indie game - Mr. Dave Pizza

The Cultist Simulator is a Great Introduction to Lovecraftian Lore

Post author:mrdavepizza
Post published:February 28, 2021
Post category:GAME REVIEWS

The Cultist Simulator is a good name for this game, although "occulist" would have worked too. For starters, the cards look a lot like tarot; they kind of play like tarot too. There are some pretty spiritual and existential horror themes in the story as well. I had to confirm this later, but there are apparently some heavy Lovecraftian themes in The Cultist Simulator, elder alien gods and such. Oh, also, the story is really up to you and how you play your cards. And what's in the cards...

Balloon o Mania is a Free Indie Hidden Gem

Post author:mrdavepizza
Post published:February 27, 2021
Post category:GAME REVIEWS

I have been attempting to perfect my gentleman speak for like over a decade now. It’s a lost cause. What I do know, however, is that I am a video game blogger and not Lord Alfred Tennyson. I’ll do my best not to too scuff your wingtips, Oxfords, Mary Janes, Pumas, Jordans, or other fancy footwear in this review of Balloon O Mania.

Lo-Fi Room is One of the First Indie Games I Played

Post author:mrdavepizza
Post published:February 27, 2021
Post category:GAME REVIEWS

When everything is put together, the final song compilation is pretty good. A lot of people were commenting on the Itch.IO page that they liked the music and I happen to agree. And as far as aesthetics go, this is a pretty successful at being a lo-fi indie concept from the artwork to the music to the gameplay. I dig.

BROK the InvestiGator is a New SUPER Explorable Point and Click Game

Post author:mrdavepizza
Post published:February 26, 2021
Post category:GAME REVIEWS VISUAL NOVELS

Brok the Investigator is a side-scrolling point-and-click cartoon adventure detective story. Fully interactive, voiced characters. It's chock full of feel-good, heartwarming, animal noir gameplay. And what would an animal people noir be without a detective croc named Brok? The game begins in an inexplicable house fire, although things aren't quite what they seem. After this introduction, you'll start your story from an underground apartment. Brok's son, Graff, is a raccoon or bear, I think. Graff is a teenager who's your typical snippy teen, but fairly helpful in establishing location. Brok's phone rings shortly after he wakes up and a call…

Clocker is A Complex New Puzzle Indie on Nintendo Switch

Post author:mrdavepizza
Post published:February 25, 2021
Post category:GAME REVIEWS

I just saw Clocker released on Nintendo eShop this morning for a reasonable $3, so I snatched it up and gave it a go. These Switch games are kind of hard to predict sometime, but you have to pay your portion for the privilege once in a while. I do not really know what the origins of this game are. It was listed under Indie in eshop, with no publisher info. A little research revealed that the developer Wild Kid Games, published this through a studio called Indienova in China. Are there indie studios in China? I have wondered this a few times. I really don’t know much about it, but if there are that’s pretty cool.

Beasts of Maravilla Island is Magical & Pleasant

Post author:mrdavepizza
Post published:February 24, 2021
Post category:DEMO REVIEWS

Beasts of Maravilla Island is a mindful and progressive concept revolving around the science, hobby, and storytelling of isolated ecosystems and their sometimes astonishing, in this case even magical, discoveries. It's a game about collecting documentation and exploring the flora and fauna of an environment, where combat or violent interaction is non-existent.

First Impressions of Phoenotopia Demo on Nintendo Switch

Post author:mrdavepizza
Post published:February 23, 2021
Post category:DEMO REVIEWS

Phoenotopia is more than a cozy pixel-art game about a hero with pink hair. There are some pretty deep theme but also pleasant gameplay. For a sample, a group in Phoenotopia known as the last councils decide the fate of humanity. This game has emotional and philosophical depth. But once again, it's buffered with some enjoyable run and jump platforming. In my playtest of the demo, I enjoyed the open world environment and sense of adventure. I also love that I can play on super easy difficulty levels or super difficult difficulty levels. Accessibility is a great thing to pair…

Lasagna Boy is Weird and Scary But Really, Really Hilarious

Post author:mrdavepizza
Post published:February 22, 2021
Post category:GAME REVIEWS HALLOWEEN GAMES

HEADS UP: Moderately creepy imagery is in these games, this will be my only warning. I don't generally review horror games, but Lasanga Boy made me laugh, and then, it intrigued me. It merits analysis based on absurdity alone but also design. I also personally understand people like illustrating and drawing creepy monsters because... well, it's fun! Why not throw in a third or fourth eyeball here and there. We've been doing that for ages. Direct link to the games on Itch.IO a the bottom of this article.

Carto: Pieces of the Map is a Terrific puzzle exploration game

Post author:mrdavepizza
Post published:January 27, 2021
Post category:GAME REVIEWS

Finally, my love of tile board games like Carcassonne has been revived. But it's completely different mind you. Carto is a tile-placement puzzle released to much praise last year. My first impressions were very positive, but I set them aside until today. It's a terrific game! While it's probably the best adjective, I'm not really fond of describing games as cute anymore, because there are so many vocabularic adjectives for a game of this caliber. Perhaps this is "clever," "witty," "minimalist," "pleasant," and "empathic." There's a whole slew of wonderful descriptions. So, let me garner your attention and put the…

The Gardens Between is a Game That Does Some New Things

Post author:mrdavepizza
Post published:January 13, 2021
Post category:GAME REVIEWS

I'm not sure if the preface of this game is an homage to any other pop culture time traveling islands, but maybe not. I had some theories while playing that maybe some kind of altered planes of existence, which had me thinking about the name. The title, The Gardens Between has a mystical ring to it, but I don't know if that is intentional. I think it might be, but that is my own projection. There's no dialogue or anything to reveal these things, but that's actually okay with me because it's super original and such an interesting gameplay experience!