Indie Bin: Pixel Ripped 1989, 18 Floors, The Walker

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.

Pixel Ripped 1989 (PSVR)

Pixel Ripped 1989 could well be the craziest title we’ve ever played in VR. This game within a game tasks you with completing four levels of a 2D side-scroller on a Game Boy-like handheld device, meanwhile you want to avoid drawing too much attention to yourself since you’re playing the game inside a school classroom. The teacher is of the opinion that video games will fry your brain, and so you must do everything in your power to distract her while you play on your own console. We don’t want to say too much because there’s some truly unique stuff to be experienced in this short two hour journey, but rest assured that you’re in for a wild ride if you book a ticket on this train back to the eighties. LC

Verdict: Outdie Bin

18 Floors (PSVR)

Escape rooms are always a laugh with a bunch of friends, and it’s this exact experience that 18 Floors fails to emulate. After being locked inside its four walls, it’s your job to escape the room by solving a number of vague puzzles that attempt to test you in a variety of different ways. Using PSVR and the PlayStation Move controllers, you’ll teleport around the room, interacting with different objects, and picking up on clues that could aid your progress. While some of the brain teasers are fairly simple, others can be incredibly convoluted, and it’s here where the experience falls apart. Without a friend to bounce any ideas or banter off of, 18 Floors gives way to tedium and frustration far too quickly. LC

Verdict: Indie Bin

The Walker (PSVR)

Well, would you look at that: PSVR just got itself another wave-based shooter! The Walker is the latest title to pit you up against a horde of demons that just love to bear down on your position, and this time around it’s a revolver and a sword that are on hand to shed blood. Talismans attempt to mix up the gameplay slightly by introducing elemental attacks that can shatter enemies if they’re turned into ice for example, but there’s absolutely nothing here you haven’t seen before. We were bored upon the conclusion of the second level, so it’s not recommended that you drag yourself through this one. LC

Verdict: Indie Bin

Words: Liam Croft