Name: Beat Slayer – PC Review
Item: Beat Slayer
Rating: 4.0

5Apr

By Rowen CameronNo Comments

PC Reviews

Beat Slayer – PC Review

Ever wonder what Hades mixed with Crypt of the NecroDancer set in a ‘90s dystopian city would be like? Well, wonder no more! ByteRockers’ Games takes all these juicy elements and blends them into a high-energy roguelike smoothie. Beat Slayer is a 3D hack-and-slash rhythm roguelike that tests not only your combat prowess but your musical timing. Hack-And-Slash Rhythm Roguelike - Beat Slayer It’s ‘90s Berlin and the twisted music mogul Dietrich has perfected the art of truly hypnotic music: using sound waves to emit mind-control signals. All who hear it become his mindless zombies and, with a robot army to keep order, he has the entire city under his control. But there’s one underground corner of the capital free from his grip and ready to fight back. Young rebel Mia and her crew of mis...

Feels, Felines and Finding Yourself – Steam Next Fest February 2024

29Feb

By Rowen Cameron3 Comments

Features

Feels, Felines and Finding Yourself – Steam Next Fest February 2024

Steam again got into the Valentine’s spirit this month with their thrice-yearly spreading of indie game love. Vals, gals or pals, it was the perfect pre-holiday experience. The first Steam Next Fest of 2024 ran from 5th - 12th February, boasting a vast array of upcoming indie demos from both new and known developers. Many also hosted devstreams and live Q&As to further whet players’ appetites for what awaits on the indie horizon. Spicy Souls-likes, artful adventures, pixel art platformers, quirky crafters - whatever your taste, everyone could easily come away with some favourites. Us included. So here are five memorable demos that captured my heart and made eyes at me long after ending: Hauntii Developer: Moonloop Games Publisher: Firestoke Planned Release Date: Q2 202...

8Feb

By Rowen CameronNo Comments

PC Reviews

Twilight Oracle – PC Review

In a world of strange creatures and unknown worlds, a supernatural gift is commonplace and doesn’t stop you from being at the bottom of the class. But even a straight-F student has a chance to orchestrate monumental change. ‘80s-reminiscent developer Cosmic Void returns with another pixel art point-and-click adventure: Twilight Oracle. Blending sci-fi, fantasy and zany antics, it's a bonkers tale that Dalí would take notes from! Struggling student Leo is in quite the pickle. His grades are woeful, his prospects grim and his ability to breathe underwater is going to waste. Brought before the school Magistrate, he is given an ultimatum: redeem himself by retrieving a renegade disciple or be banished and stripped of his gift forever. Well, banishment would be kinda long and boring. And if ...

Mysteries, Myths & Melodies – Steam Next Fest October 2023

6Nov

By Rowen CameronNo Comments

Features

Mysteries, Myths & Melodies – Steam Next Fest October 2023

Any indie gamer knows that one of the best places to find hidden gems is at Steam Next Fest. Three times a year, hundreds of upcoming/newly released games are showcased with playable demos, livestreams and dev Q&A sessions. And it’s where you’ll find me glued to my desk soaking up every last bit of it. Every year the number of incredible demos increases, the wishlist gets ever bigger and we're always here for it! So, having finally been able to fully absorb the sheer volume of great demos on offer, here’s a few that went straight in my basket: Agatha Christie - Murder on the Orient Express Developer: Microids Studio Lyon Publisher: Microids Release Date: 19th October 2023 Platforms: PC, Playstation 5, Playstation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch The Belgian de...

9Oct

By Rowen Cameron1 Comment

PC Reviews

Bilkins’ Folly – PC Review

When is a pirate not a pirate? When they’re a ‘treasure hunter’, of course! Sailing, swashbuckling and grog is all fine and dandy, but finding long lost booty is the meat of the matter. Of course, most modern pirate-themed games include this, as they should. But often it’s with the aid of a detailed map, HUD and quest markers. Bilkins’ Folly by Webbysoft takes it firmly back to basics, embracing the maps, methods and mania of a true treasure hunter. Percival Bilkins is the young heir of a line of famous treasure hunters, eager to live up to the family name. His mother and grandfather disappeared when he was just a young boy. Now of age, he sets sail with his faithful dog Drayton on a quest to find them. But a dreadful storm finds the pair shipwrecked on a deserted island without bearing...

