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Cat Named Mojave is one of those games that isn't afraid to lean into how ridiculous it is, and those are the games that I love.

You're driving through the desert when your car decides to give out... a dead battery. The nearest town isn't for miles, so you take your chances following a crude off-road path which eventually leads to a secluded barn house. That's when you meet him; an anthropomorphic cat man named Mojave. He's willing to fix you up with a new battery in exchange for one small favour... become his hitman for the day. With no other options, you set out to a list of locations to fill your quota.

The interactions between you and the targets you meet are deliberately ridiculous. First, you meet a family of deer folk. The couple are having domestic troubles and whenever her husband's out of ear shot the wife will aggressively flirt with you. Even the character names — Jane and John Doe — lean into the dark humour. It's absurd. It's brilliant. 

But mixed in with the silliness are moments of genuine dread. When you're tasked with navigating a cornfield maze to get to  your next target the tone discreetly shifts. Everything gets quiet. The music shifts to a low drone. You're suddenly aware of rustling, sounds that happen even when you're standing still. Dead ends lead to unnatural fleshy masses or remains of creatures that were here before you. You start to realise, you've become the prey being stalked. Any wrong move can lead to catastrophe which adds a degree of anxiety to every corner you turn.

Once you succeed, the tension breaks and the jokey interactions return. It's a formula that's repeated in different ways throughout the game with each occurrence feeling more dangerous than the last. Just as you has started to feel like the one in control, it pulls the rug from under you and reminds you that you're not as safe as you'd started to feel.

Mojave will often question your morality after each kill, leading to different dialogue options for you to make, and with extra secrets choices and collectibles, there's actually decent replay value as well.

It takes talent and very good writing to balance goofy and horror successfully but this game's a really good example of when it's done right. I'm looking forward to seeing more of what the dev's got to offer in future. Definitely give this one a go for yourself.

As someone who grew up with the original PlayStation and a love for survival horror games of that era, I thought I knew exactly what I was getting into with The Lacerator... I was wrong.

The Lacerator is a unique Frankenstein blend of the survival horror games of yesteryear and over-the-top camp story telling. It's nostalgia and comedy rolled into one in a way that I haven't seen from another game of this type.

I was expecting a little bit of absurdity — given the core premise of the gave is to amputate your limbs for different benefits and hindrances — but it ended up leaning so far in that I was laughing throughout. 

The main character, Max, spends the entire game running around in his underwear, huffing on the same cigarette, and refusing to restore his health by consuming anything banana shaped. The humour is constant, without forcing it in a way that feels cheap or gimmicky.

I love fixed camera angles but there is also the option to play in third-person if that's your preferred style. Similarly, it's up to you whether you want 3D or tank controls for an authentic 90s experience. There are several different endings you can get, based on your choices throughout, adding great replay value. 

I thoroughly enjoyed it and I'll definitely be revisiting it. 

Cat Named Mojave is one of those games that isn't afraid to lean into how ridiculous it is, and those are the games that I love.

You're driving through the desert when your car decides to give out... a dead battery. The nearest town isn't for miles, so you take your chances following a crude off-road path which eventually leads to a secluded barn house. That's when you meet him; an anthropomorphic cat man named Mojave. He's willing to fix you up with a new battery in exchange for one small favour... become his hitman for the day. With no other options, you set out to a list of locations to fill your quota.

The interactions between you and the targets you meet are deliberately ridiculous. First, you meet a family of deer folk. The couple are having domestic troubles and whenever her husband's out of ear shot the wife will aggressively flirt with you. Even the character names — Jane and John Doe — lean into the dark humour. It's absurd. It's brilliant. 

But mixed in with the silliness are moments of genuine dread. When you're tasked with navigating a cornfield maze to get to  your next target the tone discreetly shifts. Everything gets quiet. The music shifts to a low drone. You're suddenly aware of rustling, sounds that happen even when you're standing still. Dead ends lead to unnatural fleshy masses or remains of creatures that were here before you. You start to realise, you've become the prey being stalked. Any wrong move can lead to catastrophe which adds a degree of anxiety to every corner you turn.

Once you succeed, the tension breaks and the jokey interactions return. It's a formula that's repeated in different ways throughout the game with each occurrence feeling more dangerous than the last. Just as you has started to feel like the one in control, it pulls the rug from under you and reminds you that you're not as safe as you'd started to feel.

Mojave will often question your morality after each kill, leading to different dialogue options for you to make, and with extra secrets choices and collectibles, there's actually decent replay value as well.

It takes talent and very good writing to balance goofy and horror successfully but this game's a really good example of when it's done right. I'm looking forward to seeing more of what the dev's got to offer in future. Definitely give this one a go for yourself.

