Alan Sharp wants to be a lot of things, an ambitious experiment from the two developer team that comprise Mystive Studios. An episodic first person horror with puzzle solving elements from the perspective of Sam Whithers, formerly the assistant of the titular detective, allows for some diverse mechanics to come together in an ultimately thrilling and genuinely terrifying crime investigation.

Chapter 0: Prologue sets a grisly scene. A nine year old boy has been violently murdered and his parents are now missing. Sam is sent to investigate and the lines between senseless violence and potential supernatural involvement begin to blur, sending Sam’s mind on a journey of self-doubt and questioning reality as he confronts the horrors that reside in the victim’s family home.

A child murdered. His parents missing. Claims of supernatural elements at play. The premise of this instalment paints a disturbing picture from the get go, particularly as it relates to the death of a child. The twisted forces that plague the home were concerns raised by the victim’s father, understandably discarded by authorities. It doesn’t take long before Sam and the player realise that paranormal activity is without question a force that has played a part in the tragedy. But how? Why? And how does this relate to the death of an innocent young boy? Alan Sharp – Chapter 0: Prologue consistently raises questions but it does a great job of answering some along the way while introducing new ones to take their place.

The broader narrative of the Alan Sharp saga as a whole is poised to deliver one of the most unique, unsettling and thrilling experiences I’ve played in a long time. This introduction to the world of Alan Sharp delivers a satisfying self-contained story while clearly setting up plot points to be explored in future episodes. Some seem larger in scope while others feel like they may have quieter, more intimate ramifications for the small cast of characters already introduced.

The relationship between Sam and Alan Sharp seems irreparably fractured. Once partners the pair split after the death of Alan’s daughter, sending him spiralling into depression while Sam continued to push through his work. Insight into their former partnership is given and some memories are relived as a result of the supernatural situation unfolding at the crime scene. What happened tore them apart and I can’t help but feel this will be much further explored in future episodes.

Equipped with only a flashlight and a journal, Sam must investigate the house, find clues and collect objects to solve environmental puzzles. It makes sense to have puzzle based gameplay considering Sam is a detective and the puzzles work well. They are clever, not overly complicated and a breadcrumb trail of clues gives the player enough information to solve them with minimal hassle of exploration of the house is thorough.

Exploring the house and solving puzzles to access new rooms is essentially the means for progression. The house feels empty in the sense that the tragedy itself and the disappearance of the victim’s parents have left the house as it was on the night of the crime. Sam may be physically alone while exploring it but the otherworldly presence keeps tensions high.

The whispers of a child, creaking floors, thumping, doors opening and closing on their own and demonic groaning and growling are genuinely terrifying. One particular audio cue sent shivers down my spine in each of its sparingly used instances. “Pssssst”. It seems harmless in text form but the sharp, swift attention seeking noise unexpectedly thwarted my concentration and sent me into a panic without fail. Sound design is so well integrated that it understandably leads to Sam questioning his own sanity.

Chapter 0: Prologue is a little visually inconsistent. The environment is pretty detailed but the objects that inhabit it lack polish and on occasion can be distracting, particularly if it can’t be interacted with. Considering this was made with no outside funding by the team of two however is remarkable. The character models for Sam and Alan have the most attention to detail but the supernatural things that go bump in the night don’t slack in the visual department. Without going into spoilers they are effectively creepy and disturbing. The simplistic overall art design compliments the incredible atmospheric tension and strikingly disturbing sound design. Undoubtedly inspired by genre greats such as Layers of Fear, Outlast and hints of Sherlock Holmes on the mystery side, horror fans have a lot to love.

Alan Sharp is without doubt on the right path to being an excellently spooky, thrilling and interesting horror mystery experience with each new chapter. The backstories are interesting, the scares are ridiculously effective and the mythology that surrounds the supernatural events looks set to fascinate and equally disturb. Chapter 0: Prologue establishes the world effectively and does exactly what any good prologue should do, managing to do so in less than an hour. Much like its spectral inhabitants it grips you early and does its best to not let go.

