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REVIEW – “Moomintroll: Winter’s Warmth” is the nice big hug we need in the world right now

author image by Adriana Rodriguez | Nintendo Switch Nintendo Switch 2 PC Reviews Steam | 0 Comments | 27 Apr 2026

Over the years, I’ve caught glimpses of these small, round creatures with gentle eyes and every time I’ve thought to myself, “That’s a Moomin. I don’t know how I know this, but I do.” I wasn’t aware of the fact they had been around since the 1940’s. Or that were created as a form of escapism and fear during World War 2 for Finnish author and painter, Tove Jansson. While playing Moomintroll: Winter’s Warmth, I felt like it was finally time to learn about the history and lore behind the Moomin’s. Now, after doing so, every heart warming emotion I felt playing this makes so much more sense. This review will be spoiler free so you can still experience this cozy game with fresh eyes. 

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[GDC 2026] Hands-On: “Screenbound” takes the 2D/3D games outside the box and into 5D

author image by Adriana Rodriguez | Articles GDC Handheld PC Platforms PlayStation 5 Previews Retro Steam Xbox Series X | 0 Comments | 21 Apr 2026

GDC was an eventual five whole days of nothing but video games and sometimes it feels like I’m still recovering. As we were gearing up for the week a special surprise hit our inboxes and Xbox was kind enough to invite us to their own preview event in San Francisco to play several “ID@Xbox” demos. One of those games I got to play was Screenbound, a neat platformer that had me multitasking like I never had before.

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[PAX East 2026] Hands-On: Modern day gaming is ready for “Bubsy 4D”, whether it likes it or not

author image by Adriana Rodriguez | Console Epic Games Store Nintendo Switch Nintendo Switch 2 PAX East PC Platforms PlayStation 4 PlayStation 5 Previews Retro Reviews Steam Xbox One Xbox Series X | 0 Comments | 16 Apr 2026

I’m not sure what rock I’ve been living under all this time, but clearly it’s been missing Bubsy, and in several dimensions.  Bubsy 4D is the comeback game of a series that dates back to the early 90’s on the…

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[PAX East 2026] Hands-On: “Cat Secretary” Paws Its Way Into The Work Sim Genre

author image by Adriana Rodriguez | PAX East PC Previews Steam | 0 Comments | 03 Apr 2026

Good Story Guild returned to PAX East with a new demo for Cat Secretary, a game I’ve been highly anticipating since I first tried it last year. Cat Secretary is a cozy 3D job sim that has you working for a massive corporation, and it’s your duty to uncover the secrets work wouldn’t want the world to know while keeping everyone happy… but as a cat, of course.

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[GDC 2026] Hands-On: “A Week in the Life of Asocial Giraffe” is the Perfect Game for Cozy Gaming

author image by Adriana Rodriguez | GDC PC Previews Steam | 0 Comments | 23 Mar 2026

SmashPad attended The MIX + Kinda Funny’s Spring Game Showcase during GDC. To be honest, while walking around the venue, I was very overwhelmed and didn’t know what to play and almost didn’t play anything. It was technically day two…

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[GDC 2026] Hands-On: Climb the Corporate Ladder in “Worming From Home” 

author image by Adriana Rodriguez | GDC PC Previews Steam | 0 Comments | 19 Mar 2026

Day of the Devs had a delightful surprise for us called Worming From Home. The first ever worm-life simulator about working from home as a worm.

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[GDC 2026] Hands-On: “Marvel MaXimum Collection” brings back the 90’s arcade classics with accessibility in mind

author image by Adriana Rodriguez | GDC Handheld Nintendo Switch PC PlayStation 5 Previews Retro Steam Xbox Series X | 0 Comments | 17 Mar 2026

Limited Run Games had a special presentation for Marvel MaXimum Collection during GDC, and while we only got to try one of the six games, we came away impressed with the accessibility options.

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REVIEW – “MY HERO ACADEMIA: All’s Justice” doesn’t do a meaningful series much justice

author image by Adriana Rodriguez | PC PlayStation 5 Reviews Xbox Series X | 0 Comments | 24 Feb 2026

I really enjoyed my time with this. On the other hand, I’m not sure if I’d be able to recommend this if it wasn’t a game based on one of my favorite anime. It’s definitely for the diehard fans that know the source material and have been keeping up with the series for years. If it weren’t for some of the balancing issues, I wouldn’t have minded some of the painful flaws. Sadly here, if you remove one issue, another two grow in its place.

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Adriana’s Top 7 Games of 2025

author image by Adriana Rodriguez | Features | 0 Comments | 19 Dec 2025

This year I played more new games than I ever have in ages thanks to joining SmashPad and coming back to streaming. Being able to experience so many great titles is a joy and a privilege to say, and boy…

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“Demon Slayer – Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Hinokami Chronicles 2” Review

author image by Adriana Rodriguez | Nintendo Switch PC PlayStation 5 Reviews Xbox Series X | 0 Comments | 04 Aug 2025

Demon Slayer is back and in more ways than one this summer, as Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles 2 comes out right after the Infinity Castle film sweeps the Japanese box office. The most recent entry to…

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[SGF 2025] “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Hinokami Chronicles 2” Hands-On

author image by Adriana Rodriguez | PC PlayStation 4 PlayStation 5 Previews Summer Game Fest Xbox One Xbox Series X | 0 Comments | 15 Jun 2025

I had the power of Tanjiro Kamado and anime on my side last week, thanks to SEGA bringing Demon Slayer: -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles 2 as a part of their Summer Game Fest lineup. Announced at the end…

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[SGF 2025] VIDEO INTERVIEW: Wizards of the Coast Senior Game Designer, Daniel Holt, talks MTGxFF

author image by Adriana Rodriguez | Features Summer Game Fest | 0 Comments | 13 Jun 2025

We learned how to play Magic: The Gathering and interviewed Wizards of the Coast Senior Game Designer, Daniel Holt, about the development process of this epic crossover!

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