From the name of the game, you’d think that Dungeon Bandit, from Rocking Pocket Games, were some sort of RPG. Instead, it’s something of a throwback to old games found on really old home computers—sort of an action-adventure, maze exploration-type game. Shamus and Realm of Impossibility immediately come to mind. We’ve seen a lot of retro-themed platformers, but with the exception of Rock Boshers DX, there aren’t too many homages to this old genre these days.
The game starts rather abruptly after a page describing the back story. You play a scientist that is after immortality, which is hidden away in another dimension. It’s essentially a small world map, played from a top-down perspective, with several different dungeons to enter. As explained by a helpful sign, the goal is to do each dungeon eight times, which gives you a special key. Once you have all the keys from all the dungeons, you win. Read the rest of ”Dungeon Bandit Review—Dungeons & Dungeons” »
I am not familiar with Pygmy Studios’ portfolio, but it definitely looks like they are a Japanese studio. This is the first time that I’ve played any of their games, which is probably the case for the majority of our readers, too. Forevolution is a unique creature, not just because it is a must-buy PlayStation Mobile title (which rarely happens), but because the gameplay is indeed original. There is a Vita game that has a similar premise, Ecolibrium, in which you balance things out and proliferate a certain ecosystem depending on the objectives of the level. Forevolution is Ecolibrium in a small package without the microtransactions and long waiting times, but with a more hands-on approach.
Essentially, you are a god. You allow and disallow certain creatures to live by smashing (culling) the latter with your fingertips. The essence left will be absorbed by the surrounding eggs or plants, and in turn, they evolve into more advanced creatures. Sounds like a simulation game, but this isn’t; Forevolution is an arcade/RTS game that needs patience and timing. Read the rest of ”Forevolution Review—Cull Me Maybe” »
Snake is literally one of the oldest video games around, its gameplay dating back to 1977 and the game Hustle from Gremlin, which in turn was a single-player version of their game Blockade, released in 1976. It was cloned on virtually every computing device and video game system, and a version called “Nibbles” came with QBasic, found on pretty much every PC sold from 1990 until Windows XP came out. It was also a very popular game on mobile phones in the late ’90s, which gave it its modern name of “Snake,” though some previous versions also used the Snake name.
If you are somehow not familiar with the game, it’s very simple. You play from a top-down perspective and control the direction of the head of a snake, with its tail slithering behind. Your goal is to maneuver the snake so it eats a dot on the playing field, and as you eat more dots (or simply the longer you play), the tail grows in size, becoming an obstacle that you must avoid, since it doesn’t change direction as you move but rather follows your previous path. Read the rest of ”Snake Review—Simply a Classic, But Too Simple” »
Popopo Garden from Japanese developer Akira Ohashi is part puzzle game, part action game. The premise is pretty simple—colored blocks called popopo are falling from the sky, onto the playing field. Your object is to bounce them over to the correct position, so that they fit the blocks already on the playing field. When you match them up right, they all disappear and you beat the level.
So it’s sort of a matching game, but a big emphasis is on action. You need to knock the blocks around quickly, since they are falling, and you need to move them just enough to put them where you want. If you move them too far to the edge of the screen, you can’t move them back. Read the rest of ”Popopo Garden Review—Needs Much More Popopo Polish” »
One of the things I don’t like about ports, especially late ones, is how they are treated. They mostly are inferior compared to the versions released on the original platforms. It comes across to me as if most of these developers are more interested in promoting the original platform than their very own game. This is not just endemic to the PS Mobile platform but was also in Minis. Even studios with more than enough resources drop the ball in porting their games (see Angry Birds; granted, the original developers didn’t actually do the porting job for this title, but still, you just can’t hand over your popular IP carelessly). All that, of course, with a higher price tag. I won’t rant any longer, since I’d be your stereotypical video game reviewer with too much self-entitlement.
Let it be said right here and now, however, Chimpact is one really nice port. Read the rest of ”Chimpact Review—Port Supreme” »
Normally, we don’t review full PSN titles. But we are gladly making an exception for titles that are sequels to or full blown remakes of our beloved Minis. One of the most recognizable and enjoyable Minis was a little gem called Zombie Tycoon. Developed by Canadian developer Frima Studio and released October 29, 2009, Zombie Tycoon is a real time strategy game that put you in the role of evil genius Tycoon. Tycoon’s only mission in life was to cause as much havoc as inhumanly possible by unleashing his zombie army onto the poor unsuspecting meat-bags of the world.
Nearly four years later, Tycoon returns with an array of improvements to his army, but this time his opposition consists of something a bit more resilient than squishy humans. His mentor Brainhov is back, and he is not exactly happy that Tycoon left him to rot. Read the rest of ”Zombie Tycoon 2: Brainhov’s Revenge Review—If It Ain’t Broke, Fix It Anyway” »
