In Rewinding Games’ Wild Demo of Roots Devour, Playing a Hungry Monster is Easy!

And we know which entity the player’s avatar will become in the intro to Roots Devour! Read on for our spoiler regarding whom that Great Old One is.

Spoiler Alert

Roots Devour is a puzzle solving game by Rewinding Games set in some dark woodland area, where players can play the villain! It borrows from H.P. Lovecraft‘s writings and perhaps Evil Dead too. That’s because the creature I’m playing had to seek not-so-innocent vertebrates to drink their blood! They give form I’m in the required essence to survive and grow. As the name suggests, it’s about extending a living tree’s roots to as far as they can go!

What’s effectively creepy is the fog of war which envelops this game. I’m never within it, and unless I extend the roots to explore, what’s revealed are either difficult terrain or playing cards. They represent either various aspects of a dying forest or victims I can either drain or have to figure a way around! This maze took more than a few tries to reach any place meaningful. Continue reading “In Rewinding Games’ Wild Demo of Roots Devour, Playing a Hungry Monster is Easy!”

Surviving The Night of the Zoopocalypse Can Be Completely Easy–Not!

Not only is The Night of the Zoopocalypse a crazy homage to George Romero films but also, its love for B-movie cinema is perfect!

Elevation Pictures
Spoiler Alert

The Night of the Zoopocalypse is ready to hit theatres! And all I can say is that the action is as gonzo as the first Jurassic Park movie and the team up which must happen must be as solid as that team from the Ice Age movies. That’s most likely because the directors Ricardo Curtis and Rodrigo Perez-Castro have an IMDB credit of having worked on that franchise prior.

As the name of the film implies, all hell breaks loose when a meteorite crash lands inside the confines of Colepepper Zoo! After one critter finds it and gets turned into a mutant like zombie, things get hopping madcap! When this film is hard to review without giving away some spoilers, a second warning is required if you don’t want to know too much.

Here, Gracie (Gabbi Kosmidis) is a wolf who sort of knows what’s going on. But as how she can survive means learning how to be a leader of the pack herself. There’s a great message hidden between the lines, and when she eventually teams up with a few other creatures, namely a mountain lion named Dan (David Harbour), that’s when the story gets good. This pair figures out what’s going on. Also, I find this mighty beast very similar to Diego (Ice Age) and performance wise, it’s perhaps one of this actor’s best voice over work.

Continue reading “Surviving The Night of the Zoopocalypse Can Be Completely Easy–Not!”

15 Animated Films That You May Have Missed or Not Heard Of…

In this list of animated films that you may have missed, thankfully most of them have surfaced online to stream on demand.

Dreambuilders Movie Poster As we enter halfway into this decade, I wondered what animated films have I missed watching? Kids aren’t the only target audiences; the medium also works to tell biographies, visualize experimental ideas and explore adult topics. Also, not all animated films are American productions. What I offer are titles that have caught my interest as I count from 2020 to 2024.

Depending on whether I’ve seen it during my construction of this list, I’ll include either the official synopsis or my thoughts on that title. Some of these releases might still be unreleased. To note: I’ll be limiting my choices to three per year. And, where possible, will provide links on where it’s available to stream or purchase.

Animated Films of 2000

Dreambuilders (Plex)

Minna misuses her newfound ability to create and control other people’s dreams to teach her bothersome step-sister a lesson. When her stepsister can no longer wake up, it is up to the is young girl has to enter the dream world to save her.

Nahuel and the Magic Book (Apple TV)

Nahuel and the Magic Book (Apple TV) - Animated Films

I overlooked this Chilean-Brazilian animated fantasy coming-of-age adventure despite its considerable praise since release. It’s a work that certainly lives up to its name, and there’s an early Studio Ghibli type of charm that I like. When the title character has a fear of playing near water, especially the sea, all he can do to get over it is to search for a magical solution!

Unfortunately, there’s an evil sorcerer who figured out that this boy intruded upon his home, and kidnaps this kid’s father. And in true Ghibli-style fashion, this lad will have to confront more than just a wizard. His unprepared adventure is fraught with dangers, and it’s best not to spoil the details.

