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  • Rise of the Ronin - PC Review

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Treasure Hunter Simulator is Available on Nintendo Switch!

March 6th, 2026 | Treasure Hunter Simulator is available for purchase on the Nintendo Switch. This relaxing game from the creators of the best-selling Gas Station Simulator lets you step into the shoes of a treasure hunter who combs through historically significant locations with the help of a metal detector. Treasure Hunter Simulator is also available on PC, as well as PlayStation and Xbox consoles.


Developed by the Polish studio DRAGO entertainment, the game was originally released in 2018 on PC. It has been available on PlayStation and Xbox consoles since 2021, and now it debuts on Nintendo Switch – with Ultimate Games S.A. responsible for its development and publishing on that platform.

Treasure Hunter Simulator is an engaging game where you can become a seeker of historical artifacts, using a metal detector to uncover treasures hidden underground. The gameplay blends arcade and simulation elements, with the treasure-hunting mechanics built around simple and intuitive controls.

You’ll venture to various locations across the globe. At first, you’ll explore local forests, but once you’ve earned enough funds, you can head to more exotic and intriguing places. These include forests, fields, mountains, and ruins.

You can keep your findings for your personal collection or get them identified and sold. The revenue can be used to purchase better equipment and finance further expeditions. In total, Treasure Hunter Simulator features over 100 unique artifacts, including a dozen legendary items. You have access to 8 different types of metal detectors to aid in your search.

Treasure Hunter Simulator also features improved metal detector mechanics, which makes it appealing not only to fans of simulators but also to players looking for new challenges.


Treasure Hunter Simulator – main features:
  • Searching for historical treasures;
  • relaxing and accessible gameplay;
  • over 100 artifacts;
  • various historical locations;
  • 8 types of metal detectors.

The release date for Treasure Hunter Simulator on Nintendo Switch is March 6, 2025.
Article by: Susan N.
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Wednesdays Releases on March 26th!

Paris, March 5th 2025 - Wednesdays takes the form of an interactive visual novel strip and a memory trail, helping players to decipher the silence of victims and recognize the signs of sexual abuse in the people around them. Through the fragmented memories of a victim, this real-life game combines storytelling and the management of a theme park, a symbol of the world of childhood, to raise awareness and help make amends. Wednesdays will be available on Wednesday March 26th 2025 on PC and Mac via Steam and itch.io.


The Pixel Hunt and Pierre Corbinais, figures of narrative video games, who have already moved audiences by collaborating on such unique, innovative and committed titles as Bury Me, My Love (published by ARTE France) and The Wreck, are behind this new project.

In a retro 2D style, as a tribute to the video games of the 1990s, an empty island awaits Timothée, the main character of Wednesdays. Orco, the orca-headed mascot and guide, invites him to build a theme park on the island. In each of the attractions, Timothée recovers a memory, from his life as a young boy to his first steps as an adult. All these fragments of memory are linked to the incest he suffered each Wednesday afternoon for many years.
 
He rediscovers his past twenty years later, and with it an endless stream of questions: How could this have happened? How could anyone have seen and spoken? How was he affected when he grew up?
 
Other scenes resurface: afternoons at school, a funeral, a first time, a bus ride with his best friend, a confession that's been postponed and postponed... In each of these, the player takes on the role of a new character from Timothée's entourage, in an attempt to unravel his memory. Fragmentary, non-chronological memories, reflecting the way traumatic memory works.

“I really wanted to create an artwork, but with the aim of raising the players' awareness. Incest is one of the rare subjects where simply talking about it is already a step forward. I've seen it all around me: the effect is immediate”, explains Pierre Corbinais, the game's creator.During the memory scenes, brought to life by the beautiful drawings of illustrator Exaheva, the player navigates through multiple-choice dialogues, according to his or her sensitivity, by playing the role of one of the people around Tim: “I wanted to enrich the narrative and avoid linearity. If the player wants to know everything about Timothée's incest, one scene will give him all the answers. But he can also move on, skip some scenes, choose what he wants to hear about.”


Not recommended for players under 18, The game contains no scenes of sexual assault, and content warnings are available for each memory you explore, and each can be viewed in summary form. Wednesdays breaks the silence against which victims of incest struggle, and sheds light on a possible path to reparation.

The game features two graphic styles that are deliberately poles apart, yet share the same clean lines:

  • The souvenir universe, designed by Exaheva (Mekka Nikki, Still Heroes), draws its inspiration from independent comics and graphic novels;
  • The universe of childhood games with Orco Park, designed by Nico Nowak (There Is No Game: Wrong Dimension), embraces the colorful pixel-art of 90s management games.

Beyond its clever gameplay and original art direction, Wednesdays is also a game that has given many of its developers the opportunity to make their voices heard, not only as video game artists and creators, but also as victims for some of them.
 
