Tag: video-games

Loan Shark Coming to Playstation 5 January 20th

Loan Shark is a game I have long wanted to play since I read about it on PC, and I am currently reviewing Xbox ( you will see it soon), and will now be out on PlayStation. In fact, depending on where you live, it is probably live now. Enjoy the details and the Xbox launch trailer below. ( I can’t find one for PS5)

In Loan Shark, players step into the worn boots of an indebted angler trapped in a cycle of obligation he cannot escape. A single night at sea, meant to be routine, becomes something else entirely. The water feels heavier. The silence stretches. And when the nets finally come up, they carry more than fish.

That is when you meet Cagliuso, a one-eyed, talking fish whose strange gift promises salvation. His offer is simple, almost reasonable. Too reasonable.

What follows is not a power fantasy, but a slow, unsettling negotiation where every gain seems to leave something behind. Time, certainty, morality — all become part of the exchange.

Drawing on classic “deal with the devil” storytelling, Loan Shark unfolds as a compact psychological horror experience focused on pressure, choice, and consequence. The sea becomes both workplace and threat, and the ticking approach of unseen creditors ensures that nothing ever feels truly safe. The horror lies less in what is shown, and more in what is implied — the sense that something is watching, waiting, and counting the cost alongside you.

Key Features

  • Compact yet memorable experience — A focused narrative horror adventure, approximately 30 minutes in length
  • Underwater eye-cam mechanic — Track bites from below the surface while eerie watchers lurk in the depths
  • Fish & gut gameplay — Catch fish and carefully gut them under pressure, missteps have consequences
  • Surreal dialogue & choices — Bargains from Cagliuso force players to weigh risk versus reward
  • Time pressure & looming threats — With creditors closing in, every second counts
  • Atmospheric psychological horror — A restrained, unsettling tone driven by sound design and implication

Deep Fringe Debuts in Early Access Jan 15

Deep Fringe from Publisher Thousand Generation releases into early access today and is a hardcore tactical RPG. You can watch the trailer above and read the features below about what looks like an amazing game. You can also wait a bit to see my full review, as they were kind enough to send me a review copy. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Key Features of Deep Fringe

Shape the Battlefield Your Way

With limitless tactical possibilities, every moment is an opportunity to redefine the fight. Reshape the terrain, destroy obstacles, or create new pathways. Position your squad to dominate from the high ground or outmaneuver enemies in the chaos. Knock foes into traps, hurl them into hazards, or send them tumbling off the map. Switch seamlessly between top-down and isometric views to gain the perfect perspective on battle.

Command Powerful Units

Each character has unique destructive or support abilities and distinct combat roles. With a wide variety of units to command, players can unleash devastating attacks and reshape the fight with every move. Deep customization through skill trees and cybernetic enhancements adds further depth, allowing for tailored strategies and new layers of tactical complexity in combat.

A Gripping Story Lore

Venture into hostile territories to uncover the secrets behind the apocalypse and the factions vying for control. Each expedition reveals a new chapter in the war-torn world’s mysterious past. Form alliances or spark rivalries with factions and characters you encounter. Your decisions shape the course of the conflict and how the story unfolds. The Early Access version offers 10 hours of main story content, plus plenty of side maps to keep you engaged.

Nostalgic Art Direction

With its hand-drawn retro style, Deep Fringe offers a visually distinct and fractured world. The detailed artwork brings to life a world full of unsettling creatures and decayed landscapes. Whether you’re a fan of post-apocalyptic settings or just appreciate art that feels alive and raw, Deep Fringe delivers a visual experience that sticks with you.

Highly Customizable Level Editor

Unleash your creativity with an easy-to-use graphical editor that lets you create your own levels, characters, and campaigns. Share your creations with the community through the workshop for limitless player-made challenges.

Spaceslog Beta Review

Spaceslog is an upcoming space colony simulator, set to release in 2026, from Produno Games Studios. They were kind enough to send me a beta of the game. The game is set to release into early access on April 3rd.

If you have ever played games like RimWorld, you are familiar with the general concept of how the game is played. You make a few characters with different stats and personalities, and you build your ship. You set areas for cooking or storage and build sleeping areas and what have you. This game does nothing to reinvent the wheel, so to speak. It does, however, give you a new setting to play a genre many of us love.

