Rime - PlayStation 4

Spanish developer Tequila Works are leaving the shadowy world of Deadlight to focus on something much brighter and - in my mind - much more interesting.
    Rime is a glorious looking, cell shaded adventure which - at first glance - reminds me of a delicious mash-up of Ico, Journey and Zelda: The Windwaker and takes the form of an open world trek, exploring sun-kissed landscapes and ancient ruins.
    A trailer was shown at Gamescom last week, which featured a young boy scampering along a beach, running atop grass covered coastal hills, leaping across rocky outcrops and warding off shadowy figures with nothing more than a simple torch.
    It looked magnificent and, while details remain vague, I'm really looking forward to seeing more of this delightful looking game.

 

 

Unholy Heights - PC

Satan, Beelzebub, Old Nick - the Devil has many different names but no matter what people have chosen to call him across the millennia, he is usually portrayed in exactly the same way, with cloven hooves, forked tail and horns and is usually wreathed in dancing flames. However, I think it's safe to say that he's never been portrayed as a mustachioed, middle-age landlord with a receding hairline before. Yet, that is exactly what Old Nick looks like in Unholy Heights, a neat little game available via Playism.
    Yes, the economic downturn that has forced nations to their knees and brought misery to millions has even reached the fiery depths of Hell. Bankers, I'm sure you'll agree, have a lot to answer for.
    Forced to leave the warmth of home behind to become financially secure again, the Devil has packed his belongings, crossed the Acheron and built an apartment block slap bang in the middle of fertile countryside. But he isn't looking for students to rip off or an average Joe to reside in his block. Instead, he's looking to cram monsters of all shapes and sizes into his otherworldly development - Unholy Heights.
    Not only do these demons and mythical creatures pay rent, they also rally to the Devil's call and will fight brave adventurers who would love nothing more than to steal the Devil's wealth.
    Monsters wander to the apartments, take a look at the noticeboard and either decide they want to stay, or toddle off to find somewhere better to rest their weary heads. If they are interested in staying, a simple click sends them into one of the available rooms.
    A rag-tag collection of misfits, demons and mythological creatures come and go, each with their own fighting style and having a decent mix is always advisable because it doesn't take long for the fighting to begin.

Once an intruder is spotted, the player has to knock on doors and rouse his demonic army. However, sometimes, this motley crew are out and about doing their own thing, leaving the player short-handed and with limited options. Once engaged in battle, it's wise to keep a close eye on things, because if your tenants die, they are gone forever. Luckily, a simple click sends them scurrying back, while another creature takes its place. Defeat the forces of good, and you'll be rewarded with cash.
    Missions are also available on the block's noticeboard. These are colour coded and completing them unlocks items, new monsters and bundles of cash, which can be spent upgrading rooms, buying items for your tenants, or increasing the size of Unholy Heights.
    Your residents aren't shy and ask for improvements in their rooms, which obviously comes at a cost - but keeping the little blighters happy is certainly worth the extra effort. Of course, you can evict them if you like, or even crank up the rent if they are being particularly bothersome.
    It gets deeper, too, with some monster breeds disliking others and there's even a romantic angle to proceedings, with couples getting together and having baby monsters. The benefit of this is that rather than just one demon residing in a room, you can have multiple bodies - a larger fighting force - and increase the rent as a result. However, more demons means more demands and keeping  everyone in Unholy Heights happy is somewhat akin to spinning plates but it is an essential component of this cracking little game.
    All of the single screen action is wrapped up in a quite splendid soundtrack, which strums and whistles away beautifully in the background and gives things a light-hearted feel, even though battles are anything but.
    There is plenty of depth here - although not everything is crystal clear - and it's one of those titles which effortlessly sucks away hours of your time and quick 10 minute sessions regularly turn into hours of futzing around with your merry band of raucous creatures.
   The game is cheap - less than a cup of coffee - and you really do get a lot for your money. There's also a demo should you wish to try before you buy. Visit: the Playism website for more information on this accessible and entertaining little game.

