Death Squared Nintendo Switch Review

You will die a lot. Those five words neatly explain what will happen when you play Death Squared.
Want more? - For the most part you will be entirely responsible…

However you’re here for the complete package; So Death Squared is firstly a puzzle game and secondly a test on how well you can keep calm under pressure and not shout at each other*.

Now sidestepping the plot for a moment I’ll attempt to explain the basics of the game.

There are cubes that you control. In single player there are two (red and blue) whilst in multiplayer there are four (add a yellow and green to the mix).
So the number of players varies from 1, 2 or 4. The play environment is composed of tiles with various properties and a few other ‘toys (?)’ whose actions are in response to switches or to the movement of specific player cubes.

The basis of the game is to move these coloured cubes from their starting positions to their respective goals (denoted with a matching coloured circle).
And with that simple premise be prepared for torture.

Initially the levels are a little pedestrian. The linear routes helping to focus your attention on the obstacles you face. As the levels go by the game starts to introduce features and what can only be called ‘tricks’ that are designed to foil your progress. Part of the game’s design is that you’re expected to die since some of the traps when released are unavoidable; that surprisingly doesn’t mean it’s unfair, just designed to give you a good rubbing just when you think that you’re home and dry.

Later levels open out the playfield which actually does provide a different challenge. You are now faced with the question of which way shall I go (?) and is that tempting switch part of the test or a lure to extract another fatality. The deaths you experience are totalled for each level and there is no limit to the number of lives, you just restart the level after your demise. The challenge is in solving the puzzle and remembering the solution as you negotiate the ‘dance’ that you perform with the bots to ensure their survival.

At this point I’m going to veer away from the play mechanics and look at presentation. The cubes are ‘in fact’ A.I. bots and inhabit a series of test chambers. In game the inter-level sequences are characterized with audio of David, a slacker employee, and Iris his A.I. companion discussing life, the universe and well everything A.I. bot related. 
All this does sound very Portalesque but is very well done and sets the context for the puzzles whilst giving the player a continuing narrative (and confession time I have no idea what happens at the end – I’ve yet to finish the thing).

In fact the presentation of the whole package is of a high standard with a consistent look and feel. Apart from the colour, the bots are identifiable by an increasing number of lights giving them all ‘faces’ with an additional light on the top to show which bot you’re controlling. This brings up another point about the control system. Each of the Switches controllers operate one of the Bots and can also operate one additional bot when required. So in single player each stick operates its own Bot (a note to Neon owners here – the Bot colours are OPPOSITE to the controller colours) whilst in Multiplayer you may be required to control an extra Bot by holding down the shoulder button).

As you progress the levels unlock and you can revisit completed levels at any time. There is also a series of extremely hard levels (The Vault) for both single and multiplayer that are unlocked after you complete the respective sections. As I’ve not managed to complete the game yet I cannot comment on the difficulty of the bonus levels. So what lies beyond in unknown so I’ve no idea if you’d consider them a reward or a curse.

So the all-important round up. Is it any good?

Well yes it is but don’t wander in thinking that it will be easy or a quick game. It is a challenge and one that will keep you busy for quite a while.
Now if you excuse me I’ve some A.I. Bots that I’ve got to lead to their early death.

*Multiplayer only feature (shouting at the game is available in both single and multiplayer modes)

Death Squared for the Nintendo Switch was provided to us for an honest review. More information can be found and where to buy the game from, here.

- Neil Kenny

AntLion Audio ModMic 5 The Mic your Headset Needs

Totally modular, ModMic 5 delivers performance and flexibility all in one. With two mics on a single boom, ingenious cable design, mute module, and included cable wraps, choices abound.

Modmic 5 by Antlion Audio is a microphone that you can connect to you're existing headset. The best headphones don't always come with a microphone and those that do, offer a basic mic for your expensive headset.

Opening my parcel I was greeted with the ModMic 5, an Antlion USB Soundcard adapter and a Y audio adapter for use with gaming consoles.

The contents are as followered; ModMic 5, mute switch, 1meter and 2meter audio cables, carrying case, 2 base clips with extra adhesives, foam pop filter, 2meter cable wrap and 10 cable clips.

Connecting the microphone to your headset is straight forward, an adhesive pad is stuck to the headset that holds the magnetic clasp. The bond between the ModMic and clasp is tough enough to hold the mic in position but you'll also be able to take it off for storage or changing to another headset with ease.

To sort the cable management issue, Antlion has provided two different approaches; First is cable clips, which I'm impressed by. The clip itself has two sides, a big and a little clip, fitting the headset and microphone cable perfectly. Secondly is a braided cable that wraps around both wires, a little tricky and time needed to setup but works well if you don't intend to swap the ModMic to something else.

Two additional products that can be bought are the USB sound card adapter and the Y adapter for consoles, so depending on the setup the ModMic 5 can be used on a verity of situations. I'll be continuing to test and use the ModMic 5 in different ways and will be reporting back here and over on our YouTube channel.

While I don't have a presenter's voice, you can hear the crisp and clarity of the ModMic 5 and proves with the right mic, you don't need to be a professional to sound like one.

The ModMic 5 can be bought from Amazon using the links below, while a list of outlets can be found here.

• ModMic 5 (UK)

• ModMic 5 (US)

• ModMic Wireless (UK)

• ModMic Wireless (US)

• ModMic USB (UK)

• ModMic USB (US)

If you have any questions then please let me know in the comments below.

ModMic 5 was provided by Antion Audio for test / review purposes

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Mike Davies

Founder/Video Mastermind

Mike is our main go-to-guy for videos. Former 4Kings member and one of the original founders of BlastProcess.com, Mike has been here since the beginning.

The main driving force of the website, Mike loves indie games and apps. So get in touch if you want your game/app featured here!

DOGOS Review (PS4)

DOGOS

A review by Tom Parry

I have never played a game like Dogos, I’ve played similar things but never an overhead shooter with the kind of explorative freedom that this game has, and for the most part it’s a rather impressive and enjoyable game.

You are Desmond and your task is to wipe-out the evil alien Zeetnuk forces through a series of 14 objective based missions. The nature of these missions, at their core, involve shooting everything in sight in your rather nimble spacecraft. You have various weapons at your disposal, ranging from a laser to take down airborne enemies to various bombing weapons to take down ground targets. You also gain access to some more powerful Special weapons, such as Homing Missiles and the super powerful Mega Bomb, a personal favourite.

Your foes, The Zeetnuk, are resourceful sorts and you’ll find yourself having to take down their various small spacecraft and more deadly heavier airborne forces as well as ground targets including tanks, boats and some particularly vicious gun turrets who take great pleasure in harassing you with homing missiles.

This may all be sounding rather familiar but what makes Dogos unique is that the game isn’t on-rails (at least for the most part, but we’ll come to that later). The player has the freedom to explore a rather large terrain and can call on a map to find their next objective. Most of the time, especially at the beginning of the game your waypoints are clearly marked on the map so it’s just a case of flying to the next objective although later on, especially in the last 3 missions a little more exploration must be done to find your next objective, Dogos does a great job of never letting the player get too lost either with some friendly level design.

