This was alright. David Szymanski has garnered a nice little following for himself after some bite-sized horror game hits. The Pony Factory is an improved iteration off something he made in 7 days and then spiffed up for this full release. The vibes are memorably creepy and off-putting as you make your way through this cursed locale and blast your way through some hideous horse-like monsters. The story is told through collectible papers that you find throughout the environment (not really my favorite way to do a narrative but it's fine for something like this). You'll pick up ammo and face off against increasingly difficult monsters until a final boss that took me a good bit to get the better of, and it's all over pretty quickly. This game isn't going to be for everyone but it's not too bad for a quick horror pick that you can get through in 30-60 minute session.

It's not the first game of its ilk but Home Safety Hotline makes pretty good use of its Windows 95 concept, and translates a niche concept into an enjoyable experience. Reading the unlockable art book after reaching the credits, the game's creator spells out his intent on basing an analog game around a Dungeons and Dragons style bestiary. Framing that around a pest control hotline works surprisingly well and I think will really please a certain blend of horror fans.

The gameplay is fairly simple as most of what you will be doing is reading about various creatures and phenomena, which start pretty grounded but grow increasingly fantastical as you go. It can go a little tiresome to pore over these descriptions and try to match the occasionally vague clues the callers will give with a guess to whatever pest is invading their house. It kind of feels like studying, and it could be a little frustrating and stressful when it feels like multiple descriptions match up with the caller's dialogue. I only hit the fail state once, though, so it isn't too obtuse and at least you're treated with a freaky cutscene if you do mess up an in-game day. The writing is pretty good and I don't have any doubt some of the more inventive pests drawing from everything from fairytale folklore horror to modern liminal horror is going to stick in my mind. From a gameplay perspective, I wish that the calls came in a little bit faster as sometimes I felt like I was just waiting around for the next call with nothing to do (and I get that's probably what they were going for but it slowed things down a bit).

I did enjoy the freaky surreal elements of the game that oozes through the bonus videos you can watch, and you're rewarded for your hard work with a wacky inexplicable narrative that goes totally off the rails in an entertaining way by the climax.

Home Safety Hotline is a little brief for its asking price but was a charming time that kept my interest and I could see its moments of unsettling writing will get into my dreams.

Shout-out to my buddy Shane for checking this out with me. A Technician's Nightmare has a few good ideas in it but the mechanics never come together well enough for it to be worth your time. The game is comprised of two levels- the first of which is much more fleshed out and realized, but also more frustrating. As you work to collect the scampering rats in the house and repair AC units, you're hunted by a ghost lady. The QTEs are dull and ask too much of you and the strict two-item inventory means you'll constantly be dropping stuff to pick something else you need up. The level feels like doing chores. I imagine a 4 player team could make short work of the first level but it doesn't scale for player number. It's too hard to escape the ghost's grasp and the game grew frustrating even on the easiest difficulty. The second chapter is set in a more open outdoor environment and I didn't have any trouble with it other than getting pretty lost out in the cornfields and running across plenty of invisible walls.

The Switch seems to be nearing the end of its console cycle, but that didn't stop Nintendo from putting out a buzzy proper 2D Mario title for this holiday season. I've enjoyed all of the New Super Mario Bros. games to some extent. The DS and Wii games are nostalgic classics for me and I replayed a bunch of the Wii U one a couple of months ago with my friend Jack and it was better than I remembered. I can't believe it's been a decade since the last title, and Wonder does a good job of freshening up the formula with some fun new additions.

Right off the bat, I enjoyed the expanded roster. Finally you can play as Daisy in a Super Mario Bros. game- that's pretty fun (especially after she got shafted from the initial Mario Strikers roster last year hmph). Several of the characters make the game a bit easier for younger players which is a fun idea.

There are a couple of new power-ups, most notably the silly elephant suit, but the big twist on the classic platforming fun are the wonder flowers in every level. If you find them, the level will somehow transform into something entirely different. You might change forms into a different character entirely, or the landscape around you can change. You never really know what to expect from a wonder flower and they keep every level feeling fresh and exciting.

Mario Wonder also adds badges which are special abilities that you can equip for each level. I liked trying each of them in the special stage, but you get the glider very early on and it was nearly impossible for me to go without this badge for the rest of the game because it just felt so great to use. It might make the game a little easier than need be but it made platforming fun and fast which is what I was looking for.

Mario Wonder doesn't take too long to complete, but there are special levels to unlock as well which I haven't tackled yet but I hear offer up a respectable challenge. These should be fun to try out and make for good post-game offerings.

I played this game in local co-op with my sister and we had some trouble getting used to the camera. They've implemented a system where someone gets crowned at the end of a level and then they are the leader in the next level. That's a smart balance because it's frustrating to not have control of the camera. I am at least happy that you aren't actively running into your friend, bouncing on their head by accident and whatnot like in the previous games. That's definitely an improvement. The ghost multiplayer mode is an interesting implementation, too.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a respectable entry in the franchise for Mario. I think it might be getting a bit overhyped, but it's definitely some decent platforming fun and feels more exciting and fresh than previous 2D Mario games.

The first Remnant was a super fun surprise for me when I played all the way through on PlayStation Plus a few years back. The sequel expands upon what made that first game great in just about every way, and while it still has some shortcomings, it's an absolute blast to explore with friends.

