Delighted to say that web traffic to Higher Plain Music is up about 25% since the site redesign. It is coming from visitors reading more articles rather than a huge traffic spike (although it has increased). Pleased I slogged over that now.

I love this.

Vanessa Carlton returns with first new music in 5 years Majestic new single 'Animal' teases cinematic forthcoming album 'Veils'.

Bic Runga returns with spooky synth bop New Zealand's finest returns with moody and ethereal track 'Paris in the Rain'

A Pizza Delivery – Review A slice of life adventure with deep thoughts, but some shallow gameplay.

Introducing… Felix Antonio If Bon Iver and Phoebe Bridgers had a French love affair... Felix Antonio might be their love child.

Bit ESC – Review Bit ESC is clever, surprising, and charming from start to end.

Disc Golf City – Review A great choice for arcade sports game fans who enjoy tactile control schemes.

Can you teach an octopus to play the piano? A 6-month experiment to see if you can teach an octopus to play the piano...

When YouTube very randomly promotes a niche video. Appreciate the exposure, but it is such a strange video to throw into the mainstream. First time in about 5 years anything has been picked up for a wider audience test.

Petrol Vibes F1 1988 Classic Silhouette Unboxing 2mm of steel, cut into an F1 beauty?

Alejandra Cárdenas (aka Ale Hop) lays bare colonialism and trauma in forthcoming “birth name” debut Generational trauma and colonialism told through dark poetry and guitar noise

Christ, my spelling is atrocious this week!

Kalandra – ‘Mørketid’ Review An atmopheric collections of songs to warm your chill in the darkest of months.

Yuuf – ‘Mt. Sava’ Review Slinky, breezy, and another musicianship showcase of instrumental rock breaking traditional genre boundaries.

Astro Nova – Review An incremental that doesn't take over and play itself? Hurrah!

Red Panda: The Quiet Path – Review A game so empty it feels like a sandbox asset pack, not a game or experience.

Twilight Parade: Moonlit Mononoke – Review Pretty to look at, but lacking soul and challenge.

Get To Know Higher Plain Racing in 30 Questions! A casual F1-related Q&A.

It's been 20 years since RollerCoaster Tycoon 3: Wild! was released, the second and final expansion pack. I wrote a thing for my newsletter about the animal naming code that I worked on. The email has already gone out, but if anyone joins in the next 24 hours, I'll forward it industries.arganoid.com

Noise Canceler – Review Clever 2-button stereo rhythm action fun

i owe so many video game designers an apology

Cal & Bomba – Review Maths? As a main selling point for a game? I beg your pardon... Cal & Bomba takes a bold marketing decision to put its reliance on maths front and centre in what is an intriguing concept. I liken it to the board game Battleships, but with missiles, bombs, and chain reactions.…

Spooky Chase – Review Avoid your ghosts of previous runs to stay alive!

Live Vault – Beth Gibbons A spirited performance at the Sydney Opera House

Higher Plain Games announces budget paid playtesting for indie and solo developers Budget playtesting for indies, providing you access to a product owner and content designer whose content and products are used by millions.

Miku Hatsune gets V6 demo track to celebrate her 18th birthday Demo track 'Prism' keeps the faithful Miku sound

Fresh Tracks – Review Rhythm Action games are some of my favourites, and every once in a while, a new game comes along that feels quite unlike anything else out there. Fresh Tracks feels like a fresh concept. It is a mixture of skiing and ski-track lane swapping, sword attacks, leaning about, and…

OMDAI Mexico is wrong to blame Liam Lawson for an FIA critical error There are plenty of other things to look at before we consider anything to do with the driver...

I don't think Natalie Imbruglia's B-sides get enough recognition. There are some absolute bangers. I miss 90s alt-pop so much.

Introducting… Dani Larkin Traditional folk songs and hymns get the atmospheric, haunted treatment.

Fit and Fry Organized Grill – Review More of a morsel than a full course meal.

Retro Racing 2 – Review An arcade racing love letter at its finest.

Iglooghost – ‘Bronze Claw Iso’ Review Embrace Crane Musik with industrial artistry

Eve Matin – ‘Transmutanica’ Review The Harp: Unleashed and Untamed.

Void Comp – ‘Doesn’t Mean Anything’ Review Indietronica artist Void Comp takes the dry, desert synth rock approach for his new EP.

As Long As You’re Here – Review A sensitive and empathetic resource and experience about brain change and brain failure.

"The more we let companies use GenAI in development, the more we all stand to lose." As scope increases and budgets shrink, The Alters is a cautionary tale of gaps plugged up by AI, and the backlash that follows. @riorobayo.bsky.social examines #GenAI in games: www.qualbert.com/ai-use-in-th...

1998: The Toll Keeper Story – Review I often argue that games are the most impactful art form of our time. Unlike a movie, which can be superb and make you feel and think things, a game forces you to make choices and decisions in the moment. You can't be passive in a game, and that makes actions…

Gigantosaurus: Dino Sports – Review A lopsided, frustrating sports game that uses its IP really quite well.

Introducing… Victory Chimes Using the electric piano to create bass riffs to rock to.

The Diary – Review Solve a suspense-filled missing persons case told through shifting perspectives.

Björk – ‘Cornucopia’ Review A feast for the eyes, the ears, and the soul.

Lights off. Sound up. Time to watch Cornucopia. So wished I had seen it live. Time to take a Bjork trip.

Have fun everyone at EGX this weekend. I am not able to attend this year but plan to get along next year with some filming capability to give some indie dev love where I can.

Jesca Hoop – Selective Memory Review Reimagining her 2017 album as a sweet, stripped back banjo-rock performance

Microvania – Review Microfied Metroidvania provides all the thrills without the padding.

PJ Harvey’s ‘Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea’ hits 25 years old 25 years of one of the best rock albums ever made.

Sopa: Tale of the Stolen Potato – Review A delightful point and click adventure that stole my heart, as well as my potato!

ANNOUNCEMENT: introducing our latest game! The Marvelous Raincaster of Yell Holler, a time-looping puzzle ballad. 🪕 💧 Unravel a story-based time puzzle 💧 Employ a traveling c̶o̶n̶m̶a̶n̶ salesman 💧 Orchestrate a shindig and other such matters Wishlist now! store.steampowered.com/app/3800300/