An Accident of Stars is one of the most ambitious political commentaries that I have read, set in a distinctive portal fantasy. The book revolves around Saffron Coulter, an Australian teenager who stumbles into a new world where magic is real and technology is rudimentary. Guided by another ‘worldwalker’, Gwen, she becomes ensnared in the…
Cult of the Lamb is an occultist action adventure which sees a Lamb entice a cult of cute creatures, willing to worship and die at your command. With base building, boss fights, lots of levels to explore and a great art style, Cult of the Lamb delivers much in a small package. The art style…
Spirit City is not so much a game as a productivity boost. You get an avatar, a few playlists to choose from and cute spirit companions that appear depending on what activity your avatar does at different times of day. In concept, it’s a fantastic idea but I wanted to test it practically. Truthfully, I’ve…
Minami Lane is a cosy management sim where you build a street, make the residents happy and pet the wandering cats who walk by. As games go, it’s cheap and cheerful with a super cute art style which I love. It’s a well designed, low stress game for those nights when you don’t want to…
This slow burn, second chance, sapphic romance was an odd choice for me. Based on Pride and Prejudice, a book I am on record disparaging, I was prepared to dislike this book. Strongly. My initial hopes were that I may tolerate this novel and I feel honour-bound to stress this point. I did not expect…
Stray is a dystopian, cyberpunk, post-apocalyptic adventure game where the protagonist is a stray cat. On a personal note, this was my most anticipated game of the year and I was blown away by the graphics and world building. This game has a presence all of its own and developers should take note. It’s no…
Scorched Skies is a slow burn romantasy novel. We follow the story of Tanwen, a half breed forced to live in secret, and Zolya, a prince with misgivings about his father’s leadership. Predictably, they find themselves repeatedly thrust together and a forbidden romance ensues – one which could have deadly consequences. It is the first…
Neopets: Tales of Dacardia is a free to play city builder, set in the Neopets universe. It is available as a mobile app which can be linked to the browser game for further in-game rewards. First impressions are okay. Nothing spectacular. The ‘crabbies’ (little crab robots) are cute and the tutorial is very generic. I…
Mail Time is a cosy adventure game where you deliver mail to the inhabitants of a forest. The art style is gorgeous! The cost is justified and I really enjoyed the multi-level gameplay, especially how varied the map was at different heights. Other developers take note, this is a perfect example of how to utilise…
Palworld is a monster taming survival game by Japanese developer Pocketpair. Choose whether to be in a team or go solo to build a base. The pals you catch can then perform various duties, as well as fight alongside their players. I’ll start with the obvious, this game is a basically a more adult version…
