Sorta.

There’s really no story to Hunters. But essentially you can step up as one of 12 (at this point) different character types from the Star Wars universe and battle in a team-play, blast-‘em-away competition. Two teams made up of five characters each are set loose to give battle.

Since this game was primarily designed for use on your Apple or Android smartphone, the game’s various maps aren’t huge like some battle royale team shooters. But the feel is similar, and it can be easily navigated with a touch screen. Characters have their own special abilities and weapons. You can use ziplines, grappling hooks and catapults to get from level to level. And when teamed up, your squad simply aims to take the foes down in a fast match that only lasts a couple of minutes.

In other words, Star Wars: Hunters is an easy-to-pick-up amusement that can be played while you’re standing in line or totally bored. You know, those instances when you could be looking at things or people around you but would rather fill those minutes pretending you’re a big ol’ Wookiee or a robot Jedi. 

On that character front, Hunters offers up some fun choices for fans of a certain galaxy far, far away. For instance, you can play as Rieve, a female Sith who’s agile and skilled; Aran Tal, a Mandalorian Vanguard; and Utooni, a pair of piggyback Jawa scavengers wrapped in a trench coat. Those are some of the damage-focused characters. And then you’ve got your tanks (such as the above-mentioned Wookiee juggernaught, Grozz) and support-class battlers such as the Rebel war hero, Zaina.

Each character has a main weapon in the form of a pistol, rifle, lightsaber or warclub; their own sense of speed and agility; and  specific skills such as the ability to drop a healing zone, deflect gun fire, throw up a personal shield, blast foes with a wrist rocket, draw an enemy closer and the like. You choose which character you prefer and go.

This is a multiplayer game that definitely requires an online connection. And there’s a microtransaction element ever present in the play. (Detailed below.)

POSITIVE CONTENT

As shooters go, this one is relatively mess free. There’s no blood or flesh rending, just zaps of light and color. Characters fall with a skull symbol above their head when bested.

The pace of the game is fast and fairly fluid. And while Hunters doesn’t offer much in the way of gaming complexity, there is a variety of classes, characters and abilities to choose from and build your teams with.

And, of course, it’s a light, action-packed title that’s designed to tickle Star Wars fan fancy. Characters sometimes talk in the midst of battle, but there’s nothing offensive or crude.

CONTENT CONCERNS

All of that said, this is a run-and-gun shooter and pretty much nothing else. So, if you’re averse to trigger-pulling, explosions and zapping foes, this isn’t the game for you.

Probably the biggest drawback is the fact that the gamemakers make their money on the microtransactions in the game. So, Star Wars: Hunters isn’t shy about offering players ways that they can make their play a little better with a bit of real-world cash.

Pop-ups regularly remind you that rather than deal with built-in timers and other elements that limit your play, you can purchase battlepasses, cosmetics and a variety of helpful things with real cash. And then there are the characters themselves. You start with a single character for simply playing the game tutorial, but you can only unlock the others through hours of matches. Unless … you get out your charge card.

GAME SUMMARY

Droids, Jedi, bounty hunters and Wookiees are at your beck and call. Star Wars: Hunters is a free game that’s easy to pick up and fun to play. (As long as you don’t mind a bunch of in-game buy me offers.)

The post Star Wars: Hunters appeared first on Plugged In.

Once again, the central character here is our physically and mentally scarred young heroine, Senua. She struggles with the constant whispering voices of her schizophrenia-like psychosis.

Of course, in Senua’s time, the swirling voices in her head are thought to be spirits that whisper doubts and encouragements; they open paths and give insights as Senua pushes toward her hallucination-laced goals. (The game is designed to be played with headphones in place. And that binaural immersion intensifies the disturbing and disorienting aspects of Senua’s ongoing inner torments.)

