Mice, Reality TV, and Saving the Ocean
More games to deal with mice than I was expecting in this week's new indie releases
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The Invincible stumbles in style
The Invincible is a passable walking sim that has some heady themes that it never really lets you examine too closely.
Neon-noir vibes, atompunk sci-fi, and roguelike shooters
Here's your Indie Release Dispatch for November 10, 2023. Written and hosted by Steve Heller Hello everyone! This week has been fraught with massive proejcts at the day job. So unfortunately there will be no podcast in the post this week. I will be recording that and releasing it tomorrow,
Fishy pals, Sand boats, and ex-boyfriend trouble
This week we recommend turn-based cultural exploration game Thirsty Suitors, a calming Fish Game, and some other great indies.
Tubby divers, grimdark tactics, and more cards!
This week we recommend the Nintendo Switch launch of Dave the Diver, grimdark tactics RPG Beast, Scene Investigators, and more deckbuilding games
El Paso, Elsewhere is a stunning look at troubled relationships
Every moment in El Paso, Elsewhere is arresting. From Savage’s smokey monologue opening the game to the sun-drenched ending seven hours later, this was the entirety of my being for a weekend and still lingers long after those final credits rolled.
Monochromatic squids, Coyote bikers, and Civilization-lite
This week on Indie Release Dispatch we talk about the long-awaited monochromatic roguelike World of Horror, and other indie games out this week.
Beneath Oresa is on top of its game
Fans of almost any of the card-based deckbuilder roguelikes of the past few years would conceivably have a great time in Beneath Oresa.
Gunbrella Review: Revenge, Shotguns, and Parasols
Gunbrella is a fun action platformer that had incredible movement, and some unique combat ideas.
A piece about loss
Written by John P. This is a pretty personal piece about my life, it feels kinda weird to share really. I’ve been processing emotions about friends and family passing lately, and I like to write in a journal about my feelings, but for once I felt like talking about
Resident Evil 4 Remake confirms Capcom cares about their legacy
Resident Evil 4 remake could have been a treacherous path, but Capcom has nothing but utmost respect for their games.
Wildfrost is a an out of control roguelike full of charm
Written by Blue The first word that came to mind when I booted up Wildfrost was “charm”. It is a charming game, with charming visuals, and charming atmosphere. Less obliquely, Wildfrost is one of those games that knows exactly what kind of experience it wants to provide. Even from the
Redemption Reapers - Small Party Fire Emblem with an Action Economy
Written by Rinoa Carmichael Redemption Reapers borrows a lot from the Fire Emblem brand of tactical RPGs. This makes sense given Masayuki Horikawa has been working on Fire Emblem from Tracia 776 (1999) until 2015’s Fates. Redemption Reapers however discard one of the most notable things about Fire Emblem
Battling the Backlog Update: January - Sayonara Ayesha, Yoroshiku Yoko
Written by Rinoa Carmichael So I made a post about managing a backlog, setting a plan, and how that might help you work through it. Big talk for sure. But… am I following my own advice? So as some sort of self-reflection, I decided that delivering monthly backlog updates could
Battling the Backlog
Written by Rinoa Carmichael I, like many terminally online gamers, have what we in the biz call “too many games.” Before I get into this piece, I want to make one thing clear. There isn’t anything wrong with having a lot of games. I never want a backlog that’
The Kirby Trap - LudoLudo Dissonance
Written by Rinoa Carmichael First you draw a circle, then you dot the eyes, add a great big smile, and presto, it’s Kirby! I have spent a lot of time in my life teaching people fighting games. I love fighting games. Watching people learn to play games you love
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Extraction Shooters: The New Battle Royale?
For the past month I have been diving deep into The Cycle: Frontier, a game that is equally punishing as it is rewarding to those who can handle it’s mix of PvPvE. It was an instant slam dunk for me, taking all the systems that I love from HUNT:
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A Tarkov Player dives into The Cycle: Frontier
Written by Chaise Graham When I first purchased Escape from Tarkov back in 2018, little did I know that it would end up being my all-time favorite game. I’ve spent over 4,000 hours in the brutal factories, forests, and streets of Tarkov, which means that I’ve seen
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Card Shark Review - Skullduggeries and mystery
Written by Steve Heller When I think of cards in video games, I immediately imagine two distinct types of games. There’s the collectible competitive games like Legends of Runeterra, Magic the Gathering: Arena, and Hearthstone, then there’s the indie deckbuilder roguelikes ala Slay the Spire, Griftlands, or Fights
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What The Hell Happened To Vampire the Masquerade - Bloodlines 2?