The mission objectives in Dogos vary, but for the most part involve bombing the Neetnuk’s nefarious facilities, usually taking down shield generators or reactors in order to eventually take down a bigger foe. Some of the larger foes in the game include a large battleship and an armoured, heavily weaponised train.

Movement is a twin-stick affair; the left stick is your throttle while the right stick turns your ship. This works well in practice and allows you to easily weave your way around the enemy’s hail of laser fire with ease.

As the game progresses it introduces some rather tricky obstacles, such as beam doors, which flash on and off giving you a small opportunity to fly through, only to be faced with a series of even trickier barriers. There’s plenty of this close quarters beam dodging, which can be frustrating at times, especially as you manage the ships momentum (it never stops dead when you want it too). However, you will gain improved control of your ship as you play, rewarding practice and patience, and while Dogos may seem harsh in places, it is always fair. It’s certainly an accessible game and frequent checkpoints really help levitate the game’s more frustrating challenges.

Dogos occasionally shakes things up with high speed ‘on-rails’ sections where you have to pilot your craft through a dangerous series of canyons or tight corridors, sometimes while bombarded by various other obstacles that appear in your path. These sections are few and far between and while they give the game a much needed sense of speed (a boost button would be a nice to have), they are sometimes frustrating and often feel unnecessary. Later forced on-rails sections seem to delight in throwing obstacles in front of you with little notice, giving the player a fraction of a second to react. With a bit of patience, you’ll make it through these sections but they can be frustrating and the sudden change of pace can also be a little jarring.

There is no doubt that the core shooting mechanics of Dogos are very enjoyable though and there’s a variety of weapons to unlock too as you progress in the game. These can give you a nice tactical advantage in places. Once you get the ‘Spitfire’ laser and Cluster Bombs though, you have a winning combination.

The game even attempts at having a narrative that can be followed by listening to Desmond narrate his Diary between levels, it’s a rather simple story with little depth or deep explanation but what it succeeds in doing is giving the player a motive for destroying the game’s hordes of enemies.

Desmond sounds like a man who has little hope and his narration is delivered in a suitably appropriate manner. It’s a nice little touch, as is the dialogue Desmond has with his ally, Europa during the game’s missions, which peppers the game with a touch of humanity. Having said that these sections could be better implemented and cut scenes would greatly enhance the proceedings.

As mentioned previously, the game is spread across 14 levels, which include a good variety of locales, from the distinct desert canyons of the first couple of levels, to volcanic caves, tropical stormy seas then eventually into the inner workings of a Zeetnuk spacecraft where you take down the game’s final boss.

The game doesn’t really excel in boss battles sadly though and there’s a feeling that it could do with a few more, at least a little more variety would be nice (you fight the rather underwhelming ‘Goliath’ a total of three times during the games final missions). What is here though is satisfying enough, plenty of projectile dodging ensues but the bosses do have a bad habit of overstaying their welcome and occasionally go on for what feels like an age. A life bar would be a welcome addition for sure.

Worthy of note are the game’s graphics, this is a nice looking game for sure, not only from a graphical standpoint but from a design standpoint also. All the vehicles in the game have their own distinct personalities and everything on screen is very easy on the eyes.

The game’s colour palette is refreshingly bright and while the graphics are certainly of this generation they also have a retro throwback feel, provoking nostalgic memories of the bygone Amiga era.

Musically Dogos is rather underwhelming, the game has a limited soundtrack comprising of a handful of tracks that are re-used far too frequently and often don’t represent the fast paced nature of what’s going on in the game most of the time. A more dynamic soundtrack would help elevate the game’s atmosphere immensely. While some of the tracks are fairly enjoyable to listen to they don’t change up enough when needed and sadly, Dogos ends up feeling flat in the music department for the most part.

In summary, Dogos does a lot of things very well. It has great graphics, satisfying finely tuned controls and nice level design but falls flat in other areas like sound, variety and overall presentation and wow-factor. The frustrating thing about Dogos is it’s almost all there, just the pieces aren’t meshing together as well as they could be, with a few more varied mission objectives, a more dynamic soundtrack, better boss battles and overall greater coherence and polished presentation Dogos would certainly be 'Top Dog'. As it stands though Dogos is a solidly crafted shooter which offers up a refreshing change of pace when compared to other games of its ilk.

I strongly recommend that you give Dogos a go. It provides a rewarding, unique and accessible shooting experience that has some nice challenge, it’s a good length too, providing about 6 hours gameplay to complete the main story and then an incentive to play though the levels again to complete extra challenges.

What I really hope is that enough people try this game to encourage a sequel, as I feel it wouldn’t take a lot more to make this game a top drawer title.

DOGOS is available NOW (Sept 6) for download on PS4 and from Sept 7. for download on XBOXONE and STEAM platforms.

Condemned - Review

A Blast from the past Process. Today we look back at an old classic.

Sega and Warner Brother Interactive present a Monolith Productions game, Condemned: Criminal Origins.

Originally produced for Xbox 360 in 2005, this game has been available on Steam for a while. The graphics are a little dated but we are going to see if it still packs a scare.  

The game opens with a death investigation with two FBI agents. I play as Agent Thomas.  

Evidence is gathered at the crime scene. The crime having been committed by a serial killer called - The Matchmaker. He is known for killing women and setting them in a scene with mannequins. 

It becomes apparent that the homicide suspect is still in the building. The game is a bit like 'CSI'. It is the player's responsibility to check the ammo in the gun as there is no on screen prompt. If you forget to do this, you can resort to kicking encountered enemies.

Over the introduction the player is gradually introduced to various abilities. Glimpses of the past hint at what has happened. Early in the game the player looses the firearm and instead has to resort to using found weapons, pipes, wood etc. This gives a unique feel as the majority of games allow you to carry a whole bag full of weapons and found items.

The game is more about counter attacking rather than going in with weapons swinging. You need to counter the enemy moves in order to take them down. Even during the combat sections, there is still investigation to be done with the characters wide array of gadgets and tools. The environment is suitable scary with rats scuttling in the shadows. The only way to obtain health is to smash open first aid lockers found at various points in the game, although are hard to come by so keeping healthy could become a struggle.

Secrets can be found off the beaten track and finding these unlocks achievements. Only one item can be carried at any time and so making the choice between gun, fire axe or other weapon is important. As in real life, the different weapons have different effects. The Taser is a good weapon for bringing down enemy characters temporarily.

At the end of each chapter, the game gives you a breakdown of your favourite weapon, how accurate you have been and what secrets you have found. Meaning people who want to 100% the game can try and improve their detective technique before moving on to the next stage of the game. I managed a fairly abysmal 40% accuracy on my first walkthrough.

Chapter two sees FBI Agent Ethan Thomas awakening in a new setting and suffering from strange hallucinations. An old friend of his fathers informs him that the death of his colleagues last night is thought to be of his doing after the killer used his gun. Ethan proceeds to go on the run, leaving his apartment as the police begin to knock on the door. Ethan flees into the subway and though abandoned buildings.

