Author: Yuna Briggs

During the heady days of the Game Boy Advance, it was a great time to be a fan of RPGs and Adventure games. The likes of Sword of Mana, Golden Sun, and, of course, Nintendo’s own Zelda titles provided many different opportunities to get lost in some truly epic quests on a system that you could take with you just about anywhere. Tako No Himitsu, from developer Deneos (who previously developed Save Me Mr. Tako), is an upcoming indie title paying tribute to this era. For anyone with a distinct fondness for the GBA, it’s already looking to be something…

At first, the idea of Metal Slug Tactics can raise an eyebrow. Part of the major appeal of the Metal Slug franchise lies within its trigger-happy, bullet-slinging, explosion-hopping nature. There’s often no time for intricate strategies when you’re scarpering down an endless wooden jetty with a gargantuan crab firing explosive rounds at you. It’s all about trusting your instincts, reflexes, and innate knowledge of the game, and pretty much all the titles in the Metal Slug series reflect this. So, the choice to break from tradition and create a Metal Slug strategy spinoff is perhaps peculiar at first glance and…

Earlier this year, I had the fantastic opportunity to preview Chicken Police: Into the HIVE!, a detective thriller starring a pair of feathery detectives. I was pretty impressed with what I played of the title: its gritty art direction, snappy dialogue, and genuine sense of noiresque intrigue. So, when I was offered the chance to look at another upcoming game in the same series, I pounced on the opportunity. Moses & Plato – Last Train to Clawville is another one of The Wild Gentlemen’s significant projects, and it occupies a space similar to Chicken Police. However, I found something that…

Read-Only Memories: NeuroDiver Review It feels almost like a lifetime since I first played 2064: Read Only Memories; I was first drawn to its pixelated aesthetics. The cyberpunk detective adventure struck a chord with me in many ways, and it has left a lasting impression on me ever since. Between that initial playthrough and the release of Read Only Memories: Neurodiver, much has changed in both the world and myself. And although it has been a long road, returning to Neo San Fran has certainly been exciting to make some new memories. But while many of these memories were fond…

Some gaming trends come and go, much like the tide; we see once popular genres and features fall back by the wayside, only to make way for another, stronger wave in its wake. This is just the natural order of the industry, but one particular sub-genre has proved time and time again that it is an influential and prolific force to be reckoned with in the gaming scene: the soulslike. Ever since its genesis in the 2000s, there have been a large number of titles that explore its challenging and lore-driven depths. While FromSoftware reigns mostly supreme with these types…

In 2015, developer Midboss released it’scyberpunk adventure, 2064: Read Only Memories, after a successful crowdfunding campaign. Set decades from now in the eponymous year of 2064; its narrative explores the concept of Artificial Intelligence and the relationship between humans and robots. It wrapped itself in some wonderfully retro pixel art. I loved it and considered it one of my favorite games ever; its cast of characters was charming and full of depth, while the mystery it presented to the player was genuinely gripping. Since its sequel, Read Only Memories: Neurodiver, was announced, I’ve been eagerly awaiting its release, and almost…

Off the beaten path of gaming, indie games offer creatives a chance to give form to their inner emotions and most profound, most personal experiences. You see a lot of projects that focus heavily on storytelling and presenting the player with something they can relate to or empathize with. This notion is something that I love about indie games; there’s little to no restriction on what you can create, so long as you are willing to put the time and effort in to see your vision come to life. The end project may not hit the mark for everyone, but…

A well-crafted mystery is something that I’m often drawn to, and when it comes to gaming, we’re often spoiled for choice. From quirky lawyer-driven affairs to gritty, hard-boiled detective dramas, some of the most iconic games in the past decade have put us in the shoes of protagonists seeking the truth by any means necessary. Chicken Police: Into The HIVE! from developers The Wild Gentlemen is no different in that regard, but at first glance, its mixture of gritty noir tropes and lifelike anthro characters intrigued me immediately. My interest has only deepened after giving the new Steam Next Fest…

Since its launch in February 2023, the selection of Game Boy Color titles available on Nintendo Switch Online has steadily increased, with its numbers rivaling its older brother, the Game Boy. Most of the already released titles include some genuinely amazing games, like Pokemon Trading Card Game and The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons & Ages. It has also played host to several oddball picks, like Quest for Camelot and Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare, truly showing off the variety that the system has to offer. Despite this growing library, there are many more amazing games for…

In 2005, during the early life of the Nintendo DS, the developer known as Cing brought a unique adventure to the handheld and did some inventive things with its iconic features. After a sequel launched on the Wii in 2009, the series has laid dormant aside from a few references to Nintendo, who were both games’ publishers. As someone who had never played either game around their release, they had always stuck out to me as interesting curios in their respective libraries, especially as someone who enjoys a good mystery. Seeing Nintendo work with Arc System Works to bring the…