+ Interesting relationship between Alan and Sam established

+ Incredible atmospheric tension

+ Haunting and terrifying sound design

+ Supernatural elements have a purpose

+ Clever puzzles

– Some inconsistent visuals

– Voice work doesn’t quite hit the mark

Developed by: Mystive Studios

Published by: Mystive Studios

Release Date: May 24 2021

Platforms: PC

 * A digital code was kindly provided by the Publisher for the purpose of this review *

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Isolomus is unique in many aspects but the most striking feature is easily its visuals. Presented in stop motion animation with hand sculpted plasticine, Isolomus is a gritty but charming horror adventure that can be completed in as little as 10 minutes and offers a pair of endings where it is up to the player to decide which one is the worst. Clever, unique and even unsettling, Isolomus is a one of a kind experience for players on Nintendo Switch and PC.

Adopting point and click mechanics Isolomus asks little from the player mechanically speaking. Understanding what is going on is the real challenge and the ambiguity, oddness and outright abstract happenings are a compliment to the experience, not a negative.

As the game is so brief and so simplistic it’s difficult to go into much detail, Isolomus is an experience that is better to be had than read about. The unsettling madness and interpretive storytelling remains intriguing throughout the brevity of the experience.

The score is consistently ominous and the sound effects are appropriately sharp and effective. The sheer ridiculousness, absurdity and ambiguity of Isolomus are so irresistibly enticing and more-ish, that even without understanding what is happening, you can’t wait to see what happens next.

Isolomus is one of the most unique games I have ever played and yet admittedly, I have no idea what I experienced and I wouldn’t have it any other way. The open interpretation approach to the story allows the mind to wander and think metaphorically, philosophically and even read into things to the point where you know you’re likely wrong. Without any context to suggest otherwise, how you interpret this beautifully hand crafted world is up to you.

+ Stunning stop motion animation using handcrafted plasticine

+ Odd, unsettling and creepy

+ Bizarrely mesmerizing

+ Interpretive storytelling

– Extremely short, left wanting more (like a true psycho)

– Little replay value after exploring other ending

– A little more complexity with the gameplay wouldn’t hurt

Developed by: Michael Rfdshir

Published by: Sometimes You

Release Date: April 14 2021

Platforms: Nintendo Switch and PC

* A digital code was kindly provided by the Publisher for the purpose of this review. * 

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Little Mouse’s Encyclopedia is a point and click educational experience aimed at children and is wonderfully presented in the style of a playable picture book. Playing as a mouse, four levels that span nine locations are rife with plants, insects and animals to interact with and learn about them.

Incredibly simplistic and accessible to even the youngest of players, Little Mouse’s Encyclopedia makes learning fun in what is essentially an interactive nature class.

The player moves the mouse around the charmingly artistic environment that feels as though it’s been ripped straight from the pages of a children’s picture book with over 160 different species of flora and fauna to interact with and learn about.

With only two button prompts to deal with, clicking one will make the targeted plant/animal/insect move while pressing the other will bring up an information card detailing its name and display a picture that points out parts of its body as well as some other fun facts and additional illustrations. The information is simple enough for young players to understand, the entire concept of Little Mouse’s Encyclopedia is so well designed in terms of accessibility, favouring simplicity and minimal text instead of overwhelming the screen will excessive, irrelevant or complex insight.

Whether its navigating the burrow below ground, traversing treetops or swimming in a pond, Little Mouse’s Encyclopedia guides the player through its lively world, rife with insects, birds and other animals that bring each of the four levels to life. Packed with elevators, ladders and other unconventional mouse-sized objects, exploring the environment is playfully creative, adding a further sense of adventure to the learning experience that is relevant not just for nature but as an introduction to video games themselves. Developer Circus Atos have balanced the experienced so that is just as fun to play as it is to discover the life that inhabits the explorational playgrounds.

An incredibly relaxing and soothing score are ever-present making the educational walkabout all the more accessible. The overall presentation is so irresistibly charming, playful and light spirited that Little Mouse’s Encyclopedia is as much of a joy to watch as an adult and father while my four year old son enjoyed identifying what animals he knew and tried his best to read what words he recognised. As a father this was such a delightful experience to share with my son and its an incredible concept that I’m honestly surprised I haven’t seen before. An interactive educational experience such as this disguised as a video game is so clever and is presented so well. My ONLY negative comment about this title is that the B button quits out to the main menu. While this is not an issue for myself, my son accidentally pressed it a number of times and it’s a problem I suspect will be common for children.

