Ghost Teen: Escape from Limbo (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S, PC)
Here’s something completely different. How about a 2D single screen precision platformer where you’re SUPPOSED to die? In Ghost Teen: Escape from Limbo, you control a kid character who must collect a key and unlock a door to pass the level. But if you get hit, you turn into a ghost and can fly and pass through certain walls. You’ll have to do this to solve puzzles and bypass obstacles, but you must touch a gravestone in the level to turn back into the kid so you can exit the door. The game has retro styled black and white graphics that remind me of the games I used to play on my Apple ][+ computer. It’s available on all current consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.
Tokyo Cooking (Switch)
Cook Japanese food for customers in Tokyo Cooking. It’s a first person cooking game for Nintendo Switch. Start by talking to the customer at the register and take their order. You can then view a recipe card on the bottom of the screen to see the steps to cook it. There is a workstation you can place ingredients and utensils, and once they’re all there, you can play a few cooking based mini games to prepare it. Once you’re done, give it to the customer and you’ll get paid based on how well you did.
Hotel Hustle (Switch)
Help a couple of crazy cats run a hotel in Hotel Hustle on Switch. Check in guests, keep them happy, and clean the room when they’re done. Do this quickly and efficiently to earn points and stars so you can move onto the next level. Two can play at the same time, too! It’s similar to other time management games like Overcooked.
Unplugged: Blueprints of Mad King Ludwig (Boardgame)
The boardgames of Mad King Ludwig continue to shrink. First we had Castles of Mad King Ludwig where players auctioned tiles, placing them to build their own personal castle. Next came the Palace of Mad King Ludwig (reviewed here) where all players work together to finish only a single castle. Now, there isn’t any building at all, only the blueprints. In Blueprints of Mad King Ludwig, players simply draw out their dreams on a piece of paper, in the hopes of catching the king’s eye and his favor. Players are still placing funny shaped rooms into a castle area, but gone are the auctions and money shenanigans of the original Castles of Mad King Ludwig. This slims the game down and keeps it moving at a quick pace. Your opinion of this “flip and write” game will depend on whether you are willing to give up the greater strategic depth of money auctions and associated shenanigans for a faster-paced and shorter over-all game.
Blueprints of Mad King Ludwig
Designer: Ted Alspach
Publisher: Bézier Games
Players: 1-5
Ages: 15+ (although easily played by a 10 yr old)
Time: 60 min
(review copy provided by publisher)
Goliath Depot (Switch, PC)
Robots in a warehouse, factory, and even the cold icy parking lot are taking over, and it’s up to you to stop them by…closing all the doors and windows? Hey, who said video games had to make sense all the time? Goliath Depot is a single screen 2D platform action game that takes inspiration from arcade classics like Donkey Kong, Mappy, Bubble Bobble, and even…Hotel Mario? But it’s still a pretty good game and is available on Switch and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.
Tell Me Your Story (Switch, PC)
A granddaughter is visiting her grandmother, and while unpacking, she sees some of her grandmother’s trinkets and asks about them. Turns out in her younger days, her grandmother travelled around the world and had lots of adventures and experiences! Re-create her stories and put them in a scrapbook by playing little puzzle mini-games in Tell Me Your Story. It’s available on Switch and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.
Electronics Puzzle Lab (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S, PC)
Cyber Citizen Shockman 3 (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S)
Cyber Citizen Shockman was a series of 2D action platformers back in the 16-bit days. They starred a pair of superhero cyborg teens (a guy and a gal) who were created by a crazy professor. They would fight intergalactic baddies with their swords and beam attacks. The first two were on the PC Engine, which was the Japanese version of the TurboGrafix-16. The second game was even brought out to the US. The third game in the series was on the CD add on in Japan. And now you can play it on modern consoles (reviewed on PS4 here).
Little Kitty, Big City (Switch, Xbox One, X/S, PC)
In this unique game you play as a regular old house cat. You are lying on your favorite windowsill when you accidentally roll over and fall out. You land safely via a string of comical incidents, but now you must figure out how to get back up to your owner’s apartment. So you must explore the big city below, helping out other animals and causing cat-like mischief as well. This game reminds me of a mix of Untitled Goose Game, as well as a PS2 game I played a long time ago called A Dog’s Life, which was kind of the same premise except you were a dog doing dog things. The game also has a bit of a Katamari Damacy vibe with the simple graphics and the Japanese style city setting. Little Kitty, Big City is available on some current consoles and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.
Kudzu (Switch)
Kudzu was originally a modern day homebrew monochrome Game Boy game. You could even buy a cartridge for it. And now you can play it on your Nintendo Switch. In the game, a mysterious asteroid falls on a mountain nearby a mansion and surrounding farmland, which causes the plants to become sentient. When the invasive plant species Kudzu was introduced, it takes over everything in a plan to rule the world. A team of botanists are dispatched to research this phenomenon. You play as the gardener Max, and it’s up to you to solve the mystery of the Kudzu and save the day. The game is an overhead action adventure that pays homage to classic titles like The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening.