Twinworld Game Reviews

Stuttgart, Germany – May 21, 2025 – Hop on your broomstick and take off for troublesome adventures with 12 cute witches! In collaboration with Japanese indie game publisher/developer Studio Siesta, ININ will be bringing the ultimate Cute ‘Em Up, Trouble Witches FINAL! Episode 01 Daughters of Amalgam, to Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 this late summer. In addition, ININ has been preparing a physical Special Edition filled with beautifully crafted items, including an artbook and the original soundtracks, which will be exclusively available via our ININ store, and the pre-order for the special edition is starting today!

Originally released in 2007 by the developer of Cotton Reboot!, Trouble Witches has evolved into the ultimate Cute ‘Em Up experience after over a decade of development and updates. Now, in Trouble Witches FINAL! Episode 01 Daughters of Amalgam, this manic shooter returns with a visual overhaul, new game modes, and its most complete version ever.

Check out the features:

• Adorable Witches: Play as 12 unique characters with distinctive abilities, attack styles, and magical familiars for endless strategic depth.

• Bullet-Hell Gameplay: Experience exhilarating shoot ’em up action with extreme danmaku mechanics that will put your reflexes to the test.

• Unique Combat System: Summon the Magic Circle to slow down enemy fire and convert bullets into gold coins. Spend your earnings at the Pumpkin Shop on Magic Cards that grant powerful abilities, clear bullets, and protect your witch from harm.

• Vibrant Visuals: Stunning hand-drawn 2D character designs combined with beautifully reimagined 3D stage backgrounds for a fresh, eye-catching experience.

• Complete DLC Pack: Includes all previously released DLC content (Cotton available separately).

• Endless Replayability: Infinite fun for both casual and hardcore players, thanks to 8 different game modes.

Whether you’re a fan of fast-paced bullet-hell shoot ’em up or charming Japanese anime-inspired art styles, Trouble Witches FINAL! Episode 01 Daughters of Amalgam delivers the ultimate Cute ‘Em Up experience. Stay tuned for more news on the definitive version of a beloved gem of the genre!

Source: PR Email

16 May 2025 – German indie studio Zockrates Laboratories and US publisher Phiphen Games are jumping with joy that the release of Ruffy and the Riverside is finally near! The hand-drawn 3D platformer is hopping onto PC (Steam & Epic Games), PlayStation 5, Xbox One & Series X|S and Nintendo Switch(es) on June 26th, 2025!

Ruffy and the Riverside has a unique SWAP mechanic that lets players copy & paste textures in the world to solve puzzles and help the friendly inhabitants of Riverside. Ride haybales around the open world and use your creativity to unlock hidden secrets and gather various collectables! Critics are already calling it “one of the best platformers of 2025!” (you can check some quotes below)

About the game

In Ruffy and the Riverside, you wield the magic power of SWAP, using it to Copy & Paste textures within the game world. Turn ice into lava or waterfalls into vines as you ride hay bales, explore, fight, and solve puzzles throughout Riverside. Unleash your imagination in this quirky open-world action game that literally lets you change the world!

Ruffy just won’t stop! When the 3D world ends, he leaps into new 2D levels to collect even more treasures, but watch out – many obstacles must be swapped before you can safely pass through walls.

Explore the marvelous open world of Riverside, where Ruffy embarks on playful side quests, masters challenges, and collects magic treasures across seven distant regions. Ride hay bales, perform tricks on secret rails, and discover unknown areas as you meet the mysterious Etoi and help the colourful cast of characters.

Key Features

• Use and master the power of SWAP to copy & paste elements in the game world.
• Overcome various puzzles through creative manipulation of objects.
• Jump, fight and skate around the open world of Riverside
• Solve puzzles and find treasures hidden in 2D levels
• Unlock seven outer regions, each with unique challenges and settings.
• More than a dozen characters each with quests to complete
• Use dreamstones to create & apply custom textures to elements like stone, waterfalls and more…
• Enjoy a magical atmosphere with a focus on exploration & discovery.
• Gather various collectables, such as coins, butterflies, dreamstones and cute Etoi creatures!

Source: PR Email

May 15th, 2025 – Get ready for a double dose of platforming nostalgia and charm as two beloved titles come together in one vibrant package. “Parasol Superstars” unites the classic bubble-blasting acclaimed adventure Parasol Stars with the cosmic, retro-inspired platformer Spica Adventure – new to western gamers –  delivering hours of arcade-style action and timeless fun.