The game is available in English, French, German, Spanish and Portuguese.
© ARTE France, The Pixel Hunt, Pierre Corbinais, 2025


About ARTE

European public cultural media, ARTE’s mission is to bring Europeans closer together through culture. Its rich and diverse editorial line-up (cinema, series, documentaries, news, digital creation and video games, podcasts...) contributes to nurturing a democratic space and a European vision. For more than ten years, ARTE has been co-producing and publishing independent video games such as Type:Rider, Homo Machina, Vectronom, Inua, Bury Me My Love, 30 Birds and Looking for Fael, which have won awards at some of the biggest international festivals. More information on the official website, the X page and the Bluesky of Arte Interactive

About The Pixel Hunt

The Pixel Hunt is a studio that designs and produces reality-inspired games, pieces at the intersection between journalism, documentary and video games. Their productions aim to be as distinctive in their artistic direction as they are in their storytelling. For further information: https://www.thepixelhunt.com/fr/.

About Pierre Corbinais

Author and former journalist, Pierre Corbinais is renowned for his work on numerous video games. In addition to his work with The Pixel Hunt, Pierre Corbinais is known as the narrative designer of Haven (The Game Bakers) and the translator of the French version of Road 96 (Digixart). Through Wednesdays, he lends his delicate writing to this autofictional tale, to raise the subject of incest and intra-family sexual abuse in an authentic way. For further information: https://pierrecorbinais.com/fr/

About Exaheva

Exaheva, a comic book artist, illustrates the narrative vignettes in Wednesdays. Her style, which is somewhere between comics and manga, gives an authentic and delicate treatment of the still-too-taboo subject of sexual abuse against and between minors. For further information: https://linktr.ee/exaheva

About Nico Nowak

Talented pixel-artist, Nico Nowak deploys her unique know-how in Wednesdays by creating the visuals of Orco Park. After working on successful projects such as There is no Game: Wrong Dimension, Nico applies her artistic flair to help make Wednesdays a game of hope.
Article by: Susan N.
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Our Most Satisfying Victories: Part 1 – Gaming Thoughts

Whether it's watching the credits roll at the end of a game, besting a super secret hidden boss, reaching max level, completing a particularly taxing puzzle or something altogether different - what video game moments were the most satisfying for members of the CGR team, and why? We capped it at four entries each, and here's the first round of them.

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Ten More Days Until Shadow of the Orient Releases on Consoles!

March 5, Barcelona, Spain - Spanish publisher Dolores Entertainment and Canadian developer Spacelab Games are proud to announce the release of 2D pixel-art action platformer Shadow of the Orient this March 27 on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4|5, and Xbox One | Series X/S at the price of 9.99$, with a 20% launch discount during the first two weeks. In the role of young warrior Xiaolang, you must venture across the orient fighting hordes of Samurai warriors and mythical creatures in an attempt to rescue the kidnapped children of the orient and face off against the dark lord. 


Shadow of the Orient offers tons of fun combat action, challenging environments, epic boss fights, beautiful pixel art and a catchy musical score.

Key Features

  • Beautiful Pixel Art Style;
  • 15 handcrafted adventure levels;
  • 5 time-based levels (Challenge mode);
  • 3 "End of Act" bosses;
  • Challenging gameplay with dynamic enemy AI;
  • Melee and Ranged combat system with their specific weapons;
  • Game Shop items for hero upgrades;
  • Game Achievements;
  • Original soundtrack by Genatari.

“My goal with Shadow of the Orient was to create a fun and compelling gameplay experience that hearken back to the 16-bit retro games I grew up with…one of the best eras of gaming in my opinion.“ - Leonardo Nanfara, founder at Spacelab Games

The Lore

After 200 years, the dark shadow has returned, wreaking havoc across the orient. Only Xiaolang, a brave warrior who possesses the elemental power of fire, has the strength to take on the shadow clan, rescue the children of the orient and restore peace to the people of the east. But, the dark shadow is stronger than ever and Xiaolang has not had to fight for two centuries. Is he up to the task? Are you? Embark upon a perilous quest full of dangerous enemies, deadly traps and hidden secrets to hunt down the shadow and restore peace to the people of the orient in Shadow of the Orient.



About Spacelab Games

Spacelab Games is a Canadian based independent game development studio founded by Leonardo Nanfara in January 2020. Leonardo has been playing video games since the age of 5 (roughly 37 years). He was plunged into the world of video games when his dad brought home an Atari 7800. His career started in the early 2000’s as a 3d artist but later on he shifted more towards programming. Whether you grew up with the retro games of the 80’s/90’s or not makes no difference… pixel art games are still a thing of beauty to this very day for all to experience and enjoy – so he hopes you find some enjoyment in what he set out to create.

About Dolores Entertainment

Dolores Entertainment is a video game publisher with 14 years of experience specialized in bringing gaming experiences to multiple console platforms. Its main mission is to boost small and medium-sized creators in the industry, working closely with studios and experts to foster innovation and creativity.
Article by: Susan N.
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Rise of the Ronin - PC Review

Rise of the Ronin is developed and published by KOEI TECMO Games (originally developed by Team Ninja for the PlayStation 5)—PC review written by Robert with a copy provided by the publisher.