Pikmin 3 - Wii U

Incredibly, it's been 11 years since Captain Olimar first plucked a ruby red Pikmin from the soil of an alien planet and embarked on a quest to find the missing parts of his ruined ship, the S.S Dolphin on the GameCube.
    The brainchild of Nintendo legend Shigeru Miyamoto subsequently spawned a sequel which catapulted the cult classic through the arboretum into mainstream consciousness.
    Evidence of the game's growing appeal can be found by merely glancing at Nintendo's work over recent years. Transferring data from the Wii to the Wii U was anything but a slog thanks to a wonderful animation sequence involving the plant-like Pikmin. Olimar and some of his Pikmin chums are coming to the next Smash Bros game, they made an appearance in Wii U launch title Nintendo Land and nabbing a Pikmin hat in Animal Crossing: New Leaf always brings a smile.
    Now, Pikmin 3 has landed on Wii U, bringing the much-loved series into the high definition era for the first time and with it, a whole heap of expectations from a  Wii U audience starved of first-party Nintendo titles.
    The people of Koppai are running out of food and decide to launch a trio of intrepid explorers - Captain Charlie, Alph and Brittany - into the vast vacuum of space on board the SS Drake to search for vittles to feed their dying planet.
    However, a near disaster while entering a suitable planet's atmosphere scatters the three astronauts and so begins the latest entry in the Pikmin series.

Pikmin 3's gameplay isn't a radical departure to what has gone before - it's still an action/strategy hybrid, where your chosen astronaut romps about beautiful environments, recruiting an army of Pikmin followers to bash through obstacles and drag fruit and assorted trinkets back to the safety of the spacecraft before night descends.
    Once darkness falls, nocturnal creatures emerge, chomping down any Pikmin that have been accidentally been left behind. It can be stress-inducing as the sun sets and you frantically leg it towards safety before suddenly realising you've left a handful of your colourful charges out in the wild.
    However, despite the grim outcome once dusk settles over the land, there's no rush to accomplish tasks and the player is free to get their hands dirty rooting around in flower beds and snuffling out new paths to their heart's content - as long as there is enough fruit juice on board the SS Drake to keep the pint-sized space explorers sustained.
    Fruit that was hastily abandoned in the rush to get to safety the night before is still there the next morning and by taking things at a more relaxed pace, you learn to appreciate the work Nintendo has put into crafting this delightful world.
    The Pikmin come in various flavours, each type having its own strengths and weaknesses and choosing how best to deploy them around the luscious gameworld lies at the heart of the Pikmin experience. Red Pikmin, for example are fire resistant, while the yellow blighters conduct electricity, while rock Pikmin are a dab hand at smashing through glass barriers.
Squads can be split, put into groups and divided among the three explorers and this focus on team work becomes vital as you progress through the game.
    Controlling your Pikmin army and flipping between sets is easily handled but despite Nintendo's best efforts to integrate the Wii U's controller, the old Wiimote and nunchuk system works so much better than playing solely on the pad.
Controlling via the Wii U's controller is a fiddly and frustrating business and it jars when compared to the fluid  motion sensing control option. It's something of a missed opportunity and the Wii U pad is quickly cast aside, only ever glanced at occasionally when you need to check a map of the level. Its one saving grace is that the pad can be used to take pictures which can then be uploaded on to Miiverse for the world to see.

