzeb Khan

Horace is a game that, just based on its name alone, commands attention and respect. The key artwork doesn’t do it any favors, and you wouldn’t be faulted for not giving it a second look. The initial impression is that of a pixel indie game starring some Lego-looking robot, but this automation ends up being more C3PO than Danish plastic. A platformer at its core, this is a special experience from the mind of creator Paul Helman, one that celebrates the fine art of video games while also deep-diving into the human condition. https://youtu.be/NaF3S0lej8E For those who’ve seen their fair…

We now live in an age of 4K gaming and are just entering the cusp of 8K, with framerates going as high as 120 per second. It’s crazy to think it wasn’t that long ago when these types of visuals were almost nonexistent, and players had to use their imagination for the most part. On that note, text-based adventures used to be a huge deal, which naturally evolved into the many, many visual novels we review here at NoisyPixel. Games like Living in the Ending World attempt to hearken back to a simpler time, where rather than using some kind…

Metroidvania games are a dime a dozen nowadays. You don’t have to look far into the lineup of indie or doujin titles to find one. Still, despite there being so much choice in this ever-popular genre, first pioneered by the seminal Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, very few actually nail game design and core gameplay mechanics. While few have stood out as memorable releases, developer Team Ladybug is doubling down on their  Metroidvania, Touhou Luna Nights, by bringing it to Xbox One. https://youtu.be/y058YjSE7FA Touhou Luna Nights’ setup is quite fascinating and multi-faceted, where the protagonist is a badass maid. She…

This may or may not surprise some people, but 100% Orange Juice is still a thing. Surprisingly, the online multiplayer tabletop game has the same momentum in 2020 as it did when most of us first played it in high school. However, there was a game that released within this over-the-top universe that might have flown over your radar. Flying Red Barrel – The Diary of a Little Aviator is a shmup that borrows familiar aesthetics from 100% Orange Juice and even unlocks some special bonuses in the base game. Still, even beyond this loyal fanbase, Flying Red Barrel has…

When Devil May Cry was conceived (and after its brief incarnation as a Resident Evil 4 prototype), the idea was to create a free-flowing 2D action game within the 3D space. When it launched on PlayStation 2 in 2001, it set the benchmark for all 3D character action games to come. Frankly speaking, there was never actually a 2D action game quite like Devil May Cry before because a lot of those ideas, especially the versatile combat, could only have been possible in 3D back then. Now, imagine reverse-engineering the gameplay of Devil May Cry and superimposing in within the confines…

Imagine yourself as a gamer in 1995 and just try to appreciate the magnitude of experiencing the very advent of 3D gaming on home consoles. This was a remarkable time, and even more staggering when you realize that in the grand scheme of video history, it didn’t take very long to get there. Hell, it barely took much time to get to the 8K resolution gaming experiences that are coming in the future. A little over two generations of human life have passed since the very creation of video games. Let that sink in for a moment. Back in 1995…

Bleach as an anime and manga was once at the very top of pop culture… until it outstayed its own success with one story arc too many. It may have ended on an unceremonious note, but Bleach still carries a strong nostalgic punch for many of us, and in 2020 it’s doing a comeback tour of sorts with a brand new anime series with other tie-in properties, among these is Bleach: Immortal Soul, a free-to-play mobile RPG. https://youtu.be/SVmyqS9WEfo To address the proverbial Hollow in the room: Bleach: Immortal Soul has virtually all the trappings and faults we all absolutely despise…

Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth, Try saying that ten times fast. Let’s just call it Wonder Labyrinth because there are a few other IPs that carry the Record of Lodoss War label, such as a table-top game, an anime, and even a very obscure Diablo clone on Dreamcast. Wonder Labyrinth it is then. https://youtu.be/njuSYkZLUXU This particular game is based on a cult hit anime from the early ’90s, also carrying the Lodoss banner, and the inspiration is a bit more direct given some of the character designs. The anime itself isn’t exactly mainstream but can be found…

Over twenty years have gone by since the original Guilty Gear landed on the PlayStation, and now fans of this global 2D fighting franchise await the launch of Guilty Gear -Strive-. Last year, a 20th-anniversary collection was released to commemorate the legacy and continued success of the series. It understandably included Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R, which was the final and most complete update of Guilty Gear XX: The Midnight Carnival, and to this day remains among the very best the 2D fighting genre has to offer. The collection also had a port of the original PlayStation Guilty…

CAVE needs no introduction when it comes to Japanese 2D scrolling shooters (shmups). Walk into any arcade in Japan, and chances are you will still find CAVE arcade cabinets with legendary high scores, waiting for someone worthy to etch their legacy within the annals of the offline scoreboard. CAVE shooters have rarely had quality console ports, with the SEGA Saturn being perhaps the first system to house authentic ports of games like CAVE’s seminal DoDonPachi, among others. The PlayStation 2 briefly housed some titles, but it wasn’t until the Xbox 360 that CAVE’s extensive catalog finally reached home audiences in…