Estimated reading time: 9 minutes


Set in the Bakumatsu-era in Japan, Rise of the Ronin follows the path of a Veiled Edge, a unique paired swordsmen's technique where you play one half of a pair of sword-slinging ronin called Blade Twins. Set on a quest to find your Blade Twin after a mission goes awry, you will embark on a journey that will take you on a journey through 19th-century Yokohama, Edo, and Kyoto. Boasting 8k resolution support, ultrawide resolutions, 120 frames per second, and ray tracing support amongst a littany of upgrades, Rise of the Ronin is sure to bring any modern gaming rig to its knees. Enjoyable, if soulless at times, Rise of the Ronin struggles with defining its identity while scaling back some of the difficulty and excitement found in Team Ninja's flagship franchise, Nioh.

Performance & Graphics

Graphically there are a few standout moments where I had to pause a minute and just take in the surroundings, but for an open world experience in a post Ghost of Tsushima-world, Rise of the Ronin's three major areas feel relatively bland. While they are open, airy, and have plenty of checklist-y items to keep you busy, there is a distinct lack of cinematic quality to the presentation of its areas. It may be that I've been spoiled by the quality of other more experienced open world studios, but there are beautiful vistas throughout Rise of the Ronin that Team Ninja just doesn't show/present to you. Mind you, Rise of the Ronin isn't a bad looking game, not by a long shot; it's a phenomenal attempt by a studio that typically sticks to more curated, narrow maps in their games. The downside is that it really shows that they aren't experienced in the cinematic approach to open world games, almost as if there's an identity crisis happening within Ronin. I say that because the presentation of areas/levels feels like it would be at home in a more concise game (like Nioh 2) rather than in an open world experience.



Performance is going to be where I saw the biggest variation in quality. While there was a day one patch that addressed some of the following issues, I found that on my well-endowed gaming rig, there were still times where running through the three major hub sections would bring my game to its knees. I'm running Rise of the Ronin on a Ryzen 9 5900x, Radeon 7900 XTX, 64 GB of RAM, and off of an M.2 NVMe drive using the "standard" graphics setting, and there were points where the movement was so sluggish that it was almost as if I was running through Jell-O or pudding. Even though my machine should be able to adequately run Rise of the Ronin at 1440p, I was quite taken aback at how poorly it would run. This coming from Nioh and Nioh 2 which were very well-optimized, though in fairness they were originally launched as multi-platform titles as opposed to a console port (as is Rise of the Ronin).

Frustratingly, the performance didn't affect just the framerate, as there is plenty of pop-in (with enemies even popping in on top of you) and input lag. What's worse is that the controller charms that are supposed to show up based on whether you were using a PlayStation controller or an Xbox controller would never be properly set. For example, by default all of the glyphs throughout the game are default set for the X, O, Triangle, and Square and they'll stay that way even if you're using an Xbox controller. However, if you press a button on the Xbox controller, the in-game glyphs will change to the Xbox's A, B, X, and Y charms. It's frustrating and confusing, and even worse, at the time of this article's writing, you couldn't even use keyboard and mouse even though there are glyphs/charms that show things like the Tab or Spacebar as inputs, even though pressing those does nothing. This was a major bummer for me as I was hoping to use my keyboard and mouse to take pictures using the robust photo mode ... unfortunately without the keyboard and mouse working in game, that was a fruitless endeavor as I just couldn't get comfortable in photo mode with the controller.



Gameplay & Mechanics

Rise of the Ronin was a bit of a shock for me with regard to its combat. Coming from the studio behind the bewitchingly-fast and often-unforgiving combat found in Nioh/Nioh 2, I was a bit taken aback with how straightforward combat in Rise of the Ronin is. While fairly simple up front, combat never quite feels as deep and enriching as Team Ninja's other titles, there are some saving graces to combat. For one, as is typical for Team Ninja, there are a whole slew of weapons for you to choose from. From your katana or dual swords to odachi or polearms, longbows and rifles to pistols and shurikens, there's something here for everyone. I myself am a sucker for spears so I was thrilled to see spears as a weapon type that's actually fun to play. 

While I tried out every weapon in the game, I gravitated towards the spear and katana and enjoyed them the most. In an attempt to add an additional layer of complexity to combat, every melee weapon has numerous Styles that you will learn throughout the course of the game. As you become more proficient at combat (not very difficult as combat is extremely approachable), switching between the various combat styles for your equipped weapon will be second-nature. In time I began to play around with combat stances and weapons and found that the most enjoyable combat was using wooden weapons (much weaker and they don't kill bad guys, just incapacitate them) and playing entirely defensively. There's quite a bit of forgiveness at times in combat, which is nice because of the magnetic bad guys (the magnetism is strong ... and annoying as hell) but after 30-40 hours of it, combat can become pretty stale.

