The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu PlayStation 5 Review

The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu on PlayStation 5 is an interesting game sent my way by the kind folks over at Nacon, which I always appreciate and enjoy working with.

The story is a simple one: there is an island with a cursed jungle on it full of treasure, and you and your people want that treasure. Others have tried and failed, and you and your friends are about to find out exactly why they failed.

You will start out on the ship and choose a mission and some gear. This might be a sword or an axe or something like a musket or bow. This is a game I will be perfectly clear from the get-go, is meant to be played with friends, preferably friends you play normally with. Solo is an option, and it will even spawn a helper, but at higher-level contracts they seem kind of useless.

Those higher-level contracts are also where the difficulty of the game really kicks in. See, after a while you will discover there just aren’t enough weapons for everyone, which is great because sometimes someone needs to carry a lantern and someone needs to keep space open for all that beautiful loot you need to bring back. How are you supposed to do this alone, even when the game tones down the difficulty for you? With randoms, this becomes a problem because you don’t know anyone’s skill level or what they are best at.

While the game has issues, it truly nails the survival horror aspect. Lovecraftian horror is always hit and miss with me because it needs to be both scary and creepy, but many people try far too hard, and Nacon managed to avoid that with The Mound. While the game has its issues, the horror part isn’t one of them. The game is a 7 out of 10 that, if you have a consistent group, is worth picking up. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Astaryn RPG Idler Steam Review

Astaryn RPG Idler on Steam was sent my way by Watercolor Games. This was honestly one of the weirdest, yet easiest games I have ever had to review. You just toss it on in the background while you are on YouTube or whatever else you are doing, and away it goes. Go back to it and switch what your character does, and just ignore it again. Now I know this sounds like every other idle game in existence, but why should you spend $4 on it? You should, by the way.

Each action you take leads to another; combat helps level things like your combat skills or vitality when you take damage. To heal, you need to level up your provisioner skill. To level provisioning, though, you need something to cook. This means you need to use your angling skills to fish. If you ignore the game too long without ever switching what your character is doing, you will end up with no growth.

You can earn gear by drops in combat; stronger monsters drop better gear, obviously. You can fight stronger monsters by doing missions and by focusing on increasing your stats in a way that makes sense, and by selecting the right talents. The game is very deep for what it is and for the price. The more you play, the more you can upgrade your character to stay away longer. You start with a 24-hour timer that will stay idle, but there are upgrades so you can go longer. As of right now, I can stay away for 48 hours, and my character will stay idle and do his own thing. This is probably the most intricate idle game I have played, and for $4, it is hard to beat. It is an 8/10 title. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Devil May Cry

Just so we’re all clear, I’m talking about cool Dante’s first outing. Emo, Hot Topic, proto Jared Leto Joker Dante won’t hurt you here.

We follow monster hunter/ paranormal PI Dante at his agency named Devil May Cry. A lady named Trish pops in, asking him to kill the dark lord Mundus on the demon infested Mallet island. Dante is no ordinary man: born for a legendary demon and human mother, Dante possess super strength, speed, reflexes, regeneration, with a host of mythical weapons. Can the demon hunter survive the legion of demons and beasts on a island that busts reality and the world beyond?

So many, many friends have pleaded with me to give this series a chance. If I can beat Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and System Shock (2023) I can beat anything dammit. Many, including our mutual friend and cohert, Arragas the Druid, begged me to start with the 3rd game (which is actually the first.) I didn’t because I’m stubborn as hell but I wish I did.

The original Devil May Cry isn’t a terrible game, it just aged like milk in many aspects and small but vital quality of life additions make a tremendous difference. The combat is solid enough. The bosses look cool. Mundus was a pretty good final boss that wasn’t a pushover. The world, settings, and lore are pretty cool. Dante is a fun likeable badass.

