A charming and clever blocking pushing puzzle game where the solutions are about modifying the rules of the puzzle itself. I tapped out after seeing the credits (aka the end of the tutorial) because my Brain Is Smooth and the difficulty curve looks like the graph on a heart rate monitor, but this is a big recommendation from me. It's yet another instance of the indie scene leading niche genre innovation in recent years.

Check it out on Switch or mobile for its portability, and absolutely do not be afraid to lean on sites like Baba Is Hint if your brain can't take the pain!

I'm catching up on the Pokémon games I've never played, and this one is easily the definitive Game Boy Pokémon experience. The animated sprites have so much personality and charm, and Johto has tons of optional areas and hidden secrets compared to later regions. It's even challenging at times, even if that's mostly a result of the wonky Pokémon distribution (that Crystal vastly improves) and generally sparse movesets. It's a real nostalgia trip that's absolutely worth revisiting, especially if you have access to the original hardware.

Team: Meganium, Donphan, Ursaring, Poliwrath, Arcanine, Skarmory

I've been chasing an indie game high for a while now, and Inscryption is one of those games that completely validates that whole endeavor. A narrative-driven deck building card game drenched in a horror aesthetic. A love letter to trading card games and tabletop RPGs. Incredible. Haven't stopped thinking about it since I picked it up.

Take the ouroboros.

* Played flawlessly on Linux via Proton 6.3-7

My first review with a disclaimer: I helped fund this!

I love SWERY games. Like Deadly Premonition before it, The Good Life feels like it was made by aliens who have never met a human before, with naught but duct tape and a bit of optimism holding it together. While the game feels like it's about to collapse under its own weight at any given moment and I'd hardly call it fun per se, its relentless charm and brazen weirdness kept me going til the end. A mess, but a lovely mess - just like Naomi herself!

The game is extremely fun but I will never forgive it for completely undermining the emotional core of Ratchet and Clank's friendship by making them both buddy-buddy heroes from the outset. Ratchet's emotional journey from selfish prick to reluctant hero resonates so much more strongly than the Saturday morning cartoon-ification of Ratchet on display here. All of the satirization of corporate culture and consumerism has been completely gutted too, leaving just another bland platforming action game setting and storyline in its wake. Can't recommend.