Get prepared for some thriller gaming vibes as we launch our official SRG Mixtape Vol.4 evaluation!

The Mixtapes from Super Rare are a particularly intelligent thought: curated collections of indie microgames, hidden gems and demos – together with a great deal of supplemental materials. And they’re all saved on a brightly colored (a surprisingly vivid neon pink on this occasion), fake cassette tape with a USB connector.

Just plug it straight into the USB port of your PC, and voila! It’s a neat compromise between the bodily and digital realms that turns the gathering right into a collectible; an objet d’artwork if you’ll.

This fourth Mixtape comprises a minimum of thirty full indie video games and ten demos. Additionally, it additionally has a powerful choice of soundtracks for lots of the video games, together with artwork galleries, developer diaries and extra.

There’s an extremely diversified choice of experiences and genres on this Mixtape; it might be a cliché to say this, however it actually does really feel like there’s one thing on right here for everybody.

What’s On The Vol.4 Mixtape?

This wouldn’t be a SRG Mixtape Vol.4 evaluation if we didn’t discuss concerning the video games!

The full listing of video games included – in alphabetical order – is as follows: 0SPACE, A Knife Made of Whispers, A Raven Monologue, Abyssal Plains, AnoMalice, Cats on Mars, City33, CONFLICT/RESOLUTION, Death Strike, Devil Catcher, Drifting Hearts, Fishie Fishie, From Primordial Egg, Grandpa’s Minigun, Ignis Universia: Eternal Sisters DX, Khimera: Destroy All Monster Girls, LCD DREAM ESCALATOR, Machine Gun Gardener, Monstruous, My Friend is a Raven, Olive’s Art-Venture, Punch Guy, Reed the Robotanist: Plus, SELF, Swallow the Sea, The Frightening Nightmare of Little Eddy, The Giraffe World, The Power, Veinless Property and Yolkspire.

That’s with out mentioning the sport demos: Astra and the New Constellation, Bullion: Curse of the Cut-Throat Cattle, Harmony’s Odyssey, Minishoot’ Adventure, Potion Prodigy, Pry into the Void, Schrodinger’s Catgirl, Snap the Sentinel, the machine that BREATHES and The Wreck are additionally included on the ‘tape’.

Considering the wealth of titles and materials on the Mixtape, it’s nearly inconceivable to have the house to provide the whole lot the house it deserves. But then once more, half the enjoyable and attraction of the Mixtape format is the enjoyment of discovering uncommon and charming experiences that you could be in any other case have by no means stumbled upon.

There are various video games on right here that actually caught with me, nonetheless, and a number of other of them positively deserve a point out separate to the entire SRG Mixtape Vol.4 evaluation.

1. A Raven Monologue

Brief, narrative-driven title A Raven Monologue – with its stunning hand drawn aesthetic – was surprisingly affecting, regardless of (or maybe as a result of) of its story being so open to interpretation. The soundtrack can be attractive – and provides to a lot of the sport’s poignant, transferring atmosphere.

Swallow the Sea, with its roughly 15-minute length, initially looks like a surreal, nearly nightmarish twist on the system of video games reminiscent of Feeding Frenzy. Players information their tiny egg away from hazard in what looks like a submerged, but natural setting – rising greater and creating as they eat smaller organisms than themselves. Despite its brevity, it has an ending that completely leaves your coronary heart in your mouth and – otherwise to A Raven Monologue – leaves you to attract your individual conclusions as to what transpired.

2. Cats On Mars

Cats on Mars is a compelling fusion of rhythm motion and top-down, traditional retro RPG – or at the very least was, till its closing dance-off broke my mind. Still, it’s a witty and pun-fuelled recreation that’s properly price testing even in case you can’t fairly dance in addition to you’ll want to with a purpose to attain the top of the temporary, bonkers story.

The Giraffe World is a gorgeously stylised, puzzle-based tackle Snake – together with your stretchy-necked Giraffe gathering hats from varied impediment laden environments. Incredibly addictive and splendidly designed.

3. City33

City33’s glorious open world motion is extremely compelling. Nicely designed sub-aquatic, submarine treasure hunt Abyssal Plains is one other winner.

There’s rather more than these video games to find, nonetheless. A number of actually weren’t my cup of tea – the intentionally disorienting discordance of first particular person horror recreation AnoMalice, for instance.

But once more, with this Mixtape being so eclectic and catering for such all kinds of tastes, it’s not stunning that there’s the odd title that may not attraction to everybody.

4. Veinless Property

From an audio and visible standpoint, many of the video games take a intentionally lo-fi, retro method. The aforementioned A Raven Monologue, in addition to nightmarish, Junji Ito-inspired horror Veinless Property and Ben Day dot fashion of Devil Catcher, in addition to a number of others, do extra than simply ape traditional console color schemes and graphical strategies, nonetheless.

A variety of the video games additionally assist controllers too, including to the accessibility of the gathering basically.

The wealth of supplemental materials that’s additionally on the ‘tape’ is fairly spectacular too; most video games include their soundtrack, accessible from the launcher (with a in-built music participant too!), in addition to growth diaries, artwork galleries and quite a few trailers.

What Else Comes In the Package?

Packaging-wise, the Mixtape is available in a neat little cardboard field, full with a nicely-designed, full color handbook which covers each one of many included video games – giving the rationale for his or her inclusion too.

It does really feel like a real treasure trove and with many extra hits than misses, the standard bar is ready fairly excessive and I didn’t come throughout any dangerous titles per se, regardless of one or two not being to my style.

I did encounter one situation with a recreation – native multiplayer deathmatch title 0SPACE – which had a corrupt file.

This meant that I couldn’t launch and play 0SPACE in any respect; nonetheless, as a lot of a disgrace it was that I couldn’t give it a attempt, with so many different experiences to get into, it didn’t really feel like an enormous downside.

Copies of the SRG Mixtape Vol 4 are restricted to only 1500 – and as soon as gone, there gained’t be any extra.

It’s additionally price noting that the Mixtape collection is ready to finish its present run after the fifth quantity, at which level it’ll change to themed collections, moderately than the satisfyingly eclectic and unpredictable melting pots that we’ve seen to this point. 

If you do have any curiosity in quirky, quick experiences or retro-style video games basically, I can extremely advocate testing the SRG Mixtape Vol 4.

It could be that you just discover a new favorite recreation amongst the various on provide on this thoughtfully designed, fastidiously curated assortment.

If you loved this SRG Mixtape Vol.4 evaluation, then you should buy the SRG Mixtape Vol. 4 instantly from Super Rare Games at this hyperlink.

Speaking of tremendous uncommon stuff, take a look at our uncommon Magic the Gathering playing cards listing when you’re right here!

Jason – who lives within the UK – has had a lifelong curiosity in video video games, which all began when he found Space Invaders within the early 80s. The first recreation he ever accomplished was Wonder Boy in Monster Land on the Sega Master System – which stays one in every of his proudest gaming achievements. Jason is a passionate author – and has been writing about gaming because the late 90s. He at the moment runs popular culture weblog midlifegamergeek.com, which he updates each day (and has written greater than 700 articles on the weblog alone!).

Outside of video video games, Jason is a eager tabletop gamer, movie buff and comedian e book fan.