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Steam game review

Spin Rhythm XD – Steam Early Access Review

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Prepare to blast down the intergalactic note highway in Spin Rhythm XD from the team at Super Spin Digital.

Spin Rhythm XD is an intense and fast paced rhythm game where players can use a multitude of different input devices from a humble mouse or gamepad to a full on MIDI controller. Regardless of your chosen input method, players will have to spin, slide, tap and flick their way through various high tempo tracks in hopes of a perfect run and high score. Spin Rhythm XD is a new take on the beat rhythm genre that is more about positioning of the notes and the style and flair achieved to hit them. Players must line up an alternately coloured ring with the correctly coloured notes or bars while also spinning the ring when needed to rack up multiplier points. With numerous thumping electronic tracks available, it is certainly not for the faint of heart or those with slow reflexes.

Each track has 4 available difficulties, each of which will make the notes multiply and style vary immensely. Easy tracks usually involve positioning the ring for notes, a few tap bars and a handful of spins, as difficulty increases these become far more frequent and complex. Some tracks require players to spin multiple times in succession and quickly maneuver the ring to the next note as fast as possible. We played with both the mouse and gamepad, finding both feel fantastic to use but those with serious musical dedication will want to grab a USB or MIDI controller for a bit more finesse.

Although still in early access, Spin Rhythm XD shows immense promise and still currently being revised and updated regularly, giving electronic music fans a long overdue beat rhythm game to call their own.

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Mat Panek, Chief Reporter
Retromancer – Collector, repairer & fan of retro games & tech. Atari to Amiga, Nintendo to Sega! LD, Zip, Beta and a proud dad! One half of the TiredParents on Twitch.

Follow Mat on Twitter and Twitch

 

 

Disclosure: Spin Rhythm XD [Steam code] was kindly provided by Stride PR for this review.

 

 

Rescue HQ – The Tycoon: PC Steam Review

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Emergency! Sound the alert, start the sirens and speed to the rescue in Rescue HQ – The Tycoon from Stillalive Studios on PC.

Rescue HQ is a management sim all about running and maintaining your very own all-in-one emergency department. Players start by setting up a small fire department and move onto others, including police and medical departments. As emergencies occur they will stack on the right hand side of the screen and it is up to players to decide the order in which they are resolved. Each emergency needs to be addressed within a set timeframe and takes a certain amount of time to complete, meaning it’s important to allocate teams, resources and vehicles based on qualifications and skills. Every emergency has a requirement that must be met from the number of personnel to equipment required. This ends up giving a “success rate” percentage before you dispatch, with a higher percentage meaning greater rewards. Completing a successful emergency rewards not only cash but also reputation points which can be spent to unlock new equipment. 

Although appearing to be a very simple looking game artistically, Rescue HQ is a complex and deep management game. The simple art style means that players can tell exactly what is going on at all times, regardless of how complex your headquarters starts to become. Departments will progress quickly and after a short time, players will have a beehive of activity across all three. Some major emergencies may require players to send two or even all departments to attend, meaning micromanagement is the key to success. Rescue HQ does also have some good tongue in cheek social commentary within the tutorial system that is presented by the eager and greedy Major.

Headquarters layout is very important, when staff are assigned to an emergency they must first head to their locker and prepare before boarding their vehicle. Players will quickly run out of space in the starting zone but more space can be acquired later on by purchasing adjacent plots of land. This does take longer than we would like to become available but it does allow players to learn the mechanics steadily rather than jumping forward too quickly. Games are divided into scenarios where players must last 5 weeks before endless mode is unlocked, this is our only real complaint about the game as it can be a bit of a grind. It is relatively simple to rework rooms in your headquarters though and maximising space is simple and rewarding.

Deceptively simple and pleasantly surprising, Rescue HQ is a game that we found ourselves happily putting in much more time than we expected. A great little game for those that like to whittle away hours trying to micromanage and streamline processes.

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Mat Panek, Chief Reporter
Retromancer – Collector, repairer & fan of retro games & tech. Atari to Amiga, Nintendo to Sega! LD, Zip, Beta and a proud dad! One half of the TiredParents on Twitch.

Follow Mat on Twitter and Twitch

 

 

Disclosure: Rescue HQ – The Tycoon [Steam code] was kindly provided by Stride PR for this review.

 

 

Katana Zero – Steam Review

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Hack and slash your way through countless enemies in Katana Zero, the latest game from Askiisoft.

