Welcome to Gaming Couch Potato, your ultimate destination for all things gaming and tech! Whether you're a hardcore gamer, a casual player, or someone who just loves staying updated on the latest in the gaming world, we've got you covered. At Gaming Couch Potato, we offer in-depth game reviews, breaking news, and insightful articles to keep you informed and entertained.
It's time for Xbox players to join the fight! Kingdom Rush, the award-winning tower defence strategy game from Ironhide Game Studio, is now available on Xbox One for £7.99! The initial instalment of the studio's fan-acclaimed tower defence series has been loved by gamers for almost ten years, proving that good classics never lose their enchantment. The franchise's iconic sequels (Frontiers and Origins) will also be available on Xbox systems in the near future.
Xbox players can now visit every corner of the magical, fantastic kingdom of Linirea: a realm full of fun adventures and thrilling battles. Kingdom Rush invites players to set their strategic game plan on the battlefield, as they unfold their tactics to defend different lands and stages from the attack of threatening enemy hordes, led by a greedy dark lord: Vez’nan.
Using a vast arsenal of epic towers and spells, players will command the mightiest heroes and guide the greatest army to victory! Fight on castle outskirts, forests, mountains, and wastelands, customizing a defensive strategy with different tower tests and specializations. Rain fire upon enemies, summon reinforcements, command troops, recruit elven warriors and face legendary monsters on this adventure to save the Kingdom from the forces of darkness!
Key features include:
13 mighty heroes to lead troops to victory
18 tower abilities to maximize your army's power
Over 50 unique enemies from Goblins to Demons each with their own unique attributes
More than 60 achievements with easter eggs to discover and challenges to overcome
Extra game modes that will push players strategy to the limit
Intense boss fights with the Kingdom’s greatest threats, going head to head with your allies
Zoo Corporation are back with yet another release in their "Pretty Girls" series, this is number 19 and is called Pretty Girls 2048 Strike.
The 2048 in the title is because the game is based on the classic tile sliding puzzle game of the same name.
If you are unfamiliar of the original game, the idea was to use your arrow keys to move the tiles. Tiles with the same number merge into one when they touch. You would win the game when you have a single tile reach 2048, now with this being a Pretty Girls release, there is a twist in the game. Each game will have a title, or multiple tiles featuring one of the Pretty Girls, they will have a score, and every time you move titles in the direction of the Pretty Girl, whatever number is on that particular tile, would take off the same amount from their score, get the Pretty Girl to zero, and you win the level. However if the board fills up, and there are no moves left, you lose.
It may sound a bit confusing, but this may very well be the most addictive Pretty Girls release yet. The addition of the Pretty Girl tile, really does take the original game to a new level, throw in some special skills, that both you the player, and the Pretty Girl can activate, and that brings another level of gameplay and tactics.
Skills for you can include a shuffle of the whole board. Which is very much needed on harder levels when you are running out of mergeable tiles. Another skill when activated will automatically "attack" every Pretty Girls tile, with the equivalent number of the highest tile on the board.
Skills for the Pretty Girls include things like unmergeable tiles, add another Pretty Girl character tile to the board, put a shield around a tile, and so on.
The game is incredibly easy to pick up, and you will get the hang of it pretty quickly. Each set of stages is attached to a different Pretty Girl character, beat all the stages, unlock that girl, earn points for the shop.
As with all Pretty Girls releases, these are sexy Japanese style "Bishoujo" characters, no nudity. Once you collect the Pretty Girls, you can unlock costumes, facial expressions and backgrounds so you can make your Diorama. You can then save the image.
There are 10 stages for each of the five characters. All get progressively harder. And all characters are voiced in Japanese.
There is also an endless mode, where the main aim is just to survive as long as you can, and get as high a tile score as you can. There are 3 stages to play in endless mode, 3x3, 4x4 and 5x5 size boards.
There are two types of Character, with Exorcist Swordsman and Demon Tribe, and each character has their own little bio and story. For example
Chikage - Chikage specializes in a ninja-like fighting style. She has a personality that is both hardworking and confident. She admires her mother, who was an exorcist Swordsman, and dressed as a male in order to pursue her strength and follow the path of swordsman.
Lilim - A dream demon. She looks down on humans as food for her energy. She is mischievous and playful, and enjoys bullying humans. She absorbs energy through dreams and hallucinations.
These are mainly just window dressing and don't affect the game, but it is nice that the effort has been made in these characters.
The Good
As with all of the Pretty Girl's releases, they are based on classic games, this is the first one however where I had never played the classic game before, so for me this was a totally new game in every sense. And despite the main gameboard being very simple, the addictive nature of the gameplay cannot be understated. This is a fantastic game, and perhaps my favourite out of all of the Pretty Girls releases, and I have played a lot of them.
Super simple gameplay, with a growing challenge, that really will challenge all fans of puzzle games.
The Bad
Of the various difficulty levels, the first 3 are pretty easy and you will get through the stages in no time, I think either more levels, or more of a balance on those earlier levels would have been good, but then again it might just be that I am very good at this game?
Overall
I loved this game, definitely my favourite of all the releases, and a game I will keep playing after I have written this review, which is always the biggest compliment a game can get. I honestly can't think of anything that would improve this game outside of more levels. It is that good.
Easily Puzzle game of 2022. I score Pretty Girls 2048 Strike on PC (Steam) a super strong 9.5/10. Near puzzle perfection
Another day and another review, this time we are looking at Whisker Squadron: Survivor.