Moving through a variety of settings makes the game feel realistic. Even running, Ethan does not move overly fast as you try and find somewhere safe to go. Ethan holds on to his phone as he still has some friends back at base.

A slight bug in the game play as a character I encounter manages to walk through a wall in order to attack me. This was a one off incident during our time playing the game. Ethan manages to get hold of another gun, hinting that there will be an occasion coming up where he needs to use it.

Exploring the environment is made all the more challenging as enemies turn off the lights and use the environment to their advantage. During the game play it did feel a bit like I was going around in circles, but there was enough to keep me interested. Some backtracking is required to collect the required items, however, there always seems to be a weapon close to hand when the need for combat arises.

The sound files in the game are realistic and certainly enhance the game play.

At some points in the game it is tricky to know what you should be doing, but the game will lead you in the right direction. It proves a little challenging to investigate and attack enemies at the same time. If anything, I'd like more of the investigation and less of the combat.

Although enjoyable to play, it does feel a little drawn out at times. For an eleven year old game it still holds up today with both action and scares. For anyone who wants to live the life of an FBI agent on the run, this game will be right up your alley!

The Final Take

An offering from Hush Interactive which describes itself as dark footage, first-person horror. This is right up my street as you may have already figured out from my previous horror themed reviews. At 54p in the Steam Sale (price correct as of 24.8.16) it would be a crime not to give it a whirl.

From the title screen the found footage style is apparent from the interference and scan lines making you want to fiddle with the tracking on the VCR. This takes me back to many a time trying to get my old copy of Return of the Jedi working and also invokes films such as Paranormal Activity. Xbox controller or keyboard can be used to play through the game.

Eerie noises and sound affects echo out from the loading screen, this is a good start!

The game consists of four chapters, each admittedly quite short, but this is a bargain basement priced game and sometimes it is nice to complete a game in one sitting rather than battling with it for weeks!

Chapter 1 - The Interview. Starting out with a voice recording, it hints at many a horror film. The character hears about a job at an old nursing home and wanting to make her father proud, she sets out.

Moving from this introduction screen, we are now exploring the new place of work through a distorted 80's camcorder. The game looks like you are playing a found footage film; shaky and poor quality. While this makes it difficult to see what is happening, the very fact you cant see what is happening, is indeed what makes the game scary.

Similar to Outlast, you view the game through a video camera, the only light being that of your  mobile phone. Walking around the environment you can find notes and recordings for additional fluff and story. The entire game has that camcorder grain like you are watching a VHS recording. Seems unusual that the character has a modern phone, but an old VCR camcorder. Maybe I'm overthinking things as this certainly doesn't detract from the game itself.

The game has some spooky concepts. Entering a ward in the hospital it is slightly unnerving to find the beds filled with inanimate mannequins. This is escalated when you start seeing apparitions!

The sounds are weird, almost verging on a low rhythmic chant at times.

No form of map does make it a bit unnerving and certainly more realistic. This was a good touch. So many branching corridors indicates there is lots to explore.

Random notes on the door are freaky and give some context to the exploration.

Interacting with one door, uncovered a puzzle which needed to be solved before the door unlocked and allowed me to proceed. I wasn't expecting any puzzles within the game, so this was a nice little touch to break up wandering around in the dark holding my breath! I was looking forward to more puzzles as the game progressed, however, this was the only one.

You can run in the game, however, the character puts down her light while doing this making it more difficult to see what is happening. Do you want speed or light... that is the question?!

What really adds to the atmosphere of the game however, are the audio recordings that you stumble across where you hear about events that have transpired and gives your exploration in this first chapter some context.  

After running from a freaky shadow figure (who is naturally crawling along the floor in homage to The Ring), we get to Chapter Two: Down Memory Lane. The second chapter is played though the eyes of another character.

What is a nice touch here is that the character doesn't initially see through their own eyes, but instead through the camcorder viewfinder. This does leave a lot of eerie dark space around the screen. The character can switch between camcorder and flashlight.... without giving too much away, different things can be seen using different pieces of technology. A great touch!

This second level has a very quiet music, the main sound being a repetitive noise, not at all unsettling! (At least that is what I am telling myself!!) As it gets louder, you know that soon death will be your friend! I think if I were to reply, I would do so with headphones as feel this would make the game more atmospheric.

In terms of graphics, the rooms are very 'samey'. This makes it confusing in terms of remembering where you need to go and where you have already been. This adds another level of frustration.

Chapter Three: Deep Below returns to the character we met in Chapter One. Some of the voice acting is not the greatest, however, this can be forgiven given due to the cost of the game. Chapter 2 was a nice concept, but not as good; try and get through it. The female character is more unsettling, and strangely, more enjoyable to play. Some backtracking involved once you've found certain triggers to unlock escape routes, but not excessively so. As soon as getting back into the swing of things with this character, the chapter ended, making this the shortest chapter in the game.

Chapter Four: A Dark Past. The same character. Not quite sure why this couldn't have been merged with Chapter Three. Chapter Four has the same goal of collecting things as chapter two. Not quite so interesting the second time around, especially as I can now see everything again being able to use phone (light) and camcorder at the same time. Finding photos in series of very similar rooms, is neither fun nor scary.

In summary, the game cost me 54p for 30 minutes of entertainment and I can't grumble at that. It is a good hint at what Hush Interactive may be able to produce in the future, however, focussing more on the scares and less on the running around and collecting things and this game would have scored higher in my opinion. It started with a good concept, but it ran out of steam becoming a bit too samey near the end. My final thoughts after completing the end of the game was it was boring in comparison to the promise the first half showed.

The Final Take is available on Steam and currently on offer for 54p. (Normal price £1.59).

You Deserve - A Review

This is the first game by TGA Company who have been lucky enough to get the game through the Steam Greenlight process. You Deserve is a first person horror game where you play as Amy Cooper, a teenager who's found herself stuck and lost within  an unknown world. 

After watching the trailer for this game, the Blast Process team were very excited to play thisas we are big fans of the horror genre. We went into this game knowing nothing about it bar what we had seen in the trailer, and this alone had made us excited to try out something new.

Have you ever felt lost? Have you ever been to sleep and not known if you've woke up? The game begins by setting an air of mystery. Waking up, standing above a chair with rope on the floors leads me to think I was previously tied there. The character believes they are asleep, but everything feels so real.

The tutorial sections are nicely displayed on the walls in game as you go past something that you might need to know.

There is light atmospheric noise in the background, but the lack of music gives the game an eerie feel. This is nice to see as often a sound track can detract from the horror. The lack of music makes this feel all the more real.

From the start there are spooky moments such as a red handprint mysteriously appearing on a painting.

This starts as a puzzle game with needing to find hidden objects to proceed to the next area. The developers have paced the game well with not too much backtracking involved.

Early into the game we are given evidence of an unhappy child who has been bullied at school in the form of letters from parents to the headmasters, and psychological reports. This immediately suggests that it may have been the player that was doing the bullying. This is a bold move as this is a subject not often discussed within games.