Having originally been refused classification for sale in Australia, Katana Zero is a super stylish and fast paced action platformer that has you slicing through rooms of enemies in ever complex scenarios. As you play through each area you must eliminate or sneak past enemies depending on your exact mission. Enemies are easily dispatched with a swift slice of your blade but you are equally vulnerable and this is where the major gameplay mechanics come into play. Instant death is balanced with being able to slow time, deflect bullets and throw objects at enemies, meaning you are always looking for more efficient and creative ways to dispatch your foes. Feeling a lot like groundhog day, if you happen to get killed the level rewinds back to the start of the area and you must try again. At the end of an area the “tape” is played back for you to watch your Kurosawa style handy work at full speed.

Oozing with style and flair, Katana Zero never fails to impress with visual and audio design.

Each level feels diverse and lived in, giving the city of New Mecca a real gritty and neo-noir feel. Thrown in is some retro cool neon and VCR inspired overlays to really top off that dark future feel the game is going for. The soundtrack is full of a variety of electronica that really nails the vibe of each level, tracks can vary from subtle to full tempo while others really get that heavy grime bass treatment.

Katana Zero is all about brutal but stylish action, feeling at times like an action filled anime it’s hard not to love it. As the plot thickens and answers make way for more questions the action really starts to heat up, leading to some very intense and complex levels. Some real serious issues like war crimes and PTSD play an import part of the plot, meaning that the story is just as intense as the levels. The ending does leave you wanting for more but there is more than enough game already there for you to enjoy. For the player that isn’t used to this kind of precision and repetition, later levels can get increasingly frustrating but not impossible. Players that crave this kind of pixel perfect movement and timing though will find it both incredibly rewarding and satisfying.

Available on Steam and the Nintendo Switch, Katana Zero is Blade Runner with samurai blades, a game full of fantastic style and super solid gameplay that makes it a must play title.

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Mat Panek
Retromancer – Collector, repairer & fan of retro games & tech. Atari to Amiga, Nintendo to Sega! LD, Zip, Beta and a proud dad! One half of the TiredParents on Twitch.

Follow Mat on Twitter and Twitch

 

 

Disclosure: Katana Zero [Steam] was kindly provided by Power Up PR for this review.

 

 

Renzo Racer – Steam Review

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Zooming its way onto Steam is Renzo Racer, a fast and frantic kart racer with a lot of personality. 

Who doesn’t love a good cart racer game from time to time, especially with friends! Renzo Racer is, as one would expect, a fairly cookie cutter style racing game. Choose from one of 16 different racers and around 20 tracks and prove your racing prowess against friends or the computer. Characters are full of charm and personality and the tracks are all interesting and diverse but the racing itself is a mixed bag. There are plenty of obstacles and hazards thrown into the tracks which add to the fun but weird AI can be a hassle when playing alone.

The physics model feels very realistic which is a little strange for a kart racing game and because of this everything feels a bit mismatched. While it does feel like a deliberate choice for the game it will throw off players thinking of a traditional kart racer. There is no easy way to slide into corners which means a more realistic driving approach needs to be taken and proper apex turns are required. Another issue is the barriers which are properly modelled not just invisible walls. Hitting a barrier at speed can cause your racer to flip or get stuck, leaving you spinning tyres for a few seconds until you eventually reset. Characters and tracks are unlocked very slowly by placing first in single race or Grand Prix modes, while a slow drip of content is nice only one character and track is available from the start.

It’s not all negatives though, the physics model definitely adds to the experience and getting used to it can reveal some nice tricks. Placing the bomb item down as a person is right behind you will give you a nice impromptu boost forwards and hitting a ramp just right can have you soar right over the competition. The character designs are all well done and it’s easy to start picking favourites depending on the kart shape and stats. There is a real charm to the whole feel of the game but it is often easy to see where other kart games have influenced Renzo Racer in its style. 

A good game to try with a few friends for a good laugh as you knock each other about but single player can be a bit frustrating from time to time. From the wacky cast to the cute tracks, Renzo Racer is a game that definitely stands out from other Kart clone racers but not always in the best way.

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Mat Panek
Retromancer – Collector, repairer & fan of retro games & tech. Atari to Amiga, Nintendo to Sega! LD, Zip, Beta and a proud dad! One half of the TiredParents on Twitch.

Follow Mat on Twitter and Twitch

 

 

Disclosure: Renzo Racer [Steam] was kindly provided by EnsenaSoft for this review.

