Gaming in Good Company

New reviews every Sunday at 1 AM AEST! Research in recent years has shown that playing video games with the family has many positive effects on adolescent development and long-term family outcomes, amongst other things. As such, Gaming in Good Company aims to inform parents and grandparents of video games they can play with their children so that everyone can have a good time and develop strong connections.

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Today, I finished Akimbot

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In the action-adventure platformer, Akimbot, blast your way through armies of robots, pilot spaceships and forge your own path to save the u

If you really need to scratch your Ratchet & Clank itch, then this will tide you over for maybe eight hours. Alternatively, replay the other Ratchet & Clank games. I don't think Akimbot is bad, per se, but it definitely feels like it copies the surface of its inspirations without knowing what really makes them good. That, and the story doesn't make a lot of sense and the characters are just extremely annoying. Shipset is a completely useless Claptrap of a Clank who does absolutely nothing useful for the entire game but still hitches a ride throughout the story far beyond any reasponable point where anyone else would've fired him out of the airlock.

Gunplay's decent but the platforming and shooting don't integrate as well as they ought to, like two separate games that keep interjecting into each other rather than coming into a single nice formula. There's a lot of confusing design decisions that don't break the game but do feel like symptoms of a game that was never going to reach its full potential.

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Happy 15th birthday to the trailer for Iji

Here's a trailer to one of the best freeware games of all time

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Today, I finished: Dungeons of Hinterberg

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Armed with a sword and a tourist guide, explore the beautiful alpine village of Hinterberg and uncover the magic hidden within its dungeons!

Today, I finished Dungeons of Hinterberg. That was an utter delight. Yeah, it's Zelda with the social link elements of Persona but that undersells just how well the devs understand their inspirations and their own project to make a game that really gets what it means to take a holiday to get away from it all, to seek out exciting adventures with combat, puzzles, and new companions. Every part of this game sells that well, from your magic spells having unique uses in combat and puzzle solving, to going out to scenic spots to get treated to very relatable monologues, to the game's well written parallels between its dungeons and mountaineering in real life that ends up treated like the dungeons are here, to the slayers being dressed up in athletic mountain-climbing gear, to the main character's sword having an ergonomic grip and a wrist strap.

That said, every part of this game could've been executed better. The game's too easy, the combat's too boring, the puzzles are a bit too simple, the in-game event scheduling is a bit unbalanced between the dungeons and the socialising, and so on and so forth. But that's because of the inexperience of the devs, and it's still a delightful surprise that they've come up with a game this fresh and refreshing and with so many unique takes on its inspirations and formulas. I really had a blast with this one, going through twenty-five unique classic-feeling action-adventure dungeons, fighting monsters and solving puzzles, and making new friends that had their own takes on these circumstances and their own personalities to bounce off of. This is going to be a really underappreciated gem and I encourage you all to get it. Free on Xbox Game Pass, if I'm not mistaken.

[gamingingoodcompany]

Today, I finished: Tiny and Big: Grandpa's Leftovers

Tiny and Big: Grandpa's Leftovers on Steam

You are Tiny, a nerdy inventor, who tries to reclaim his most beloved possession - Grandpa's underpants!

If it weren't for this game being on sale for 85% off on Steam and itch.io and someone's recommendation, I never would've given this a passing glance. It's a very unique adventure game and I don't think I'll ever play anything else like it. You have three tools: your laser cutter, your grapple hook (only for pulling, not for swinging, sorry), and a sticky rocket launcher (only for pulling, not for shooting or exploding, sorry). With these, you cut the stones in your environment to progress. It's a 3D platformer puzzle game except you make the platforms and the puzzle pieces and the worlds runs on indulgent levels of physics. You have free rein to cut the environment as you like and the sheer variety in ways you can approach any problem is enough for me to recommend it.

