Devolver Tumble Time (Mobile)
NEScape! (Switch, PC)
Escape Rooms have been a popular form of entertainment lately. From what I understand, you and a group are ‘trapped’ in a room and must figure out puzzles in the room in a limited time to get out. Some of my friends and family said I would like these, but I dunno. Depends on how much they cost, I guess. But what if Escape Rooms came out during the 8-bit NES days? You know they’d make a game about it on the Nintendo! And now they have with NEScape! It’s a new, unlicensed game running on NES hardware. Originally you could only buy it as a cartridge, but now you can also play it on the Switch and PCs as well (reviewed on Switch here).
nOS: New Operating System (Switch)
Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider (PS4, PS5, Switch, PC)
Battle oppression in a bleak dystopian future as a robotic samurai in Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider. The game is designed to look and play like a 16-bit 2-D action game, like what you might’ve seen on the SEGA Genesis or Super Nintendo. It’s available on PlayStation consoles, Switch, and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.
Pocket Witch (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S)
Wonder Boy Anniversary Collection (PS4, PS5, Switch)
Last year we got a collection of classic Wonder Boy games, but there was only one problem. Not all the games were on the collection! Well they’ve seemed to fix that this year with Wonder Boy Anniversary Collection. It now has pretty much all the Wonder Boy games, plus all versions of those titles and cool new bonus features. It’s available to download on Switch and PlayStation consoles, but reviewed on PS4 here.
Unplugged: Wreckland Run (Boardgame)
The age of solo boardgaming is among us. With the business of everyday life, there will always be boardgamers who simply can’t get free on a regular basis to play with their friends. For years, one’s only option was to take a boardgame and play against oneself. With the rise of cooperative games, it was possible to take on a game without having to be your own enemy. Unsurprisingly, solo boardgaming received a big bump during the pandemic. While digital implementations of boardgames are available, sometimes it is nice to lay everything out on the table and play the game with easy access to the entire game state at once. Wreckland Run is a recent solo boardgame entry by Scott Almes (designer of another good solo game, Warp’s Edge.) Wreckland Run has you driving your armed-to-the-teeth, tricked-out car through a post-apocalyptic gauntlet of enemy vehicles. If you manage to drive and shoot your way successfully to the end, another six adventures await.
Wreckland Run
Publisher: Renegade Game Studios
Designer: Scott Almes
Ages: 10+
Players: 1
Time: 30-45 mins
(Review copy provided by publisher)
Shuttlecock-H (Switch, PC)
This is a ‘bullet hell’ style shooter, except you don’t shoot. Just avoid bullets. All the while you collect hearts and unlock cute anime ladies with different outfits. Not sure what those two things have to do with one another, but that’s what this game is. It’s available on Switch and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.
Albacete Warrior (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S, PC)
Sissa’s Path (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S, PC)
Sissa is a cat who loves to play with her balls of yarn, as cats tend to do. But she’s also very particular about where her yarn goes. Help her push her balls of yarn into the correct spots in this puzzle game. It’s available on all current game consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here. There’s a name for these types of games in Japan called Sokaban, and it reminds me of titles like Boxxle, Chip’s Challenge, or Adventures of Lolo.