Tag: Opinion

Remothered: The Red Nun’s Legacy

First, a huge thank you to Stormind Games for sending us the deluxe version of the game. The soundtrack is exquisite and I really enjoyed the artbook; absolutely worth the extra money. This is my first time with the Remothered series, so unfortunately I can’t really compare it to the previous installments or pick up on the series overall connections.

Sarah’s daughter Agata went missing without a trace. Her and her husband might’ve come across a glimmer of hope at the Ashmann Villa beneath the looming, slumbering volcano Mt. Etna. Quickly Sarah and her husband are separated and it becomes clearly they aren’t safe. Sarah is plunged into a dark mystery of vengeful nuns out for blood as she discovers her own supernatural gifts, learning Agata maybe the final piece in a horrific puzzle.

Oh boy, the story of this game is not for the faint of heart. Much like Hellraiser: Revival and Mouthwashing, this game deals with some incredibly heavy topics such as sexual assault and the trauma related to it. There is a trigger warning upon starting the game, but I’m just putting it out there. The game’s overall story I found to be one of it’s best selling points. I was genuinely intrigued to find out what in the hell was going on. I will say I wasn’t so much invested with Sarah, the player character, but the tragic story of Gloria we unravel throughout the game through memories. I really enjoyed the use of psychic abilities like recovering memories and finding secrets within mirrors.

Gameplay is predominately stealth based with puzzle solving. You can’t kill the enemies but hide, run, and stun. I was utterly grateful this wasn’t an Outlast situation where it’s running simulator. The enemies are persistent but not enough to be annoying. The Bride is the standout enemy of the game for good reason, her design is pretty damn disturbing and instantly elevates the anxiety the game does well to maintain. I like the unsettling black and white clips littered throughout the game with some jaw dropping imagery I wasn’t prepared for. The puzzles aren’t too demanding but not brain dead.

I must confess I wish the game clicked more with me. Partly way it took me so long to finish this review was trying to putting my finger on why it wasn’t. Great story, atmosphere, music, and enemy design with solid gameplay. I think part of it was I never connected with Sarah at all. Her voice actress did great. All the voice talent did. Sarah does a few stupid things throughout the game like running into danger alone when she could’ve had back up if she waited thirty seconds, and some of her narration made me laugh when it wasn’t supposed to. I found the enemies of the story so much more engaging than the main character. Part of it maybe the stealth aspect which makes traversing slow, which ain’t bad, but when you suck at path finding like myself, that means a lot of ground to back track.

In the end, I enjoyed Remothered quite a bit although ultimately, the game wasn’t quite for me. As it stands, I’d give it a solid 8/10 because it will hook you and keep on edge throughout a fair length game. Again, many thanks to Stormind Games for sending us the deluxe version, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Slow Game Club Returns in 2027

As I am sure some of you know, and many of you do not, 2026 saw something called the Slow Game Club. It was something of a cool idea that I vaguely heard about late last year, but it was actually sold out by the time I did. What it is, in their words, is ” No endless libraries, no recommendation engines, and no algorithm deciding what you should play. Just twelve games, one a month, hand-picked by people who love games and want you to discover something extraordinary.“

That is the simple idea behind Slow Game Club, and to tell you the quality of games coming up, some of last year’s games are in the press release, and I will share those, but the first game for 2027 has been announced already, and that is Esoteric Ebb, with the rest being announced well by the time you read this, honestly.

Here are some of the important highlights from the press release below.

Key information about Slow Game Club

  • £49/€59/$59 annual launch pricing
  • An amazing indie game delivered every month via Steam key
  • A members-only Discord community to discuss and review each game, including a curated book-club style discussion group.
  • An exclusive live podcast and Q&A with every single developer
  • Available worldwide.
  • Physical Merch Box including:
    • An SGC-themed “Retro” Scarf
    • An SGC-branded vintage dad cap
    • A premium SGC-branded notebook
    • An SGC Mousepad with custom artwork
    • Exclusive SGC-branded Sticker Pack commissioned by indie game artist Frederikke Frydenlund (Art Director of Nippets)
    • 6x Art cards with art commissioned by Into Games IG50 winners for every order

The club returns following a sold-out 2026 membership featuring Thank Goodness You’re Here!, Sorry We’re Closed, Promise Mascot Agency, despelote, Wanderstop and The Drifter. Our 2026 collection has a combined average Metacritic Score of 81.5.

