Garfield Kart

Also known as:  N/A

Developer: Artefacts Studio

Garfield Kart is a pretty sub-par mascot kart game. As a fan of the Garfield cartoon back when I was a child, I really wanted to like this game...but it's simply not good. The visuals are okay, and fans of Garfield will likely enjoy the cast of characters…but those are really the only compliments that I can give Garfield Kart. Once the racing starts, this game is bleh…or would that be lagasg-bleh?…Because Garfield eats lasagna…Nevermind. I think I put as much effort into that joke as the developers put into this game, which should tell you something. Anyway, I think very small children might enjoy this racer…But if those same kids have played any of the Mario Kart games before, they’ll probably be just as disappointed with this game as everyone else likely would be. I wasn’t expecting a masterpiece with Garfield Kart, but considering the publisher or developer purchased the rights to use the Garfield license, I was at least hoping that a passable game would be the result. Unfortunately, Garfield Kart falls short of those hopes.

Review added: 06/29/2020

Garten of Banban

Also known as:  N/A

Developer: Euphoric Brothers

The Garten of Banban wouldn't be so awful except for one major thing - the developer went for a money grab. Instead of releasing a single game, they seemingly released multiple "games" that when played back-to-back gives you a single game. I assume that because in 14 months, they put out SEVEN games in this franchise…and because this game is a single confrontation  of a "boss," followed by an advertisement for the second game in the "ending." I like the setting of using bright, colorful imagery for a dark, horror setting…I don't like the game setting up a story, then following through with almost none of it here. I get it - it'll probably all be covered in later games. It still feels like a decision that I don't really want to reward with purchases in the future. This is a short, 20-30 minute game where, literally, the entire experience is read a few notes, open a few doors, confront a single enemy in a brief confrontation, activate an elevator, game over. It'd be one thing if the gameplay was innovative or just an excellent experience….but it's not either one. It's not a great game as it is, then toss in the fact that it mostly just feels like an advertisement for other games, and it's just a very, very big letdown. If you have a Steam account, it may be worth trying since it's free. If you see it anywhere else, it'll cost you some cash…and you won't be getting your money's worth.

Review added: 10/31/2024

The Ghost Train

Also known as:  N/A

Developer: Chilla's Art

I'd only played one game from Chilla's Art in the past, as I write this, but I liked it, so I decided a to give a few more of their games a chance this year. What I've noticed about a lot of the other indie horror games is that developers tend to recycle a LOT of elements from their games into each other. While I haven't played enough games from Chilla's Art to know if that's the same case here, I can say that this game felt completely different from the other one I had played from them. The puzzles in the game also felt unique…they're not difficult, but they're interesting enough to keep you from getting bored, while not being so challenging that you find yourself frustrated. My only real complaint, aside from a lack of depth, is that this game really isn't very scary. The atmosphere is mildly creepy, but that's about it. It is an interesting game, though, and despite the lack of scares, I'd recommend it if you're looking for a solid, indie game for the Halloween season.

Review added: 10/31/2024

Golden Light

Also known as:  N/A

Developer: Mr. Pink

It's not really a secret - I really like odd games. The stranger a game is, the more bizarre it is, the more I usually enjoy it, regardless of actual game quality. Golden Light looked like an odd game…but within the first few minutes of playing, where I'm told to eat an axe that I found laying on the ground, I realized that I was going to really, really enjoy my time here. While eating your weapons sounds like an odd gameplay choice, it actually works really well. Do you want to stay armed, but maintain low health, or would you rather eat your weapon to regain health, but be defenseless should you run into trouble? When you're not eating your weapons, or letting your weapons eat you, you'll find a pretty enjoyable experience, as you maneuver your way through maze-like levels full of traps and dangerous creatures. Some of those creatures are camouflaged, providing some decent jump scares from time to time, so if jump scares are your "thang," as the kids say, then you'll likely appreciate that. The only thing that really holds Golden Light back from me giving it a better score, in my opinion, is that the combat isn't exactly great. In fact, it leaves a bit to be desired. It's not awful, mind you, but if that combat was tweaked a bit, and the quality matched how bizarre everything in the game is…well, if that happened, you'd have a heck of a game here. But that complaint aside, Golden Light is still a very good game and if you're a fan of odd, bizarre games like I am, then I bet you'll find plenty to like here.