Senua’s Saga picks up where the first game left off. The embattled protagonist has allowed herself to be captured by Northmen who keep raiding her lands and enslaving her people. That may seem to be a self-destructive choice, but Senua and her voices know that she is a battle-hardened and raging fighter. And her goal is to allow the slavers to draw her into their fold where she can then gut them from within. She’ll have the chance to find justice for the innocent while also, she believes, atone for her own past sins.

However, Senua’s vengeance-soaked mission isn’t as simple as she hopes. Through the struggles of an Icelandic shipwreck, encounters with mystical hazards of the lands, torrents of bloodthirsty and cannibalistic monsters, and battles with enormous giants, she finds that blood-boiling rage doesn’t solve every problem.

As Senua slashes her way toward a cathartic solution, it becomes clear that monsters are made, not born.

Gameplay is focused on melee combat involving attacks, parries and dodges; exploration through large, graphically defined landscapes; some character interactions; and solving environmental puzzles. This third-person action-adventure game is single-player and it does not require an online connection after the game is installed. There are four levels of difficulty to choose from.

POSITIVE CONTENT

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II is photo-realistic in its movement capture and graphic presentation. And between those highly detailed images and the binaural sound immersion (featuring always moving, breathe-in-your-ear voices), the gameplay is incredibly impressive.

In the game’s opening screen, we’re told that psychiatric professionals assisted in its realistic depiction of psychosis. The game therefore gives players insight into how schizophrenia can torment people who suffer from it. And the ongoing story also points to how extreme feelings of grief, loss, rage and guilt can reshape people into monsters they never wanted to be.

“Darkness outside makes darkness inside,” the game tells us.

On the other hand, Senua’s Saga also suggests that people always have choices. Even when dealing with uncommon struggles, you can choose better paths; you can reach for help.

CONTENT CONCERNS

All of the above positives noted, however, potential gamers should also take note that this is an intense and very M-rated game. The incredible graphics can showcase a radiant sunset, but they also make this game’s entrail-spilling gore all that more realistic. Blood spews and spatters at every turn.

Scenes focus on cannibalistic savagery; people are hacked apart and left in piles of dismembered limbs and fly-speckled gunk. Bloody body parts are recrafted into suspended, dripping displays. And feral men gobble the contents of cracked-open skulls. You face screeching, sinewy killers who swing swords, throw axes and spew flames. The game certainly leans into its barbarically gruesome elements with glee.

And this title’s incredible immersion qualities also drag gamers into a very dark and creepy domain of growling, unseen tormentors with a corrupting demonic feel about them. In fact, Senua’s entire Icelandic world feels nightmarish, ready to rip and tear into anything and everyone unfortunate enough to exist there.

GAME SUMMARY

This sequel lives up to the graphics and gameplay expectations of its predecessor. But it also drags gamers through gruesome gore while baring gristle filled teeth.

The post Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II appeared first on Plugged In.

The game starts simply enough with a black-furred, green-eyed kitty napping quite contentedly on the sunshiny ledge of his (or her) owner’s high apartment window. But sleeping on high ledges isn’t always as comfy and safe as you might think; the wrong little shift or stretch can lead to … oops!

The little kitty tumbles from that great height and scrabbles to grab anything—including an unsuspecting crow that’s flying by—to break his rapid descent.

After eventually crashing down in a conveniently placed garbage can, our unnamed feline hero finds itself situated on an unrecognizable terra firma with a simple quest: get home.

To get to that sky-high apartment, however, the lost cat must explore the city and meet other critters. He encounters several cats and dogs; a brainiac tanuki (also known as a Japanese raccoon dog) that’s tinkering with the space-time continuum; a mother duck who needs help with her lost ducklings; that lightly scratched crow; and maybe even a human or two. Each new friend offers up a step-and-fetch quest and, perhaps, a little good advice.

In terms of the game’s mechanics, the going is fairly easy. Our kitty hero can run, jump and pounce, scamper up on ledges, swipe aside houseplants and the like. He chats with others in a surprisingly universal animal language (one critter’s meow is another’s quack). And he navigates obstacles, learns new movements (such as a biiig stretch and a yuck face) and runs about collecting scores of special kitty hats, such as a sunflower cap or a deep-sea diving helmet. (You know, for those cat fans who can’t resist just one more cute thing.)