Between them, the collection went on to include a BAFTA British Game winner, a BAFTA Game Beyond Entertainment winner, an Australian Game Developer Awards Game of the Year winner and an Indie Game Awards Best Debut winner.

We picked almost all of these before they were even nominated. We don’t claim to predict awards. We just know a good game when we see one.

And the members agree. In a survey of 327 members, 87% said Slow Game Club offered great value for money. The most common reason for joining? Discovering games they would never have found on their own. One member put it simply:

“I’m terrible at making decisions, and a subscription where I get given a game means it’s far easier to just… play a game instead of getting stuck on what to buy.” Another added: “Slow Game Club feels very well curated, and so far none of the games have been a complete miss for me.”

Twelve more independent games, all 2026 releases, chosen for their extraordinary worlds, characters and experiences. Already announced is Esoteric Ebb, the offbeat, narrative-rich fantasy CRPG from developer Christoffer Bodegård and publisher Raw Fury. The other eleven remain under wraps for now. Partly because the games are still in their launch period, and partly because the surprise is half the fun.

“I got sick of seeing a wall of games that a line of code told me I should play; I wanted real recommendations by real people. Most of the game store gurus are gone now, so consider Slow Game Club your resident indie expert. We do the crate-digging, the exploring, the deep dives. We respect your time, and then let you experience a game as it was intended. Slowly.” Brandon Cole, Creator of Slow Game Club and Co-Founder of Into Games

PLAY GAMES. HELP KIDS MAKE THEM. Slow Game Club was created by Into Games, a UK-registered charity helping young people from low-income backgrounds access careers in games. 100% of proceeds support its charitable work, including free game clubs, careers festivals and internships.

2027 memberships launch Thursday 5 November at 10:30 GMT. £49 / €59 / $59.

If this looks like something you would be into, you can sign up here. https://www.slowgame.club/ ( Full Disclosure: Savior Gaming does NOT receive monetary compensation from this site; the link is provided in case you are interested in gaming and possibly helping a charity.)

Lawnmower Simulator 2 Playstation 5 Review

Skyhook Games sent me a copy of Lawn Mower Simulator 2, which I greatly appreciate. It is even more appreciated since I played the original Lawn Mowing Simulator and thought it was one of the most boring games I had ever played, but this one looked like a significant improvement. The question now is, was it?

Well, graphically, the game is far superior, as you would expect, but more importantly, the controls have been greatly refined. Everything just feels better. Mowers feel easier to control, and now even the more realistic aspects of overheating the motor feel like things you can control and act like you think they would.

This does, however, lead me to my biggest issue with the game. When it looks good, it looks amazing. You know what grass has been cut and what hasn’t; using the leaf blower, you can see the leaves move around wonderfully. But when the game looks bad, it looks terrible. The screen tearing and slowdowns can be very real and very distracting. I have also seen reports of save bugs that can wipe your save, but I never experienced this. I did get my copy a bit after release, however, so that may have been fixed prior to me playing.

The management aspect I find nice. It isn’t overwhelming, and it is as simple as it should be for this sort of game. You own a business for lawn care. It should be as simple as assigning equipment to an employee, assigning an employee a job, and away they go. Better employees do better jobs and make you more money. Bad ones cost you money in equipment repairs and bad work.

The most important change from the original to Lawn Mower Simulator 2 is the fact that this one actually feels fun and like a simulator, not like work. It is a $30 game that fans of the simulator genre will actually enjoy playing, I think. It isn’t the best in the genre, but it is the best on this topic. It is a 7/10 title that respects your time and effort. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Mouthwashing

So first, huge thank you to Wrong Organ for providing the code for this journey. Also, a standing ovation because I loved my brief but insanely impactful time with Mouthwashing and can’t wait to see what they do next.