It's also nice to look at, with a unique 3D art style right down to the captions that show up, typically "Try Again" after you get yourself killed by a pebble slightly leaning against your head. There are only five levels but each one stands out in its own way: the open tutorial sandbox to explore your cut, the temple to test what you've learned, the boss fight that tests you even further, ascending a floating temple, and descending a floating temple's interior. Contextually, the game is very playful and stand out, which I appreciate because I don't feel like the game fully explores its own mechanics to the fullest. Early on, you can stick a rocket to a flat rock and make it zoom off of a slope but you can't stand on that rock to effectively fly, which I feel is a missed opportunity. There's also the game's three boss fights that are all the same. Lastly, the final level sucks with way too many gaps to fall down to your death. All the same, I definitely recommend this for anyone looking for a unique puzzle experience.

[gamingingoodcompany]

Today, I finished Small Saga in the same day I bought it.

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Beneath the streets of London, an angry mouse seeks revenge against the god who stole his tail. An epic RPG of miniature proportions!

Upon that completion, I decided to buy the accompanying DLC to chuck a tip at the dev—Darya Noghani—for having crafted such a beautiful, epic, and incredible adventure. It's about eight hours long and it's packed to the brim with incredible characterisation and exciting plot beats that other games struggle to even come close to. The turn-based combat isn't anything special but it's well executed but that's not what you're here for; you're here for the fantastic story.

I'm still amazed that the setting is just the gutters of a regular, non-magical Earth populated by talking rodents who've taken to medieval societies and yet the story accomplishes being a fantastic epic in its own right. The mundane becomes otherworldly, divine and demonic alike, and the presentation is immaculate. I heartily recommend this game to everyone. It's a real treat amongst indie titles.

[gamingingoodcompany]

Today, I finished 'SANABI'

I cried. I've never done that for a game before but, God damn it, this game gripped my heart in a vice and wrung me dry of tears. I really wish I could say more without spoiling anything but this is the story of a father out for revenge and bonding with a young girl who's like his daughter and that goes in incredible directions. The localisation kind of sucks, which undermines some of the more emotional moments and makes certain logistics throughout the story threatening to the immersion, but the story beats are all solid.

Basically, think if a fan of Katana Zero wanted to make their own Bionic Commando game; you have a hookshot arm that's extremely fun to use and that's all compounded by a story of incredible twists and turns. Seriously, this is some of the best swinging action I've ever played in a 2D game. Your Chain Arm is really satisfyingly heavy and meaty. This game basically makes Bionic Commando obsolete in that regard.

[gamingingoodcompany]

Today, I finished 'Eternights'

Today, I finished Eternights. I played the demo a few months ago and it caught me by surprise with how intense it was with its magical zombie apocalypse. The tension of that doesn't last as you get a magic shapeshifting arm (that the game doesn't do enough with for my liking) but it makes up for it with decent characterisation and good humour. Also, one of your romantic interests is a guy. A guy who joins really bloody late in the story but he gets enough characterisation to make up for it.

It really does play like an amateur passion project: story goes that the developer was inspired by Persona 5 to quit his job and make a game, and good lord did he do so. There's a jankiness to it but there's also a great passion and a great understanding of how to emotionally engage the player. The plotting feels sporadic—especially with how characters tend to disappear and reappear between scenes and know things that you're not quite sure why they should—but it ties up nicely with what actually is an amazingly effective ending sequence that cemented my respect for the dev.

If your interests occupy a certain part of a Venn diagram that includes Persona 5, Dark Souls, and tense post-apocalyptic drama alongside decent romantic comedy, then I definitely recommend Eternights. It's far from the best game in the world but I had a good time with it; this review does feel like I'm underselling the whole thing a bit but that's because the parts are less than the whole.

Link: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1402110/Eternights/

[gamingingoodcompany]

Today, I finished: Thunder Ray

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Thunder Ray is Arcade-Boxing, Retro-like gameplay with blood and violence. Defeat all the best fighters in the galaxy to become the GOAT of

Today, I finished Thunder Ray and it was pretty good! If you like Punch-Out!!, you'll be happy with this, albeit disappointed that it lacks a mechanic or two from Punch-Out!!. You can't counter enemy attacks so your ability to interact with enemy attacks is strictly limited to defensive options.

