Recent reviews by CG 5NATCH

PIE IN THE SKY is here and now players around the world can discover the every day life of being an australian magpie.

For those who don't know, This song bird is basically part aussie meme, part campfire horror story and along with it's unmistakeable R2-D2 call , it's more imfamous for its aggressive behaviour of swooping people who walk past their nests, particually more frequent around spring time. Now... its your turn to experience this.

You will play as a Magpie who basically flies around an open world map doing various challenges for points and try score as many points as you can in the allocated time limit. Controls are easy and flying feels good too and the exegerarrated effects of striking from above and connecting the back of a human skull look hilarious.

Some players will feel a nostaglic hit as many would love to return back to that style of gaming where you move around and explore a map with unusual interactions to discover and theres bunch of cosmetic unlocks to get too.

Lot of fun, and many lols. Get this

I litreally could not stop playing this game...

Extraction Shooters are pretty trendy right now (late 2025) So whats the catch with this one? and is it worth diving in to collect a bunch of stuff only to get shot and lose it all?

ARC Raiders take place on some part of earth where a whole bunch of natural diasters just all just dropped at once, You know? Kinda like the movie 2012? You guys remember that? Yeah man, that film was kinda advanced aye. Everything was excessive in that film, aye? Like You know we reckon Michael Bay is bad with his explosions and ♥♥♥♥ but 2012 was just whole other kettle of fish. Farken huge waves, big volcano blowing up and like the earth being split apart from people fighting over garlic bread at the dinner table. People dying left right and centre... Farken madness.

Anyway So something that happened here, and all the unlucky bastards who survived have to live underground but when they start emerging back to the surface, turns out a bunch of Alien Robots have rocked up and they're probing the planet and doing mystery alien ♥♥♥♥. So you and a bunch of others called raiders are basically trying to get up on the surface, take some stuff before those robot things shoot you. You know, like any extraction shooter. Get in, Get Stuff and Get Out. You know it, you've seen it before, but why does ARC Stand out.

Well, first of all you got a Rooster working for you named Scrappy, which come on devs, we should be allowed to rename our ♥♥♥♥♥. But anyway I for one reckon havin' a rooster is pretty cool pet. He grabs a bunch of stuff to craft with while you go out on an adventure and try find other stuff to craft with. A lot of the items you find on the surface just help with crafting new stuff and crafting weapons, guns and addons. It seems so far to be accessible if thats the right word. So you dont have to worry bout holding that cool upgrade or gun for a "when im ready to lose it" you'll likely get it back.

The AI is tough but fair, like a witches trail on the simpsons. Because while you're on the surfce checking every nook and cranny from items to craft with, These drones don't reckon you should be up here and decide to open fire on site. There's no negitations with unless its within the language of "bullets" generally, they're a bit tricky to hit and the variety of them will mean you need to be prepared and ready. But they're not the only enemy in the game, that of course being other raiders....

Ah yes PvP servers. All the time. Just like any other extraction shooter, you're trying to get ♥♥♥♥ and be left alone, but This is where Arc kinda shines. My opinion? I think because there is such a large variety of items to collect and gather, as well as many other routes on how a player wants to progress their workshop or themselves, Players here are more inclined to work together or help each other out. Ive had a few encounters with some ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ and i probably shouldnt use that word because they're just playing the game, but I've had far more positive encounters where people just help each other out with directions, direct trades, advice and even a bit of a chat before they split up and venture off. The other unique part of this game? IT really showcases how humans are likely to get along if we have a common enemy or threat.

So you might be locked down by a bastard hornet, but someone loves to shoot from outta no where to help you out. Gun fights make nosies and it often attracts drones. And more often or not if you're too busy focused on shooting someone else, the drones are effective at finishing you off and if theres a group of them? Oh man, you better watch out. Cause they are ruthless, hard to avoid and have a good collection of tactics to deal with you and ruin your run.

