Oscura: Lost Light

Oscura: Lost Light

Oscura: Lost Light is a nice, solid platformer with eye-catching visuals and challenging gameplay. The level designs in particular are very good and the puzzles never become tedious. The abundance of checkpoints and unlimited lives at your disposal also cuts down on the frustration. Overall Oscura is a great game for fans of the genre, but doesn’t have anything unique to really draw players who would not normally try out platformers.

Gameplay: Entertaining and challenging without becoming frustrating or tedious.

Graphics: The silhouette visual style might not be a fresh as it used to be, but still looks good in Oscura.

Sound: The background music remains firmly in the background without really standing out

Isbarah

Isbarah

Isbarah is not a game to approach if you are looking for an easy challenge or rewards that you don’t have to work hard to earn. The game requires quick reflexes, plenty of practice and a lot of dedication to master. It is definitely rewarding though, and taking down bosses many times your own size while they are covering the screen in projectiles is quite a rush. It is not for the faint of heart, but if you are up for the challenge you simply must try out the game.

Gameplay: The blend of platforming and bullet hell works brilliantly.

Graphics: Beautiful 2D art with excellent character designs.

Audio: Adrenaline pumping tunes.

Bad Piggies Celebrates 100 Million Downloads

Bad Piggies Celebrates 100 Million Downloads

After releasing the immensely popular Angry Birds series it would have been easy for Rovio to simply stick to this winning formula while resting on their laurels. Thankfully this was not the case and they released Bad Piggies back in 2012. This charming puzzle title quickly flew to the top of the mobile charts and [...]
A Good Snowman Is Hard To Build

A Good Snowman Is Hard To Build

A Good Snowman Is Hard To Build is a thoroughly entertaining and charming puzzle title suitable for players of all ages. The beautiful 2D visuals and excellent audio complement the addictive puzzle-solving gameplay, which makes for a memorable experience. We would have liked to see a few more puzzles to solve because the ones on offer are so enjoyable. Overall, it is the perfect game for when you feel like something relaxing and non-violent.

Gameplay: The game is challenging and addictive without being frustrating or unfair.

Graphics: The game features charming visuals with plenty of great touches.

Sound: The soundtrack is great, as are the ambient sound effects

Kana Okaeri

Kana Okaeri

Kana Okaeri improves on the original title with updated visuals as well as full Japanese voice acting. Thankfully the original story remains untouched apart from some translation fixes. It is a pity that the resolution has only been increased slightly over the original version, but anyone who have not yet experienced this game should definitely check it out. The new art and visuals also make it an enticing offer for players that want to relive the emotional roller-coaster of a story.

Gameplay: The storyline is incredibly moving and you can actually make choices that affect the outcome of the game.

Graphics: The updated visuals look great, but the resolution is fixed at 800×600.

Sound: The soundtrack is still great and the new voice acting is done professionally.

Pixel Puzzles 2: Birds

Pixel Puzzles 2: Birds

Decaying Logic definitely didn’t rest on their laurels with this one as it improves on its predecessors in numerous areas. The ability to rotate puzzle pieces allows for a greater challenge and the auto-save feature for individual puzzles is definitely helpful. Other additions, such as the bottom tray, zoom feature and increased area for floating puzzle pieces also adds to the enjoyment.

Gameplay. A return to the calm and relaxing atmosphere of Pixel Puzzles: Japan, but now with an even bigger challenge.

Graphics: Great if you are a fan of birds.

Sounds: Tranquil and relaxing audio.


Buy Pixel Puzzles 2: Birds From Green Man Gaming

Pixel Puzzles 2: Birds

Sunset (Tale of Tales)

Sunset (Tale of Tales)

We recently had the opportunity to check out Sunset, the upcoming release from Tale of Tales. Players familiar with their previous work, such as The Path and The Graveyard, will already know that the developers have a penchant for titles that are hard to pigeonhole

Game of Thrones – A Telltale Games Series – Episode 02: The Lost Lords

Game of Thrones – A Telltale Games Series – Episode 02: The Lost Lords

Previous attempts at turning game of Thrones into a traditional gaming experience has had mixed results, but this adventure from Telltale Games hits all the right marks. It’s got a cast of intriguing characters, gripping storyline and plenty of drama to keep you on the edge of your seat throughout its two hour runtime. Interaction is rather limited, but the overall experience is very true to the source material.

Gameplay: Basically a few quick time events and dialogue choices.

Graphics: The game uses a stylish painterly look for its characters and locations.

Sound: Great music and top notch voice acting especially from the television show actors reprising their roles

Pixel Puzzles: UndeadZ

Pixel Puzzles: UndeadZ

After the calm experience that was Pixel Puzzles: Japan, I was quite surprised by what Pixel Puzzles: UndeadZ had in store for me. The inclusion of zombies that you have to shoot while solving jigsaw puzzles adds a whole new dimension to the game and ensures that there is never a dull moment. Fans of traditional jigsaw puzzles might not agree, but personally we loved the new action oriented elements of the game.

Gameplay: The first ever combination of peaceful jigsaw puzzles, and top down shooter gameplay.

Graphics: Gruesome zombie themed hand-drawn artwork.

Sound: Moody tunes and disturbing sound effects

Pixel Puzzles: Japan

Pixel Puzzles: Japan

Pixel Puzzles: Japan offers an interesting twist on the traditional Jigsaw puzzle without the hassle of finding out that you are missing pieces. Things start off very calm but as the pieces multiply the challenge increases considerably. The constantly moving puzzle pieces also make it tricky, but there is no time limit to worry about. About the only annoyance is that you cannot save your progress during a puzzle.

Gameplay: Calm and relaxing, but can become quite challenging as well.

Graphics: Nothing particularly outstanding but decent enough.

Sound: Calm music and the soothing sounds of a Shishi-odoshi (which can be disabled.)