Indie Bin: RICO, Hyper Jam, Attack of the Earthlings

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.

Attack of the Earthlings (PS4)

These miniature reviews by their very nature are extremely brief, and fortunately, we're able to sum up this game in just a few words: it's XCOM, but in reverse. Attack of the Earthlings has you playing as an alien race, taking revenge against humans as they arrive on your home planet and unceremoniously start to ruin it. Sadly, the only thing this has in common with XCOM is its structure -- everything else is just plain bad. It's ugly, slow, and boring. If you're going to play a sci-fi, turn-based strategy game, this is bottom of the pile. ST

Verdict: Indie Bin

Hyper Jam (PS4)

Hope you're not bored of 80s inspired indies just yet. Hyper Jam, with its synthwave soundtrack and neon colours, presents itself rather well, but the rest isn't quite up to par. It's a brawler of sorts, played from a top-down perspective with a handful of characters and weapons to utilise. Each time you die, you can select a buff, and these stack with each passing round, adding a much needed layer of strategy to proceedings. Unfortunately, the game is just a bit flat, with shallow battles and not much to see and do otherwise. The focus is clearly online play, but we fear that this is another game that will struggle to retain an audience. It's not bad, but there are far too many superior alternatives if you're after some multiplayer scuffles. ST

Verdict: Indie Bin

Intruders: Hide and Seek (PSVR)

You couldn't beat a good game of hide and seek growing up, but it takes on a whole different meaning when your life is on the line. Ben, his sister Irene, and his mum and dad are on a week-long break out in the countryside when a group of three thugs decide to raid their holiday home at night. After taking mum and dad hostage, it's up to you to figure out exactly what's going on, hide from the criminals hunting for you, and try to contact the police. There's actually a fair bit more going on than what meets the eye though. The visuals wouldn't look out of place in a late PS2 game, but the act of sneaking about your own home is a fairly thrilling one, while the plot takes some interesting turns that genuinely had us interested once it got going. A decent three hour experience to sink your teeth into one afternoon. LC

Verdict: Outdie Bin

Massira (PS4)

As an experience that focuses on the hardships of two refugees and their efforts to escape their war-torn home of Syria, Massira immediately differentiates itself from almost anything else currently on the market. Unfortunately, though, that's where the pleasantries stop because once the controller is in your hands, it is revealed that the act of actually playing the game is less than adequate. Puzzles range from insultingly simple to baffling, the camera feels like it's working against you at every opportunity, and clunky controls make movement a chore. Massira has its heart in the right place, and so it's a grand shame that the body it encompasses is so utterly lacklustre. LC

Verdict: Indie Bin

RemiLore: Lost Girl in the Lands of Lore (PS4)

A surprisingly competent dungeon crawler with hack and slash combat, RemiLore's entertaining, if a bit repetitive. It follows the story of Remi, a high school girl transported to a fantasy world full of rotund robots in need of a good scrapping. In search of a way home, you smash your way through the artificial hordes while collecting increasingly powerful weapons and upgrading your abilities. Combat is simple, the game looks quite nice, and there's enjoyably dumb anime banter between Remi and a talking book that's quick to anger. Throw two-player co-op into the mix, and RemiLore's a decent little package. RR

Verdict: Outdie Bin

RICO (PS4)

We're not quite sure where to start with this anaemic tactical first-person shooter. To be blunt, almost everything about it is awful. The randomly generated levels are drab, the presentation is extremely dated, and the gunplay leaves much to be desired. The idea is to strategically breach each room in search of your objectives, clearing out goons in your path, but the process is repetitive and quickly runs out of ideas. You can buy new weapons and upgrade your character, sure, but then it's back to kicking down doors and mowing down braindead enemies. It's meant to be enjoyed in co-op, but the game struggles to hold a steady framerate playing solo. With a wealth of vastly superior alternatives on PS4, RICO is a waste of your time. ST

Verdict: Indie Bin

Words: Liam Croft, Robert Ramsey, Stephen Tailby