For a free game, Smile More gives far more than you would initially expect. 

This is a bit of a long review... but stick with me. It's worth it.

Firstly, let me start by saying that the art style is absolutely gorgeous. It's a little "No, I'm Not A Human"-like; high contrast, distorted proportions, and every element has its own monochrome colour pallet. 

The environment is dark and everything looks a little washed out, making your surgical instruments feel unsanitary. The characters have exaggerated features, making them seem almost inhuman which only adds to the unsettling atmosphere. The close-ups when you perform surgeries are highly detailed, almost grotesque, with matching sound design for every little procedure you perform. It's even fully voice acted, which I didn't expect. Every element of the design feels painstakingly crafted to fully immerse you in the horror of what you're being made to do. 

The game can be completed in just a few minutes, but as soon as I got my first ending I was hooked. You're thrown straight into the setting, with a voice on an announcer briefing you on your job and the procedures you must perform. Only when you start, and find an object that you weren't meant to see, do you realise that there's far more lore and a deeper story to this than there first appears. 

It then becomes your choice; either you comply with your duties, or keep snooping to unveil something bigger. There are 3 endings all dependent on how far you're willing to go. Even then, there are more secrets hidden in logs and even by interacting with the main menu, that build the story out even further. I loved every second of it.

This is a really impressive experience that I recommend any horror fan to try for themselves. Even though my first run took around 15 minutes, I ended up spending over 1.5 hours in total replaying and collecting the achievements. I'm definitely keeping my eye on what else the developer brings out and would love to see more short gems like this. They really prove that a game doesn't have to have a 5+ hour playtime to be great. A well-crafted plot, design, and mechanics, make for a really solid game, no matter how long you spend on it.

Hats off to you, dev. You've done something great here.

If you want to see each ending and how to get them, I have a video (with time stamps, feel free to skip spoilers) that tells you how to get them here:

I really didn't know what to expect from this game but it turned out there was a branching, well-written story that sent me on a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. 

You Can Save Everyone has some incredible mechanics and even makes you manipulate your own hardware in ways akin to the PsychoMantis boss fight from Metal Gear Solid. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this, more than I ever thought I would. Definitely worth what you pay for.

What happens when the place that you feel safest becomes an inescapable nightmare?

That's exactly what BrokenLore: DON'T WATCH does to you.

 Agoraphobia turns to claustrophobia. 

Your character is someone who avidly avoids leaving their apartment; limiting their social interactions, ordering takeout to their door, spending lengthy hours gaming. It's their home and the place they feel most comfortable.

That is... until they can't leave.

The script flips very quickly. All of a sudden your haven becomes hell. Something is pursuing you and you need to escape at all costs. But... you can't. You're cornered as danger approaches and there's nothing you can do about it. 

Horror through the eyes of a toddler.

Baby Blues Nightmares blends terror with heartbreak. What starts as a surreal scenario of a young child escaping the unrelenting chase of a horrific monster from a children's show quickly turns devastating. 

This game explores real-world horrors through a child's eyes and when you reach that turning point in the game it's hard not to feel genuinely sad.

Dread Flats creates a gut wrenchingly chilling atmosphere only to flip it on its head at the half way point.

We start as a content creator staying in some abandoned apartments for a bet. The eeriness of the place is palpable with photo realistic environments and subtle sound effects that fully immerse you in these flats.

Not only that... there's multiple endings. 

At a certain point you have to either walk away from this bet or commit to the experience. If you go with the latter, all of a sudden the game transforms into garish surrealism. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this. And also panicked a lot.

Silent Still 2 follows another character experiencing sleep paralysis in a new environment with new dangers in each corner.

As someone who's experienced sleep paralysis a few times now, the game does well to capture the feeling of helplessness as your mind manifests malevolent beings in your vicinity. 

The genuine horror you feel while darting your eyes around, what should be, the safety of your home is palpable. This should be my sanctuary, so why does it suddenly feel like the worst place in the world? 

My one running thought throughout this game? Close your doors and turn the bloody lights off!

Full playthrough of this and the sequel below... and I actually had sleep paralysis after this video went live:

Silent Still is the first of two games to focus on the horrors of sleep paralysis. 

As someone who's experienced sleep paralysis a few times now, the game does well to capture the feeling of helplessness as your mind manifests malevolent beings in your vicinity. 

The genuine horror you feel while darting your eyes around, what should be, the safety of your home is palpable. This should be my sanctuary, so why does it suddenly feel like the worst place in the world? 

My one running thought throughout this game? Close your doors and turn the bloody lights off!

