Stevo's Bargain Bin

A slightly smaller selection to choose from than last month, for two reasons - it's been a busy few weeks and (the main reason) I probably spent about half of this month playing just one of the games below. So let's see - we have Hollow Knight, Guts and Glory and Night In The Woods on the Switch and Thomas Was Alone on the PS4. While I did enjoy them all for their own reasons, there was no contest really - Hollow Knight is the standout by a clear mile. (Night in The Woods comes in close second!) Hollow Knight really did deliver a sense of adventure the likes of which I haven't felt for a long time. Exploring the kingdom of Hallownest was thrilling, nerve racking, awe inspiring and beautifully somber all at the same time. Its many twisting and winding passages - more of which continue to open themselves up to you as you expand your arsenal of abilities - kept me totally glued to the controller. And for those who don't know, I'm a pretty thrifty guy - ...

I do love a game which has a very definite style of its own. By that I mean that when I think back after playing, it really stands apart from others in its genre because of its unique style, story, or other elements. For example, such games for me include titles like FEZ, Hyper Light Drifter, Hollow Knight and now - unquestionably - Night In The Woods. I'd managed to avoid seeing most gameplay for this title before picking it up and I am so glad I did. Night In The Woods is best played with no prior knowledge. Our main character, Mae It is a story driven platform/adventure-type game with an intriguing plot, gorgeous art style and a very likable cast of characters. I will try not to give anything away, but in case I do, potential minor spoilers ahead! At the start of the game you'll step into the shoes of Mae, a young college dropout who has returned to her home town of Possum Springs. Venturing around the  town, you'll have a chance to catch up with all ...

Hey all! Hope you're well. It's been a good week or two since I last posted - busy times. Ah well, here's the first of two games I've been playing lately! Having seen a little gameplay, I had a rough idea of what to expect from Guts and Glory. An obstacle course with deadly traps, a selection of vehicles and hilarious looking rag doll physics? Count me in! Yep, that's a poo hat I'm wearing... couldn't resist. I picked up Guts and Glory on the Nintendo Switch for about £6 (on sale) and soon had it downloaded. There is a lot of fun to be had with this game, but it's far from perfect in my opinion. It starts out nice and easy as you learn the controls and get to grips with what is possible, then begins to pile on the hazards. You'll go from a peaceful bicycle ride to avoiding cannonballs, mines, arrows and saws in no time and the results of your failures can be very funny to watch unfold. Actions are mapped pretty simply to the butt...

Anyone who read my blog or saw my tweets last month will know that I was totally blown away by Brazilian indie Metroidvania game Dandara . So it was an absolute pleasure to catch up with developers Long Hat House and find out how the game came to be. The company was founded by friends João Brant and Lucas Mattos in 2014. I was amazed to learn that Dandara - which is now available on all kinds of platforms such as Android, Nintendo Switch, PS4, Steam and Xbox One - was only their second major project. João, 28, told me: "In 2014 there was the World Cup and in Brazil people are crazy about it - we got about one month of vacation because of that and we used it to try and make our first game together. "We tried a few prototypes and [our game] Magenta Arcade came out of that about 8 months later. "It felt like a success so we thought we'd keep doing it. We started another prototype for a action game for mobile and that ended up being Dandara." Devel...

If you're a fan of Stuart Ashen and retro gaming, you may have noticed a little while ago that he released a book entitled Terrible Old Games You've Probably Never Heard Of. Those familiar with his Youtube channel 'Ashens' will know that he examines and reviews cheap and dodgy tat, worryingly unappetising foods and other assorted oddities from bargain stores the world over. He also sometimes looks at gaming machines, both quality and knockoff in nature - all of which makes for a very entertaining watch. This book combines the best of both worlds, with Ashens revisiting what seem to be some of the very worst old games he has played throughout his life for a variety of different systems. My wife treated me to a copy of the book for Valentine's Day and I have to say it feels very nice and sturdy, as well as looking lovely and colourful. There are a good number of games to read about, as well as interviews with several people from different parts of the ind...

I love a good Metroidvania game. There's something about the gradual unfolding and filling in of the map that feels so satisfying, coupled with the potential for all kinds of discoveries. Hollow Knight had intrigued me some time ago when I saw a little bit of gameplay. I seem to remember being captured by its style, but to be honest I hadn't realised then that it too fell into the Metroidvania genre - imagine my delight when I found that out! So far I'm about 15 hours through the game and I know I probably still have a LONG journey ahead of me, but I thought I'd share my thoughts so far! First things first, this game is gorgeous. It manages to simultaneously be dark and foreboding, yet cute and fun - a style I kept telling myself was 'beautifully bleak'. The characters of Hollow Knight are very nicely animated - particularly the NPCs, of which there are many. They have their own mannerisms and expressions which are very pleasing to watch. Its soun...

One of my chosen games to replay over the recent festive period was Metroid Fusion on the Game Boy Advance. As far as I remember, it received some criticism when it came out for its more linear structure as compared to other titles in the series. But I have always loved this game, and I'll tell you why. As it's more than 15 years old, hopefully you'll have played it but if not - there may be some spoilers ahead. To set the scene, the opening minutes of the game see our protagonist Samus Aran attacked by a parasitic life form known as 'X'. The organism infects her, as well as her power suit, but doctors manage to save her life with a vaccine using cells procured from the last infant Metroid from SR388 (the planet on which Metroid II was set). As part of her treatment, doctors had to surgically remove much of Samus' suit - so bye bye weapons, upgrades and health tanks. Like your typical Metroid game, we're starting from scratch here. Samus then h...

Game visuals are improving all the time - with the latest mainstream releases looking increasingly stunning and realistic, it has to be said. But you don't need phenomenal graphics to tell a great story. Mike Bithell 's Thomas Was Alone is one game which proves this many times over. It is a puzzle platformer starring - initially at least - a red rectangle named Thomas. Thomas finds himself in a world he knows little about and sets out to explore, encountering all kinds of hazards and challenges along the way. The goal in each level is to get Thomas to a portal in order to progress. As he journeys on, he is joined by other quadrilateral companions and here's where things get interesting - each of them have their own abilities and limits. For example some can jump higher than others, some move faster, some can float in water, some can double jump and so on. Couple these abilities with each of their differing shapes, together with the clever layout of each le...