‘JUMPGRID’ Review: Relentlessly Ruthless Rhythmic Finger Ballet Fun

So you think you're tough, eh? That you're blessed with super-human muscle memory, that you've got what it takes to... master the grid? Yeah. The grid, as in, JUMPGRID! Well, think again, because this game is going to kick your you-know-what over and over again. But you won't want to stop playing, even after failing to make that one last jump to the ever-important center. Oh no. This game will sink its hooks into you so deep, you'll end up teleporting to gobble up cubes in your dreams too! Groovy.
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‘Hyper Jam’ Review: Be Quick or Be Dead

It's been a while since I had a chance to get down and dirty with a PvP-focused indie title, so when Hyper Jam appeared on my radar, I jumped at the chance to fight... all the way back to the neon-bathed, synthwave past. As such, I hereby welcome you to the deadliest sport of the '80s (or my review of said carnage, anyway).
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‘Evolution: The Video Game’ Review: Carnivores Coming Through!

It all began with a deck of cards and two players. Both were herbivores... until suddenly, one wasn't. At this point things got a bit dicey, animals suddenly went extinct, the watering hole dried up and/or ran out of food. Actually, I'm not entirely clear on the chain of events that followed, as I was much too busy accusing my opponent in Evolution: The Video Game of cheating. Why? He was winning, that's why!
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‘The Rainsdowne Players’ Review: All the World’s a Stage…

Welcome to the wonderful world of theatrical shenanigans. Or as is the unfortunate case in The Rainsdowne Players, the world of... dodging bottles, paper planes, tomatoes, rocks and other objects, as you attempt to woo an ever-expanding/-changing audience with one play after another. Feeling uninspired? Chat up the locals. Need a break? Play one of several mini-games. All this and more, on the (other) grandest stage of them all!
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‘Screencheat: Unplugged’ Review

Split-screen gaming is a dying art. Blunt, perhaps, but there's no other way to put it. Online gaming has destroyed couch multiplayer and that's a shame. I've felt like this for a while, but... significantly more so after playing Screencheat: Unplugged - a game that turns back time to the glory days of 4-player split-screen first person shooting. Also, everyone's invisible. At all times.
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‘The Gardens Between’ Review

Friendship can an amazing thing, but as The Gardens Between shows, it's rarely trouble-free. In spite of that, more often than not, it is still something worth pursuing, as finding that one close friend who'll grow to become part of your favorite memories is something truly spectacular. It is such exact memories of two best friends that this game strives to explore, prior experiences between the two revisited - good and bad alike - in the form of surreal puzzle-filled islands.
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‘Cognition Episode 3: The Oracle’ Review

At this point I'm not sure how things could get any worse for Erica Reed. Six years ago she lost her brother to a ruthless killer, and more recently, gruesome events involving dismembered body parts occurred (no, really). Surely this is as bad as it gets, right? Wrong. Cognition Episode 3: The Oracle has barely begun before another mysterious case is thrown into her lap, triggered - to some extent - by her partner calling to say he'll be out of touch for a while... to check up on some old business. Yeah. Cue dramatic music and crank it up to eleven, because you-know-what is about to get real.
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‘Nex Machina’ Review: The Uncrowned King of Twin-Stick Shooters?

Relying too heavily on machines is a bad thing, to the point where... well, Skynet is a prime example, computers becoming sentient, deciding to eradicate all humans and other nasty things. In fact, something not all that different happened in Nex Machina, mankind suddenly finding itself at the mercy of too-smart-for-their-own-good robots; and you better believe they aren't taking prisoners. So what's a lone human to do? Why, grab the nearest gun and get ready to kick you-know-what and take names of course, in this stylish twin-stick shooter!
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‘The Last Time’ Review: Who Says You Can’t Go Back?