The save points within the game are good. A visual indicator used for showing the save areas is nicely done in an unobtrusive way. The game saves automatically without the need for interaction bar walking through the display of shimmering particles.

It isn't long into the game play before the first spooky happening occurs. You wouldn't think that a loan teddy sitting on the floor would be described as creepy, but this game certainly makes it appear as such.

Many weird things happen at an early stage in the game. It draws you in and makes you want to find out more and keep playing.

The animations and textures are very good and make great use of the unity engine. The game makes you aware that you are not alone without fully showing you what or who is sharing the space in which you are exploring.

The puzzles are interesting without being too obscure. Unexpected jump scares are well timed, enough to keep you interested but not too much to make them stale.

The speed the character moves has a nice suspenseful walk, however, can run when needed with no penalty, such as a stamina bar, when you want to quickly investigate branching paths.

The lighting is very well done with atmospheric shadows being cast around the environment.

The first puzzle I experienced some difficulty with involved trying to move boxes in a slowly flooding room. Unfortunately the game didn't give a clear indication about what to do here, however, with some careful investigation of the room we managed to find the required item and progressed with the game after a mere 3 deaths!

Each new location that is entered continues to have a creepy feel. From early in the game the locations are varied with the same level of detail being given to each.

This game actually gave me goose-pimples!

As we continue we see more puzzles that make you think. This pairs well with the scary moments to give a nice balance to the game.

Moving from the school environment we next found ourselves outside. The character is allowed access to move around a vast area which is unlike many games which tie you in to moving a specific route. Walking down dark paths at night is certain to make you jump though!

The scariness of the game certainly intensifies as the game progresses.

The level design is great, everything within a level leading back to each other to close the gaps.

To sum up the game; great graphics, a good level of challenge mixed with free exploration of a new environment, atmospheric sound design all leading to a captivating first offering from TGA Company.

You Deserve is out now on Steam for £5.94 on offer until August 26th, be sure to check it out!

Penumbra - Overture by Frictional Games

There are things I need of you. Things you may not understand. Please do not make the same mistakes I did...

This is an early offering from Frictional Games released before the popular Amnesia and Soma. The first part of a trilogy.

September 2000 and the story begins. Receiving a letter from my dead father the week after my mother's funeral, I wasn't sure what to expect. I was directed to head to a bank to get a safety deposit box. The request was to destroy all the contents, but curiosity got the better of me and I found myself on a journey following the notes to discover a location in Greenland.

The game begins in a cabin inside a boat that teaches us how to play the game. Standard mouse and keyboard controls are used to navigate the game and interact with most of the items in the environment. The introduction does a good job of teaching controls before hurrying you on your way before the fog descends and the night draws in.

Stepping off the boat the character quickly becomes disorientated and you are challenged to find shelter from the heavy snow. The on screen images are blurred and this creates a good environment as the character clings onto life. Grabbing a nearby rock I smash an opening into an underground vault.  

This was the first challenge in the game. Using a rock to smash the ice from the lock was straightforward, however the challenge arrived when trying to turn the handle. Some smashing later and I was progressing on my way.

Red pulsing around the edge of the screen indicates I am hurt. Continuing to explore my new surroundings I collect anything that could appear useful. I remain uncertain as to what I am about to find.

After using the 'hand' to pull away a bookcase I find a hole in the wall and am soon crawling through a tunnel. Clearing my way to a room I see a hatch... the on screen text saying this is solid... to keep people out...or in!

Heading 100 feet below the ground in the remote arctic wilderness I began to feel scared and isolated from my usual safety nets (parents, friends, emergency services). Everyone who would normally support me is now too far away. I am not sure what to expect down here. Caution and stealth are recommended in order to survive the game. I am pre-warned that light sources will attract whatever is out there...

Moving forwards, a map of the environment indicates there are quite a few rooms / hiding spaces to be explored...

Notes from 1945 are found and can be read but they do not seem to offer much of an insight at this point. Finding out there are weapons and bombs locked away seems to be inviting me to accept this as my next challenge. It also hints towards a strange artefact that was discovered in a previous dig site, circa 1945.

The game is reminiscent of 'The Thing' and no doubt I will find some horrific creature lurking within the darkness. I find myself holding my breath slightly, awaiting the jump I know is out there.

Another note mentions that mind-altering chemicals may be causing high suicide rates in Greenland. The miners have symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia however the local inuits claim that spirits known as 'tuurngait' live in the mountains.

Having freedom to be able to explore and interact with the majority of the environment enables the player to feel like they are in control over what is happening. The music and sound effects add to the dramatic feel of the game. While hidden from creatures, text on the screen further prompts me to stay out of sight. If I am seen, I'm a goner!

Having no weapons makes avoiding creatures the only way forward. The ability to peek around corners allows me to quickly see whether there is anything lurking in my path.

Clues etched into a wooden bookcase indicate further what could be about to happen. The characters thoughts are displayed on screen as I move through the eerie environment and this is a nice touch to add another level of realism.

It transpires that spiders are feeding on the dogs in the maze of tunnels I find myself in. Hearing the characters heartbeat on the audio file is a nice touch for adding to the rising sense of terror.

Our first hour in the world of Penumbra is a tense and intriguing experience and the game promises scares to come. I look forward to delving further into this world and the sequels.

Spooky's Jump Scare Mansion - Review

Warning: This game displays warning message about being scary...

For as long as you remember, legends have been told about the derelict mansion on the mountain. Being a history buff you decide to explore and find out what secrets the mansion holds. . 

The game boots up with Old SNES game music and intro options screen which is a nice touch. It begins with meeting the character of Spooky, who presumably owns the mansion you will play as! The game portrays as a cartoony ‘Doom’ with brick walls and long corridors. The challenge to get through all one thousand rooms begins. 
 
Standard FPS controls are used ‘WASD’ keys and mouse. 
The rooms are randomly generated allowing for multiple different game plays. The first rooms are empty to raise suspense, while the music adds to this; with rumbles in the background and the sound of creaky doors. 
The rooms are mainly the same few corridor shapes. The music certainly makes you feel unnerved. Moving into room 13 and the music changes, the suspense continues. Choices are made by the player as some rooms have multiple doors to exit through. Empty rooms with loan chairs in the corner feel rather ‘Blair Witch’. In addition, a combination of weird pictures and large windows add to the eerie feel. 
Colours change in the room indicating something is about to happen…. Room 25 and still the suspense is growing. 

 Room 26 and a pumpkin sprang out from the wall. Looking ridiculously cute, the scary noise and speed at which it moves made me jump! This effect is repeated in a number of rooms, and although I’ve already experienced this ‘jump’ reaction, I continue to be surprised (and squeal like a girl!). The music adding to the suspense and making you feel like something awful is going to happen. 

Another note is found in Room 50 indicating the person who left it feels trapped in a never ending maze of similar rooms. Feeling very thirsty and running out of ink with which to leave these notes... a sense of trepidation overcomes me!! 
Interacting with a cross allows the user to save the game. This makes every 50th room a safe house where you can take a quick breather in which to compose yourself before setting out again.  

