Gaming In The Wild - Video Game Reviews

This week show surfs the tidal wave of game reveals, showcases, news, and trailers with a look at the Women-Led Games Showcase, Xbox Showcase, and the Future Games Showcase. I also talk about the ongoing Steam Next Fest, and the excellent Caravan SandWitch demo. You can join the podcast community at http://patreon.com/gaminginthewild, and support at any tier for an invite to the Discord, and a bun...

Keighley’s summer circus is in town, so this episode we take a look at the news and highlights from Summer Game Fest and Day of the Devs, including: Cairn, Neva, Battle Suit Aces, Possessor(s), Wanderstop, Project C, Simpler Times, Koira, Arranger, Psychroma, Building Relationships, Afterlove EP, Phoenix Springs, Tenets, Anger Foot, and more. In the roundup: Tiny Terry’s Turbo Trip, Nine Sols. Big...

This week's show is a bit of a grab bag. We start off with a look at the month of indie releases ahead, then mini-reviews of Arctic Eggs, The Rogue Prince of Persia, Hauntii, and Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2. And as always, many thanks to all the show’s 68 patrons, and especially the very first Boss Tier patron, Mike Sampier. If you'd like to join them in supporting the show on Patreon ,...

This week's episode is an interview with Remy Siu, the creative director of the recently released 1000xRESIST. It's a phenomenally good game that pushes video game storytelling forward in several interesting ways. Our discussion touched on games-as-art, diasporic narratives, working through Covid, the origins of "hekki", hooking up with Fellow Traveller, the incredible player and c...

Little City, Big City is a short, low-stakes adventure in which side-quests, baubles, and opportunities for mischief catch your eye at every turn. It's a welcome bout of easy-breezy escapism in a stacked month of more involved games. In the roundup: Animal Well, Mullet Madjack, Dread Delusion, Turbo Kid, Dungeons of Hinterberg. And as always, many thanks to all the show’s patrons! If you'd...

1000xRESIST is ostensibly a sci-fi tale about a far future society, formed after a disastrous epidemic decimates humanity. But it's a game that never stops growing, weaving a complex tapestry of memorable characters, far-reaching subject matter, poetic dialogue, and unforgettable moments both intimate and shocking. It's a dizzyingly intelligent masterpiece that I'll be thinking about f...

May is absolutely stacked with top-tier indie releases, so in this episode I take a look my top ten games coming out this month. Games covered: Indika, Animal Well, 1000xResist, Little Kitty Big City, Crow Country, Cryptmaster, Lorelei & The Laser Eyes, Paper Trail, Gestalt: Steam & Cinder, Hauntii, and Nine Sols.  In the roundup: Moebius-inspired village builder Synergy, and my first resu...

This week’s episode is about the WASD video game festival that happened in London last weekend. It was super fun to go a showcase like this for the first time – I met up with some developers, games industry folks, and podcasting pals, and got to play tonnes of exciting unreleased games on the show floor, including: NanoApostle, Pine Hearts, Gestalt: Steam & Cinder, Paper Trail, Zephon, Data Ga...

This week's episode is a little roundup. We start with the Nintendo Indie World Direct, including previews of Lorelai & The Laser Eyes, Yars Rising, Bzzzt, Sticky Business, and some other show highlights, before moving onto a 1000xResist preview, and a featured game review of Lucas Pope's Playdate offering Mars After Midnight. There's also a little preview of WASD Live at the end,...

This week we look at "the feel-bad game of the year", the grim and compelling magic bullet snipe-fest: Children of the Sun. In the roundup: Botany Manor, Pepper Grinder, Broken Roads, Dragon's Dogma 2, and a look at the Triple-i Initiative's first showcase. If you enjoy the show, find more like it on the YouTube channel: http://youtube.com/gaminginthewild . You can support the show...

This week's episode is a roundup of demos you can try right now: Stellar Blade, Minishoot' Adventures, Dystopika, Indika, and Valley Peaks. In the roundup: this month's Game Pass, PS+, and Epic freebies, including The Outer Worlds, Kona, Ghostrunner, Immortals of Aveum, and more. Check out the YouTube for some fresh videos at: http://youtube.com/gaminginthewild . And many thanks to the...

Return To Grace is a perfect game for Game Pass: short, interesting, and done in a couple of hours. It's a sci-fi walking sim that raises some interesting questions about the future of AI. I also got addicted to Marvel Snap. In the April release roundup: Botany Manor, Children of the Sun, Broken Roads, Harold Halibut, Pine Harbour No Rest For The Wicked, Tales of Kanzera ZAU, SandLand, Another...

