2K and Hangar 13 closed out Gamescom Opening Night Live with the announcement of Mafia: The Old Country, an upcoming new entry in the Mafia series. Set in 1900s Sicily, the game will explore the origins of the mafia through a linear narrative and a classic mob movie atmosphere described as bringing the series back to its […]

King of Meat is a new co-op focused dungeon crawler developed by Glowmade and published by Amazon Games coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC, complete with cross-play and cross-progression. Ahead of its reveal at Gamescom Opening Night Live, I got to head to Los Angeles to preview the game and […]

In a game that’s part visual novel and part action RPG, Noctuary tells a compelling story about two girls fighting the forces of darkness in an intriguing fantasy world. Noctuary Developer: Gratesca Price: $30 Platforms: PC (reviewed) MonsterVine was provided with a PC code for review. Noctuary came out last November, but it’s largely flown […]

The demo for Visions of Mana was recently released across platforms, allowing me to check out a chapter of the upcoming RPG from Square Enix and Ouka Studios. Given my experience with the Mana series, I had an approximate knowledge of what to expect from this demo, though it exceeded these expectations in quite a […]

A new Gori: Cuddly Carnage trailer has been released to celebrate the debut of the hack-and-slash title’s demo across consoles and PC. The trailer shows the titular cat as he utilizes his hoverboard to dice up villainous toys in the most brutal and gory manner possible. As of this morning, the demo has officially dropped on […]

Dungeons & Degenerate Gamblers takes the classic blackjack game and turns it into a head-to-head battler, filled with unique cards that can drastically change the game. Some of the more random aspects of blackjack can be frustrating. The lack of unlockable cards means the feeling of finding a new powerful card to use fades quicker […]

In a game that’s part visual novel and part action RPG, Noctuary tells a compelling story about two girls fighting the forces of darkness in an intriguing fantasy world. Noctuary Developer: Gratesca Price: $30 Platforms: PC (reviewed) MonsterVine was provided with a PC code for review. Noctuary came out last November, but it’s largely flown […]

Dungeons & Degenerate Gamblers takes the classic blackjack game and turns it into a head-to-head battler, filled with unique cards that can drastically change the game. Some of the more random aspects of blackjack can be frustrating. The lack of unlockable cards means the feeling of finding a new powerful card to use fades quicker […]

Natsu-Mon: 20th Century Summer Kid is a relaxing and endlessly charming title that harnesses summer vacation nostalgia with satisfying collection and exploration mechanics. If you’re looking for a laid-back summer game, this is certainly the one. Natsu-Mon: 20th Century Summer Kid Developer: Millennium Kitchen & TOYBOX Inc. Price: $40 Platforms: Nintendo Switch (reviewed) and PC […]

You know, when Master Onion was teaching martial arts I’m pretty sure he had a few more instructions besides just “kick”. Anger Foot Developer: Free Lives Price: $24.99 Platform: PC MonsterVine was supplied with a PC code for review Welcome to Shit City, a hellhole where everyone’s favorite pastime is committing crimes. It’s run by […]

Star Wars: Bounty Hunter is a somewhat forgotten classic Star Wars game that has made its return in a mostly great manner. Some issues of the original game persist along with a couple of technical hiccups, but for the most part, it’s good to see this explosive title strike back. Star Wars: Bounty Hunter Developer: […]

I am a simple man of simple pleasures. I like colony sims and city builders and high concepts and let’s just say the pitch of “Rimworld plus Crusader Kings” was a “slam that buy button” choice for your boy Tommy Ravens. Let’s get through the story wrapper real quick: There was a war, the empire […]

Here at Monstervine, we usually handle writing about games on a volunteer basis, but Grit and Valor 1949 was…well, let’s say “a real-time tactics roguelite in an alt-history World War 2 dieselpunk setting with mechs” was so me it was basically a “you are previewing this.” Fine, guys, twist my arms.  Axis forces destroyed and/or […]

It’s a widely believed fact that comedy is far more difficult than drama. Looking at any gaming platform storefront you’re likely to see wall-to-wall action, and while some of it has a lighter tone, for the most part, it’s full of drama. It’s tough to get a laugh but it’s even tougher to say, “Hey, […]