The only other extraction games ive played a lot of would be Marauders and in some angles, Sea of Theives. And the cool thing here is that after each run, you usually have a bit of a story to tell, and you have quests to complete too to keep you going. Don't get me wrong, There will be some people who wanna PvP ... but its just not as common and I think thats why this game is a bit of fresh air, because there's bit of understanding everyone's just trying to get by. which is strong in the theme of the enviornment of the game. Strenghth in numbers, humans. As the game carries on, Im curious about what else we're going to see? There's already a fair collection of cosmetics and items to decorate your character, and could see it growing as time goes on as you grind, but one thing I think we can expect. Those AI Drones? yeah, they're going to develop new ways to screw us humans over. So be prepared raider.

Also, this game is enjoyable as single player too. So thats a bonus. Get it, aye.

Retro Graphics, simple RPG explore/combat gameplay and incredibly intriguing world and story, backed with a strange and wide variety of unusual characters. Look outside provides a fun and slightly disturbing game that would entertain multiple playthroughs

If you don't have a name, you play as Sam. Some poor bloke who is recently unemployed and manages to wake up during an unexplainable outdoor phenomena happening outside. Everyone who looks outside ends up becoming horrifically mutated and some kind of strange monster creature. Sam has to simply survive I guess, but you'll have a variety of events occur from random encoutners, helping neighbours, fighting monsters and even cooking, crafting, cleaning and playing video games to keep yourself sane. I mean come on...

How many games can you tell your other half "Yeah, i was walking down the corridor, knee deep in flesh and Im in a party with a Homeless guy, My rat baby which gave my left arm to live and a collection of roaches in a trenchcoat claiming to be an individual, and we're trying to see if we can recruit the vending machine to join our party for game of dungeons and dragons..."

you'll have your own adventure. just do it. Get it.

UFO 50 is a collection of video games that throw back to those suspicious cartridges where it needed another game inserted into it to work. Just a small bit of history here but these unique carts would be sold as a 28-in-1 or something and from my own personal experience, I'm unsure if they were on other consoles in other parts of the world but I had one on Nintendo back in the day...

Anyway, back then, you'd always find maybe ... I dunno 3 or 4 games that are awesome, and the others were ok and then the rest were like "WTF, would you play this?" And of course, being so many games in the cart, It wouldnt come with an instruction book, so for those who want the feeling of grabbing a library of games on a single cartridge and going "wtf is this" and then trying to discover it via trial and error or play. This is a great addition to your steam library.

But UFO 50 has MORE great games. These arent just simple mini games, they're full fledged games and some require a good amount of time and dedication to explore the entirey of whats on offer and I think there's something here for all gamers. Platformers, Puzzles, Action RPGs, Strategy, Point and Click. Everyone who plays this game will probably have their favourites, but then when you start exploring outside of that you find other games that are truly gems.

I've always loved the idea of using modern gaming tech to make retro games more deeper and as nostalgic as these games look, feel and sound. they're incredibly influential for indie devs too I believe. Everytime I play these games, I remember various games from my childhood that were so held back or maxed out due to the console's limitations and all I could do is imagine "What if". So if you're not sure if you should grab this, I'd say just do it. It could sell for more given whats offered here and I've only just discovered there is a cryptic treasure hunt among the games to discover.

Carn Mossmouth! What a project. Hopefully we'll see a UFO 52.

Rematch lets you experience an incredible football game outside of the vile ironclad clutches of EA sports from the unique prespective of being a single player on the field, Interesting enough there hasn't been any claims for the game being "woke" due to the fact that in most matches men, women, trans and even disabled people all play together and share the same field and compete with each other. Oh trust me, it doesn't bother me but anyone who plays at least 3 games cannot ignore the overwhelming variety of human beings here than any other soccer title that's ever existed, I reckon.

Whats the game about? Well, there's not really much story here, I guess if we go via the prologue you're basically someone who is playing football on the street and then decides to join a team but you're too selfish and learn to be a team player and then you get picked to play and boom, now you're playing. Thats it.

