GXT 866 Torix Premium Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Review By Britt "A tasteful keyboard with chunky, satisfying key-presses" ⌨️@trustGaming

A mechanical keyboard with an incredible level of customisation, only a slight tweak is needed by the user through the included software to make this a go-to keyboard for all purposes.

A full-size wired keyboard (although a wireless version is also available) with some of the best RGB lighting customisation I’ve ever seen – honestly, it was addictive to scroll through the settings – the Trust GXT Torix 866 very quickly became the keyboard I used for my daily tasks, although after a vital tweak involving key sensitivity.

Trust 3-in-1 Gaming Bundle (Thado Keyboard, Helox Mouse & Mouse Pad) Review by Britt ⌨️🖱️ @TrustGaming

The Trust gaming bundle is the perfect starter set to begin a gaming journey, with the Thado keyboard, Helox mouse and accompanying mouse pad forming everything a gamer needs to get in the game.

Presented in a stylish white, the keyboard and mouse combo is complemented by RGB lighting subtly used in the underlit keys and around the edge of the rear of the mouse, as well as a lit GXTrust logo inside the mouse, viewable through the hexagonal mesh design.

The Thado keyboard allows some light customisation of the RGB lighting through toggling between a fully lit setup as well as a ‘breathing’ effect. Whilst the Thado is wired, the included Helox mouse is wireless, with the required Bluetooth dongle being kept inside the body of the mouse when not in use, perfect for when packing up and commuting.

The mouse takes 1.5 hours to reach a full charge but can be used whilst in charging mode. Also of note are the two customisable side-switches on the Helox, as well as the button just below the scrolling wheel which allows you to instantly flick between mouse speeds on the fly.

The Thado is a compact keyboard, and as such does not contain a numpad, much to the annoyance of accountants worldwide, but of course there’s no time for taxes when you are playing the best Build engine game..Blood, natch.!

The third item included in the gaming bundle is a large mouse pad with a smooth surface for accurate aiming and control when in-game and used in tandem with the Helox  mouse. The bottom of the mouse pad is anti-slip to ensure no missed headshots. The universal black design looking at home on any table or desk, with subtle Trust branding.

SUMMARY

In summary, the Trust 3-in-1 Gaming Bundle gives gamers all they need to dive in with eye-catching designs and a nod of the head towards instancy and accessibility.

Whilst the keyboard lacks the incredible customisation of the Trust Torix, it also features a slightly smoother experience when typing – due to the lack of mechanical keys here – and has a better ‘out of the box’ keystroke sensitivity to improve typing accuracy.

The compact design of the keyboard, as well as the in-built dongle storage for the Helox mouse make this bundle ideal for travel or commuting.

Product Link

From the website:

3-in-1 gaming bundle with compact TKL keyboard, ultra-lightweight wireless mouse and mousepad

• Depth: 97 MM

• Game with style, convenience and precision with this ultimate accessory bundle

• Compact TKL keyboard takes up limited space on your desk or in your bag

• Sustainably designed; keyboard made with 69% recycled plastics for a reduced environmental impact

• Anti-ghosting functionality registers up to 10 keystrokes at the same time

• Sturdy metal backplate with Anti-skid rubber feet for extra stability

• Keyboard and mouse with multicolour LED lighting to make your gaming setup even cooler

• Mouse with ultra-lightweight design of only 75g allows for swift and easy movement

• Ultra-low latency wireless via 2.4 GHz micro-USB receiver for lag-free playtime

• Built-in rechargeable battery with up to 80 hours of continuous use so the fun never stops

• Adjustable DPI (800-4800) to adapt your play style to suit the game

• Height: 235 MM

• Width: 375 MM

Blow It Up Xbox Series X Review 7.5/10 "A bomb-based physics title that certainly isn’t a dud!" 💣💥@brainseal #IndieGame #GameDev

Having been a fan of Brain Seal Ltd since I was introduced to them via the wonderful Dark Quest 3, I was intrigued as to what their take on a bomb-centric physics title would be, and would it be enough to take my mind off the hope of a further Dark Quest sequel?

Yes, yes it could!