The setting works out well, but more importantly, for those in the beta, the game has gotten consistent updates. I had a few complaints as I was making notes for my review about things like the pathfinding, but that has been taken care of in a recent fix. Trying to play with a controller gave me issues at first so I didn’t bother. It turns out there was an issue with using a controller if Steam was already running, but the controller wasn’t launched VIA Steam, and that was also taken care of. The game also works pretty well with an Xbox controller, tho I do prefer it with a mouse and keyboard, admittedly.

I’m not going to give this game a score, as I am only playing a beta that won’t be released for several months. The state it’s in is very much playable, and with the amount of updates they are putting out, I am pretty confident that come its April launch, we are looking at a solid title worth keeping an eye on for fans of the genre. It may not ever be equal to Rimworld, but it is shaping up to be a nice alternative. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Frostpunk 2 Fractured Utopias DLC – PS5 Review

Some of you may remember that not long ago, I covered the release of Frostpunk 2 PS5 Review. 11 Bit Studios was kind enough to send me the Fractured Utopias DLC on PS5. The question is, will this be worth the $13 price tag? Let’s explore that question.

For starters, everything comes into play during the Utopia Builder mode. So if you don’t play this mode, you are already out of luck. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t see why you wouldn’t play what is basically the main mode of the game, but it is worth noting that this is where all the content is. Right from the start, you will notice you have the option to start with a faction, of which there are 8 new ones in total to discover.

Each faction also has its very own skill tree to make your way through. This alone will add hours of gameplay, making your way through each one can be a challenge, and it leaves plenty to see. I find this alone well worth the money.

This is just the tip of the iceberg of what is new. Each faction has new variants on housing, unique laws, HUBS, abilities, and more. So much so that after hours of playing, I haven’t seen them all. I have also seen at least 40 new narrative events, and the store page claims there are over 100.

The only disappointing part of this is that we were only given one new map to play on. The two new premium tales, Doomsayers and Plague, are nice, however.

At the end of the day, this is a very nice DLC. We have all paid far more for DLC and gotten far less. $13 is a fair price for everything it gives. I would have liked one or two more maps, but I can live without them. It is an 8/10 DLC that fans of the game should definitely pick up. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Pathea Unveils New Action RPG ‘The God Slayer’ in WORLD FIRST Gameplay Video

Pathea Games, the studio behind the beloved life-sim series My Time, is delighted to unveil ‘The God Slayer’ – a new third-person, open-world steampunk fantasy, roleplaying game in development for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox platforms.

Enter an Eastern-inspired steampunk metropolis where gods known as Celestials reign with a divine fist! In this premium open-world RPG, you are an Elemancer who refuses to bow to his creators. Infused with elemental powers and a heart of vengeance, you will dethrone them all. You will rise to be The God Slayer.

For a more complete feature rundown please see below:

  • A Reactive Steampunk Metropolis 
    Lose yourself in a unique fantasy steampunk setting, enhanced with Eastern flair. Set foot in the capital city of the Zhou Kingdom, an urban metropolis that is experiencing a technological revolution, with an assortment of airships, steamboats, monorails, and steam vehicles. A fortunate few in the upper class savor the miracle of air-conditioned homes and mechanical washing drums, while in the poor neighborhoods the vast majority still toil in soot-blackened factories or bow beneath the weight of noble privilege. 
  • Customisable Elemental Combat
    Combine water, earth, metal and fire to create powerful attacks and weaponry. Use these abilities to bend the environment to your whim and in direct combat. Experiment with different strategic options and create your own fully customisable fighting style to dominate enemies big and small. Every encounter is a challenge, every battle a chance to unleash thrilling elemental combos that scratch your creative itch.
  • Confront Challenges Your Way
    Missions in The God Slayer will allow players to approach them in multiple ways. For instance, players are free to attack all enemies head-on, they can bribe guards to look the other way, they can activate elemental powers to create diversions / distract enemies, they can pathfind usually hidden side routes and utilize other means to achieve their objective.
  • A Story of Vengeance
    Embark on a thrilling story-driven campaign filled with interesting characters and intriguing twists and turns. Choose your allies, inspire people across the city, and overthrow scheming gods to bring justice to the world.

