Author: Rowen Cameron

Freelance writer, performer and content creator. Goes pretty much nowhere without colourful attire and floral headwear. Known as 'Pixie Poison' on YouTube, Twitch and most socials. Obsessed with indie games, pixel art games, RPGs & point-and-click-adventures. Can thrice-yearly be found consuming countless Steam Next Fest demos with copious glasses of Pepsi Max Cherry.
Tails: The Backbone Preludes – PC Review
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...
Clive ‘N’ Wrench – Switch Review
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...
Elderand – PC Review
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 ...
A Space For The Unbound – PC Review
PC Reviews

A Space For The Unbound – PC Review

Emotive sojourns are widespread in the indie scene, even beginning to become more prevalent in AAA territory. But rarely do they shed light on a relatively unknown region, be deeply relatable and also mind-bogglingly engrossing all at once. A Space For The Unbound by Mojiken Studio is a side-scrolling pixel art adventure that is both a warm, familiar embrace and a propulsion into a vortex of raw, all-encompassing emotion. Set in a fictional rural Indonesian town in the ‘90s, you play as protagonist Atma, journeying through high school life with his sweetheart Raya. But humdrum everyday life soon becomes anything but humdrum. Both possess supernatural abilities, Atma is troubled by dreams that feel familiar and a mysterious force threatens their very existence. What follows is a journey ...
Cats and the Other Lives – PC Review
PC Reviews

Cats and the Other Lives – PC Review

The overwhelming success of Stray back in July showed that the gaming world is hungry for more feline-centric adventures. Turkish studio Cultic Games’ latest release is one to further whet the appetite by bringing a more mature cat adventure to the realm of pixels. Part point-and-click adventure, part interactive fiction, Cats and the Other Lives is a 2D pixel art experience that tells the story of a fractured family through the eyes of a stalwart family companion. And good news for Steam Deck owners: this title is fully compatible and can be played on the go! When eccentric patriarch Bernard Mason dies, the estranged Mason family are brought back to their childhood home once more. As beloved pet cat Aspen, players uncover painful truths, suppressed memories and desiccated aspirations t...
Beacon Pines – PC Review
PC Reviews

Beacon Pines – PC Review

Changing fate and becoming a master of one’s own story is something everyone longs to be able to do. Indie developer Hiding Spot Games puts this front and centre with a blend of childlike inquisitiveness and dark, complex machinations only the adult mind can comprehend. Enter Beacon Pines. A BRANCHING TALE While visual novels aren't a big draw, adventure and choose-your-own-adventure games are soft spots for me. Beacon Pines is both. Being one of my Steam Next Fest highlights, I feverishly kept up with all updates on it. So like the art-loving, narrative-absorbing bibliophile I am, I was ready to get lost in the pages of a good book! Gameplay Beacon Pines tells the story of… well… a story! You are both the reader of a self-narrating book and its protagonist, young jackalope Luka VanHo...
Batora: Lost Haven – PC Press Preview
Previews & Early Access

Batora: Lost Haven – PC Press Preview

Team 17 and Stormind Games team up for a quest of interplanetary proportions releasing on October 20th. Batora: Lost Haven is an isometric action RPG that combines fast-paced, skill-swapping combat with a choice-driven story spanning a vast cosmos. After a cataclysmic event, Earth was driven to the brink of complete destruction. The remaining inhabitants are forced to carve out a way to survive as best they can. You play as Avril, a thrill-seeking teenager with a troubled past, chosen to be the vessel of the deities Sun and Moon and wielder of their supernatural powers. With these new abilities and the support of best friend Mila, Avril must journey across alien planets to save her home. Duality Shaping Destiny Isometric action RPGs are a sizeable (and ever-growing) section of my gaming ...
Indie Arena Booth Hybrid 2022: The Best of What’s Next
Features

Indie Arena Booth Hybrid 2022: The Best of What’s Next

For the first time since pre-pandemic, Gamescom celebrated a bold return to physical form in 2022. Hosted in Cologne, Germany, from August 24th - 28th, the event showcased over 1000 exhibitors worldwide to hundreds of thousands of eager visitors. Unable to physically attend? They had you covered. Gamescom also showcased a hefty virtual program of livestreams, gameplay trailers and panels for gamers to sink their teeth into. But of course, it wouldn’t be complete without the return of one of its popular features. With a 1500 SQM space and the ‘Indie Arena Brawl of Love’ theme, Indie Arena Booth Hybrid hosted over 130 indie developers with playable demos and interactive experiences. Some debuted their demos exclusively at Gamescom. Heavyweight publishers such as Daedalic Entertainment, Ra...
Outstanding Orchestra – Retro Playstation Games With Surprising Soundtracks
Features

Outstanding Orchestra – Retro Playstation Games With Surprising Soundtracks

It's easy to see why video games are now generally regarded as works of art. The blending of many different mediums to create a unique interactive experience is truly astounding. And with the advancements in technology and media, people are now more freely able to explore and appreciate them. One that has gained significantly more attention is music. Video game soundtracks have garnered more attention from both players and critics over the years and it's now easier than ever to listen to your favourite game’s musical offerings. Because of this, there is now also a certain level of musical expectation in video games. Nowadays, it's no surprise that a video game showcases a grand, multifaceted soundtrack, often using a wide variety of instruments. Even a full orchestra. And most players w...
Crowns and Pawns: Kingdom of Deceit PC Review
PC Reviews

Crowns and Pawns: Kingdom of Deceit PC Review

Following the footsteps of the classics and indie darlings that preceded it, Crowns and Pawns: Kingdom of Deceit from Tag of Joy is a modern point-and-click adventure that brings lesser-known European history to the forefront and throws in a good helping of mystery and intrigue. UNCOVER THE SECRETS OF THE KING NEVER CROWNED Crowns and Pawns delves into what all vintage adventures do best— mysteries, relics and conspiracies—while still putting its own seal on the point-and-click parchment. Being an unabashed point-and-click and adventure nut in general, this was speaking my language. Naturally, I had to get my hands on it and dive in headfirst. Gameplay The story centres around Milda Kovas, a woman living in Chicago who receives a letter informing her that her grandfather in Lithuan...