Little Mouse’s Encyclopedia is a fantastic experience for a parent to share with their children. Playing alone as an adult may not be as appealing to all players though I am 100% certain that by the end of the experience any player will have at least learned something, even just one new fact about an animal or a plant. Depending on the age of the player or level of assistance from a parent little ones could easily spend a few hours searching this interactive encyclopedia. When I played through again on my own I spent about 45 minutes reading every fact I could find and I’ll be the first to admit… I had an amazing time doing so.

+ Playful illustrations

+ Very accessible for young players

+ Facts presented simply

+ Relaxing score

+ Incredible concept

– B button quits to Main Menu

Developed by: Circus Atos
Published by: RedDeerGames
Release Date: April 23 2021
Platforms: Xbox One/Series X|S and Nintendo Switch

* A digital code was kindly provided by the Publisher for the purpose of this review *

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It may not be October but Savage Halloween is here to provide an appropriately themed retro platforming shoot ’em up! Offering three characters to play as, each with a unique special ability, Savage Halloween challenges players with six worlds that each contain six levels and culminate with a boss battle.

James the Pumpkin King, Lulu the werewolf and Dominika the vampire are ready for action in this experience that will certainly test the skill and patience of the player.

Savage Halloween opens with a brief text based sequence that humorously suggests the playable monsters are tired of partying and want to take over the world. This premise is essentially the only storytelling that takes place for the chaos ahead. Following their introduction and the player’s selection of which character to play as, as well as whether to play solo or with a friend, the levels are in theory as simple as getting from A to B. That is however a lot easier said than done. Despite being able to choose between a Normal and Hard difficulty, the former is particularly challenging in its own right. Each level is littered with environmental hazards and enemies that are hell-bent on ruining the player’s day. Patrolling enemies will attack on sight with guns and projectiles that encourage the player to stay mobile.

Mobility is an issue in particular when playing co-operatively. For some reason if one player manages to fall behind and be off-screen they die, consuming a life. Savage Halloween uses a life system like the good old days of classic games in the genre. Initially given three lives, with more sparingly scattered throughout the levels, the loss of all results in a game over screen. Here the player is able to use a Continue or quit. Continues afford a fresh set of three lives and when all Continues are used, it is truly game over, and the world must be started from the beginning – regardless of which of the six levels you were up to prior. This off-screen rule is a nightmare in the alternate level types mentioned below and depending on the skill of your partner, could make success borderline impossible.

The need to be constantly moving is made difficult with airborne enemies, spikes and projectiles for example. Jumping and going prone will soon become second nature, taking shots from any angle in an effort to survive. Armed with a gun that has a handful of alternative bullet types such as toxic blobs, remotely detonated chickens and triple shots, the player will need to be strategic with their choice of ammunition as each is replenished individually with unique ammo pickups. Using all the explosive ammo early may leave you coming up short against the boss later.

Aside from the assortment of ammo types, each character has a unique special ability that is also replenished with special pickups. These attacks are particularly useful against the bosses and as their supply is much more limited and rarer to come across, their reserves should be considered before use.

Boss battles in Savage Halloween are surprisingly satisfying. Their attack patterns are diverse enough to keep things engaging and challenging, without being difficult either. There is a nostalgic joy to the structure of these boss battles that are reminiscent of so many classic games of yesteryear.

Occasionally Savage Halloween mixes up the level structure by presenting endless-runner style levels where the player is always moving forward automatically, either on land, on a snowboard or soaring through the skies for instance. This variety is fun and certainly unexpected when compared to the core gameplay structure. While almost certainly intentional when considering the title, the difficulty becomes rather savage seemingly out of nowhere in these levels in particular.

Being attacked from both front and rear without the ability to shoot behind you and the responsiveness of the jumps on the snowboard, when trying to avoid obstacles or fatal drops, can easily lead to frustration. In comparison to the typical levels, of which majority of Savage Halloween is comprised with, these are certainly the most likely candidates to cause the player to lose all their lives, continues and have to restart the level from the beginning.

The levels and enemy design are all appropriately halloween inspired, with enemy diversity that covers the usual suspects. Vampire bats, plague doctors, minion-wielding Santas, as I said – the usual. The visual charm of the retro-inspired shooter feels authentic to the era it emulates and offers gameplay and controls also befitting of its roots.