There can be no doubt that the days of the retro throwback are far from over, as nostalgia continues to prove a powerful draw for many in both mainstream and indie markets. We seem to all crave games that evoke a bygone era or bring a series back from the ashes in a blaze of glory. Sometimes, indie devs can even rejuvenate old ideas with modern sensibilities, creating not only a loving homage to the past but something that is truly special in its own right. Crystal Story: Dawn of Dusk from developer Fred Brown is one such homage that…

I will freely admit that 2023 has felt like a bit of a blur. My best of 2022 list still feels fairly recent, and some of those games continued to entertain me into the new year. There are even a few games I finished after the list was published that I wish I could have played earlier since they would have been prime picks. Three days into the new year, I finished Sonic Frontiers, and to be frank, it would have kicked Pokémon Scarlet off the number five spot for sure. But that’s enough about my regrets, you didn’t come…

Introduction to In Stars And Time: Exploring the Concept of Time Loops Time loops and Groundhog Day scenarios are nothing new in fiction, especially within the realm of video games; it’s a concept that is rife with storytelling and gameplay potential, so it’s hardly surprising to see the concept explored so thoroughly. Haven’t we all wondered what we would do if we had the ability to alter our mistakes, to change an outcome that we once couldn’t foresee? But equally, the idea of being trapped in that loop, with no foreseeable way out, is horrifying. How would you cope living…

It’s hard to know how to talk about a game like ‘Slay the Princess’ as part of its whole appeal is the mystique it builds around itself. Black Tabby Games presents their visual novel as a simple quest; you find yourself in a dark forest on the path to a cabin sitting atop a hill. Within the basement of that cabin is The Princess, chained up and locked away. Why? Because she holds the power to end the world as we know it. And so it is the player’s destiny to, as the title suggests, slay The Princess. Guided by…

We’d all love a fresh start in life, and although change can be a scary concept, new horizons can often feel revitalizing, rejuvenating, and liberating. We can make new friends, take up new hobbies, and even discover totally new skills, which can open up totally new paths for us. Emulating this sort of experience is commonplace in video games. In fact, it’s become a very popular genre, to the point that dozens of these new-life sims are released every few months. Mineko’s Night Market is an example, and it attempts to do something a little different with both its art…

We often take communication for granted in this day and age, as we can easily talk to our friends, families, and loved ones in the blink of an eye. Technology enhances our ability to share our views, our passions, and our criticisms, usually for the better. However, even with so many ways to connect to one another, it’s still so easy to feel isolated, and it’s just as easy for communications to go awry. We can remain in our own familiar communities without endeavoring to find common ground with others. Within Rundisc’s newest game, Chants of Sennaar, these themes of…

Psychological horror games can be an incredibly powerful medium if placed in the right hands; they often prey on our personal fears and insecurities rather than the primal fear of being chased by a killer. This, in turn, can also be an excellent storytelling tool, and many games in the horror genre have also touched on important social themes within their narratives. GYLT from developer Tequila Works seeks to do the same, pairing traumatic childhood memories with puzzle-solving and stealth gameplay. However, something might be missing from the equation here, which leaves the final product feeling a little uninspiring. …

Since its initial launch in February, Nintendo Switch Online’s GBA library has been increasing, and while you can’t deny the current selection is full of heavy hitters, there are still many great games left unaccounted for. The Game Boy Advance has one of the best libraries of any handheld system, in my opinion, especially when you start to factor in releases from other developers & publishers. So that’s why today, we thought it’d be fun to take a look at some of the games that might be a great fit for the service. https://youtu.be/Oh9xTmplux0 Obviously, we’ve left out any game…

For many, card games are a treasured pastime; whether it’s the joy of opening booster packs or testing out a new deck, there are many layers to what makes them so engaging. In the realm of video games, especially indie titles, cards have been used as a way to experiment with new gameplay styles to various degrees of success. Dungeon Drafters from developer Manalith Studios seeks to combine the best bits of card games with the roguelike genre while specifically taking cues from the Mystery Dungeon series. Bringing these two concepts together could be a recipe for success, but at…

In 2020, Toge Productions released Coffee Talk, a soothing game about serving coffee, providing a place for the unique cast to open up about their lives and troubles. While light on gameplay, it made up for it in its welcoming vibe, a fascinating cast of human and demi-human characters, chill lo-fi soundtrack, and gorgeous pixel art aesthetics. I was a fan of it and its small-scale but emotionally resonant stories. And now, three years later, Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly is here, hoping to deliver another finely brewed cup of contemplative storytelling. So, let’s take a look and…