Everything was going great for Jack Glover, a 30-year old cop; until... it wasn't. A single dreadful event is all it takes to turn your world upside down, and unfortunately for Jack, the evening of his fifth anniversary on the force was to be just that. During a routine investigation, mistakes were made. The kind you can't fix, take back, or do much about, really. But then, some 40 years later, Jack receives a mysterious call, causing him to spring back into action - for The Last Time.
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‘Downwell’ Review

Little did I know that wells held untold treasures, or that gunboots were a thing. Well, in this here game, anyway. But if you do come across either in the real world, do let me know, eh? Right. Anyway, Downwell's protagonist sure has guts, carelessly jumping down a ridiculously deep well in the name of greed. That and excitement, I suppose, given the hazards that lurk below. No matter how many times he died, time and time again, he would gladly brave the depths. Because who's to say if this time would... be the charm?
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‘Dissembler’ Review: Colorful Flipping

There's something undeniably relaxing about the matching of colors, whether it be your typical match-3 game (hi there, Bejeweled), or something a tad more abstract, like... Ian MacLarty's latest creation, Dissembler. Here, you're tasked with flipping tiles to match three colors, at which point they'll be removed, gone from the game. It sounds quite simple, but there's a catch. Or several, rather. And these not only separates the title from similar puzzlers, they also help create something genuinely unique.
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‘SteamWorld Dig’ Review: Mine?

When people go digging deep underground, it's usually for one of two things (although sometimes both): wealth or curiosity. In the case of Rusty, SteamWorld Dig's protagonist, it's… a bit of both. Having received the claim to his uncle's mine, he takes after him and gets to digging, albeit rather reluctantly. On top of that, as fate would have it, all is not quite right in the depths below town, and digging for valuables soon becomes rather… hazardous.
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‘Wulverblade’ Review: For the Glory of Britannia!

The armies of Rome have been marching on Britannia in Wulverblade, making steady progress, having long since taken control of the south. Now their sights are set on the north, and the Ninth Legion is ready, numbering a grand total of 5,000! No problem, right? Well, it would be an easy conquest... if not for Caradoc, Brennus, and Guinevere, guardians of the northern tribes, that is. A trio not to be trifled with, as the Romans are about to find out.
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‘Bleed’ Review: The Ultimate Videogame Hero?

We all have dreams. Or, at least, we should. Dreams are good. Dreams helps us strive towards being better. Being more than we are. Being the best that we ca-- right. Anyway, point is, Wryn - Bleed's protagonist - has a dream: to be the ultimate videogame hero! Her way of accomplishing said dream is the best part, as she's going to... take out the Greatest Heroes of All Time (no really). Groovy stuff.
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‘Captain Disaster in: Death Has A Million Stomping Boots’ Review

Captain Disaster is down on his luck, big time. His ship is in shambles, its computer badly in need of an update, and really, a haircut wouldn't hurt. Although as fate would have it, he's broke, which means... it's time to get a job. So he takes on a deceptively simple package delivery. This is but the first of many mistakes, even if it is one that also kicks off Captain Disaster in: Death Has A Million Stomping Boots - an absolutely bonkers, dangerous, grand adventure!
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‘Guppy’ Review: Under the Sea…

Mankind has long since taken to the art of diving, exploring the deepest of oceans through various means. But no aquatic exploration gear, submarine, or whatever fancy gadgets are available today for delving into the deep blue, compare to actually being... a fish. Which is exactly what you get to do in Guppy! Oh, and do keep an eye out for pesky aquatic predators.
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‘The Journey Down: Chapter Three’ Review

All good things must come to an end, and such is also the case for Bwana, Kito and Lita's wondrous journey to the Underland, which concludes with The Journey Down: Chapter Three. An action-packed rollercoaster ride of fun and mayhem, with the occasional supernatural twist; one that wraps up the trilogy nicely on all fronts. What started as a lovely little trip fueled by the discovery of a long-lost journal quickly became so much more, forever changing the lives of those involved.
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‘Cognition Episode 2: The Wise Monkey’ Review