Savage Halloween is a challenging retro experience that feels like it could have existed on an arcade machine back in the 90’s in the best of ways. With simplistic gameplay and controls, fun boss battles and different but difficult endless-runner levels, there’s a near equal balance of fun and frustration to be had.

+ Fun, simplistic gameplay

+ Enjoyable boss battles

+ Endless-runner levels are cool

+ Halloween themed aesthetic

– Difficulty spikes

– Having to restart world on Game Over

– C0-op off-screen death situation

– Some ammo types feel useless

Developed by: 2ndBoss

Published by: QUByte Interactive

Release Date: April 15 2021

Platforms: Xbox One/Series X|S, PlayStation 4/5, Nintendo Switch and PC

* A digital code was kindly provided by @Mac420 on Twitter for the purpose of this review. * 

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On the surface Dull Grey is an interactive tale of oppression taking place in an industrial Soviet world. Developer Provodnik Games have cleverly integrated the oppressive nature of the world the narrative takes place in with its minimalistic gameplay.

Choice is a luxury in this world and so too are the opportunities to make them in Dull Grey. While the trend of games requiring minimal input from players continues to be divisive, in this case it’s a statement, a frustrating truth of the “big brother”-esque world that the player’s character Kir inhabits.

In a way Dull Grey essentially plays itself and the player is limited to watching Kir’s life unfold before them, unable to interfere or take control of his destiny. There’s something poetic about the setting and approach to the gameplay that manages to effectively tell an emotionally sombre tale of a man unable to take control of his own life. Kir and the player alike are victims of the totalitarian government system in the striking monochromatic world.

Freedom is often taken for granted and that expression translates effectively in Dull Grey in regards to its gameplay. From the player’s perspective it may be frustrating to witness events unfold with little to no opportunity to intervene, to wonder if their actions could make a difference and to know with certainty whether choice is merely an illusion.

These frustrations are shared by Kir in a world where his fate is determined for him and the path he’ll take already laid out. Surprisingly, the seemingly linear parallels of the narrative and Kir’s life reach one of a number of conclusions based on these choices, encouraging replay to see alternative outcomes.

The gameplay is essentially reading text and very rarely making a choice. Visually limited to still images or panning shots, and with incredibly sparing but effective use of music, the presentation is very static, relying on the emotional impact of the text based dialogue to paint a picture full of more detail than can be found on screen.

The reliance on the story to tell itself and to breathe life into a world so visually stationary is bold and one that somehow manages to remain interesting through its brief 30 minute run time. The depth and impact of the writing carries Dull Grey through the near-automated affair and overall tells a story worth experiencing and worth revisiting to see the alternative endings.

Fate versus free will and freedom versus oppression aren’t as black as white as they may seem in Dull Grey. Conversely, the black and white colour palette this tale is painted with works wonderfully as a visual metaphor of the government’s control over Kir and the world he inhabits. Kir seeks happiness, a thought so alien to him and one that is all but forbidden.

Witnessing this story unfold instead of controlling and more directly impacting it perhaps tells the story better than it would with player intervention. Genre fans and Achievement/Trophy hunters are in for a treat while players less familiar with the lack of player input may not enjoy or appreciate the experience in the same light.

+ Surprising depth of narrative

+ Relevance of gameplay with the story

+ Effective audio-visual storytelling

– Minimal replay value for non-completionists

– Casual players may be alienated by minimal input

– Too short, left wanting more

Developed by: Provodnik Games

Published by: Sometimes You

Release Date: May 5 2021

Platforms: Xbox One/Series X|S, PlayStation 4/5, Nintendo Switch and PC

* A digital code was provided by the Publisher for the purpose of this review. *

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Detective Francis McQueen of the Darkside Division takes point in this supernatural click-fest. Packed with six investigations, three bonus investigations and an abundance of clever and amusing jokes, The Darkside Detective playfully makes its mark on the genre while referencing those that paved the way for it in the first place.

With idiotic and easily spooked Officer Dooley by his side, Detective McQueen must solve cases that take him from our realm to the Darkside in this enjoyably silly and clever adventure.

Each investigation gets progressively more clever and difficult in terms of the puzzle-solving while also venturing even further into the weird and wacky world of the Darkside. While some of the nine overall investigations can be done in as little as 10 minutes, most will take around half an hour for genre fans, possibly longer for casual players or those less familiar with the genre.

