iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Bastion Developer: @supergiantgames.bsky.social I bounced off this one the first time I played it. I don't get why - On the return visit this is absolute quality. The everpresent narrator is so good and the soundtrack is golden. Loving the bow too! Certified classic for a reason.

000

Looney Tunes: Back in Action Developer: Warthog Used to love this game as a kid, and while I think nostalgia is carrying it for me this time I do love just how much love this game has for the franchise as a whole. Another movie tie in that doesn't follow the plot too, those are always funny lmao

100

Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions Developer: Beenox I have been desperate to play this one for ages man, it's such good fun but it does feel weird to see Spider-Noir not be played by Nic Cage. Just kind of enjoying the vibe here, I hope this can get a rerelease one day.

100

Demon Turf Developer: @fabraz.bsky.social Coming back after Tides has allowed me to really appreciate this one a lot - It's kind of rare to see linear level based 3D platformers as opposed to the usual Sunshine-esque "drop in an area and explore" type vibe. Soundtrack is a bop too!

The Edditaur @edditaur.bsky.social · 03/03/2025

Monaco 2 (Demo) Developer: Pocketwatch Games A new dimension, a different flow to gameplay, still the same kind of frantic heist madness from the first game. I played with a friend and it was great fun planning our route and then immediately forgetting it lmao ...I need to play Monaco again, man.

111

The Edditaur @edditaur.bsky.social · 02/03/2025

KIDDO (Demo) Developer: Grasita Games Loved the puzzles and the hidden away jokes in every crevice of the game world slayed me every time I noticed one. Man needs to put on some pants, though.

100

Ruffy and the Riverside (Demo) Developer: @zockrateslabs.bsky.social I genuinely have no idea why I spent so long refusing to give this one a go. It's great fun & that watercolour art is gorgeous! Played it all the way until completion. I've gotta get it when it releases now goddamn that was nice!

Wheel World (Demo) Developer: @messhof.bsky.social I'm enjoying being thrown off by how different each new Messhof title is to the last one they did. Loving the vibe here so far, hopefully this doesn't reach the levels of difficulty sadism that Flywrench approached near the end of its run lmao

Total Chaos (Demo) Developer: Trigger Happy Interactive A from-the-ground-up remake of one of the most impressive Doom engine mods of all time. It hits those same notes, and my trauma came back to me the instant I realised I was going to that segment with the bastard ghost enemies again. Thanks >:(

100

Wanderstop (Demo) Developer: @ivyroadgames.bsky.social An unexpected but welcome departure from the Stanley Parable developer. The process of brewing tea from start to finish actually seems like a lot of fun and I really cherish Igor with all my heart. A super expressive art style too!

White Knuckle (Demo) Developer: @jonka.bsky.social A lovely game about climbing. Controls feel a little fiddly but the options you have are very open-ended so you can just approach each task however you like. It's v satisfying to skip a section of the level using the right underhanded tricks >:)

Shotgun Cop Man (Demo) Developer: @deadtoast.com Stupid premise, godly gameplay. Feels like a high quality Newgrounds flash game in the best way possible. Between this and Clown Meat releasing later this year, we've got a solid year for 2D platformers ahead of us.

Isopod (Demo) Developer: @riley.sbug.games A fun little platformer with some nice ideas. That secret skin was very fun once I got it. I'm kind of loving the pro-union storyline too? Completely unexpected for a silly platformer about bugs, but I'll take it! Also, gay bugs. 10/10

Demon Tides (Demo) Developer: @fabraz.bsky.social Gonna take a lil bit of time to acclimate to the controls methinks, but holy moly I never knew I needed a game like this. Accidentally discovered a tiny sequence break because I was too curious - I love it! The soundtrack slaps too!

100

Hypogea (Demo) Developer: @ccharnul.bsky.social God. I love the vibes off of this one, kind of gives me Journey vibes actually. The platforming has a nice rhythm to it, and I felt compelled to explore every nook and cranny. Gooooood shit, man. Waiting for this one too!

Killer Chat! Definitive Editon (Demo) Developer: @rosesrot.bsky.social Wonderful presentation, the premise is so silly but played incredibly well. I love the retired killer who just wants a duck. Played this one with a few friends and we were all loving it, I'm kind of hyped for the release now!

141

Dating of the Future (Demo) Developer: @geowaffle.bsky.social Aesthetically gorgeous, genuinely pretty funny and behind the silly premise there's a pretty deeply thought out world here. The dev says this is an outdated build too? I'm v eager to see what the end product looks like then!

210

Canvas Menagerie Developer: @crystalgameworks.com I've been playing more VNs since I got my Steam Deck set up again. A nice little story, I'm loving the dynamicism in the TV scenes and the little changes in the text boxes. Just some nicely written stuff really.

