XGamer

Recommended Articles

Xbox mode is landing on all Windows PCs, bringing a full-screen experienceXbox mode is rolling out to Windows 11 PCs, laptops, and tablets, bringing a controller-friendly, full-screen gaming experience to more players than ever.

Gaming - Digital TrendsMay 1

Tim Cook says Apple (AAPL) is not constrained by RAM supply in the next quarterCook says its system-on-a-chip (SoC) components constraining the company, and not memory or storage component shortages.

ShacknewsMay 1

The Settling Dust: Odyssey Has Officially Released!Odyssey has now launched a week ago, today! What have we done since then? The Steam Introductory Discount is still available for a couple more hours!

News RSS feed - IndieDBMay 1

eFootball launches Naruto crossover & it’s absolutely wildKonami has just launched a limited-time crossover with Naruto Shippuden in eFootball, blending real-life icons with anime characters.

Dexerto Latest PostsMay 1

Gecko Gods – ReviewAs much as we do enjoy cosy games to unwind with after a stressful day, the genre doesn’t really lend itself to engaging gameplay in the same way that, say, a Legend of Zelda does. Farming sims are enjoyable, but repetitive by design. Life sims are often geared towards checking in daily but are less geared towards lengthy sessions. When a game pops up on our radar that aims to bridge the gap between cosy games and something more akin to an adventure game, you can bet on it grabbing our attention. Enter Gecko Gods (or THE Gecko Gods for some reason, if you’re playing on Switch). This indie puzzle title focuses on exploration and adventure while simultaneously going for a cosy, relaxed atmosphere. Is that the formula for a match made in heaven, or should you pick different gods to pray to? Story While you do play as a gecko in the game, you’re not one of the titular Gecko Gods yourself. Instead, you’re a small individual who becomes separated from home after falling into the sea. You wash up on a mysterious archipelago filled with ancient ruins. From there, the story takes an unexpected twist, as it turns out all the other geckos in the archipelago have disappeared. It’s up to the last gecko (that’s you) to awaken the Gecko Gods and bring everyone back. Storytelling is mostly environmental, with cave drawings, ruins, and occasional dialogue from birds or signs offering bits of lore, but the overarching narrative doesn’t develop much beyond setting up that main objective and maintaining a gentle, mysterious tone. Graphics The aesthetics of Gecko Gods’ archipelago setting, combined with cel-shaded style visuals, bring to mind The Wind Waker. That’s high praise, mind you, as we’re quite fond of how the game looks with its lush island environments, soft lighting, and bright colors. Despite the simplicity of its design, the little gecko is charming too. From a technical perspective, Gecko Gods doesn’t fare as well, though. Object pop-in is common, as the draw distance is too short for comfort. Shadows and lighting effects are choppy, and zooming in reveals that textures are blurry and low in detail. As enjoyable as the game is in terms of art direction, the visual appeal is undermined by these technical shortcomings. Sound Audio never takes center stage in Gecko Gods, instead taking a supporting role. The game’s music blends calm and relaxing tunes while exploring with more upbeat sailing themes and mysterious tribalistic-style chanting. For the most part, the soundtrack simply blends into the background in a good way, helping create a peaceful atmosphere, although there are moments where the music doesn’t quite match what’s happening on screen. Given that the game doesn’t feature human or even anthropomorphized characters, it’s unsurprising that voice acting is absent. In its place, ambient sound design and effects add a lot to the charm, from our gecko’s tiny footsteps sounding different across various surfaces to the natural environmental audio that makes the world feel alive without being intrusive. Gameplay One of the first games that we played on the Switch was an indie puzzle game called Snake Pass. In that game, you played as a snake, and its defining feature was its unusual control scheme that mimicked how a snake moved. Conceptually, Gecko Gods is surprisingly similar: both games are built around the unique ways that a reptile traverses its surroundings. The key difference is that you’re a gecko here. Geckos, by definition, move quite differently from snakes. You’re able to climb on any surface, including walls and ceilings. Gecko Gods emphasizes relaxed, open-ended exploration and combines this with light platforming, hidden collectibles, and most importantly, solving environmental puzzles to progress. Early on, you also find a small boat that lets you travel freely between islands, reinforcing the open-ended design. Most of the gameplay revolves around solving puzzles, built around the central mechanic of being able to move across walls and ceilings. These come in a decent variety, and involve light-reflecting mirrors, sliding panels, levers, cables, moving objects, and pattern-matching. The puzzles aren’t particularly complicated, leaning into the game’s overall feeling of relaxation and cosiness. Despite this, there is minimal handholding and only light guidance from hints and your basic map. The game encourages you to explore, and the ruins are filled with hidden areas, collectibles like relics and insects, and optional challenges. While there is combat in the game, it’s rare, easy and not central to the overall experience. For the most part, Gecko Gods is a frictionless experience, tied to its laid-back atmosphere and sense of discovery. The few frustrations we experienced during our playthrough were caused by minor technical difficulties, like awkward camera angles while climbing. Even so, we were able to overcome the game’s story in a single evening. It took us roughly four hours to see the credits roll. It’s likely that we’ll return to the archipelago at some point in the near future though, because we certainly didn’t sniff out every collectible or hidden area. Gecko Gods is a relatively compact experience, but the shorter runtime fits the cozy, low-pressure design and is perfectly acceptable if you just want a brief, relaxing adventure. Conclusion For what it wants to be, Gecko Gods is a great little game. It’s not going to blow anyone’s mind, but if you’re looking for something to unwind with after a busy day, then this should be right up your alley. With its simple puzzles and focus on exploration, it tickles your brain just enough to keep your attention, while delivering a nigh-frictionless experience.

3rd-strike.comMay 1

Apple (AAPL) CFO Kevan Parekh announces end of net cash neutral capital allocation policyApple's stock had an immediate and strong reaction to the announcement.

ShacknewsMay 1

Roblox (RBLX) Q1 2026 earnings results beat revenue estimates on smaller than expected lossWinning out on its metrics for revenue and earnings-per-share couldn't keep Roblox from dipping in Daily Active Users over the last quarter.

ShacknewsMay 1

Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo Teases Anime Adaptation With Breathtaking Trailer The official Shonen Jump YouTube channel just dropped a 30-second animated trailer of Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo, which looks absolutely stunning. Animated by none other than Studio MAPPA, which is behind the adaptation of the original JJK anime, the trailer generated much hype in the fandom. You can watch the full Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo animated trailer […] This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire

FandomWireMay 1

Popular Games

Black Myth: Wukong

Baldur's Gate 3

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2

News

Social Media