This title prides itself on the need for team work, and there's 3 versions of soccer to try out, 3v3, 4v4 and 5v5. Everyone will have their own personal preference, but 5v5 is the best experience by far and of course, its the only mode that has a ranked system. Controls might be a bit tricky of some and while there's a request for a "on ball" cam like rocket league, I can understand why it shouldn't be considered since it helps replicate the experience of playing the game in real life. Good teams can get really creative here, and there's some basic comms depending which part of the field you're on but the best time this game gives is when everyone is on the microphone, calling spots and directing traffic to ensure you get the best goals together.

The game obviously is soley PvP only and there is no bots or single player mode where you can face AI teams. So best of luck to the devs to ensure they can maintain a healthy player base for years to come because to be fair, the game play is excellent and easy to get started. For those who want to know if there's something more than gameplay, you'd be happy to know that there's a good selection of stuff to earn and unlock. When playing the beta I was expecting this game to potentially become a new e-sport, and maybe one day it'll be free to play with money only being on tri-monthly passes with a wide variety of cool cosmetics. The game has great potential for cross overs, brands and areas too so it has a great foundation to go far but like most new indie games that have an ambitious pvp experience, its all about keeping your core community of players satisfied and happy.

Honestly, I thought this game would have swept up the momentum on the world cup happening next year, but who knows.
and hopefully it stays away from something like epic. Still can't forgive them for the dirty stuff they do with rocket league.

Anyway, getcha boys and off ya go.

All you need to know is that this game was robbed of the Outstanding Visual Style in 2022 and the steam awards have never been the same since...

Ah Yes, Its The Brew Barons. You can't ignore its beautifully handrawn visual style with WW1 planes flying around for harvesting ingredients and the occasional combat. Its been a great experience and I'm surprised how many don't know about it, so this is why you should consider giving it a whirl.

Story is simple, A big group of "pirates" are basically harvesting ingredients for their brewing operation and it sucks but you and some mates get together to say "Yeah, nah" and decide to start brewing your own stuff. You've also ended up with a simple biplane (No, its not "woke term" its an actual term from 1920s and according to Wikipedia it should not be confused with Tandem Wing or in this case, your unchecked paranoia about the endless trend of post-2016 that "everything is woke" wtf that means...) Anyway, shut up, it doesn't matter its just a type of plane that was used a lot during world war 1. And you have one...

You're in a good spot to start a brewing business too because the entire bay is filled with alcoholics. The beaches, oceans and streets of the cities here are pristine clean and the only rubbish you find happens to be various bottles in the ocean with messages in them for recipes for more alcoholic beverages. I mean, I guess there's the occasional plane wreck with no news in regards to how it happened or the current state of welfare for the pilot but I'd assume they were most likely drinking because thats all that happens in this bay. It's called Adly bay but it could have been called AA Bay.

Literally everyone drinks, every NPC you meet will talk about drinking and demand drinks from you which kinda works out since you've started a brew business. But you don't just ship drinks. You brew them! So first off you'll need to spend sometime collecting the ingredients needed. Now get in your plane and SHOOT THE APPLE TREE to collect its apples, you can also BOMB THE FARMS to get potatoes for your vodka and you can BLOW UP THE REEF to get vanilla. Yes, its indeed a highly imaginative world because some of your ingredients are simply not growing like they traditionally do in our world. It does add some variety on how harvesting ingredients is done and sometimes I asked myself if I have enough financial strength to be able to maintain a plane on a three story building in the middle of paradise surely I should have the option of hiring people to go and simply pick the fruit of the trees.

No, you cannot. But you can hire people and if you thought you HR team at work was bad, oh boy wait til you get see this interview procedure. In the AAdly bad (AA intended) You visit various islands that also have their own pubs and bars and you always happen to strike a conversation with the owner who needs brews or someone whos sitting in the bar down on their luck, after a very short conversation you offer them a job and they seem to accept. See, finding work in the old days is so different today. These days you gotta spam some crap on a linkedin thing, or talk yourself up on a social media with the whole "fake it til you make" or you're trying to work out the right words to make your own personal hobbies make you sound employable. In this world? Don't need any of that noise.

