#Skatebird bringing it home full

It’s trippy, multilayered and oozes style with its black and white colours and combination of urban environments with the cosmic sky-scapes of space.

This cosmic noir game plays more like an interactive graphic novel, with panels that lead into transitions and 2D art. Genesis Noir was definitely the most psychedelic game at this event. Meanwhile, players can cause their own mischief by attacking other players, stunning them and stealing their items. Random hazards like a pigeon or eggs falling from the sky are great at keeping the game’s chaotic nature high. Fruity Pie had four, player-controlled sweet-treats battle it out to see who could get the most fruit in a pie, while the second required players to collect candy while stealing other’s. The two modes that were available in the demo version were Sweet Victory and Fruity Pie. In Cake Bash, you and up to four friends battle your way through a collection of competitive, cake-themed modes. Cake BashĬake Bash is the kind of party game we rarely get on consoles anymore. Both of their command lists were identical in the demo and their four moves meant there was no room for improvisation or strategic thinking, but perhaps this will change by the time Haven fully releases. Instead of waiting for your turn, the minute their attack animations are over, you can go right back to dealing more damage. In terms of combat, you command Yu and Kay at the same time which makes its combat somewhat unique. Traversal is a lot of fun in some open environments, as both characters can glide it’s both beautiful and satisfying. Haven also has a lot going for it in the gameplay department. There are strong hints that the couple are on the run from a regime and the story’s serious subject matter came as a surprise considering the game’s serene aesthetic and art style. Their relationship is cute, but also susceptible to conflict and bickering depending on how you decide to steer conversations. Yu and Kay struggle to survive while on an alien planet. It’s whacky, it’s fresh, it’s a boatload of fun and it’s a welcome competitor in this underserved and niche genre.

#Skatebird bringing it home full

There’s just one playground area in the demo for you to mess about in, but its full of obstacles to kick-flip over and railings to grind on. Inspired by a gif of skateboarding birds, the game is a more than competent skating game with solid sandbox design, a killer soundtrack and the perfect throwback atmosphere.

You can pretty much guess what this SkateBIRD is from the title. The demo gives us the original’s unhinged humour and whacky gameplay in stunning detail. And that would have been the only appropriate thing for the developers to do, since Destroy All Human! prides itself on its overt and hilarious criticisms of the political instability and paranoia that was rampant in 1960’s society. The demo, and presumably the full game, begins with a message stating that the content of the game’s story may be too much for the “modern human” to handle, implying that the satire and political incorrectness from the original is uncensored. This remake to the 2005 cult-classic is available on July 28th, but the imminent release hasn’t stopped Destroy All Humans!from receiving a demo. I can’t wait to see how PHOGS! elaborates on its world and unique gameplay ideas when it launches. Dopey creatures will stroke the dogs when you get too close and you can even find little robots dancing in an arcade. Popcorn, for some reason, is a recurring visual motif. The dogs can climb into a pink snake monster’s mouth for transportation, in the same way Mario uses green pipes. The dogs bounce, bark and roll around in amusing and cute ways, but it’s the world they chew on that sells the game’s charm. PHOGS!exposes itself as a clever puzzle-platformer over time, but it’s immediately recognisable due to its endearing demeanour. Its eight collectible dog bones milked the demo’s mechanics even more and gave me flashbacks to the best 3D platformers. It presents insanely fun and creative ideas, then elaborates on them with clever puzzles, then mixes and matches them with other, previously established mechanics. What stood out to me the most about PHOGS! was how much mileage the developers got out of the game’s unique premise-in such a short demo, no less. One side of the controller manages each head (think Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons) as you make your way through a collection of physics-driven challenges. You control two dog-heads attached by a stretchy, sausage-like body, with no other limbs. With its irresistibly charming presentation, one-of-a-kind premise and a bucket load of creative ideas, PHOGS! is immediately one of my most anticipated upcoming games.