Entering a lift, we go down to the next level where the music gets even more spooky. A variety of side rooms are viewed…. some look rather like cells. 
Health and stamina bars in the top corner of the screen are a constant reminder that I am more than likely to meet something… Room 59 leads me into a maze of paths to follow. One wrong step and I will plunge into a bottomless pit!
The messages continue though the game, sounding like the writer is slowly becoming more insane.

Suddenly, a monster appears in the room, it begins to follow me. I run, however, need to be careful to maintain my stamina. Although I am constrained to follow the paths so as not to fall to my death, the creature is not! He slowly floats across any gaps in order to catch up with me. Closed doors do not stop it, he continues. The green slime on the floor slows me down when trying to escape, thus allowing the creature to close the gap.   
As long as you get away from the spooky entity, you will get your health back slowly, however, let it touch you and a few hits will finish you off.

Music changes as I enter room 70, continued freaky pictures adorn the room. The rooms are all similar in their design, but as they are small and short it isn’t boring. There is always the threat that something is following you. Computer found in room which gives details about the various specimens housed in the building. It reads as though the building is some form of experiment, using the creatures to examine how the test subjects cope. Guess I am the latest subject.  
One of the specimens shows as an ‘error’. This invokes a feeling of unease as you do not know what to expect. The computers have established I am being tested and the creatures have been placed there to see how I fare. 
Room 89 portrays as a lab with a brain in a glass jar. Seems harmless enough… for now.
Green patches on the floor now become more frequent. This combined with ramped up music gives the feeling of imminent threat. 
Lurking in a room, while I wrote this review, a spectre crept up and savagely killed me!
 

To sum up, Spooky’s Jump Scare Mansion is a fantastic horror experience, even more so due to the fact the game is completely free and can be downloaded from Steam. This will be a game I am sure to revisit, hopefully getting past room 100. Turns out ‘safe rooms’ aren’t that safe after all!

The Secret Monster Society - Review

Have you ever wondered where your dreams come from and why you dream the specific things you dream of…? This game begins by introducing the player to a world where monsters create dreams.

Playing as the overly happy Blythe Dalrich, hand drawn graphics introduce you to the world of the Secret Monster Society. It is a point and click adventure in the style of the old Lucas Arts Games. The game is fully voice acted with Blythe thinking out loud every step of the way. These thoughts are also displayed as on screen text.

As in old school point and click games, the mouse is used to interact with items and to move around the environment. Items can be easily dragged from inventory to where they are to be used.

From the start, the game tries to be funny, however, quickly becomes a little grating. Jokes and puzzles have been done before, using soap to create an impression of a key to open a locked chest for example.

After travelling to school via the toilet, Blythe begins to interact with a range of other characters which is more engaging than the inanimate objects from the introduction. Many of the objects in the environment have eyes (clocks, books, mirrors etc) which would probably appeal to a young audience.

The imagined world of monsters does have a little bit of a whiff of ‘Monsters Inc’ but some of the lore is pretty unique. Early in the game you get the manual for entering dreams, hinting at what is to come.

Human dreams and regulations.

Once inside human dreams, protocol 8972 must be followed. Fight all or any nightmare creatures they encounter, maintain the link between mind and heart and wash hands upon exiting a dream. During an emergency, all persons must escape to the nearest exit point. Anyone under the age of 234 will be banished to the swamp of perpetual hope.  

When interacting with other characters, the player is given a choice of possible questions / replies to use via on screen text, thus giving the player ownership of the direction the game will go in.

Blythe has a history of exaggerating experiences, so friends don’t believe him when he explains he saw lights falling from the sky during the introduction of the game. Adults think he is wasting their time and wont indulge this train of thought.

This game has a slow pace and wasn’t a gripping play. Didn’t feel the desire to find out what is going on and was more a forced play.

A wide range of environments are encountered and the graphics for each of these are the same high standard.

From the start of the game there is a fair amount of backtracking to complete additional requests from characters he meets. This is exaggerated due to the slow movement speed of the character. A quicker pace in these early sections would have made the game more enjoyable and it would have felt like you were achieving more.

Music is a little repetitive but does change depending on location so never too long is spent with the same tune.

The voice acted characters are a nice touch for an indie game and did help bring the characters to life.

To sum up, if you have a craving for a point and click adventure definitely give it a look, however, unfortunately it doesn’t quite hit the highs of ‘Monkey Island’. As an introduction to the genre for a younger audience, the vibrant colours and fun characters would certainly appeal and spark curiosity and imagination.

The Secret Monster Society: Chapter One is available on steam for £4.95 

This review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Nitroplus Blasterz: Heroines Infinite Duel PS4 Review

Courtesy of Marvelous, Nitroplus Blasterz has arrived in Europe! Nitroplus is an All-Girl 2D Fighter from the talented team at Examu, developers of the Arcana Hearts series of fighters which have been gracing our shores for a number of years now.

To tell you the truth the Arcana series hadn’t particulary grabbed me, and my interest in 2D Anime style fighters had been beginning to wain. I could see the potential in the Arcana Hearts series of games but they didn’t do enough to re-ignite my passion for the genre.

So we come to this latest offering and we have the familiar all female ensemble present. The girls here are lifted from various Nitroplus Visual Novels, none of which I’m familiar with, other than the character ‘Saber’ from the Fate/Stay Night series, which I only know because she’s appeared in other fighters I’ve played, and she’s got a big sword, which is cool.

You may or may not be familiar with the characters but what can’t be argued with is the variety which is on offer here. There are 14 playable characters in total (two of which need to be unlocked), including several more who appear as support characters bringing the number up to 32 characters in total.

Each character is very unique and come equipped with swords, guns, demon powers, web-slinging abilities and even cats…

The game brims with personality, the presentation firstly is top notch. The intro sequence sets the tone for the game and is suitably exhilarating and very Japanese, but not generically so, Nitroplus has it’s own unique flavor. The characters are colorful and imaginative and most tastes and playstyles seem well catered for.

The game has several modes on offer including Story, Another Story (which unlocks after you’ve completed Story mode with one character) Score Attack, Training, and various muli-player options. Offline play included of course. There’s also a Gallery where you can view various unlockables, such as artwork.

It’s a fairly robust selection of modes, although I do miss the likes of Team Battles, a staple of Tekken and Soul Calibur, although this is a minor gripe, especially when the gameplay is this good.

If I could compare Nitroplus to anything it would probably be the Marvel Vs. Capcom series, however Nitroplus manages to be more technical and rewarding than the aforementioned series. The gameplay is very tight, very fast and incredibly responsive with an emphasis on air-dashing and combos.

As far as new systems go, Nitroplus has a few. There’s a Blast Attack, which powers up your character for a limited time. An Escape Action button is also present, which allows you to perform evasive maneuvers as well as a Heavy Action button, which allows you push the opponent back. In addition to these you have the regular Super Move meter which gives you access to Super Moves of course, as well as Lethal Blazes, which are this game’s ultimate attacks and are suitably and satisfyingly over the top for the most part. Of course there’s also the support characters who you can pick 2 of and sit comfortably on the L1 and L2 buttons and are available at timed intervals during the fight, there’s a lot of creativity present in the nature of these attacks also.