When last we stepped into the shoes of supernatural FBI agent Erica Reed, in Cognition Episode 1: The Hangman, things were bad. Really bad. Her ability to sense, or perhaps even see things that no one else could was causing her headaches, and with friends and colleagues alike becoming targets of a ruthless killer, she needed to remain focused now more than ever. Try as she might though, in the end, things did not go her way... and in Cognition Episode 2: The Wise Monkey, a whole slew of brand new trouble is brewing. Oh boy.
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‘The Journey Down: Chapter Two’ Review

Last we heard from Bwana and Kito, The Journey Down's two protagonists, they were tracking down some ancient place with some ancient book, aided by a mysterious woman - you know how these things go. Unsurprisingly, this second chapter - of three - picks up pretty much where the first ended, you-know-what having hit the proverbial fan, our uncanny trio in trouble. No challenge is too great for the mighty Bwana however, and it isn't long before... well, more trouble comes their way. Trouble which seems to follow these guys wherever they go. Trouble with the law, trouble with pirates, trouble with - wait, I'm spoiling. Suffice to say, there was trouble… and of the best kind, too!
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‘Crimzon Clover: World Ignition’ Review

What's better than numerous enemies filling the screen with bullets in a SHMUP? When you return the favor! And that's just one of many reasons as to why Crimzon Clover WORLD IGNITION is such a great game. Fill your 'break' meter and at the press of a button, you're able to ensure the untimely demise of just about everything coming at ya. Not enough? Well, with enough skill, you can actually double the ridiculousness, triggering DOUBLE BREAK(!) mode, at which point I'd wager nothing will be alive for long. Save for those pesky bosses, of course. Shoot to kill!
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‘Jelly Juggle’ Review

It's a well-known fact that Pong has been around since the beginning of time. Some would even say that it was there when the universe was created, but honestly, that's a bit of a stretch. Just a bit. Right. Anyway, my whole reason for bringing up Pong - since it's hardly an indie game (I know, shocking!) is that… Ian MacLarty's Jelly Juggle kinda resembles it. At least the ball and paddle aspect, as well as having the player somehow keep any and all balls - or jelly in this case - on-screen. Oh, and the paddle has been replaced with a fish. A surprisingly sturdy and slightly malfunctioning one at that, refusing to do anything but swim counter-clockwise. Stupid fish.
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‘Slayaway Camp’ Review: One, Two, Killer Slid Past You…

If you've ever wondered what it would be like to step into the shoes of an absolute psychopath and kill numerous innocent civilians (and a cop or two for good measure), it's a good thing Slayaway Camp exists. If, on the other hand, you don't enjoy ultra-violent experiences... this one might not be for you. Still reading? Good, because in my opinion, this slide puzzler turned gory murder simulator is pretty damn awesome - even if it clearly isn't for the faint of heart.
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‘Sorcery! Part 3’ Review

It's time to continue your quest for the fabled Crown of Kings, in this third part of the Sorcery! Quadrilogy. Time to traverse dangerous landscapes in search of seven deadly serpents. Spells will be cast, weapons flailed about wildly, something something tough decisions and swift death. Yours, unless caution is exercised, at which point evil will have won. So do try to avoid dying, eh?
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‘Brushwood Buddies’ Review

In Brushwood Buddies, you're almost always either crafting or destroying, in order to create something else. Craft a tree and you'll get either an apple or a stick, while doing the same to a rock yields either flint or grindstone. So far so simple, right? Yeah, but… you ain't seen nothing yet. Soon you'll be crafting and destroying stuff back and forth, again and again, to make fishing rods, campfires and even different animals!
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‘Super Flippin’ Phones’ Review

Little known secret: I absolutely hate when people wander the mall, staring at their phones, giggling to themselves, not caring about anything but social media updates or cat videos. It's ridiculous. Fortunately, the recent release of Super Flippin' Phones has enabled me to vent my frustration, flippin' phones out of people's hands to warn them about... well, whatever, because video game. It's quite entertaining too - until you get caught by a mall cop. Those jerks.
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