http://www.defunctgames.com The latest staff reviews from Defunct Games. http://www.defunctgames.com/courant/1845 Fun for a while, Incremental Retro Racing is a brand-new throwback with its heart in the right place. It’s a loving homage to the influential racing games that helped to popularize the genre, including classics like OutRun and Rad Racer. Unfortunately, it falls short of mimicking those greats and never manages to find its own personality. The never-ending loop of randomly constructed courses wears thin quickly and there are some real issues when it comes to houses and buildings that are literally in the roadway. Incremental Retro Racing is a love letter that feels like it’s missing a few paragraphs. Mon, 18 May 2026 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.defunctgames.com/courant/1844 The Shore is a brief but genuinely effective horror game inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft. Explore a mysterious island full of secrets and unleash massive monsters, all while battling your own sanity. This is a great looking game with great voice acting and a lot of moments that will stick with you for a long time to come. Unfortunately, the whole thing is over far too quickly, giving us a rushed ending that lacks the emotional punch the developers were going for. It also turns into an action game in the second half, losing a lot of what was appealing about the first half. For fans of this style of Lovecraftian horror, The Shore is definitely worth playing. But maybe not at full price. Mon, 04 May 2026 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.defunctgames.com/courant/1843 Get sucked into Forbidden Solitaire, a fictional 1990s computer game so violent that it comes with its own set of urban legends. This ambitious tale of fear combines the best elements from Grey Alien Games and Night Signal Entertainment, creating a genuinely effective horror experience that also takes aim at the ills of the games industry. From the streamlined combat system to the new stealth mechanics to the dozens of joker cards, this is the best solitaire game yet. I have a hunch that both companies are going to find it hard to top Forbidden Solitaire. Thu, 30 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.defunctgames.com/courant/1841 A simple and sometimes satisfying mix of farming and puzzling, Drop & Grow should keep fans of this style of cozy experience engaged for a few hours. The loop of dropping, growing and upgrading is a lot of fun at first, but grows thin the further you get into the game. It doesn’t help that the core gameplay is so repetitive. That said, growing and upgrading scratches a very specific itch for a good while, and players may not even notice the repetition if they play it in short doses. Drop & Grow is a good looking and playing debut from Shane Staller Games. I’m excited to watch this developer grow with the next game he drops. Mon, 27 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.defunctgames.com/courant/1839 If you needed a reminder that Parking Garage Rally Circuit is a fantastic racing game, then European Tour is it. More than just doubling the amount of content, the new locations and tracks add a lot of fresh ideas, as well as new obstacles and challenges that give each stage its own personality. While it’s not a full-on sequel, this new content adds onto what was already a great game, creating a can’t-miss package that will appeal to anybody who loves racing and the 32-bit era. Parking Garage Rally Circuit DX is legit. Wed, 22 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.defunctgames.com/courant/1842 The End of the Sun is a captivating new adventure game with a clever time travel conceit. While the character animation is a little wooden and writing is extremely clunky, the overall mystery makes up for some of the game’s imperfections. The open world is fun to explore and bursting with secrets, and I liked that the game wasn’t afraid to go dark and get emotional when it needed to. I can already tell that The End of the Sun is the kind of game that is going to stick with me. At least for a little while. Wed, 22 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.defunctgames.com/courant/1838 As strategic as it is intense, Shika-Q is an ultra-fast paced one-on-one puzzle game where players fight over land and combos. It’s the kind of game where momentum can change in an instant and all it takes is a single piece to break a massive combo. Both online and offline, the action never lets up, and the game gives you plenty of extra characters, profile pictures, songs, loading screens and more to unlock (including a premium battle pass). Unfortunately, the barebones package and lack of the most basic luxuries (like a way to see your win/loss ratio) bring the game down a bit. Shika-Q is a great game, but with a little more flesh on the bone, it could be something truly special. Thu, 16 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.defunctgames.com/courant/1837 With a killer premise and a morbid sense of humor, Ghost Master is a fun and engaging haunted house simulator where you get to do the haunting. While it initially has a bit of a learning curve, this update to the 2003 cult classic is a lot of fun and satisfying once you get the hang of it. There’s a nice variety of ghosts and abilities, along with some devilishly clever puzzles to solve. Despite all this, the game still feels dated and the menu-driven gameplay is a bit clunky on home consoles. If you are into the premise and don’t mind dated graphics, then Ghost Master: Resurrection is worth the money. Tue, 07 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.defunctgames.com/courant/1840 Don’t Mess with Bober is an all-too-brief horror game inspired by the ‘cabin in the woods’ movies of the 1980s. With a fun (and furry) villain to take on and brisk pacing, it’s easy to be won over by the intriguing setup. Unfortunately, the game gets bogged down with annoying stealth sections. It’s also hard to control and doesn’t lead to a satisfying conclusion. You could do a lot worse, but I think you should heed the warning and do not mess with the Bober. Mon, 30 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.defunctgames.com/courant/1835 Scott Pilgrim is back in a brand-new adventure that defies space and time in the best way possible. Fight against demons, robots and vegans in this throwback beat ‘em up inspired by River City Ransom and the Kunio-kun series. With good-looking pixel graphics, engaging combat, inventive boss battles and hidden secrets strewn about the highly-detailed streets of Toronto, Scott Pilgrim EX delivers a brawler that is simultaneously hilarious and exciting. If you’ve been looking for a reason to