Written by Steve Heller When Paradox Interactive announced that Vampire the Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 was delayed indefinitely, it was not a surprise for longtime fans of the cult-classic RPG. What was shaping up to be the first major action RPG from a publisher long known for their thoughtful 4X and
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Let’s have a party with Lost Dimension’s traitors! - LudoLudo Dissonance
Written by Rinoa Carmichael ⚠️This article may appear to contain spoilers in some screenshots, but due to the random nature of the Lost Dimension, these are not spoilers. I love RPGs. So many cool characters, so many powers, so many cool setups are possible! Isn’t it a shame that
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Stray Bombay Make Social Games - Developer Brunch
Video hosted by Steve Heller Three days after launching The Anacrusis I sat down with legendary writer Chet Faliszek (Portal, Left 4 Dead, Half-Life) to talk about his new studio. Stray Bombay set out with a mission, to make a social game, which has a bad connotation to most games,
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The Anacrusis - Worth It?
Video hosted by Steve Heller The Anacrusis is a co-op shooter set in a 70’s inspired sci-fi universe, that shares more than just a little DNA with Left 4 Dead. The debut release from Stray Bombay, the studio founded by former Valve writer Chet Faliszek (Left 4 Dead, Portal,
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The foreshadowing of Evil Zone - LudoLudo Dissonance
Written by Rinoa Carmichael After a long and if not successful, odd, marketing campaign, EA’s Dante’s Inferno was finally released in early 2010. A few months later to zero fanfare whatsoever, Yoko Taro’s NieR would release. Dante’s Inferno was considered to be fine, maybe even good?
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Roll7 Underwent A Mindset Change - Developer Brunch
Video hosted by Steve Heller A few weeks ago I sat down with Thomas Hegarty, one of three founders at UK studio, Roll7. Just months before the release of their return to OlliOlli, I wanted to discuss the formation of the studio, and what they hoped to achieve returning back
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OlliOlli World is a skate game with heart - The Rundown
Video hosted by Steve Heller A few weeks ago I had the chance to sit down with a preview build of OlliOlli World for our friends over at Impulse Gamer. I cannot express just how much I enjoyed grinding through this hills of this multicolored techno-wonderland that they have created.
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Xalavier Nelson Jr. talks about sustainable development - Developer Brunch
Video hosted by Steve Heller The day after the announcement of El Paso, Elsewhere, Strange Scaffold’s newest title that hits particularly hard for the studio lead, I sat down with Xalavier Nelson Jr. to talk about their career. In my mind I had a picture of the interview really
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BIOMUTANT is a really nice Ubisoft Clone - The Rundown
Video hosted by Steve Heller Imagine Rocket Raccoon from Guardians of the Galaxy inside of James Cameron’s Avatar, with a touch of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie… You know, the good one. And you get BIOMUTANT, a sprawling open-world RPG that casts you on a quest to save
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Fights In Tight Spaces - Worth It?
Written and hosted by Steve Heller. In a world where every game is a deckbuilding Roguelike, creating something truly unique is no easy feat. Ground Shatter’s Fights in Tight Spaces is a turn-based tactical card game that takes the blueprint of other Roguelike card battlers, and lets the actions
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First Class Trouble - Worth It?
Social deduction games have long been a favorite of mine. Ever since I played The Ship at a LAN back in 2006, I was hooked on the idea of playing with people in a more social context than shooting baddies, or ticking down flags in Day of Defeat. Since then
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Tasomachi: Behind the Twilight is Breath of the Mild
Written and hosted by Steve Heller When I think of indie platformers, more often than not it’s the tough as nails 2D offerings. Dustforce is one of my favorites, I owe my career to the anger-inducing levels in Super Meat Boy, and more recently Celeste has cemented itself as
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Chaos Rings and the chaotic frailty of mobile gaming history - LudoLudo Dissonance
Written by Rinoa Carmichael Games are a big medium. It’s impossible to know every game, follow every format, genre, region, and so naturally we are all going to fall into blind spots. This is natural and fine in a general sense. However, mobile gaming has often existed in a