Violet Evergarden: The Movie (Netflix)

After the aftermath of a war, a young girl who was used as a tool in battle learns how to live for herself. With the scars of burns, she goes back to her past to discover her true feelings towards the Major.

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From Wild Arms to Armed Fantasia, This Video Game is Worth Waiting For!

The best part of why Wild Arms is so beloved is because of the music first, and world building second. It lives again under a new name: Armed Fantasia!

Armed Fantasia- To the End of the Wilderness Prromo Poster When I last wrote a retrospective that included the latest status of the Wild Arms franchise, not much has changed. Although the original is available on the PlayStation5, sadly no one is interested in continuing. There was a Wild Arms Mobile and Million Memories for smartphones, but sadly when it didn’t get translated and offered to an international market, the game died. Thankfully, executive producer Akifumi Kaneko is not letting the world he helped create fade. In its place is a spiritual successor titled Armed Fantasia, which is still in development.

Continue reading “From Wild Arms to Armed Fantasia, This Video Game is Worth Waiting For!”

Mad Cave Studios’ The Dark Pyramid Promises To Be Action-Packed! An Interview with Paul Tobin and PJ Holden.

The perfect combination of pulse-pounding adventure, chilling horror, and high-stakes mystery, The Dark Pyramid will take readers deep beneath Alaska’s Mt. Denali, where secrets as old as time threaten to change the world forever!

Mad Cave Studios
Release Date: March 12

Not to be confused with The Black Pyramid of King Amenemhat III of Egypt, Mad Cave Studios has their own ideas regarding The Dark Pyramid that’s in Alaska. Writer Paul Tobin said his boss, editor Mike Marts, came up with the idea and he filled in all the blanks. Unlike other takes, instead of exploring the conspiracy, he had better ideas. And when he partnered up with P.J. Holden, their second collaborative work together, what they fashioned will surprise readers.

This comic book miniseries will hit shelves March 2, and I spoke to them to learn more about this series. I’ve been keeping track of nearly every bit of lore regarding this mystery, and the fact other authors want to take a stab at the strange goings-on got my attention. But first, I asked about why they love writing/drawing for comics.

The Dark Pyramid - Paul Tobin — Paul Tobin (writer)

PT: Because my grandmother bought piles she got from garage sales and random buys. I’d always be digging through them to read whatever’s there. The stuff which stood out was old westerns, Tweety & Sylvester and some superhero stuff.

PJ: I remember the first time I saw a comic, it was a sort of love at first sight. I was a very reluctant reader, and it all changed one night, when the weather was bad outside, and there was this bunch in front of me. They were UK comics–Warlord, some Marvels and the like. I also remember finding a stash in a bin–I remember one had a picture of Thanos.

Continue reading “Mad Cave Studios’ The Dark Pyramid Promises To Be Action-Packed! An Interview with Paul Tobin and PJ Holden.”

To Put A “Panda Bear in Africa” May Be Hazardous For This Cub’s Health

Although Panda Bear in Africa is not one of Richard Claus’ finest, this movie is worth the watch for its messages.

Shout! Studios and Shout! Kids
Digital Release Date: Jan 28, 2025

Richard Claus’s love for all things little is front and centre in Panda Bear in Africa. It’s a Spanish-animated film that’s now seeing distribution outside its country. When it purposely borrows from Kung Fu Panda, Madagascar and Lion King, I’m hoping this filmmaker has not run out of ideas.

After delivering well-meaning tales like The Little Vampire (2017) and Ainbo, Spirit of the Amazon (2021; movie review), this latest work isn’t all that original. Even then, I still enjoyed the overall message about how Pang (Yootha Wong-Loi-Sing), a young panda, loves to play with others outside his species. While others are not as kind, his behaviour is worth learning from. No one should be judged because they are from another species. Even when his pal gets kidnapped, he doesn’t listen to the advice of his elders and is determined to rescue his bestie.

Continue reading “To Put A “Panda Bear in Africa” May Be Hazardous For This Cub’s Health”