Gaming In The Wild - Video Game Reviews

Herdling is another vibey journey through a forlorn world from the young Okomotive studio. The shepherding gameplay is alternatively fun, clumsy, endearing, and frustrating, but overall, it’s a three-hour journey that is a must for indie game fans. In the roundup: Hollow Knight, and Silksong pre-game! Support the show on Patreon:  http://patreon.com/gaminginthewild Follow the show on YouTube:  htt...

Sword of the Sea is like playable dream. It combines the simplicity and wonder of Journey, the oceanic splendour of ABZU, and the searing speed of The Pathless into a mesmerising new form — it's the apotheosis of the Matt Nava formula. Support the show:  http://patreon.com/gaminginthewild Follow the show on YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@GamingInTheWild Follow on Bluesky:  https://bsky.app...

Wheel World is a free-flowing cycling game that's met with a surprisingly mixed reception, given the demo hype. It starts off well, but it's a game of two halves, in quite an unusual way. In the roundup: Haste, Cipher Zero, Artis Impact, Ovis Loop, Heistgeist, Donkey Kong Bananza, Death Stranding 2: On The Beach, and more. See the videos: https://www.youtube.com/@GamingInTheWild Support th...

Word Play is an ingenious new puzzle-roguelike that crosses the streams of Balatro and Scrabble. The result is a compelling little game with big potential. In the roundup: Cipher Zero, Haste, Driftwood, Ritual of Raven, Time Flies, Death Standing 2, Wheel World, and more. Here's that video of the Word Play dev talking about making his game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHKRWmfcMBw Here'...

It's the Year of Kong! Nintendo's first "proper" (don't @ me, Mario Kart fans) Switch 2 blockbuster is here, and it's one for the books. Donkey Kong is now a fully realised modern Nintendo mascot as he smashes, dances, and chomps his way through a series of wonderfully designed, multi-layered levels that are simply a joy to experience. A couple of minor-ish quibbles stop it...

This week's pod is a roundup episode featuring Blade Chimera, Midtris, and Death Stranding 2. In the roundup: Tron Catalyst, Tiny Garden, Preserve, Wheel World. I also talk about moving the podcast's hosting away from Spotify, given the unforgivable actions of the CEO, and discuss removing GITW from Spotify completely. For the record — Pocketcasts does it just as well; and YouTube Music ha...

Hey folks! This week's pod gives some initial thoughts on Kojima's new joint Death Stranding 2: On The Beach, then runs through over 20 demos from the recent Steam Next Fest, including Ball X Pit, Herdling, MIO: Memories In Orbit, Hirogami, Death Howl, Gecko Gods, and more. Join the Patreon for extra stuff: http://patreon.com/gaminginthewild Steam curator page: https://store.steampowered.c...

Post-Hades roguelikes are a dime a dozen, but Lost In Random: The Eternal Die stands head and shoulders above the pack. It matches the gold standard set by the Supergiant classic with its strong art style, tight combat, satisfying progression, and build variety. Unlike much of the genre, it also respects your time, and it takes luck, thought, and skill to craft a winning build, and earn a winning...

Hello folks! Here's a little bonus episode taken from a YouTube video I put out this week — it's a rundown of some of the most interesting games spotted at the summer showcases so far, including Summer Game Fest, Day of the Devs, State of Play, the Xbox Showcase, and the PC Gaming Showcase. If you're listening in Spotify, you can see game footage as you listen. If you're listening...

Switch 2 is here! This week's show reviews Nintendo's brand new hardware, and the launch lineup — and wonders whether Switch 2 can become another indie game powerhouse. There's also a review of Spilled, a lovely little eco-game about cleaning up waterways and making the world a better place. In the roundup: Symphonia, Star Overdrive, Tainted Grail, Pipistrello & The Cursed Yoyo, Fa...

This week's episode looks at the hot new deck builder sequel Monster Train 2, and does a deep dive into the muddled but enjoyable Dragon age: The Veilguard. In the roundup: Star Wars Outlaws 'A Pirate's Fortune' DLC. Join the Patreon for a suite of patron-only bonus podcasts: http://patreon.com/gaminginthewild Get extra GITW over on Youtube: http://youtube.com/gaminginthewild Follo...

This week's show is a roguelike roundup, as I play some chilled out turn-based games as a Clair Obscur comedown. Reviewed: Star Vaders and Drop Duchy. In the roundup: To a T, Monster Train 2, Tainted Grail: Fall of Avalon. If you'd like more GITW episodes, there are 16 patron bonus episodes you can unlock for a couple of bucks at http://patreon.com/gaminginthewild . Watch the videos I make...

