Angry Video Game Nerd 8-Bit – published by Retroware and developed in partnership with Programancer and Mega Cat Studios for the PS5 – leans hard into an NES-era action-platformer identity, wrapping James Rolfe’s cranky comedy in compact, palette-swapped stages and set-piece boss fights. The premise is deliberately simple: guide the Nerd through a series of themed levels filled with zombies, skeletal contraptions and other genre stock enemies while hunting secrets and alternate routes; that economy of ambition is part of the game’s charm, because the experience is designed to be judged on level craft and pacing rather than narrative surprises. Continue reading “Angry Video Game Nerd 8-bit review (PS5)”
Category: New
Simon The Sorcerer Origins review (PS5)
We step back into Simon’s world with a clearer sense of why this series still matters: Simon the Sorcerer Origins wears its nostalgia proudly while trying to smooth a few of the rougher edges of 90s point-and-click design for a modern audience. The prequel premise – Simon pulled through a portal by an absurd prophecy and learning basics of spells and alchemy – gives the game a tidy emotional throughline without overcomplicating the joke-heavy tone at its core. That grounding helps the game balance small moments of real feeling with the gag-a-minute voice and sight gags the series is known for, and it’s an approach that will satisfy long-time fans while remaining intelligible to newcomers.
Dora: Rainforest Rescue review and interview
We stepped into Dora: Rainforest Rescue expecting a tidy, comforting adventure for very young players, and for the most part that’s exactly what Artax Games and Outright Games deliver. The plot is pleasantly simple – Swiper and a misfired Super-Duper Duplicator have scattered magical leaves and sprouted mischievous clones – and the story’s lightness is a feature, not a flaw: it keeps goals clear and gives children an immediate reason to explore without any real peril or distress. Parents will recognise the gentle callbacks to the show while newcomers can jump straight into the world without prior knowledge. At times the narrative feels a touch formulaic and underwhelming for grown-up tastes, but the charm lands with the intended audience, who will laugh at Swiper’s antics and enjoy the silly encounters with the Grumpy Old Troll. Continue reading “Dora: Rainforest Rescue review and interview”
Port roundup: The Cabin Factory, Reus 2, Hell is Other Demons & Bloodshed
Today we’re checking out a selection of recent ports that cover very different corners of the gaming spectrum. On PlayStation 5, The Cabin Factory and Bloodshed take opposite approaches to tension – one through eerie restraint and environmental unease, the other through relentless waves of retro-styled chaos. Hell is Other Demons sharpens its arcade precision for another round of punishing, rhythmically charged combat, while Reus 2 brings its intricate, slow-blooming god game systems to Xbox with mixed but ambitious results. Together they form a snapshot of how smaller developers continue to refine and reintroduce their work across consoles, highlighting both the strengths and quirks that define these distinct experiences. Continue reading “Port roundup: The Cabin Factory, Reus 2, Hell is Other Demons & Bloodshed”
Painkiller review
We stepped into Painkiller’s reimagining with an expectation of pure, unrepentant chaos, and for large stretches the game delivers exactly that: a visceral, arena-driven shooter that prizes momentum and mayhem above all else. The framing – condemned souls in Purgatory enlisted to stop the fallen Azazel and his monstrous children – is serviceable rather than revelatory, a scaffolding built to carry extended sessions of slaughter rather than to invite attachment to characters or plot. That choice sits at the heart of the experience: narrative exists, but not as a driving force, and the result is a campaign that feels both brisk and thin. Continue reading “Painkiller review”
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