We flip positions as crew members of the doomed delivery ship ,Tulpar, stranded in space after a devastating collision. Resources are dwindling. Much of the already small vessel is sealed off but tufts of thick emergency gel. Tensions of a already weary and disgruntled crew are pushed vastly beyond their breaking points. The captain, Curly, seemingly purposefully caused the crash in a fit of insanity it seemed. Curly, now horrifically immolated, is confined to medical, leaving James in charge, adding to the swelling tension. All this misery, all this pain, and for what? What could possibly be worth the slow decay of five lives?

Normally, I’m not a fan of this kind of gameplay. It’s predominately point and click with some very light stealth and puzzle solving thrown in. The game thankfully doesn’t waste a minute and is expertly paced. The story griped me from start to finish and the characters have a pretty surprising amount of depth for a game that lasts roughly 3 hours. It’s extremely rare for a story to truly hit me and actually stay with me long after. Mouthwashing is the kind of story I wish I wrote. The superstars of it are the visual and sound designs. Visually, the game is absolutely disturbing with some incredibly unsettling visuals augmented by the claustrophobic, derelict setting reminiscent of Alien. The sound design grossed me out at times in the best ways and the music have me a Kubrick vibe that contrasted and complimented the visceral, cerebral horror at play.

In the end, I cannot recommend Mouthwashing enough. Its a terrific story that brings us face to face with some true fears. It’s refreshing to see cosmic horror that doesn’t lean on monsters, disease, or ghosts. Mouthwashing is the cruelest nail in the coffin of a cog in the corporate machine and the demons we can’t escape, even in the deepest reaches of outer space. I’d gladly give my experience on Ps5 a 10/10. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Crystal Lake (sn1)

We all have secrets. Pam Voorhees knows all too well the weight of secrets. Struggling single mom with a sweet, albeit deformed son, Jason, she takes a summer job as the cook for Camp Crystal Lake. All Jason ever wanted was to fit in, be a normal kid and have a normal summer. Then tragedy strikes. Unsupervised, Jason seemingly drowns, leaving Pam devastated and alone. Convinced her son isn’t gone and confronted by her past, can Pam ever move on from her endless grief or will will she succumb to it?…yet again, what if she was right and Jason isn’t truly gone?

For many, Jason and Friday the 13th are as iconic to horror as can be. We all know Jason Voorhees, the mute, gigantic, hockey mask clad killing machine who primarily haunts Crystal Lake when he’s not visiting Manhattan, fighting Freddy Krueger, or venturing through outer space as a nanite infused cyborg. I’m glad we got to a glimpse of the young, vibrant, loving kid before his fateful drowning as well as the downward spiral that turned Pam Voorhees into a brutal serial killer. Hands down, Linda Cardellini absolutely steals the show as Pam. She’s haunting as a grieving, heartbroken mother while managing to recapture the manic rage of Betsy Palmer. Also, the show makes Jason a very tragic character but still keeps him terrifying.

This show is a huge love letter to the entire series. I was impressed at the attention to detail when it came to the music, and scenery. Even the title sequence harkens back to the glory days of the original series. The characters were well done with even Crazy Ralph returning as a major part of the series. As for continuity, I think it does pretty well. We get a lot of answers with a frankly bonkers, batshit insane backstory for Pam and Jason that alters the story quite a bit but I argue that’s a good thing. It’s definitely a memorable and unique origin that helps explain a lot of the discrepancies between movies. And for me, Friday the 13th was always at it’s best when it was over the top so I liked it- I hated how the Friday The 13th (2009) remake tried grounding Jason in reality.

The only real issue I have with the series is the pacing. It’s 8 episodes but I feel it could’ve been 6 or 7. The 1st episode is really strong, then it drags a bit until the end of the 5th where we come to the opening of the original film, remaining strong all the way until the end after that. There is a change made to that particular scene that irked me but what followed was pretty awesome. Even if the pacing was off, the gore is nothing short of top notch when it comes.