Makoto Wakaido’s Case Files Trilogy Deluxe presents four bite-sized pixel art mysteries to solve with simple detective mechanics and a steady progression in quality. Makoto Wakaido’s Case Files Trilogy Deluxe Developer: Hakababunko Price: $13 Platforms: PC (reviewed), Switch MonsterVine was provided with a PC code for review. Makoto Wakaido’s Case Files Trilogy Deluxe is a […]

Warframe was released a little over 10 years ago. Since then, the game has seen drastic changes in gameplay, characters, and even the story. Although it’s unclear when the game takes place, its in the far future, where space travel is common. With its ever-growing expansions, Digital Extremes decided to take a step back and […]

Samurai Warriors 4 DX is the “ultimate” version of the original title, previously only released in Japan but is finally seeing a translated release in the States. When I say ultimate, I mean it because this entry in the Musou genre is absolutely packed full of content, with the original release already being content rich, […]

Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn proves itself a perfect example of what an AA game can be. A shorter experience focused on telling a compact story, with combat just good enough to propel you to credits. It doesn’t offer a particularly compelling story and combat has a very specific flow to it, actively punishing anyone […]

You know, when Master Onion was teaching martial arts I’m pretty sure he had a few more instructions besides just “kick”. Anger Foot Developer: Free Lives Price: $24.99 Platform: PC MonsterVine was supplied with a PC code for review Welcome to Shit City, a hellhole where everyone’s favorite pastime is committing crimes. It’s run by […]

Makoto Wakaido’s Case Files Trilogy Deluxe presents four bite-sized pixel art mysteries to solve with simple detective mechanics and a steady progression in quality. Makoto Wakaido’s Case Files Trilogy Deluxe Developer: Hakababunko Price: $13 Platforms: PC (reviewed), Switch MonsterVine was provided with a PC code for review. Makoto Wakaido’s Case Files Trilogy Deluxe is a […]

Samurai Warriors 4 DX is the “ultimate” version of the original title, previously only released in Japan but is finally seeing a translated release in the States. When I say ultimate, I mean it because this entry in the Musou genre is absolutely packed full of content, with the original release already being content rich, […]

Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus is a stylish and impressive looking game, but a few too many rough edges bring down the experience, making it a fun, if not memorable experience. Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus Developer: Squid Shock Studios Price: $20 USD Platforms: PC (reviewed), Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch MonsterVine […]

I don’t know if it’s possible to stop being sad, but I believe it’s possible to stop being sad all of the time. This is a new revelation that I came to after playing Until Then, a narrative adventure game created by Polychroma Games. While the dialogue and story meanders quite a bit, the central […]

Some games are about 300 hours of gameplay and high concepts and groundbreaking narratives and some are just about vibes. Cryptmaster is just about vibes, specifically, the vibe of cruising around a dungeon typing words while a sardonic, Vincent Price-style narrator complains about what an idiot you are (you are) and you try to fight […]

It’s never been a better time to be a cat person and want to play as one of those mischievous furballs in a video game, and Little Kitty Big City might have captured the essence of being a cat perfectly. Little Kitty, Big City Developer: Double Dagger Studio Price: $24.99 Platform: PC / Switch / […]

The Men of War series is one of those game series that is what it is and isn’t really going to change. In this case, it’s about brutal World War II Real Time Strategy combat and that’s what it’s always been about. Men of War 2 has some…let’s say controversial changes, like making it always […]

I do not have kids but I am an old enough man to be A Dad, which is to say I spent a substantial part of this weekend waking up at 6am, singing a little song about “going to the hardware store,” dealing with A Project that spiraled out of control, going to two different […]

I was a wretch, a mere thief serving out a sentence in an inquisition prison until the Confessor gave me purpose. Tasked with tracking down a pirate known as Vela Calose, I embarked on a mission that could possibly change the world. Meeting Vela, this imposing figure bid me adieu as she took off in […]

Crabs have been in vogue lately and it’s hard to blame them; they’re cute little dudes with giant claws why wouldn’t you want to play as a crab? We’ve had crab shooters, crab fighting games, and now we’re getting a crab soulslike with Another Crab’s Treasure. Another Crab’s Treasure Developer: Aggro Crab Price: $29.99 Platform: […]

It’s raining on the compound. It’s always raining on the compound. The sound of tires churning through mud coats the nearby forest as men in yellow and black cheer on the drivers as they make large donuts in the grass. Fire crackles from a series of open metal drums a few of the men have […]

