Indie Bin: Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn, Kabounce, Shift Quantum

From the embers of the Push Square Podcast rises Indie Bin – a feature that draws attention to some of the smaller games in PlayStation's busy release schedule. Once the Indie Bin is full, we'll put it out for collection in these consolidated articles featuring several pint-sized reviews. The metric here is simple: games we don't like stay Indie Bin and games we do like get taken Outdie Bin. Without further ado, let's crack on.

Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn (PS4)

That two Shaq Fu titles exist is proof enough that we’re living in the greatest timeline – the state of current political discourse be damned. A Legend Reborn is fairly straightforward Streets of Rage-style beat-‘em-up as opposed to a more traditional fighting game, but you’ll still assume the role of NBA legend Shaquille ‘Shaq’ O'Neal as he works through five stages destroying chumps with his Nike dunks. The gameplay is more than serviceable, and there’s some good variety to the encounters which will force you to adapt your strategy. These kind of games are inherently repetitive, though, and even if its goofy animated cut-scenes are worth a smile, the developer’s asking far too much money for what is a forgettable foray. SB

Verdict: Indie Bin

Kabounce (PS4)

This is a multiplayer, arcade action game with more than a passing resemblance to Rocket League. Playing as a customisable pinball, you compete for dominance of various neon-splashed arenas by hitting bumpers, flippers, ramps, and other obstacles to turn them your team's colour. You then bank your points when the goal opens at certain intervals. The controls take some getting used to, as your basic movement is augmented by a charged dash manoeuvre and a handful of abilities to take down the opposition, but after a few matches, it's pretty intuitive. Online play is extremely quick to get into, but a series of offline challenges, as well as offline play for up to four players, makes this a surprisingly well rounded - and well produced - multiplayer curio. ST

Verdict: Outdie Bin

Shift Quantum (PS4)

As many a puzzle game does these days, Shift Quantum presents itself as a scientific research programme. As a willing participant, your task is simply to reach the exit point, but to do so, you must switch between positive and negative space, inverting the entire level. It's a simple idea, but a devious one that makes for a decent head-scratching puzzle platformer. There's a good amount of levels in the story, but a robust editor and a collection of community-created conundrums means there's more than enough included. Despite pretty boring presentation, this is a fairly solid puzzler with a novel core concept. ST

Verdict: Outdie Bin

Riddled Corpses EX (PS4, PS Vita)

Endowed anime ladies love a spot of screen shake, but Riddled Corpses EX is not the weeaboo w*nk-‘em-up that its key art may allude to. Instead, this is a surprisingly strong dual-joystick shooter with a compelling upgrade loop. Offing the undead awards you with money which you can then spend on unlocking new characters and upgrading existing ones. There’s a moreish “one more go” element to this post-apocalyptic affair, and it’s enhanced by some extremely detailed sprites and tense bullet hell sequences. It’s not quite what we expected – in fact, it’s much better. SB

Verdict: Outdie Bin

Words: Sammy Barker, Stephen Tailby