The art style is beautiful. Lord Vorm and Mr Pega in particular are animated in extremely gorgeous ways, and Pega especially has a massive variety of abundantly creative attacks. It's nice that a game inspired by a retro classic doesn't employ pixel art for once. I wish I could say the same for the voice acting, which is very bad. C. Smith talks to you very often and whoever voiced him feels rather dry and lacking in energy; he sounds confused by being there. On top of all that, the microphone used to record Smith is awful.

Unfortunately, the final boss is awful; they have a very limited repertoire of attacks that look boring and their most common one cannot be dodged or ducked, so they are going to very reliably chip away at your health. Their design is intimidating but they don't do much when attacking and their attacks feel cheap, so they're not fun to fight like all the others are.

All the same, anyone who's missed Punch-Out!! can be grateful this exists. It may not have everything they could ever want but I'm glad this is carrying the torch. Just be mindful that this game is quite bloody and gruesome.

[gamingingoodcompany]

Today, I played: 'Orbo's Odyssey'

I got this game because folks said it was short, and it certainly was. Honestly, I'm surprised I clocked at 42 minutes; it feels like I played it for far less than that. The levels are really dang short for being so big.

I can't fault the game too much for that, since it's absurdly cheap. Also, it's really fun to play. This is far from any 3D platformer you've played before; this actually has unique controls and mechanics. The Drill Jump in particular is majestic, propelling you through the air with explosive force like a rocket drill. How I wished I was playing an action game with this move. How I wished I could be drilling through enemies and hordes with an attack that worked exactly like this, racing and jousting against dragons using my own body as a spiraling lance.

The writing's okay. I wouldn't say it's my thing but I respect the effort, at least. I don't think the comedy quite lands. At least it's emotionally honest.

As far as criticisms go, this is petty but I feel like the tutorial overcomplicates the Drill Jump. There's an entire bit in the "advanced" tutorial section explaining that tapping the Jump button while Drill Jumping changes your kinetic energy to point you towards where the camera's facing. Given that you can hold down the button to do this continuously, it could easily have just said "holding down the Jump button propels you in a Drill Jump like a rocket" and it would've gotten the intent across with far fewer words.

[gamingingoodcompany]

Games to watch out for: 'UNDEFEATED: Genesis'

Back in 2019, UNDEFEATED was released for free on Steam, being made by about three people as a student project. Now we have UNDEFEATED: Genesis, said to release in maybe 2026 as a full game based on that project.

UNDEFEATED was very fun but short. Basically what you'd expect of a superhero sand… sandcup instead of a sandbox, I guess, made by students. But now we have this full game on hand against demonic looking enemies and it looks like Superman crossed with Dragon Ball right down to throwing Kamehameha's into mountains and blowing holes right through them and it looks AMAZING.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2088020/UNDEFEATED_Genesis/

[gamingingoodcompany]

I love 'Pizza Titan Ultra'.

So here's the premise: you are Ultra Pizza, a pizzeria operating from the chest of a giant robot called the Ultramech. You must run all over eight different maps to deliver pizzas before time runs out a la Crazy Taxi. You must also fight off the ravenous hordes of robots sent to stop you by a rival pizza chain run by an animatronic AI that once terrorised the world with horrible pizza made with synthetic cheese until Ultra Pizza saved the world.

It's filled to the brim with loads of references and fun characters to deliver pizza to. It's not the best game in the world but it's only $12 on Steam and it's really fun for that price. I really recommend getting it.

[gamingingoodcompany]

Today, I played: En Garde!

This was quite the treat. Having played the demo, I was expecting a light-hearted fun swashbuckling adventure of daring fencing that emphasised the environment and that's exactly what I got. It plays like the old Assassin's Creed games with countering and striking, except it's actually difficult; if you don't use the environment when you're up against a crowd, you're going to get demolished. Which is wonderful because it's the environment that helps to make you feel like a resourceful hero that's brave and smart against a cruel evil. It accomplishes what it sets out to do.