Remnant II doesn't rewrite the style of the first game. You'll still be exploring several different worlds, unlocking new weapons and fighting bosses as you go and filling in your randomized/procedurally generated map as you go. Like the first game, the story is nothing to write home about and it quickly becomes tempting to skip through dialogue and ignore what's going on. The real fun lies in defeating the various bosses and finding all the secrets scattered throughout the world.

As with the first game, things start out pretty tough but the game gets much easier as you go and start to level up and upgrade your gear faster than the game keeps up with you. There are still some hard bosses here and there to keep you on your toes, and then the final boss is a real doozy that took my friends and I a couple of hours to finally take down. At times Remnant II feels like the easiest game ever and at others you might be banging your head against a wall at the challenge. It really depends.

I don't think Remnant II would be nearly as fun to play by yourself and is definitely best experienced with two friends. We each had our own character archetypes that complimented each other nicely, and I liked how we could split up in the less intimidating wide open areas and explore of our own volition, and then come back together when one of us discovered a portal door to another section.

Remnant II looks and runs great, and the environments offer a lot of variety. I could've gone for one or two more worlds, and it was disappointing that the first DLC that came out in December recycles one of the already used worlds.

Remnant II is a real blast and the sleeper hit of the summer that I'd recommend to anyone who might enjoy a dodge roll shooter type of game. Give it a spin.

Really delightful. I was wondering how they were going to make a rock climbing game fun but Jusant has just enough mechanics to make traversal feel like a puzzle in itself, tense at times but mostly a chill-out game where you cruise up cliffs and slowly make progress toward the top.

Jusant has a vague storyline that is detailed through artifacts you can pick up and read, but I didn't need much more story than trying to get to the top. I liked how the environments changed throughout the climb and added new challenges, like limiting stamina or changing wind patterns. The physics of swinging on ropes across chasms is a lot of fun too and I liked seeing what shortcuts the game would allow me to get away with.

Jusant comes super highly recommended from me as a GamePass title and one players will be remiss not to check out.

I was totally under the impression while playing this that was a new for 2023 release, but then I find out that it was actually a Stadia exclusive at launch (and therefore buried from public knowledge or care). Finally the game has a shot at a second life now that it's more readily available on platforms people actually use.

GYLT reminded me a bit of Alan Wake, but with a much more cartoonish style. Like that game, you're combatting with some dark kind of mirror-verse and searching for somebody. Even the combat is kind of similar to Alan Wake with you shining your flashlight at monsters' weak points to destroy them. It was fun to sneak around and solve the various puzzles across GYLT's speedy campaign. It's a very fun one sitting sort of adventure that never asks too much of you.

I definitely think that you're too well equipped in this game to make the monsters ever seem like a major threat. I pretty much always had plenty of resources to take out anything in my path and cruised right through. The climax of the game actually takes away your abilities and reverts you back to stealth, so they definitely knew this was a bit of a balancing issue.

However, the small environments are still fun to explore and it's fun to unlock new abilities over time and get to new areas that were previously blocked off. I wasn't a fan of the good ending getting locked behind finding all of the collectibles- but overall GYLT was a satisfying, if short, experience.

Cal Kestis returns with the sequel to Jedi Fallen Order, and while this game has had its fair share of criticisms (particularly with the poorly ported PC version), on PS5 I didn't have any issues. For me this smoothed out a lot of the issues I had with the first game and built on what made that one enjoyable.

While this game starts off on Coruscant for its opening, I can still appreciate how these Star Wars Jedi games aren't leaning too heavily into previously established characters and coming up with their own lore. You'll see all of Cal's surviving friends return like Greez, Merrin, and Cere along with some new ones like the mercenary buddy Bode Akuna. The story of the first game sort of slipped out of mind over the last few years but whenever a familiar face popped up I'd go "oh yeahhhhh I remember you".

Gameplay is that familiar mix of From Software-lite inspired open areas where you'll be coming across random enemies to spar off with along with the more cinematic set piece moments right out of a modern Sony game. It all blends together to make for a fun AAA experience. I especially liked the world design this time around, and it was so much easier for me to get my bearings and not get totally lost just trying to find my way forward. The planets and various areas on them are just better designed this time out.

Jedi Survivor can still be pretty challenging which I can appreciate as the combat will keep you on your toes all the way through. In the end I had a really good time with this game and I look forward to playing the next one a few years down the line- it's good to see Star Wars finally being treated with respect and care in the video game space after a rough era.

Outlast II blew me away when I checked it out on GamePass a couple years ago, and I was very enticed by the promise of Outlast gameplay with friends. For the first several hours, The Outlast Trials is just as breathless and exciting as you could hope, with the terrifying cat-and-mouse gameplay totally intact even with friends at your side. Completing objectives is often a super tense scramble.

Where Outlast Trials didn't work so well for me was the gameplay loop. Instead of being a linear adventure that you play to credits, this game instead encourages you to replay the same missions over and over with increasing difficulty levels. This extends the runtime for sure, but it also makes it feel like the game wears out its welcome much too quickly. I got over 16 hours out of this which is double the length you'd get out of the second Outlast game, but the diminishing returns made the whole experience feel less satisfying unfortunately.

I can say confidently that this game is super well polished and fun to play with a whole crew of friends. It's not a revelation in horror or anything but it's a good step forward for the genre in terms of co-op.