Demonschool Playstation 5 Review

DemonSchool from Developer Necrosoft Games and publisher Ysbryd Games is a tactical RPG, and proudly wears its Persona and Italian horror roots on its sleeve. Thankfully, they sent me a copy to check out.

The combat is interesting; unlike most of these games, you won’t simply be moving a few squares, choosing an attack, gaining levels, and learning new skills. Every character simply knows the attacks they will know. You, of course, can learn new skills throughout the game, but these work like buffs. Your healer learns to weaken enemies, or your attackers can learn to also stun enemies, things like that.

Killing enemies will see them explode into blood

The other interesting thing about the combat is that you move in directions, not to spaces. This may sound odd at first, but it works out very well and creates an interesting dynamic. This becomes even more true when you realize characters like Namako will move through a group of enemies, stunning them just to end up on the other side of them. Faye can then attack that same group and create a combination attack with Namako.

Bosses are an entirely new situation

Bosses create an entirely new situation, however. They are all very large and have their own gimmicks to overcome. Many, if you stay in a certain zone for too long, will kill you in a single shot. This works in both directions, however, and trapping an enemy there will also kill them. Each boss has their own reason for existing and is part of the story attached to them.

Now you will notice I haven’t touched on the story yet, and that is intentional, as I don’t like to risk spoilers. You play as Faye, probably one of the only people left in the world who knows about a prophecy that demons will return to start the apocalypse. She journeys to this college on an island in an attempt to stop it. She teams up with Namako right away, another person with demon hunter blood in her family, despite her initial refusal. There are several tone shifts throughout the game, and they are all amazing.

The writing can be a bit cliché and silly at times, and it won’t be for everyone. The game, however, is a solid 8/10. The battles can be a bit redundant, but I enjoyed them. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Dark Quest 4 Playstation 5 Review

Dark Quest 4 has just been released on PlayStation, and Brain Seal was nice enough to send me a copy to check out. I always appreciate this, and after spending some time with this one, I have some pretty mixed feelings about it.

Let’s get started with what the game is. It is a turn-based strategy game based on the Hero Quest board game. The game does a fantastic job of showing this from the very start. The story is told in such a way that you feel like a dungeon master is walking you through the entire thing. You build your party from pre-set adventurers, and can even have a friend join you in couch co-op.

Each party member feels differently; they all have their own ideals and reasons for fighting. The camp itself is even set up in such a way that it truly feels like one would expect a forward camp to feel as you make your way through Gulak’s evil horde.

As you make your way through a dungeon, your characters are moved as if on a board; if you ever played a game of Dungeons and Dragons, you know what I mean. Some characters are better at avoiding traps, for example, and the more speedy characters can quickly outpace slower ones. Slow-moving characters are usually able to tank more hits; however, your wizards can deal more damage but are quite easy to kill. All of this sounds fantastic, and it is really well put together.

The story playing out in a sort of storybook manner is also a great addition to the game. I loved listening to it play out as it was being written on the pages. I truly wish more games would take this approach. The game, however, has some areas where it just quickly became less fun to play.

For example, I found myself dreading exploration. My characters are taking turns while no enemies are around is fine on smaller maps, but on larger maps, this is time-consuming. To make matters worse, when every enemy is dead, I now have to slowly move every character to the stairs to move to the next level.

Having to re-equip potions after each time I delve into the dungeons also serves no real purpose. It adds nothing to the gameplay and doesn’t respect my time or effort.

The game is an ok 6/10, I didn’t hate my time with it, and it does a lot of things right. But I can think of better games to spend $20 on. Fans of the series won’t be disappointed, but I don’t see this one making new fans either. I won’t steer people away from buying it; it has very positive reviews on Steam and is sitting at just over 4 stars on PS5. Fans will be happy, as I said, but people getting into it will want to wait for a sale. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Decktamer Steam Review

Decktamer released on Steam this week, and Assemble Entertainment was nice enough to send me a copy. The best way I can describe this experience would be if Magic: The Gathering and a Pokémon Nuzloke run had a baby and spit this Deckbuilding roguelike out.