Ultimately kitty must find four fish meals to gain the proper amount of energy and make the big, scary climb home. This is a single-player-only game that requires an online connection to download.

POSITIVE CONTENT

Cute. Cute. Cute.

Did I mention that this game is cute? Little Kitty, Big City is a very cozy title that focuses on funny cat play and simple quests. It’s certainly suitable for adults and kids alike. (One caveat: Quite a few animal interactions do require the ability to read captions, since meows and barks don’t translate to human very well.)

The overarching narrative, exploration and quests are also easy to nibble at in small cat-snack chunks that don’t demand long stretches of youthful time. Oh, and the kitty hero can pounce on unsuspecting birds in the city. But he’s told by another cat that this is a catch-and-release neighborhood only.

CONTENT CONCERNS

The only drawback here could be that some will find this game a little too cozy and laid back. If, for instance, you wouldn’t even dream of taking time, in the midst of a quest, to let your hero curl up for an oh-so-cute catnap or rub purringly up against a passing human leg, then this might not be the game for you.

GAME SUMMARY

Kitty hijinks and quests are the cozy call of duty with Little Kitty, Big City—with no cat-box mess to worry over.

The post Little Kitty, Big City appeared first on Plugged In.

The action gets up and running in 1853, near the end of Japan’s Edo period—when the power of the fearful Shogunate is beginning to wane. And with that gap, Western influence is slipping into the feudal Japanese way of life. But in spite of the benefits of inflowing trade and advanced weaponry, some factions—such as the Veiled Edge assassin clan—that are pushing back against the Black Ship Westerners.

Gamers play as a male or female samurai-like assassin. This skilled sword-handler initially works with a “Blade Twin” partner until a horrible event appears to kill that trusted comrade. The player’s initial quest is to leave the clan and seek revenge, or at least discover if there’s any chance of their friend’s survival. And as the game proceeds, the assassin comes to realize that his or her choices may actually impact this changing world. 

Through a long-running series of side quests, dialogue choices and sword battles, gamers have the option of supporting the Shogunate or bolstering the efforts of the rebellious opposition. The historically based core story asks players to make decisions that affect the overall timeline and outcome.

For all of that background story, however, it’s the swordfights that keep gamers invested in Rise of the Ronin. Those clashing battles require skill and patience.

Players progressively gain different weapons and combat techniques, and they must switch among those varied elements to best matchup against the skillsets of their foes. Switching combat styles; incorporating items such as throwing stars and a grapple hook; and mastering the games combos in the midst of frantic fights are a must.

Rise of the Ronin lets gamers team up with AI companions in-game and offers multiplayer co-op play with up to two friends. There are no player-versus-player battle options at this point.

POSITIVE CONTENT

This is an open-world game that immerses players in an expansive rendition of feudal Japan and its political struggles. So gamers can glean a bit of history (seen through the lens of a fictional story) and info about real historical figures.

Though Rise of the Ronin’s hero starts as a revenge-seeking assassin, he can choose to help others during the journey. The game also offers easy, normal and difficult settings in case players want to tweak the rather tough combat one way or the other. In-game training is offered (though, frankly, some of the gaming aspects aren’t always well explained).

CONTENT CONCERNS

Gamers do quite a bit of adventuring here, but this is primarily a very violent combat game. Players use swords, spears, knives, grapplehooks, throwing stars, pistols, and flamethrowers to battle their enemies in abundantly bloody fights. They can also slip silently behind a foe to knife them in the back. Gory gushing, decapitations and dismemberments are all common.   

In-game characters drink saké, and some get drunk. The dialogue contains uses of the s-word and “b–tard.” And while there’s nothing overtly sexual in the story—other than some lustful gazing at a pretty geisha—players can adjust the underwear-clad breast size of their avatars in the initial character-customization menu.