In practice this all works wonderfully together to deliver one of the most enjoyable fighting experiences I’ve had in quite some time. Matches are fast, explosive affairs which manage to remain tactical at the same time. One of the strengths of the game is it’s accessibility. In a short amount of time the game becomes very familiar and comfortable to play, allowing you to pull of all sorts of crazy moves. A lot of commands will be familiar to anyone with any previous experience of 2D fighters and what’s new here doesn’t take very long to learn.

The game’s difficulty also favours newcomers and feels fair throughout, even when you come across the games final boss, which can be suitably annoying, you always feel it’s possible to beat her and the experience is all the more satisfying for that.

The game however isn’t without it’s problems, although there isn’t really much here to complain about. The game’s levels or fighting arenas aren’t particularly interesting, they’re all static and bland for the most part, a little animation in the backgrounds would have helped to bring them to life more. Perhaps this was a conscious decision on the developers part so not to interfere with the foreground action, but they just come off as a bit lazy in comparison to everything else.

For me ‘Another Story’ mode is a bit of let-down. It’s easier than the regular Story but unlike that mode which is light on the Story part, Another Story is a full on read-a-thon. Sadly I couldn’t really get into the story, perhaps I didn’t give it much of a chance, but it’s confusingly written and may as well of been in Japanese for all I know.

Score Attack is also a slightly strangely named mode for what it is, it’s effectively an Arcade mode, although at first I was expecting it to be more of a survival mode, an option that isn’t available in Nitroplus at all.

These are all minor gripes though, in short Nitroplus is excellent. I say this as a fighting fan who had become disillusioned with the Japanese 2D fighter. They’d become generic to me, the gameplay either wasn’t interesting enough or was full of confusing new mechanics. Nitroplus has won me over with it’s accessibility, it’s great characters and hidden depths of strategy. I’ve honestly had as much fun with this as I have with Street Fighter V, probably more. Nitroplus is also a budget title, with an RRP of around £30 and is certainly more fully featured than it’s competition.

If you’re into fighters, you owe it to yourself to pick up this game. If you’re a newcomer to the genre or just love anything Japanese, I imagine you’ll also come away fulfilled from this title. I have personally discovered an all-time favourite of the genre.

Reviewed by Tom Parry (Toodlebug500)

Nitroplus Blasterz: Heroines Infinite Duel is available NOW for both PS3 and PS4 formats.

Unfair Jousting Fair Review

Unfair Jousting Fair is a jousting game that's played at the fair where the game is unfair... unless you know what you're doing.

Developed by Rodaja the game is set at a you guessed it, a fair. Selecting from a verity of characters with plenty of weapons and unlockables to be gained by playing the game.

Controls are very straight forward, left and right keys learn your player forward or back and in turn keeps your players balance, you are jousting on a unicycle after all! Up and down moves the height of your weapon and talking of weapons you'll soon notice that some items aren't your normal choice of objects that are used for a joust.

First player to touch the other player with the end of their weapon wins the round. Easy as that sounds, just by balancing your player alone can win you the round but skilled players will soon get to grips with the mechanics and timing is the key to victory.

If you've already got a Steam box setup in the living room or have the space to have a few friends around the monitor, Unfair Jousting Fair is a hilarious, exciting and oddly enough, addicting game.

Unfair Jousting Fair is currently priced at £3.99 and is available on Windows via Steam.

Checkout a gameplay trailer below and we'll be posting some Let's Play videos over on our YouTube channel!

Mike Davies

Founder/Video Mastermind

Mike is our main go-to-guy for videos. Former 4Kings member and one of the original founders of BlastProcess.com, Mike has been here since the beginning.

The main driving force of the website, Mike loves indie games and apps. So get in touch if you want your game/app featured here!

Dariusburst: Chronicle Saviours Review

The 1990’s were a magical place for video game lovers. The 16-bit generation ushered in an era of seeming arcade perfect ports of some of the greatest games of all time. For a fan of Shooters, it meant that finally games like R-type, Gradius and Darius were finally able to be played in the comfort of your own home. All for the low, low price of around £50 a cart! Imagine that! No more trips to the arcade to throw your hard earned 20 pence pieces into arcade slots, you could play through the game’s 5 or 6 stages without every having to pay again to continue! 

If you managed to get a copy of one of these gems for Christmas or a birthday, then it was certainly a good time to be alive.

Unfortunately, times changed. We experienced the rise of 3D Graphics, the arcades died and with them, the Shmup declined in popularity. Fans of the Vic Viper and the Silver Hawk were forced to pay ridiculous import charges for Japanese only releases, cry over articles detailing Japan’s still bustling arcade scene, all between hunting high and low for the few games that got a European localisation.

Then slowly but surely, the increased presence of digital distribution allowed the shooter to finally find a way to reach the West. A lot of these titles were priced to move, with games like Radiant Silver Gun & Ikaruga coming in hot at a bargain basement cost of around a tenner. Again, it was good time to be a gamer. 

However, it is the issue of price that has skewed the view of the modern gamer and when Dariusburst: Chronicle Saviours’ price was announced for the PS4, Vita and PC, the casual player of the Shmup cried fowl. I’m here to tell you that you can put down your torches and pitchfork, because if there’s one game in this current era of broken releases and lazy ports worth paying the entry price for, then it’s this one.

Some will already be familiar with the Darius series, Taito’s classic arcade game famed for it’s shooting of space fish and it’s behemoth arcade cabinets with dual monitors. Others will know the cries of Warning a huge battleship is approaching under the name of Sagaia, a title given to some titles here in The West. But regardless of what you’re used to calling it, know the Darius name’s promise of high octane shooting and giant bosses are the core of Dariusburst: Chronicle Saviour.

The Dariusburst series started life on the PSP, before migrating to the arcade in Dariusburst: Another Chronicle. While there have been subsequent arcade releases and even a mobile title called Dariusburst Second Prologue, Dariusburst: CS is the first of the games to receive a home console release. The burst mentioned in the title is a reference to one of the core gameplay mechanics, as the score-attack nature of a shooter encourages players to shoot as many enemies as possible. In doing so, the player builds a burst meter, which can be unleashed at any time to cause devastating damage to enemies.

What’s most surprising about this release is it’s actually two games in one, as for the cost of entry players will get to experience not only the exclusive CS mode, but also a version of the pre-mentioned Dariusburst: Another Chronicle, called AC mode.

CS Mode sees the player playing through a Darius campaign with branching paths of progression. In my time with the game, I experienced a surpassingly amount of variety here. While the various stages naturally re-use the impressively large selection of ships and backgrounds, developer Pyramid have gone to great lengths in order to ensure that CS Modes 200 levels don’t get incredibly repetitive. They achieve this in a number of interesting ways, from simple variants in your ships set up, to removing power ups and limiting clear times. 

