Ben Eberle of Gamer Professionals writes:
"If there was a single game that stood out to me immediately at the most recent Nindies Showcase, it was The Messenger. Plenty of games seek to capture the nostalgia of the 8-bit and 16-bit eras, though few have done it with such love and care. Even if you aren’t familiar with Ninja Gaiden, which serves as the main inspiration here, there’s a lot to appreciate within this incredibly deep sidescrolling experience.
Throughout my 30 minutes with The Messenger at PAX East this year, I was constantly being shown new things that made it stand out from other pixelated retro games. Right off the bat, I fell in love with the tight controls. Whether I was platforming or slashing at my enemies, everything felt just right, clearly fine-tuned by a designer who knew their history and what makes these games great. As one might expect from a Ninja Gaiden love letter, gameplay is difficult, but that makes every enemy defeated and every gap crossed all that much more rewarding. Modern players should be attuned to precisely calculating their moves, thanks to Dark Souls, Shovel Knight, Spelunky, and many others. Like those excellent games, The Messenger is challenging with a purpose, rather than simply choosing to punish the player with no merit."
James writes: "Are you a fan of the hilarious video game publisher, Devolver Digital? Then check out this list of 5 hidden gems published by the studio."
Gris is a good game. Absolutely amazing art style, one of the best looking games I've ever played, with a great soundtrack, but a clever puzzle platformer too.
Devolver Digital has published some amazing Indie games over time. Shame there’s no mention of Katana Zero.
I finished Observation earlier today and loved it.
Ryan writes: "There really aren’t many negatives to The Messenger but it certainly won’t be for everyone."
Summer means good times, chill vibes and maybe some extra video game sessions. So, which games feel the most synonymous with the breezy atmosphere of a nice summer day? Let's find out.