“This place is already known as ‘The Badlands,’ but now we have to deal with ghost hauntings? I’m packing it all up and going back to Texas.” -Anonymous Badlands resident Independent comic book creator George Alexopoulos (aka GPrime85) and prominent YouTube culture critic Razörfist launched a crowdfunding campaign for Ghost of the Badlands, a 105-page graphic novel presented in black
Read more
Earlier this week, the independent comic book creator known as Nerd Wonder launched a crowdfunding campaign for Behemoth: War Makes Monsters issue 1, a 50-page graphic novel. Written and illustrated by Nerd Wonder (Graveyard Shift: Bite Sized Heroes), Behemoth: War Makes Monsters is her first solo project (with reasonable exceptions for lettering and editing). Here’s the official pitch taken from
Read more
Developer Novarama has announced that their upcoming multiplayer FPS United 1944 will conduct its first Steam closed beta from 19-21 May. During this time , participants will have the chance to play United 1944 for 4 hours per day. Set late in World War II, United 1944 is a 16v16 multiplayer action strategy game where you will “scavenge for resources,
Read more
Publisher Hamster has announced that Tecmo Knight is now available on Nintendo Switch and PS4 as part of the digital Arcade Archives series. Originally released by Tecmo in 1989 for arcades, Tecmo Knight (aka Wild Fang in some territories) is a side-scrolling beat ‘em (akin to Golden Axe) set in a supernatural fantasy world. Players take control of a creature-summoning
Read more
Over the weekend, Riot Press launched a crowdfunding campaign for Zorro and the Phantasm Cult of Hollywood Hills, 1955, a 24-page, black and white comic book. The project is already fully funded, having raised more than $3 thousand at the time of this writing. Written and illustrated by Patrick Thomas Parnell,* Zorro and the Phantasm Cult is a reimagining of
Read more
Japanese indie game studio Studio Poco recently released a demo of Touhou ~Red Empress Devil on Steam PC. Touhou RED is an action game that combines elements of bullet-hell shooters and roguelike adventure games. Here’s the official breakdown of Touhou ~Red Empress Devil from Studio Poco: This game is a secondary bullet-hell shooting roguelike action game based on “Touhou Project”.
Read more
Haunted Pizza recently added a black and white art edition to the crowdfunding campaign for Koni Waves, a 56-page supernatural action/horror graphic novel. The project is already fully funded and rolling well along, having raised more than $12 thousand at the time of this writing. With just over two days left in the funding period, however, your window on backing
Read more
It’s been far too many months since we’ve run one of our themed events (like our Festival of Dread, 80s August & Jolly Jinglings). So I’m happy to say that one of our longest running events is Monochrome May is back, and with it, a celebration of black and white games, comics, movies, and all things chiaroscuro. But that doesn’t
Read more
Earlier this week, A.G.E. Comics launched a crowdfunding campaign for Fall of Man issue 2, a 32-page sci-fi adventure book set in a post apocalyptic future. Written by Paul Byrd and featuring illustrations by Benjamin Worrell and colors by Jimmy G, the Fall of Man series is set in a world where the superpowered remnants of human civilization struggle to
Read more
Whether we like it or not, it looks like we’re getting another lazy, soulless live-action remake from Disney, this time on the form of Peter Pan and Wendy exclusively on Disney+. Bangarang. So to mark the occasion, we’re going to review a Peter Pan-related game from the early 90s. I asked around The Splintering’s staff for a someone to review
Read more
“I’m, big, I’m bad, and I’m back, and I suck!” Today we’re going to take a look at George Foreman’s KO Boxing, which was developed by Beam Software and published by Acclaim Entertainment in 1992 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). As the title may suggest, George Foreman’s KO Boxing puts players in the gloves of the two-time Heavyweight Champion of the
Read more
Publisher ININ Games in cooperation with Tozai and IREM have announced that five volumes of old-school IREM arcade games are coming to consoles as IREM Collections. The first volume, planned for PS4, PS5, Xbox and Nintendo Switch, is expected to release by the end of the 2023. Several games in these collections never made their way outside of Japan, so
Read more
Farming so easy, a caveman can do it. On Tuesday, publisher Crytivo officially released Roots of Pacha on Steam PC. Console versions are planned for a later date. Developed by Soda Den following a successful crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter, Roots of Pacha is a farming life simulator set in the Stone Age with a throwback pixel art visual aesthetic. It
Read more
ININ Games recently announced some new details for Puzzle Bobble Everybubble!, the upcoming competitive puzzle game and latest installment in the Puzzle Bobble/Bust-A-Move series. These new features come in the form of “EXtra Difficult” EX stages and a “Memory Album” where players can unlock and collect a number of bonuses including character costumes, stage music, and more. For those unfamiliar
Read more
Today we’re going to look at Fox’s Peter Pan and the Pirates: The Revenge of Captain Hook, an action-platformer published by THQ (aka Toy Headquarters) for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1991. Developed by Equilibrium, Revenge of Captain Hook is based on the animated series of the same name that ran on Fox Kids’ Saturday morning cartoon rotation, Peter Pan and the Pirates. The game naturally
Read more