reconnect with Scott, Romona and her (formerly) evil exes, then you can’t go wrong with Scott Pilgrim EX. Fri, 20 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.defunctgames.com/courant/1836 A mix of Rambo and Ikari Warriors, Machine Gun Fury is a brand-new run ‘n gun shooter from first-time developer Reset Games. While it occasionally looks and sounds the part, the frustrating gameplay and bad level designs hold back what could have been a cool throwback experience. Both as an overhead action game and a side-scrolling shooter, this wannabe is never in the same league as the games that inspired it. Go play Ikari Warriors instead. You’ll have a lot more fun. Fri, 20 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.defunctgames.com/courant/1834 Three decades after the movie dominated at the box office, Terminator 2 is back in the form of a throwback run ‘n gun shooter that expertly recreates all of your favorite scenes from the movie, all while adding new plot points that help to expand the story. This is a good-playing shooter with simple controls, responsive gameplay and boss battles that feel like they were pulled straight out of a Contra game. Unfortunately, it’s extremely short and the different modes will only entice you to play through the game a few times. That’s disappointing, but fans of the movie who grew up loving 16-bit action games will find a lot to like about Terminator 2D: No Fate. Hasta la vista, baby. Tue, 23 Dec 2025 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.defunctgames.com/courant/1833 The designer of Spec Ops: The Line and the guitarist from Nine Inch Nails have come together to make one of the year’s most unforgettable games. Sleep Awake is a trippy and often surreal look at a world without sleep. With the city crumbling all around you, we’re treated to a beautifully-realized and expertly crafted world full of small details that tell their own stories. One could argue that it’s a bit linear and the stealthy sections aren’t much fun, but the momentum of the mystery and the hallucinatory storytelling easily make up for any shortcomings. This is a strong debut performance for Cory Davis and Robin Finck’s Eyes Out studio, and I can’t wait to see what comes next from this collaboration. Tue, 09 Dec 2025 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.defunctgames.com/courant/1832 A fun puzzle/platformer with an emotional core, Knight of the Lions tells the story of a young girl who would rather doodle on graph paper than deal with real world trauma. Although the moves and abilities are nothing new, the developer finds a way to make each level feel unique, all while telling a surprisingly gripping story inspired by Don Quixote. It may be short and inexpensive, but Knight of the Lions is the type of platformer you won’t soon forget. Wed, 03 Dec 2025 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.defunctgames.com/courant/1831 As a big fan of typing games and beat ‘em ups, few games have disappointed me more in 2025 than Keys of Fury. Sure, the action is intense and I liked the direction they were going with the story, but the whole thing goes completely off the rails when you realize that this is little more than a glorified demo. With only three stages that can be completed in around twenty minutes, there isn’t a lot to Keys of Fury. The nine mini-games add a little more content, but anybody hoping for a full game will be disappointed in this half-baked brawler. Tue, 25 Nov 2025 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.defunctgames.com/courant/1830 After a year in Early Access, Drive Rally has bloomed into a fun little racing game with a lot of content and personality. The six different mini-maps are fun to race and there’s all kinds of extras to unlock and buy. Sadly, the otherwise solid experience is marred by an easy difficulty and somewhat slow speeds, but you’re still going to have a lot of fun taking part in the tournaments and playing against friends in the party mode. I definitely want to see more from Drive Rally. Thu, 20 Nov 2025 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.defunctgames.com/courant/1829 Disco Samurai is an addictive brawler with a catchy beat and a steep learning curve. The cyberpunk espionage story is compelling, but the real star here is the gameplay, which continues to find new ways to keep the action fresh and challenging. While I might complain that the levels have a bit too much filler and the motorcycle mini-games are aggressively boring, neither of these issues should keep you from discovering this exciting beat ‘em up. Just be ready for a challenge, because Disco Samurai is ready to boogie. Can you dig it? Wed, 19 Nov 2025 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.defunctgames.com/courant/1828 An intriguing mix of rally racing and The Oregon Trail, Desert Race Adventures is a strategy game all about overcoming obstacles in order to get to the finish line. Pack extra gear and reload on resources, because you never know what will happen on your journey from Belgium to Togo. While the concept is sound, there isn’t enough variety to keep the strategy elements interesting and the repeated events and locations make the game feel surprisingly repetitive. There are some fun ideas at play here, but not enough depth to get Desert Race Adventures over the finish line. Tue, 18 Nov 2025 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.defunctgames.com/courant/1827 CTE is the last thing you need to worry about in Tackle for Loss, a fun action game that combines elements from Hotline Miami and football. While that mash-up may leave you scratching your shiny new helmet, the end result is a surprisingly intense brawler with a twisted story and cool sports-themed upgrades and abilities. Sure, it’s a Hotline Miami clone and some of the level designs are a bit repetitious, but you’re going to have a good time getting Tackle for Loss to the endzone. Just don’t expect this game to be a blowout. Thu, 13 Nov 2025 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.defunctgames.com/courant/1826 Greek Tragedy is a throwback survival horror game in the spirit of Resident Evil and Alone in the Dark. While the university setting is a nice change of pace from the typical scary mansion, all of the trappings are here, in both good and bad ways. Expect tank controls, annoying enemies, dumb puzzles and plot twists you’re going to see coming a mile away. The genuinely good moments are ruined by frustrating combat and save points so far apart that you’ll lose twenty minutes of progress every time you die. I have a hunch that a lot of people will give up on Greek Tragedy half way through. And you know what? I don’t blame them. Wed, 12 Nov 2025 00:00:00 -0800