Blow It Up takes place in Bombtopia, a world populated by voxel bombs that is suddenly taken over by invaders. Your friends are captured, and you must travel the overworld, collecting enough coins to free your friends – all of whom have a special power that can aid you – all the while completing stages by hurling one (or more!)  of your explosive team members into the various structures that hide the fiendish enemies in each level.

Tiny Terry’s Turbo Trip Nintendo Switch Review 8.5/10 "This is a Terrific Turbo Trip To Take" 👍 @TinyTerryGame @SuperRareGames #IndieGame #GameDev

My evil, twisted and foul editor covered Tiny Terry’s Turbo Trip on upon its PC release last Summer, and it also made his end of year list with the below comment:

"For a game that's around 4 hours long this kept me busy doing fun stuff in this open world platformer that has an awesome art style and a music sense that compliments the game perfectly. 

It's the perfect example of an indie game that benefits from not over stretching itself and making sure that what it does, it does it well. 

Go make friends with Tiny Terry and I promise you won't regret it!"

The game is centred around young Terry, who we initially meet as he stands in line at the ‘Job Application Centre’ where he is looking to get a car so that he can ‘go to space’, all completely normal and above board. Through a series of miscommunications – a throughline in the game – Terry ends up getting a job as a taxi driver… with no pay, natch.

Magno Magnetic Wireless 5000mAh Powerbank Review By Britt 🔋🪫📱⚡️ @TrustGaming

A magnetic powerbank for iPhone 12 and higher, the Trust Magno is an absolute must for those who need a boost on the go.

As someone who tends to use his partner’s bag-contained MASSIVE powerbank whenever my phone is running low and we are out and about, I never really thought to get one myself, as I like to travel light and just have a few things in my pocket, so whenever my phone needed a charge and we were in transit or on a daytrip with our young son, I’d just pop my phone on charge and leave it in her bag. But no longer!

Big Helmet Heroes Xbox Series X Review: 7.5/10 "Helmets on, it’s time to rock" 🪖⛑️ @DearVillagers #IndieGame #GameDev

Big Helmet Heroes is the first title from Exalted Studio, a developer based in the south of France composed of veterans of the industry, with composer Pierre Galibert handling the score.

With a genuinely amusing trailer that captured the imagination, the thought of a modern, tasty 3D brawler with a wordless comedic approach that focused on slapstick and absurdity very much appealed to me. Whilst there is a lot to love and as much fun as the game is, it can’t quite shake the creeping repetition that haunts the genre.

Starbound Xbox Series X Review 9/10 "Terraria in Space" ⭐️ @ChucklefishLTD #IndieGame #GameDev

A few years ago, my partner and I were hips deep in Terraria, I genuinely think I own a copy on every system it’s been released - aside from Switch, thinking about it - and we would often spend weeks just getting back into the groove with the amazing music (which I am lucky enough to own on vinyl) and just the pure sense of wonder and relaxation that exists in the quiet exploration. To be honest, we barely bothered with the boss fights, it was all about pottering about for us.

My next – and true – love, came through the glorious Aground, and once my gaming thirst had been slaked there, I vaguely hearing about Starbound, but as it wasn’t then available on consoles, I promptly forgot about it and went on my day, a day that was bereft of crafty, pixel, action-adventure games…until now.

Video Game LoFi Zelda Vol. 2– Doors of Time Vinyl Review By Britt 💿 @CuragaRecords #VideoGameVinyl #Vinyl

I’ve listened to many, many iterations of music from the Zelda franchise here at GF over the years, and some have been absolute belters, whilst others have been less memorable and feel like mindless runs through a tired formula, lacking personality and relying on the original, classic melodies to see them through. 

As a person who doesn’t have a rich personal history with the Zelda franchise, when listening to remix albums of key beloved games and series that I don’t have a specific connection with, it’s easy to wish for that immediate, nostalgic ‘heartline’ to the music at hand. Other times – such as here – the music is so (seemingly) effortlessly cool that you just get drawn in, the musicianship bleeds out of the speakers – and, in the way of the best possible praise, this record has not left our turntable in almost two weeks. 

Perfect ambience as it is for chilling out, working, drinking, and chatting. And yet, this is more than background beats, there’s a sense of melody and depth that rewards more concentrated listening.