Anyway, my biggest gripe with this feature is you can't fire anyone. I was flying with some chick and she started seeing ghosts and then she crashed the plane and I couldn't dismiss her. Im sorry, man but if you're unwell and needing psychiatric assistance, I don't think you're ready to be piloting a plane, Same thing with the old bloke who has a habit of STEALING THE STOCK to maintain his alcohol addiction. Probably not the best man for the job, really but you don't have much choice. I guess the one thing that unites all these characters in the game is because they all can't stand the pirates for various reasons and the pirates can be pricks too.

So while you're flying around collecting ingredients and exploiting peoples addictions, sometimes you'll find pirates. The pirates are a incredibly pathetic fleet of naval and aircraft that cannot handle the might of a single plane manned by you, armed to the teeth with water guns. Yes. Water Guns. The SuperSoaker 50 is back, everyone. Watch out. So while these pirates are shooting you up with explosive rockets and bullets, you're loading up with ocean water and plugging them with water spurts and water bombs. Oddly enough, it is enough to scare them away as you work out how to ... squirt all them in various ways, but there are upgrades for your plane so thats cool to make yourself more angry and dangerous, but you always seem to do it alone. The game would be incredible if it had a multiplayer co-op feature because sometimes you have to face two bosses at once and they come with some a group of enemy fighter planes but its sadly only single player.

Kinda wish there was a multiplayer feature, I could imagine both players or a group of people deciding to fly to one island, the other going the other way, come back and work the business together. It would be an incredible experience but it's just not there, ah well.

Anyway, if you've gotten to this point of the review, You should give it a run. The main gameplay is flying around for ingredients, battles or deliveries and the other mode is the customisation of your business or your brews as well. You can get creative with your own labels and logos too so players can express themselves, their brands or just pay tribute to whatever design they want, both the plane and the brews you prepare.

It's an open world kinda game, There's a bit of exploration and obviously the more further out you go, the more unique ingredients can be found, You'll have an incentive to upgrade your plane and can have multiple planes that fit certain purposes, You're likely to invest in a plane just for deliveries, another for harvesting and one for battles with pirates and there are a lot of options to mix and match to create unique layouts for these planes too.

It'll keep you busy and I think the game will be enjoyed by most players, there's a few frustrating moments however, sometimes battle can drag a bit too long with some unclear ways on how to win and you might find yourself googling how to harvest a certain ingredients. But overall, its a great game and I'm surprised that not many people know about it.

So get in the know, pour a bottle and get stuck in.

Ah, Shadows of Doubt. A one of a kind detective game that's set in sandbox sci-fi city thats procedurally generated. Make sure you've had your coffee because its got some heavy weight to it, Some brainy gamers are going to adore this one, but for others, it could be intimating but there are tools to help you along the way, so anyone can give it a go...

What's going on here? Well this game has some wild lore, This game starts in an alternative history 1979 but the events begin all the way back in 1589, worth reading actually, but anyway. Here you are in good ol' Alt History 1979, Where it's imagined that a megacorporation also has become the political leader of the country known as the U.A.S, The United Atlantic States and thanks to their focus on hyper industrialisation and ignored warnings from scientists, The sea levels of the world raise to the point where land travel no longer exists and now the world is just citys on man made built islands. It just turns out the leaders of the country just so happen to be a massive producer of soft drinks and snack foods, so thanks to their creative thinking, they have basically implemented ways of their products to be sold to everyone. Now they have purchased the police, everyone has health problems and they've created this social credit system where in order to retire in a lovely location known as "The Fields" you have to contribute something back, mainly by endless working otherwise you're stuck in this awful city hell hole until you do it or die. So that's mainly why everyone is angry at each other and lookin' only for themselves..

But just like Sniper said in TF2 in his youtube video "At the end of the day, as long as there's two people left on the planet, someone is going to want someone dead" and thats where you come in! Murders occur here and there and you're job in the game is to find out who did it and solve it, Why? Because in this game you're playing the role of a detective.

Every now and then, you pick up a trail for a murder case. These pay really well and generally the main type of game play you'll be enduring most of the time, These kinda cases where you have to work out whodunit are randomly generated. Some cases are easy because the clues left behind are just easy to look up or trace back but other cases can be challenging due to a lack of leads or the limited intel. It's pretty much RNG but if its always too easy you could change the difficulty and reduce the amount of clues, Be warned however. Less clues can be VERY hard to finish a case but there's not really any punishment for getting the case wrong.