GAME SUMMARY

Hacking and slashing is the major, uh, point of this actioner. And it’s an exceedingly gushing point indeed.

The post Rise of the Ronin appeared first on Plugged In.

But while gamers may rave about its innovations, Stellar Blade tells a fairly well-worn future sci-fi story.

When the game starts out, our Earth is something of a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Mankind hasn’t totally disappeared from the planet’s surface, but most humans have long-since zipped off to a colony in space. And the remnants left behind are dealing with horrible, mutated monstrosities, called Naytiba, that generally look like mixed masses of limbs, muscle, sharp extremities, and grotesquely bulbous flesh. 

Gamers play as Eve, a member of the 7^th Airborne Squad that’s sent down to take action against that Naytiba scourge. Most of Eve’s female warrior companions were killed during the explosive space drop, so she teams up with a tech-focused male pilot named Adam and an Airborne engineer named Lily to fulfill the planet’s needs and battle its dangers.

Along with a wide variety of quests that benefit the last human city of Xion, Eve also sets off to seek out four massive Alpha Naytibas and slash out their heart-like hypercores. These combined cores could well open the door to a resolution of the Neytiba problem. Along the way, Eve also finds out what really happened to Earth and its inhabitants: She uncovers a secret, long-ago war that no one remembers, and she discovers what created those dreadful monsters to begin with. 

There’s platforming action here combined with exploration, but Stellar Blade’s fast, dynamic, Soulslike combat is what fills up most of this 20- to 30-hour game’s playtime. And that brutal battling is pretty complicated.

This is a very defense-driven battler. Massive enemies launch long, powerful, combo-peppered attacks that can only be dealt with through perfectly timed parries and dodges. Every parry you land deducts a point from the enemy’s “balance” number. And once that balance is broken, then Eve can deliver some killing blows.

Attacks that can’t be parried come fast and furious, too. And that’s where gamers must quickly note the game’s flashes of color that telegraph which kind of unblockable attack is aimed at them, before making the proper dodge move to expose an enemy’s weak points. Then there are special attacks that Eve can layer on from there. So, the whole combat process becomes a complex series of split-second, button-mashing choices and bombastic, dance-like moves.

Stellar Blade is a single player game.And while you can technically play the game without an internet connection (if you have the hardcopy disc version of the game), it will repeatedly ask that gamers connect online for downloads and updates.

POSITIVE CONTENT

If you’re drawn to the challenge of a game filled with well-designed but punishing combat and split-second timing, Stellar Blade offers a lot of tight, daunting conflicts.

As mentioned above, this game is also very appealing graphically. The visuals are detailed and present a very AI-like sense of polish.

CONTENT CONCERNS

That said, some of the third-person, flipping and jumping female characters are also designed to grab and hold the “male gaze” throughout the game. Eve, for instance has over 70 different generally sensual outfits that players can discover or create.

The outfits range from panty-peaking schoolgirl-like attire to mini-skirt-garter-stocking-and-crop-top getups to skintight, latex-like unisuits. One suit looks nearly transparent but for a few small patches of cover. And each outfit is designed to not only showcase each female character’s curves, but also spotlight the game’s very noticeable breast-and-backside jiggle physics.

On the other end of the spectrum, the polished graphics also highlight the horrific-looking Naytibas and the bloody gore that splatters throughout battle. Eve uses blades, a gun-like drone, a laser blaster and explosions to rip away at the beasties. And the sliced-open, artery-gushing, gutted and dismembered result is consistently messy.

Game dialogue also sports uses of the s-word and words such as “d–n,” “d–mit” and “h—.” God’s name is misused.

GAME SUMMARY

Stellar Blade offers challenging combat and impressive graphics. But those polished plusses come packing some not-so-stellar negatives, too.

The post Stellar Blade appeared first on Plugged In.

Believe it or not, the cartoon-cute Another Crab’s Treasure is a Soulslike game in its little crabby heart. But it’s a Soulslike with a twist.