If I have one complaint, it's that it doesn't really evolve. You finish the first level and how that plays out is more or less how the rest of the game plays out except for three more different enemy types that, for the most part, aren't that different. New environmental interactions don't really come up, the enemies don't test your ability to react in different ways... if you beat the first boss, you'll be going through those same motions for the rest of the game. Not that I can blame Fireplace Games for that; having to implement every single environmental tool and prop and interaction would be an incredible amount of work that's hard to sustain for the long term. All the same, I had a good time and I would like to have more games with this sort of tone and approach as En Garde!.

Also, some people might be put off that this is an extremely linear and short game. I'm of the opinion the game puts its effort into the places where it matters the most; even if it is mainly a corridor of sword fights, that's fine because it does them well.

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En Garde! – the swashbuckler action game! Battle graceless guards and nefarious noblemen in fast-paced fights full of spectacle. Use the env

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Single Shout outs: Outshine

What console(s) is it on? PC

Yes, this is just a computer game. Not on PlayStation, not on Xbox, not on anything Nintendo's ever made. You play this on a computer or you don't play it at all. The reason for this is simple: Outshine is a typing arcade game and you need a keyboard to play it.

@fishingcactus have cut their teeth in the extremely specific niche of expansive typing games; as well as Nanotale: Typing Chronicles, they have also made the much more famous Epistory: Typing Chronicles. Outshine is yet another venture but with less of an emphasis on story and more of an emphasis on arcade gameplay. Simply put, it is a blast.

You run along a linear path with five lanes and you shift between them with Left Control/Shift and Right Control/Shift. Enemies appear in your path and you dispatch them by typing the word that shows up on them. Enemies come in a few varieties; you have standard ones that plant themselves in front of you but you also have flying ones that hover in adjacent lanes and fire saws to restrict your movements and there are generators that summon enemies and you also have to contend with walls and boss fights with their own mechanics. You also have a couple of special abilities: Tab activates a Shield and Enter fives a missile volley. Mind you, using them reduces your score because, well, this is a typing game; that's what it's testing you for.

Yes, Outshine has bosses. They even have their own unique mechanics (although some of them just combine the mechanics of their predecessors but still).

Outshine is currently available only on Steam. It also has a free demo on Steam. Game's really cheap as is but at least check out the demo; it's worth it for the uniqueness alone and uniqueness ought to be celebrated in this day and age.

[gamingingoodcompany]

Stick Fight: The Game

How many players? 1 to 4 What console(s) is it available on? PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, PC

Let’s take a break from all the co-op games for a bit and focus on some good ol’ competitive platform fighting! You can think of Stick Fight as like Super Smash Bros. except made with a budget of nine bucks, hence why everything is a very simple shape and line and you can get through everything the game has to over in about an hour. However, as I have said before with Just Shapes & Beats, Stick Fight may look simple but it is capable of oh so much more than it looks.

Stick Fight involves jumping, slapping each other with the most spindly physics you’ll ever see this side of the console wars, guns that barely have the accuracy to hit the broad side of a barn their barrels are pressed into, and several dozen stages based on about five or six themes. Playing Stick Fight is like slapping dolls together if they were also armed with weapons. The noodle-like physics and loose aiming controls would doom any other game to awful reviews but, here, they make for a very fun and chaotic experience that’s sure to make you laugh from the sheer silliness of it all.

It’s also really cheap. It may not be the most substantial fighting game on the market, or even the most sophisticated, but my brother and I always go back to this time and again because it’s just so much fun that’s so accessible and easy to pick up without being a massive time commitment; you turn on the console, you start up the game, and you’re right in and slapping each other without delay. Or shooting each other. Or trying to with a shotgun but you miss and the recoil blasts you out of bounds.