    The to HD has had a striking effect and while I've never been one to get overly excited about visuals, seeing the Pikmin world in full, colourful, eye-popping HD really is quite an experience. Every new piece of collected fruit can be rotated and gawped at and it can be a mouth-watering experience, while Nintendo prove once again that when it comes to water effects, they are the best in the business.
    Sound design also stands out and helps give Pikmin 3 its quirky atmosphere. The off-kilter soundtrack plinks and plonks beautifully in the background, while the main characters chirrup away to each other in a garbled tongue in a similar style to characters in Skip Ltd and Punchline's games such as Chibi-Robo, Chulip and Giftpia.
    Aside from the main story mode, there are two others to dive into: Mission and Bingo Battle. Mission is split into three activities: Collect Treasure, Battle Enemies and Defeat Bosses. These are wonderful little timed excursions and can be played either solo or with a friend.
    Bingo Battle is Nintendo at its best and involves a head-to-head competition where players are tasked with finding specific fruit and enemies to complete a line on a bingo card. It's a riot, with players scampering desperately around the level in a bid to outdo their opponent. It's a simple idea, but Nintendo execute it brilliantly and is a mode which will keep everyone laughing and shouting long into the night.
     When it comes to first-party titles, Nintendo are hard to beat. Their core titles are consistently good across all platforms and Pikmin 3 illustrates this perfectly. It might not be radically different to previous games but the Japanese giant have carved out a slice of delightful entertainment which shouldn't go unnoticed. Wonderful and uplifting, Pikmin 3 is a gem.

Rymdkapsel - iOS/Android/PlayStation Mobile

Over the last week or so, I've been spending chunks of my time playing a few strategy titles. I'm slowly working my way through the wonderful and complex world of Europa Universalis IV, but late at night, when I'm looking for something to chill out with, my attention has been fully focused on Rymdkapsel by Martin Jonasson on iOS.
    Presented in a beautiful minimalist style with a hypnotic, droning soundtrack by Niklas Strom, your task is to construct a sprawling space station and in doing so, uncover the secrets of mysterious monoliths which lie scattered across the vast expanses of space.
    Starting out with just a duo of intrepid explorers, you have to build reactors, become self-sufficient by creating food supplies, extract minerals from gas clouds, fortify the station with weapons and create living quarters for your fledgling, spacefarers to thrive.
    The twist is that at certain times, your Tetris-style complex comes under attack from snaking enemies and, as the game progresses, these attacks become more frequent and deadly. Balancing construction with exploration and defence is the central mechanic and it's beautifully executed.
    It all works flawlessly thanks to a refined control system, which simply requires the player to swipe and tap to command the pixel like crew. Games last upwards of an hour and it's a real test of nerve as you try and keep all the plates spinning as the alien enemy swoops in with deadly intent.
    One of the most absorbing games I've played this year and a title I'll keep coming back to in the weeks and months to come.

The Last of Us - PS3

Since the PlayStation 3 launched in 2007, Naughty Dog's games have peppered the console's lifespan,
etching out memorable marks throughout the course of the last six years. But as the console prepares to hand over the reins to the PlayStation 4, Naughty Dog has given the console one final hurrah in the shape of The Last of Us.
    While their Uncharted series was centered around suave and assured all-action hero Nathan Drake and his penchant for rooting out ancient treasure in far flung corners of the globe, The Last of Us treads a very different path.
    Twenty years after a fungal plague has turned the majority of the population of America into feral,
zombie-like mutants, grizzled protagonist Joel is forced to take a journey across America with 14-year-old Ellie, who has a secret that must be protected at all costs. What follows over the next 15 or so hours is an emotional, bleak and at times uplifting story, which is expertly delivered thanks to Naughty Dog's technical expertise, a cast of magnificent voice actors and a script which frequently tugs at the heart strings.
    But while the post-apocalyptic backdrop and zombie masses are certainly nothing new in video games, Naughty Dog has decided not to go into this game with all guns blazing. Success in The Last of Us is down to what you have to hand rather than how many guns you can cram into your backpack, and Joel and Ellie's survival is more likely to be down to a sturdy length of pipe rather than an assault rifle.
    Crafting items is a key part of the game and while The Last of Us is a linear adventure, it often pays to scamper off the beaten track to scavenge for materials to cobble together crude bombs, knives and medi packs - all of which are essential if you hope to safely traverse the ravaged landscape.
    Stealth is actively encouraged, not only because ammo is scarce, but because gunfire draws enemies to your position. The infected mutants who shamble menacingly around react to the slightest sound, while aggressive human survivors sweep locations in packs and react with alarming accuracy, diving for cover should the fireworks start.

