Waypoint Mini Review Roundup Episode 2: Indie Mania

There’s an awful lot of new games out on the market. And that means it’s our responsibility to point you in the right direction when it comes to your next gaming obsession. For the Waypoint Mini Review Roundup, we try to highlight some of the most exciting new games we’ve played as of late, all while keeping the content compact. Think of it as an appetizer before the main course, really. And for this episode, we’ve got plenty of indie games that you should be checking out. Alongside some VR for good measure, too.

‘Expelled!’ Is Like ‘Game of Thrones’ Meets ‘Mean Girls’ in a Mystery Visual Novel

Expelled! taught me so quickly that there’s no point in trying to be a good person. As Verity Amersham, I’m accused of pushing another student out of a window. But, I didn’t do it, I swear! Expelled!‘s premise is simple: find a way to not get expelled for attempted murder. So, my first go-round, I told nothing but the truth. I thought if I were unapologetically honest, my tainted name would be cleared.

I got expelled in short order. So, I tried again with the knowledge that telling the whole truth wasn’t the way. Then, I learned a bit more about my classmates and various staff members of Miss Mulligatawney’s School for Promising Girls. I told a few white lies here and there, discovered some secrets, and… found myself expelled once more. Well, shit. What am I supposed to do — scheme and manipulate?

When Bridget caught me in the Library, my hockey stick in hand and a broken window mere feet away, she questioned me. I encouraged her to look out the window and into the bushes below, where all you could see were legs emerging from the brush. Bridget screamed, the headmaster came, and I was expelled again.

But I Bet Bridget Learned a Valuable Lesson the Next Time

On my next run, Bridget came to investigate, as she always does. But this time, when she was curious enough to try and look out the window, I shoved her to the floor. She wondered what was wrong with me, got her book, and left without incident. …Oh, and I may have gaslit her into believing she was sleepwalking and experiencing a horrific nightmare. Yeah, I became a bastard pretty quickly.

And that’s the appeal of Expelled! Sure, with foreknowledge leading into later “runs,” you can make “calculated honesty” work. But for a while, you gotta be willing to play the game — no matter who gets hurt in the process. After all, people are conspiring against you, right? Hurting your enemies can’t be that ambiguous of a moral conundrum. Yeah, some “innocents” may be used to spread rumors, but that’s for the greater good! To prove my… …innocence? Hmm. Saying that out loud, actually…

All that to say: Expelled! is well worth the price of admission. The characters are fun, trying to puzzle out desirable outcomes is rewarding, and it’s just an adorable game! Plus, the narrator from Baldur’s Gate 3 is there. Yeah, seriously! – Dwayne Jenkins

Verdict: Highly Recommended

Expelled! is available now for Mobile, PC, and Nintendo Switch. A copy was provided by the publisher for the sake of review. Reviewed on PC.

‘Lost Records: Bloom and Rage’ Tape 2 Sticks the Landing and Establishes Itself as Don’t Nod’s Best Work Yet

Look, we’ve done this dance already. The only thing Tape 2 of Lost Records had to do was stick the landing after a wildly successful predecessor. And, yes, by the conclusion of Lost Records Tape 2, it can be firmly crowned as one of Don’t Nod’s most emotionally resonant experiences. Things pick up immediately from where Tape 1 left off, and it’s payoff after payoff from there on out.

Obviously, I refuse to spoil any of the story. But Swann continues to be the best geeky protagonist in video game history. The bonds with her friends take heartbreaking — or emotionally fulfilling, depending on your choices — twists and turns. And, by the end, you’ve gone on a full, taxing journey of grief and the different ways people navigate that tangled web of uncertainty and pain.

When it’s all said and done, I’m glad Don’t Nod decided to take Lost Records in a slower, more thoughtful direction. It sheds the bombast of the studio’s previous works and forces you to sit in the disquieting reality of what it means to be human. Trust me, you’ll appreciate the friends and family you surround yourself with much more after feeling the full impact of Lost Records. – Dwayne Jenkins

Verdict: Best In Its Class

Lost Records: Bloom and Rage is available now for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. A copy was provided by the publisher for the sake of review. Reviewed on PS5.