Parasol Superstars launches on 16th September 2025 digital for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Xbox. The physical release will be only on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5. Spica Adventure will also get a digital only release on 30th September 2025.

Originally released as the third entry in TAITO’s legendary Bubble Bobble series, Parasol Stars brings back fan-favorite characters Bubby and Bobby in a whirlwind quest across fantastical worlds – armed only with magical parasols. It’s colorful, chaotic, and full of the quirky energy that defined an era of gaming.

Joining the bundle is Spica Adventure, a fast-paced space odyssey starring Nico, a fearless girl exploring the stars. Long considered a hidden gem, Spica Adventure was previously available as a japanese phone game and later available in arcades – and never released outside of Japan. For the first time ever, Western players can enjoy this unique title on home platforms, complete with enhancements and extras.

Parasol Superstars offers:

•  Two complete platforming adventures
  

•  The classic Parasol Stars, faithfully restored with modern enhancements
  

•  Spica Adventure, finally making its home console and Western debut plus modern enhancements and features
  

•  Optimized for modern platforms with controller support and quality-of-life features
  

•  Local 2-player co-op in Parasol Stars
  

•  A Special Edition contains bonus content such as an History Artbook and a Best of Soundtrack of both games

Whether you’re a longtime fan or discovering these gems for the first time, Parasol Superstars invites players of all ages to jump, spin, and splash their way through joyful, fast-paced worlds.

Get Ready To Open Your Parasol – The Adventures Await!

Source: PR Email

Cozy Nature-Building Puzzle Game Roars to Life on PC and Consoles May 15th

Grindstone and developer Bitmap Galaxy are excited to announce that Preserve, the innovative nature-building puzzle game, will fully launch on May 15th, expanding to multiple platforms, featuring evolving gameplay, and an all-new Jurassic Biome.

After a very positive Steam Early Access journey, Preserve is now ready to make its global debut on console; Nintendo Switch, PlayStation (PS4 | PS5), and Xbox (One, Series X|S). Players worldwide can now explore all the features of this cozy puzzle game, wherever they choose to play.

Key Features:

• Full Compendium – Players dive into detailed card mechanics, scoring, and gameplay strategies.
• Leaderboards – Gamers climb the ranks and compare preservation skills.
• Platform-Specific Achievements/Trophies – Players celebrate their victories.
• Engaging Weekly Challenges – Compete with friends and build nature.
• Card Trading in Harmony Mode – More control over the deck and strategy.
• Expanded Puzzle Collection – More brain-bending nature puzzles.
• Brand New Jurassic Biome – Preservers uncover a prehistoric world of wonder.

“The Jurassic Biome opens up a prehistoric playground for players to explore,” said Peter Janosik, Studio Lead & Programmer at Bitmap Galaxy. “Players will experience prehistoric ecosystems like never before, creating and preserving dinosaur habitats with our signature relaxing gameplay.”

Preserve will be available to purchase on May 15th on Steam (PC, Mac) for $12.49 / €12.49, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox consoles for $14.99 / €14.99. Gamers can wishlist the game now.

Source: PR Email

2 MAY 2025 – Following last year’s success with over 700,000 downloads across iOS, Android and Steam, and ranked the 13th best-rated game on Steam from 2024, Please, Touch The Artwork 2 is now bringing its cozy artventure to a whole new audience.

Please, Touch The Artwork 2 will launch on Nintendo Switch on 23 May 2025, and will cost $4.99 (regional pricing may vary).

Fans of hidden-object puzzles, quirky storytelling, and the surreal charm of Belgian artist James Ensor can soon enjoy the award-winning experience on Nintendo’s beloved hybrid console. Whether docked for a big-screen couch play escape or played handheld for a quiet moment on the go, the Switch edition offers a way to relax with art, humor, and heart.

About the game

You are a dandy, suit-wearing, art-loving skeleton, recently risen from the grave, with the ability to travel into and through paintings. Using this ability, you help repair rips in the paintings and find missing items for the people living inside of them.

A slow-paced, relaxing experience filled with humour, surprising characters and beautiful hand-painted art, carefully crafted from works by James Ensor, a Belgian Modern Art pioneer.

