Winter Burrow Review

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Release Date: November 12, 2025

Publisher/Developer: Pine Creek Games, Noodlecake Studios

Platform: Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, Steam (reviewed)

Price: $19.99

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Denmark studio Pine Creek Games explains that they “… are inspired by nature, art and fairytales which [they] interpret into games with curiosity and love”.

Cozy woodland survival game, Winter Burrow, captures this philosophy by having the player brave the elements on a journey to collect vital resources used to bring warmth and life to their new home, while reflecting on the complex themes of loss and isolation.

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Story

A mouse, so small and soft-footed, carries a brave and beating heart as it scurries through a world far larger than itself. This unnamed tiny rodent is controlled by you. As a child your family left their quiet home in the woods, chasing the glitter and ambition of the city. But quickly, you gain a heavy awareness to the harsh reality of constant struggle unfolding in plain sight. Ambition transforms to desperation as those around you, including your parents, fight sickness while overworking themselves in the most taxing and underpaid jobs. They can only carry on like this for so long. Then the most unfortunate and devastating event occurs, as both of your parents are tragically taken.

This is where the game opens. Already, an emotional bond is forged with the young mouse. So, it is even more heartbreaking when they return to their childhood burrow and see that it is broken-down and in shambles. And to make matters worse, your Aunt, who was supposed to be looking after your home, has gone missing. Now it is up to you to brave the elements of the frozen wilderness on both a daring rescue mission, and a journey of survival.

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Characters

While exploring the frozen forest, you will randomly stumble upon the game’s other characters. And in truth, I feel the true story of Winter Burrow lies with them. Bufo the toad, Gnawtusk the squirrel, and the moles Willow and Moss all play a role in making sure the player character is equipped with gear and upgrades that make exploration less challenging. But these characters are more than just simple quest givers, as their individual stories make this anthropomorphic world feel more human while driving home the overall theme of isolation.

It’s important to note that each of these characters are found in their own unique sections of the game map. Meaning that, before the young mouse discovers them, each one is segregated in the eerie cold woods alone. And through dialog interactions, we learn that this isolation does not stop at just their physical location. Bufo feels that he ran his son off, and now his only family doesn’t visit him. Willow who due to age, struggles with vision and memory has lost many important items, with nobody to help her find them. Moss struggles with grief and some denial, while struggling to continue on with life after the passing of her significant other. And lastly is the senile Gnawtusk. This character seems to be afflicted with some sort of dementia, maybe even Alzheimer’s. Even his pack, has left the sickly squirrel to fend for himself.

Ultimately a beautiful relationship between player, characters, and environment is formed. The young mouse braves the storm and desperately tries to stay warm. Yet in the end, it is the tiniest of creatures bringing warmth back into the lives of those around him.

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Survival

Gameplay at its core though a narrative adventure, is centered around the central concept of survival. Health, hunger, and stamina must all be balanced in order to survive. This juggling act combined with the tiny stature of your character, exaggerates even more so the harsh nature of the environment.

By completing quests and speaking to the previously mentioned characters, you unlock special recipes. These crafting recipes can be used in combination with the plethora of resources you pick up while adventuring, to upgrade your equipment. Tools like your axe, shovel, and pick become stronger and can be used on tougher materials. Your wardrobe can be upgraded so that you inccur less penalties when facing the cold.

But foraging and recipes don't stop there. At the end of each day, it is your cozy burrow that that provides solace from the environment. Not only is it a safe haven in which you rest your head, but it acts as the one area in the game you can make your own. Decorations, gardens, and furniture can all be used to adorn your home making it feel all the more personal.

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Overall

Maybe it was the solitude of the winter weather. Maybe it was my own recent dealings with loss and grief. Nonetheless, playing through Winter Burrow evoked some form of somber therapeutic emotion. The only other time I have felt this emotion so strongly is while watching the Autumn classic Over the Garden Wall. Its hard to put into words, as there is not an English term or phrase to describe it. The closest thing would be the Welsh term Hiraeth - an unexplained nostalgic homesickness tinged with grief and sadness over the departed.

