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Denshattack: chugga chugga

Posted on 25/08/2026 Written by Xexyz

The bright colours caught my eye, and since I was stuck at some hunters in a room on the way to the Silent Cartographer, I thought I’d give it a go. I’m glad I did. Denshattack bombards you quickly with different controls, and it’s an assault on your concentration for the first few levels as you battle to remember to grind around corners, jump ahead of blockages, and find routes to the collectibles. However, as soon as I realised that it’s an experience meant to be repeated, with you working out the best places to perform stunts and where there are quick switches between rails, then it turns into a much calmer experience; the first one or two runs through a level are there for research, before then trying to nail a proper run.

In Denshattack, you control a train which can jump between the rails (both double and single) which have, for some reason, been installed around large areas of Japan. You do stunts as you jump, choose which route to go down, and explore varied locales including the inside of a volcano, a factory, and a mountain. At one point I jumped on a Ferris wheel and rolled it down a hill, knocking over satellite dishes and rolling through the bay.

It feels like a Dreamcast game, with colours, very solid-feeling worlds, high score chasing, multiple objectives, and short levels. But it builds on the last twenty-five years of game design, pulling in everything that makes gaming more accessible nowadays.

There is a story. Someone who takes photos told my character about denshattack, and as a train operator she decided to become the best. There’s someone who I am travelling to see in order to challenge her, but on the way there are others to beat. I’m sure there’s more nuance to it than that, but I missed it.

Burnout Legends: without the legends

Posted on 24/08/2026 Written by Xexyz

Or, indeed, any other traffic. Burnout Legends on the DS is quite impressive given its age, but it doesn’t feel like a Burnout game; it’s pedestrian, there’s little danger or threat, it’s really difficult to actually cause a crash, and the digital steering means the cars feel almost identical to each other. You can build up boost by driving on the wrong side of the road with basically no concern that you might meet something coming the other way; if another car does appear you have the same chance to avoid it as if you were driving on the right side anyway. I can’t make the car drift around corners, but it doesn’t really matter since you don’t lose much speed by scraping along the walls.

I don’t think I’ll be dedicating the time needed to unlock everything. Or, indeed, anything.

Tested On Humans Escape Room (Steam Deck): COMPLETED!

Posted on 25/07/2026 Written by deKay

I’ve enjoyed this sort of puzzle game in the past, a category I’d include The Witness, The Room, Maquette, Doors – Paradox, and so on in, so when Amazon were giving away a whole set of them, of which Tested On Humans Escape Room was one, I was very pleased. Sadly, it isn’t great.

The issues I had were mainly because the puzzles were either way too obvious or incredibly obscure and illogical. The joy of puzzle games is when they make you feel Very Clever, but TOHES never does that. It also doesn’t help that at least one of the puzzles has two working solutions but only one is accepted.

The Triangle Puzzle, not named in the game but it is, uh, a triangle, is one of these. You’re give a triangle with spaces on each side for coloured balls. Clues elsewhere show that each ball is worth a certain amount, and each side must add up to a certain total. My screenshot is a working solution, but isn’t the correct answer.

There is a plot, in that you’re a sort of prisoner in a medical testing facility, but that never really amounts to anything. You uncover notes about you, and your – presumably dead given all the blood – cellmates but in the end it’s all just a dream? Or isn’t? It’s very unsatisfying.

So, OK for free, but a bit of a disappointment. I might try one of the other games in the series just to see if it’s any better.

Definitely not a copy of Rubik’s Clock at all.

Entropy Survivors (Steam Deck): COMPLETED!

Posted on 19/07/2026 Written by deKay

I actually got this in a random game bundle a while back, and it was one of the better games in that pack, but for some reason I didn’t put much time into it. Over the last few months I’ve been doing the odd run here and there, eventually finishing it today.

As the name suggests, it’s a Survivorslike. In this one, you’re a frog riding a mech because of course you are, and you have two basic weapons – the frog has a rubbish gun, and the robot has a rubbish sword. As you slay the many thousands of baddies, you level up and unlock other weapons or improvements for your gun or sword, just like you would in other games in the genre. Here, they include rockets, blasts that knock back groups of foes, or freeze them, roll everyone up like you’re playing Katamari, or for reasons not readily explainable, summon a fleet of dustbin lorries to mow down everyone.

At the end of a run (either you die or you survive long enough and get extra bonuses) your skills reset, but you can use the items and gold collected to improve various skills more permanently. Again, like other games in this genre.

It’s a bit weird, and as you’re riding a mech it’s slower and clunkier than, say, Vampire Survivors, but it is different enough to warrant its existence. I liked it a lot, but it is only really playable for one run or two at a time. I think it being slow, and the seemingly slow build up of power each run, makes it feel like a bit of a chore if you don’t space it out.

Find My Frogs (Steam Deck): COMPLETED!

Posted on 19/07/2026 Written by deKay

You’ll never guess from the title of the game what sort of game this is and what you’re supposed to do. No, not punch Nazis (although that would make a good game), it’s finding – get this – frogs. Incredible.

In a dramatic change from the ten thousand “hidden cats” games currently available, this is a large, scrollable image with hidden frogs in it. Click on them to “find” them, and when you’ve got them all (and all the gnomes, and worms, and various other things for… reasons), you win! Oh, except some of the frogs are toads. How can you tell frogs from toads? Frogs are slimy and green, and toads are toadaly different. GONG

(Actually, there’s no real different between frogs and toads – toads are just a types of frog)

Where was I. Yes, finding frogs. It was an enjoyable hour or so. I’ve nothing against those cat games either, by the way – and have played a few – it’s just there’s only so many hidden cat games you need, and it’s nice to have a change of art style and animal for a bit. Also, the frogs are very cute.