The concept is simple: you start with a deck of cards, which are living monsters. You delve into this cave and fight other monsters, where you can capture new ones when you weaken them, assuming you have the right food. For example, herbivores won’t join you if you try to toss them a hunk of meat. Creatures that prefer fish aren’t likely to accept plants. Worse, if your creature dies during a fight, it is gone forever.

Red is Health, green is speed

Each card has a health and speed rating, while their attacks do different amounts of damage and have different abilities. Some are weaker but may do damage to every monster on the side. A slower monster may have stronger attacks; it is up to you what you want to try to do. However, remember that if that health reaches zero, it is gone forever. It is very high-risk high high-reward sometimes. Knowing when to switch your monster means more than in most games.

The artwork is also amazing; this is honestly where I thought the game would fall short, considering its $16 price tag. I was very wrong; the sound and art are nothing short of amazing, and I really thought going into this, these would be the areas I would have complaints. In fact, if you look at the Steam reviews, which are very positive with over 150 currently the only complaints you will see are that the game is insanely hard.

This is honestly true; this game is not for the faint of heart. I love the game, it is fun and I am having a blast with it, but damn, will it wreck you. Each battle and each move involves some strategy. Each item matters the further you go. It may even need some balancing tweaks to be honest, but in the meantime, it is a 9/10 experience that fans of the genre must experience. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Lost in Fantaland Playstation 5 Review

Lost in Fantaland is the newest tactical RPG roguelike from Game Source Entertainment, and they were kind enough to send me a PlayStation 5 copy to check out.

The game starts out in a simple yet comical way, which honestly is pretty standard for the game. It takes a rather light-hearted tone throughout the entire game. You start out as a kid walking through the woods and get more or less kidnapped into a world you need to save. This leads you into the tutorial where your character is freaking out about how he can’t move. A hooded but friendly figure explains that you can’t move yet because it isn’t quite your turn.

He then explains what the cards do, how to avoid getting hit, and how to deal damage. This, as you would expect, leaves your character a bit unhappy, but they are convinced to play along. The battles take place on an 8×8 grid, which makes for pretty fast-paced battles that really push you to focus on strategy rather than trying to overpower the enemy. This is especially true if you are playing as one of the mage classes, which really prefer more of a hit-and-run strategy than to stand there and tank hits with shields like the warrior class.

The story admittedly is pretty much non-existent, but there is a reason the game is sitting at very positive reviews on Steam. The combat itself is just fun and easy to get into. Permanent unlocks can be useful, but for the most part, they are perks that make the game more fun and aren’t truly required to make deep runs like most games of the genre. With a price point of around 15 dollars, it’s easy to recommend this game. I would like a bit more variety in the cards you can get your hands on, but it is still a 7/10 experience. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Sonic Wings Reunion Playstation 5 Review

Sonic Wings Reunion is the newest game from Red Art Games, and they were kind enough to toss me a copy. The game is a sequel to Sonic Wings, which was released as Aero Fighters back in 1998 in the West. Now I have some interesting opinions on this game, but I won’t make you read all of that to get to the main point of all that. If you just want to know if this is worth picking up, the quick answer is yes. If you enjoy old-school arcade-style shooters, the game is great.

With 8 initial characters and more to unlock, local co-op, 8 stages, and stories to go along with each character, the content is definitely there. Moreover, the characters will interact with each other depending on who you team up together, Mao Mao and Chaika & Pushka, for example, talk about a singing competition they will compete against each other in (you will discover the winner if you finish the 8 levels)

The damage you do to cities as you fly through the levels and use bombs (that change based on characters) is also impressive. Many games don’t even bother with such details, but here they are pretty well fleshed out. Here is where the game gets a bit odd to me.

Each level starts by telling you to “Gird Your Loins,” which, by the way, is not some messed-up translation issue. This is actually a very old English saying, meaning to prepare yourself for a difficult situation or for something dangerous. The bosses range from things like a rocket to a mechanical gorilla. None of this is ever really explained; this is just the level of insane stuff the game gives you. Sort of like the Russian characters bomb being Russian nesting dolls accompanied by Russian dance music.

None of these are complaints, by the way. This is actually a list of why you should play this game. If games are meant to be fun, this game nails it. Even after I had decided I played this game enough to review it, I found myself wanting to play more. That, to me, is the sign of a good game. It is an 8/10 experience that lets you make it as hard or as easy as you want. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.