Xuan-Yuan Sword 7 isn’t the flashiest game in the world, but it sure is chock full of good times. Beautifully world building, fun combat, and that certain je ne sais quoi that pulls you into its story with ease and grace. Absolutely worth your time and attention.
Fatal Frame II was, and is, an all time classic. While this certainly doesn’t “replace” the original masterpiece, it certainly is a tip of the line modern re-imagining. The fact that this is the second time the title has been remade makes it an interesting entry, and while the original PS2/Xbox version will always be a classic, the PS5/XSX version is a perfect modern entry point for new fans, and an absolute gem for long time fans.
First of all, Red Thread are absolute legends as far as narrative in gaming is concerned. After 3 excellent Longest Journey games, Draugen is both completely different and yet still recognizable as a Ragnar Tornquist/Red Thread game. It is NOT a point and click game, it is a first person folk mystery game. Also, like MANY games, it utilized government grants for funding. Now, here in America, we have a tyrant who thinks the government should only fund things he likes, but many countries give out artistic grants to help smaller teams. It is not in any way some sort of “propaganda” as a certain long-winded and massively misinformed commenter put it. So what does this mean? It means like all of Red Thread’s games, they are focused solely on delivering a compelling narrative experience. Is it perfect, no, but other than it being a little unpolished, it’s a wonderful game that achieves what it sets out to do, it pulls you into a world of folklore that you may not be familiar with, allowing you to slowly take in the mysterious island you find yourself on. I write this not just as a massive fan of the team, but also out of annoyance with griefers who like to smear people they perceive as “them” and not “us”. Red Thread’s most recent game is very blatantly a progressive leaning game and it wears that with pride. But to lambast Draugen, a beautiful and massively under appreciated game with no real “political” message, and to target the developer as some kind of government propaganda machine, and really just to waste a lot of people’s time with bad faith reviews is simply absurd. So to everyone, left, right, conservative, liberal, whatever, if you like old timey mysteries, and folk tales and ghost stories, give Draugen a try! It’s often on sale! And if that other person is reading this, do some research on government grants. I don’t think you understand how they work. (Of course you also don’t seem to understand what a point & click game is so…)
Look. Here’s the deal. The team at BioWare has made you a giant, beautiful, fun, wild, single-player action rpg without micro-transactions. Does that sound good? Yes? Get it. No? Don’t. Any weird qualifiers that don’t pertain to the actual game? Go away. Dear lord, people. “Anti-woke” idiots trying to go after a franchise that has always been a safe space for **** folks.
I am absolutely stunned about the hate this game gets. It’s short, it’s janky and it’s weird as all heck, for sure. But it’s a wild experiment. The combat is very simple, though takes a bit to fully understand and can be strangely satisfying. The story is perhaps not the best, but the way it’s told is fascinating, essentially requiring 2 playthroughs. The first run has only ambient sound and you can’t hear anything anyone says, so you have to piece together what you can infer. After the first round you are able to play it with normal sound and basically unlock the full story. So while that may sound like a hurtle to most, if you’re a weirdo like me, you live for this kind of bizarre “this is what stuck to the wall” type of game. So if you like weird games and aren’t completely turned off from literally playing a game that refuses to let you hear any dialog the first time through, give it a shot. If you are put off by that kind of artsy fartsy nonsense, then yeah, don’t bother. Still. I’m glad I gave it a chance.
I believe a lot of critics are either missing the point, or just being too harsh to this game. Too often people make checklists of other games’ features and then compare any other releases that are in a similar genre by those metrics. Let’s be straight up, this isn’t Resident Evil. It is, however, a beautiful, fun, wild, wonderful classic survival horror game that exceeds marvelously at being itself.
Pacific Drive is the best kind of road trip. One where weird stuff lies around every corner, bizarre characters tune in and out of your headset and the atmosphere is thick enough to drown in. It takes a short while to get acclimated to its systems and controls, but once you do it’s an utter blast. Also, if you don’t feel like dealing with the “survival” elements, don’t be afraid to check the options. You can adjust or even turn off things like “damage” and “durability“, which is great if you’re feeling at all overwhelmed at first.
