Lows

Less-than impressive start by Ubisoft

Ubisoft spending its debut day re-hashing old games and discussing movies left an ashy taste on E3 viewers coming to this year’s video game trade event.

The companies actions left viewers feeling even more sour as many felt some of their lackluster interviews were trying to cover for Workplace Harassment scandals that saw news coverage in 2020.

Good for the Company, bad for the gamers

Xbox released tons of exclusives for its new device. While that is an excellent move company-wise (it lets the device compete with others on the market that also have exclusive games) it leaves most gamers behind. The latest Xbox goes for around $500, which is a significant chunk of change, and games for it go up to $80 as well, leaving those who lo...

Larger than Light‘s gameplay takes full advantage of the medium its made for, with a playful style that’s a feat for the eyes.

The gentle pastels and harsh shadows don’t just look good: they’re used for gameplay! You maneuver Characters that represent both Shadow and Light source to traverse this puzzle-platformer.

You help the main characters Skia and Lux overcome their differences and bond as siblings as you adventure, and listen to their conversations as you go along. This game not only looks good, but also sounds good, with fully-voiced dialogue!

This game can also be found on steam, for the more than reasonable price of $4.99!

by Abby Zarakovich

Currently in free-to-play beta mode, Ninza is a combination platformer and brawler!!! From Indie developers Klakmioch, this game has a homepage, twitter and discord.

I tried it out, and while I’m not much of a brawler -or platformer- it’s a lot of fun! I love the characters, and the actual controls are pretty simple! The concept of the game itself is gret, too.

The main menu is easily traversable, and there are 4 game-modes available for play (for now at least). The game is relatively easy on the eyes, with minimal of the bright, flashy, effects that can hurt your eyes, and the animations are very readable. The backgrounds are done in a way that reminds me both of Japanese woodblock prints and those old-style story books done in paints and colored pencils.

If y...

This is a game made by architecture students. I see it more of an art piece, for those times when people say that video games are an art- which this game really proves.

The Stages of death mark the stages seen in the game, rendered lovingly by first-time creators, by a team of 3 students from National Superior School of Architecture of Versailles. It’s a variation on 3-D platformers with stunning lighting an easy-to learn gameplay.

Even if the entire game runs for a mere hour, I believe that it will be an hour well spent.

Link to download here.

by Abby Zarakovich

“Gris is a hopeful young girl lost in her own world, dealing with a painful experience in her life. Her journey through sorrow is manifested in her dress, which grants new abilities to better navigate her faded reality.” (from the Steam Page)

Art, Music, and its deeply emotional storyline are GRIS’s selling points! The game is Simple to play, and also Short (around 4 hours total playtime). It has especially Ethereal artwork for a combined puzzle-platformer, with Tight color palettes that expand as the game continues.

Available on PC, Appstore, Switch, it has 38:1 positive to Negative reviews on Steam, which I think is pretty impressive.

Screenshot by Steam User “Yumesai”

3D platformer which acts as the debut platform for the Publisher Playtonic Friends, “Demon Turf” has a combination of 2D and 3D art. So far, some of the quirks include self-placed checkpoints and momentum-based battle.

It’s cute artstyle and unique designs show promise!

Demon Turf is planned to be released in 2021, a platformer for all ages!

Screencap

Collapsed was just released for Playstation on March 13th, 2021. It was released for Nintendo Switch on August 27th, 2020 and it first came to PC on August 1st, 2019. Collapsed is a roguelike platformer where you can play as one of four Hunters and fight against hostile alien invaders. The game is the only major project from the indie developer Glaive Games. It was published by OverGamez, a Russian indie games producer. The gaming community appears to be split on their opinion of this game. While the game has received praise for the online co-op and the large skill tree, its also been criticized for its poor story-telling and repetitive gameplay. But there are definitely some features that might appeal to many gamers.

Most of Collapsed’s levels are filled with tons of alien enemies.

4 Hun...

Space Otter Charlie is coming to Steam, Playstation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch on March 18th. It’s a brand new Zero-G Puzzle Platformer with an interesting team behind it. The game was developed by Wayward Distractions and it will be published by The Quantum Astrophysicists Guild. While the Seattle-based Quantum Astrophysicists Guild has only been publishing games for the past few years, the small team at Wayward Distractions have a long history of working on classic games during the glory days of PopCap. With a team that worked on classic franchises like Feeding Frenzy, Plants Vs Zombies, Bejeweled, and so many others, you can be sure that the developers have been around the block when it comes to designing a game.

Using gravity to your advantage is a huge part of Space Otter Charlie.

De...

Gravity Heroes was just released on Steam on February 19th, 2021. It will also be available for Playstation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch in the near future. Gravity Heroes is a 2D platform-based shooter where players get to choose between 4 different characters. You can play solo or with up to 3 friends. The game features a story mode and a survival mode. Gravity Heroes is published by PQube Limited, the United Kingdom-based company behind numerous titles that have turned heads in the past few years.

You can play as one of four distinct characters in Gravity Heroes.

Four Choices

The game takes place in the midst of a war between humans and the robotic-beings known as synthetics. The Gravity Heroes are a special task force that must fight back against the robotic menace...

Yupitergrad was just released on January 28th for the Oculus Quest. It was originally released for the PC on August 27th of 2020 and it will also be released for PSVR in 2021. Yupitergrad was developed by the Polish game studio, Gamedust. They are a relatively new studio that is focusing on cutting edge gaming technology such as virtual reality. Yupitergrad has been described as a “Tarzan-style-platformer'”. This is because the player must use suction cups that shoot from their hands to navigate the game’s levels. This mechanic is especially interesting to see in virtual reality.

Cosmonauts on Jupiter don’t have it easy.

Leave the Motherland

In Yupitergrad, you play as a Slavic cosmonaut. The game is set on a base off the atmosphere of Jupiter...