Gaming In The Wild - Video Game Reviews

It's been a quiet spell for new games lately, so this episode takes on a few indie classics. Firewatch was on sale recently, so it's doing the rounds once more – I take a spoiler-free stroll through the beautiful Wyoming forest with main characters Henry and Delilah. Next up, some first impressions of Supergiant's Bastion and the Japanese-mythology-inspired action-adventure Okami. Fina...

Action-RPG-adventure game Hyper Light Drifter is something of a legendary indie game. It's a gorgeous pixel-art world, drenched in neon and pastel colour and soundtracked by a haunting ambient synth score. It's also famously difficult, with intense wave-based combat arenas and some hard-as-nails bosses, leading to a lot of understandable bounces and ragequits. We talk about all this and mo...

This episode is about Fumito Ueda's The Last Guardian . Nine years in the making, it's the follow-up to Shadow of the Colossus – only this time, the colossus in question is Trico, a remarkable giant cat-dog-bird hybrid with a mind of its own. Playing as a young boy in a vast, abandoned, labyrinthine city, you must bond with this fascinating beast to solve puzzles, defeat enemies, and trave...

The Last Of Us 2 is a game that's ignited discussion across the gaming community. It's an emotionally gruelling journey that takes some unexpected swerves in both narrative and game design. It's an emotional whirlwind that, much like the original, leaves the player blinking at the screen in disbelief. To try and untangle "what just happened", I invited Dani, aka gamer, Twitter...

Our featured game this week is 'Ruiner', a twin-stick shooter with light narrative/RPG elements in a dark cyberpunk world. It’s a 2017 game published by Devolver Digital that's getting a second life as a fresh Switch port, and we discuss the ups and downs of the game, and whether it could could “do a Hollow Knight” and blow up because of its Switch release. Secondly, following on from...

Hey hey! In this week’s episode, I serve up an eccentric-game sandwich, with Katamari Damacy: Reroll and The Good Time Garden as the very weird and possibly-poisonous bread, and Coffee Talk as the… tasty mocha visual-novel filling. Because this metaphor is going so well….for dessert? A 20-minute spoiler-laden tableside monologue on my *complex feelings* about the finale of The Last Of Us: Remaster...

With The Last of Us 2 and Paper Mario: Origami King about to drop, I decided to backtrack and play the last entry in each series for the first time. With no spoilers beyond basic early-game plot points, I discuss my experience at the halfway point of The Last of Us, praising its world building, character development and notable cohesion. Neo Cab is praised for its intimate and well-rendered noctur...

Hi everyone! In this episode I taken on some BIG GAMES like Death Stranding and Jedi: Fallen Order, having played the first three hours of each game side by side. I also dip into the indie wonderland of Apple Arcade via the dizzying Manifold Garden, the relaxing Mutazione, and a glimpse of Neo Cab.  In the Q&A, the debate rages on Death Stranding, and we discuss if you should take the plunge o...

This episode I review two critically divisive AAA games that – despite huge budgets – are often described as underrated or overlooked. Join me as I dive into the near-future of Quantic Dream’s ‘Detroit: Become Human’ and the far-future dystopia of Avalanche Studio’s ‘Mad Max’. We finish with some Twitter comments on the games – follow the show on Twitter and Instagram at @gaminginthewild to join t...

This episode I talk about five games on PS4, PSVR and Nintendo Switch: Bound, Rez Infinite, Telling Lies, Lonely Mountains: Downhill and – you guessed it – No Man’s Sky . All of these capsule reviews can be considered free of any major spoilers, so you can listen without fear. Things are rounded off with a Q&A session that covers everything from whether VR is here to stay and how to avoid VR m...

This is a special episode dedicated to my adventures into virtual gaming via a borrowed PSVR kit. I tried out Astro Bot: Rescue Mission, Moss, and No Man's Sky, which has become an obsession since I began a couple of weeks ago. I also take questions from Twitter about my favourite game visuals ever, life in Reykjavík, and whether VR makes me wanna hurl. Follow me on Twitter at: http://twitter....

Episode six is here, and it’s a monster! After two more weeks of quarantine, I’m bursting to talk about everything I’ve been playing, starting with the brand new indie gem In Other Waters. Next up is the underrated blockbuster Gravity Rush 2. Then I dip a toe into the vast universe of No Man’s Sky, and play a few low-stakes titles like Bulletstorm, Golf Story, Hey! Pikmin and Hyrule Warriors. Fina...

Following on from the "chill games" edition, this episode is about ABZU, an underwater odyssey thats sure to take you on a mesmerising trip, all from the comfort of your couch.  After the main review, I also dip into some other wonderful indie titles - some of which are on sale now - namely, Night in the Woods, Mutazione, and Donut County. Enjoy! Come say hi on Twitter: http://twitter.com/...

Hi everyone. This episode is something a little different: five soothing, calming, non-violent, mellow games to help you unwind during difficult times. The five games I talk about this episode are FAR: Lone Sails, Journey, The Unfinished Swan, Gris and Sayonara Wild Hearts. I found all of them to be soul-soothing in their own way. None of them are expensive, and most are available cross-platform....

This charming, heartwarming indie game is currently up for free at the Epic Games Store, so this podcast was made to let people know. I played A Short Hike over Christmas, and found it to be a relaxing experience, so I wanted to pass it on to anyone who hasn't played it yet. Hope you enjoy! You can follow the show on Twitter to say hello, offer feedback on the game or the show, or suggest a ga...

Things get eerie this episode as we take a spoiler-free sortie into the dark and disturbing world of Control. Remedy’s acclaimed paranormal thriller is up for a bunch of BAFTAs, and is available right now on the PSNow subscription service, so it’s a good moment to visit the compelling, challenging, hard-as-nails environs of The Oldest House. Follow the show on Twitter to say hi and let me know wha...

This blockbuster game was a release title for the PS4, but it looks as good and plays as well now as it did upon its 2017 release. It has since sold over 10 million copies, and as I experienced it for the first time, it was easy to see why. It takes place in a stunningly beautiful wilderness, and tells a brilliant post-apocalyptic story that's as compulsive and bingeworthy as Game of Thrones....

Welcome to the first episode of Gaming In The Wild (In honour of our featured game, we're calling it episode zero). This episode is about the surreal and brilliant Kentucky Route Zero, which was recently released by Annapurna Interactive on Steam, Switch and PS4. In this ten minute review, we talk over the weirdness and wonders that have made it an instant classic. John's review of the gam...