The game tells the story of Kril, a tiny hermit crab more than happy to live his tiny life on a sun-washed and wave-splashed rock. But then a government shark swoops in, demanding back taxes that Kril had no idea he owed. Before he can protest, the gilled government guy swims off with Kril’s cracked shell.

So, Kril has no other option but to jump into the salty depths and try and get what little he had back. In the course of his journey, he meets the denizens of the ocean, and they open his eyes to just how tough the plights of this tide-tumbled world are.

The ocean economy is based on trash that drifts down and clogs up the seabed. And Kril will have to scrape up quite a load of microplastics and other junky wealth if he hopes to regain his true treasure—his shell home—once again.

But Kril also has to deal with the fact that all that dropped gunk is poisoning that underwater, driving its inhabitants to wanton death-dealing and destruction.

To protect Kril, gamers arm him with a tarnished fork; find the best protective shell for any given situation (in the form of an old soda can, a moldy banana peel, a discarded shot glass and the like). So armed and armored, gamers plumb the depths and platform their way through multileveled coral reefs and rocky formations; take on quests from fishy citizens and powerful royals; and face off against all the angry crabs, lobsters, seahorses and, well, anything that can swim Kril’s way.

While on that path, it’s all about upgrading Kril from a hapless bit of moving chum to a barnacled battler to be feared. And, of course, helping the crab reclaim his little cracked shell.

This is a single player game that doesn’t require an internet connection. There is no multiplayer option.

POSITIVE CONTENT

While many Soulslike games are centered on dark and dour fantasy tales, Another Crab’s Treasure keeps things much lighter with lots of ocean-depths humor and tongue-in-cheek winks. And Kril stays positive (for the most part) as he trudges forward through a generally colorful and appealing world.

Don’t be fooled though. This game may look cute and sweet, but it’s difficult!

But the game, as Soulslike as it is, hides a small twist that can make the going a little easier. In the settings section, gamers can dial back the difficulty a bit by boosting Kril’s chosen shell durability, reducing the damage he takes, lowering enemy health, and the like. Gamers even have the option to give Kril a gun. (Of course, that carries its own issues since it turns this T-rated game from a crab-with-a-fork-battler to a shooter.)

Another Crab’s Treasure definitely promotes the idea that we humans should recognize the potential harm of dumping our trash in the oceans. “One thing no creature can afford is complacency,” the story narration tells us.

CONTENT CONCERNS

Again, parents looking at the game’s adorable artwork need to keep in mind that its not an easy game to play. After the first few battles, the difficulty ratches up steeply. While Kril can don 60-plus pieces of trash for a bit of bash protection, players must learn various blocking, dodging and parrying maneuvers if they have any hope of proceeding.

Those battles aren’t bloody, but characters can cry out in pain. Kril can fall, screaming, off high ledges. Some poisoned characters vomit up black gunk in the midst of battle. One chosen shell gets Kril drunk, reducing his reaction time but boosting his attack. The trash scattered across the ocean floor is littered with cigarette butts and liquor bottles.

The in-game language can be off putting, too. (Some of it is spoken aloud, other times printed out.) It can range from deep-sea winks of “holy crab,” “Codspeed” and “Well, boil me slowly,” to uses of the s-word, “d–n,” and “codd–mit!” One angry cry appears to be a stand-in for the f-word, too.

There’s lying and deception in the story mix.

GAME SUMMARY

Another Crab’s Treasure has a cheery look, salt-water humor and gameplay that will appeal to some. But it’s not exactly smooth sailing.

The post Another Crab’s Treasure appeared first on Plugged In.

The game takes place in a spaceship at the bottom of an alien planet’s ocean. At some point in good old Earth’s timeline, humanity comes to the decision that existence here is not sustainable. Be it because of an environmental crisis, political upheaval, or whatever, Earth sends a representative gaggle of people to another planet to keep mankind alive.

