Category: Indie

From its first steps into the unsettling village world of The Mildew Children, it’s immediately clear that The Growing Stones and Valkyrie Initiative have crafted something that leans as heavily into tone and narrative as it does into gameplay ambitions. Framed around a grim, folklore-rich quest to save a village dominated by children bound to savage, pagan traditions, the PlayStation 5 release retains the project’s core strengths and shortcomings from other platforms while benefiting from its expressive art and deliberate pacing. Continue reading “The Mildew Children review (PS5)”

As the end of the year approaches, seasonal releases once again attempt to thread the needle between festive novelty and meaningful play, wrapping familiar genres in tinsel while testing whether Christmas theming can offer more than a fleeting smile. This small roundup brings together three very different interpretations of holiday gaming, each approaching the season from a distinct angle: a reflective narrative vignette rooted in an established universe, a party-focused VR diversion built on spectacle and silliness, and a compact arcade shooter that treats Christmas as a high-score battleground. Taken together, they offer a snapshot of how seasonal releases can range from thoughtful extensions of broader worlds to unabashedly disposable fun, inviting players to decide whether they are looking for introspection, laughter, or short-burst chaos during the festive break. Continue reading “Christmas roundup: BROK: Natal Tail, Jingle Strike VR Bowling & Big Trouble in Little Chimney”

Bob the Brick Breaker arrives on PS5 as Brainium Games’ earnest homage to a genre that helped establish video games as a cultural force. At its core, this is not an ambitious reinvention but a tight re-engagement with the familiar paddle-and-ball rhythm seeded by titles like Breakout and Arkanoid, where every level is an escalating gauntlet of reactive reflexes and pattern recognition. Players command Bob’s girder, tracking a bouncing sphere through shifting grids of bricks, mindful that missing the ball is an abrupt end to progress. It is this simplicity – paired with escalating challenge – that forms the consistent heartbeat of the experience, though it does at times leave you yearning for deeper systems beyond score chasing. Continue reading “Bob the Brick Breaker review (PS5)”

From the moment you jettison into Star Ores Inc. aboard its quiet, abandoned space station, it’s clear that BlackBeak Games and publisher Three River Games are steering you toward a particular rhythm: slow, deliberate, and methodical. This isn’t the kind of high-octane sci-fi adventure that slams you out of hyperspace with flashing lights. Instead, it invites you to carve your own path by turning an interstellar derelict into a well-oiled mining empire – a premise that taps into that niche craving for simulation and resource management, where patience is as integral to the experience as any laser drill. Continue reading “Star Ores Inc. review (PS5)”