REVIEW: INK INSIDE (2025 Video Game) on Playstation

Review by Jon Donnis

INK INSIDE arrives as a confident and genuinely distinctive indie action RPG, built around a visual hook that immediately sets it apart. Inspired by the idea of a lost cartoon pilot, the game drops you into a world that looks like it has been scribbled into existence inside a stack of notebooks. It is colourful, messy, and full of personality, with hand drawn animation that feels deliberately rough around the edges while still moving with real fluidity. This is not a cheap sketchbook gimmick. It feels like a playable cartoon brought to life with care and technical skill.

You play as Stick, an unfinished doodle trapped beneath a leaking ceiling where water seeps into the notebooks and slowly corrupts the world. Friendly characters become soggy monsters, environments twist and buckle, and memories are scattered across the pages. The setup is imaginative and oddly charming, and it provides a strong foundation for the game's story driven approach. The idea of uncovering shared Genetic Memory, or Gene Meme, between creator and creation is woven into the narrative, giving the adventure a surprisingly personal edge.

Combat is where INK INSIDE makes its strongest impression. What initially looks like a straightforward beat em up quickly reveals a deeper system built around dodgeball style mechanics. Battles revolve around movement, timing, and positioning, with projectiles flying across the screen and combos forming through smart play rather than button mashing. The ball combat system adds a tactical layer that keeps encounters lively, and when everything clicks it feels fast, reactive, and genuinely fun. Filling the COOL MOVES bar and breaking through enemy defences adds a satisfying sense of momentum to fights.

The world itself is packed with personality. From Fuzzball Forest to the Sugar Swamp, each area is gorgeously illustrated and bursting with visual detail. Characters are fully voiced, animated, and memorable, helped along by strong performances from Brian David Gilbert and Deneen Melody. There is real effort put into making every major character feel distinct, from Detective Fuzz to Traff, whose rough edged attitude matches her heavy hitting combat style. The overall presentation is one of the game's biggest strengths, blending humour, nostalgia, and creative flair.

That said, INK INSIDE is not without its frustrations. The game leans heavily on dialogue, and there is a lot of it. Too much, frankly. Progress is frequently slowed by long stretches of reading when all you want to do is move, fight, and explore. While the story and characters are well written, the constant interruptions damage the pacing and make it harder to stay engaged. For players who prefer action over exposition, this becomes a real sticking point.

Exploration also struggles to maintain interest outside of combat. Despite the imaginative settings, moving through the world can feel tedious, especially when broken up by repeated dialogue sequences. The core combat loop is enjoyable, but the surrounding structure does not always support it as well as it should. There is a sense that the game wants to be many things at once, and not all of them land equally.

Ultimately, INK INSIDE is a game I admire more than I enjoy. It is original, visually striking, and clearly made with passion by a talented team. The combat is genuinely fun and surprisingly deep, and the living notebook art style is fantastic. However, the heavy reliance on dialogue and the less engaging exploration meant it never fully clicked with me. The jokey humour did not always land, and it is not entirely clear who the game is aimed at, whether kids, adults, or somewhere in between.

INK INSIDE will undoubtedly resonate with many players, particularly those who value creativity, storytelling, and experimental mechanics. For me, though, it falls short of being consistently enjoyable. If this had been a more focused, combat driven beat em up, I suspect I would have come away far more positive. As it stands, it is an interesting and ambitious game that misses the mark for my tastes.

Score. 5 out of 10.

Out Now on Playstation

https://store.playstation.com/en-us/concept/10011260

REVIEW: Motel Business Simulator (2025 Video Game) - on Playstation

Review by Jon Donnis

Motel Business Simulator, released in 2025 on PlayStation and published by Nostra Games, puts players firmly in the role of a motel manager. From the moment you step behind the front desk, the game tasks you with juggling housekeeping, guest satisfaction, and property upgrades. It is a straightforward management experience that keeps things simple, offering a glimpse into the logistics of running a roadside motel.

One of the game's strongest features is its addictive core loop. Cleaning rooms, furnishing them, and renting them out provides a satisfying rhythm, particularly during the early stages. The progression system, which includes achievements and opportunities to upgrade and expand the motel, adds a clear sense of purpose. For its price point, (£6.49) the game delivers good value, making it accessible for those looking for a casual management simulation.

On the other hand, the gameplay can become repetitive once the motel is fully operational. The early variety of tasks gradually gives way to a routine of repeating similar actions. Graphically, the game feels dated, with visuals that lack polish compared to other titles in the genre. Players seeking deeper management mechanics may find the options restrictive, as the game does not provide much beyond maintaining rooms, handling supplies, and keeping guests satisfied.

Motel Business Simulator is a decent, no-frills simulator. It offers enough engagement for a short playthrough or a casual gaming session, but it lacks the depth and variety to sustain longer-term interest. The straightforward approach is both a strength and a limitation, making it approachable but somewhat shallow for dedicated simulation fans.

Score: 6/10 - A simple, accessible management game that delivers a basic motel experience but lacks lasting depth.

Out Now on Playstation

https://store.playstation.com/en-gb/concept/10015006/

REVIEW: MotoTrials™ (2025 Video Game) - A Brutal, Beautiful Little Gauntlet

Review by Jon Donnis

You wake in a shipping container, groggy and disoriented, and the game makes you figure out a few things first before allowing you to get on a bike, the very first puzzle is a simple one, you need to remove your handcuffs, find a giant saw, turn your back to it, time it right and voila you are free, get it wrong and you are shredded to pieces. That blunt opening sets the tone. MotoTrials™ is a compact, 100 per cent physics-driven motorcycle platformer that asks one simple thing of you. Learn the machine. Keep trying. Survive the gauntlet.

