Douglas Rintoul
This author account hasn't been claimed yet. To claim this account, please contact the outlet owner to request access.
Writing For
Checkpoint Gaming Latest Reviews
One of the hallmarks of brilliant game design is that, in retrospect, it feels obvious. An idea is placed in front of you that makes you think, “how hasn’t anyone done this before?”. Fresh Tracks is a new rhythm game from the new Canadian studio Buffalo Buffalo that manages to accomplish that. It combines skiing, storytelling, music and rogue-lite mechanics into a unique and compelling package that I am struggling to put down.
They’re calling it the world’s first Yoyovania, and it’s here on the completely non-copyright infringing Pocket Trap Game System ™. Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo is a top-down 2D adventure game, but also a love letter to the era of Game Boy Advance portable gaming. It’s got gorgeous design and a whole lot of charm, but does it have enough tricks to make it to the big time?
Take the 2D stylings of Super Meat Boy, remove the jump button, and throw in more guns than you can shake a stick at. That’s the basic recipe for Shotgun Cop Man, the new game from DeadToast Entertainment (the makers of My Friend Pedro). It’s a minimalistic precision platformer where your movement is controlled almost entirely by blasting your big shotgun. It’s fast, movement-based mayhem, and a whole lot of fun.
What if mascots were real, living beings? What if you could hire them for promotional events? What if a giant block of tofu had crippling anxiety? Promise Mascot Agency, the new title from Kaizen Game Works, is the only game brave enough to answer these questions. It’s a strange blend of management sim, open-world exploration, visual novel, crime drama, and “The Simpsons: Hit & Run”-esque driving adventure. That combination might sound baffling on paper, but once you hop into the driver...
Rift of the NecroDancer is the long-awaited follow-up to cult classic hit Crypt of the NecroDancer – this time in a more traditional rhythm game format. Cadence is back and has been mysteriously transported to a world that looks a lot like ours. Developed by Brace Yourself Games, Rift of the NecroDancer offers 35 original songs to learn and conquer, a story mode with boss battles and Rhythm Heaven-style minigames, and a whole bunch of style.
Copycat is the debut title from Australian-Ukranian duo Spoonful of Wonder, made up of Samantha Cable and Kostia Liakhov. It’s an emotional, narrative-driven game where you play as Dawn, a shelter cat adopted by an aging woman named Olive. It’s a short and tightly controlled experience, and while you’re occasionally presented with choices, they don’t make an impact on the direction of the story. It goes to some dark and unexpected places, and left a huge impact on me – but it also l...
Read Only Memories: NEURODIVER is the long-awaited sequel to 2064: Read Only Memories – originally scheduled for release in 2020, and now finally hitting the virtual shelves. Billed as a “Psy-Fi” Adventure, you play as a psychic agent who can dive into peoples’ memories with the help of a bio-engineered squid-like creature named the Neurodiver. The premise is compelling, and the world is ripe for exploration – but sadly, this game can’t quite make good on its promise.
GRAVEN is a dark fantasy first-person shooter, harkening back to the ‘boomer shooters’ of the late 90s. In this latest offering from Slipgate Ironworks, you take on the role of a priest who is mysteriously transported to a land ravaged by an unknown plague. You’re handed your trusty staff and set loose to uncover the secrets that are devastating this land, and potentially the whole world. You’ll fight through hordes of zombies, skeletons, cultists, and horrifying beasts as you search ...