This week's show is a grab bag episode. We start off with a few updates, some Dragon's Dogma chat, a look at FFVII REbirth's fidelity patch, and some first impressions of the Playdate console. The back half of the show is some impressions of demos from GDC & Pax East. Games covered: The Wreck, Whitewater Wipeout, Casual Birder, Mars After Midnight, Harold Halibut, Hauntii, Animal W...

I've been making a few video essays over on YouTube lately, and had a couple of requests for them to be added to the podcast feed. So I'm trying it out. If you're on Spotify, you can watch video with this episode, and if not, I hope you enjoy the audio here. This one is a short essay about the Horizon series, which seems blessed with high sales and critical reception, but cursed in bei...

This week's show looks at FFVIIR Intermission and the newly released Rebirth, a cute cabin builder called Summerhouse, and a bullet heaven called Geometry Survivor. In the roundup: WASD Live, Enshrouded, Solium Infernum, Snufkin; Melody of Moominvalley, Pepper Grinder, and Floramancer: Seeds & Spirits. I also talk about the fun of making YouTube videos about games. See some recent videos a...

This week's show is a roundup episode. There are some thoughts after seeing credits on FFVIIR, and impressions of Pacific Drive, Akka Arrh, and Expeditions: A Mudrunner Game. We run through the March indie releases, and finish with a review of the addictive joker poker phenom Balatro. I also talk about being laid off in the video game industry, and about the process of making more stuff for th...

This week's show is an interview with Hugo Bille from Hadoque, the developers of Ultros. We talked about video game ecosystems, Metroidvania design tricks, audacious gardening mechanics, and lots more. And a big thank you to the show’s latest patrons, ScheiGuy and NikolaiAtKnight, If you'd like to join them in supporting the show on Patreon, you can do so from $1 per month at http://patreo...

Ultros is a dazzlingly creative indie game that revitalises the Metroidvania genre. The prismic visuals and symphonic score are a sensual treat, and the game’s ingenious ecosystem slowly blooms into a map-spanning meta-puzzle that demands patience, observation, curiosity, and creativity. It's the first must-play game of 2024. In the roundup: Nintendo Direct, Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden, Ende...

Gaming In The Wild podcast is four years old and 200 episodes deep this week! To celebrate the landmark, the show's patrons and listeners suggested a Q&A episode. So I opened up the floor, and had over 50 questions submitted from Discord and social media, about video games, film, travel, books, Iceland, and life generally. Which video game smells worst? What games would I take into space t...

This week I dived into Steam Next Fest, covering demos for: Ultros, Flock, Beastieball, Hauntii, Albatros, Arco, Summerhosue, Pacific Drive, Pepper Grinder, Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley, ZAU, and more.  And as always, many thanks to the show’s 56 patrons! If you'd like to join them in supporting the show on Patreon , you can do so from $1 per month at http://patreon.com/gaminginthewild . Pa...

This week's episode starts with a look at the month ahead, including new and upcoming PS+ and Game Pass additions, Steam Next Fest, and some highlights of the Feb release calendar. In the roundup: new twin-stick shooter Go Mecha Ball, the Constance demo, and Armored Core VI: Fires Of Rubicon. And as always, many thanks to the show’s patrons! If you'd like to join them in supporting the sho...

This week’s show is a roundup episode of some newly available Steam demos. Namely: Beastieball, Helskate, Harold Halibut, and The Cub. In the roundup: the Immortality Design Works book, and Prince of Persia - The Lost Crown. And as always, many thanks to the show’s 59 patrons! If you'd like to join them in supporting the show on Patreon, you can do so from $1 per month at http://patreon.com/ga...

Lies of P is a deeply impressive Soulslike with tight combat, beautiful environments, and a nightmarish gothic-horror world. It makes some welcome player-friendly tweaks to FromSoft's punishing formula, but is held back when it adheres to the genre's dogma. In the roundup: Sephonie, Suica Game, En Garde. And many thanks to the show’s 58 patrons! If you'd like to join them in supporting...

It's time for the big indie game preview for 2024! Ganes featured (24, funnily enough): The Cub, Ultros, Pacific Drive, Open Roads, Mina The Hollower, 1000xResist, Harold Halibut, Still Wakes The Deep, Nine Sols, No Rest For The Wicked, Nivalis, Earthblade, Animal Well, The Plucky Squire, Hyper Light Breaker, Summerhouse, Neva, Pepper Grinder, Sword of the Sea, Henry Halfhead, Schim, Naiad, De...

2023 was a great year for games, and after three great guest episodes covering the big swings, hits, and misses of the year, it's time to share my own favourite games of 2023. The list has been laboured over, and feels a bit less critically tidy and a bit more personal than previous years. I hope you enjoy it – I truly loved all of these games. And as always — many thanks to the show’s 57 patr...