The cover of the record is the standard Curaga Records holographic image, with key locations tastefully recreated from within the Zelda franchise that will be instantly recognisable to fans of the series. 

The rear of the album featuring the track listing and album credits, with the main holographic colouring used in this instance being a purplish hue. The album is presented on heavyweight black vinyl and comes encased in a matte black sleeve.

Basureroes: Invasion Nintendo Switch Review 8.5/10 "It’s time to take out the trash" ⚠️🚮💥 @javi_mikau @basureroes @JanduSoft #IndieGame #GameDev

The Superhero League of Hoboken, a much-loved DOS game that also featured a team of heroes with…less than obvious powers of good sprang to mind upon diving into Basureroes: Invasion, I instantly got that vibe of (whilst this is very different in terms of genre from The Superhero League of Hoboken!) a game with a sense of humour and self-deprecation about itself whilst also being genuinely charming, amusing, and well-designed -AND for up to four players!

Just putting this out there as I had no idea what the title meant, ‘basura’ is Spanish for rubbish / trash / garbage – just in case anyone was as flummoxed by the title of this one as I was! Luckily, aside from the title, nothing else about Basureroes: Invasion is rubbish, as it’s an incredibly engaging – and accessible – 2D platform game that has been a regular multiplayer fixture (although it’s just as good in single player mode) in our household over the last couple of weeks.

Dance of Cards Nintendo Switch Review 9/10 "A game that won my heart...and spade, club, diamond." 🃏🃏 @FrogOfHearts #IndieGame #GameDev

I bloody love coming across games like Dance of Cards – which seems to be released on the Switch just for me, at the perfect time. I’ve been playing Balatro on and off over the last few weeks, and one evening, as I failed yet another run, I mused idly to myself how awesome a poker-based RPG would be...and a few days later, Dance of Cards sidled shiftily into my deck. Needless to say, I went in blind.

The game casts you in the role of the heroically named ‘Martin’, a magician and card mechanic in a small town that is getting sent on to the big city by his shady manager, on a cruise ship. And on said voyage...things go somewhat awry.

Eternal Strands Xbox Series X Review 7.5/10 "Eternal Strands That Don’t Quite Weave Wonder" 🧶🧵 @YellowBrick_Qc #IndieGame #GameDev

A cel-shaded open world adventure that features deep lore abounds in this release from Yellow Brick Games (comprised of a team featuring several ex-Ubisoft developers), Eternal Strands excels in performance and world-building; but lacklustre, weightless combat and certain design elements gives this the faint air of a game that started in a more MMORPG style that pivoted to a single player experience.

Eternal Strands casts the player as Brynn, a mercenary accompanying a group of travellers trying to find out the secrets of a long-lost civilisation. Your camp with the travellers acts as a hub, whilst Loomgates scattered around the land allow you to teleport to different areas of the world, each with their own biome, items, and enemies. The opening anime-style cinematic is impressive and engaging, although it hints at a slightly goofy humour that doesn’t exist anywhere else in the mostly po-faced game, where dialogue with the fully-voiced cast of characters is rich, but mostly eventless and dry. That’s not to say there isn’t a lot of lore and world-building to discover and learn, more that doing so isn’t a particularly engaging aspect of the game.

Burger Race Nintendo Switch Review 7.5/10 "Fast Food at a bargain price!" 🍔💨 @SAT_BOX_2011 #IndieGame #GameDev

This is the second title by Sat-Box that I’ve covered in just a few weeks,,and I have to say that their budget, family friendly titles are winning me over. In the same vein that Sugoroku Casino Party was a fun, digital board game with its focus on multiplayer action, Burger Race is a fast food take on the Mario Kart formula...at under a fiver!

A simple, accessible game, Burger Race allows for up to four players – in split screen – to select from a range of fast food items on wheels (or rather, cucumbers and tomatoes) and race around the nine tracks on offer, picking up the various boosts and weapon pick-ups scattered around the circuits en route.