I’ve been following the development of Berserk Boy for a long time, ever since seeing a post on Twitter showing off some sprites and mechanics that went a little viral.  I’m a huge fan of action platformers, especially ones like Mega Man X, Rocket Knight, the Gunvolt series, and more! I was entranced by the […]

Goblins have gotten a bad rap in fantasy games. Sure, they’re not quite Giant Rats in the sewer in terms of cliche enemies, but they’re what you fight after giant rats, maybe. Nobody really cares about goblins, except, of course, the horny weirdos, but those aren’t really people in a technical sense. Goblin Stone is […]

Dragon’s Dogma 2 is the long awaited sequel to cult classic Dragon’s Dogma. Finally we will learn what wisdom this dragon wishes to impart upon us, lest we don’t get lost along the way and repeat a fight with goblins 20 times to get there. Dragon’s Dogma 2 Developer: Capcom Price: $70 USD Platform: PC […]

The state of action RPGs is such that your choice is “Get a Ph.D. in Path of Exile until Path of Exile 2 comes out” or endure the fact that Diablo 4 exists–and remember, I kept playing Diablo 4 even while we called it one of our biggest disappointments–and wait for Path of Exile 2. […]

World War II seems like it’s been done to death, but there’s still a ton of material just waiting to be explored. Operation Jedburgh is one of those areas that hasn’t really been covered in games, in movies, by endless specials on The History Channel, etc., but it helped pave the way for the ultimate […]

We’re hitting a point where the roguelike genre has become so saturated we’re beginning to expect the same thing from every game. Dicefolk might as well be Slay the Spire with a group of three instead of one, and with dice instead of cards. My first run went well and I was pretty annoyed that […]

The Prince of Persia series has been on ice for a shocking amount of time for what was such a beloved series. Thirteen years, since the sorta (but then not really) movie tie-in, The Forgotten Sands released in 2010. Since then we’ve only had whispers and broken dreams of a new title, with one reboot […]

The internet may be full of communists today, but the Russian Revolution was not what the kids call a good time. The Bolsheviks eventually won, but there were a lot of other factions. You had your White Russians (distinct from what The Dude drinks), you had the Allies intervening to try and stop the communists, […]

Continuing Powerwash Simulator’s massive multimedia crossover, we now find ourselves washing a time machine… made out of a Delorean. It’s heavy, man. Powerwash Simulator – Back to the Future Special Pack Developer: FuturLab Price: $8 USD Platform: PC (reviewed), PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch MonsterVine was supplied with Steam […]

A lot has changed in the 13 years since Remedy Entertainment first introduced us to Alan Wake, and it’s clear they’ve taken what they’ve learned and weaponized it to create Alan Wake 2, a true masterpiece of interactive narrative driven horror. Alan Wake 2 is a supernatural horror game which iterates on the concepts started […]

The impact of From Software’s titles is unquestionable. A seemingly unstoppable force that sinks its teeth into the soft flesh of all around it, infecting them with its disease. Of course, it’s a disease most welcome, proven by the ever-growing list of titles made in the image of its sire. Lords of the Fallen Developer: […]

Witness the effects of an unjust war, go on the run from the dangerous paramilitary force known as The Core that increases its influence over the world day by day, and search for answers in this long-awaited game leaving Early Access at last. Long Gone Days Developer: This I Dreamt Price: $25 Platform: PC, PlayStation […]

El Paso, Elsewhere’s inspirations are nearly impossible to overlook. The slow-motion, trench coat-drenched, ballet of bullets is strongly tied to a single figure in video games. It’s the initial hook that buries itself in the mouth of a curious soul. That Noir tone which defined El Paso’s father figure has grown into a more extreme […]

As someone who has worked about every job of a brewpub and then picked up homebrewing beer and wine, and cider, and mead, and… as a hobby after I left food service, I feel uniquely qualified to judge how true to life the Brewpub Simulator videogame from Movie Games S.A. happens to be. So far […]

We haven’t seen hide nor hair of Armored Core for well over ten years, and many longtime fans eventually started to wonder if we might ever see another, what with FromSoftware finding success with Dark Souls. Life is good though, because we’ve been blessed with a new game in the series, Armored Core 6: Fires […]

I try to avoid dating apps whenever possible. You know how it goes, you download a dating app, match up with a god, and suddenly everyone’s a zombie and you’re stuck on a train with your best friend and an idol. It’s a tale as old as time, and that’s just the beginning. Eternights is […]