Skater’s Solstice (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S)
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Posted on November 20th, 2024 by
Help an ice skater collect stars and find the glowing exit on frozen ponds in Skater’s Solstice. It’s a 2D top down viewed puzzler. You can skate up, down, left, or right, but you can’t stop going in that direction unless you hit a rock or the edge of the pond. You must figure out the correct path to take in each level (50 in all). The game is available on all current consoles but reviewed on PS4 here.
Stilt Fella (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S, PC)
Posted on November 18th, 2024 by
When I was a kid, I always thought it would be fun to learn how to walk on stilts. But where would you buy them? And because of my disability, being blind in my left eye since birth and having limited depth perception and peripheral vision, it also affects my balance. It’s why I’ve never been able to ride a bike or skateboard. So stilts were definitely out of the question. But maybe I could do it in a video game? Well, here’s Stilt Fella, a game about guiding a dude through obstacles on stilts. It’s available on all current consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.
Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S)
Posted on November 15th, 2024 by
Back in the 90s, 2D platformers starring cartoony animal mascots were all the rage, thanks to the popularity of Sonic the Hedgehog. One of the more prolific examples of this was Aero the Acro-Bat, who managed to get a sequel and a spin-off starring Aero’s rival: Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel. Recently these games have been re-released onto modern consoles, and I’ve been lucky enough to review the first Aero and his sequel. And now it’s time for the spinoff game. Aero’s rival Zero’s forest homeland is being destroyed by the evil lumberjack Jacques LeSheets and now Zero must go off and defeat him. Zero will use ninja throwing stars and dive moves to defeat enemies and bypass obstacles in this 16-bit 2D platformer. It’s available on all current consoles but reviewed on PS4 here.
Pearls of Atlantis (Switch, PS4, PS5, PC, Mobile)
Posted on November 13th, 2024 by
Pearls of Atlantis is a match three style puzzle game that kind of reminds me of a cross between Puzzle Bobble and Peggle. Drop colored pearls from the top of the screen into little baskets below. When three or more of the same color touch, they disappear. Your goal in each level is to clear out all the pearls that have little symbols on them, called “charms” in the game. It’s a pretty fun little casual puzzle game, and it’s available on most current consoles, PC, and mobile devices, but reviewed on Switch here.
Moe Waifu H: BlockBlast (PS4, PS5, Switch)
Posted on November 11th, 2024 by
Well I’m not sure what the “Moe” means but “Waifu” is what you hook your internet up to, right? Nah, I’m just joking. I know it means like a pretend girlfriend or something. Anyway, in this game you can unlock pictures of anime ladies in different outfits by playing an Arkanoid and BreakOut style block breaking ball and paddle game. It’s available on PlayStation consoles and Nintendo Switch, but reviewed on PS4 here.
The Plucky Squire (Switch, PS5, X/S, PC)
Posted on November 8th, 2024 by
Jot is the Plucky Squire and the titular hero of a series of children’s books in the game. In the books, he goes on all sorts of adventures with his two best friends: an artist wizard named Violet and the rock n roll mountain troll Thrash. With guidance from the wise wizard Moonbeard, the trio are able to defeat the evil Humgrump every time. But one day, Humgrump figures out how to break the fourth wall and take over the book, sending things in from the real world and kicking things out. So now it’s up to the Plucky Squire to hop in and out of the book, manipulating the pages himself while solving puzzles and defeating enemies. The Plucky Squire is a (mostly) 2D action adventure game similar to Zelda, and it’s available on most current consoles and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.
Super XYX (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S, PC)
Posted on November 6th, 2024 by
Super XYX is a vertically scrolling shooter that tries to replicate the look and feel of something you’d see in arcades in the late 90s/early 2000s. It’s available on all current consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.
Goob N Balloons DX (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S, PC)
Posted on November 4th, 2024 by
Goob N Balloons DX is a single screen, arcade style action game. It plays most like Buster Bros., or Pang depending on where you’re from. But it also has elements from other arcade classics like Space Invaders, Bubble Bobble, etc. In the game you play as a weird alien octopus thing and you can only move left and right on the bottom of the screen. But by using the R stick, you can aim and fire shots in any direction to pop balloons before they hit you, because if they do it’s Game Over. Goob N Balloons DX is available on all current consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.
The Smurfs: Dreams (Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, X/S, PC)
Posted on November 1st, 2024 by
In the distant past, long before streaming services and 24-hour cartoon channels, there was a thing called Saturday Morning Cartoons. Kids back then, me included, looked forward to this time because it was one of the only times TV was made just for kids. And as a child of the 80s, one of the most popular of these cartoons I remember was The Smurfs. Originally a European comic strip, The Smurfs gained popularity in the US from the Hanna-Barbera cartoon. I was never a super big fan of it, but I watched it anyway because, one, kids will watch pretty much anything. And two, it came on right before the Pac-Man cartoon. In recent years, The Smurfs have had a bit of a resurgence with a handful of computer animated movies and specials, and a new series on Nickelodeon. And that begat a few Smurfs games, too. I’ve reviewed quite a few of them, which include 3D platformers, kart racers, and even educational titles. The Smurfs: Dreams is a fixed camera 3D platformer, so it plays most like Super Mario 3D World. In the game, the evil Gargemel has sprinkled a magic potion on the Smurf Berry bushes, so when the Smurfs have breakfast the next morning, they instantly fall fast asleep and get lost in their dreams. You play as a Smurf who has to enter the dream worlds to rescue the others, and the game is available on all current consoles and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.
8-bit Adventures 2 (Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, X/S, PC)
Posted on October 30th, 2024 by
Back in the 16-bit days when I was a teen, I loved RPGs and couldn’t get enough of them. Not so much now, but I do like it when someone makes a new retro inspired RPG that plays like the ones I used to enjoy. Such is the case with 8-bit Adventures 2. I’ve never played the first game in this series, so I don’t know what’s new, different, or improved. It doesn’t do anything new or break the mold in any way, but it does feel like something I would’ve rented and played back in the day. It’s available on all current consoles and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.
