Do I Pass? Review

So Trans Day of Visibility was yesterday, and I actually discovered this little game by trans indie creator Taylor McCue thanks to Gayming Mag covering it.  

Summary:

"Do I Pass" is a visual novel where you play as a transgender woman who is worried about if she passes or not. With the help of a magical webpage she becomes a ghost and peeks into the minds of others to determine how they feel about her. There are three endings depending on the types of interactions she encounters from other people.

It's a short game but also very interesting, and I'm very glad I stumbled onto this game!

The Divine Speaker - Extended Demo Impressions

Extended Demo Release: August 12, 2020
Website | Twitter | Itch.io | Discord | Steam

"Does fate not exist after all?"

"The Divine Speaker" is an upcoming fantasy BL game by indie dev Two and a Half Studios. The demo is SFW with some slight spiciness but the game will be 18+ at release and in multiple languages. (Maybe I can replay this in multiple languages to help with my foreign language learning. 🤣)

Follow alongside Raen - an orphan from the secluded city of Aurelia Cavella, the only civilization on the entire planet... or so they're told.

Abandoned for his poor Judgement, the "destiny" given to him by the Divine Speaker, he grew up thinking his life would be plain and unexciting, and that's exactly how he liked it.

However, that all changes when he's expelled from his home on a death sentence, cast out into the vast and dangerous forest that surround Aurelia Cavella.

Raen must finally come to terms with the fact that there might be something else out there after all - and there's more to Aurelia Cavella than first meets the eye.

Honestly it was a complete accident finding this game and I'm so glad I did! Lots of gushing below the cut because this was such a delight. 

Gris [Switch] Review

First Release: 2018

Gris is a hopeful young girl lost in her own world, dealing with a painful experience in her life. Her journey through sorrow is manifested in her dress, which grants new abilities to better navigate her faded reality. As the story unfolds, Gris will grow emotionally and see her world in a different way, revealing new paths to explore using her new abilities.

GRIS is a serene and evocative experience, free of danger, frustration or death. Players will explore a meticulous designed world brought to life with delicate art, detailed animation, and an elegant original score. Through the game light puzzles, platforming sequences, and optional skill-based challenges will reveal themselves as more of Gris’s world becomes accessible.

Gris is a puzzle-platformer game released by Spanish indie developer Nomada Studio. It's published by Devolver Digital and is available to play on numerous platforms.

The controls for this game are very simple, and you learn more abilities as you progress through the levels, allowing you new ways to explore and interact with the changing environment. 

I would also like to point out that I was today years old when I discovered that "gris" means "grey" in Spanish... which is the color the world begins in when you start the game. 

Pipe Dream Demo Review

Polished Demo Release: March 27, 2020

Twitter | Itch.io | Kickstarter

A visual novel dating sim that follows the protagonist Robin as she enters college and finds friendship, love...and hopefully herself.

I don't remember where but I saw a post about this game and decided to give it a try. Pipe Dream is a slice-of-life Indie otome game developed by Notome Games. The game follows the adventures of Robin (CV: Melissa Dorsey), a college freshman who runs away from home to pursue a life where she can finally make her own decisions.

Read more below for my thoughts on characters and the demo in general. (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧ (Click to enlarge any images.)

Coffee Talk Demo Review [PS4]

Full Release: January 29, 2020

Finally got around to trying out the demo for this game! 

 
Available for PC and console, Coffee Talk is a game where you manage your own midnight coffee shop, listening to the woes of those passing through as you give them a warm drink or two. Set in an alternate modern fantasy of Seattle, your cafe provides a respite from the world. 

The demo focuses on Freya, a human fictional journalist who is going through a bit of a writer's block, and Lua & Baileys, a succubus and elf couple who are trying to gain approval from their families.

Heave Ho (Switch) Review

Release: August 29, 2019

Heave Ho: The game where you're allowed - and encouraged - to yeet your friends to victory!

Heave Ho tasks up to four players with a simple goal – don’t fall to your death! Players will use their own two hands and the outstretched grip of their friends to grapple across each level on their way to victory. Grab one another’s hands, climb across dangling bodies, and swing your pals to safety in a wobbly, dangly mass of limbs. Customize your character with all manner of stylish accessories and zany accouterment in a vain attempt to remember who you are and which of your hands is the only thing between you and the plummet of doom.

Summary from Nintendo 

If you're looking for a new multiplayer game to play with friends then you should pick up a copy of Heave Ho, available for Switch and PC. I played it recently on Switch with some friends for a few hours and it was a blast! The game can support up to 4 players, although I'd recommend at least 3 to get some great shenanigans.

AeternoBlade – Demo Review

Alright. So I’m floating around the eShop and I see that there’s a new demo out, called AeternoBlade. I have absolutely no clue what it’s about (alright, it's about avenging your village, changing your destiny and things of the like), but it kinda looked RPG-ish, and I’m an RPG freak (though the eShop labels it as “action”). I’m a demo whore so every time there’s a new demo that sparks my interest, I download it. …I’d say I have about 3/4s of the eShop’s demos XD


Overview
So immediately you get into the world where you play a some chick. Clearly these is some dreary desolate, and the background music like you’re in some wilderness helps emphasis that. You get a bit of handholding with the tutorials, such as “Use the circle pad or d-pad to move.” You also have an orb system that accounts for UP, MP, HP and whatnot.