Two things murder the game for me. The camera killed me more times than not. The enemies hit hard, platforming can be a pain in the ass, and it can be hard knowing where the hell to go- the tank camera amplifies these issues almost a dozen fold. Their were plenty of times I lost it because the camera obscured a boss attack or I fumbled a jump because I couldn’t see. The other thin is those quality of life additions the game desperately needed. I’m talking simple things like quick weapon selection, attack instructions (why spend the orbs on new attacks when the game doesn’t tell you how to perform them), and the ability to lock onto enemies. Nothing huge on there own but rolled togther with the camera, it becomes aggravating.

In the end, I can’t recommend the first Devil May Cry as your first go into the series. It’s tough at imes for mostly the wrong reasons, the gameplay takes some getting used to, and the story feels mostly like an after thought. I’d say after going through some of the modern entries, check it out, but I can’t really recommend it off the bat. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Horror Movie

Horror Movie: an unfinished, unreleased, amateur, experimental horror film shrouded in myth and controversary since the 90’s. After nearly three decades of occult infamy comes the Hollywood reboot. Of the film’s original production, only the film’s villain christened The Thin Kid remains. What happened to this little picture to gain the infamy and intrigue? Is this lost movie cursed or has life imitated art?

So despite the title, this is novel from horror author Paul Tremblay. I loved A Head Full of Ghosts and I recall Savior saying he enjoyed the movie adaption of The Cabin At The End of the World ( Knock at the Cabin). Horror Movie is a odd novel. It’s well written, bouncing between different time periods. I wasn’t hugely invested, believing I had the story mapped out, but I was pleasantly surprised by the end. I like Tremblay’s approach to horror, adding depth and real life trauma to what would be bland horror scenarios.

For me personally, the book stumbles a few times. I felt like the pacing snags a few times in spots because certain parts feel repetitive. Think Resident Evil 6 when you played part you already did, just through a slightly different perspective. Like for example, there’s a part where the Thin Kid is asked in present day how he pulled off a crazy ass jump. He explains it. Then we go to the past when it was filmed and he relives it; I feel like it didn’t add much. This happens a few times. The characters are fine but I never got attached to any of them, therefore I wasn’t invested in their ill fates.

In the end, Horror Movie is a quick, solid read. I would actually like to see a film adaptation; honestly I think it might be better in that regard. The book isn’t amazing, but well worth a read if you like found footage horror. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Welcome to Kowloon Xbox Review

Welcome to Kowloon on Xbox was sent my way by Axyos Games. You may remember them from Apartment No. 129. This game is kind of similar, except we have now hit the point where the horror aspect is that you are simply a young person trying to find a cheap apartment.

This good boy is hungry, get food from the store and feed him.

You will be checking out Kowloon, a city that I hope has seen better days; otherwise, this run-down, creepy place was built like this on purpose. As you explore for about an hour, which is how long it takes to beat the game, you will come across a few crazy residents. You will discover why the rent is so cheap; you aren’t meant to leave. Honestly, with such a short game, I can’t say too much without spoiling it. Suffice it to say, the game is short but sweet. The atmosphere is tense right from the start, the game controls well, and you really feel like you are in a small, cramped building in a poor neighborhood.

I would get drunk and fall off this instantly

The game costs $10 and is a quick play, with some easy achievement points. I won’t say it is worth it for everyone, but if you are looking for something quick and interesting to play, there are worse ways to spend a night. It is a 7/10 experience. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Dig Into a Cozy Mining Adventure: Glintseeker Island Demo Launches on Steam July 16th!

 Do you yearn for the mines? Assemble Entertainment and Half Soup Labs invite players to uncover long-lost treasures in an exciting new demo of Glintseeker Island, available on Steam from 16 July 2026. Revel in the satisfying excavation mechanics of classic treasure-hunting games and enjoy a hefty slice of the full experience ahead of the game’s 2027 launch.

STOP! HAMMER TIME!

