I wrote about Amberspire for Start Menu! A puzzle game wrapped in a city builder, it takes a different tack to the "eco-builders" genre.

In Amberspire, the titular city atop a necropolis expands steadily, but instability is a constant companion. The game contains an irresolvable tension at its core that, at turns, entertains, frustrates, and enlightens. @stevenstoermer.bsky.social reviews.

back on update patch, just in time for the summer game fest news crush!

Also worth reposting, my debut on startmenu! It's been a minute since I've had something published and it feels good to have that opportunity again 😊

This week's Update Patch sees RGG unrest the dead, a first proper look at Fumito Ueda's long-awaited new game, and countless other bits of news from SGF. @wendeego.bsky.social rounds up as much as they possibly can. www.patreon.com/posts/update...

Swan Song’s music notation-themed puzzles make for satisfying gameplay, but they are paired with a lackluster narrative. @dacichocki.bsky.social reviews.

Another article from me, no way!! Check out my review for the (mostly) excellent Gecko Gods and thank you @startmenu.bsky.social for publishing it

Gecko Gods’ lizard-centric puzzle solving and exploration calls to mind games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Ico. @thetenthletter.bsky.social reviews.

Had a blast doing my first month of Update Patch for startmenu last month. While it will certainly pale in comparison to an event-packed June, May still had plenty of news to cover and interesting stories to highlight.

Thank you for highlighting Dreams on a Pillow story @startmenu.bsky.social @mushwrites.bsky.social

May saw plenty of video game news from across the industry, from big releases to high-profile delays, and from baffling rebrands to dreadful attempts to buy out a company that is bigger than yours. @mushwrites.bsky.social rounds it all up in this month’s Update Patch Patreon Unlock.

Despite SGF only being days away, last week was still full of news for better... and worse. @mushwrites.bsky.social finishes up their first run on Update Patch with these stories. www.patreon.com/posts/update...

This week's Update Patch sees news on Ubisoft's financials, Sony's latest strategy, and an update on Dreams on a Pillow a game set in 1948 Palestine during the Nakba. @mushwrites.bsky.social reports. www.patreon.com/posts/update...

One of the perks of reviewing video games is that you can get something good out of them even if they’re bad. @kellymerka.bsky.social ‘s editing really helped me express the issues I had with Will: Follow The Light and the back and forth we had around it was great. The game, though, not so much.

Will: Follow the Light seeks to provide an immersive experience, but makes a misstep with its exposition-heavy narration. @mushwrites.bsky.social reviews.

i spoke with selina kibara in april and our talk is finally up! kumitantei has been mighty interesting to follow, i hope the dangan fans who read startmenu can see the joy of it :)

With Kumitantei: Old-School Slaughter having released last month, @lesbiankakyoin.bsky.social interviews project lead Selina Kibara on fandom, fascism, and audience expectations. www.startmenu.co.uk/home/intervi...

This week saw some big new releases, GameStop getting rejected by eBay, and a Lord of the Rings MMO getting cancelled. This week's Update Patch by @mushwrites.bsky.social. www.patreon.com/posts/update...

It's heartbreaking that games as a medium remain out of reach for people telling the stories worth telling most. www.aljazeera.com/video/newsfe...

For all the talk around Mixtape the last few days, it kinda feels like there's been frustratingly little talk *about* Mixtape. @tomeitou.bsky.social tries to separate the static noise from his in their review. www.startmenu.co.uk/home/review-...

This week's Update Patch sees a new game being cracked by pirates before it has even been released, new Resident Evil Requiem content, and Valve somehow not expecting that everyone wants a Steam Controller. @mushwrites.bsky.social rounds everything up. www.patreon.com/posts/update...

oh goody, now everyone gets to witness the best writing i've ever put out

April saw a lot of news from new games breaking out to half a dozen film adaptation announcements, and from new game announcements and leaks to potential cancellations. @lesbiankakyoin.bsky.social rounded it all up in four Update Patches now available on the site.

Songs of Glimmerwick’s magical premise shows promise, but @thetenthletter.bsky.social's experience with the game's demo was hampered by its complex spellcasting mechanics.