Combat isn't the only thing that had me scratching my head in its simplicity... Rise of the Ronin has an identity issue. I couldn't help but feel that Team Ninja took a look at some of the more popular titles of the last ten years, took what made them special, then copied those features into their own game. While I don't think that it's bad to take inspiration from other titles, in fact, more studios should do it, but there's this feeling of wanting something more, something unique to Rise of the Ronin and it just doesn't materialize. Take for example, Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild and how it popularized a hang glider as a means of transportation... It's as if Team Ninja saw that and said, "we need that in our game, irrespective of whether it's useful or not" (hint, it's not). It feels like Rise of the Ronin is an amalgamation of features from other games, but has no soul. A homunculus, if you will. Combat, exploration, RPG leveling mechanics, open world checklisting, item crafting, the absolutely asinine amounts of loot you'll get, etc. all feel like they are in the game because they're simply supposed to be, not because they should be. Removing the silly glider, improving the horse-based locomotion (it's straight out of the early days of Witcher 3), tightening up combat, and making loot more manageable would have been preferred over some of the nonsensical additions. I have 1.5 playthroughs of Rise of the Ronin as of the writing of this article and I could do without the majority of features (I have never, ever needed to craft items ... why craft when you can buy them for a pittance?) in favor of a more concise and curated gaming experience.



Story & Pacing

Continuing on with its relatively soulless existence, Rise of the Ronin's story, while paced wonderfully, feels empty and without heart. Sure, there is some motivation for the story beats and pacing is actually pretty solid between it's three acts (not including the prologue/tutorial). Set upon your journey by the Bladesmith, the leading member of the Veiled Edge society of ninjas and ronin that your character belongs to, you're tasked with finding your Blade Twin, thought to be lost in the prologue/tutorial mission of the game. Unfortunately the story is about as interesting as a piece of dry toast at times and was only moved along because of the checklist-like nature of the open world. 

Moving from one point of interest to the next on the world map was the primary driving force behind each of the story's various acts. Falling into the Ubisoft Trap is pretty simple in Rise of the Ronin and has about as much depth as a modern-day Ubisoft title. That's not to say that the entirety of Rise of the Ronin is bad; there's some solid intrigue spread throughout the game in the form of the Anti-Shogunate and Pro-Shogunate decisions that you'll be able to make. I found that the most engaging part of the story was making choices that I wasn't sold on (such as some of the anti-shogunate choices), but because they were putting me outside of my typical roleplaying comfort zone, I found them if not memorable, then enjoyable. Taka's entire existence as a Geisha and her role in the story is one that I found myself being invested in... maybe it's because I have a romanticized view of the geisha, but still, it was enjoyable. Other characters are less interesting, some even eye-rollingly bad at times (characters just sweeping horrific actions under the rug as a "bygones be bygones" was pretty stupid, in my opinion).

Rise of the Ronin is an interesting beast of a title that I'm not entirely sure how to classify. Contrary to popular belief, it's less Ghost of Tsushima and more like Horizon Zero Dawn. In talking with others here at Chalgyr's Game Room the best way I could describe it is, "To me it feels like Team Ninja took a look at The Witcher 3, Assassin's Creed Origins, Grand Theft Auto V, and Red Dead Redemption, and took what made them technically good games, and technically replicated those things ... but did so without bothering to bring any of their normal weird polish / approach to games," and I stand by those comments. Rise of the Ronin isn't bad, per se, but it is meandering and soulless at times and combine the lack of heart with the simplistic combat and the best that I can say about Rise of the Ronin is, "it's safe." The combat has been dialed back compared to their other titles, the story at times is meandering and unfocused, and the performance is all over the place on a well-powered gaming machine. Is it bad? No, but it's not the quality that I've come to expect from Team Ninja...



Score: 6 out of 10







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Experience Retro 90s FPS Mullet Madjack on Gamepass and Microsoft Store!

Porto Alegre – March 4, 2025 – Retro FPS enthusiasts and fans of classic anime rejoice! Mullet MadJack, the Brazilian hit from developer Hammer95 Studios and publisher Epopeia Games, will be available worldwide via Game Pass and purchasable on the Microsoft Store this March 13 at the price of 19.99 USD.


Mullet MadJack immerses players in an engaging gaming experience, transporting them to a world full of excitement. With a unique fusion of elements influenced by classic 90s FPS games, strategy, and intense action, this game promises to keep players entertained for hours on end. It's no surprise that it has surpassed the 120.000 copies sold mark, demonstrating that boomer shooter fans really loved the title.


ONE POLICE OFFICER WITH A MULLET, AGAINST A HORDE OF BILLIONAIRE ROBOTS! 


In an exciting journey inspired by classic anime, you will be immersed in the cyberpunk world of Mullet MadJack, set in the 90’s... 2090s to be precise. Your mission is to rescue the world's most famous influencer from the clutches of a dangerous criminal organization comprised of powerful billionaire robots. 

In the future, vigilantes are addicted to dopamine, and to get their fix, you'll have to overcome deadly challenges in each skyscraper, floor by floor, all in pursuit of securing your own dopamine hit. Get ready to face each level and claim your dose of adrenaline. 

As you progress through the building's floors, a crowd hungry for action follows your every move through live streaming broadcasts. This public exposure creates additional tension, increasing the pressure on you and the need to achieve increasingly more impressive feats. Your battle is not only for the liberation of the kidnapped influencer, but also for the preservation of your own reputation and the entertainment of those who are watching. 

Get ready for a journey filled with dangers, thrilling challenges, and the aesthetics of the golden age of anime.

"We love the golden age of Japanese anime from the 80s and 90s, and we want to pay tribute to that magical era with this game." says Alessandro Martinello, Game Director.

What makes Mullet MadJack Unique?