Pros:

• Deep themes

• Super Cozy art style and setting

• Side quests that further push the story

• Balanced inventory and crafting system

Cons:

• Map hard to navigate

• Lack of personalization options

• No long-term reason to continue the survival loop

• Small variety in enemies and they don’t scale

• No way to view recopies while in the wild

Ball x Pit Review

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Release Date: October 15,2025

Publisher/Developer: Kenny Sun, Devolver Digital

Platform: Steam, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PS5 (reviewed)

Price: $14.99

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Vampire Survivors meets arcade classic Breakout, this survival rougelite / city builder is the most fun you’ll ever have playing with balls.

Armed with magical projectiles in the form of bouncing balls, face off against armies of barbaric creatures within a meteoric pit on your way to rebuilding the once great city of Ball-bylon.

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The Pit

One giant space ball is all it took. After an unexpected cataclysmic meteor shower annihilated the once great city of Ballblyon, the only thing that remains is a giant ominous pit. Within the depths of this pit lies Ballblyon’s lost and scattered riches. Now it is up to you the player, and whichever hero you choose to command, to plummet into darkness in order to find the resources to rebuild the fallen city.

The pit acts as a level hub, as you hop aboard a mechanical platform and descend down to multiple floors. Each of these floors offers a special region to explore with its own unique set of hazards. The biggest hazard being hordes of enemies, cleverly designed as bricks, that continuously come at you in waves. As you venture deeper into the pit, these enemies (and bosses) become increasingly more challenging.

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The Balls

Fixed Shooters or “Shoot ‘em Ups” have existed since the time of Galaga and Space Invaders. But none before have combined the classic gameplay style with brick-breaker elements. Swapping traditional projectiles with chaotic bouncing and ricocheting balls adds a layer of strategy that, on its own, feels genre redefining. But Kenny Sun and Devolver Digital did not stop there.

Now take that Fixed Shooter Brick-Breaking structure and throw in everyone’s favorite video game additive, Rougelike Elements (more Rougelite in this case, but more on that later). Each run in “The Pit” sees you stumble upon an assortment of 60 randomized balls, each with their own ability, that can be equipped to better take on enemies. And after leveling balls up they can be fused together to unlock unexpected synergies and overpowered combinations, making each run feel refreshing by encouraging experimentation. The above photo shows a Vertical Laser Ball and Horizontal Laser Ball being fused to create a powerful evolution, Holy Laser, that on a hit deals massive damage to all of the enemies in the same row and column.

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New Ballbylon

Similar to previous Devolver title Cult of the Lamb, Ball x Pit adds a City-Builder section that acts as your base of operations. This is also where those aforementioned Rouglite Elements begin to further present themselves further. Throughout each dungeon run you will gather resources such as gold, stone, wheat, and wood. These resources can be used to expand and grow the community of New Ballbylon with over 70 unique buildings.

Each building unlocks new power-ups, passive bonuses to stats, and even new characters to play as. It is through the growth of this tiny city, that progression is most felt. As tiles are filled and buildings are upgraded, Ballbylon rises from the ashes. And in that moment, an unspoken partnership is realized. Through the viewing of the city’s physical growth, your Heroes own innate abilities flourish and prosper, giving a swelling sense of broadening power.

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overall

The polyamorous marriage between a Discordian cacophony of gaming genres is a match made in chaos, birthing an overflowing cornucopia of righteously intoxicating… balls.

