Staff Article Lists

What happens when you take the run-and-gun gameplay of a classic arcade game and replace it with strategy gameplay and sprinkle in roguelike elements as a topping? You get Metal Slug Tactics; A spin-off of the long-running iconic arcade franchise and, though it’s not a bad game, it’s one that does one area well but doesn’t really stick the landing in the other area.

An unusual elk was spotted in the highlands, and I was part of the hunting party racing to its last location. From the back of our journeykin, we pounced the elk and it fought with leyline-infused techniques. We were making progress, when it started running, forcing us to remount our journeykin and pursue it! We readied harpoons with chains to slow it as it zigged and zagged, trying to throw us off. It took several attempts but we stopped it and continued the assault. As before, we waylaid the elk, exhausting its vitality before it began to run again. This time our pursuit led us to another situation, a wolf pup was sickened and the kodan needed help gathering herbs to fight the sickness. It was looking rough, there weren’t enough people to hold off the titans and gather herbs. Trusting the party that began the hunt to finish it, I broke off and went to the pup’s aid.

This series of events is exactly why I love playing Guild Wars 2. You begin one of the many tasks that unfold in the world and it intercepts another task. These events are built to engage you with the world and convey the themes of each map. The Lowlands map doesn’t have a meta event, relying on small local events to convey kodan culture, from hunting and gathering to agriculture and combat. You tend to basic chores around towns, and maybe get an unusual request from a cryptozoologist, however, a strange rot spreads, and you’ll investigate the underlying threat while fighting its effects on the ecosystem.

Ever wanted to play a gun-totin’ llama engaged in a war against the evil alpaca empire? Then this game is for you! Speedollama (pronounced Speed-o-llama) is a fast-paced 2D side scroller where you choose one of three distinct llamas and battle your way through nine worlds in order to defeat the evil alpacas.

So, when I first heard of this game and saw the screenshots, I honestly thought this was another Contra-style game and, normally, I’d be less than thrilled. But, after playing the amazing Iron Meat, I was more open to another Contra-style indie game. Well, that’s what I thought I was going to get with this game but boy was I wrong. Not only is Speedollama nowhere close to Contra, it’s more akin to those run-and-gun flash games from sites like Newgrounds and Shockwave. Which is not a bad thing, mind you, as I grew up playing many titles with this style of gameplay on those websites back in High School. In fact, if I could boil this game down to one sentence, it’d be ‘Easy To Play and Easy To Master’ which, again, is not a negative.

The SaGa series is an interesting case in the JRPG world. It follows its own rules and was never quite as popular as Square Enix’s flagship Final Fantasy or even the much newer Bravely Default. Recently though, it's seen a bit of a resurgence with Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song getting the remastered treatment and now Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven. Even though it says 2, the SaGa series is quite a bit longer and like Final Fantasy, they don’t really relate to each other. So what is Romancing SaGa 2 about?

I’ve been following Fruitbus for a while, which piqued my interest with its quirky animal characters, boppy sound design, and charming visual style. Since I played the demo, the developer Krillbite has refined the concept they introduced, which has you driving around a set of islands, chopping and cooking up food recipes for people around the various areas using fruits, veggies, and other foodstuffs that you acquire by gathering them through various means as you explore. It’s a simple concept with a few twists and bugs to navigate around along the way, but overall I truly enjoyed my time with Fruitbus and its cast of characters.

I love the fact that we’re getting so many remasterings and re-releases of classic video games as of late. From classics like the upcoming Gex Trilogy to all the titles Nightdive Studios put out, we seem to be living in a golden age for this market and I’m all for it. However, not all games hold up well and, sadly, this is one of them: Aero The Acro-Bat. First of all, I don’t ever even remember hearing about this game’s existence. I mean, outside of a small blurb in an old Nintendo Power magazine, I don’t recall ever seeing anybody talk about it. Heck, I never even saw it in any YouTube videos on the subject of forgotten mascots, so you’d think that means this is a hidden gem, yes? If we’re talking about the original console versions, then maybe, but not in this game’s case.

A tale as old as time, Ravenswatch brings Folktale heroes and legendary characters together to stop the nightmare that is rising in the land and restore the balance that was once there. Under the full moon turn into a werewolf as you play as Little Red Riding Hood (Scarlet), Lead your Rat army as the Pied Piper, or redeem yourself as Wukong, the Fallen Monkey King. Will you be able to rescue your fellow heroes and comrades like the Three Little Pigs or Sinbad? Only the Ravenswatch stands between the Nightmare and restoring balance!

Welcome to "Fresh Fur!" Our weekly installment going over the newest game releases, and which ones you can expect to find anthros/furries in!

Check the list below for all the games we could find with animal/anthro influences and characters.

New Releases for the week of November 4-10, 2024:

• Metal Slug Tactics (PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch, PC) - November 5
• Monarchy (PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, PC) - November 6
• Planet Coaster 2 (PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC) - November 6
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate (PC) - November 6
• Magical Bakery (PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, PC) - November 7
• Mario & Luigi: Brothership (Switch) - November 7
• Metro Awakening VR (PSVR 2, Quest, PC VR) - November 7
• Sengoku Dynasty (PC) - November 7
• Taiko No Tatsujin: Rhythm Festival (PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC) - November 7
• Slitterhead (PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, PC) - November 8

*Bolded games have furry/animal influences/characters

Furry & Animal Steam Game Finds:

These games were found in the New Releases section of Steam this week and will be updated as more come out throughout the week!

Welcome to "Fresh Fur!" Our weekly installment going over the newest game releases, and which ones you can expect to find anthros/furries in!

Check the list below for all the games we could find with animal/anthro influences and characters.

New Releases for the week of November 11-17, 2024:

• The Rise of the Golden Idol (PS5, XSX, PC, PS4, NS) - November 12, 2024
• Is this Game Trying to Kill Me? (PC) - November 13, 2024
• Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake (PC, PS5, XSX, NS) – November 14, 2024
• Lego Horizon Adventures (PC, NS, PS5) – November 14, 2024
• Farming Simulator 25 (PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC) - November 12, 2024
• Tetris Forever (PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch, PC) - November 12, 2024
• Temtem: Swarm (PC)

*Bolded games have furry/animal influences/characters

Furry & Animal Steam Game Finds:

These games were found in the New Releases section of Steam this week and will be updated as more come out throughout the week!

There are plenty of bullet hells out there, but none that you can team up with friends for a 1-4 roguelite battle against foes as a Capybara…until now! Extremely Powerful Capybaras is a frantic roguelite that was great for a few entertaining gaming sessions with friends, but did become a bit worn after a while, with a difficulty curve that seems to hit a few walls along the way. There are some intriguing combos of abilities that are able to be used to take down foes in droves, and the capybaras themselves are a highlight of the experience.