In the end, Crystal Lake did a rare thing for me- it made appreciate the source material even more. As I said, it’s huge love letter to the legend of Jason and is full of the stuff I loved about the series as a whole. If not for anything, Linda Cardellini gives one hell of a performance that made watching Crystal Lake worth it. I’d say the show was well worth the watch. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Hellraiser: Revival Playstation 5 Review

So first and foremast, insanely huge thanks to Saber Interactive for granting us access to the game. This particular game was the game I’ve been most excited for all year. As a longtime fan of Clive Barker’s writing, The Hellbound Heart, Hellraiser, and Hellbound: Hellraiser 2  I was incredibly pumped to see Barker’s world unfolded of pain and pleasure in game form.

We play as Aiden Lynch, a dude who simply loved a girl. Convict, addict, Aiden never felt whole until he met Sunny, who seemed to share his need for pain and desire as well as her own inner darkness. During a night of BDSM play, she brings out the box, summoning the Cenobites. Sunny is torn apart and whisked away to the mysterious Labyrinth. Now Aiden must not only face a deadly, sadistic cult devoted to the enigmatic Cenobites but face never-ending depravity and torture to save the woman he loved. Can Aiden survive and free Sunny from hell itself or will he give in to the darkness of Levithan?

Ok, much like Terminator: Resistance and Alien: Isolation, the love and attention to detail for the source material is incredible. The labyrinth, the Cenobites, the creatures, Levithan are all captured beautifully. The game uses its IP to the fullest extent, and respects it in ways so few games do. Doug Bradley triumphantly returns to voice the iconic Hell Priest, Pinhead, and is still spine chilling in his line delivery. The game’s strongest feat is making you feel on edge, whether it’s being chased by the gruesome Chatterer through the mazes of the Labyrinth, or roaming through the smoky, vulgar sex clubs fronted by the cult. Seriously, full disclosure, this game holds nothing back in terms of sex and violence- totally understand why this game nearly got the dreaded A rating.

As for gameplay, it’s very akin to Resident evil 7 and Dying Light in terms of melee combat. The box adds a lot in terms of abilities and puzzle solving. The box grants you telekinesis, pyrokinesis, and can summon chains as a ultimate attack. Combat is most fun using the box and strategically wiping out crazed gimp and hell beasts. I appreciate that the game is about creativity and never gives you too much to work with but never fully leaves you dry. I will say, I wish weapons weren’t so flimsy. Melee weapons feel like they’re made of glass so you have to use them sparingly. Aiden himself practically feels like he too is made of glass; god love you if you get set on fire. A few times I was annoyed and wished I had some kind of armor or the weapons lasted longer. Overall, it was still mostly fun to play throughout.

The game had a few clipping issues and a few funny glitches at times but meanwhile played well. During a ten hour hour playthrough, I had just 1 hard crash and only really noticed a couple laughable glitches. My biggest complaint that had nothing to do with skill (because I fully admit I sucked at this game) is the inventory system. I get having to worry about space for weapons and health. I hated having to factor in treasure. The real killer has the oddly huge size of the ammo boxes. I don’t see why a box of ammo should take up nearly as much space as 9MM, SMG, or a damn bear trap. Inventory layout is borrowed from Resident Evil 4 but I can’t lie, I felt it was unneeded enemy in the game.