    But what really make The Last of Us such a memorable experience is its astonishing atmosphere, spine-tingling narrative, eye-popping visuals and excellent sound work. Claustrophobic and decaying interiors packed full of danger and toxic spores give way to outdoor marvels such as beautiful sunsets, lush vegetation, verdant forests and eye-popping cityscapes, while the dusty, haunting score pins everything together beautifully.
    The Last of Us does so much right, than when it does put a foot wrong, the results are jarring. QTE button stabs have been a staple of Naughty Dog's games this generation and unfortunately they make a return here.
Lifting gates requires constant - and completely unnecessary - button presses, while the game also likes to reuse the same tired solutions to environmental puzzles.
    Finding pristine ladders among the chaos and rubble to give the pair access to hard to reach ledges
is a trick used far too often, as is using floating wooden pallets to ferry Ellie across stretches of water. Even Ellie is exasperated by this mind-numbing repetition, voicing her displeasure at one point at
having to once again be transported across choppy water.
    But these niggles aside, you have to take your hat off to Naughty Dog for getting back on track after the disappointing Uncharted 3 and delivering a sobering tale of love, loss and hope which will live long in the memory.

The Dungeoning - PC/Mac

Over the last few weeks, I've been delighted to see Nick from Physmo release more screens from their forthcoming game titled The Dungeoning.

Physmo have a growing reputation for releasing quality games, with Mos Speedrun, GhostRacer and Seaglass already under their belt. The Dungeoning is looking splendid so far but when Nick told me this was a Roguelike platformer, I almost cried tears of pure ASCII joy.

The Dungeoning is currently deep in development for PC and Mac, and Physmo have announced the game will feature a variety of weapons, projectile-based magic, levelling up and - most importantly - permadeath.

No release date has been announced yet but The Dungeoning is definitely one to keep your eye on. In the meantime, gaze at this small selection of screens from the current build and head over to the official Physmo site for more information.

The Bridge - PC

There is something quite endearing - and familiar - about The Bridge's lead character. Resplendent in blazer, diamond-emblazoned jumper, well-knotted tie and round spectacles, he is an intriguing fellow - and the mystery behind him and the gravity-defying world he inhabits is just as mesmirising.

The Bridge is a puzzler, which likes to futz with gravity, mess with your sense of perspective and takes great delight in being responsible for melting your brain with its collection of gravity-shifting conundrums.

Clearly taking its visual cue from the head-scratching drawings by Dutch artist MC Escher, The Bridge is a thoroughly absorbing title and one which fuses simple controls with visually complex levels.

The player is able to walk the protagonist left and right and can rotate the screen both clockwise and anti-clockwise, with the ultimate goal of reaching a door which then whisks our smartly-presented gentleman into another, more complicated warped world.

Of course, that sounds simple but The Bridge is anything but. Snaffling keys unlocks these doors, but the act of collecting them is a lot tougher than you might initially imagine. They have a tendency to slip into the ether through gaps in the levels as you gingerly rotate the world, dangle tantalisingly just out of reach and perch precariously on ledges.

Even when you manage to collect these monochrome treasures, you still have to navigate your way to the exit - no easy task, especially when giant grinning stone marbles are intent on erasing you from existence and quirky vortexes like to swallow everything and anything that gets too close. Thankfully, The Bridge lets the player rewind time so they are free to finely tune their tactics and this nifty Prince of Persia-like mechanic keeps the game ticking along nicely.

But even though some of the puzzles are maddening - especially when polarity is introduced - the sublime monochrome pencil sketch visuals and gentle music keep the player engaged and seeing what fresh mental torture awaits keeps the player moving doggedly on.

The Bridge, then, is a rather fine game and like any good puzzler there's a wonderful sense of accomplishment when you finally figure out a level. Polished, brilliantly presented and delightfully devilishly, a stroll across this bridge into another world is a trip you should definitely take.