Some 250 years later, the self-sustaining space vessel, Fedora 1, crash-lands on a water-covered world and sinks to its ocean floor. Problem is, they’re stuck. Oh, and they receive a message from back home that good old Earth is A-OK now. The folks that stayed behind worked the worrisome problems out. (Good luck, Fedora 1!)

Gamers play as Harold Halibut, a hapless handyman/lab assistant who trundles about the huge spaceship fulfilling simple tasks, working through mini-game challenges and talking to the ship’s inhabitants. Harold’s shipbound neighbors have reconciled themselves to life as it is, but Harold and the ship’s lead scientist, Jeanne Mareaux, strive for more.

Are they really just trapped in this ark-like ship, Harold wonders? Or is there a way to repair things and go to a drier place? And for that matter, are they all alone? Or is there more life down here than they suspect?

Ultimately, gamers move Harold through his story as he begins to ask existential (and sometimes surreal) questions about life and choice, and what constitutes happiness or success.

This is a single-player game that doesn’t require an online connection.

POSITIVE CONTENT

There’s a handcrafted beauty and detail about Harold Halibut that Claymation fans will definitely appreciate. The game can at times feel like you’re reaching into a wonderfully crafted doll house to play out Harold’s story. And that story can be very introspective and thoughtful.

This game also lets gamers move forward at their own laid-back pace. There’s no all-consuming or driving objective to the story that will suck away someone’s time. Play has a very casual feel about it.

CONTENT CONCERNS

That said, Harold Halibut sometimes feels so ploddingly casual that gamers may lose interest. Conversations can become diatribes at times. And the story’s humor is so dry that it can almost make you wonder if it’s actually humor at all (ala the above-mentioned Wes Anderson-like feel).

In that vein, characters can give off a very passive-aggressive attitude toward fix-it guy Harold. Language in those conversations includes the words “d–ned” and “d–mit.”

GAME SUMMARY

“Quirky” is a word that readily comes to mind while playing the Claymation-like Harold Halibut. That sense is so prominent that younger players may be left scratching their heads. But for the right sort of gamer, fix-it man Harold totes some charming tools in his character-driven toolbelt.

The post Harold Halibut appeared first on Plugged In.

The word “shadow” in the title is an important clue to what players will do as they delve into the game’s story.

Players take on the third-person role of a woman named Ayana, a member of the Ereban race. These people have the amazing ability to manipulate matter within darkness and thereby become one with the shadows.

I say “people,” but the fact is, Ayana has never met another Ereban. She may be the last of her kind.

That’s what helps draw her to an incredibly influential power company called Helios. This massive corporation claims to be the end-all-be-all to energy needs in the galaxy. And it promises Ayana access to its vast stores of knowledge about her people if she simply joins in their noble cause as an agent of positive change.

Once Ayana gets involved, however, things immediately feel a little sketchy. And she is soon snatched up by the company’s robots to be used for some mysterious purpose. But just before really bad things happen, she’s helped by a gaggle of rebels that break her free and …  want to use her abilities for their cause.

Ayana isn’t exactly sure who to trust. But she knows one thing: Helios has info about the disappearance of the Ereban. That evil corporation might even be the cause. And if she wants to uncover the truth, Ayana will need to traverse the facilities, temples and ruins controlled by Helios; aid the rebels; and dig up the facts, piece by piece.

As mentioned, gameplay in Shadow Legacy is focused on stealth. Ayana can merge with any shadowed space (much like ink-diving in the game Splatoon) and glide along the ground, up walls and through blocked areas. Players can only merge with shadows for a limited time, but it can be expanded as the game progresses. Any hint of light, however, will cause Ayana to pop suddenly into view.

Although Ayana can slip up behind the Helios robotic and human forces and stab them in the backs, she is pretty much defenseless and instantly eliminated if caught in the open.

The game rewards players for making the stealthy, pacifist choice with no death-dealing. But if they choose a more assassin-focused tack, they gain shadow-crawling bonuses while facing significant consequences when dealing with other humans.

This is a single player game that doesn’t require an internet connection.

