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Zoria Age of Shattering drags cRPG base and follower management to the modern era
It's hard to deny that Tactical RPGs are having a bit of a renaissance in recent years, and that — alongside the long hype cycle for Baldur's Gate 3 — has pulled up the classic cRPG genre. Hopefully this'll spell a surge of interest in the…
Castellans of Valeria is a clever area control game that’s all about timing
It’s been a while since we last reviewed a game from the Valeria universe, but whenever I’ve played a game in this series, I’ve always been fairly impressed. Whilst most of the Valeria games are card driven, Castellans of Valeria is a fully…
Shift 87 – Star Ampersand!
There’s a greater element of progression here than in other games in the genre too. Your goal is to complete just six loops successfully, at which point you’ll find yourself in a new environment, tasked with the same job. The new area means…
Feed The Deep is an aquatic, cosmic horror masterclass in design
I love a good roguelite, and Feed The Deep is one of the best to come out in recent years. A clever balance of rules, design and procedural logic come together to create an experience full of tension and urgency. When you first see Feed The…
I’ll be Brave, Tomorrow is a touching narrative game about coping
I’ll be Brave, Tomorrow is a narrative driven game that tells you the story of a sick child, who is playing games in their hospital room, to act as a little escape for the world they are in. The story of a young child, sick and looking for…
Hans im Glück’s 2024 remaster of El Grande is an area control tour-de-force!
Imagine yourself in the shoes of a powerful lord — or Grande — in Medieval Spain. The power of the King is waning and you, along with up to four other Grande’s, are mustering your forces to succeed (or possibly overthrow) him. This is El…
Ova Magica Early Access – a nice slice of Bavarian life
Cozy games! Wholesome games! Farming simulators! Post Stardew Valley, the genre is on a seemingly infinite upward trajectory as developers across the world seek to release their own slices of agricultural nicety. I, for one, am living my…
Still Wakes the Deep is a tense, taught thriller that ultimately gives too little away
If you like taut, intense narrative horror games that feel like a AAA horror movie, then you can probably just go ahead and download Still Wakes the Deep right now. This deeply authentic exploration of a 1970’s oil rig looks, feels and…
Pekoe – Making tea for cats
Moving to a small town to start a new life, you might think you’ll end up farming. However, in Pekoe, you will find yourself opening up a small tea shop and learning about the local cats who might visit your house for a cup of tea! Pekoe is…
Blockbuster Inc. – And just like! The Movies!
But for those who like a cosy game, Blockbuster Inc. fits the bill quite nicely. I quite enjoyed the routine of setting up movies to film, managing training of staff, and putting money into advertising campaigns. The difficulty isn’t too…
Mutant Year Zero: Zone Wars is a fast-paced skirmish game that is great for casual combatants
Here at BigBossBattle, we are big fans of Free League Publishing, with reviews of both Tales From the Loop: The Board Game and Forbidden Lands under our belts. You can imagine my excitement then, when I heard about Mutant Year Zero: Zone…
Fateforge: Chronicles of Kaan – roleplaying made simple
We’ve been reviewing games from Mighty Boards for quite a few years now, with games like Petrichor, Posthuman Saga and Vengeance: Roll and Fight among them. Heck, we’ve even interviewed the legendary David Turczi in association with Mighty…
Let’s School is a sim builder with big consequences for your actions
Let’s School is a game where you can restore a school to its former glory. You have to manage it well so that your students can pass their exams and achieve their dreams in later life! Everyone has a different experience at school. In Let’s…
Rugrats: Adventures in Gameland feels like a retro classic
I am not sure why I didn’t expect Rugrats: Adventures in Gameland to not feel like a challenging, retro platform and instead to be some sort of newer age game featuring the loveable babies from my childhood, but here we are! This game feels…
Frostpunk 2 expands well beyond the borders and ambitions of its predecessor
When Frostpunk launched back in 2018 it became an instant classic by fusing together base-building, society management and an almost-hopeless post-apocalyptic setting. Frostpunk 2 manages to build on every element of that as it challenges…
Herd Mentality is an amoozing game of following the herd
Enough milking these cow puns dry, on to the review. Herd Mentality is a party game for four plus players from Big Potato Games. In Herd Mentality you are aiming to be the first player to round up eight bovines. Achieve this by aligning…
Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord – If It Ain’t Broke
Digital Eclipse’s Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord delivers a new but rustic coat of paint to the 43-year old granddaddy that inspired some of the biggest RPG franchises out there. When I was gifted a review copy of the game, I…
History Heroes: A Little Slice of History is an easy-playing educational twist on dominoes
History. You either love it or hate it. Well, that or you like very specific, niche bits of it. The main reason for that is because its so vast, but its also not relatable — people don't draw the same connections between it as they do with…
Backpack Hero – Spark joy
You’ll enter the dungeon with a small backpack and a handful of basic equipment, normally a weapon, shield and a consumable item. You’ll move around a node-based map, finding treasure and events as well as enemies to confront. Combat is…
Zodiac Legion is an anachronistic Tactical Turn-Based fantasy celebration
Turn-based, squad based fantasy games seem to be a dime-a-dozen these days, but the danger of assuming that they're all similar means that you'll risk missing promising titles like Zodiac Legions. There's a chance that, due to its visual…