Lunistice (Switch, PC)
Lunistice is a linear 3-D platformer that pays homage to low-poly games you might’ve seen on 32-bit systems like the PlayStation. There’s some weird story here that I can’t figure out, but all you need to know is you play as Hana the tanuki and guide her through several dream worlds as she hops and spins her way to the goal. It’s available on Switch and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.
Falling Out (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, PC)
Giorgio and Felicia are two newlyweds who still love each other, but the ‘honeymoon phase’ is starting to be over as Felicia longs for more romantic days. So she enters a vacation contest and wins, so the couple have a second honeymoon in Egypt. While exploring the pyramids, the two get lost from the tour group and accidentally wake a mummy’s spirit. Now they must explore the cursed pyramids and other temples to find four talismans to break the curse. Falling Out is a 2-D platforming co-op game with randomly generated dungeons. You can play single player or with a friend locally, and it’s available on most current consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.
Arkanoid: Eternal Battle (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S, PC)
Arkanoid is a classic arcade game that came out in the mid 80s by Taito, makers of Space Invaders and Bubble Bobble. It’s a Breakout clone, meaning you move a paddle on the bottom of the screen as you bounce a ball to break blocks at the top. Except Arkanoid features improved graphics, power-ups, and enemies, so it’s really a better game. Arkanoid is a special game to me for many reasons. It was a mainstay arcade machine at the local Pizza Inn when I was a kid, and it was one of the few arcade games I could get my dad to play. Because of that, Arkanoid was also one of the first games I got for my NES (I also thought the included paddle controller was cool). Over the years I’ve enjoyed other Arkanoid games, like Arkanoid: Tournament Edition and Revenge of Doh in arcades, Doh it Again on SNES, and Arkanoid R. I also really liked Arkanoid DS because the music in it is freaking awesome. So I was excited to review Arkanoid: Eternal Battle, the newest in the series. It’s available on all current consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.
Super Chicken Jumper (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S, PC, Mobile)
Aliens have invaded Earth so the President sends out her secret weapon: a chicken! Super Chicken Jumper is a continuous runner with 8-bit styled retro graphics. Play as a chicken as you run, jump, defeat bosses, and collect power-ups and items to help you keep going further. It’s available on pretty much anything you can play a game on, but reviewed on PS4 here.
Hatup (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S, PC)
Them’s Fightin’ Herds (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S, PC)
About ten or so years ago, there was a My Little Pony cartoon based on the toy line with the subtitle “Friendship is Magic.” The cartoon was directed by Lauren Faust, who also worked on such cartoons like The PowerPuff Girls and Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends. So because of this, the My Little Pony cartoon was surprisingly good and developed a fan base of all ages and genders. Some fans even made a fighting game based on the My Little Pony characters. Hasbro shut that down, understandably, since they didn’t want their toy line associated with fighting. But people liked that idea so much that Lauren Faust created some new characters for a fighting game, and that’s how we got Them’s Fightin’ Herds! It’s a cartoony one-on-one fighter featuring all manner of hooved animals, and it’s available for all current consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.
Super Woden GP (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S, PC)
Rule No. 1 (PS4, PS5, Switch)
Rule No. 1 is a first person shooter that’s more like a obstacle course testing ground for your FPS skills than anything else. You play as a sassy yet attractive lady who must shoot everything in a single small rectangular area. Enemies come in waves, and you are scored on how many you can shoot before your health runs out. The game is available on PlayStation consoles and Switch, but reviewed on PS4 here.
reky (Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, X/S, PC, Mobile)
“reky” is a isometric maze puzzle game where you must guide a ball through a minimalistic maze to get from point A to point B. There are colored blocks in the mazes that you can move to certain spots by pressing the A button. When your ball is over one of those colored blocks, you can absorb that color with the X button. You can then transfer that color to another white block, and then move that block with the A button to hopefully move forward. But your ball can’t be on colored blocks for them to move. There are nearly a hundred of these maze puzzles to solve in reky, and it’s available on pretty much anything you can play a game on, but reviewed on Switch here.