This is the first game set in the Whisker Squadron universe, and a roguelite shooter from the makers of RACE THE SUN. In Whisker Squadron: Survivor, the action takes place in a continuous corridor setting over the course of 30 minute runs, with a strong emphasis on roguelite survival.
With a variety of feline pilots, ships, and weaponry at your disposal, you may customize your loadout before setting out on a run that only gets tougher with each wave. You can upgrade through a dizzying array of randomly selected upgrades by collecting scrap from your defeated enemies, giving each run a distinctive build.
Whisker Squadron: Survivor, which serves as a prequel to the 2023 space-faring adventure Whisker Squadron.
With a relatively tiny download size, this is an impressive looking game. The sound effects and music are all decent. The music could have been lifted right out of an 80s detective TV show! But now we get to the all important question of how does it play.
You have a choice of using keyboard and mouse, or gamepad. You would think that this game would be made for gamepads and console type controllers. Unfortunately this is the one part that the game really trips on. One of the aspects of the game is turning your ship side ways, it helps you avoid enemy bullets and also get through some tight areas, but using the gamepad, this extra control aspect just didn't feel easy to use, and I found myself totally ignoring that, and just flying with the ship flat. I then tried with a mouse and keyboard, and to be fair it definitely felt easier to control, and even I found myself using the side ways option and also the full rotate, to not only avoid enemy fire but also to go through those tricky areas.
With the mouse and keyboard being a better option, the game still struggles with the control aspects. It just never feels quite right. You are aiming with the mouse at the enemies, but this also controls the direction the ship is moving, so it is hard to do what you want at times. But the more you play, the more you adapt and get used to the controls.
The Good
Very nice looking and sounding game. Nice simple concept that plays ok once you get over the controls.
Shoot at the enemies, progress and upgrade your weapons, shoot at more enemies.
The Bad
The controls.
Overall
A simple little game, bogged down by a poor control system, stick with it and you will be rewarded with some fun game play.
I score Whisker Squadron: Survivor on PC (Steam) a fair 7/10
Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew is a new Stealth Strategy game from Mimimi Games, the developers of Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun and Desperados III.
In Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew, you will join a ghost ship with a living soul, sailing the Lost Caribbean, and assemble a cursed pirate crew. Embrace supernatural powers to defy the menacing army of the Inquisition, who stands between you and the mysterious treasure of the legendary Captain Mordechai.
Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew is coming to Steam, Epic Games Store, Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 in 2023.
Welcome to the Lost Caribbean! In this stealth strategy game, join a ghost ship with a living soul and assemble a cursed pirate crew. Embrace supernatural powers to defy the menacing Inquisition of the Burning Maiden, who stands between you and the mysterious treasure of the legendary Captain Mordechai.
Join The Red Marley, a ghost ship with a living soul. On deck, plan your next adventure or just hang out with your crew mates while they enjoy their un-life. Get to know these legendary cursed pirates of the Lost Caribbean. With individual character missions find out about their backstories, learn who they are and what led them on their cursed journeys.
SEASON: A letter to the future is a third-person, atmospheric adventure bicycle road trip game. Bet that is the first time you have ever heard of one of these types of games!
You play as Estelle and will Immerse yourself in the environment as you take your first trip leaving home to gather memories before a terrible catastrophe wipes everything out, you know the catastrophe is coming, but there is nothing you can do to stop it. Your only wish is to record everything of the "old world" before the new one comes, whatever that may be.
Exploration, recording, meeting new people, and understanding the weird environment you're in are the main game objectives. Each recording technique catches a unique layer, including noises and music, artwork and architecture, and the narratives of people going through crucial events. Your instruments will remove these layers until you can see the underlying culture, history, and ecosystem.
You are brought to the big questions by this adventure: What is this season? Why is it ending? What will the upcoming season bring?
This is not as much of a game as it is a story, a journey of discovery. Find a cemetery, follow side paths, stop off at a temple, there is so much to explore.
Your bicycle is your main mode of getting about, although you can also walk. As you explore you will reach points of interest, at this point you will get off your bike and explore that area. You can take photos, record audio of various sounds, and in general make a record of what you are experiencing. You can even make sketches. You have a journal which you will also use, and you can collect various items that you also think are of interest. The journal will allow you to make conclusions about what you experience. Along with that you will also meet various characters, and how you interact with them will also affect how things turn out for them.
This is a super relaxing game, which will give back to you depending on how much you put in. You can take your time to really explore, and fill up your journal, or you can rush through the game. Clearly it is better and more rewarding for you if you take your time. The more you investigate an area, take photos, audio clips etc, the more you will get back as you will unlock inner thoughts of the main character which may then be jotted down in your journal.
The graphics and general style of the game is pretty damn unique and just feels so warm. You feel like you are truly experiencing a game, as opposed to just playing it. Voice acting is all of the highest quality, and the sound effects are just about perfect.
This is a really unconventional game, which is such a refreshing change from prety much anything else in the gaming world. It is a hard game to even describe. It is an experience, something that will make you think, but after you have finished it, you will want to replay it, and see what else you can find out and explore.
The Good
Beautiful graphics, great sound effects and voice acting, and a wonderful relaxing experience.
The Bad
You might find yourself obsessively trying to collect every keepsake, and get everything, which is not the point of the game, also mouths do not move on the characters when they speak.
Overall
An exceptionally well made game, original and unique in so many ways.
If you want something different, an experience more than a game, then check this out.
I score SEASON: A letter to the future a solid 9/10.