Ricky is not a hero with a backstory laid out in cutscenes. He is a name, a body and a bike, and the environment does the talking. The concrete labyrinth is industrial and claustrophobic, full of moving platforms, flame jets, crushers and bridges that give way underfoot. The design merges tight, exacting sequences where momentum and balance matter as well as reflex and quick thinking. Everything is governed by the physics, crashes feel consequential and recoveries feel earned. That honesty makes success quietly thrilling.

Controls are the heart of the thing. The bike behaves like a real object. Throttle, brake and lean change outcomes in an immediate, tactile way. At first it is unforgiving, because the bike is twitchy and your timing will be off. Spend a little time with it and the reward is big. Landings that would feel like luck in a scripted game become obvious once you understand speed and weight, and those moments are where MotoTrials lives. Checkpoints are placed with an eye for balance. Instant respawns mean you are nudged back into the loop rather than punished out of it. The loop is short, sharp and addictive.

The decision to include on-foot sections is bold. I prefer riding, personally, but the occasional moment where you leave the bike to solve a small puzzle adds variety. It is not flawless. Ricky's movement on foot can feel slightly floaty, and that undermines the otherwise consistent relationship between input and result. When the physics that make the bike sing do not translate perfectly to the character, the contrast pulls you out of the experience for a second. Still, those small puzzles break the rhythm in a useful way and stop the game from being relentless in one gear.

Story and voice work do more than you might expect. Cryptic messages and unsettling vocal lines stitch a loose narrative into the gameplay. Ashley and Crusty are memorable in different ways, MOM and Silent Mike add flavour, and the Announcer keeps things eerily formal. The cast does not handhold. Instead, it hints and teases, and that ambiguity works with the environment to create an atmosphere that is quietly unsettling. It does not aim to be profound, just unnerving enough to make you keep listening on the off chance the next line will spell something out.

Visually the game is modest. Textures and models are functional rather than showy. Lighting and sound do the heavy lifting for mood, and they do it well. The soundtrack is minimalist and atmospheric, shifting as you progress and underlining the tension without getting in the way. Together with the voice work it pushes the small studio presentation into something that feels cohesive rather than unfinished.

There are rough edges you should know about. The graphics could be cleaner, and a few physics quirks crop up away from the bike. Some transitions feel abrupt. These are the sorts of issues you forgive if you care more about the loops and less about visual polish. For a project that, by all appearances, was made on a modest budget, the trade-offs are understandable. The core mechanics are intact, and that is the main thing.

Replayability is solid for what it is. Time runs, collectibles tucked into awkward places and a handful of hidden secrets give players reasons to return after the first clear run. It is a short game if you rush, a bite-sized challenge if you take your time. That brevity helps it avoid filler, which feels intentional.

I am pretty strict with Trials-style games. I expect tight, fair design and a feeling that every failure can be learned from. MotoTrials meets that expectation more often than not. It stumbles in small spots, but it kept pulling me back, which is the highest compliment I can pay. It is a lean, occasionally rough gem that rewards patience and practice.

Score: 8 out of 10. It is not polished to excess, but it nails the satisfaction of learning a machine and beating the course. I hope ProudArts gets the chance to expand on this.

Out Now on Xbox

https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/mototrials/9N8GC20N1R76/0010

REVIEW: Lost Twins 2 (2025 Video Game) - On Xbox

Review by Jon Donnis

Lost Twins 2 is a rare kind of puzzle-platformer, one that feels both completely charming and genuinely inventive. At its heart you guide Abi and Ben, two lost twins, across a whimsical polygonal playground where the world itself can be shifted, tiles can be swapped, and entire pathways reshaped at will. It's a clever mechanic that transforms every stage into something both surprising and rewarding. The puzzles themselves are beautifully put together. They're tough enough to make you stop and think, yet logical enough that you never feel stuck for long. Solving them has that wonderful effect of making you feel just a little bit smarter than you are.

Looks wise, the game wears its influences proudly. Clearly inspired by Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli, the art style blends soft painterly backdrops with simple, expressive characters and fluid animation. Lighting, composition, and attention to detail give every frame a handcrafted warmth. It's paired with a score that is both soothing and atmospheric, wrapping the puzzles in a layer of calm that makes it easy to lose yourself in the experience.

The gameplay never falls into repetition. The signature sliding puzzle mechanic is joined by pressure switches, lifts, water gates, and breakable domes, with each new level introducing something that keeps the pace fresh. Playing solo is rewarding, as switching between Abi and Ben to achieve different goals feels natural and well designed, but the game shines brightest in local co-op. Working together with a friend to swap tiles, trigger mechanisms, and build paths is where the charm really comes alive. The only drawback is that there's no online option, so you'll need someone on the sofa with you.

What sets Lost Twins 2 apart is its philosophy. There are no enemies, no deaths, no timers, not even much dialogue to push you along. It is purely about discovery, tinkering, and exploration. That makes it as enjoyable for children as it is for adults, and it ensures the experience never feels stressful, only thoughtful and rewarding. The story may be a little light, but the art, the puzzles, and the sheer creativity more than carry it.

It's rare for a game to be this beautiful, this clever, and this accessible all at once. Lost Twins 2 is proof that puzzle games can be both relaxing and exciting without ever leaning on conflict or frustration. A delightful, charming piece of design that works on every level. I give it a strong 9 out of 10.

Out Now on Xbox

https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/lost-twins-2/9nh600hw7hdg