Over the past several years, the cozy game genre has exploded in popularity, attracting gamers of all ages and genders who want to relax and not feel stressed when playing a video game (novel concept…
March 22, 2024 | 01:27 EDT
Lightyear Frontier has been on my radar ever since I got an early demo at Gamescom 2022. Its stunning art style, unique premise, and robust systems impressed me almost two years ago. After sinking…
March 15, 2024 | 10:00 EDT
During the latest Nintendo Indie World, Memorable Games and Humble Games announced its story-driven life simulator On Your Tail, and it's actually a secret I had to keep for a while, having played a…
November 15, 2023 | 11:00 EST
Life by You is the new life simulation in development at Paradox Tectonic, and it obviously positions itself as a competitor to the storied Sims franchise. At Gamescom in Cologne, TechRaptor was…
August 29, 2023 | 09:00 EDT
There are more Farming RPGs coming out every year, and One Lonely Outpost aims to innovate on the standard formula by adding some new mechanics and defying the genre's conventions. Read on to see if…
June 26, 2023 | 08:17 EDT
Cozy farming sims have had a big renaissance since Stardew Valley came along, and it’s even usurped Harvest Moon and Story of Seasons as touchpoints of the genre. Phoenix Labs, known for creating…
June 16, 2023 | 01:58 EDT
RTS games are a heavily explored genre, so how do you make it fresh? Well, one option is to set it in medieval Europe, have it heavily feature human sacrifice, and fill it with disgusting eldritch…
June 16, 2023 | 01:40 EDT
I've built all sorts of castles and underground bunkers in open-world survival crafting games, but The Planet Crafter offered me my first opportunity to build an entire ecosystem. I enthusiastically…
April 28, 2023 | 11:00 EDT
I didn’t know much about Cuisineer when I went to play the demo from BattleBrew Productions at Xseed’s booth at PAX East 2023, other than the game was about cooking. Plus it looked pretty cute! So, I…
April 4, 2023 | 11:00 EDT
At PAX East 2023, I had the chance to play about 30 minutes of Go-Go Town, a new IP from developer Prideful Sloth, and speak with the Game Director Joel Styles. We sat down together on the show floor…
March 31, 2023 | 10:00 EDT
There has been no shortage of farming sims over the past several years, but One Lonely Outpost sets itself apart by not only creating a satisfying gameplay loop that'll have you keep coming back for…
March 24, 2023 | 12:00 EDT
The challenge of surviving a years-long journey through space has been romanticized by classic sci-fi media like Battlestar Galactica and Lost in Space. In Ixion, you'll get to experience that…
December 7, 2022 | 09:00 EST
The idea of island living is the epitome of laid-back luxury. Sand, sun, surf, hanging, and living that sweet island life is the goal for many who move to tropical destinations. Unfortunately, no one…
November 14, 2022 | 10:00 EST
Survival games are all about extremes -- they tend to either focus on a single survivor or a massive city with dozens of people. Stranded: Alien Dawn falls somewhere in the strange middle: it's a…
October 13, 2022 | 12:00 EDT
Survival city builders take the best (and worst) of two popular genres and smoosh them together into a new kind of experience. Generally speaking, they distinguish themselves from regular old city…
October 2, 2022 | 12:00 EDT
Early Access is always a bit of a gamble. While it can lead to a new or renewed interest in a title, making a game available through the service also puts it on full display whether it's ready for…
September 14, 2022 | 02:30 EDT
Dinkum, My Time at Sandrock, Catizens - just a few examples of recent life sims hitting the already crowded market. In the recent genre boom since the release of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, many…
August 18, 2022 | 02:00 EDT
It's funny how we often use games to reaffirm a perception of the scale of where we are in our lives, especially a game like Sapiens. Our existence is often tied to one location, one area we call…
August 6, 2022 | 12:00 EDT
Escapism is a staple of video games and has been since the inception of the medium. Whether it’s catching cute monsters in a fictional world to befriend, storming the gates of Hell, or running around…
July 19, 2022 | 11:00 EDT
Survival games like Clanfolk are very deceptive. Despite the simple graphics, soothing music, and straightforward, almost rote gameplay, beneath that all you have a wildly difficult, hardcore…
July 15, 2022 | 11:00 EDT
Three years ago, Pathea Games left its mark on the city-kid-moves-to-cozy-village genre with My Time at Portia. Now in just a few short weeks, the team will launch the sequel onto Steam via Early…
May 12, 2022 | 09:00 EDT
It's not uncommon for small video game developers to make simulation games; they are, after all, something of a lost art in the AAA sphere. What is uncommon is for small developers to attempt a…
May 9, 2022 | 11:00 EDT
Just a few weeks ago, developer Fire Hose Games, known for its work on 20XX and Catlateral Damage, announced its latest project: Techtonica. During PAX East, the studio's President and Founder Eitan…
April 26, 2022 | 11:30 EDT
The future is a mystery and remains one of the most popular topics of conversation and storytelling. Even in days long past, writers and artists were painting and weaving tales of days that they…
April 26, 2022 | 10:00 EDT