While the developer is known for the original Lords of the Fallen and The Surge games, Atlas Fallen is quite different. Focused more on movement and exploration, with plenty of fun and fluid combat to boot, the game feels more like a classic action adventure title, polished with modern techniques. To be honest I find the low scores baffling. From my perspective, playing on PS5, the game is an absolute gem. I even put aside the amazing Remnant 2 for the time being as I was so enamored with Atlas Fallen. If you love games with unique movement mechanics, lots of exploration, and intense, multifaceted combat, don’t let the numbers turn you away from an utterly delightful game.
These negative reviews are just appalling. First off, Forspoken IS polished, in fact I’ve seen other bigger, more successful games release in massively worse states. Its world is fascinating both visually and narratively, the dialog is NOT anywhere close to as bad as people say, in fact it’s often charming and funny. The gameplay is smooth, fast and fun, and the nature of the combat and traversal systems (tied with accessibility options) means you can play this as a high stakes straight up action game, focusing only on the main campaign, or spend significantly more time exploring the world, like a longer adventure/rpg. It’s obvious that a shocking number of user reviews haven’t played it very much, if at all. If this game looks or sounds fun, GET IT.
Titan Chaser is a bit of an anomaly. It’s a fairly low budget game with relatively rudimentary gameplay. But it has atmosphere, character and more than a little Je Ne Sais Quoi, which more than make up for it. If you’re picky about controls, or need your game experiences to be very slick and polished, this might rub you the wrong way. But if you enjoy getting lost in a world full of bizarre wonders, this is an easy recommendation. For fans of games like Sylvio, Maid of Sker, Dear Esther, and Lifeless Planet, this might even be essential.
Industria is a game that certain people will most assuredly dislike. It’s obtuse, it’s short, it’s slow paced and it’s mechanically simplistic. So if that sounds like a deal-breaker scenario, you’ll likely not enjoy it. However. Industria is beautiful. Its lonely cityscapes mixed with retro-futuristic details are full of atmosphere. The core gameplay is FPS fare, which is done competently (if not entirely exceptional) but the engaging bits are the narrative beats, doled out in small bursts. A plot point will bring up a question, a journal entry will elaborate with strange and subtle details, something you see will catch your eye and make you stop dead in your tracks, it’s a drip feed of world building that keeps you enticed. Industria also does not answer all the questions it asks. In some respects it seems purposeful, giving you room to interpret and hypothesize, while at other points it seems it’s perhaps leading towards a sequel. And while I would have preferred some things more fleshed out, I can understand a small team not wanting to tie up every loose end. A lot has clearly gone into this world and story, and one game wouldn’t do it justice (especially on an indie budget). I’m hoping there will be a sequel or perhaps more stories in the same universe. The voice acting is sparse but wonderfully done. The music, also minimal, is utterly fantastic. At times just popping in quietly during a break in the action, and only sticking around for a short while. Visually it draws from Eastern European influences much like its (very obvious) biggest inspiration, Half-Life 2 (Specifically City 17). All in all, Industria is an enjoyable experience that is engaging and draws you into its world. While it isn’t very long, there is no filler. The pacing is very methodical and the end left me both wanting to know so much more while at the same time feeling perfectly satisfied. Again, if it’s core design sounds “boring”, don’t play it (especially if you’re just going to leave a comment calling it a “walking simulator” or some other useless criticism). But if it sounds intriguing and you enjoy narrative driven games, I implore you. Give Industria your attention. It surely deserves it.