 

 

Weedcraft Inc. – PC Game Review

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Time to trade green for green in Weedcraft Inc., the latest title from Vile Monarch.

A game about growing and selling weed? I know what you are thinking but Weedcraft Inc. manages to turn a touchy subject for some, into a seriously fun business management game. You start off in one of two scenarios, the default scenario being that you are a pair of brothers that just lost their father. One brother has experience with business, the other with growing plants in their father’s basement. In the other scenario you are an ex-con that is fresh out from jail, this is labelled as the harder of the two. From here you grow product, harvest and sell at a local market, sounds pretty simple but there is a lot of depth to Weedcraft Inc. that is very enjoyable.

Growing the product itself acts a lot like a clicker style game, you choose your weed strain, soil type and begin to grow your plant. Soil type, soil chemical composition and growing conditions will affect your harvests yields and quality of the final product. As the plant grows you need to water and trim it to promote best growth, this allows the plant to grow faster. Time can also be sped up or slowed down to suit your playing style and helpers can be hired as the game progresses to help tend the crop. Expanding your operations will start to draw attention from not only rival dealers but also from the local police, who kindly hint you at first to make things a little less obvious. Rival dealers can be strong armed out of a spot or just dealt with by delivering higher quality product at a better price. As for the Authorities, multiple fronts can be purchased such as tea rooms and pizza shops to hide your activities.

Weedcraft Inc. manages to address the serious social and political sides of growing Cannabis. Apart from the illegal and humble beginnings of your venture, it’s possible to move onto medical production and eventually push for legalisation by befriending senators and pushing for reform. Dialogue is well written and avoids any real cheesy characters you would expect to find in a game on this subject. It is obvious that a lot of care and dedication has been put into striking a balance between serious business sim and weed subculture. Weedcraft Inc. has a very nice hand drawn artistic style and a mellow soundtrack, both of which create a nice aesthetic that suits the overall feel of the game perfectly. Menus are easy to navigate and it’s always simple to tell exactly what is going on.

No matter how you feel on the subject it is a well made and interesting business sim with lots of hidden depth. From illegal dealing to thriving business empire, Weedcraft Inc. is a game that will certainly end up growing on you.

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Mat Panek
Retromancer – Collector, repairer & fan of retro games & tech. Atari to Amiga, Nintendo to Sega! LD, Zip, Beta and a proud dad! One half of the TiredParents on Twitch.

Follow Mat on Twitter and Twitch

 

 

Disclosure: Weedcraft Inc. [Steam] was kindly provided by Power Up PR for this review.

 

 

Mars Underground – Steam Review

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Time to get stuck in a loop with Mars Underground, a groundhog day style adventure game from Moloch Media on the PC.

It’s Mars’ first day at a new school in a new town, except it’s always his first day since he keeps reliving the same day over and over. In Mars Underground you progress by exploring, gaining knowledge and exploiting that information daily to unravel the reasons why you are stuck in this time loop. Each cycle begins the same way with your alarm going off and Mars struggling to get out of bed, where you go from there is entirely up to you and dependant on what you have discovered to that point. Skip school and go to the movies to see “One Banana, Two Banana” or try and get into the local cool nightclub. At the end of each day you must take your medication, fall asleep and start again.

There is a very Earthbound look to Mars Underground which suits the style of exploration and discovery perfectly, other effects are layered with this to reinforce that unsettling feeling that is ever present. Sound design matches these visuals with chiptune styled effects and music, eerie soundscapes add to the ever claustrophobic nature present in the narrative. It’s not all doom and gloom though, ominous threats such as men in black, the military, Aliens and shady hooded figures are equally balanced with some good humour.

Every choice you make will lead you down another path but this can sometimes lead to the same burn out some will suffer with classic point and click adventure games. Solutions can be so obvious that you might completely glaze over them and others are so obtuse you might not approach them in the exact way needed to succeed. Missed a specific time period that event takes place? Take your pills and try again. Mars Underground definitely captures the sense of repetition one would feel reliving the same day over and over but it can begin to feel a bit much at times.

If complex and intriguing time travel stories are your thing though, Mars Underground is a wonderfully unique adventure that has so many hidden layers for players to find.

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Mat Panek
Retromancer – Collector, repairer & fan of retro games & tech. Atari to Amiga, Nintendo to Sega! LD, Zip, Beta and a proud dad! One half of the TiredParents on Twitch.

Follow Mat on Twitter and Twitch

 

 

Disclosure: Mars Underground [Steam] was kindly provided by Moloch Media for this review.