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a masterfully wrought FRPG (or J'RPG?) that combines a romantic high fantasy world with a bold, vivid, original big-swing story. The From-inspired combat veers between pulse-racing and frustrating — but for a game of this sky high quality, it's worth gritting your teeth and parrying your way to the remarkable finale. In the roundup: Star Vaders, Drop Duchy, M...

This is the final part of the KRZ community playthrough, looking at the excellent interlude Un Pueblo de Nada, the gorgeous sun-soaked village of Act V, and the optional epilogue, Death of the Hired Man. Thanks so much to everyone who has played along and sent in comments! This won't be the last time I play KRZ, but it might be the most special. Join the Patreon to support the show and get 15...

Promise Mascot Agency is a pocket-sized open world like no other. Playing a disgraced Yakuza consigned to a dying former mining town, it's part open-world collectathon, part management sim, and part visual novel. But none of that does justice to game's truly bizarre charm, or the unrestrained chaos and humour that make it ones of the best indie games of the year so far. In the roundup: Cla...

London Games Festival 2025 was a packed event this year, with events including New Game+, Now Play This, Good Game Dev Club, Darkfield At The Ditch, the BAFTA Awards, and more. I was in London for the festivities, and this episode is my report on the festival. Games covered: Herdling, Will: Follow The Light, Passant, Beyond The Board, Battle Suit Aces, Gunboat God, Button Man, Moroi, Henry Halfhea...

Your host is off galavanting at the London Games Festival this week, so this episode a little inbetweener. It's a look back at the Nintendo Switch — which was *the* place to play indie games on console, for a while — and the great indies it'll be remembered for. In the roundup: Lushfoil Photography Sim, Promise Mascot Agency, Koira. This episode's audio is from a YouTube video you can...

Act IV of KRZ takes the form of an epic river journey that feels like the centrepiece of the game. It's a voyage down the Echo River aboard the Mucky Mammoth, with the player no longer behind the wheel. We drift between the various members of our ragtag group, deepening our understanding of Ezra, Will, Junebug & Johnny, Shannon, and the ailing Conway, who seems to be losing his grip on the...

This week we really do run the gamut of indie to AAA with reviews of tile-based solo dev strategy game Dawnfolk, and the latest Ubisoft blockbuster Assassin's Creed Shadows. Thanks to both developers for supplying review codes! In the roundup: Everhood 2, Monster Hunter Wilds, Promise Mascot Agency. Support this podcast for the price of a coffee each month, and get loads of perks and extras fo...

The third act of Kentucky Route Zero is a chunky one, featuring some new and recurring characters, pivotal story moments, and arguably the most iconic scene in the game. Join this playthrough, get bonus episodes, join the Discord, and support this podcast at http://patreon.com/gaminginthewild . See the videos and find me on social media: http://gaminginthewild.com . Thanks for listening!

This week's episode takes a little breather from the KRZ playthrough as people catch up with Acts II & III. There's a good reason for that: Steam Next Fest happened last week, and a lot of people dived right into the ocean of demos. In fact, the GITW patron community played over 150 demos collectively then voted on their favourites. So this episode we have some honourable mentions, the...

This is second episode of the KRZ deep dive series and community playthrough. We cover Act II of the game — the Bureau of Reclaimed Spaces, The Zero, Random Access Self Storage, The Museum of Dwellings, and the Forest — and the second interlude, an interactive play entitled 'The Entertainment'. Thanks to everyone in the patron Discord who submitted comments and questions! Join them in supp...

The Kentucky Route Zero deep-dive begins! To mark five years of GITW, we're going back to the game that started it all. The first episode looks at Act I of the game, and the first interlude 'Limits And Demonstrations'. This game is a breakthrough, a landmark, and a high water mark for video games as art. Its acts and interludes contain multitudes: digital art exhibits, interactive poet...

Gaming in the Wild is five! And to celebrate, here's a special episode: a rundown of the 20 best indie games I've covered since the podcast began. Show your appreciation, support the show, and help me hit 100 patrons target! http://patreon.com/gaminginthewild YouTube version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xbNKMtNKP8 Thanks for listening everyone! and extra-special thanks to everyone in...

This week's podcast features an interview with Andy Robertson, the veteran game critic who's launching Ludocene, a new kind of game discovery app. We also reflect on the launch of the Ultros: Design Works book and the podcast's forthcoming fifth birthday, including our community Kentucky Route Zero playthrough! Pre-Order the Ultros book: http://lostincult.co.uk Kickstart the Ludocene a...