As a long-time fan of the Pokémon franchise, I've seen plenty of games try and imitate their model to varying degrees of success over the years; Cassette Beasts wears this influence on its sleeve and yet it feels very much like it's own game.

It's only a few minutes into the game that Cassette Beasts starts to iterate on the Pokémon format when you are asked whether your style is 'Sweet' or 'Spooky' and this is what determines your starter. Both options are creatures that are very expressive and memorable whilst being neutral or 'Beast' type, so that their personality can shine through and they will later gain one of two types when you 'remaster' (evolve) them. The game breaks from trend in numerous other ways: having your beasts' level tied to your own so you never have to grind to add a new creature to your party; tying your overworld abilities to capturing certain beasts that make sense contextually (for example, capturing a bullet dinosaur that zooms about allows you to dash and break rocks) and many others.

The charm of the game isn't only found in the monsters however, the game's uses of a 2.5D art style creates the best of both worlds: the freedom of movement found in modern 'open world' Pokémon games and the beautiful sprite work of older titles. The OST is also worth highlighting, there are a variety of battle tracks that have excellent instrumentation in their own right but really come to life when you 'fuse' with your partner and it seamlessly transitions into a vocal track.

On the subject of partners, there are multiple you can team up with throughout the game who all have their own stories you can find out more about by spending time with them. I found these interactions a bit shallow, whilst your partners can start conversations with you at campsites you never really get to ask them questions and as a result they feel closer to the temporary allies you pick up in Pokémon Platinum rather than true companions you might see in a fully fledged RPG like Mass Effect, for example.

The story is serviceable and touches on some interesting themes. Side-quests can be more varied in quality, with Kayleigh's being a standout for me with its exploration of cult mentality.

Thankfully the game is still very high replay value thanks to customisable difficulty scaling and the permadeath and randomiser options you unlock by beating the game for the first time.

Overall I would strongly recommend this game to any fans of monster collecting games, with a lighter recommendation to more general RPG fans since the combat system here has plenty of depth to get stuck into.

I remember playing Blasphemous originally for the Switch when it first came out after being intrigued by the art style and the promise of '2D Dark Souls', but ultimately dropped it about a third into the game. I decided to pick it up again after getting Blasphemous II on sale and I'm glad that I did as the game has a lot to offer.

First I'll get the negatives out of the way, the core combat gameplay that failed to really capture me back in 2019 is still the weakest aspect. There is a real lack of variety in your offensive tools - there's only one weapon and even fully upgraded it's moveset is lacking. 'Prayers' similarly could use more variety since most either deal damage or provide a buff to your melee attacks.

However I'm willing to overlook that due to the game's stunning presentation. The art style is still incredible. The incredible pixel art combined with the influences from Spanish renaissance paintings create a truly unique visual experience. I have to give bonus points here for the game having a filter that mimics the appearance of a CRT monitor just to really add to that retro feel.

The game's narrative and worldbuilding is also very strong and adopts a souls-like approach of giving you the broad picture at the start but allowing you to fill in all the details yourself through interacting with the world and its characters and reading lore entries attached to artifacts you pick up. The atmosphere of the game can feel downright oppresive at times; Custodia feels like a truly miserable place in the best possible way.

It leans more on the Dark Souls inspiration than being a Metroidvania but regardless I'd still give the game a recommend to anyone that is a fan of either genre. I have high hopes for the sequel, if it can retain what Blasphemous does so well but add more variety to combat and exploration tools it could be a true classic.

I discovered this title after coming across a list of free titles on here and being immediately intrigued by the premise, and I can confidently say it delivers on my expectations and then some.

The game has a very compelling narrative that is presented in the style of a BBC nature documentary, with very charming artwork of the alien animals and landscapes that is both weird and whimsical. The true intrigue comes from the little tidbits of lore about the wider setting and it left me wanting to know more.

Gameplay is unfortunately extremely linear, even for a visual novel. You get the option to click on certain text options to find out more information but ultimately you can't deviate from the story presented in the documentary framing device. Hopefully this will be addressed in Part Two.

For the most part I was happy with the narration, there was an odd inflection in a few instances but for the most part it didn't take me out of the experience, however I did check in the credits to confirm my theory that it was generated using AI speech tools.

Overall, I was very impressed with the creativity on display here and since it's a free title I would say it's well worth an hour of most people's time.