This review initially appeared on the Gert Lush Gaming website. Thanks to Jim for allowing me to post the review here.

Kentucky Route Zero: Act I

I could ramble on at great length about the first act of Kentucky Route Zero. But instead, I'll merely mention the strange characters, the slick art style, the unsettling atmosphere and the joy of driving around its spindly, monochrome map learning more about this eerie twilight-bathed land and its inhabitants. Why won't I go into more detail? Simply, Kentucky Route Zero is a game full of charms best discovered first-hand.

Act one of this fine point and click adventure is available here and although short, it is well worth the asking price. I can't wait to see where developer Cardboard Computer (Jake Elliott and Tamas Kemenczy) plan on taking Conway and his old, rattling truck in the months to come.

Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate

Rejoice, my fellow hunters! Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate is almost with us! Well, we still have a few months to wait, but I hardly need much persuasion to post something Monster Hunter related, so here we are.

Ultimate is stomping its way to the US on March 19, before swimming across the Atlantic - presumably tied to the back of a Lagiacrus - a few days later on March 22. Ultimate will be released simultaneously on Wii U and 3DS and that means one thing - I'll finally be picking up a Wii U to coincide with the release. I've been putting it off for too long and this gives me the perfect excuse to jump into Nintendo's new console.

While the Wii U version will have full online play, the 3DS version doesn't have this feature. However, cross-platform saves mean I gather resources on the bus to and from work on my 3DS and then transfer them to the Wii U when I get home. Perfect.

While it's doubtful we'll ever celebrate Monster Hunter like they do in Japan, I really hope this is the version which finally convinces those sitting on the fence how good Monster Hunter really is.

And, as if all this Monster Hunter goodness wasn't enough, there are rumours abound that Monster Hunter 4 - due to arrive in Japan this year on 3DS - will also be coming to Vita. The thought of playing an import version on the Vita's sumptuous screen is enough to make a wyvern cry shiny tears of joy.

I'm off for some 1000 Year Crab and Hairy Tuna sushi to celebrate!

Freedom Planet

Years of being mercilessly battered by critics have left Sonic the Hedgehog - that once proud, hi-top wearing flash of blue, sprawled face down on the canvas. Sure, he manages to occasionally drag his limp, bruised body over to the ropes and raise his bloodied face to give us a soupcon of fun - usually in something other than a platform game - but the old codger just hasn't been himself since the Nineties.

It's a shame, because on the Megadrive, the spiky hog was light years ahead of the competition, starring in several wonderful and perilous platform capers. Sonic's star might have faded since then, but rather than sit around and wait for some Cocoon-like rebirth, the team at GalaxyTrail Games have come up with something quite exciting - a frothy platformer which doffs its cap to Sega's old mascot, before zooming away on a madcap dash to the finish line.

Freedom Planet is the name and judging by the excellent demo, the dev team could be on to something of a winner. The game bears a striking resemblance to Sonic's old adventures, but GalaxyTrail have added a fresh injection of fun to the old formula by adding a dose of inspiration from Megaman and Gunstar Heroes.

Multi-tiered levels, unlockable characters with their own unique moves, infuriatingly catchy tunes and breathless platform action should ensure healthy sales and with a modest Kickstarter target already surpassed, this could be big.

Visit Freedom Planet's Kickstarter page to download the demo and see the game in action for yourself.

Chasm

When Shiren the Wanderer and Koppa took me on a journey to the Lair of the Golden Condor back in 2008, little did I know the lasting effect it would have. Since then, I've become a complete Roguelike nerd, geeking out at the mere mention of permadeath, procedurally generated dungeons and gold-plated +5 katanas. So, when I found out about Chasm - a Roguelike/platformer in early development from Discord Games - I couldn't help but sit up and take notice.

Taking its inspiration from classic Roguelikes and games such as Diablo and Castlevania, Chasm has its heart in the right place, while the crisp, pixelated visuals have already set my heart aflutter.