CS mode also will have you focusing on your score, as points mean prizes! After clearing a stage, players are awarded with points based on their score, that can be spent on various customisable ships from the Darius series. Each of these ships has a can be customised to the player’s choosing and can really give you the edge in some of the later levels.

Naturally, the game’s bosses are the series’ biggest draw. While classic enemies appear with a new lick of paint like King Fossil and Great Thing, the game is packed with new crustaceans to conquer and bigger fish to fry. These new entries not only tap into the classic shooter formula of pattern memorisation, but some even tap into the genre’s evolution and go a little bullet hell. Brightly Stare stands out as a particular highlight of my time with the game, and feels like one of the most unique boss fights I’ve had in a shooter since the SNES.

It’s also worth noting that there is also a Darius Odyssey mode, which lets you see a large variety of the games artwork, including the bosses with no unlocking required, however it’s unfortunately not translated from Japanese.

There is a story tying all of these levels together, but as it’s little more than a few lines text on screen, it didn’t immerse me at all. The game’s music however is another story, as it covers such a large variety of genres, it’s going to have something for everyone. From electronica, to J-pop to Akira-like chanting between levels, it’s really an eclectic mix of song choices, but it surprisingly works well with the game.

However, where the game’s true value shines through in it’s AC mode. On starting the game, the player is assigned to a cabinet. The more the player plays the cabinet, the more levels are unlocked for the rest of the community. This idea of working together is something that was originally in the arcade release, where arcades across Japan worked together to unlock the games mind boggling high, 3,000 unique levels. The game also features up to 4 player co-op play, which can be a little overwhelming at times when the screen is jam packed with enemies, but provides a truly exciting experience that I’d never had with a console Shmup before.

Unfortunately as attractive as an offering as this is, AC mode isn’t without it’s issues. For starters, the community driven nature of why a player is assigned to a cabinet isn’t really explained at all from the get go. The game also shows both of monitors from the arcade screen at once, making the home experience feel like it’s in widescreen. This especially feels like an issue while playing co-op, as it becomes very hard to see.

Also once in the cabinet, it seems the only way to get out is to close the game and reopen it, as any button press I could think of only led me to the top line of the cabinet’s menus and not the title screen. If this is the case, then it should be fixed as soon as possible, as while it isn’t a huge hassle, the potential to turn off players to cabinet mode is high. It also

All in all however, Dariusburst: CS is solid experience that certainly warrants its price tag. While it may seem costly, the game offers a lot of variety and will provide hours of entertainment for even the most casual of Shooter fans. There is an incredibly surprising amount of depth of offer, with it’s level structure seemingly able to facilitate not only those looking for a hardcore shooter to pour hours into, but also those looking for a casual time killer. If you’re looking for a shooter experience to get you through the holidays and most of the following year, you don’t have to look any further than Dariusburst: Chronicle Saviour. While a lot may have changed since the 90’s, the game is living proof that a strong shooter still makes for an incredible experience.

-

You can download the game through Steam, right here.

This review was written by Mat and you can catch up with him on his weekly podcast!

Tom + Mat Attack

Take one Englishman and Welshman. Put them in Denmark. Get them to create a podcast about games.

Every week Tom and Mat discuss what they've been buying and playing. Retro, last gen, current gen...everything goes on this popular videogame podcast!

Until Dawn - Every action has terrifying consequences

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Does the flap of a butterfly's wings in Brazil set off a tornado in Texas?

Will saying something now spark a heated argument in an hours time?

Can one tiny action ultimately lead to a horrific series of deaths?

The Butterfly Effect, as explained by everyone's favourite chaotician Ian Malcolm in Jurassic Park, is the concept that each and every action and decision you make can have massive repercussions via a chain of events that you could not have possibly seen at the moment of action. The Butterfly Effect is the driving force behind Supermassive Games' terrifying horror story Until Dawn

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A year after a cruel teenage prank went horrifically wrong, 8 friends end up spending the night at the scene of the tragedy - a remote cabin in the mountains. When things take a turn for the worst, they are left frantically fighting for their lives and hoping to survive until dawn...

I don't want to give away too much about the plot, as it really is one of those games that you need to play with as little prior knowledge as you can. Needless to say, if you are a fan of horror films then you will enjoy the ride. Influences touch on everything from Saw to Scream and even The Descent paired with a finely crafted atmosphere and sense of dread. Jump scares will cause your heart to jump out of your chest, but it's the tangible terror around every shadowy corner and that makes you want to hold your breath and steel yourself for what is to come.

Regulars will know that I'm a huge fan of horror games, and I rank Outlast as one of my favourite games this generation, but Until Dawn is probably one of the scariest games I have played for a long time!

until-dawn-screen-02-ps4-eu-17jun15

Suermassive have done excellent things with this PS4 exclusive, the facial animations in particular are phenomenal! While still not completely lifelike, at times they get very close - and the uncanny valley effect of these computer drawn emotions pays off in particular with the character of Doctor Hill, a psychiatrist who periodically probes your mental state throughout the cause of the game. Equal parts creepy and intriguing, he has probably the best facial animation I've seen in a game.

The score is also great, with strings jangling the nerves and adding to the whole interactive movie experience. It hits the beats perfectly and manages to replicate the kinds of soundtracks heard in the films this game drawns so many of its ideas from.

Voice acting is mostly top notch, a few misses but the majority of the cast (Including Hayden Panettiere from Heroes and Brett Dalton from Marvel's Agents of Shield) manage to tap into the slasher movie genre and create characters that seem realistic, some likable, some you just want to punch in the face. This mix of character types creates some of the difficult choices created by the Butterfly Effect System

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What could have been a retread of the type of gameplay seen is Heavy Rain is given more substance through the much hyped Butterfly Effect System. The game will track what decisions and choices you make over the course of the game, and each of these will play out differently depending on what you do. Do you follow a path cautiously taking the safe route rather than rushing ahead blinding? Do you sneak a peak at someone else's phone? Do you sacrifice your life to save someone else? Would you kill a friend in order to save another? These are all choices you will have to make and will all alter the story that unfolds.

On my playthrough I managed to finish the game with 5 of the initial 8 friends alive. Not a great run through but each agonizing decision made me want to save them all, even those who annoyed me, and felt genuine regret when I made the wrong choice! It's like having to face one of Jigsaw's games, and sadistically you will want to carry on to see it through to its conclusion. Next time I'm going to try and save them all, next time I wont make the same mistakes! While not the longest game in the world, clocking in at about 10 hours, it does have lots of replayability to try and see each and every possible outcome and find all of the hidden clues. I genuinely believe that each person who plays this will do things different and get a unique experience. Each chapter consists of an hour of the companions night, playing out between different characters until that hour is over. These are preceded by TV Series style "Last time on Until Dawn" segments that keep you up to date with what decisions have been made so far.

until-dawn-screen-04-ps4-eu-17jun15

If you have a PS4 and are a fan of horror then you really need to pick this game up! I finished it in two sittings, with the game drawing me into its world as the hours flew by, and at the end of it I already wanted to go digging into other corners to see what was down paths of fate i didn't take. Yes, it is QTE and talking heavy, and its probably more an interactive story than a true game, and this is something that will not appeal to everyone, but it is something that has to be experienced! I give it a spooky Buy it Now award!

