Lisa Pollifroni
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Checkpoint GamingLatest Reviews
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...
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...
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.
If you asked me to describe Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged in one word it would be fast. Coming off the back of the 2021 game Hot Wheels Unleased, there is obviously a reason developer Milestone added “turbo” to this sequel’s title! The competitive arcade-style racing game taps right into the nostalgia as players race model vehicles from Mattel’s Hot Wheels toy line over tracks that are just as small as the cars themselves. Hot Wheels fans will get to experience the feeling of a...
The sizzle. The steam. The aromas. The anticipation. A home-cooked meal that is made with love by someone you care about can make you feel safe, cared for and blissful. Venba is a short, narrative-focussed, casual cooking game where the protagonist cooks to show love for her family, and their Tamil culture. The main storyline focuses on Venba, the game’s namesake, who with her husband, moved from India to Canada in the 1980s. Though they have left all their family behind, Venba has brought ...
From playing many LEGO adventure games in my time, I was pretty excited to see what LEGO could do with an open world racing game. LEGO 2K Drive isn’t the first time LEGO has explored the world of racing; in 1999 they released the single player LEGO Racers and its sequel in 2001. Ever since then however, LEGO hasn’t delved into the genre. That is, until now. With 2K coming along for the ride, I was even more ready and excited to put some LEGO to the metal and drift around the world of Bric...
There’s something special about the feeling of the Wild West; the unease yet beauty of the landscape, the dog eat dog nature of survival, the cowboy hats. This year, there have been a few Western games that rebuild the world of the dusty, savage landscape of 16-1800s America into one that is infested with magic, superior technology and thick fanged monsters. Evil West, the adventure third person shooter from devs Flying Wild Hog fits right into this category due to its inclusion of elements...
Do you remember New Years’ Eve 1999? The Prince song was played on repeat for weeks beforehand, we were all scared that everything would collapse, the new millennium was looming, and teenage me was half petrified half exhilarated by the prospect of welcoming the 00s. Serial Cleaners, the sequel to 2017’s Serial Cleaner, is set in New York on New Years’ Eve of 1999 and centres around a very different kind of celebration. The top-down, stealth crime adventure is set in a funeral parlour w...