Into Death and Beyond Xbox Series X Review 3/10 “Crash Landing” 🔫 @Dolores_Ent #IndieGame #GameDev

Into Death and Beyond is about a bounty hunter named Mark Helkins who is on a mission to capture a rogue alien mutation. He crash lands and is now trapped with limited resources and now facing a hostile alien threat. That is the crux of the plot, and though it slightly expands upon itself with discoverable logs scattered throughout the game, the plot is a really by the numbers affair. A seedy corporation conducting dodgy experiments that get out of hand etc. it is a story that has been told many, many a time.

X-Out: Re-Surfaced Xbox Series X Review 7/10 "a little different from the other horizontal shooters of yore" ❌ @ININ_Games #Retrogaming #IndieGame #GameDev

Originally released in 1989 on the Commodore 64 before being ported to the Amiga and others in 1990, X-Out differentiates itself from other shooters of the time by being set underwater. It also allows you to spend credits on customising your craft before each run – and there will be many – which adds a layer of personalisation when deciding if you want something nippy, or more robust, as well as choosing your weapon load out, limited only by your cash flow.

The original game was well-received, and it is a bit of a lost title when it comes to other shooters from the era, so it’s great that it’s been remastered for modern audiences, but how does it stand up over thirty years on from its original release?

Quite well, it turns out. The simple, but effective customisation options ensure that you have a sense of personalising each crack at the game to suit your play style, and the visuals have received a tasteful overhaul that makes things pop and run more smoothly, but don’t lose the identity of the original design and style, which can really be a deal-breaker in instances such as this - this is still very much chunky pixel action. Good. 

The audio has also been re-vamped, and I quite enjoyed the soundtrack which is energetic and engaging without being ostentatious or over-bearing. There’s also a neat option in the menu to switch between the original soundtracks on the 8/16-bit systems or the modern take on it, which was the one I went for.

X-Out is not an easy game. Whilst your ship has a health meter and can take a decent kicking from enemy fire before giving up the ghost, if you even touch the environmental obstacles or even a boss, you die in one hit, with no continues. It’s straight back tot the ship selection screen for you. It’s very clear that this is a game that will appeal to those that enjoy a serious challenge. There’s also a two-player mode for local co-op, which is a nice inclusion.

It’s a very bare-bones remaster in terms of historical content, such as design docs, artwork and interviews with the original / new developers etc. which is something I do like to see included with these remasters, but it appears that in this case these aspects are only included with the limited and special editions of the game, available from ININ.

SUMMARY

All in all, X-Out: Re-surfaced is a little different from the other horizontal shooters of yore, and this does give it its own identity. I would have liked some more content on the history of the game, but the more tasteful aspects of this remaster give it appeal, just be prepared for a serious challenge!

7/10

🆒COOL🆒

(also available on PS5, Switch, PC)

RetroMania Wrestling Xbox Series X Review 7/10 “Going Old School” 🤼‍♂️ @RetrosoftStudio #IndieGame #GameDev

I grew up in the ‘90s with an older brother, and we were – and are - both wrestling fans, so I have spent many an hour playing wrestling games. 

The favourite in our youth was WWF Royal Rumble on the Sega Mega Drive, a game in which I currently think I’m on a 30 year losing streak, as then and now my brothers fingers move quicker than mine, and in a very button-bashy fighting game, it is quite the advantage. 

I bring this up because RetroMania Wrestling is made for someone like me, someone who grew up in the ‘90s with fond memories of these arcade style, 2D wrestling games, you don’t have to have that nostalgia - but it does help.

Police Shootout Xbox Series X Review 5/10 "A Quirky Blend of Genres Sandbagged by Technical Issues." 🚨🚔 @GamesIncubator #IndieGame #GameDev

A turn-based FPS game with investigative qualities was very much of appeal to me when I was offered to cover Police Shootout, and whilst it is an intriguing blend of genres that comes frustratingly close to being an idiosyncratic gem, there are just a few too many rough edges to ignore.

The game begins with your character moving from the big city to a small American town, transferred in a bid to find out what happened to his brother. Your commanding officer is a rather brusque gentleman who hints at knowing your ulterior motives for being in his neck of the woods, but initially seems to be warning you off your private quest of familial revenge.

Firefighting Simulator: The Squad Xbox Series X Review 5.5/10 "Smouldering Embers" 🔥🚒🧯 @FirefightingSim #IndieGame #GameDev

A game that looks and runs much more smoothly and cleanly than others of its ilk, catastrophic AI and flat gameplay let down would could have been an interesting title.

The tutorial of Firefighting Simulator: The Squad does a decent job of laying out the core mechanics of the game, with an oddly rousing tutorial musical score, you’ll use one of your tools to smash down a door, rescue a smoke inhalation victim from their bedroom floor, and carry them to safety before returning to fight the blaze. 

This will pretty much be the main recipe for each of the numerous missions ahead of you. First impressions are quite solid, the frame-rate rocks a steady 60fps for most of the time, the visuals are crisp and grounded, and the overall mood is quite earthy and practical. It’s only after this tutorial that the issues creep in.

Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 Xbox Series X Review 9.75/10 "Welcome back, Henry" ⚔️🐎 @KingdomComeRPG

The first Kingdom Come: Deliverance had a huge impact on my life upon my first playthrough four years ago, It was my ‘go to’ game in the days when my fiancée was pregnant and often napping or getting comfortable in bed whilst chugging back bottles of Tums. 

I’d pop KCD on the Xbox in our bedroom and get lost in 15th century Bohemia, my beloved often chiming in, whistling along to the music, commenting on my less savoury deeds, and questioning why the main character – the son of a Czech blacksmith – spoke as if he’d never left the borders of Mousehole. What does she know, eh?

My point being that I pumped almost two hundred hours into Kingdom Come: Deliverance (Well, 150 in hours of actual game time and probably 50 hours of LOADING SCREENS, something that is thankfully, thankfully remedied in this sequel) over those last few months before we became parents, and the game now reminds me of a pretty special time of my life, so getting the opportunity to lose myself again in the world of Henry of Skalitz was an exiting proposition to say the least!

Promise Mascot Agency arrives April 2025 on PC & Consoles 👹 @KaizenGameWorks #IndieGame #GameDev

 

Kaizen Game Works have announced that Promise Mascot Agency is coming to consoles and PC on April 10th 2025 - with a new trailer exclusively revealed at IGN Fan Fest.

From the dev team behind Paradise Killer, join ex-yakuza legend Michi and his assistant manager Pinky☆ in their epic quest to restore glory to a cursed Japanese town’s defunct mascot agency!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Home Safety Hotline Xbox Series X Review 9.5/10 “The best horror game of 2024” ☎️🖥️ @SlickNickLives #IndieGame #GameDev

I’m going to start this review off by saying - whenever you get a phone call in this game, wherever you are in the directory, it puts you back right at the start. So, if you’re at the letter ‘P’, a phone call will come in and it puts you back to the start…which is the letter ‘A’ just in case you somehow know how to read but don’t know the alphabet… which is probably one person out there, and speaking of one, that's how many criticisms I have of this game. One. the one I’ve just said, That's it, the rest of this review will be just gushing praise - I adore this title.

So, with my vast negativity about this game now out of the way, let’s get into why it’s utterly amazing.

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💧

Highway Police Simulator Xbox Series X Review 2/10 "It’s time to arrest this series" 🚨🚔 @AerosoftGmbH #IndieGame #GameDev

I first caught wind of Aerosoft back in 2020 when I covered Autobahn Police Simulator 2, it was a game that I rated 4.5/10 but with a huge caveat in that, whilst the game had very intense technical problems, there was a charm and ideology that kept me playing for a long time, and the approach, atmosphere, music, and deeply idiosyncratic charm kept me coming back for more. 

It was my ‘go to’ example for a game that had admittedly overreached, but had heart and promise. Fast forward to 2022, and the sequel was released, which threw a load of new ideas and gameplay mechanics at the wall, but failed incredibly to deal with the basic, fundamental issues that the prequel had. As mentioned, this is the game that I bring up in terms of conversations regarding golden ideas that outreach their grasp. 

The Plucky Squire Xbox Series X Review 9.5/10 "Is gaming art? Who cares? it can however, be truly magical" ⚔️🔖🏹 @devolverdigital @apossf @JamesTurner_42 @onebitbeyond

I remember seeing an initial reveal trailer for The Plucky Squire a few years ago, and the central conceit that the protagonist - Jot - could leap forth from the confines of the book in which he is a main character instantly appealed to me.

The blending of the illustrated 2D cartoon world in which he resides with the ‘real’ 3D world opens up myriad gameplay possibilities, and really caught my eye. Fast forward to the tail-end of 2024 – to a situation whereby I have the opportunity to play the Plucky Squire with my three-year old son - and the act of playing the game becomes a family-bonding, transformative experience.

Unwording Xbox Series X Review 8.5/10 "A word-based puzzle game with an emotional core" 🧠 @frostwood_int #IndieGame #GameDev

Word-based puzzlers are big hits in our household here at the Welsh branch of The Mighty GF, and so I always get a mite excited when one pops up on our radar. What makes Unwording a little different is the mental health focused aspect of the narrative, as described by the developer:

Unwording is a short but powerful exploration of overcoming negative self-talk. Solve word puzzles, explore the neighbourhood through multiple perspectives, and help Tom have a better day through a challenging yet cathartic experience.

Flint: Treasure of Oblivion XBOX Series X Review 6.5/10 "A voyage with a touch of seasickness" 🏴‍☠️🦜 @PlayFlintGame @_SavageLevel_ #IndieGame #GameDev

A game that presents itself fantastically in some ways, but fumbles the bottle of rum over the side of the vessel in too many others to make it completely smooth sailing.

Flint: Treasure of Oblivion has an opening segment that certainly grabs your attention, as the game opens on a raft adrift in the ocean and we are introduced to Captain Flint and his hulking second in command, Billy Bones. They’ve clearly been at sea for a while with no food or water, and Flint finally loses his mind and decides he has no recourse other than to devour his best friend. 

It’s a fun and novel way to introduce the basic mechanics of the game as you chase your erstwhile companion all over the tiny raft. Luckily for all involved, in the midst of this debacle a ship sees the duo and takes them aboard…