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Until Dawn by Supermassive Games is out now for PS4

Keebles Review

Welcome to the world of Keebles; a fun and addictive physics-based puzzle game, Keebles you say? Yes, Keebles; these small but cute creatures need your help, and something to do with a whale! Need I say more?

The idea of the game is to create a vehicle that will carry your 'Bobble' around the level, upon touching a Keeble it will jump aboard your vehicle, taking them to safety at the end of each level and in return you'll earn a Star rating out of 5. This rating will depend on how many Keebles you rescue, time taken to do so and parts used to build the vehicle.

Now onto the workshop where you begin to create your master plan to save all the Keebles, well at least try (thinking caps required). Design, alter, improve the 3 simple steps into saving them all. The workshop itself is very straight forward, within 10 minutes and a few clicks, you'll be creating a whole bunch of creative vehicles to help save the Keebles. Now as the game is physics based, a lot of trial and error is needed but thankfully the game has zero loads times so switching between the levels, restarting or heading back to the Workshop is only a button press.

The game displays clean and nice looking graphics with a soundtrack that will keep you calm despite the occasional frustration, but thats the whole enjoyment of Keebles. You'll look forward to seeing your vehicle move through the levels or fly in my case. Picking up new tools like parachutes, faster wheels and rockets as you progress, a new challenge is always ahead. It's just down to your imagination to create the perfect vehicle to do the job.

So much fun is to be had with Keebles, you've just got to create it and let the good times roll.

Developed by Burnt Fuse and released March 27th on Steam for £6.99, better yet with Greenman Gaming you can receive a 20% discount with a pre-purchase and 4 extra games free of charge.

Friday The 13th Special: Zombie Kittens

As part of our Friday The 13th special I found the strangest yet cutest horror game to be seen. And we have...Zombie Kittens

So you play as a American civil war style character, armed only with a gun in a graveyard filled with zombie kittens dressed as soldiers. The evil rat king has stolen your beloved fiancée (?) and you need to rescue her, repeatedly! Every so often she will run through the hordes of zombies towards you, forcing you to move to intercept her- the only way to rescue her. Also other random hostages will flee, and if you successfully run into them they (unlike your fiancée) they will follow you, firing at the zombies on your behalf, as long as you don't accidentally shoot them dead!

The controls are a little tricky. Firing is easy - just tap the screen anywhere and you will fire straight ahead. To move you need to use the red circle on the bottom right hand corner.

The big red button you use much like other touch screen circle pads but it's a little jumpy, and can be a bit difficult to play whilst you are getting used to all the controls. I'd also prefer it to be on the other side, I just think it would be more natural!

Overall it's a bizarre but funny little game which I have really enjoyed!

You can find it on the Apple App Store and on Google play. If you like a little zombie kitten war that is!

Over and out!

Mel

Friday The 13th Special: Horror Escape

As part of our Friday the 13th week I have dug out some fun free horror apps to tantilise your tastebuds! First of these is...Horror Escape. by Trapped who also have created games such as Scary Escape, Pirate Escape and War escape.

A curious puzzle game full of twist and turns, with no easy to follow click here panels. It's just your eyes and the game...what you see (or don't see for that matter). I played through all the free levels, the first one had helpful hints from the evil creator of this creepy escape route.

It's basically a point and click puzzle creation, you click on anything that interests you to try and progress the game. Something's are more obvious, like a key or padlock, whilst others require following patterns and logic (especially the last two - they are really difficult). They do provide walkthroughs if you're really stuck, and they link through to youtube but if you can resist the urge the sense of accomplishment is immense. Some puzzles are similar but that doesn't detract at all form the game as they are cleverly disguised with different ideas and tactics to solve it all - TOP TIP if you see any numbers anywhere, they're important.

I won't say too much more about it other than the fact I really enjoyed the challenge of these puzzles, they were different to any other point and click I had played before, and I would definetly recommend these!

Find it on android HERE It's also available on the Apple App Store.

Over and out!

Mel

MagNets - More bot netting fun than you can shake a stick at!

Poor Park Ranger Faraday! Minding his own business one day when the Polarity Park MagNetPets go missing! Oh no!! And to make matters worse, the Bloxbots have gone properly mental and started trashing everything of value!

The Ranger, as head of Bloxbot maintenance is tasked by his rather pushy boss with the job of bringing order back to Polarity City.

This isn't done with guns, brute strength or magic! Park Ranger Faraday has got something niftier than all those! He's armed with nothing more than a Electromagnetic Net better known as a "MagNet" and must use skill and agility to capture the misbehaving bots in order to turn them into scrap! With the fragments of scrap he can use handy Recycletrons scattered around each stage in order to get important items to advance his progress throughout the level! But he needs to watch out, as Bloxbots are not the most friendly things in the world and the poor ranger may find himself quickly overwhelmed! While looking out for himself, he also needs to keep an eye on anything else in the stage getting attacked - If he's not careful the Bloxbots may destroy them and cause him to fail that stage!

We first came across MagNets when Richard and the team introduced it to us at the Gadget Show last year, and it immediately seemed like a fun and novel idea with lashings of of old school gaming love rather than the generic brown shooters everyone seems to be playing these days! I was, to be fair, a bit rubbish at it - as you may have seen from the below video!

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCUMzDfldcA[/embed]

I think in the preview build the bad guys hit you for more damage - thankfully the release version is more forgiving! That's not to say the game isn't challenging however, there's much pleasure to be had in juggling the task of collecting enough scrap and solving the puzzles while defending the areas that are being attacked!

The game is great fun to play, with the netting mechanic working really well, and this is boosted by the visuals and music! The look of the game is great with some awesome artwork by Phil Corbett who has also done stuff for Nickelodeon and Disney! The vibrant colours and fun characters really lead themselves to the game and scream personality! Check out some of his concept art below!

Likewise, the sound is great with some amazing music that nails the vibe of the game with some suitably retro sounding tunes spliced with a dance beat!

While the general aim of each stage is the same, the game slowly introduces new concepts and abilities that mix up the collect-em-um happenings! This ensures that things do not get tired while not overloading the player all at once! The difficulty also gradually ramps up from a few enemies to swarms of vicious bots out to get you! The environments are also varied, with everything from a robot concert in the park to more sci-fi locations! To spice things up a bit there are also boss battles, the first of which being a rather angry looking robotic bunny!

I would highly recommend picking up the game if you want something a bit different than everything else out there, the netting mechanic is great and there's a huge sense of achievement when you finally finish a stage flawlessly! One minor criticism I have is the game isn't the easiest to play o a keyboard, and really needs a gamepad for full enjoyment - Hopefully we see the game come to consoles, as it really is something that would be great for a quick blast of in the comfort of the living room!

And so we're please to award MagNets our first Buy It Now award!

MagNets is out now and can be bought here for £7.99