Key features

• Hidden-object artventure
• 5 unique worlds
• Hints when stuck
• Casual point & click gameplay
• Zoom in for extra details
• Real hand-painted art from the works of James Ensor
• Atmospheric relaxing sound
• Slow-paced & relaxing
• Funny and playful, great for ages 12+

Please, Touch the Artwork 2 was released February 19th 2024 on Steam (Mac/Win/Linux), Apple Appstore and Google Play. Some stats & facts:

• Over half a million downloads
• Over 7000 overwhelmingly positive reviews
• 13th best-rated Steam game in 2024 (across all games)
• Top 20 best-rated free games on steam LIFETIME (99.3% positive!)
• Top 5 best-rated free game on Steam 2024
• 87% PC Metacritic
• Won “Best Applied Game” – Belgian Game Awards 2024
• Won “Best Free Game” – DEBUG Indie Game Awards

Source: PR Email

April 10th, 2025 – Mudita and RedDeer.Games invite you to brave the Tar and discover so much wonder that it can fill page after page with today’s release of Pilo and the Holobook, available now on consoles and PC.

Journey to the fringes of the mystical XOP-642 star system and use the Holobook to document your findings, capturing each beautiful world you visit in a collage of stickers, unlocking new capabilities for this magical encyclopedia along the way.

Come experience this heartfelt adventure today, as Pilo and the Holobook is now live on Steam, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S|X, and Nintendo Switch for $12.99 USD.

About Pilo and the Holobook

Pilo might be an entirely new space explorer, but that won’t stop him from taking you on a journey where documenting the wonders of the galaxy is the goal – one sticker at a time, of course! In Pilo and the Holobook, you’ll explore vibrant, hand-painted planets full of strange lifeforms, ancient secrets, and very funky residents.

Using your trusty Holobook, you’ll turn the world around you into collectable stickers and start building your own galactic encyclopedia. It’s part puzzle, part exploration, and all about curiosity – because the space system XOP-246 has some spooky history… better be careful with that purple thing called Tar.

Oh, and if you’ve ever wanted to save the universe with an encyclopedia… now’s your chance!

Game Features:

• Your trusty Holobook – a wonder of modern technology with a touch of magic, that will allow you to collect sticker version of nearly everything you see!
• Planets, puzzles, and people – discover colorful wonders, solve age-old puzzles, and meet some truly bright minds!
• A whole new world – find out what happened to the old residents of star system XOP-246!

Source: PR Email

Montpellier, France – April 10th, 2025. Italian Independent developer Caracal Games and publisher Dear Villagers are proud to announce that Star Overdrive, their new high-speed action open-world game, is now out exclusively on Nintendo Switch. The Caracal Games team has been hard at work for years to create an alien open world in which players will have to answer a distress signal to save their loved one. They will face challenges and enemies, which they will have to overcome thanks to their speedy Hoverboard, physics-based powers and powerful Keytar.

Players can purchase the standard edition of Star Overdrive exclusively on Nintendo Switch at $34,99 and the Deluxe Edition at $39,99 which includes 3 styles, 1 design and 50 dyes for the Hoverboard, as well as the digital Original Soundtrack and the digital Manga written and drawn by the Caracal Games team, narrating a prequel story to the Star Overdrive main story.

The demo of Star Overdrive remains available on the Nintendo eShop, if players want to experience the first hour of content Star Overdrive has to offer and get a glimpse of the story and gameplay mechanics available in the tutorial zone of the game.

KEY FEATURES

• Hoverboard Navigation and Racing: Speed through vast landscapes, perform incredible tricks, and gain the edge in intense combat.

• Emergent Physics-Based Gameplay:Unleash and combine powers to battle enemies, bend the laws of physics, and solve intricate puzzles.
  
• Mysterious and Diverse Alien World:Journey through four uniquely distinct biomes, each brimming with challenges and secrets to uncover.
  
• Epic Battles Against Creatures of All Sizes:Engage with unique creatures, from small-scale rivals to towering bosses, each requiring strategy and skill to overcome.

Source: PR Email

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, April 3rd, 2025 – Developer Minimol Games in partnership with SMG Studio are pleased to announce that Chessarama, their unique anthology of original chess-inspired puzzle games, is coming to Switch and PlayStation platforms. Prepare to reimagine chess as you never have before, with eight single-player variations of the classic board game that will force veteran chess aficionados to rewire their brains while also training new players to think like a chess master!