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Human: Fall Flat

How many players? 1 to 2 What console(s) is it available on? PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, PC

Puzzles are truly unique bonding experiences. You and a friend pour your brains together to solve a tricky challenge, you try almost everything to no avail, you propose an extremely dumb idea that will never work and your friend recognises that and so you don’t do it until you get desperate and it doesn’t work as predicted, whereupon you and your friend start shouting and you cry that at least you had an idea, and then it turns out that the key to the whole affair was in the first part of the area the whole time and you just walked over it or the camera angle was off.

So anyway, Human: Fall Flat. You and perhaps a friend go through a bunch of wide, expansive levels of diverse themes and visuals including villages and mountains and cities. Using a wacky physics engine that’s like a tube man on a unicycle with two sticks poking out of the sides, you must climb on ledges; push, pull, and carry items to and fro; and flip switches all in the name of solving puzzles to get to the end. Fall off the side of the map and you’ll just fall flat back on the level again.

The basic yet bright visuals give the game a lot of fill-in-the-blanks sort of charm; with what feels like a sandbox and faceless characters, your efforts to solve the puzzles feel like you’re writing your own story of your own adventure. A frustrating adventure full of miscommunications and getting your aim or timing wrong but an adventure all the same. At the end of the journey, you earn your triumph over a brain-teasing challenge and it all comes back to being satisfying at the end.

[gamingingoodcompany]

No Straight Roads

How many players? 1 to 2 What console(s) is it available on? PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, PC

In a city powered by music, an indie rock duo—consisting of fiery guitarist Mayday and cool drummer Zuke—aim to overthrow the tyrannical EDM rulers and bring their genre back to the limelight. From this premise, No Straight Roads delivers to players an exciting adventure in a beautiful world of fun and engaging characters. It really is a contextually dense game; the world building is incredible and colourful and you get the impression that there’s far more to the bosses you fight than the short talks you have with them before you beat them to the beat.

That’s not a metaphor; that’s the main shtick of the gameplay. All enemies attack in time with the beat (which you can have a visual indicator of on the screen if you so desire) so you and your partner (if you have one) must pay attention to the music, which is fantastic, although that really shouldn’t surprise anyone. The main draw of the game is the boss fights and they’re great; each boss has a dazzling personality and unique gimmicks that leave you wanting to get to the next one simply to see how they’ll surprise you.

I can’t overstate how much I love the presentation of No Straight Roads; from the density of its world building and characterisation to its great soundtrack to its beautiful visuals, it’s the best sensory and contextual feast I had in 2020. It’s a game I recommend to others for the sheer spectacle alone. It is purely colourful fun, from how it looks to how it sounds, and its co-op makes the fun easier to share.

[gamingingoodcompany]

Knights and Bikes

How many players? 2 (yes, you absolutely need two players) What console(s) is it available on? PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, PC

If there was ever a game that captured the experience of using childhood imagination play to turn even the most inconspicuous bush into a wonderful portal to a world of adventure, then I don’t know what it is. I’ve been playing video games since I was three years old. But I assume Knights and Bikes is like that.

When Demelza’s home is threatened by debt and bankruptcy, she and her new best friend Nessa go on an adventure to find the mysterious Penfurzy treasure, fabled in stories of yore and commercialised through an elaborate mini golf park owned by Demelza’s father. Like the title, the game blends fantastic escapism and boring mundanity through the imaginations of the two protagonists. Some items give them super attacks, which you’d think wouldn’t be of much use on an insignificant island where the biggest threats are underfed geese.

Knights and Bikes captures the friendship of Demelza and Nessa not just in the story but gameplay as well. Both girls have unique abilities that require cooperation between players to utilise effectively but they also get into petty little contests at certain points. It’s these little episodes, the little touches, and the dialogue filling the empty air that breathe life into this mundane little adventure about two little girls tackling a crushingly adult problem that they can just barely perceive. It’s charming and refreshing all at once, playing like a kid’s movie you can actually explore.