Dog Man: Mission Impawsible Xbox Series X Review 6.5/10 "Full price? You’d be barking mad" 🐶 @MindscapeGames @F84Games #IndieGame #GameDev

I have to admit, I had never heard of the Dog Man franchise, I was very much unaware of Dav Pilkey’s books, graphic novels and the upcoming animated film. As such, I approached Dog Man: Mission Impawsible as a pure platform gaming experience, and as such – found it pretty middling in terms of gameplay, interesting in terms of presentation... but I did balk <bark? - Ed> at the asking price.

Dog Man Mission: Impawsible begins with the titular character getting called back into action, and re-banding his old companions in a bid to save their town, each has their own skill to surpass certain obstacles, as well as their own weaknesses. From that moment, the game reveals itself to be a pretty standard platformer, very accessible, and with a generous learning curve for younger / newer players, but overall very much not deserving the premium price tag that is attached to Dog Man Mission Impawsible.

Video Game Lo fi: Sonic Frontiers – Vinyl Review By Britt 📀 @CuragaRecords #Vinyl #VideoGameVinyl

The newest project from lost:tree – who has been involved with several other of Curaga Records’ projects such as their lo-fi interpretations of Kingdom Hearts and Sonic (a personal favourite of mine!). 

This release focuses on the music of Sonic Frontiers, the 2022 open-world Sonic the Hedgehog game that was well-received upon release, and was seen as a return to form for open-world Sonic titles. The ten tracks here are curated from the 150(!) song soundtrack of Sonic Frontiers, and home in on a dreamy, mellow vibe – it also includes some vocal-led tracks to mix things up and add emotional resonance.

Tap Wizard 2 Xbox Series X Review 6.5/10 "Tap Wizard 2 Didn’t quite manage to cast its spell on me" 🧙‍♂️💥🧙 @Top_Cog #IndieGame #GameDev

The trailer for Tap Wizard 2 struck me as a game akin to Vampire Survivors, and as I’d wet my whistle on that particular genre during my end of year Switch mini-review round-up, I quite fancied another game with the same flavour. Digging deeper into Tap Wizard 2 reveals that it is actually an ‘idle’ game, a genre which is more suited to mobile devices – from which this is a port – and so I wondered how it would fare on consoles. It turns out that whilst the design and charm is there – it does feel that the mobile market is perhaps the best place for Tap Wizard 2.

The game begins with you choosing your wizard and their six powers from a choice of various elements, from then on, your wizard will engage in endless waves of combat with enemies in ever-increasing numbers and strengths as you incrementally increase your stats, powers, and abilities.

Visually the game features some tasty pixel art and runs very smoothly. The chiptune audio is catchy, but on a relatively short loop, although you can flick between a few different ditties in the menu. What you cannot do, though, is turn off the rumble on your controller, this is of note as the controller constantly rumbles throughout the game, and you can’t put your controller down or it’ll rumble off the table and onto the floor. This wouldn’t normally be an issue, but as it’s an idle game with a lot of downtime, it would have been a nice feature to include.

Whilst primarily an idle game, you can take direct control over your wizard as he wanders his way around the single-screen battlefield, and you’ll find that you’ll survive longer and get more pick-ups this way, as the AI-controlled wizard tends to just either move in a sweeping circle, or stay in the centre of the screen, ignoring the many chests that pop up full of goodies. 

Another minor niggle is that the left thumb stick – this controls the on-screen cursor, the right thumb stick handles manual wizard movement – seems to always start offscreen at the bottom left, which is a bit odd, the centre of the screen would be preferable for initial cursor placement.

The number of various panels, inventory areas, unlockables, upgrades and bonuses etc. is laudable and certainly adds a sense of progress to your quest, but the time-locked lore / narrative reveal is so overly verbose and lengthy that I got more irritated than intrigued upon reading. 

I found that the game was best played as I was cleaning my flat, having it on in the background and popping back every few minutes to maybe take over manually, and click through, selecting all of the things I’d unlocked whilst idle.

SUMMARY

It’s a game that’s too uninvolved to sit and fully engage with, and not engrossing enough to boot up and check in when playing on the Xbox, without the instancy and casualness of mobile play. 

I’d be interested to see what developer TopCog comes up with next, as I feel there’s a lot of talent and promise there, but on console, Tap Wizard 2 doesn’t quite click for me.