While often criticized for its departure from Demon’s Souls and Dark Souls, Dark Souls 2 is one of the most brilliantly conceived sequels in ages. Rather than try to mimic the first entry, or create excess lore where none existed (or was needed), Dark Souls 2 looks at the actual universe it resides in and thoughtfully creates a unique space. In the world of Dark Souls there are endless cycles, civilizations rising and falling, each cycle likely thousands of years (if not more). Rather than try to “follow up” directly from the end of the first entry, Dark Souls 2 launches many cycles into the future, and tells a more personal story of King Vendrick, the land of Drangleic, Lady Nashandra and an ill considered war with the Giants (not too mention Vendrick’s mad brother Aldia, though he is more elaborated upon in the Scholar update). While traversing the world, unraveling the story of this dying land and your place in it, bits of the existing universe are expanded upon, making it both a fresh new story, and exciting for those looking for more answers from the first game. Mechanically, DS2 changed quite a few things, they created a new parry/riposte, updated multiplayer and the requisite new stats and balancing. In addition to minor adjustments, they also added the brilliant new Bonfire Ascetic mechanic, effectively allowing you to put certain areas of the game into a forced “New Game Plus” for extra challenge, as well as hidden benefits. The “New Game Plus” also received extra love, and is not just “more difficult with some stronger versions of old rings” like the first entry. There are real changes to the world that I won’t spoil here. The game is also massive. Even without the DLC, Dark Souls 2 is large in scope and well worth price of admission, but adding on the 3 huge DLCs just makes this one of the best gaming packages ever. Also to note, the Scholar of the First Sin and the original Dark Souls 2 have completely different item/enemy layouts, that create different pacing and routing. Most prefer the Scholar version (which also has the DLC packed in) so that should be the obvious choice, however for those who can’t get enough, playing through both versions makes for a fascinating replay that will keep you on your toes. All in all, Dark Souls 2 has often been on the receiving end of a lot of hate (criticism, fair enough, but also hate, absurdly). Many joked it was the “B” team (despite most of the original development team working on it), which is an insult to the talent at From Software. Ever since, it seems they’ve been scared to release a game that didn’t say “Directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki” for fear of undue backlash. If you read the credits, however, their subsequent games always actually list multiple directors. And since Miyazaki is the president of the company, I would hazard a guess that he mainly oversees most games, while others “direct” them (much like he did here). It’s unfortunate that not having his name on Dark Souls 2, front & center, seemed to set so many people off, considering how From Software has proven as a whole to be an utterly formidable talent, and a groundbreaking game developer. All told, if you’ve been curious about this entry, but have been turned off by tales of it being “garbage” and not a real “Souls” game, I would kindly insist you reconsider. There are groups of people who aren’t fans surely, but there are many, many of us who unabashedly call it an utter masterpiece.
Once again I must point out that people posting Zero for their score have no business here. If you don’t like a game that’s fine, but a Zero just shows you’re a troll that no one can take seriously. Regardless, onward. Remaking a classic like Demon’s Souls is not an easy task. What do you change? What do you keep? Are there things that might not be great that are still essential to the experience? The devs have once again shown that they know how to modernize a classic while staying utterly faithful to its core. Much like Shadow of the Colossus, this will never replace the original, and I don’t think it aims to. One can easily still play the first, assuming you have a ps3. But not only is this an audiovisual treat for returning players, but a more streamlined entry point for newcomers. It’s still difficult, it’s still obtuse, it still has one of the most needlessly complex weapon upgrade systems ever, but it’s also the point where From took all of their knowledge from King’s Field and Shadow Tower and transmogrified it into what would become its own genre. Were it a brand new game, it would still be praised, as a remake it also deserves praise. It’s also going to be many people’s first time playing Demon’s Souls while the game is fresh and nobody has hacked it and duped their life away. The best time to experience the asynchronous multiplayer genius of Souls games, to me, is always towards the beginning, where we’re all in this together. So come, join, have fun, die a lot, call upon a stranger, leave a funny message, enjoy this masterpiece that went from swept under the rug PS3 game to Most Hyped Launch game for PS5 and see why it deserved a remake from Bluepoint in the first place.
Visage was birthed from the death of P.T. While that can make one as trepidatious as they are excited, know that of all the games to follow in Kojima and Del Toro’s wake, this game has found the essence of that brand of horror and elevated it to something unique. Not only is this game filled to the brim with atmosphere, the developers also made varied and interesting gameplay out of the “no-combat” approach to horror, keeping things fresh. There are also many frightening moments that you could easily miss, perfectly executed little scares that are designed for if you happen to be in one exact spot facing one exact way, always keeping you on your toes. The inventory system feels burdensome at first, but once you’ve passed the curve it works perfectly. The puzzles and exploration are designed to be for detail oriented players, as it is not always obvious what to do. While this could be frustrating, as long as you look everywhere (walls, floors and ceilings included) you should find your way. The graphics are 97% brilliant. The one miss is human models are pretty ugly, and can be a bit jarring the first time they show up. But other entities are beautifully horrific, and the design and craftsmanship of the game world is utterly spectacular. Nothing will ever replace losing Silent Hills, and Konami’s absolutely idiotic decision to pull P.T. still stings. But for those who loved P.T. and want a damn terrifying experience, this is a must. This game took many years to make, and now we know why. It is a modern horror masterpiece.