Glintseeker Island is a cozy mining adventure where you and your trusty hammer will uncover treasure, mystery, and the chance to rebuild a forgotten island. Descend into mysterious underground caverns to uncover rare artefacts, fossils, gemstones, and hidden secrets while upgrading your tools and expanding your abilities. When you poke your head back above ground, you can use your discoveries to rebuild a once-thriving village and help out its quirky residents.

This is your first chance for everyone to delve beneath the surface of Glintseeker Island and uncover the secrets that lie beneath the surface.

  • Explore two procedurally generated cave biomes across 15 floors
  • Excavate countless artefacts, fossils, gemstones, and treasures
  • Flog all your precious loot
  • Complete eight village restoration projects and side quests
  • Will you find the 0.2% demo-exclusive Soup Fossil?
  • Take good care of Shadow, your loyal canine companion

Can you dig it?

The new game will be unveiled as part of the Secret Sauce event on July 16, showcasing some of the most intriguing and exciting indie titles coming your way.

Verho – Curse of Faces PlayStation 5 Review

Verho – Curse of Faces was sent my way by Cobra Tekku Games and is an upcoming Dark RPG that you will be able to get your hands on July 30th. It is, however, available now on Steam. The best way to describe this game is if Kings Field or an Early Elder Scrolls Morrowind suddenly found itself much smaller with PlayStation 1 graphics and tossed onto modern consoles. This isn’t an insult; this was very much an intentional design choice.

The story is pretty straightforward; you find yourself in a land where everyone who arrives there loses their memory and wears a mask. The reason for this is that a curse has settled over this section of the world due to some sort of catastrophe that, for obvious reasons, nobody truly remembers. People have, of course, begun to piece some things back together over the last few hundred years. You are attempting to make your way to the old capital in an attempt to escape, like many others have tried and failed to do.

This is your save and fast travel point, not creepy at all. Not even a little.

This brings me to the gameplay and such. I will say right out of the gate, it won’t be for everyone. Many of you have no desire to play a retro-inspired RPG that is a throwback to when games had no auto-save, so if you die, it’s right back to the last save point. If this is you, you can stop reading; nothing I am about to say will change your mind anyway.

For those of you still reading this, the game is a treat in many ways, graphically and in the sound; it is an amazing throwback. Obviously, it isn’t up to today’s standards, but for when it is trying to mimic the game is beautiful and fluid. When I died, I felt like it was my fault. Jumping feels nice, sword play, and slinging spells are more than just hitting a button. If you simply slash your sword, you do very little damage. You need to hold the swing button until the meter just about hits the top. If you time it right, you will do max damage. As an added bonus, you can hold a sword and a shield but not lose the ability to use magic.

The game, however, is not perfect. There is very little direction, which is fine, but the results of going the wrong direction are deaths that cause loss of time and progress. Worse, the in-game guide won’t tell you plenty of things it probably should. Luckily, the community is very helpful, as are the devs. They happily point people on Steam to guides people have made. The game is long enough to get your time out of it in one playthrough but short enough to encourage multiple playthroughs, which is good because there are multiple endings.

Belive it or not, that’s the blacksmith

Now, is this game worth your money? This one completely comes down to how much you like retro-inspired games. For me, this was a 7/10 title. It is sitting at very positive reviews on Steam, and I think it deserves them. I enjoyed my first playthrough, and I will be playing it again. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Mega-viral horror co-op extraction builder ‘Grain Rot’ launching August 7 on PC

Team up with up to four friends as you control extremely flammable wooden vessels, breaking into underground ruins to salvage loot for your Outpost base. Be wary of monsters, your friends griefing you, and going too deep and discovering the Rot as you try to make it back in one piece and survive the next run.

Each time your vessel catches fire or gets smashed to pieces, your Living Spark will need to find and possess a new one, allowing you to keep riding the cursed elevator deeper in the search for loot. Furniture can be smashed to splinters as you use the debris for resources or feed it to the Grinder for gold. 

Create your own chaos by sending your pal’s Spark out of their vessel or simply leave them to fend for themselves against a horde of monsters. Who needs enemies when you have friends like these? Troll wisely, though: if everyone breaks then your loot is lost forever.