210

Squeakross: Home Squeak Home (Demo) Developer: @alblune.bsky.social ...It's Picross. Beyond that it has a character creator and a sick nasty lil home building element to it! What more can you want?

1145

GearGrit (Demo) Developer: @pandan.bsky.social I was already on board with the Jak n Daxter-esque platforming, but goddamn the movement tech is so fun! I'm super looking forward to zipping through this game like a madman whenever this releases. That goblin girl has got the vibes(tm) too.

Doki Doki Literature Club Developer: @teamsalvato.bsky.social Going back to this the protag really is an asshole huh lmao The second playthrough has let me notice some neato stuff too! What a lovely lil crafted experience!

100

Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga Developer: TT Games It's good fun! I bounced off this hard the first time I played and that's because I was expecting something more like the other Lego games. Playing it with a fresh mindset has allowed me to appreciate it more I think.

The Edditaur @edditaur.bsky.social · 27/01/2025

Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves Developer: Sucker Punch A personal favourite. I feel this one always perfected that feel of multiple agents pulling off stages of a heist and coming together at the last moment despite the whole thing kind of falling apart. The script is a lot more violent than I remember

100

The Edditaur @edditaur.bsky.social · 22/01/2025

LEGO Lord of the Rings Developer: Traveller's Tales Dimensions got me yearning this one again and I think it actually may be one of the best. I doubt you'd be able to tell it was three movies merged were it not for the credits sequences and everything here feels evolved from standard Lego games.

200

The Edditaur @edditaur.bsky.social · 22/01/2025

LEGO Dimensions Developer: Traveller's Tales Always wanted to play this one but the availability (and cost) of it all has always made me put it off until it has finally become largely stable on emulation software. Having complex feelings so far but every property is handled with such love & care.

100

The Edditaur @edditaur.bsky.social · 14/01/2025

C'mon download the Steam demo guys, beat my score on Endless Shuffle mode. You know you want to :)

000

The Edditaur @edditaur.bsky.social · 14/01/2025

Mindwave (Demo) Developer @holohammer.com At last, someone's making WarioWare on PC! All of that quirky madcap microgame goodness, with leaderboards and a killer soundtrack, plus a story mode with interesting characters and some nice writing? I wasn't even expecting that last part! Good stuff!

220

Axyz (Demo) Developer: @lithiumproject.bsky.social A nice little puzzler that starts slow but quickly picks up to really start to make you think about the moves you're making and how you can progress further. Looking forward to the end product making me feel very stupid multiple times lmao

121

Blessed Burden (Demo) Developer: @podobainteractive.bsky.social A first person Horror Parkour game set in Hell where you play as an 'armless priest stuggling against terror while a demon gloats at you about the situation you find yourself in. A short demo, but I like the idea!

500 Caliber Contractz (Demo) Developer: @brycebucher.bsky.social What is Mario 64 had a gun and was raised on 2000's emocore culture. This one fucks so hard, the momentum and the silly shit you can do makes me excited for future levels. Cringe but free and I love it.

Death in Abyss (Demo) Developer: @agelvik.bsky.social If Devil Daggers had a baby with Star Fox and it was set at the bottom of the Mariana Trench. It's gonna take some getting used to but I love the vibe and the controls feel just right. Very stressful in the best way possible.

100

Ticky's Tower of Time (Demo) Developer: @pizza-dev.bsky.social I beelined for this one the moment it was installed and while it was brief and there wasn't too much to it, it was exactly what I expected and I'm eager to see more in the future. The time changing mechanics were a fun spin on things!

100

Okay throwing some Demo Disc picks in now that I've played some of them lets goooooo

100

Ratchet & Clank 3 Developer: Insomniac An absolute classic. The stars aligned to make every part of this game connect to each other in the most smooth and consistent way. Not to mention it having the best arsenal in the series and some of the funniest moments and writing.

The European cover for the game. Ratchet is firing off the Infector while troopers are blown up and showered in pieces in the background.

210

Mario in the Multiverse Developer: A lot of people Hopping between levels each inspired by other games, all with their own new powerup you can switch between at will. Offers a lot of freedom to do anything in any way you can think of. The shotgun powerup is the best one, no exceptions.

$The hack’s cover art. Depicts Mario being fractured across multiple different realities, the background in each altered to reflect different games like Kirby, Rayman, Pizza Tower, Doom among others.$

120

Kero Quest 64 (Demo) Developer: Stratobox Pretty solid 3D collectathon with no fancy bells or whistles but solid controls. Can you tell a lifelong Mario 64 romhacker made this one? It was a joy to traverse and I eagerly await the full game in likely a couple years time.

The title image. Shows the player character Kero sitting leisurely on a grassy ledge overlooking a lush environment that surrounds a large tower made of bricks and iron bars. A black diamond with a white outline floats in the background, pulsating.

200