Staff Article Lists

Becoming one with nature. Enjoying moments of zen in beautiful surroundings. Running through vast environments, enjoying the thrill of exploration and discovery. Developer Infuse Studio has refined these experiences in the sequel to the acclaimed Spirit of the North. The sheer scale and opportunity of the new land you find yourself as a fox in is lovingly crafted at every peak, step, and turn. If you’re able to flow with the up and down nature of the relaxed vibe of the exploration parts of the game, and then the much more challenging “boss” sections at the end of each area, Spirit of the North 2 will be a special game that is buoyed by its beauty, and raised by its unique charm.

So, confession: I never played Shovel Knight before. I knew of it and I was always curious about it, but I never really got around to actually playing it. Now, thanks to Shovel Knight Dig, the latest game in the series, I finally was able to play this series and, yeah, it is fun! Though it’s not without flaws. The basic gist of the game is that your loot has been stolen by the evil Drill Knight and you must break a rule you learned in Minecraft and dig straight down into his lair and recover what is rightfully yours once again. A very simple premise yet it’s this simple premise that kept me hooked for hours on end, trying to get that perfect run without having to restart at the very top. But it’s not without flaws and there are two very big flaws that hold it back from being something truly amazing.

There’s something about sitting in the middle of a beautiful landscape, playing Preserve, that makes it even more wondrous. I had the opportunity to write this review while sailing up the Fjords and surrounding Alaska wilderness and I don’t know if there could have been a better setting. I could see an eagle flying around outside the window of my cabin as I made a habitat to place down for its in-game counterpart.  The music playing while we cruised the water matched perfectly, and many times I found myself pausing the game to watch the wildlife around me as I continued to listen to the game's music. 

Firstly, let me just say that Frog Legs is silly, short, and fun. It doesn’t take itself seriously, is meant to be completed in one play session, and is less than $3. As such, this review won’t be too long-winded and instead will focus on my overall experience with the little serving of goodness that is Frog Legs. Frog Legs focuses on a set of frogs that start off inside of the classic “Frogger” game, trying to convince a cautious fellow frog that making it across the busy street ain’t so scary. Unfortunately, that peer pressure leads to an event and adventure that will change them all…in more than a few ways. Featuring gameplay that hops from arcade to horror to boomer shooter, Frog Legs will be sure to surprise and elicit some laughs for its 30-40 minute runtime.

Indie games are often the sources of some of the most innovative ideas out there. A lot of these games also wear their inspiration on their sleeves. It’s impressive when a game can both bring its own unique ideas to the table while also paying homage to the titles that inspired it. Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo is one such game. A lovingly crafted and self-proclaimed “Yoyovania” that pays homage to titles like The Legend of Zelda and Castlevania while still maintaining its own unique identity. No small feat, but Pipistrello accomplishes it.

Wild Assault didn’t just provide well-designed anthro characters, it committed time to developing animations that added to the uniqueness of each species. A third-person shooter, Wild Assault has you engaged in battle as one of 10 valiants, using their unique powers to capture territory or objective markers and deplete your opponent’s points. Early access starts with 2 game modes, Conquest and Raid, and two maps, the Mojave Desert and the Rocky Mountains. Mojave’s only playable in Conquest, while the Ricky Mountains are in both Conquest and Raid. Raid matches use one of two halves of the mountain map, with one side attacking, the other defending. Defenders win once the attackers lose all their points or time’s up. Attackers win when they capture all points. Both maps are littered with lots of cover. Ironically, this makes it easier for people to sneak around and kill you without noticing. I favored Raid more, for faster matches and a clearer idea of the battle lines, though the half-sized maps feel small with 40 players fighting for objectives. They recently added a Deathmatch for a limited time, with two teams of 8 participating in a classical battle to wear out their opponent’s points.

Looking for something new in the roguelite scene, my attention was caught by a handsome tiger warrior in the trailer for Yasha: Legends of the Demon Blade, an action RPG with roguelite elements by 7QUARK. Beyond that, the game oozed style and fast-paced action that begged to be experienced. Thankfully, that game has finally arrived on Steam. Yasha: Legends of the Demon Blade is full of character, captivating gameplay, and just as intriguing storytelling. If you’re a fan of Asian art styles and lore, this game will be a must-play for you.

I made it no secret that while I love the first person genre, I’m always on the lookout for games outside of my comfort zone to check out, so when I stumbled across Clash: Artifacts Of Chaos, it did tick those boxes but I didn’t pay much attention to it at first. That is, until I saw that the developers, ACE Team, also made Zeno Clash; a game I really enjoyed and felt it deserved a bigger audience then it had. So, seeing them return with a new title in the same universe, I was excited and, outside of some shortcomings, I don’t think I will ever play any game that is quite like Clash: Artifacts Of Chaos and I mean that in the most positive way possible. 

Bullet hells aren’t necessarily a unique type of game to see over the past few years, so if you’re gonna develop one now, you’ve got to bring something unique (if not a few things) to the table. Fur and Fables is an Early Access release by Double Crow Games, with the spin on the tried-and-true formula being a cast of furry animal heroes that can battle through levels as a team of 1 to 6, all controlled by you in a line that becomes an auto-firing battalion that you move around the boundless stages. Additionally, the characters that make it through to the end of the stage keep the levels you upgrade them to. It was an overall surprisingly deep and fun experience that featured quirky art, unique gameplay ideas, and forgiving strategy.