Full playthrough of this and the sequel below:

Secret VHS tapes, missing children, and a dark mystery beginning to unravel.

Amanda the Adventurer sits somewhere uncomfortably between nostalgia and terror; luring you in with 90s kids graphics (which us millennials will instantly feel familiar with) before giving you whiplash with its horror themes.

A disturbing story gradually unfolds as we advance and pick up different lore tapes. I was totally hooked from my first playthrough and loved every minute of playing this.

With multiple endings, many choices to make, and an array of hidden lore tapes, this game contains hours of entertainment. 

I'm seriously looking forward to the end of this trilogy when it gets released!

Not a very long experience but does a good job of creating an eerie atmosphere early on. Really makes you feel as though you're in an interactive 80s slasher movie. A fun little game! 

I loved Heartworm so much that I played it 4 times in a week and made my first ever video essay exploring it. 

Whether you're a survival horror veteran or totally new to the genre, this is a fantastic game to pick up. There's a plethora of easter eggs for hardcore fans and so many configurable settings to tailor to your preferences. 

The story itself is a beautiful exploration of grief and the journey towards acceptance. The writing is handled with a perfect balance of raw emotion and sensitivity.

I truly cannot recommend this game enough. Once you've played the demo, please go pick up the full release.

The Salvation Project perfectly blends horror with absurdity in a way that produces a really enjoyable black comedy. 

It all starts with a talking religious frog on the TV and quickly spirals into demonic rituals. 

For a game made for a jam, we have a full story spanning a timeline of several days and even multiple endings. Very impressive on a time limit. 

It's funny and free. Give it a go!

The Red Valley Butcher is back! We're picking right back up where we left off in the first Night Maniac with plenty of familiar faces. 

The claustrophobic feeling and difficulty in some sections of this are ramped up significantly and genuinely had me struggling to find an exit. 

All in all, a pretty satisfying end to this story. 

The Boba Teashop is a really solid example of when a simulation meets a horror game and is done well. 

Trying to manage the boba orders with the hauntings going on around you felt genuinely stressful and the story took turns I was not expecting. 

I'd genuinely recommend this game to anyone. It's short but got a good amount of content packed in there. 

I will happily hold my hands up and admit that I grossly underestimated this game. I was not expecting the amount of detail and excellent story telling we'd get from a 40 minute experience. 

While I hadn't heard of Nobody prior to this game, I really think they're one to watch. Don't miss this one!

An ominous boss monitoring your every move, dolls speaking and moving when you don't look at them, checking for UV handprints... what's not to love?! This was a world of fun and the multiple endings had me go straight in for a second playthrough right after I finished the first. Can't wait for more from this dev!

I'd not personally played a Noxus game prior to Night Maniac, but when it was recently discounted I decided to get my hands on this and the sequel.

This game's a perfect one for the 90s horror kids. You've got the clear slasher influence of the 80s mixed with the old PSX-era feel of the graphics and scenes. 

Usually I find games in this realm can be quite short, but right when I thought Night Maniac had ended, I'd just completed the intro. That's when the story really got going. Well played, Noxus. You've got a new fan in me.

Bravo, devs. Bravo. There was quite a lot more gameplay and story here than I was expecting there to be. 

This game simultaneously captures the tone of PSX-era graphics and 80s slasher movies absolutely perfectly. 

This is one you want to pick straight back up right after completing the main story. Plus, there's a post-credits scene. I loved it!

The perfect mix of campy horror and diner dash.  I've really racked up the hours in this one. It's truly addictive gameplay, especially when the animations for opening a pack of burgers is to throw a knife across the room at them. Great game.

Got ensnared in a cult and Florence Pugh wasn't there to help me. :( 

Such a good game, really felt like playing an interactive version of Midsommar. Definitely went back to see more deaths and get the achievements too.

This game reminds me a LOT of Lost In Vivo with the concept of losing your dog down a sewer drain. That being said, it stands out in its own right with the art style and mechanics. The cramped spaces and fact that the necessary task for you to complete puts you closer to danger makes it genuinely chilling. This is a solid game.

For such a short game with a simple concept, it does so well at building an atmosphere of dread and then absolute panic. This is a great job well done to the dev!

Any time! I've been saying a lot lately that you're quickly becoming my new favourite dev with this and The Moth Inside Me. Keep up the great work. :) 

For a game released in the 2020s this awakens such a feeling of nostalgia for those of us who grew up on low-poly PSX survival horror games. 

I made a full playthrough from start to finish on a new channel of mine and it may be my favourite video that I've posted so far.

There's even a really fun unlockable easter egg at the end for those fans! Really enjoyed it and I'll definitely be replaying. You've got a new fan in me Sodaraptor.