POSITIVE CONTENT

It’s easy to call Ereban: Shadow Legacy an indie gem. It’s a great-looking title with strong elements of play for those who enjoy stealth and puzzle strategy mixed with a dash of platforming.

The game takes Ayana through a series of levels and chapters, but it uses an open-area design that gives players plenty of choices of how to get from one goal to another. Gamers can pursue lots of side quests and gather collectables that reward Ayana with ability upgrades. (Ability upgrades include such things as blinding a foe temporarily, hiding a fallen foe, setting a decoy image, etc.)

Each chapter is also graded—with deductions for time expended, number of kills and the like—and that prompts players to replay a section and shoot for a better score and stealthy performance.

CONTENT CONCERNS

Ayana is asked to not kill any human foes. But she can still stab them in the back if she needs (or wants) to. (Robots spurt a black oil and humans splash a bit of blood.) The foes, however, have no compunctions about their deadly actions. They shoot lasers at the young woman and consistently mean her harm. If she’s caught, the large robots lift her by the head and give her a laser zap to the face. (Ayana then goes back to give the area another try.)

Trusted characters also make choices to lie and deceive as the story unfolds.

Game controls are fairly easy to slip into, but maneuvering through moving shadows and the like can feel a bit tricky at first for younger players. There’s a bit of coarse language in the fully voiced action, including uses of the s-word, “d–mit,” “h—hole,” and misuses of God’s name.

GAME SUMMARY

This T-rated indie gem isn’t perfect, but it’s filled with lots of shadow-slipping fun.

The post Ereban: Shadow Legacy appeared first on Plugged In.

Pepper has a grinder, and she knows how to use it.

And all of this young woman’s digging and grinding finesse is on display in a creative, swashbuckling, side-scrolling platformer appropriately called Pepper Grinder.

This inventive little 2-D pixel art game kicks off with a simple premise: Pepper’s ship has run aground on the coastline of a strange island. While she lays unconscious on the shore, a pink-haired pirate and her goblin-like minions steal her treasure of jewels. But upon waking and giving chase, Pepper falls and finds herself stranded in a seemingly inescapable rocky gorge.

Fortunately for the beleaguered captain, however, she finds an odd, gas-engine mechanical grinder/drill that’s about as big as she is. And when Pepper fires it up, it burrows into the gorge’s soft rock, dragging her along in its wake.

She’ll need to use this chugging, motorized device to navigate patches of dirt, volcanic magma, ice, water and poisonous marsh in the rocky terrain around her. And if that wasn’t enough of a challenge, she’ll fight foes, beat big bosses and work to find and reclaim her stolen treasure.

The core game mechanic here is, of course, steering Pepper’s conical grinder that she uses to dig through various substances and leap from level to level.

That device can also power up other gadgets Pepper finds along the way. She can, for instance, slip the grinder into a gun-like adapter to blast at obstacles and foes; she can use it to crank a bridge to a higher level; she can rocket herself forward with a grinder-powered cannon. The grinder can even power up an ice-skimming snowmobile or a building-ramming robot.

After mastering the basics, players have to figure out the sometimes very complicated platforming challenges and environmental puzzles set before them. Along the way, they also collect jewels embedded in the ground and dig up special coins. Those coins can be exchanged for cosmetic add-ons (hair color changes, capes and outfits) or used to unlock extra levels of play.

Pepper Grinder is a single-player-only game. And you don’t need an online connection to play it.

POSITIVE CONTENT

This game’s level design is clever and colorful. Gamers are guided forward by a glittering trail of gems imbedded in diggable areas. And its pixel art feels cartoonishly retro, making for an eye-catching experience.

Pepper Grinder is also very fluid and fun, demanding just the right combination of boosted speed, grapple-hook grabs and strategically timed jumps.

Since Pepper’s challenges are presented in a series of relatively short levels, play can be limited to five-to-ten-minute chunks if so desired.

