squareblind

By Neil Merrett Vampire Crawlers: The Turbo Wildcard from Vampire Survivors, released on Nintendo Switch 2 in 2026, developed by Poncle Three years after the original Vampire Survivors built a uniquely intense 2D demon slaying experience, a sequel seemingly shifting to 3D seeks to take a very different approach to game design The release and success of Super Mario 64 in the mid-1990s seemed to…

By Neil Merrett Death Stranding 2, released on PlayStation 5 in 2025, developed by Kojima Productions & Death Stranding, released on PS4 in 2019, developed by Kojima Productions The 2025 sequel to the highly unique sci-fi future delivery and survival simulator poses interesting questions via its partially shared world about our responsibility to other gamers we may never meet Death Stranding 2…

By Neil Merrett The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, released in cinemas in 2026, distributed by Universal Pictures While computer generated and hand drawn animation were once classified as distinct and separate artforms, digital technologies are now essential to the world of animation.  It is no coincidence that this shift has occurred alongside a similar visual development in the design and style of…

By Neil Merrett Tron: Catalyst, released on Nintendo Switch 2 in 2025, developed by Bithell Games The Tron series has long played around with the idea of players becoming lost in videogames and digital worlds.  Yet beyond its fanciful and stylistically retro world of neon super soldiers keeping out of our screens, it isn’t a million miles from conveying the complexity of our current real-world…

By Neil Merrett The move to wireless controllers and online gaming has changed the game in terms of the number of opportunities for multiplayer gaming, whether in a living room or with individuals around the world Within the usually colourful world of superheroes and villains, what does it take to be considered an ‘Avenger’?  The simplest answer is getting together a group of super-powered or…

By Neil Merrett Even with the exciting development of blockbuster CD-based consoles as the ‘90s progressed, gamers would still need to invest in a four-player multi tap adaptor in the hope of engaging in the exotic spectacle of four player gaming   By the mid-1990s, the majority of games consoles were provided with just two controller ports . This was perhaps the clearest reflection of an…

By Neil Merrett Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection, released on PlayStation 4 in 2022, published by Konami When the initial Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles game were released on consoles, it was seemingly not possible to let four players collectively work together as part of an reptile superhero team.  However, the intervening decades have seen the concept of multiplayer games…

By Neil Merrett Stranger Things 3: The Game, released on Nintendo Switch in 2019, developed by BonusXP A 2019 attempt to build a virtual Hawkins is a charming yet simplistic attempt to build a virtual Hawkins for the player to play hero in. Yet as the source show drew to an end at the tail end of 2025, the game’s focus on style over narrative or substance was perhaps a fitting digital…

By Neil Merrett For the last six months of 2025, Squareblind looked to embrace the concept of a more open-world Mario Kart, while also contemplating the geopolitical significance of a nation state owning gaming brands such as the Sims and EA Sports FC game series – previously known as FIFA. July One of the standout moments from Nintendo unveiling its Switch 2 console in January was the…

By Neil Merrett The first part of our look back at the blog’s coverage this year looks at how the Amiga was able to handle a tie-in video game for a 1990s environmental superhero, and some of the real world historical lessons that we might take from real time strategy titles. January Squareblind’s coverage of 2025 began with a look at the initial reaction to the unveiling of Nintendo’s latest…

By Neil Merrett Ball X Pit, released on Nintendo Switch 2 in 2025, developed by Kenny Sun and Friends As the availability of portable computing devices and apps continues to blur the lines between real world interaction and videogames, the appeal of gamification is harder to ignore as a means of motivation in our lives. The concept of gamification posits the idea that some of the core risk and…

By Neil Merrett It might be easier to understand and measure our progress in life if we could just have a nice numerical improvement system, afforded by videogames.  A nice birthday might just have to serve the same purpose instead. The concept of ‘levelling up’ mechanics in games has evolved over decades to try and give players a clear and ordered sense that they might be adapting, learning…

By Neil Merrett Death Stranding 2, released on PlayStation 5 in 2025, developed by Kojima Productions The increasingly sophisticated ways that gamers can interact and impact digital worlds is providing ways to explore our relationship with the environment.  Yet the software and hardware required to allow players to experiment saving or draining worlds dry is not without real-world impacts. One…

By Neil Merrett Everybody 1-2-Switch!, released on Nintendo Switch in 2023, developed by  Nintendo Entertainment Planning & Development Modern hardware is seemingly capable of building ever more immersive worlds in which to play out fantasies of scouring feudal Japan as a warrior seeking to balance the hum needs to balance a hunger justice and retribution.  Yet it can be equally fun to play a…

By Neil Merrett A final focus of our look at back at writing from Squareblind’s first ten years looks at the challenges of making a comedy game that can be both fun and funny, while also considering how gaming has influenced real world immersive experiences to terrify and challenge us. What does it take to make a game funny? More importantly, can a really funny game serve to both satisfyingly…