Written by Leon Sarambi

Category: Reviews

Published: 20 October 2024

Hits: 1130

I've always been interested in unique gaming gimmicks. Ones that are either using a very used function of a controller or very obviously just a way to get a headline in a gaming article to sell a big piece of plastic that you will only use for one game *coughsteelbettalionforthexboxcough*. Having a gimmick can ruin or enhance an experience, especially if it's one where you don't need any special skills or equipment to use. Enter “Before Your Eyes”. 

Before Your Eyes is an immersive story focused first person experience with a unique gimmick. If you have a webcam, you can control the experience through your eye movements by blinking. You blink to select stuff, blink to skip cutscenes, blink to draw, blink to move objects, etc. There is a mouse option if you do not have a webcam, but to get the full experience you should use your webcam, or in the case of the PSVR2, your VR headset. I played through the game twice, one with the blinking mechanic and one with the mouse. Playing with the mouse almost feels like cheating because there are certain story elements where you are asked to keep your eyes open and there's no suspension or challenge when you can just literally pull your hand away from the mouse for a few seconds. With the webcam, those holding periods feel agonizing and you have to force yourself to keep unblinking for longer then you want it to be, it feels rewarding to do so. The issue with the eye controller is that the game is VERY emotional and you'll start to feel it when you cry, having to blink and you'll see yourself skip important cutscenes because you had to wipe your eyes. So, what is the game about anyway?

You play as Benny, Who just woke up on a small boat in what seems like an ethereal land. A Cat? Fox?...Catfox? with one ear is on the boat with you. This is the Ferryman, and he tells you you're dead and on your way to see the Gatekeeper. He informs you that you will need to give the Gatekeeper a story to see if you are worthy of being brought into paradise. You are then taken to your memories to go through your story, starting from your youth to your eventual death and everything that happens in between.

The story does not sugar coat anything and this is where the premise of the eyes being the controller can falter. A lot of the scenes in this game are very emotional. To the point where you will be crying or have issues with keeping your eyes open. However these scenes are where the game will demand you to keep your eyes open for longer periods of time then normal and this can physically hurt while you play. Again, you can switch to mouse controls at any time, but then it does not feel like a full experience because the game was built around you using your eyes. So if you do play this game, please make sure to do some eye exercises beforehand. 

The visuals are very simplistic, but great at showing off the little details that the developers put in with every action. The hand drawn action commands and the pop it gives whenever you make a selection is a good touch that connects well with Benny’s story and background. The feel of the different scenes fit well with the themes as well, with all the memories being set like a play and limited visibility like you would if you had to remember specific events from your own past. The soundtrack fits well with the visuals as well, lots of piano and string music throughout with the occasional percussion and synth sounds that punctuate the memories you will encounter.

Initially I was going to go into more detail about the story of Before Your Eyes, but after writing an entire page and a half about it, I decided against it. This review was going to be a short one anyway since this is a game that you need to experience first hand and it may have a different effect on you. Much like how games like “What Remains of Edith Finch” and “Undertale”, your experience may differ from mine and I wanted to explore my feelings on the game. However, that would ruin the experience for you to go give it a shot yourself. So, I implore you, go play Before Your Eyes. It's a 2 hour experience that you won't forget. 

Written by Joshua Wyld

Category: Reviews

Published: 12 October 2024

Hits: 763

Ever dreamed of being an alchemist in a fantasy town full of anthropomorphic villagers, slightly dangerous monsters, and a wealth of ingredients for your potion-crafting needs? Alchemist: The Potion Monger is all of those things and more, and provides a heaping dose of things to do in a casual setting that allows for you to grow your knowledge and skills at your own speed. Even after spending numerous hours with the game, there’s still more for me to find and do. Though it takes some time to craft the more funny potions in the game, the journey to get there can be a rewarding one, even if it takes a little longer to get there than I expected.

Read more: Alchemist: The Potion Monger Review

Written by Joshua Wyld

Category: Reviews

Published: 11 October 2024

Hits: 630

The concept for Copycat is rife with opportunity. Lovingly and fully voice acted by a cast of Australian locals, Copycat is driven by the concept of a nature documentary narrator following your cat, Dawn’s, adventures through adoption and rehoming. Your new life is upended when a “Copycat” tries to take your newly found place in the family with an elderly lady named Olive. Olive and her daughter also have a lot of real life issues that they’re having to handle, and you get caught up in the effects of all of them, while also battling with the implied trauma from your last family. People tell me I’m an emotional guy, and this game does nothing to prove them wrong. Throughout the game I was on a rollercoaster of emotions, all of them culminating in an incredibly fulfilling ending that was worth the price of admission.

Read more: Copycat Review

Written by Brandon Billingsley

Category: Reviews

Published: 10 October 2024

Hits: 828

Castlevania is perhaps the most well known vampire video game series, famous for its gothic horror elements and of course, the constant threat of Dracula. Much like the vampire the series is based around, it rises and falls time and time again. Recently, it has been re-emerging from its coffin with the success of the animated Netflix series that’s still considered to be among the best on the platform and seeing re-releases of older games. For example, the Anniversary collection which features the original NES/SNES titles plus a few extras like Bloodlines and Kid Dracula and the Advance Collection which includes the GBA trilogy of games as well as Dracula X. With the recent announcement of Castlevania Nocturne getting its much needed season 2, now seems like a good time to talk about the most recent collection of re-releases, Castlevania Dominus Collection.

Read more: Castlevania Dominus Collection Review

Written by Sean Phillips

Category: Reviews

Published: 07 October 2024

Hits: 1534

When I did my review for ‘Turok 3: Shadows Of Oblivion’, I had mentioned that I used to work for a radio station and two of the earliest reviews I did were on the HD remasters of both Turok: Dinosaur Hunter and Turok 2: Seeds Of Evil. Well, seeing as that station is no more and the reviews are now lost, I figured it’s time I revisit these two games and see if my thoughts on them from back then still hold up or if they had changed over the years. Beginning with the first Turok and my thoughts on this one greatly changed from my early review of it.

Back when I first first played the game, I felt that Turok: Dinosaur Hunter did not age well, even with it being remastered and that its biggest issue was the gameplay feeling archaic and very clunky in its design. I also felt that the sequel was superior to this game because it not only improved and fixed the issues this game has, but it feels like what the first game should've been. However, after doing some replays of both games, I actually feel the opposite now. Yes, the game still didn’t age well in a few areas and I still feel the frequent platforming areas and the huge difficulty spikes throughout the game do hurt it, but I actually prefer this one over Seeds Of Evil, though I still say Shadows Of Oblivion is the better game.

Read more: Turok: Dinosaur Hunter Remastered Review (Xbox)