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Despite complaints, the core of Blades of Fire remains hot, with enough individuality and fun in its boss fights to prevent it needing to be reforged. However, it's hard to shake the feeling that if a bit more focus was put on any element of the game, it could have been very good. Its hodgepodge mix of being a combat-focused, story-heavy Soulslike that relies on breaking and making weapons feels like it was an attempt to get as many keywords in as possible without polishing them enough to shine.

But still, I wouldn't say the game is all that bad. It may be rather thin and far too light, but when the world is so beautiful and overflowing with Easter eggs and homages to other cyberpunk classics, it still makes for a rather enjoyable journey. Neon Blood's short running time is an advantage because there is not enough content and ideas to fill more hours of entertainment. However, I wish Chaotic Brain had chosen to give the story more weight and a darker tone. They never managed to capture me and it feels like they themselves were lost and didn't really know in which direction they wanted to take the adventure.

All in all, American Arcadia is a fun and engaging game. Out of the Blue is clearly talented at storytelling and has a knack for creating interesting puzzles, but I can't help but feel like this game is playing it a bit too safe at times with how basic many of its mechanics and gameplay systems are. It's not hands-on enough like Call of the Sea to let its puzzles carry the experience to new heights, and in particular the side-scrolling 2D platforming parts can frustrate more than they entertain. But, if you've been looking for a new adventure game to fill your evenings now that the rush and hubbub of 2023 is slowing down, American Arcadia is definitely worth checking out.

But this doesn't detract from the fact that Song of Nunu: A League of Legends Story is the next interesting step forward by Riot in expanding and continuing to tell stories in the League of Legends universe beyond the MOBA. For anyone interested in the fantasy realm, this is a fun way to learn more about several key Champions, without needing to learn the ropes of the popular competitive title. And for younger players, there's a huge amount to enjoy here too. It's simple to pick up and understand, has interesting mechanics and systems, and a vibrant and colourful world. Just don't expect to be blown away by what Tequila Works has built here, because it's, all in all, a very predictable and familiar title buffed with a League of Legends polish.

But, as I said, some of the time, if not much of the time, it works, and when it works, Laika: Aged Through Blood is top-notch entertainment in prime time, and proof that suddenly there is pure innovation on the indie scene worthy of mainstream attention. It didn't succeed all the way through, which is a shame, because with more fine-tuning of difficulty, enemy placements and perhaps giving the player more life points or "chances" from the start, the whole experience would have been more dynamic. But that shouldn't distract from the fact that Laika: Aged Through Blood is a bloody odyssey of timed and organised action. Well done.

Lords of the Fallen is a solid Souls-like that goes beyond being just another genre copycat. Its combat feels fluid and has plenty of depth due to its nine starting classes and its dual-world concept literally helps to add another dimension to its combat and exploration. Let's just hope that the game's performance woes are patched out ahead of release, as they currently provide an extra element of frustration in a game designed to test your patience.

Still, even though it does have its dull moments, for the most part, The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood is an absolutely wonderful interactive fiction adventure game. It's compelling, features genuine humour and emotion, has unique and ingenious mechanics, and importantly, is beautifully animated. Deconstructeam has an affinity for pixel-based artwork and that is shown once again here in this title. So, while witches and tarot reading might not be everyone's forte, if you're looking for a relaxing, charming, and fun indie title to play on PC or Nintendo Switch, you won't go wrong with The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood.

Even though it isn't perfect, the basic collectibles being one of the flaws, Scarf is a game that I find hard to see as anything less than charming. It's around 5-6 hours long, meaning it doesn't overstay its welcome, and it will make you want to keep playing until you reach the conclusion. Sure, the narrative isn't the easiest to make sense of, but that is made up for with the engaging puzzles and the fun gameplay mechanics. This isn't a title that is designed to challenge you, but it will leave you feeling contempt, and considering Scarf is launching just ahead of the holiday period, it's hard to see this game as anything less than a prime way to relax over the next couple of weeks.

With all of this being said, I did really enjoy my time with Epic Chef. This is a title that is largely fun and unique and will likely resonate with the life-sim fanbase. It isn't perfect, but it has plenty of depth and variety that keeps it fresh, even if it can be a little monotonous to play at times. But, if you're looking for a title to drop a few hours into here and there, to have a relaxed and stress free gaming session, then it's hard to say you'd go wrong with what Infinigon Games has created, because Epic Chef ticks a lot of those boxes.

Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX is a stunningly crafted remake that stays faithful to the original even though it hasn't aged the best in many places. When toggling between the remake and the original the difference is truly night and day, and the two new modes: Boss Rush and Classic Mode are fun additions that returning fans will surely appreciate. That said, the difficulty feels particularly punishing compared to newer platformers, and its length is awfully short with it taking me and my limited talents only three hours to complete. If you are a die-hard fan of the original then I can see this being a no-brainer, but anybody else who falls outside of that demographic should be wary about what they are getting themselves into.

In an age where platformers are commonplace, and indie games with pixel graphics desperately oversaturate the market, you might overlook this unique and challenging title from Astral Pixel. But, if you are a fan of games that push you and aren't afraid of racking up a few deaths (well... a lot) then Super Magbot is a game you should absolutely be keeping an eye on, as the simplicity of its controls, the unique game mechanics, and the fast pace will assuredly keep you entertained and craving for more.

Like Father Like Son may sound like a strange fit for the PSVR platform but it manages to deliver. It's a solid addition to the VR catalogue as well as a competent successor to the 1993 movie, and we loved how the time loop plot transitioned well into a puzzle format as we pieced together what needed to be done as we worked towards having the perfect day. Sadly the original cast is nowhere to be seen and we had a few minor issues relating to its repetitive nature and the clunky navigation, however, these are minor flaws at best and didn't stop us from having a great time in Punxsutawney.

The memories that Arise is made up by are things that many of us can relate to. Love, loyalty and longing are a few of the themes that are laid out in the game and just like in GRIS and Old Man's Journey, it works exceptionally well thanks to phenomenal direction and a fair amount of tact on the developer's part. Arise: A Simple Story is one of those stunning, truly special indie experiences that we'd recommend everyone check out. Apart from some camera-related issues, Arise is an absolute gem.

Gylt is not a bad game. It looks good, it's simple but satisfactory to play, and while its inspiration is crystal clear, Tequila Works has, once again, shown promise as a developer. But, as we've seen before, the magic is often found in between these spaces, and with Gylt there's simply no glue holding the experience together. Tonal inconsistencies, bad design choices and a world that's neither linear nor open left us confused; based on that, it's hard to say that Gylt bears the weight of being the sole exclusive in the Stadia's launch line-up.

Overall Solo: Islands of the Heart is a fun puzzler with an unusually designed narrative that gives players an opportunity to look deeper into their past and in ways begin to accept themselves. Aside from some difficult problems and the very occasional mention of mature themes, this is a fun experience for all ages.

All in all, we enjoyed our time with Quinn. It was a deep and meaningful story that made us think, and we considered our actions and our words carefully. The main part of the action is well-crafted, and the fact Quinn makes mistakes and corrects himself is a neat touch. He's a loveable and well-designed character, who is witty and charming, which makes it all the more disappointing that the controls during the puzzles, and the difficulty of them, detracted somewhat from our experience. It's a very different game, that will give you lots to think about, but truth be told it felt like a mouse would have worked better than a controller. With a better controller layout, the score would have been higher.

Often hilarious and at times disturbing, Agatha Knife is a good indie point and click game that isn't ashamed of its twisted personality. We loved the crude animation style, and the oddball concept of creating a meat-eating religion felt fresh and unlike anything we had played before. We did feel that there were some issues with navigation and controls which held it back from being a truly 'must play' experience, but that being said, it's still worth a look if you're a fan of dark comedy and classic point and click adventures.

Oh My Godheads has an exciting premise that we really liked, as well as some charming visuals, but in the end that just wasn't enough. This game fell flat for us, which is a shame, really, since we wanted to like it.

Overall, the appeal of constantly upgrading a seemingly neverending tree of skills in order to rush back and try to defeat the pyramid, getting more coins to upgrade the tree some more, rinse and repeat, is enough to make Immortal Redneck incredibly moreish, and it's definitely one of those games that'll make you go "just one more try". While there could be more thematic variety, the mix of weapons, abilities, characters, items, and rooms more than makes up for that, and it's an incredibly fun game to sink time into.