Platform: Nintendo Switch
Balatro absolutely rules. And this is coming from someone with abject disdain of poker… Traditional poker hands are your basic tools, but that’s about as far as the connection goes. The rest of Balatro is a wickedly clever, psychedelic, insta-classic roguelike through which you’ll devise cunning ways to break the game. Cards and modifiers are tightly designed, crisply defined and delightfully synergistic. Again, Balatro just rules. Play it.
Epic continues to push the Fortnite-as-a-platform strat. Understandably not as deep as LEGO Fortnite, but a fun little racing game with a big emphasis on drifting and obstacles reminiscent of Mario Kart, and wild courses à la Trackmania. Be prepared to feel like Schumacher as you first place Bronze and Silver ranks only to be met with your first decent human opponents and summarily crushed. Fun though!
What I thought would be a quick, relatively low-effort brand collaboration turns out to be a remarkably fleshed out exploration/building/survival game with an incredible level of polish. A bit of Minecraft, a tiny bit of Animal Crossing, and even rolling in combat - sooo, we’re a soulslike now? Fun game, and the fact that Epic remade over 1,200 skins to suit the LEGO-verse is crazy in itself.
Somehow, two years after it was first released, a silly little watermelon game captures the streamer zeitgeist. It’s simple but addictive, and for whatever reason is just as enjoyable to watch (or at least have on in the background) as it is to play. It’s also way cheaper than an actual watermelon, so give it a go.
The hint is in the name: this game (and Nintendo when they’re in this form) is indeed a wonder. Constantly surprising, funny, delightful, and endlessly creative. The best 2D Mario has been in a long time. Vibrant and refreshed, but still underpinned by decades of perfecting tight controls and a seemingly endless supply of not just ideas, but the talent to execute them. Love.
Definitely a cool game - love the atmosphere, styling and general foundation. I can see this becoming something great over time, but currently the loop and endgame are a little underwhelming. Even with that though, the game is fun, fairly priced and an enjoyable little romp.
Ahead of Alan Wake 2 releasing on October 27th, Epic Games have unveiled a clever promotional tie-in, in the form of a playable custom Fortnite island. Alan Wake: Flashback is a ‘reimagining the iconic story’, available now with island code 3426-5561-3374. We’ve seen these sort of collabs before, but this is a bit more involved, substantial and creative. Perk of a good relationship I s’pose!
The latest from Jeppe Carlsen, lead gameplay designer of LIMBO and INSIDE - COCOON is just as intriguing, creative and moreish. The puzzles are really nice, and all a good level of challenge. Everything else, from the visual and sound design to each little interaction wouldn’t be misplaced in a ‘Satisfying Aesthetic ASMR Compilation’ video. Really cool.
Really clever deduction point-n-click puzzler that has you deciphering languages across a pretty world for around seven hours. Not a new concept, but manages to strike a simple, satisfying balance between intuitive and challenging. Wish it didn’t give away so much sometimes, but still very cool.