The quirky humour and wit that is ever-present with almost every supporting character is a joy, with most of the silliness and jokes landing more often than not. The Darkside Detective is such a treat for players that grew up with the likes of the old LucasArts titles such as the Monkey Island series, Indiana Jones and Full Throttle, with a familiar sense of satisfying puzzle-solving, charming pixel art worlds, enchanting characters and quirky storylines and plenty of amazing references to pop-culture.

There’s a charm to pixel art titles that is often lost without the attention to detail of the world the characters inhabit. The Darkside Detective tells a collection of stories in a world (and beyond) that are interesting, charming and just generally joyful. A varied range of environments that explore our world and that of the Darkside are befitting of the point and click adventure that takes place and allows for some creative alternate takes of the same location in some cases.

The score is moody and ominous, resembling a thriller in effective fashion. Whilst the score is enjoyable it does sometimes feel at odds with the comedic tone of the character interactions and dialogue. Some jokes don’t quite hit the same with a serious and tense beat in the background. This doesn’t take away from the effectiveness of either individually but when layered together it doesn’t quite blend as well as it could if the score was a little more diverse in tone.

The Darkside Detective is an authentic addition to the beloved point and click adventure genre that still lives on and strong today thanks to titles like this. It’s funny, interesting, unique and quirky enough to satisfy the most casual of players while proving enough of a challenge for genre fans to keep them from being complacent. As a text based narrative driven point and click adventure, The Darkside Detective is true to form and has the potential to be an enjoyable franchise for years to come.

+ Interesting investigations
+ Enjoyably silly humour
+ Quirky characters
+ Respect for the genre
– Serious score at odds with comedic dialogue
– No replay value

Developed by: Spooky Doorway
Published by: Akupara Games
Release Date: April 8 2021
Platforms: Xbox One/Series X|S, PlayStation 4/5, Nintendo Switch and PC

* A digital code was kindly provided by the Publisher for the purpose of this review *

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Exploring any world now matter how big or small is always exciting. Imagine though exploring it through the lens of an ant, getting a window into a bugs life if you will. In AntVentor players get to explore the Macroworld and guide FlorANTin, an inventor ant, on his quest to chase his dreams beyond the confines of his anthill.

AntVentor is the first chapter in the planned Antrilogy from developer LoopyMood, a point and click adventure full of humour, crafting and clever puzzles to solve.

FlorANTin’s thoughts are visually displayed via thought bubbles that also cleverly provide hints about current objectives. AntVentor has a handful of small areas to explore and navigate and like most point and click titles, players can expect to backtrack a lot in order to solve puzzles when new key items have been found. As each area is so small it fails to feel tiresome and the striking environmental design is so charming and rich with details that each pass I felt like I was noticing things I’d missed before.

There are only a handful of other characters to interact with but every one of them was essential to progression either by having a key item or an action to turn an existing item into something else. Each of these characters are doing something amusing or need to be interacted with in a comical way. The overall lighthearted tone in which the Macroworld is presented for FlorANTin to explore is great and alleviates the frustration and tedium that may otherwise come with backtracking and searching for items.

Completing AntVentor shouldn’t take more than an hour for most players and with a useful hint system in place to help the more casual players the experience isn’t too challenging. The downside to the brevity of AntVentor is the world is so visually and characteristically interesting that it’s difficult to walk away without wanting more. As this is only chapter one of the intended Antrilogy hopefully the other instalments manage to satisfy the desire more. Based on the quality of this first entry it’s likely to only get better.

The photorealistic imagery for parts of the environment blends well with the cartoony art design of the characters and objects that can be interacted with. The Macroworld is so joyful and charming on all visual fronts and an appropriately light and upbeat score keeps the overall tone light and fun.

AntVentor is fun, interesting and clever with its puzzle design, offering an entertainingly light experience for players of all familiarity levels within the point and click genre. The Macroworld looks to only get more interesting with each instalment, particularly when considering the surprising final moments for FlorANTin.

+ Striking art design

+ Entertaining shenanigans

+ Clever puzzles

+ Interesting world

– Too short

– No replay value

Developed by: LoopyMood

Published by: LoopyMood

Release Date: April 23 2021

Platforms: Xbox One/Series X|S, Nintendo Switch and PC

* A digital code was provided by the Publisher for the purpose of this review. *

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