Lisa Pollifroni
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Writing For
Checkpoint Gaming Latest Reviews
Wheel World is a universe that cyclists would view as a utopia. Cycling is life in this open world adventure game, so much so that if an ancient bike ritual isn’t upheld, it will be the end of this cycling paradise! That’s where you come in. You play as Kat, a resident of Wheel World who has been chosen by the Wheel Gods to help perform the Great Shift, a ritual that keeps Wheel World alive.
I never thought The Alters, the new sci-fi survival game from developers 11 Bit Studios and behind Frostpunk 2 and This War of Mine, would become my favourite game of 2025 so far. Mainly because I didn’t think that a base-building survival game could weave in themes of grief, and dive into such topics as the butterfly effect and how intergenerational trauma can impact our personalities. It’s not just this element that makes The Alters a stunning game, however; it’s the beauty of the gra...
Detective Dotson, in all its pixelated wholesomeness, really is a love letter to India. Developers Masala Games have made it explicit that they want to create a game that celebrates the culture and vibrancy of India, rather than the false narrative that the country is “poor and ancient”, which some pop culture depicts. Detective Dotson is a short, side-scroller puzzle adventure game where you play as Dotson, an amateur sleuth who is investigating his father’s death. However, during his ...
In Rusty Rabbit, the world has turned to ice, humans are extinct, and rabbits rule the world. It might sound like a scary concept if the rabbits weren’t so darn cute! In this action adventure 2-D side scroller, you play as Stamp, a Sylvanian families-inspired looking middle-aged “rust hunter” who is obsessed with adventuring and discovering “trash” in this rabbit-run world. With his mech, Junkster, he goes through different dungeons to find parts that he can use to upgrade items and...
From the very moment I booted up Rosewater, I could tell that developer Grundislav Games were going to be true to the Western theme and all its tropes. The game opens with Harley Ledger, the adventure’s protagonist, giving a monologue about her connection to the Western frontier as she stares out the window of a train bound for the sleepy town of Rosewater. She’s moving to the town from Lamplight City with “just a little hope” that she can make a living as a journalist at the local pa...
Keeping Driving is not just the name of indie devs YCJY (car)RPG, pixel, management driving adventure, but its whole philosophy. Keep driving through the rain, the damage to your car and other things that could just get in the way of your main goal.
Techno Banter is a narrative adventure/bouncer simulator, that is a love letter to Berlin’s infamous nightlife with a specific focus on la egendary nightclub, the Berghain. If you’re unsure what the Berghain is, it’s an exclusive nightclub that has been dubbed the “world capital of techno.” Many have lined up to enter and not many have made it through, but if you are lucky to pass the scrutiny of the bouncer, who is famous for being a ruthless rejecter, you’ll enter into an unkn...
Being a fan of deckbuilders, I’m always excited to check out the new kid on the block when it comes to card games, especially if they are spicing up the genre. Demon’s Mirror combines a number of different gaming genres that has devs Be-Rad Entertainment dub their creation ‘a unique experience where Slay the Spire meets Puzzle Quest.’ Demon’s Mirror is a big ol’ magical cauldron of a game that stirs in deckbuilding, rougelike and puzzle matching mechanics so that the player has di...
When a talking, clothed, toddler-sized frog was the first to greet me in the town of Grat in Magical Delicacy, I knew I was in for a wholesomely spooky adventure! Magical Delicacy is a fun combination of cooking, magic and platforming mechanics that sees you play as Flora, a young witch who grew up in a remote part of the world and is spreading her wings by moving to the scenic kingdom of Grat. Minutes into the game, Flora is appointed her own home and workspace to begin her journey of buildi...
The new Metroidvania platformer, Ultros, has gamers talking about its amazing cosmic-coloured art style and for a good reason – it’s gorgeous. The aesthetic vibes of the game remind me of a cross between a 90s dance club and an alien cult den with its vibrant colour palette of swirling neon greens and yellows. These visuals connect beautifully with the mysterious, time-bending nature of the game and your journey to understand what exactly is this strange world that you have crash-landed on.