6.5/10

💧MELTING💧

Dreamcore Xbox Series X Review 7/10 "Feeling….Lonely?" 😶‍🌫️ @DreamcoreGame @TlonIndustries #IndieGame #GameDev

Dreamcore is a very unique experience as a game, with it’s use of liminal spaces and an incredible sense of isolation in its quietly nightmare-ish locations. The use of life-like body-cam style visuals and crisp graphics heighten the sense of agency, but the design and gameplay itself can very much oscillate between irritation and boredom dependent on your personal standing with the unspoken horror of isolation and liminal places. For some, this will be an intense experience whilst others may see Dreamcore as an interesting piece of art that has a novelty factor that wears off relatively quickly.

Couchmaster® CYCON³ - HORIZONLIGHT Review "Gaming Comfort at its peak!" 🖱️ @NerdytecES

Everyone has a different gaming setup, dependent on their home situation. Over the years, I’ve shifted from tiny bedrooms to living room gaming setups, bespoke gaming rooms, and back again. With wireless controllers, things are a little easier but having a PC mouse and keyboard setup is always a little cumbersome, pretty much tying you to a desk…until now…

Perfectly designed for couches and armchairs, the first thing that strikes you when the Couchmaster Cycon3 is removed from the incredibly well-packaged box is the heft and robustness of it. This isn’t a flimsy product that needs to be handled with kid gloves, it’s a weighty, solid unit with accessible ports and easy access for cable management purposes.

Neon Blood Nintendo Switch Review 6.5/10 "The spark of something beautiful" 🧠⚡️ @ChaoBrainStudio #IndieGame #GameDev

Neon Blood was one of those games that struck me the moment I first watched the trailer, a beautiful blend of 3D environments with 2D characters, that supposedly melded that cyberpunk aesthetic with detective-based adventure, on paper – and on screen – it looked to be a winner. Sadly, as much as there was in Neon Blood that really drew me in, there was just as much working against my enjoyment.

Set in an alternate, distant future, the player is cast in the role of detective Axel McCoin, a burnt-out detective who regularly uses the fictional drug Spark to cope with extreme pain caused by his failing bio-implants. Mostly dismissed by his superiors, Axel (cool name ) gets embroiled in a series of murders that hint at a larger conspiracy…

Super Rolling Heroes Deluxe Xbox Series X Review 6.5/10 "Keep on rollin’ baby" 🧶 @solidneongames @JanduSoft #IndieGame #GameDev

A fun and polished casual title, Super Rolling Heroes Deluxe is a game about downward momentum. You must control your colourful, rotund buddy as they tumble down mountains avoiding spikes, traps, and pitfalls in a bid to make contact with the jewel at the end of each stage, thus completing the level.

Controls are simple, you can backpedal slightly, slow yourself down, or hop as you roll down the hills, smashing up the tiny houses, cars and structures that litter your way. The music is light and gentle, matching the pastel colours that are a breeze on the eyes. The animation and scrolling is also a very smooth 60 fps, which adds to the flow of the game.

Unfortunately, whilst there are various cosmetic unlockables that you can purchase – and side roads that lead to the extra gems etc. that act as in-game currency, the environment never really changes, and aside from the game getting trickier, you’ll find yourself passing the same structures and items over and over, meaning that there’s no real sense of progress beyond the numbers of the levels changing. 

You can adjust the difficulty to make it more of a challenge, but a little could have gone a long way here, with maybe differing weather conditions affecting your traversal, and some more dynamism and variety to the environments themselves, or the inclusion of hectic multiplayer races. 

SUMMARY

All that said, this is a fundamentally sound game that is fun for short blasts and is perfectly priced – but lacks that little something extra to make it a strike.

6.5/10

💧MELTING💧

Snowman Story Nintendo Switch Review 6/10 "A very specific festive adventure" ☃️ @OdencatGames #IndieGame #GameDev

As this was a child-friendly game, I thought I’d take the opportunity to play through with my three-year old son, a boy who is very much caught up in the magic of Christmas. As it pans out, whilst this is a very cute and noble game as a bittersweet Christmas fable, the simplicity and repetition end up stagnating any sense of flow, and ultimately mute the eventual emotional payoff.