New Home: Medieval Village is an early-access town management title that is available on Steam. The game was created by and published by Mustafa Caner Tonbul. Despite its early status Medieval…
February 11, 2022 | 01:00 EST
The minute I saw the announcement trailer for Weird West, I knew I was in for a treat. A supernatural fantasy immersive sim set in an alternate version of the wild west frontier got my attention…
November 1, 2021 | 11:00 EDT
Even before I read Harry Potter when I was younger, I was obsessed with magic and potions. I was always experimenting with pouring shampoo and soap bottles into each other and pretending they’d have…
September 22, 2021 | 11:00 EDT
Colony sims are their own special breed of game and Starmancer is the new kid on the block. This Steam Early Access game debuted around the start of August and I was looking forward to exploring it…
September 9, 2021 | 12:00 EDT
As previously mentioned in my review of Chicory: A Colorful Tale, I have a little bit of insecurity around my skills as a visual artist - that is to say, I’m very bad at it. I don’t know the…
July 19, 2021 | 10:30 EDT
You ever see an idea and think to yourself “Why has no one done this yet?” This is the feeling I had playing To the Rescue. Its idea is simple but has the opportunity to be great. To put it simply,…
June 14, 2021 | 04:57 EDT
The average management sim is long-form and casual, sort of like a game of Risk. Still, every now and then comes one that tries to ramp up the stakes. With Siege Survival: Gloria Victis on the…
April 14, 2021 | 10:00 EDT
Evil Genius 2: World Domination is coming out in just a few short weeks and I had the chance to take an early look up to a certain point. My short time with it has me cautiously optimistic about the…
March 19, 2021 | 12:00 EDT
I am a sucker for a good deck builder. Grab an intriguing combat system, plenty of tacticality, and a charming aesthetic to top that off and you’ll have me there on day one. The Amazing American…
February 19, 2021 | 11:30 EST
I've been looking forward to Evil Genius 2 ever since I played the original more than a decade ago. What I've found is a game that may very well live up to the expectations of fans — and then some.…
February 16, 2021 | 10:00 EST
Recently I had the opportunity to have a very short journey in A Long Journey to an Uncertain End - that is to say, I had about twenty minutes with it. In this time, its vision and goal became clear…
February 2, 2021 | 11:00 EST
A creativity toy lives and dies on the things you can do with it. Gary's Mod, for instance, has been around for so long because it allows you to play 100s of different player-made game modes. …
October 1, 2020 | 01:00 EDT
The deep-sea is one of the most atmospheric locations for a video game on the planet. Even if you're not making a horror game, simply setting your game at the bottom of the ocean is a great way of…
September 22, 2020 | 11:00 EDT
Sometimes, cash grabs by companies are subtle, you’re not aware until after you’ve given them your hard earned money that they were making a play for it all along. Other times, it’s so obvious they…
September 18, 2020 | 12:00 EDT
Whether it be the arcade-like controls and sense of speed, or it’s realistic but fun approach to off-road racing, the Dirt games have always been a safe bet when looking for racing that that's more…
September 17, 2020 | 01:00 EDT
Much like Lemony Snicket and his solemn duty to record and relay the lives of the Baudelaire orphans, it is my own heavy burden to play the unending stream of Sims 4 add-on content and report back to…
August 12, 2020 | 11:00 EDT
Players looking for a farming simulator have plenty of choices to choose from these days. There's always the indie darling Stardew Valley, but there's also the classic Story of Seasons games as well…
July 15, 2020 | 06:00 EDT
Paradise Lost is a new alternate reality adventure game from developer PolyAmorous and publisher All in! Games. The demo throws you in with absolutely no context but you're playing as a 12-year-old…
June 19, 2020 | 11:00 EDT
Squirrels are some seriously weird animals. Sit down and watch them for a little while, you may see something absurd and ridiculous when you do. NUTS takes this to an extreme. You play as an isolated…
June 17, 2020 | 11:00 EDT
Many studios have tried and failed over the last few years to become the next Overcooked; a wonderful, cartoonish local party game that encourages players to turn on each other even more than it…
May 20, 2020 | 09:00 EDT
Every now and again, you stumble across a game that does something new and interesting. Ciel Fledge: A Daughter Raising Simulator is exactly that kind of game. Set more than a thousand years in the…
January 31, 2020 | 11:00 EST
I think it's safe to say I'm a massive fan of Stardew Valley. I have over 500 hours in the game, a number that is worryingly large to some and hilariously small to the really dedicated folks out…
December 23, 2019 | 11:00 EST
Much like previous expansion packs in The Sims 4 line, Discover University has a rich history. It all started with Sims 2's University expansion and continued with the Sims 3: University Life.…
December 5, 2019 | 11:00 EST
The history of the Story of Seasons series has become increasingly confusing over the years. Originally called Harvest Moon, the series effectively split in two back in 2012. Natsume continued to…
October 22, 2019 | 01:00 EDT