  • Exciting and dynamic combat: Race against time and infiltrate a building alone, overcoming each floor until you reach your objective.
  • Campaign mode: Clear floors filled with robots, and in crucial moments, execute ultraviolent finishes on your enemies to survive.
  • Survival mode: Utilize your skills in an endless mode and outdo your friends.
  • Unique visual and art style: The contrasting colors between black and vibrant neon evoke the aesthetics of violent and adult anime from the era of VHS tapes.
  • Engaging narrative: Set in an Old School cyberpunk world full of robots, the aesthetics of 90s anime merge with an action-packed environment.
  • Nostalgic soundtrack: Inspired by the synthwave genre, the soundtrack sets the tone and urban atmosphere of the game.
  • Evolve your character: Enhance your character with smart choices so that you can reach the top floor in the best possible time or you'll have to try again, all in the best Rogue-Lite style. But remember that each upgrade will affect how the game is played. 

ABOUT MULLET MADJACK

Mullet MadJack is a highly fast-paced first-person action-adventure game designed for single-player. It draws inspiration from the Badass Old-School classic anime of the 80s and 90s, featuring a retro aesthetic and immersive gameplay that transports players back to the nostalgic era.

The game features vibrant colors, memorable characters, and a unique story, providing an authentic experience for both gaming enthusiasts and anime fans alike.

ABOUT HAMMER95 STUDIOS

Hammer95 is a collective of 3 devs who love the aesthetic of old anime and aim to bring back that nostalgia!

For more information, please follow our social media profiles:

ABOUT EPOPEIA GAMES

Epopeia Games is responsible for other games that have already been nominated for several awards, but now promises to innovate in terms of the farm game theme with its new release. Gaucho and the Grassland, which has already been awarded in the category: BEST REGIONAL ASSOCIATION GAME PITCH at the Big Festival 2022 in São Paulo, has a final release date planned for 2025, but in the future it will be released on other consoles such as Xbox, Nintendo Switch and Playstation 4/5.
Article by: Susan N.
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ZPF - PC Preview

ZPF by developer ZPF Team and publisher Mega Cat StudiosPC preview written by Jim with a copy provided by the publisher.

Estimated Ready Time: 3 minutes


ZPF is a new shoot-'em-up game that looks, sounds and plays like a Sega Genesis game. The demo I played was short with three levels and three different heroes (ships) each with their own play style. 

First up is Knight, a ship that looks like a Knight and shoots swords in a straight line. Each Ship has its own melee attack that is just a short-range attack. Knight's is an attack that shoots out straight and doesn't go very far, but seems to do a decent amount of damage if you want to get close enough to use it. Like most shooters like these, you also get bombs that damage everything on screen, but these all look the same no matter who you play as. Next is Gladius, my favorite out of the three. It looks a little like a motorcycle without wheels and can fly. It shoots in different directions making it easy to hit every enemy that pops on screen, although they seem to do less damage than Knight's attacks (this could just be though). Its melee attack makes a circle appear around the ship and goes around once and disappears. I found it to not be very helpful in a fight. Lastly is Gold. Gold shoots a laser straight and its melee attack is a few balls coming out in front of you to hit anything in short range of you. 

Each ship is shaped differently. The smaller ones are more easy to dodge incoming bullets while Knight, the biggest, seems to do the most damage out of the three. There are three levels in the demo I played. The first one being a fantasy level called Magical Journey. The level is very woodsy with enemies looking more fantasy-based, although they still have a bit of sci-fi to the enemy design. Next is Megalopolis 20XX, a city level in the near future with tanks and helicopters as enemies. Lastly is a sci-fi level called Space Infestation with alien creatures in space. It was definitely the weirdest-looking level in the game. 

I was able to beat Magical Journey pretty easily, but the the other two levels I had to raise how many lives I got in the options menu. At the start of each level is a shop as the demo ends after every level. I wasn't really sure how these worked. In the full game will I get to buy stuff like 1ups after every level? I could raise the number of “medals” I get in the options menu so I could buy things. If I had to guess this will be something in the full game. 

One neat thing about the shops is each level has its own shopkeeper, so each one looks different, a neat little detail. There are of course power-ups you can get on levels that make your shots do more damage and 'secrets' that at the end of the level the game tells you the percentage you found. Though I found some I never really knew what it was I found. You can tell just by looking on the Steam page that the developers are going for a Sega Genesis look, sound, and feel and after playing the demo I must say they did a really good job of capturing the feel. The music and sound effects especially. 

My time with ZPF was short. I was able to see just about everything in the demo in an hour. It did leave me wanting to see what the other levels will be and what setting they will take place in? Time will tell.

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WWE 2K25 – Xbox Series X Review

WWE 2K25 by developer Visual Concepts and publisher 2K GamesMicrosoft Xbox Series X review written by Nick with a copy provided by the publisher.

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes


To be frank: this is what you hope to see in an annually released game. More features and improvements across the board combine to make it better than ever. WWE 2K25 is exactly that – bigger and better than ever.

