Pixel P.I.

If you’ve ever felt like you’d be a good detective, testing your skills in Pixel P.I. is a great place to start. Can you get to the bottom of a number of cold cases, or will the crimes remain unsolved?

The next indie title I’m recommending is one I’m personally very excited about. After years of watching crime shows and reading mystery novels, I was fortunate enough to stumble upon Pixel P.I., a game that has piqued my interest and given me a chance to see if I can solve a number of cases as the titular character, Pixel, a hacker detective.

Diving into a futuristic world of crime, I got a brief intro to Pixel and her mysterious past. Like any good mystery novel, part of the core gameplay will be to take on six of Pixel’s old cases and unravel each mystery in turn in the hopes of learning what happened to Pixel.

Each individual answer was deciphered as my interviews progressed, granting me with case specific clues and more generalized clues. To ensure I wasn’t hitting a dead end, I was able to consult with Ethan at any time, who would prompt me to take a different approach or advise what I should ask next.

If I uncovered certain information that was different from what I was originally told, I could use the new clue to catch the suspect in a lie. Doing so reminded me of how often I would see a detective in a TV show do the same thing, and it felt satisfying to catch someone out and force them to change their angles or reveal a little more information I could use.

Certain clues would also lead to more interviews in the case. I didn’t need to unlock every answer in one interview to move onto the next, so I started to bounce between interviews, testing each suspect and seeing what clues I could come up with. That level of freedom helped keep my mind fresh so I wouldn’t hit a mental block. When I had exhausted all the obvious questions to ask, I had to really rack my brains and wonder if I simply needed to rephrase them or if I should go through my accumulated clues to see if I missed something.

*Asking the right questions is a challenging, but rewarding experience*

The game opens with a mysterious figure warning Pixel not to pursue a redacted case or individual, as chasing up on this could result in getting herself killed. One morning, Pixel wakes up to find she’s missing the last two years worth of memories. Here, we’re introduced to Ethan, a robot companion who will help Pixel with her cases. Playing against her distrust of robot’s, Pixel nonetheless teams up with Ethan to try and restore her lost memories using a physical notebook she has found with old cases.

It’s here where I got to sample the cases first-hand, starting with an interview with the first suspect, Alex. And this is where my favourite feature of Pixel P.I. is introduced. You see, unlike every other mystery thriller game I’ve ever played, I got to ask the actual questions. And I mean that quite literally.

In order to gather clues and progress through the cases, players need to type in the questions they want to ask to get the answers they seek. Now, you don’t need to be incredibly specific with your questioning to get answers. As long as you’re in the rough ballpark with your questions, you’ll trigger the response from your advesary. If your question didn’t meet the requirements, you get prompted to try again.

Finding Pixel P.I. was an interesting feat for me. Unlike other games I’ve found through word of mouth or searching the Steam store, I actually stumbled across Pixel P.I. on a subreddit for writing. A notification popped up on my phone, I checked it out, and I found an indie developer who was looking for advice on their work, part of which was the aforementioned Pixel P.I. they were building. I reached out to the developer, Crischu, and we got to discussing the game.

I watched the preview trailer for Pixel P.I. on Steam and then booted up the available demo, immediately losing track of time trying to crack my first case. I was able to provide feedback on my experience so far with the game which Crischu was only too happy to receive. I enjoyed my time with Pixel P.I. so much, and I requested to feature it here on my website, hoping to draw as many more eyes onto it as possibile. Crischu was only too happy to oblige.

Being able to reach out to an indie developer and be able to feature their work on my website is a huge honour for me, and I am grateful for Crischu to give me this opportunity and to be the first indie developer I feature directly here.

There’s no definitive date for Pixel P.I. just yet, but I have already added it to my Steam wishlist. Once I get an update, I will be happy to share it here. Until then, Have You Heard Of This?

Terry O'Neill 17/04/2025 Terry O'Neill 17/04/2025

Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel

There are a ton of indie titles popping up on every platform in 2025. Is Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel worth keeping an eye on?

*Fighting your way through the Nine Realms is quite the challenge, but never did it seem so easy*

Ever since I started reviewing video games, I’ve been looking to expand my horizons for what games I can play. I was never really interested in indie titles, but after taking a step back and browsing through Steam, I’m happy to say that changing my opinion on how I perceive indie games is one of the best things I’ve done so far this year.

Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel is a roguelike horde-survivor game in the same vein as Vampire Survivors. While that game was a critical and commercial darling, it never really appealed to me. But after taking a chance on Jotunnslayer and seeing the appeal of the genre, it’s safe to say I would probably enjoy Vampire Survivors too. While vampire games are undoubtedly cool, the concept of fighting my way through the multiple different realms of Norse Mythology has a much greater draw for me. And at only €10, I figured the risk wouldn’t be too great. And that risk has paid dividends.

Now, as much as I am enjoying Jotunnslayer, I do have to point out that it’s an early access title. But what you’re getting for that low entry fee is worth it. And even as I was working on this mini recommendation, the developers over at Games Farm have pushed out another update, bringing with it a new God, new weapons, and a host of other improvements. I’ve put around 8 hours of gameplay into the game so far, grinding out gold coins to improve my character’s abilities in addition to powering up the bonuses the Norse Gods grant per level. Each run can range from around 12 minutes and up, counting the timer and additional tasks, and the final Jotunn fights at the end, which has been perfect for me, squeezing in some game play while travelling or taking breaks.

*Summoning the Gods of Asgard, both Old and New grants many a boon*

As a game in early access, Jotunnslayer features only 3 of 5 realms at the moment, though those 3 realms differ greatly, featuring gameplay elements and enemies exclusive to each map. Players have the option of 4 different classes to take into the land of Jotunns, and like the realms, they offer unique playstyles. The Berserker melee class is the default option, but it won’t be long before all four classes currently available will be unlocked. To add new levels of replayability to Jotunnslayer, each class has access to multiple variations of their main weapons which are unlocked with Soul Stones for beating Jotunn or occasionally found in chests and come with their own boosts.

There’s a Skill Shop for players to increase the benefits of each class and the Gods whom will be lending you their strength on each session. Gold is earned at various points, and players will be using that Gold to unlock more skills and boost their powers. Each realm will come with its own set of challenges to beat to unlock modifiers. These modifiers often increase the difficulty in some ways, with the trade-off being an increase in resources earned. Having multiple modifiers active is a great way to farm Gold and Soul Stones to make subsequent runs easier. Only the first available realm, Niflheim, has the Easy Difficulty, but the two other realms available go as high as Insane Difficulty. After hours of grinding, it’s safe to say… I’m not there yet.

*There’s a lot going on at any one time, and as the time ticks down, things only get more hectic. And that’s fun*

While not everyone will agree, there’s a lot on offer in Jotunnslayer for such a low entry price. The developers are actively working away to provide additional content and from my experience, it enhances the gameplay and fun factor. I started off with the intention of just bringing more attention to this game, but I will be writing up a full review once the game is a bit further along and I’ve put in even more time. Until then, Have You Heard Of This?

I created this website as I feel the state of the games industry and games reporting as a whole has gotten overly negative and full of clickbait. While I understand both of these are a great way to generate engagement, it’s a detriment to those gamers (like myself) that are just trying to enjoy games and not have to worry about the negativity of the current state of the gaming industry. I want a space where gamers can come for unbiased news that doesn’t rely on clickbait or rumours with a dash of humour and have the opportunity to share their passion for games.