In the end, I had a lot of fun with Hellraiser: Revival. It’s a good, shorter horror game that doesn’t wear out it’s welcome and it’s a hell of a treat and love letter to an incredible horror writer and his most iconic work. I’d absolutely recommend it with full warning; it’s not for the faint of heart. It is an 8/10. Thanks again to Saber for sharing it with us. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Exorcist: Martyrs trailer

I have so much respect for what Blatty’s original novel and Friedkin’s iconic movie did for horror. As for what came after-not so much, although I heard Legion was pretty good book and Exorcist 3 was the best the series had to offer since the original. Anyway, it’s Flannigan’s turn after the disaster that was Believer. Already, I see a major improvement just in style and star power alone. I was almost hyped but I gotta be real, the finally moment with Scarlett made me laugh my ass off. I’m convinced The Exorcist is lightning in a bottle. One shot wonder- leave as is. No need for prequels, sequels, reimaginings, se-boots, reboots, legacy sequels, spin offs, or a damn cinematic universe (though seeing Linda Blair fight Michael Myers in the Further woulda been funny as hell). As is, I’m vaguely interested in Martyrs but I’m not hooked. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees

Samantha Strong is one of the many friendly faces you’d see in the cozy little town of Woodbrook. It’s the kind of town where everyone knows each other and it’s ok to leave your door unlocked at night. Well, Everyone thinks they know each other. Samantha has a grisly side; for years she’s been hunting and killing random people in the distant city. Her main rule is never at home. But during the bicentennial parade for the town, someone has broken her rule. Now terror spreads as a killer is on the loose and it’s up to Samantha to stop them before her own careful hidden trail of bodies is discovered.

I love comics outside the standard DC and Marvel fare. This might be my 2nd favorite, only below Nailbiter. The opening is very disarming, very tranquil and the artwork really makes me think of a lot of the children’s shows I grew up with. Once the killing starts, it hits you like a brick. I really loved Sam as a character. Part of it is the mystery around why she feels the need to brutally kill people. There is some really creepy imagery and few good story twists I didn’t see coming. The characters are misplaced mostly which adds to the shock factor of what happens to them. The book feels pretty self contained which is nice. Another installment just came out but the first book doesn’t sequel bait. In the end, I can’t recommend this book enough especially if you grew up with shows like Little Bear or Franklin or you’re a fan of Dexter or Criminal Minds. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Crystal Lake trailer

Jason has never been my go to in the slasher realm (team Michael all the way) but admittedly I’m happy to see a comeback of sorts. I really dig the idea of a prequel going into Pam Voorhees’s descent into grief and eventual madness at the loss of her son as well as hopefully a more human look at Jason before he become the iconic death machine. I liked the trailer more than I thought I would as well as the callbacks to the original movie. I’m actually pretty excited to see how Peacock and A24 pull it off. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Primetime

Why don’tcha take a seat? Perhaps one of the most infamous phrases of the 2000’s came from one of the most controversial shows ever put on TV: To Catch A Predator with Chris Hansen. Week after week thousands tuned in to watch the stoic journalist confront child molesters and pedophiles on national tv, culminating in some heavy ethical debates as well as an insane confrontation that ended with the suicide of a public official. Not only does this story follow the rise and fall of Hansen but the journey of Daniel Plum, a struggling actor hired to act as one of the child decoys tasked with luring out the worst of the worst. What’s the cost of fame and how far is too far?

Ok, let’s get this out of the way: I’m not going into the accuracy of this movie. The real Chris Hansen is pretty pissed at how this movie portrays him-a conflicted, imperfect family man with big dreams whose willing to do some ugly shit to achieve them. Much like Oppenheimer, I’d argue it’s a realistic portrayal of a human being. Pattinson is great as Hansen, and I gotta give him credit for nailing Hansen’s memorable cadence and inflections. Skyler Gisondo was also incredible as Decoy Dan Plum, disappearing into the role as well as Pattinson did his; I totally forgot he was Jimmy Olsen in Superman (2025). The movie on the whole is entertaining as hell on the whole. Visually it’s a knock out with a score that compliments the psychedelic vibes and the eerily faithful 2000’s TV look to everything. The movie is pretty quick, staying focused on strictly the span of To Catch A Predator. The only real complaint I have is that the ending feels abrupt. I feel like Dan Plum got a reasonable end, the producer got a reasonable end, but not Hansen.

In the end, I really enjoyed Primetime. It’s funnier and trippier than I expected with some great performances I’d highly recommend. May the gaming god’s bring you glory.