Reviewing games can be hard, especially when they're free or cost less than a Big Mac. Sometimes a game will jump out to you and scream, "I'm awesome!" That makes it easy. Likewise, a game can scream, "I'm terrible!" When games do neither though, evaluating them can get a little muddy. It's hard to judge too harshly a game that costs less than bus fare. It just feels wrong. But at the same time, if I don't have much fun playing a game, that should be a major part of my evaluation. This is how I feel about Darkside. Dilemma might be a slightly dramatic word for my current situation, but I'm going to use it anyway.
Ever wondered what it would be like to pilot an Arklight x-52 in defense of a 200 year old mining operation in the asteroid belt? Me neither, but it looks like a lot of fun. That's the premise of Clockwork Pixels'Darkside, and as you can see from the trailer, defending asteroids against the onslaught of the Krainian Empire results in many colorful explosions.
OK, I'll admit it. Upon firing up Puppy Sanctuary, I grimaced in anticipation of a game I expected would be shallow, short and unbearably saturated with saccharine cuteness. What I didn't see coming was a well-crafted game defined not by schmaltzy sweetness but by a winning combination made up of an entertaining pet sim and challenging match-3 gameplay.
We've all heard of aliens abducting cows (and people...), but now they're after the world's puppies! In Pi Eye Games' Puppy Sanctuary, you'll have to rescue trapped puppies from the aliens' traps and keep them warm, safe and happy.