Slightly quieter month for April, with the calm before the storm that is May. But that doesn’t mean we don’t have some fantastic games coming out, as you will see if you carry on reading the very next lines!
Stu’s Choice
Against Great Darkness
DEVELOPER: Hitreg Studios
PUBLISHER: Hitreg Studios
Formats: PC
Price: £5.99
Steam Deck: Unknown (Runs perfectly)
Some of my work days feel like I’m climbing out of a hell-pit into which I’ve been cast, but AGD has a more literal version for you to experience.
Taking the form of a vertical shooter, you must escape perdition by blasting your way through several stages, but with a twist: this is also a block-breaker in the style of Arkanoid, where juggling enemy-smashing discs is as crucial as dodging blasts from marauding villains.
With a unique visual style, a cool gimmick and a roguelike structure that works well, AGD is a dark delight.
Brad’s Choice
Planetiles
DEVELOPER: MythicOwl
PUBLISHER: MythicOwl
Format: PC
Price: £9.99
Steam Deck: Unknown (Runs perfectly)
I looked back through April and it was a fairly quiet month for releases, but there was still a few I could have chosen. Botany Manor, Laysara, Buckshot Roulette, etc. However there is one game that continues to get a daily play from me that I just can’t ignore.
That is the excellent Planetiles, which I covered the demo of at the back in of 2023 (here) and I said I was excited for the full release. I haven’t been disappointed at all.
It is part city-builder, part strategy, part Chime, part Dorfromatik and at the same time, none of those things, as it feels so very unique. A game that is easy to play and feels quite simple, but becomes really deep and one that has you really thinking about placement and strategy.
There are leaderboards and unlockable tasks, each of which will see you trying the same levels over and over and over again, as you try and improve, try to find ways of hitting the various goals, or move up another position of the leaderboard.
It manages to do what is needed for all game of this nature and that is be really simple to understand and play, but give you something meatier to keep you coming back and that is exactly what Mythic Owl has done.
I highly recommend picking this up as soon as possible as it is one of my favourite games of the year so far. A year that is already packed with indie greatness.