26Sep

By Rowen CameronNo Comments

PC Reviews

The Tartarus Key – PC Review

Despite the plethora of high-definition scares out there, low-poly indie horrors have experienced a surge in recent years. There's an audience out there eager for PS1-style spoopy entertainment. Following the success of their visual novel game Aviary Attorney, Portugal-based studio Vertical Reach decided to trade sparrows for scares. From this came The Tartarus Key, a psychological horror adventure game with both a Saw-esque nature and an eldritch aura. You play Alex Young, an average teenager who wakes up in a strange mansion. She has no memory of how she got there, but cameras watch her every move. Doors are locked with puzzles and devious contraptions. And it seems as though she is not the only one trapped here. But things take an ominous turn when Alex begins to hear things, see thi...

31Aug

By Rowen Cameron2 Comments

PC Reviews

Full Void – PC Review

Cinematic platformers are a rare find. Lost relics of gaming past, they are a sub-genre that only surfaces sporadically; very few games are classified as such to date. Even less that truly tap into the feel of ‘90s titles like Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee/Exoddus, Heart of Darkness and Another World. I myself spent many hours on the former two as a kid - dying many and sundry times, of course. So when one comes along that does, it immediately gets my attention. Full Void by OutOfTheBit Ltd is one such game. This pixel art platformer paints a bleak (and perhaps now not so outrageously farfetched) picture of a grim future. A rogue A.I. has taken over a sprawling city and controls mankind. Menacing machines now patrol the dilapidated streets and alleys. The only hope lies in a runaway teenage b...

Tails: The Backbone Preludes – PC Review

31Jul

By Rowen CameronNo Comments

PC Reviews

Tails: The Backbone Preludes – PC Review

In 2021, Egg Nut Games and Raw Fury showed us that the world of animals was even more gritty and complex as our own with noir pixel art game Backbone. Following raccoon P.I. Howard Lotor, players were thrown into a world of intrigue and conspiracy and were left with some questions hanging in the air. 2 years later, they return to share how it all began with prequel Tails: The Backbone Preludes. Tails takes place years before the events of its predecessor, showing the beginnings of its key characters. Backbone protagonist Howard Lotor returns, as does reporter Renee Wilson and mob boss Clarissa Bloodworth. Joined by newcomer Eli Abbas, four stories of growth, discovery, intrigue and danger paint a picture of Vancouver's past. What is beyond the city walls? How did a don’s granddaughter m...

24Feb

By Rowen Cameron1 Comment

Switch Reviews

Clive ‘N’ Wrench – Switch Review

There are few gaming genres more nostalgic and fondly remembered than 3D platformers. Games like Banjo-Kazooie, Jak & Daxter and Ratchet & Clank were hits with the popular hero/sidekick or dynamic duo formula. For the majority of gamers born pre-2000, these were a huge part of their virtual journeys. And like a cosy comfort blanket, they hold warm memories begging to be revisited. Clive ‘N’ Wrench from Dinosaur Bytes Studio, published by Numskull Games, looks to resurrect those fuzzy platforming memories. And in many ways, indeed it does. But it also revives some memories of 3D platforming that we’d rather forget. In an anthropomorphic animated world, the tyrannical Dr Daucus looks to conquer space and time. To facilitate this, he has stolen Professor Nancy Merricarp’s time trav...

22Feb

By Rowen CameronNo Comments

PC Reviews

Elderand – PC Review

Titles like Blasphemous and Dead Cells brought the brutal challenge of the Souls series to the realm of Metroivania and proved to be quite the hit. Published by Graffiti Games, Elderand by Mantra and Sinergia Games is a pixel-art Metroidvania platformer/RPG that pits you against gruesome Lovecraft-inspired foes and terrifying bosses. While it doesn’t break new ground in the genre, it follows the formula solidly and ultimately provides an enjoyable experience. You are an enigmatic mercenary, contracted to stem the tide of evil wrought by the cult of Sserthis. The realm of Elderand needs you. But your ship is doomed to sink and you have washed ashore with little more than the soaked clothes on your back. Using your skills and the weapons you source along the way, you must battle your way ...