Bigger really stands out right off of the bat. There’s numerous modes to choose from – including a new one called The Island. Much more to talk about there in a bit, but it’s also worth calling out that the roster is absolutely massive with wrestlers both past and present in the mix. There’s so much variety in the different types of wrestlers that the roster alone could keep someone busy just figuring out what styles appeal to them the most. 

Then we move into the menu’s many modes of mayhem (try saying that ten times fast). There’s the traditional quick play where you just go in and fire up a quick match with the wrestlers and rules of your choice. It’s a great way to try some different types of wrestlers out before sinking time into creating your own wrestlers. You’ll eventually be doing just that though, as you create a wrestler for the MyRise and The Island modes. MyRise is what it has been for years now, a story-driven mode with some RPG elements like progression and choices to make through either a male or female wrestler’s story as you seek to become the face of a new era in WWE. All of the usual hijinks and betrayals are here and it’s brought together quite well between the overall presentation, especially the audio.

Now, the Island is another thing altogether – and frankly one that is likely to be a bit controversial. Years ago, I remarked that I was surprised WWE hadn’t yet created the kind of experience NBA 2K had, where they blended a story line with online play. Why? Well, my thinking was twofold. First, MyCareer in NBA 2K is by far the game’s most popular mode. It boasts a new story each year where players can compete with one another or stick to just single player content while incrementally improving their custom player. The second reason I figured a mode like this would eventually come along comes down to VC (Virtual Currency). It’s the microtransaction currency used by 2K, and it presumably makes the company a ton of money over and above the base game sales. In the past, WWE only had one use for VC – buying packs of cards in MyFaction. MyFaction is a mode that combines elements of card collecting and improving your roster through these wrestlers you collect.

To be honest? This is probably my least favorite WWE mode. It is an okay diversion, but I enjoy this mode far more in the NBA 2K games. Still, it’s a long-running mode that will likely stick around in the WWE series indefinitely because I’m sure they make money off of the VC bought and used in it. Now there’s a use for it in The Island. Like NBA 2K, in WWE 2K25 you can use VC to level up your character’s abilities. You can earn more VC by playing the game in this mode as well, so it doesn’t all have to be purchased. Time will tell what the grind / improvement curve looks like. Being a new mode, there’s likely to be some imbalance there.

So, what is The Island actually like to play? Well, if you can get past the slightly grimy-feeling microtransaction part of it? I had fun with it. There’s a new story separate of MyArise that basically puts you and everyone on this Island of Relevancy to try and earn the good graces of Roman Reigns. It’s a silly premise, but does the job and sets the stage. The things that work? The Island is pretty vibrant-looking, I appreciate a second story – even if it doesn’t feel as fleshed out as MyArise. There’s lots of quest-like objectives, and many of them are actually quite fun to try and complete. The progression elements like improving stats and badges are an effective carrot to dangle.

What maybe doesn’t work quite as well? Well, the first is how expensive VC is, especially when buying cosmetics for your wrestler. There’s no map, which feels like a bit of an oversight as I got so used to using it in NBA 2K. Luckily The Island is not too large and unwieldy, the layout is logical and it isn’t too hard to get the hang of where thigs are. One guardrail missing that’s in NBA 2K is that you can dump all the VC you want into your character right out of the gates. I saw several people running around at a 100 overall on day one. In NBA 2K, there’s a system that unlocks the next stage in a rising cap as you play. That limits how fast you can upgrade your player that’s lacking here in WWE 2K25. 

I spent a lot of time in both The Island and MyArise modes, and it wouldn’t surprise me if they somehow became blended together in the future the way MyCareer has in NBA 2K. Universe mode is basically a giant sandbox mode. It’s fun to fool around with, but the lack of structured objectives doesn’t make it where I tend to spend my time. I will say that MyGM mode is looking better than it has in over a decade. It took some time off, came back a few years ago, and of all the returning modes, MyGM has received the most love it seems. It’s a season long campaign broken up over a couple of dozen weeks where you take a brand and create a stable of wrestlers to compete against one another. At its core, it’s a simulation mode that you can go hands-on with during matches if you’d like. Add to it that your created superstars can participate too, and there’s a lot of fun to be had here.

Lastly, there’s the Showcase mode. Usually this mode follows a specific wrestler through some of the biggest fights of their career, interspersed with interviews and live footage from their actual matches. In WWE 2K25, the focus is spread out a bit and follows The Bloodline, which is in-line with all of the Roman Reigns in the presentation. It feels a little less forced / scripted in trying to make you authentically recreate the matches of old (and there’s a sort of ‘what if this happened?’ mode as well that’s made up of imaginary scenarios), which is appreciated. I always liked this mode, but often felt like the objectives were a bit too restrictive at times. They made sense, but still had me frustrated. There was less of that this time around. The mode does feel a bit more accessible, though a few of the imposed time limits do seem a little harsh. Completing these scenarios however, is a lot of fun. You get some cool looks at WWE’s past and generally some good unlockable rewards too.

