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REVIEW: Beetle Shock

Developer: Afil Games Publisher: Afil Games Release Date: January 13, 2026 Available for: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Switch (version reviewed) Beetle Shock could be described in a sentence written in crayon on a napkin, and you’d lose nothing in terms of detail or value prospect. That’s not entirely a criticism, either – it is exactly what it looks like on the tin, short and slight yet adequate enough as a game to make the question of whether it’s worth your time more subjective an inquiry than normal. What we have here is a mascot platformer that owes part of its design to A Boy and His Blob , minus the jellybean-infused powers of a shapeshifting companion. Like the Boy of that game, Beetle Shock’s titular protagonist is limited in their mobility options; they can only run forward and back, jump, and perform a mid-air ground pound that smashes through breakable bricks and increases the height of jumps when hopping on mushrooms (this game's version of bounce pads).  The Beetle...
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State of Affairs for the Blog


 
Hello to all the fans I may or may not have! SO... it's been a fucking while, huh?

Time, money, and personal issues made it less than convenient to keep up posts on this here blog, much as I wanted to expand into new and untested waters.  I wish it weren't the case, I'm sorry to have not kept up updates of some kind, but I hope that you'll still take the time to read this post (and, indeed, the forthcoming material which I'm about to discuss).

I just put up a Patreon page that I urge you to consider checking out and maybe contributing to if at all possible - it helps ease my personal troubles AND enables me to do more with this blog and the KURT OF CAMBRIDGE brand as a whole.  Even if you aren't able to contribute, I'd ask that - should my material past and future resonate with you to any degree - you think about sharing said Patreon with your friends, family and assorted acquaintances.  Every little bit helps, after all.

Regardless, I'm pushing on with new content - reviews, think pieces, any and all pop-culture writing I can generate based on material of interest to me and (potentially) to you.  In the spirit of that, here is what you can look forward to in the near future
  • Within the next two weeks, an OUTLAST review (yes, the original 2013 game, because why the hell not and also kind of relevant)
  • My thoughts on the likes of the first three Mega Man games, Castlevania for NES, Mega Man X and potentially a game or two more - expect this towards the end of May
  • I'm toying with the idea of more Let's Play or equivalent material for the YouTube channel
Hopefully, you'll find something to like about the writing I have coming up.  Please feel free to comment below and tell me what you think, or suggest other games/assorted works you wish me to cover.
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