Unpacking
I played Unpacking over the Christmas holiday in what was probably the most fitting environment. I was staying with my parents, back in my childhood bedroom, sharing with my sister, and surrounded by all of my old university books, CDs and posters, the kind of stuff I couldn’t squeeze into my own place but felt too attached to throw away.That’s pretty much what Unpacking confronts you with. You’re...[Read More]
A scaredy cats guide to Halloween gaming
It’s officially spooky season. Bring on the movie nights, pumpkin spiced lattes, and repeated promises about topping up the trick or treat stash you swore you wouldn’t touch in time for Halloween (probably best just to pretend you’re not home). For those of you, like me, who enjoy the pumpkin paraphernalia but not so much the nightmares that come with it, here’s a few video game recommendations to...[Read More]
Maid of Sker
I want to say it was around 24 hours after I’d bravely rolled the credits on Resident Evil Village when our editor Gerard passed me the review code for Maid of Sker, another survival horror that would continue my trajectory to passably capable, maybe even courageous, horror status. Did he do this on purpose? Having just come off another horror jaunt, there was a lot of familiarity to be found in t...[Read More]
Little Nightmares II
How can something so cute be so creepy? That’s the question I seemed to keep asking myself during my playthrough of Little Nightmares II as my pint-sized protagonist Mono trotted along with his tiny bare feet, a brown paper bag over his head, holding the hand of a similarly small companion Six across a cold, dark yet beautifully illustrated landscape. Moments later, the two narrowly escape the wra...[Read More]
New Pokémon Snap
After last year’s obsession with the comforting tranquillity of Animal Crossing, I figured it would be a while before I found another game that would feel like a safety blanket, tea and biscuits on a rainy day, a refreshing sorbet in between whatever slightly sweatier, higher stakes title I was also playing at the same time. But, New Pokémon Snap, released last month on Nintendo Switch, has turned...[Read More]
Resident Evil Village
Just in case you’ve never come across my confessions of a horror novice at N For Nerds before, let me share with you where I’m at with the horror genre in general: I had New Pokémon Snap ready on standby as a sort of colourful, stress-free antidote as I pressed start on Capcom’s latest instalment in the Resident Evil series. To my surprise, I didn’t need it, and to my even bigger surprise, I found...[Read More]
Dry Drowning
When our editor Gerard offered me a review code for a game called Dry Drowning, described as a “psychological investigative thriller”, I immediately walked back my hasty “Oh this sounds fun!” reaction as not to appear too enthusiastic about such a morbid sounding premise. Yet, as I got stuck into this dark, interactive visual novel, I realised that was probably wise.Dry Drowning, developed by Stud...[Read More]
6 things we’d love to see from Tomb Raider’s 25th anniversary
This year marks 25 years since the gates to that chillingly atmospheric Peruvian cave first slammed shut behind Lara Croft and our adventures with the globetrotting star of what would become the storied Tomb Raider series began. 25 years, countless locations and bullets spent, and several retcons later, Lara Croft remains one of the most enduring icons in video game history and developer Crystal D...[Read More]
Katamari Damacy Reroll
The funny thing is, when our editor Gerard asked me to review Katamari Damacy Reroll, I naively thought I was in for a delightful stress-free time. Having briefly played Beautiful Katamari on a friend’s Xbox years back and fondly remembering a colourful experience filled with cutesy bubble-gum objects and a soundtrack befitting a kids TV show, it was an easy sell. But this time, I sat, propped in ...[Read More]
Drink More Glurp
Drink More Glurp, released earlier this month on Nintendo Switch and Steam, asks what would happen if aliens got the wrong end of the stick about the Summer Olympics. The answer is a wacky, colourful and frustrating as hell experience that will give your thumb sticks a rigorous workout and make your brain fizz with fury. I was all in on this concept. The premise is, aliens have binge watched so mu...[Read More]
Void Terrarium
The world has been contaminated, toxic spores have spread across the planet, and those infected have sprouted a fungus that has led to the devastation of humanity. Your job is to keep a young girl, perhaps the only one of her kind, alive, and survive a barren post-apocalyptic wasteland filled with savage creatures. No I’ve not been replaying The Last Of Us; this is the premise for NIS America’s la...[Read More]
Edna & Harvey: The Breakout – Anniversary Edition
Edna & Harvey: The Breakout is a story about a young girl who wakes up to find herself locked inside the padded cell of an asylum without any recollection of how she got there, and her journey to freedom. Which is fitting really, because as I failed to master the controls needed to break Edna and her stuffed rabbit Harvey away from the clutches of Dr. Marcel’s sanatorium during this point and ...[Read More]