None of this would matter much if the in-ring action didn’t hold up its end of the bargain, but the good news is that WWE 2K25 delivers here as well. I mentioned earlier that the presentation was fantastic, and it really is. Authentic commentary, fluid animations and a variety of distinctive playstyles depending on your wrestler of choice and opponent make every match feel like an event. Thankfully the combat aspect has been solid for years and this year’s is more minor polish and tweaks. Controls are responsive, you can tweak numerous single-player settings to make the gameplay a bit more attuned to your preferences. I really appreciated how much different a massive, hulking tank of a wrestler played versus a quick, agile high-flying sort. One tweak is the return of ‘chain wrestling’, which is like a minigame within the match that just adds a layer to the already existing action.

Simply put, WWE 2K25 is the best wrestling game on the market. The developers manage to make smart improvements to existing modes, roll out an entirely new mode and continue to make the action in the ring look and feel authentic. While the whiff of increased microtransactions is going to bother some, I do appreciate that the series isn’t resting on its laurels and gave us a game that continues to justify its annual release.

 

Score: 8.5 / 10

 

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Play the Star Overdrive Demo Ahead of April 10th Launch Date Available Now!

Montpellier, France – February 27, 2025 | Italian Independent developer Caracal Games and publisher Dear Villagers are proud to announce that the demo for their eagerly anticipated indie sci-fi open-world action-adventure, Star Overdrive, is available now on Nintendo Switch.


Players will have the opportunity to discover the first hour of content in Star Overdrive, during which they will get a glimpse of the story and be challenged by puzzles and combat while free-riding on their hoverboard in the tutorial zone of a vast alien world.

Players can already pre-purchase the game to enjoy pre-order only content at launch, on April 10th, 2025, as well as a 10% discount, the full price of the game will be $34,99, and the Deluxe Edition at $39,99 which includes 3 styles, 1 design and 50 dyes for the Hoverboard, as well as the digital Original Soundtrack and the digital Manga written and drawn by the Caracal Games team, narrating a prequel story to the Star Overdrive main story.

KEY FEATURES

  • Hoverboard Navigation and Racing: Speed through vast landscapes, perform incredible tricks, and gain the edge in intense combat.
  • Emergent Physics-Based Gameplay:Unleash and combine powers to battle enemies, bend the laws of physics, and solve intricate puzzles.
  • Mysterious and Diverse Alien World:Journey through four uniquely distinct biomes, each brimming with challenges and secrets to uncover.
  • Epic Battles Against Creatures of All Sizes:Engage with unique creatures, from small-scale rivals to towering bosses, each requiring strategy and skill to overcome.

Follow Star Overdrive on social media:


Follow Caracal Games on social media:



About Caracal Games

Caracal Games is an independent game development studio based in Rome, Italy, recognized for its dedication to crafting unique and engaging experiences. The studio began as a small three-person team and steadily grew to a family of ten through the development of titles like Downward in 2017 and OkunoKA in 2018, which laid the foundation for future projects. In 2023, they continued to push boundaries with 2021: Moon Escape, bringing a fresh perspective to retro gaming. The team also collaborates with major publishers, optimizing and porting titles such as Martha is Dead and Blanc for the Nintendo Switch. Awarded the IVGA Best Italian Indie Studio in 2017, Caracal continues to evolve, driven by seasoned developers from both AA and AAA backgrounds.

About Dear Villagers

Based in the South of France, in sunny Montpellier, we are a boutique publishing label composed of a team of twenty people. Open-minded and versatile, Dear Villagers offers handcrafted marketing and production guidance. Our mission: We tell memorable stories through memorable games. We love pixels, but we believe in people.
Article by: Susan N.
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Wishlists - Gaming Thoughts

Wishlists from all gaming platforms—Gaming Thoughts article written by Valerie

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes


Hello Everyone! This is Valerie again speaking out from her desk in the back at Chalgyr's Game Room.

I just got wind of a game that I thought Chalgyr's had reviewed, but only found this article of it in Jaggy's Corner here back in 2020.

The game in question is Maple Story 2. Just today I saw a posting about it on the Delisted Games website which brought a tear to my eye and a big thought about wishlists.

My wishlist across five platforms is long, but I bet it isn't as long as everyone else who stops by, *waves hello!* I have such a variety of games minus the genres I am either not fond of, or like but can't play because they are console only. Man, I wish sometimes that I can play using those controllers, but I fear I royally suck and die so much that I won't wish to ever play that particular game again.

One of the great things about wishlists is it saves my kids from hunting in stores for gifts for me. It's fast, quick, and easy to choose one of the many games and for them to know that it's both something I want and something I'll enjoy! Well, hoping I'll enjoy as there are a couple that I haven't played that type before that I might not like, but, at least I will have tried that genre out.


I mostly stick to base building games (like Satisfactory, Stationeers, Eden Crafters, Planet Crafter, etc), strategy (like Starcraft 1 & 2), MMOs, RPGs, puzzle games, story-driven games, old favorites, flight sims, mahjjong games, and what I classify as 'Misc.'

