2022 - Mr. Dave Pizza

“Grey Block” Daringly Intermingles Conspiracy and Paranoia

Post author:mrdavepizza
Post published:October 27, 2022
Post category:GAME REVIEWS

Grey Block is a new psychological interactive fiction. This is a story about Theo Church, a young man who is involuntarily committed to a place called the Green Valley Psychiatric Hospital. Within the framework of a mysterious conspiracy, he tries to escape with the help of a hired assassin, who Theo tells a nurse was originally hired to take Theo out but instead rescued him. She is the primary secondary character outside of Theo who provides the information Theo needs to escape Green Valley. Together they navigate the watch of green-lit security camera spotlights, collecting security badges and hacking unattended…

Have You Tried Terrene? Check Out This Indie Bit-Art Space Dev

Post author:mrdavepizza
Post published:October 21, 2022
Post category:GAME REVIEWS

Hey, thanks to JustWall Games for letting me try Terrene: An Evidence of Life. This is an indie open-world space exploration game with some sweet pixel graphics and the types of deep-cut quirks that make me play indies, seriously. I didn't know what to expect at first, to be honest. I suspected some kind of multi-faceted character system based, but that is only part of it. Actually, there are so many open-ended exploration features that I could see exploring the vastness of space could be relaxing and interesting. If you like games like Starbound or Terraria, be sure to check this out.

DreamCell Is a Dark But Not Scary Rogue-Like, and I Got To Name Some of the Characters

Post author:mrdavepizza
Post published:October 17, 2022
Post category:DEMO REVIEWS

DreamCell: Lost in Nightmares is a 2D action twin-stick rogue-like that landed on my desk today. I have been hooked on the rogue-like/lite genre quite a bit lately. You may want to navigate to my YouTube channel for proof with the video below. Despite that, games like DreamCell: Lost in Nightmares give enough content to chew on for a regular day's gaming. The game is currently in a demo stage, scheduled for release on November 25 2022 on Steam. It's a challenging but ultimately amusing rogue-like that I could see evoking repeatable gameplay. It has challenging but anticipated enemies, and perhaps not just with the weapons available but also a large cast of unlockable and playable main characters with different abilities.

Flash Fiction: The Christmas Power Glove

Post author:mrdavepizza
Post published:October 2, 2022
Post category:SHORT STORIES

I could do anything with the Christmas Power Glove. Decorate trees, bake gingerbread cookies, send letters to Santa… inscribe my name on the moon. Woah, wait a minute, I’m letting this get to my head, it’s too much. I’m not saying I’m blaming him, but I had a bad feeling when the glove shot 10-foot streams of fire and melted the snowman someone had made behind my car on the driveway. His carrot nose looked like a burnt hot dog. I knew we weren't dealing with some ho-ho-homemade electronics projects, the Christmas Power Glove was bad, so bad. It made me feel like Fred Savage in The Wizard.

Flash Fiction: A Wizard In Need of Refreshment

Post author:mrdavepizza
Post published:October 2, 2022
Post category:SHORT STORIES

It’s one thing to florally describe all the astrolabes, dusty old library books, and half-eaten tomato sandwiches in the wizard's quarters. Time is an illusion though, and his mother was calling him for lunch. So, the wizard, tall and messy, consumed by silvery pajamas, descended into the kitchen that morning. He thought this might happen, on this day of all days, such a perplexing dilemma and no simple course of action: there was only one pumpkin ginger beer left. Merlin’s kidney's! What to do. Alas, the grilled cheese sandwiches and stew were epic and, no less, legendary. If only he could find a suitable plan.

Galaxy’s Bloom: An Original Short Sci-Fi Story

Post author:mrdavepizza
Post published:October 2, 2022
Post category:SHORT STORIES

I watch as two passenger ships collide at the apex of the low orbit aurora borealis area of Polaris’s relay planet. Both ships collapse, yet not, into each other in a strange caduceus of magic in the starry backdrop of the vessels’ course. The twisted coils of brass and flocked, black steel disappear. The ships vanish into a trapdoor in the universe. I sip, also, on weak fruit tea with my left hand. I mix some of my own herbs in--genuine, dried-up dream flowers from the Hilo K system that were resting in a jar at the bottom of my purplish-green, prismatic matrix, tree-leather satchel.

If You Like Starship Troopers and Anime, Check out Stories From Sol

Post author:mrdavepizza
Post published:September 27, 2022
Post category:DEMO REVIEWS GAME REVIEWS VISUAL NOVELS

Thank you to Space Colony Studios for reaching out to me about this upcoming interactive fiction demo for Stories From Sol: Part 1 Gun-Dog. I'm so excited to tell you all about this new demo. It has touches of retro nostalgia, with a sci-fi storylines, and the beginning of a really good series.

NeuroNet: Mendax Proxy is a Stunning New Visual Novel

Post author:mrdavepizza
Post published:September 22, 2022
Post category:GAME REVIEWS VISUAL NOVELS

“Dream Harvest,” the developers of NeuroNet: Mendaxy Proxy have provided a demo that gives a special preview of this futuristic fiction that showcases a highly visual and highly interactive story experience. The synopsis goes something like this. Wake up, you’re the newest programmed artificial intelligence developed by a very prominent corporation in the high-tech metropolitan Catena. Take it into your own hands in the bizarre POV of the AI, who is named Arc after a few calibrations in the prologue, or “beta” if you will. As you evolve, you’ll be given various responsibilities that will make you think and test ethical tropes that perhaps you aren’t as committed to as you think.

Kraino Origins Spins My Spooky Indie Wheels

Post author:mrdavepizza
Post published:September 20, 2022
Post category:GAME REVIEWS HALLOWEEN GAMES

Here we go with Kraino Origins. Add this to your Halloween Indie Game countdowns, because it's got enough spook for the whole community. This game feels like it was made from the plucking of my own seasonal heart string, with its borderline creep-fest color scheme and environment. Slash your way through constant monsters, zombies, and ghouls in this 2D platformer that spans 8 bosses--now out on Steam!

Xbox Game Pass Is THE Place for Free(ish) Indies

Post author:mrdavepizza
Post published:July 5, 2022
Post category:GUIDES & MODS

I'm not attempting to upsell you the service--although I'd certainly take credit, simply because it's truly one of the best gaming services out there and sells itself. You need Game Pass if you play major game titles or even indies, it's just a must to keep up. You can play day-one releases as well as past releases from Bethesda, EA, as well as tons of mid-tier indies. The setup is easy so I'll just make a quick reference here if you're wishing to try it out.