Cons:

• Tutorials could break information down better

• Some menus felt slow and glitchy

• You won’t accomplish anything other than play this game

Pros:

• Fantastic Sound Design

• Marriage of game mechanics that work well together

• Addictive gameplay loop that doesn’t stale

• Good design in regard to Accessibility

• Experimental evolution leading to replayability

Robots at Midnight Review

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Release Date: June 19, 2025 (August 28, 2025 on PS5)

Publisher/Developer: Finish Line Games/Snail Games USA

Platform: Xbox Series X|S, Steam, PS5 (reviewed)

Price: $19.99

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Imagine if the humans had returned to Earth, but the army of Wall-E robots they left behind had turned evil and formed gangs.

Robots at Midnight sees players thrust into the shoes of the scrappy Zoe, in this retro-futuristic action-RPG, as she searches for answers about her past on the ruined luxury planet of Yob while bashing through the robots that once served it.

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Story

After 20 years of cryo-sleep, Zoe has awakened on a strange and unfamiliar world. We learn of an intense cataclysmic event known as “The Blackout”, that once hit the Planet of Yob. This “blackout” had an effect on many of the machines and robots that once helped run things. As you explore the world, relics and scenes of the past can still be seen. Yob was a luxury planet where many valuable resources were mined but also a flourishing tourist destination with popular locations such as its own “arcade”, campgrounds, monorail, and many more. But now, both nature and machine have worked together to claim these areas for their own.

The planet of Yob holds many secrets that can be discovered through pure exploration. And there will be plenty of time to explore, as Zoe quickly gains a personal mission that will draw her further and further into the world. Her missing father is somewhere out there. Just as it felt like the primary goal would be survival, the game sends players into a full-on rescue mission. Just make sure you are indoors before midnight.

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Characters

For a lifeless and uninhabited planet, Yob is surprisingly full of life. Truthfully the cold and heartless machines show more emotion than the human protagonist. If done by design, then this genius. Most NPCs, to no surprise, are robots. Some like the mysterious Doug (seen in the picture above), act as central characters that share information on the planet and “The Blackout” while providing helpful upgrades and services.

Phlite, a witty AI companion droid, acts as emotional support. There is a new role appearing in many video games. We see this in the form of small companions given to player characters to make vast open worlds, especially more barren ones, feel less lonely. Phlite succeeds in this role, while also acting as connection to Zoe’s past prior to her cryo-freeze.

The last interesting group of characters to speak on are the enemies. Each level/area sees the player facing off with different groups of machines with their own design and combat style. Throughout the world you can see a cacophony of graffiti and tags marking the scenery that cuts through the sea of greenery, stone, and metal with bursts of color. The enemy bots have formed gangs, each with their own goals in mind as they also fight to survive.

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Gameplay

While advertised as an action-RPG, Robots at Midnight plays more like a beginner friendly Soulslike. Each movement and action must be balanced with a draining stamina bar, and “campfires” litter the map acting as healing checkpoints and fast travel locations. There are two difficulties. Hero Mode focuses on story and exploration, making it great for players new to those Soulslike mechanics, while Master Mode presents a true test of strategy and reflexes. Defeating enemies will cause them to drop resources, that can also be found in chests, used to upgrade weapons, armor, and stats at workbenches.

The most unique gameplay element though, is the M.I.T.T. (Mobile. Impulse. Traversal. Technology). This powerful gauntlet is a key mechanic to both traversal and combat. It acts as an all-purpose Swiss army knife. While it is fun to swing around barbaric oversized swords made out of scarps, the M.I.T.T adds layers of flavor. It can be used to produce super-powered punches, pistol-like laser beams, electromagnetic shockwaves, and added propulsion that is great for dodging and reaching out of the way areas.

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Overall

Cons:

-Player character shows little emotion

-Felt too short with a rushed ending (beat in 7 hours)

- Obstacles such as ladders were hard to interact with

-Small resources would easily get lost in scenery

- Movement felt robotic and clunky until late game

Pros:

-Story that keeps driving the player forward

- Fantastic detail in world building through dialogue and scenery

- Unique game mechanics that work well together

-Great soundtrack that adds to the atmosphere and art style