Visage was birthed from the death of P.T. While that can make one as trepidatious as they are excited, know that of all the games to follow in Kojima and Del Toro’s wake, this game has found the essence of that brand of horror and elevated it to something unique. Not only is this game filled to the brim with atmosphere, the developers also made varied and interesting gameplay out of the “no-combat” approach to horror, keeping things fresh. There are also many frightening moments that you could easily miss, perfectly executed little scares that are designed for if you happen to be in one exact spot facing one exact way, always keeping you on your toes. The inventory system feels burdensome at first, but once you’ve passed the curve it works perfectly. The puzzles and exploration are designed to be for detail oriented players, as it is not always obvious what to do. While this could be frustrating, as long as you look everywhere (walls, floors and ceilings included) you should find your way. The graphics are 97% brilliant. The one miss is human models are pretty ugly, and can be a bit jarring the first time they show up. But other entities are beautifully horrific, and the design and craftsmanship of the game world is utterly spectacular. Nothing will ever replace losing Silent Hills, and Konami’s absolutely idiotic decision to pull P.T. still stings. But for those who loved P.T. and want a damn terrifying experience, this is a must. This game took many years to make, and now we know why. It is a modern horror masterpiece.
Never before have I been so excited by a team and then so quickly devastated as they close their doors. Ultra Ultra came like thunder out of a clear sky and made one of the most fascinating games I have ever played and then promptly closed their doors. I'm not sure if it was due to sales, internal strife or something else, but regardless it is a major loss of an innovative team in an industry that desperately needs it. The main conceit you've probably heard about this game is the AI, which is truly fascinating. Surrounded by clones on a planet sized palace, the gameplay loop is 'Lights On, Lights Off'. When the lights are on they come at you as enemy npcs, all the while reading your movements and attack patterns, right down to eating **** or playing a harp. Lights go off and it's a free for all. No longer can they read your movements, giving you a chance to use your best tactics. Why save your best moves for the dark? Because when the lights come back, everything you did during the previous 'Lights On' has been learned and adapted by the AI. If you snuck around a lot, you'll turn around to find 3 clones crouching right behind you. If you play it safe from afar, you'll find yourself getting sniped from across the level. It's not perfect, but it is brilliant, think-on-your-feet, fast and tactical combat. But that's not why I love this game so much, or more accurately that's not the only reason I love Echo. If you're someone who adores narrative design, who pours over details, who drinks in atmosphere, this game will leave you breathless. For the action heavy there is a "skip to action" option, but the opening of this game blows me away every time I play it. It takes its time, lets you get to know the two protagonists, hints at things the player will never see. It both mesmerizes and builds suspense leading into the main core of the game. While Echo manages to accomplish in drawing a lot of gameplay from a few basic ideas, it accomplishes even more with world-building. The opening of this game gives you little drops of information, names, keywords, "Foster" "Palace" "Resourcefuls" "Pre-Requisition Rush". They don't tell you very much, but they paint a broad universe that starts to fill in the more you think about it. Never before have I gleaned so much information from so little. The universe of Echo begs to be colored in, divined, painted by the player themselves. By the time the first bullet was fired I felt enveloped in the world of Echo, and wanted to fight for any angstrom of information I could find. On top of all of that, the basic story, art direction, dialogue and voice acting (Rose Leslie and Nicholas Boulton deserve more praise and awards than they'll ever get, I'm sure) are firing on all cylinders. Little details again make a big impact, En's hair and teeth, the crack in her voice after waking from a long slumber, London's begrudged loyalty, a lighter, a red cube, all seemingly inocuous but all making a huge difference. The only faults (and only reason I gave a 9 instead of a 10) is it can get a bit taxing toward the end (again, the story had me eager to continue at all costs) and sadly I have experienced a crash in one, and only one, spot towards the very beginning. Unfortunately it happened multiple times, which is a shame because, to reiterate, this game has one of my all time favorite openings. I can see certain folks not getting into it, it takes patience, it gets a bit repetitive, there's lots of stealthing about but if this sounds intriguing, and/or you really look for strong narrative in your games, absolutely buy Echo right now, just go, do it, seriously, it's amazing.... Ultra Ultra is no more, which truly makes me incredibly sad. There are rumors about a possible movie, and honestly I would take anything that delves further into the universe of Echo. I only wish there were a physical copy to put proudly on my shelf. Sadly it is digital only, and remains one of the few games I will never uninstall. I honestly don't ever want to risk losing it. Echo is wondrous, give it a look.