Publisher ESDigital recently announced that the genre-blending Demon Skin is coming to PS4, PS5, Xbone, SeXbox and Nintendo Switch on 5 May. The game is already available on Steam PC. Developed by Ludus Future, Demon Skin combines elements of hack’n’slash, platforming, fighting and RPG mechanics for a combat experience set in a dark fantasy world. The console release of Demon
Read more
MGP Studios recently announced that their upcoming first-person Roguelite Unbroken is coming to Steam PC in late 2023. According to MGP, Unbroken “takes the core of Project Downfall and gives it a solid grindhouse Castlevania spin.” While Unbroken is noted to be relatively short, MGP points out that the game is designed with the multiple options and pathways from start
Read more
Independent comic book creator Aaron C launched a crowdfunding campaign for Immortal Rising, a 44-page fantasy book featuring two separate adventure stories. Written by Aaron C and illustrated by Jose Garcia (Tyger Blue, Crimson Rhen), Immortal Rising is intended as the start of a new “epic high-fantasy team adventure survival series.” Here’s the official pitch taken from the Immortal Rising
Read more
Sounds like a “flaming” good time! …wait… Terarin Games has announced that preorders are now open for Terra Flame on Nintendo Switch. Terra Flame is a horizontal 2D shoot ‘em up (or simply “shooter”, as the kids called them back when) inspired by classic games of the 90s such as the Thunder Force series and – I don’t know –
Read more
A link to the past… few games that were also SNES Action/Adventure also available on Steam… Looking back, all of my favorite games (Chrono Trigger, Earthbound, Pokémon) in some way emulate what The Legend of Zelda started back in 1986: Assumption: Most of you have played these games, finished these games, and played them again and again. Objectively, these games
Read more
You must obey your SUPERIORS! Over the weekend, Mayhem Comics launched a crowdfunding campaign for The SUPERIORS, a 48-page graphic novel. The project is already fully funded, having raised roughly $8 thousand at the time of this writing. Written and illustrated by Clint Hilinski, The SUPERIORS is a classic-style superhero action-adventure set in a wide multiverse. Here’s the official pitch
Read more
Independent comic book creator and Sweet Comics founder Clint Stoker recently launched a crowdfunding campaign for Downcast Volume 4: Hunting Ground, an 80-page sci-fi graphic novel. This time around, the campaign is being conducted on the Sweet Comics website rather than conventional crowdfunding platforms. The project is already fully funded, having raised 138% of its original goal at the time
Read more
Osman, huh? That’s the name that they went with for the English release. I feel like Cannon Dancer is a way cooler name than Osman, although I guess this release is trying to rectify that by tagging on the Cannon Dancer name this time around.* I figured “Osman” had to mean something, though. After some quick internet research, I found
Read more
Ghosts in the machine? Shoot them with bullets. On Thursday, game publisher HYPERSTRANGE released the 90s-inspired FPS GHOSTWARE: Arena of the Dead via Steam Early Access. Developed by Daev Team, GHOSTWARE: Arena of the Dead features old-school arena shooter gameplay and a surrealist, reality-bending “meta-narrative” that explores the meaning of death. (43?) Players take on the role of Molly, who
Read more
On Monday, Allegiance Arts Entertainment launched a crowdfunding campaign for The Saints II: Awakening, a 44-page action-adventure graphic novel. The project is already fully funded, having raised more than $2 thousand at the time of this writing. Here’s the official pitch taken from The Saints II Indiegogo campaign page: The Man Who Knew Too Much Marked for death, a renegade
Read more
Anyone else seeing “SNESs”? Eastasiasoft has announced that 3D survival horror game SENSEs: Midnight is coming digitally to Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbone and SeXbox in June, with physical editions for Nintendo Switch and PS5 going live for preorders later this week. Developed by SUZAKU Games in partnership with eastasiasoft, SENSEs: Midnight is the first game in a planned anthology
Read more
“It appears that we now have an Outlaw Nights for an In-Law Nights!” Eh, you can’t win ‘em all. Anyway… Over the Easter holiday weekend, Ben Fuselier launched a crowdfunding campaign for Outlaw Nights issue 2, a 25-page sci-fi comic book. Written by Fuselier and featuring illustrations by Juanito Arceneaux (Dwarfs vs. Lion), colors by Marcos Martins and lettering by
Read more
ININ Games recently announced that Cannon Dancer (known as OSman in the West) is releasing both digitally and physically for Nintendo Switch, PS4 and PS5 on 13 April 2023. The Xbox version will receive a digital-only release. A side-scrolling action game in the vein of Shadow Dancer and Strider, Mitchell Corporation’s Cannon Dancer was certainly a rarity upon its arcade
Read more
Strictly Limited Games (the other small-run physical video game publisher) recently announced that preorders for limited boxed editions of Steel Empire – Chronicles will begin on Sunday, 9 April (yep, Easter Sunday). This collection includes three versions of Steel Empire (SEGA Genesis, Nintendo GBA, and the 2019 remake), as well as a bonus game Over Horizon (NES), which was never
Read more
Publisher Hamster has announced that Rezon is now available on Nintendo Switch and PS4 as part of the digital Arcade Archives series. Originally released by Allumer in 1991 for arcades, Rezon is a side-scrolling 2D shoot ‘em up (or simply “shooter” as we called them back then) in the vein of Gradius and (very much so) R-Type. Players must take
Read more
The Splintering 