But since you got the skills to pay the bills, Murder isn't the only crime that pays! Oh no, This town is full of opportunity because there are so many people who don't trust each other. So people will gladly post jobs on notice boards where you'll quickly learn that no one needs their lawns mowed or babies babysat, instead everyone needs something stolen, a home vandalised for petty revenge or someone just needs to know find if their partner is cheating. You got all the tools to make it happen, so this is a good way to make cash when you're not working on a murder case. However, some of these cases can be the most difficult in the game and will take up a lot of time. Don't expect to solve them in 24 hours as some of them can take ages. Sometimes their clues will pop up when you're in the middle of investigating something else. Thats always alot of fun to discover!

With so many NPCs and potential work, How the hell do you keep up with it all? well fortunately, your detective skills allows you to keep track of everyone as your game progresses. So everyone you meet, their names, looks, shoe size, finger prints, height, weight, job, etc. You'll be collecting all the data of these NPCs within the town you've either created on your own, or randomly generated. This means no player will have the same run as another and more so those who are familiar with open world sandbox games where NPCs have their own life programmed into them, like oblivion, skyrim and etc. This is basically the same, except there's at least 350 something and that's just on the default maps..

There are rumored mods out there where you have a town with over 2000 npcs! I haven't touched that yet, but consider that every single NPC has so many unique articles of personal data for your to discover and sift through, its incredibly impressive and will keep you busy for many hours like I have.

Unfortunately along the way, you'll come across some annoying bugs. Its mentioned in the discussions here that the devs are aware of these and working on them as time goes on, so make sure you save often because I've died a couple of times in stupid ways but it's not as bad as some people make it out to be, The game only was released recently as of this review and its deserving of its praise. Im excited to see how this game moving forward due to the mods only beginning to emerge, and it does feel like there could be alot more added to this game. I'd highly recommend it but prepare to destroy the hours of your day or week in RL. Im 70 something hours in, just completed by first run and I'm still hanging for more...

See ya round, kid!

Against the Storm is a city-building roguelite like no other, It was my 2024 nominee for most innovative game and also game of the year given how many hours I put into it, and how much more I wish I could.
Anyone whos a fan of city builders needs to play this game. It blends the creativity of managing settlements with the thrilling unpredictability of rogue like mechanics, Set in a unique storm-ravaged fantasy world, challenging players to build thriving towns, managing jobs for the people, maintain resources all while keeping up with demands from the Queen while battling the forces of nature too.

What sets this game apart is its unique cycle of short runs. I think its fair to assume that most people who have played city builders will get to a point where they wish to start again and work what they've learned with their previous city. This game pretty much demands that. So if you're looking to build a city that will last for days or etc, this game isn't for you. Instead, this game lets you start again, over and over again, but each time you start again, you bring a permanent upgrade to help you go even further.

The game's procedural generation ensures no two runs are alike and success hinges on your ability to balance the Queen’s grace with her rising impatience yet highly rewarding prizes. This maintains a constant tug-of-war for the player rewards efficient, creative problem-solving. The game encourages exploration of the untamed wilderness, with glades that hide both resources and perils. Each of the species in your towns has unique needs, adding layers of complexity to your management style. Additionally, the persistent progression system means that even failed settlements contribute to your long-term upgrades, creating a sense of accomplishment with every playthrough. It's a masterclass in balancing accessibility with challenge, welcoming newcomers while offering experienced players plenty of room for mastery.

Against the Storm also has a striking presentation. The stylised art and dynamic weather effects beautifully complement the gameplay, while the world building is rich with details that make you feel part of a larger story. The pacing is spot-on, with its shorter runs making it ideal for both quick gaming sessions and marathon playthroughs. If you're a fan of strategy games and want to experience a city-builder with a fresh twist, Against the Storm deserves your attention. It combines the best aspects of roguelites and management sims into a captivating package that’s both endlessly repayable and deeply satisfying and I have never come across anything else like it.