Review added: 10/14/2022

Gone Home

Also known as:  N/A

Developer: The Fullbright Company

Gone Home encourages exploration, as you wander through a house and unravel the mystery of why your parents and sister aren't there to greet you as you return for college. Digging through everything to unravel the mystery is pretty fun, and the simple aspect of turning on and off lights acts both as a neat way to set an uneasy atmosphere and a neat way to remind yourself what rooms you've already visited and explored. I also like how the story ended up being completely different from what I thought it would be. To avoid spoilers, I won’t ruin it here, but I highly recommend checking out this game and discovering it for yourself. It's good stuff. It took me around an hour and fifteen minutes or so to make my way through to the end, though the game can literally be beaten less than a minute if you already know exactly what to do, so if you're looking for a nice, interesting game to pass a little time, Gone Home is a really well-made game worth giving a try.

Review added: 06/25/2020

The Graveyard

Also known as:  N/A

Developer: Tale of Tales

The Graveyard is another one of those really short, artistic games. I appreciate it for what it is, but in terms of gameplay, it's not really much to be impressed by. The gameplay is essentially this...walk to a bench, sit down, listen to a nice little song, walk out of cemetery, game over. Yes, that's the entire game. Of course, you might die while on the bench, too...But I don't think you need to do anything specific to trigger that, it’s just a possibility that happens at random, as far as I can tell. Anyway, The Graveyard is an okay little game, but like many, similar artistic-style games, it's over in about 5-10 minutes and there isn't much of a reason to pick it up again after that...Well, unless you're trying to see the old fella pass away, then you may play through a few times 'til he croaks...but I've got a feeling that even with the short length of this game, not too many folks are going to be inspired to do that. The Gaveyard is still worth experiencing at least once, though, especially if you appreciate something other than the norm in your video gaming experience.

Review added: 10/15/2020

Graveyard Keeper

Also known as:  N/A

Developer: Lazy Bear Games

After seeing the success of Stardew Valley, Lazy Bear Games decided to try their hand at a similar style of game…but with very dark humor. Graveyard Keeper was the result. Tasked with taking care of a local graveyard, your goal isn’t just to clean the dump up and make it look nice…interacting with the townsfolk, and juggling other tasks is just as important. The fun in the game comes from how dark it is. Example: The graveyard is full...well, the corpses brought to you have meat on them. Go to a crafting table with some meat, paper, and a stamp, and you’ve got some packaged meat to sell to the townsfolk for some extra cash in your pocket. Even the most demented moments in the game are accompanied by some sort of humor, making you feel okay for selling corpse meat to the local tavern because you’re lazy and want to purchase a warp stone to warp from location to location. It’s not the greatest game ever made by any means, but I really liked it. If you have a warped sense of humor like I do, you might like it too.

Review added: 10/13/2019

Gynophobia

Also known as:  N/A

Developer: Gua

Gynophobia isn’t a terrible game, but it’s also not a very good one. The concept is interesting enough - you’re a fellow with a few phobias, like fears of spiders and women...I bet Spiderwoman would give him a heart attack. The game is a 1st person shooter, with the levels presented in a creative way. The first level is the PC game that the character has loaded on his computer. The second level is a dream/nightmare that he’s having during a nap, etc. While how you get to each level is interesting, I found the levels themselves to be boring and mostly mindless. I was also fairly annoyed by the lack of checkpoints...I missed a jump in the nightmare level (honestly, I didn’t know I had to jump since I thought a bridge had been created to exit the level) and I wound up falling into a pit of spikes and had to start the entire level from the beginning. Since I didn’t really enjoy playing through that level to begin with, it really made me consider quitting the game since I didn’t want to play through a level that I didn’t really find fun all over again. If you’re a big fan of shooters and/or horror games, Gynophobia may be worth checking out and you may be able to look past some of its flaws. Everyone else should probably stay away.

Review added: 10/28/2021