And now for the thing I hate about wishlists which prompted this article in the first place: delisting of games. I know they don't last forever, but most times when I go through my wishlist and see a black image with the 'removed' beside it, it makes me sad. Nine times out of ten it's because I can't remember the name of the game I had wishlisted in the first place, unless I miraculously had taken a screenie of my list! Last time I did that was two years ago. *Sad face*

So, in my hunt to figure out what games I had wishlisted I went to that Delisted Games website to try to find what was 'removed'. Any chance we can roll back time to when I clicked that magic 'wishlist' button to see what I added? ROFL! Not a chance! Was I hoping that there would be a 'Sort by' filter on that site? Yes! Is there? Yes. Did I find the games? No. *sad face again*


The months on the site don't go very far back. I only could see games on their calendar back to December 2024. Also, website hosting space is at a premium these days, much like a lot of things. So, it's understandable that I won't see them until I check through alphabetically to see if that jogs my memory.

Well, until I find the games, give up, or miraculously they appear on one of the other platforms I subscribe to, I'll just have to be patient and scroll on through!

As peeps here like to say, "Until next time!" 

Therefore, I bid you adieu and Game ON! 


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River Towns Releasing March 24th on Steam!

Zurich, Switzerland - February 24, 2025 – Stray Fawn Publishing and Metaroot have announced that River Towns, developed by Frogsong Studios, will be released on Steam on the 24th of March. Solve puzzles by placing buildings and creating vibrant cities. Each district has its own style and shapes, making every level a new challenge. Help to restore and rebuild our River Towns.


In River Towns, you place differently shaped buildings and make them fit into a limited area. Combine unique districts into a vibrant living city and help restore our River Towns. Each of the three districts has its own set of shapes which are shuffled randomly. This makes every game you play a new and unique puzzle to solve. The different district's unique and vibrant architecture combines into beautiful little towns along the river. As the town grows, more townspeople move in and bring life back into this old and broken world.

Temples and monoliths as well as more familiar ports float in the skies, changing the game rules in parts of the map. Disadvantage your enemies and boost your abilities with careful positioning.



About Frogsong Studios

Frogsong Studios, is a small indie studio based in Malmö, Sweden. Since 2014 they have been developing and self-published their own games while making bread through consultant work. They have worked as consultants on various game titles like Goat Simulator, Satisfactory, Little Nightmares 1 & 2, The Stretchers, Stickfight: The Game and more.

About Stray Fawn Publishing

A small publishing team based in Zurich, Switzerland focused on publishing strategy and simulation games such as "The Wandering Village", "Flotsam" and "Dungeon Clawler".

About Metaroot

Metaroot is a small publisher and marketing agency based in Zurich, Switzerland. Metaroot has published the nature simulation city builder "Of Life and Land" and the steampunk autoshooter "Airships: Lost Flotilla".
Article by: Susan N.
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Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered - PC Review

Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered by developer Crystal Dynamics and publisher Aspyr—PC (Steam) review written by Valerie with a copy provided by the publisher.

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes



The year was 1996 when I first heard about Tomb Raider. I didn't have a Playstation, nor was I any sort of adept at using those controllers. However I did enjoy watching my friend play them on his PS and I was thoroughly entranced! Lara Croft is a fictional British archeologist who searches for lost artifacts. The Tomb Raider, as Lara is called, goes exploring tombs and ruins, solves puzzles, navigates hostile environments that are filled with traps, and fights enemies along the way while hunting artifacts. Now this was definitely my kind of game!

When I finally bought one of them on Steam years later, I still find the game as fun as it was when all I did was watch my friend play it. I had even gone to the movies and I have definitely read some of the comics, but none of that compares to actually playing the games themselves. The games are where the story began and continues on with the latest release: Tomb Raider Reloaded (2023) for mobile.


This past while I got my wish to play the remastered versions of Tomb Raider IV, V, and VI! I definitely love what they've done for the graphics as my old computer's graphics card wasn't up to snuff to render the original versions way back when. That and it still takes me quite a bit to master the keyboard and mouse moves to play!

So, Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered from Crystal Dynamics and Aspyr is a three-game collection that features Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation, Tomb Raider: Chronicles, and Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness. They boast improved visuals, modern control options, Photo Mode, trophies and achievements, and a lot more to augment your gameplay. 


In playing the game I still love the puzzles to solve, however my many dunks in the drink made for a challenging time to continue on. I finally figured that out by finding the 'closest' ledge to pull myself up out of the water in Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation. However, I am still having a hard time progressing in Chronicles. I want to get to any of the puzzles and I am constantly distracted by the instructions on how to get from floor to ledge, or ledge to ledge.

I tried out the Photo mode in Chronicles and found some nice settings for lining up a good photo, but, that's about it. Is there another purpose for this feature? I don't know.

I was definitely surprised that Angel of Darkness didn't crash as it did that so often in the original that I never finished that one. Suffice to say I am on the road to completion in this version, however I reiterate that the controls seem to get the best of me even with the Modern version setting.


The games are still the same, though, and with the little changes it is still a fun time to play. I wish this remaster had an extra room or two with relics or even extra weapons and another additional puzzle to solve. Also, to have Lara's dashing abilities to be smoother. I still fight with keeping in mind the key combinations to make Lara dash, roll, and hang from ledges. Well, I can still say I am adept at finding those med packs!

So, if you want a good time in the tombs and ruins searching for relics and artifacts with smoother graphics, then Tomb Raider IV - VI Remastered has you covered.

Score: 6 / 10 



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