Grain Rot will be released on PC via Steam on August 7, 2026.

Evil Dead Burn

Every family has its demons. After Will dies in a freak car accident, his wealthy family gathers to mourn him. Alice, his ex wife, dreads the isolation, multiplied by the grief, guilt, and secrets haunting her. Or at least she wishes that’s all that was haunting her. The patriarch of the family was obsessed with the fabled Necronomicon, driving himself to insanity to put an end to it’s horrors. Could the unholy text have anything to do with Alice’s father in law’s violent mood swings and the grisly mayhem about to ensue?

I love the versatility and creativity of this series. So first, if you wanted something closer to Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn , you are pretty shit out of luck. There is some comedic moments but long gone are the slapstick bits, lovable clay effects and one liners. Burn maybe the grimmest of the series, leaning into some pretty heavy subject matter involving spousal abuse and generational abuse. It handles these topics pretty well. The chaos of the Deadites is relentless and once this movie starts going, it doesn’t stop- for better or worse. I think a little pause here and there would’ve helped build tension and made the movie feel smoother. It doesn’t help I wasn’t really invested in any of the characters except Alice but that took a long time. Don’t get me wrong, the actors were great, I just hated their characters for the most part. The highlight of the movie is the gore and cinematography. There are some insanely cool, creative shots in this movie we haven’t since the likes of the original 2.

So before my final thoughts, I got to put my two cents on something I’ve picked up on in a lot of reviews that trashed this movie for being “too mean” and cruel and how the Evil Dead series has lost itself. I respectfully disagree with all the above. I adore Evil Dead for reinventing itself while keeping the underlying themes of a average hero facing against an impossible threat. As for the mean spiritedness- they are called the Evil Dead for a reason, man. Who wants to watch the Friendly Dead?

So in the end, Evil Dead Burn maybe my least favorite of the series but its still a pretty good movie. The themes are dark, the Deadites are always awesome with plenty of gore, and the 2 after credits scenes are pretty fulfilling. Stay groovy everyone.

 “Tempest Rising” Releases New Steam TactiCon Demo Featuring 3rd Faction’s Upcoming Campaign Expansion

 Tempest Rising, the acclaimed best-selling real-time strategy game from Saber Interactive’s 3D Realms publishing label, Knights Peak, and developer Slipgate Ironworks, has released a new demo today on Steam for TactiCon featuring the first two missions from the new full-fledged single-player campaign for the game’s upcoming third playable faction: the Veti. Experience the next chapter in Tempest Rising‘s ongoing story in command of a unique force designed around subjugating and sacrificing its fallen enemies to power its conquest.

With Tempest Rising‘s new TactiCon demo, players can experience the first two missions from the enigmatic Veti’s upcoming story campaign, as well as the first two missions from the previous Global Defense Force and Tempest Dynasty campaigns. Players can also get a taste of the Veti faction on the battlefield in skirmish mode and custom multiplayer games.

The complete Veti faction, including a dedicated 11-mission single-player campaign and full integration in multiplayer, skirmish mode and custom games, will arrive later this year in “The Veti’s Wrath” expansion. Players will be able to experience the final chapter of the Tempest Rising saga, as the ancient and brutal Veti battle to reunite their technologically superior forces, turn the tide against humanity, and reclaim their place in a world they once ruled.

Nominated for Best Sim/Strategy title at The Game Awards, Tempest Rising transports you to a battle-scarred 1997 in an alternate timeline where the Cuban Missile Crisis went nuclear. From epic single-player campaigns to ranked multiplayer and skirmish mode, you’ll experience fast, hard-hitting gameplay with classic RTS base building and unique asymmetrical factions. Take command of the battlefield, lead your armies in all-out warfare, and execute bold strategies to emerge victorious.

For more Tempest Rising, visit https://tempestrising.com, and follow the latest news and updates on X/Twitter and Discord.