Elliot Attard
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Writing For
Checkpoint GamingLatest Reviews
A surrealist caricature of vibrant colours, absurdist personalities, and warped music—Everhood 2 is the latest project from the creative minds of Chris Nordgren and Jordi Roca. Following Everhood in 2021, this sequel takes on the tough task of evolving what was already a strong concept. These are rhythm game battlers where the notes aren’t just your obstacles but also tools to fight back against your foe. With a strong identity for the strange and bizarre, this sequel will have you puzzl...
After three mainline releases, the Orcs Must Die! franchise has opted to move away from its traditional stage-based approach to action/tower-defence gameplay and into the roguelike realm. Building upon the legacy of its predecessors, Deathtrap feels warmly familiar but structured in a novel way that is likely to attract a new audience. With 4-player coop available, a meta-progression system that will take some time to progress through and plenty of opportunities to try out new traps and War M...
With all of the charm of a Saturday morning cartoon and a set of RPG-lite mechanics perfect for novice adventurers, Mario & Luigi: Brothership confidently sets sail across smooth waters. Supported by an RPG legacy that is beloved by many if a little undervalued, this title proves to be a worthy successor but one whose pace can drag slowly like an anchor along the seabed.
An outrageously bombastic slaughter-fest with a uniquely demonic presentation—KILL KNIGHT is the latest from Melbourne’s own PlaySide Studios, known for titles like Age of Darkness: Final Stand and Dumb Ways to Die 3. The game is a fast-paced isometric shooter where an onslaught of enemies will take over an evolving arena and it’s your job to fill them with enough bullets and puncture wounds to bring them down before they bring you down. With its grim-yet-appealing visual style and chal...
With great vigour and enthusiasm, the writer of this review sprang into action to get his thoughts down on the proverbial page. Feeling inspired by his time playing The Plucky Squire, the writer was bursting with passion, glee, and the childlike wonderment instilled into him during every minute of the game’s playtime. With endearing storytelling and one of the best concepts seen in recent gaming memory, the writer was enamoured and eager to share his thoughts in greater depth and detail.
Team Ninja’s latest action blockbuster has slashed its way into our lives, bringing a new take on 19th-century Japan and some familiar open-world setpieces. A nameless samurai with no set allegiances walks through a world ravaged by political unrest, allowing you to forge your own path in a game where roleplaying is lovingly facilitated. Yet it’s the ferocious and reactionary swordplay that will keep you coming back, even amidst the overused game design tropes.
Becoming gaming’s latest online sensation, Helldivers 2 is an instant success story. Releasing from Swedish developer Arrowhead Game Studios, this sequel evolves on the ideas outlined in the original, turning a loved IP into something with more mass appeal without losing its edge. This Starship Troopers-inspired shooter embraces the chaos of cooperative gaming and delivers everything you’d want from a live service game, except for stable servers.
The Last of Us Part II Remastered sees the updated return of a much-loved—and certainly controversial—PlayStation game. It’s releasing at a time of peak The Last of Us topicality, from the franchise’s 2022 remaster of the original game, to last year’s HBO TV show launch and its upcoming second season, to the recent news of its online spin-off cancellation. It’s an IP brimming with potential but also brimming with adoration from its fans, of which I’m certainly one. However, the ...
“Wahoo-ing” his way into our lives for over 40 years now, the Mario brand is synonymous with quality and a flagship of not just Nintendo’s catalogue, but gaming and pop culture as a whole. Taking a well-trodden, 2D sidescroller formula and finding a way to make it interesting again is no easy undertaking. Yet Super Mario Bros. Wonder’s unique and varied approach to the genre finds a way to go beyond interesting, keeping you captivated and hooked as you await that next, wondrous gamepl...
There is always a lighthouse. There is always a man. There is always a finisher uppercut into a rain of blood and viscera—or something like that. Mortal Kombat 1 marks the inevitable return of one of the most iconic fighting game franchises of all time, bringing about its known and loved level of violence and campy fun. This time around the universe is reset by Kronika’s Hourglass, a story beat introduced in the game’s previous installment, allowing for a sort of soft reset to the story...