CONTENT CONCERNS

All of the above said, however, some areas can be frustratingly difficult at times. Those head-scratching challenges can result in Pepper falling to her doom—sometimes into deadly lava. (There’s no mess or blood and the 2-D pixel character reappears for another attempt.)

And Pepper must deal with more than just challenging jumps and digs. Large insects and goblin critters come at Pepper, sometimes in a flooding rush. These creatures can come carrying guns and flamethrowers, and some wear protective armor. One large skeletal boss strikes with high-powered laser beams. And many times, the onrushing crowds or boss battles can feel intense and frenetic.

When Pepper strikes with her grinder or zaps a critter with a gun, the attacker instantly changes into a skull and bones that crumble away. Pepper also encounters explosive landmines and flamethrowing turrets that she must maneuver around if she hopes to survive.

(I played on the Nintendo Switch. But the game is also offered on PC. And if played with a keyboard and no thumbsticks, I can only imagine that the fast-paced game play would be very difficult.)

GAME SUMMARY

Pepper and her grinder offer gamers some tasty side-scrolling play that’s fun, fluid and never too spicy.

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Over the years, Nintendo and its game-making partners have done yeoman’s work to keep each of the many, many Mario games from feeling like cookie-cutter copies of one another. And they’ve done a great job. Princess Peach: Showtime! is an exemplary example. This game’s protagonist princess hits her mark with bravado and charm.

Things start off when one of Princess Peach’s mushroom Toad pals shows her a poster for the upcoming Sparkle Theater productions. It looks so enchanting that the princess and Toad soon fly off in hopes of seeing a fun show together. But upon arriving at this Vegas-like, oversized playhouse, Peach discovers that something foul is afoot.

A villain named Madame Grape—and her crew the Sour Bunch—have made an unexpected entrance to steal the show, imprisoned the star performers and redirected everything in Grape’s own foul image.

It’s time for Peach to step out of her typical duties as loyal royal sidekick and take on the roles of heroic leading lady characters. Literally! With the help of Stella, the theater’s sparkle spirit guardian, Peach slips into a variety of different costumes, assumes that character’s abilities and then jumps into each performance with dramatic gusto. She’ll need to best all of the backstage baddies, free the captive actors, and make sure that the show will go on!

Gameplay wise, Princess Peach: Showtime! blends a variety of different gaming genres. When Peach performs as any of 10 different character parts, the style of gaming fits the role.

For example, Swordfighter Peach leaps into swordplay battles; Detective Peach uses her sleuthing skills to uncover clues; Cowgirl Peach jumps up on horseback and lassos baddies through a side-scrolling train set.

Princess Peach: Showtime! is a single-player-only game and it does not require an online connection. (Oh, and players never need to break a leg.)

POSITIVE CONTENT

In this reviewer’s humble opinion, Princess Peach is a much more approachable and endearing protagonist than a couple mustachioed plumbers I know. And her game is filled with appealing variety. The game doesn’t dive deeply into its different genres, but some of the performance stages feel like they could be expanded to become whole games of their own.  

On top of that, this game feels geared for younger players. There’s lots of color. And Peach’s leading lady heroics abound while always maintaining the sweet charm that the character is known for.

In short, Princess Peach: Showtime! spotlights gaming novelty and helpful niceness—elements that parents will appreciate.

CONTENT CONCERNS

There isn’t much to worry over. Players will direct Peach to deliver sword slashes, kung fu kicks and a few explosives on her puppet-like foes. But it never feels harsh or cruel. (Some of the villains blast at Peach with lasers and the like.)

Princess Peach: Showtime! may be a little disappointing for adult gamers who want a more challenging hill to climb, but it works well for younger Peach fans.

That said, I should note that the game sometimes requires timed jumps or attacks that could get a little difficult and/or frustrating for smaller players. They may require a little adult help to navigate.

GAME SUMMARY

Hollywood starlets step aside. Princess Peach is ready for her closeup, and her game is ready for its own spotlight. Cue the sweeping musical score.

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