StartMenu
startmenu is a website dedicated to mentoring the next generation of games media. Since 2019 it has fostered a community of talented writers and helped dozens of people break into the industry.
Latest Reviews
#Drive Rally
As an early access release, it's worth highlighting the promised full-release changes. The developer, Pixel Perfect Dude, states future additions include new cars, additional maps and tracks, more co-drivers, and further customisation options. I'll be interested in returning when we reach Version 1.0, but what's currently here is reassuring. Racing...
Astro Bot
And yet after 15 or so hours doing damn near everything there is to do in it, I have been left feeling somewhat hollow. Melancholic for times I wasn’t even alive for. There are games mentioned in Astro Bot you cannot play on a modern system. They are stranded on...
The Operator
The Operator didn’t do anything wrong. I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed. This game has the makings of something interesting, but it really failed to capitalise on its foundations. I liked what was there, I just wish it had softened down the sharp edges of the plot with some more...
Capes
Video games, with their increasingly longer development times, with the ways developers have to pray just to stick together for successive launches are starting to look a little long in the face, the skin is starting to hang off of the bones a little too much. By the time you’ve...
Golden Lap
By cutting out the wider micromanagement, Golden Lap delivers a more casual racing management sim that's held my interest. Building a team feels straightforward yet strategic. There's an appealing art style and a real sense of risk-taking I've not seen before in this genre. Taking victory with the seventh-place team...
The Exit 8
The Exit 8 is a unique blend of puzzle and psychological thriller. It’s not a long game at all, if you’re able to hold your nerve and act quickly you could complete it in 20 to 30 minutes. This is a game that does a great job of getting in...
Solium Infernum
While there are definitely plenty of fun and interesting parts to Solium Infernum; from choosing the right Archfiend and loadout, to poring over the lore and potential strategy you can take with the Encyclopaedia Infernum and its 5 Power trees, the pain points made me sigh in frustration more than...
Moving through the environments is equally fun. Bump into an office chair and it swivels convincingly. Waddle over a trash can and it tumbles to the ground, spewing its contents on the floor. With the characters presented as 2D cut-outs against adorable, clean-cut 3D backgrounds, the game achieves a delightful...
Crow Country
Postscript: A Hard Mode has recently been added to the game. I’ve only had time to play an hour or so with the new mode, but I can say that the challenge is significantly amped up in a number of clever ways, such as drastically decreasing ammo availability, making enemies...
SCHiM
We’ve all played with shadows as a kid, SCHiM asks the question what if the shadows played back with us? Cee previews the upcoming indie game.
Hypercharge: Unboxed
Hypercharge: Unboxed may not be perfect, but much like the paint smearing on my childhood toys from hours of play, its problems don’t have a Major (Evil) impact on the fun I had playing. The game should also be commended for providing multiple modes for friends to play in, whether...
Children of the Sun
Children of The Sun has been out for a few weeks now and Kate Robinson had the chance to not only play the game pre-release for a review but she also tracked down the game’s creator, Rene Rother, at WASD 2024 to get a great insight into Devolver’s latest.