Replaced nails the cyberpunk aesthetic with its highly cinematic art direction and a synth-centric soundtrack, though its gameplay at times leaves something to be desired. @tomeitou.bsky.social reviews.

I reviewed @hypergames.no's Moomintroll: Winter's Warmth. To my surprise even though this game is set in winter, it is one of the warmest game I have played in a while. Highest recommendation from me.

Hyper Games’ Moomintroll: Winter’s Warmth is worthy of devotion and even better than its predecessor. @aguaspoints.bsky.social reviews.

This week's Update Patch sees @mushwrites.bsky.social take the reins to round up everything from the closure of Spiders to early impressions of the Steam Controller. www.patreon.com/posts/update...

Deniz Amasya joins us to take moment to reflect on espressos in Cologne, philosophers, and Sega Saturn visual novels.

In Owlskip Games’ The Ratline, the player unravels a mystery and unmasks Nazi war criminals. While it stands on a strong premise, the game’s narrative takes a backseat to its deduction mechanics. Andrei Filote reviews.

Good morning. I reviewed Titanium Court for startmenu It afflicted me with madness but I quite liked it, despite some minor complaints www.startmenu.co.uk/home/review-...

Do you want to know if "Killing Enemies is TIGHT!"? I have the exact review for you to read....

@stopcar.ing rides the shifting tides of Titanium Court, AP Thomson's new Shakespeare-inflected release.

What a fascinating read about a game that just didn't work. Go check out @raisinbman.bsky.social review!

The “product” that WWE offers has rarely felt more morally compromised or bad value than it does today, so it's fitting that WWE 2K26 embodies that nickel-and-dime feel, dragging down solid gameplay with endless caveats, both ethical and practical. @chrispenwell.bsky.social reviews.

A roguelite comes with the expectation of failures and repeats, but Valor of Man is all slog and little reward. @raisinbman.bsky.social reviews.

Huge thanks to @startmenu.bsky.social for giving me the space to write about the very cool puzzle game beneath Horripilants more overt idle game. Also very glad I can somewhat justify the hours I lost to Adventure Capitalist as a teen as they led to me having more to say in this review years later

There’s more to Horripilant than its idle gameplay may at first suggest. @thetenthletter.bsky.social reviews.

I'm honored @startmenu.bsky.social let me write so many words about Terra Invicta, a uniquely ambitious grand strategy game building off of @pavonisinteractive.bsky.social's experience with the Long War mods for XCOM. Find all my thoughts below! @hoodedhorse.bsky.social

At the beginning of the year, Terra Invicta reached escape velocity, leaving early access with its official 1.0 release. @stevenstoermer.bsky.social reviews.

‪This week's Update Patch sees Astarion getting a spin-off novel and Nagoshi Studio's Gang of Dragon going MIA. @lesbiankakyoin.bsky.social's final UP for the month is up now.

This week's Update Patch saw a whole bunch of video game movie news coming out of CinemaCon and several high-profile releases. @lesbiankakyoin.bsky.social rounds everything up. www.patreon.com/posts/update...

@raisinbman.bsky.social takes a look at a recently released demo for Ledgerbound, OmniMegaSuperCorp’s forthcoming turn-based strategy game.

My latest for startmenu is a preview! Imprinted is a creative take on the os-simulator “horror” genre, focusing on audio as the main vehicle for its mysterious narrative.

@mushwrites.bsky.social takes an early look at Imprinted, in which the player takes on the role of an audio engineer tasked with unraveling an eerie mystery.

I did a quick n dirty write up of my impressions of Cosmo D’s new game, Moves of The Diamond Hand.

@stopcar.ing returns to Off-Peak City and reminisces about luck in her impressions of Cosmo D’s Moves of the Diamond Hand.

I am really thankful to @kellymerka.bsky.social and @lexluddy.xyz for letting newer writers like me publish works like these on startmenu. An extra thank you goes to Lexi for the invaluable edits to my original (messy) draft.

Cannot believe I got to review this amazing game. Pragmata is the best game I've played this year!

Despite a runtime of over five hours, Jeff Kaplan’s tell-all interview with Lex Fridman did not include any line of questioning regarding Blizzard’s largest-ever scandal that broke just months after the creative director and vice president left the company. @mushwrites.bsky.social digs deeper.