SpellRogue-A Dice Rolling Deckbuilder that Doesn’t Crap Out

I didn’t know what to expect when SpellRogue was dropped off in my inbox. A roguelike based around throwing dice and building a deck of cards seemed like a tough sell. But as I played it, what became apparent was that Guidelight Games understood exactly what they wanted to do.

There are 4 characters to unlock, each with their own powers that affect the dice you’re rolling. What’s interesting about this game is that it gives you a form of control over the standard RNG of other roguelikes. It’s all in your dice. Each roll on your turn gives you many dice to use to apply to your cards, which represent your attacks or defensive moves.

The strategy comes in how you power yourself up on runs and apply your dice in battle. I made the mistake (somewhat) of applying the hex to my character. This gave me an extra die to roll at the cost of my other dice when I used them. When I used any hexed dice to attack, the value on that one would be used to decrease the value of my highest regular one. The advantage was that I had an extra one to attack with. The drawback was that if I had a 6 and a hexed 5, the moment I used the 5, the 6 became a 1.

Other powers require this level of thought and strategy. And I can see that I’m going to be locked into this game, figuring out my best moves and builds.

Verdict: Highly Recommended

SpellRogue is available now on PC. A code was provided by the publisher for the sake of review. Reviewed on PC.

With ‘Onimusha 2’ Coming Soon, I Finally Stepped Into the World of ‘Onimusha: Warlords’, and Walked Away Impressed

With all of the hype surrounding the upcoming Onimusha reboot, I figured I should finally see what started all of the hype. And boy, was I not expecting to fall in love with this game as much as I did. Although Onimusha: Warlords may not be the most in-depth remaster of all time, it’s an extremely easy, accessible, and affordable way to jump into the series. And the true meat of the game, the gameplay itself, is mostly unchanged. Except you’re no longer confined to the “tank controls” of the original release, if you don’t want to be.

Fighting off zombies as a Samurai was much more exciting than I could have ever dreamed it to be. And even though Onimusha was originally released in 2001, this refreshed version feels much better than it has any right to feel. It proves that, before the release of Onimusha: Way of the Sword in 2026, Capcom is hoping to get players up to speed in the best way possible.

Could more have been done with this remaster? Absolutely. But I’m hoping that the upcoming Onimusha 2 Remaster fixes some of these little gripes. But, for less than $20, and the recently added Hell Mode, Onimusha: Warlords is the best way to play the original game in this iconic franchise. – Shaun Cichacki

Verdict: Recommended

Onimusha: Warlords is available now on PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and PC. A code was provided by the publisher for the sake of review. Reviewed on PC.

‘I,Robot’ Is One of the Most Mental Games I’ve Ever Played, and All I Can Say Is ”Thank God for Jeff Minter”

From the second I booted up the rebooted I, Robot by Llamasoft and Atari, my eyes and ears were in utter agony. Flashing colors, the loudest sounds I’ve ever heard in my life up to this point, and the utmost bizarre imagery burned into my eyes. That’s when you know you’ve got a proper Jeff Minter game, and the I,Robot reboot is a treat for fans both old and new. Did I know what I was doing at first? Absolutely not, my mind was still rebooting from being completely assaulted from the start. But once I got my groove back, it was smooth sailing from this point forward.

I,Robot, compared to its original debut in 1984, is a much smoother experience. Technically speaking, at least. But, I’ll warn anyone going into this one: it’s abrasive to every sense of your body (minus smell). Personally, I loved that aspect of it. It’s the loudest video game I think I’ve ever played in my life. But it’s also one of the most memorable from that same perspective. Much like Space Giraffe, this is one of those games I’m going to look back on years from now, incredibly fondly.

Jeff Minter is a man unlike anyone else. His untamed creativity allows him to make experiences like I,Robot, or Akka Arrh in a way that nobody else ever could. Even if it’s just out of pure curiosity or a love of chaos, do yourself a favor. Sit down, prepare yourself, and boot up I,Robot at your earliest convenience. It’s absolutely bonkers in every way possible.

Verdict: Highly Recommended

I,Robot is available now on PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, PC, and Atari VCS. A code was provided by the publisher for the sake of review. Reviewed on PC.