Chessarama is a smorgasbord of chess-inspired single-player games that use chess pieces and their established move sets, then reimagines their goals and themes. Choose a game, quickly learn its rules and play through the campaign, unlock collectibles, and compete against each other on the leaderboards. Endless replayability awaits you. Welcome to Chessarama!

Each game has its own theme, set of rules and original handcrafted levels for you to play! In Dragon Slayer, players must move a pawn to the end of the board where it can slay a mighty dragon, though the dragon attacks the board after every turn, obliterating any unprotected piece. In the feudal Japan-set Lady Ronin, the chess Queen must eliminate every piece on the board in order to get close to the Shogun and assassinate them. And in Soccer Chess you must position your pieces in pursuit of kicking the ball into the goal. Try all these and several more original chess-inspired puzzle games in Chessarama!

“We were thrilled by the love people both in and out of the chess community had for Chessarama upon its launch on PC and Xbox, so we can’t wait to share it with a whole new audience on Switch and PlayStation,” said Raphael Dias, CEO and Game Director at Minimol Games. “Chessarama is more than ‘just another chess game’; it’s a varied puzzle game that tickles the puzzle-solving parts of your brain, regardless of your experience with chess.”

Features:

• Play 8 exclusive chess-inspired games available in Chessarama;

• Puzzle campaigns featuring 100+ levels plus 100+ unique challenges;

• 24 exclusive Chess Figures to unlock and collect

• Unique art style, with beautiful dioramas;

• Daily and Weekly Challenges;

• Compete against each other on the leaderboards;

• Learn chess movements, tactics and strategies through a modern video game experience;

• Also includes “Classic Chess” for you to put your learnings into practice!

Chessarama was made possible due to financial support by the Rio de Janeiro City Government through RioFilme.

Source: PR Email

We are excited to reveal that The Legend of Heroes: Trails beyond the Horizon is coming this Fall to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC (Steam, Epic Games Store, and GOG)!

The Limited Edition, which features an art book, SteelBook, mini soundtrack, and “Grim Timekeeper” Acrylic Clock, is also available for preorder via the NIS Online Store.

About The Legend of Heroes: Trails beyond the Horizon

Van Arkride and the members of Arkride Solutions are back, and this time the future of the entire Zemurian continent is at stake! The people of Zemuria await the launch of humanity’s first foray into space with bated breath. A sudden invitation from Marduk to cooperate in a high-tech training exercise sets Van, Ashen Chevalier Rean Schwarzer, and Father Kevin Graham on a collision course with the secrets at the very core of Zemuria.

Their paths may diverge, but the ultimate question remains the same: Just what lies beyond the edge of the horizon?

Source: PR Email

March 27, Barcelona, Spain – Spanish publisher Dolores Entertainment and Canadian developer Spacelab Games are proud to announce that 2D pixel-art action platformer Shadow of the Orient is out today on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4|5 and Xbox One | Series X/S at the price of 9.99$, with a 20% launch discount during the first two weeks. In the role of young warrior Xiaolang, you must venture across the orient fighting hordes of Samurai warriors and mythical creatures in an attempt to rescue the kidnapped children of the orient and face off against the dark lord.

Shadow of the Orient offers tons of fun combat action, challenging environments, epic boss fights, beautiful pixel art and a catchy musical score.

Key Features

• Beautiful Pixel Art Style;
• 15 handcrafted adventure levels;
• 5 time-based levels (Challenge mode);
• 3 “End of Act” bosses;
• Challenging gameplay with dynamic enemy AI;
• Melee and Ranged combat system with their specific weapons;
• Game Shop items for hero upgrades;
• Game Achievements;
• Original soundtrack by Genatari.

The Lore

After 200 years, the dark shadow has returned, wreaking havoc across the orient. Only Xiaolang, a brave warrior who possesses the elemental power of fire, has the strength to take on the shadow clan, rescue the children of the orient and restore peace to the people of the east. But, the dark shadow is stronger than ever and Xiaolang has not had to fight for two centuries. Is he up to the task? Are you? Embark upon a perilous quest full of dangerous enemies, deadly traps and hidden secrets to hunt down the shadow and restore peace to the people of the orient in Shadow of the Orient.

Source: PR Email