Ben Maxwell
@iamthemanta.bsky.social
Freelance writer and consultant. Formerly Network N Media, Edge magazine. Erstwhile Mt., ctrlaltdelete, and Motivesounds bod. Unwilling social media participant.
"Sure, Luke Sanderson’s rage-inducing physics-based climbing game isn’t a turnip simulator per se, but just like real root vegetables, the brassica protagonist at its centre exhibits a total disinterest in your mental wellbeing. In that respect, Turnip Mountain is exactly like real life."
Turnip Mountain Review - The Wand Report
Turnip Mountain is richly imaginative physics climber that almost reaches the heights of Super Meat Boy and Celeste.
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"Few games make getting separated feel so genuinely scary... It’s clever, terrifying stuff – corrupted characters seem to emulate playstyles to some extent, and savvy players will quickly develop a policy on executing any member of the party that doesn’t respond to questions quickly. "
The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu Review - The Wand Report
ACE Team dares to innovate but delivers an uneven co-op experience that will make you question your sanity.
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Just watched Disclosure Day - enjoyable but hugely unrealistic; there is no airline capable of providing usable wi-fi.
Had the pleasure of spending a little time with Snapshot Games' Hristo Petkov and Julian Gollop to catch up on all things Frosthaven.
“It’s scarier to go into a project without Early Access - you have one shot.” - Frosthaven devs on the importance of listening to, and occasionally politely ignoring, players - The Wand Report
Snapshot Games’ Hristo Petkov and Julian Gollop discuss the daunting challenge of translating the rules of a beloved board game already interpreted by thousands.
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Quick light snack before dinner on the way back from school.
Just my luck. The one time I stumble on an area where this is legal and I've left my sword at home.
I had the great pleasure of chatting to @wvo.bsky.social about Voxile and Hardhats, surviving Early Access, electing to build proprietary tech, and the "freight train" that is AI. Read the full interview here:
“For most people, this path would be a very dumb decision.” - the creator of Voxile on the game’s turbulent and atypical genesis - The Wand Report
Game industry legend Wouter van Oortmerssen on surviving in Early Access and the difficult task of standing apart from Minecraft.
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"These action RPG and cosy life-sim threads are separate experiences. You can elect to ignore one or the other and just focus on the bits you enjoy most (you could even ignore both halves if you wanted, but that would make it tricky to justify your purchase)."
Monster Fantasy is a mashup of Animal Crossing’s cosy slow-living idyll with Monster Hunter’s extreme violence - The Wand Report
Time for Tom Nook to get what’s coming to him. Check the Monster Fantasy preview.
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"The voidlings exude an appealing, wide-eyed naivety while at the same time sporting innumerable bulbous protuberances – anatomical anomalies that are probably best to avoid during a petting session, just in case you send the wrong message."
Voidling Bound Review - The Wand Report
Former Borderlands and Skylanders devs bring monster tamers in from the sidelines.
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You can now add The Wand Report as a preferred source on Google, should you be inclined. If you enjoy what we're doing, this would be a super way to support those efforts. Just click the button at the top of any article and then make sure the checkbox is, well, checked. Thanks! <3
"Last Variable will expand on the original’s questionable HR policies with a story focused on Jan Scientist (all the other Jans have left) and his self-assembled team of science selves. Fingers crossed there aren’t any workplace romances to deal with."
The most exciting new games launching this summer - The Wand Report
The ultimate walking simulator, retro PS1 weirdness, Star Wars XCOM, and more. Our picks of the new releases you should be keeping an eye on over the next couple of months.
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"Feels as much like Tetris as it does Into The Breach, requiring you to carefully plan how to fit attack shapes into the available space against a backdrop of simmering chaos, which feels like it could spin out of control at any moment."
Don’t Kill Them All - Into The Breach meets Tetris in this chaotic game about keeping your temper along with your loot - The Wand Report
Don’t Kill Them All chucks out health bars in favour of rage meters and finds an intriguing new angle for turn-based tactics.
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Clever settings hack to make Forza Horizon 6 significantly more bearable. (No sliders for 'loading duration' or 'number of times you have to see a G Wagon during a session', though unfortunately.)
"Cavalier has reinterpreted the standard roguelike and deckbuilder formulas in a manner that feels uniquely smart, allowing you to come back from the brink of disaster and ensuring every encounter feels meaningful and fraught."
Prime Monster Review - The Wand Report
The team behind The Sexy Brutale turns its attention to reinventing the card battler.
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Absolutely stonking The Wand Report redesign is now live. It's a sexy (spon-con and ad-free) proposition.
The Wand Report
The latest PC game reviews, previews, interviews and articles from our team of gaming experts.
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"Please can we take this moment to acknowledge that representing dream sequences with hovering pathways that snake their way through a void of floating objects is the game-design equivalent of truffle oil – overused, and far less impactful than it used to be."
Call of the Elder Gods Review - The Wand Report
Out of the Blue builds on every aspect of Call of the Sea, but the seams are starting to show.
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"This grand social experiment is arriving with impeccable timing. Much has been made of Arc Raiders players’ atypical propensity to be kind to each other, and the design decisions that have catalysed that behaviour... System Era is being more overt in its facilitation of player bonding."
Starseeker: Astroneer Expeditions wants to get a whole galaxy’s worth of players working together - The Wand Report
System Era Softworks is profoundly expanding its Astroneer vision with a grand social experiment.
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Commissioned a pigeon to paint this picture of a sloth witnessing the death of a star on my car. Really pleased with it.
I'm Ben Maxwell, business guru, father, and unparalleled lover. And for just £5,000 you can attend my FREE, one-hour long online course which will teach you how DATA can take your business to the next level.
Went to Islay, made a series of poor financial decisions.
"Goberto, a perpetually armoured cliff of a man, gets a bonus for being equipped with cheese. Fill his bag with Wensleydale, point him towards the entrail-eating rabbit that’s been terrorising local villagers, and witness history being made." report.wand.com/previews/ana...
Anarchy reigns in Sovereign Tower’s willfully weird Arthurian dating and management RPG - The Wand Report
Wild Wits Games hands you the keys to a kingdom in Sovereign Tower and then scarpers once you become responsible for its citizens’ happiness.
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"Pragmata makes you feel absolutely awesome in the moment, formidable and ingenious all at once. The game evokes the character of distinctive Xbox 360/PS3/GC era shooters such as P.N.03, Binary Domain, or Vanquish. It’s a welcome return to a highpoint for the genre." report.wand.com/reviews/prag...
PRAGMATA Review - The Wand Report
PRAGMATA Review - Capcom invokes the golden era of momentum-driven third-person shooters with a brand-new IP which feels like an instant classic.
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