‘Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree’ Is What Would Happen if Vanillaware Made a 2D Dark Souls RPG. Yeah It’s Pretty Awesome.

The first thing that drew me into Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree is its gorgeous art style. But what really won me over is how much detail Primal Game Studio put into the game’s production. During narrative sections, hand-drawn character portraits come to life with 3D animations. At times, it honestly reminds me of League of Legends’ animated series Arcane. The RPG’s sound design and voice acting are also incredibly immersive, bringing the game’s world to life. Now, I know everyone likes to throw around the Dark Souls label, but I do feel it’s appropriate here. In Mandragora, the hack-and-slash combat is very slow and deliberate, which means you really have to learn the attack patterns of enemies, or else you’ll find yourself being cut down quickly.

One of my favorite aspects of combat, though, is the ability to roll through an enemy and land behind them. This creates a tense risk-and-reward system where you have to plan your hits and dodges wisely. And of course, Mandragora has massive boss battles that get increasingly more difficult as you progress through the story. Expect to get killed a lot, as you’ll need a lot of practice to learn their animations before you can emerge victorious. But don’t worry if your character dies—the game has bonfires… I mean, witch stones, that let you respawn after dying.

Another standout aspect of Mandragora is its crafting system. As you make your way through the campaign, you can unlock armor and equippable items that give you significant stat boosts. For example, a ring might give you a chance to cause bleeding damage to enemies. So the RPG gives you quite a few options to customize your power level.

It’s Vanillaware Inspirations Are Very Apparent

And yes, the game also totally feels like a Vanillaware game. I had to pinch myself a few times, as it felt like I was playing a spinoff of Dragon’s Crown. However, my biggest gripe with Mandragora is its lack of exploration and combat variety. While Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree offers vertical exploration and platforming in its side-scrolling levels, I wish the map design was more complex. Finally, combat mostly defaults to hack-and-slash. The game could have really benefited from having different battle class types. Boss encounters would have been more enjoyable if we could weave magic and ranged attacks more into the mix, for example. Still, if you’re a fan of 2D side-scrollers and want a solid Soulslike RPG, you can’t go wrong with Mandragora. It’s worth it just for the story and worldbuilding alone. – Brent Koepp

Verdict: Recommended

Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree is available now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. A code was purchased for the sake of review. Reviewed on PC.

‘Hard Bullet’ May Be Older, But That Doesn’t Mean It’s Not Golden

It’s so funny recommending Hard Bullet in 2025. GexagonVR’s arena-based action game launched on Steam in October 2020, just seven months after Half-Life: Alyx. While Alyx is still a masterpiece in VR technology, Hard Bullet is definitely showing its age. The game can feel overly simplistic at times, more of a clunky arena-based fighter than a full-fledged VR game. But honestly? Who cares. Hard Bullet may not be a VR GOTY, but it’s still an incredible time-sink for VR exercise alongside a Twitch stream in the background.

Hard Bullet is basically a John Wick VR simulator. Players are plopped into an urban arena and tasked with fighting waves of armed enemies by using various revolvers, shotguns, pistols, assault rifles, and explosives. Don’t feel like shooting a gun? That’s fine. You can also grab a melee weapon to dispatch your enemies. Throw a pipe at a bad guy’s face, knock someone over with a baseball bat to the knee, stab a mercenary in the chest and throw them off a building, or pick up a katana and slice a soldier’s head clean off. The best part about Hard Bullet is its slow motion mode, allowing you to cleanly set up shots and execute your opponents with one precise bullet to the head. You can even punch your enemies right in the face if you’re so inclined.

Now, Hard Bullet doesn’t offer the robust modding community seen in VR fantasy action game Blade and Sorcery. In fact, if you’re more interested in immersive melee combat, I recommend just grabbing B&S instead. But Hard Bullet is an incredible way to blow off some steam while making you feel like a VR baddie. I recommend purchasing the game on sale if you can, although it’s still honestly worth snagging at its $19.99 price point. Just make sure you have enough room in your VR playspace before swinging your VR katana around. – Ana Valens