The plan is to release the game on Windows, Mac and Linux, with the possibility of a XBLIG release to follow. It's not going to be out in the wild anytime soon, but I plan on keeping my peepers on Chasm as it goes through development.

Visit the official Chasm site to check out the latest news about the game and you can show the game a little love over on Steam Greenlight.

Knytt Underground

Nicklas Nygren’s games are always worth playing but perhaps his most accomplished work has been his fabulous Knytt series. Back in 2008, I urged Sony to bring Knytt Stories to PSN and finally, unbelievably, a new Knytt game has popped up on PS3, Vita and PC – and it’s wonderful.

Knytt Underground is split into three chapters, with the first two introducing the player to the various play mechanics, while the third chapter throws everything together to create yet another spellbinding adventure.

Nicklas – or Nifflas as he's better known - has taken elements from his previous Knytt games and fused them with another of his celebrated works, Within A Deep Forest, to create a brilliant and superbly thought out game where exploration takes centre stage.

What makes Nifflas’ games so memorable is the wonderful environmental sound effects, which blend with the simple visuals to create a sublime atmosphere. Knytt Underground continues this theme with a host of aural delights. From gentle acoustic guitars playing over rustling leaves in the wind, to minimalist electronica, it's all here and it sounds quite incredible through headphones.

If you want to check the game out, you can download a demo (Windows, OS x and Linux) from the Nifflas’ Games website, or grab the digital download from the PlayStation Network.

Extinct

This four-level Ludum Dare entry is a perfect coffee break game and features a few neat ideas. The aim is to try and stop a band of prehistoric tribesmen from crossing a map to claim a tasty haunch of meat. The loincloth-wearing humans follow a pre-determined path towards their lunch but by placing objects such as mammoths, ice flows and god statues along their path, you can kill them before they reach their goal.

There's a nice layer of strategy thrown into the mix as each of the items at your disposal has pros and cons. For example, placing a volcano in their path might seem as if it will lead to a fiery death for the hunters - and it often does - but in some cases they'll claim fire from the lava which they can then use to scare away the ferocious beasts you've dropped in their path.

Extinct is a smart little game, even though it's all over in a few minutes. You can play it in your web browser here.

Delver

I do love a good Roguelike and the latest to sink its claws into me and drag me off to a grisly death is Chad Cuddigan's Delver – a game which is currently in development for Windows, Mac, Linux and Android devices. Unlike the vast majority of Roguelikes - which are usually viewed from a top-down perspective - Delver is viewed in the first-person, which makes the simple task of rounding a corner a nerve-shredding experience.

The visuals in this spelunking excursion are excellent, with some nifty lighting effects used as you scuttle down corridors, while there are some cool weapons to snaffle, especially the wands which have a devastating effect on the subterranean denizens.

Chad has some big ideas for Delver and although he's constantly beavering away on making it even better, what is here already is really quite special.

For more, head on over to the official website where you can check its development, follow Chad on Twitter and vote the game up on Steam Greenlight.

Radio the Universe

I’ve been on something of a crowd funding crusade of late, throwing my hard-earned cash around as if it were Monopoly money. That said, it has been an incredibly exciting few months, with some fabulous looking projects on the way, including Sui Generis, Maia, Richard & Alice, Ouya and the cheeky little scamp that is Spud’s Quest.

As if all this wasn’t enough, I’ve was tuned into Radio the Universe just before Christmas – a dark and brooding title which, according to developer 6e6e6e, takes its inspiration from games such as Zelda, Dark Souls, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and Hotline Miami.

The mere mention of Dark Souls is enough for me to part with my cash instantly, but a quick glance at Radio the Universe’s screens actually brought to mind the overlooked and quirky DS RPG Contact – albeit with a darker edge.

The game hit its Kickstarter target of $12,000 within hours and has now reached all of its stretch goals, which promise to expand the game world, add secondary weapon systems and double the amount of cut scenes.

Head on over to Radio the Universe's Kickstarter page to find out more and see the game in action.