Control is quite simply the best game Remedy has ever made. The set up of a secret Government office building full of weird stuff that acts as a quasi-Metroidvania of sorts is brilliant and fascinating. The story is a perfect blend of pulp and mystery that is both deeply engaging and straight up fun to explore. Gameplay is about as perfect as a 3rd person Shooter can get. Between a Shape-shifting auto-recharging gun and a plethora of powers that are fun and intuitive, you always have an option for any situation. While the story will pull you through the campaign, the side missions and frankly just the weird stuff you find makes exploring practically its own campaign. It’s been a long time since a game has so thoroughly hooked me into its universe and mechanics. I think about it constantly and am constantly surprised. It may have a couple rough edges, especially for original PS4 and Xbox owners, but it is absolutely worth it. Whole-hearted, from the top of my lungs, honest to god, I can’t recommend this game enough.
Candleman is an unassuming little title that I bought on a whim. I thought I'd give it a go and have a fun, little platforming romp. Right off the bat i was shocked at the amount of atmosphere this game oozes. Floorboards creak, chains rattle, light shifts and fades while your footsteps crack and splash depending on what surface you're walking on, and the game turns from surprisingly spooky and unsettling into mystifying and wondrous. The conceit is simple, platform through level (with wonderfully tight controls) while lighting candles along the way, trying to get to the end before you run out of... well, yourself. While there is some challenge in finding all of the candles, peaking in every nook and cranny before you burn out, there are plentiful restarts that keep your progress which keep it from ever becoming frustrating. The basic gameplay is simple, fun and smooth, and the world is incredibly sophisticated, I mean, I did not expect to find a game about a walking candle to be so.... full of life! If you're into puzzle platformers, games with atmosphere, weird titles and/or indie gems, do check this one out. It's by far my biggest surprise of the year.
There are many ways to scare someone, and horror, like comedy, is not only subjective but can be quite brittle. Amnesia: The Dark Descent was a breath of fresh air for horror games, with its flight over fight mechanics and lets-play-friendly jump scares, but despite all the atmosphere, all the screams, all the hiding in broom closets, the actual story was a little dull. What The Chinese Room and Frictional have done is brilliant and should happen more often. Having a new developer take a fresh perspective was the only way another Amnesia was going to be actually exciting. First off I am seeing a correlation between the people claiming this game is only 4 hours or so and people saying this game is awful. You can beat it in 4 hours, I’m sure. I think the speed run is like 50 minutes. But you shouldn’t. A Machine for Pigs is a different kind of horror. It’s meant to be taken slowly. You are meant to have time to look around. And yes, it is not as instantly scary as its predecessor, but it is much more deeply frightening. When you finish the game you’ll have questions. If you talk to people you’ll find theories. If you research the things that inspired the story you’ll find all manner of horror you’ve never known. And then you’ll be thinking about it at work, when you’re walking in a park, as you’re going to sleep. And the horror won’t fully leave. Then you’ll play it again and really feel the scope of what was accomplished. Not only have The Chinese Room built a thrilling take on Amnesia, they have built a horror game that is still scary on repeated play-throughs, not because of the monsters, but because of how much more it says after you’ve thought about it. I have been playing games since I can remember, almost 3 decades, and I’ve played a lot of beautiful, frightening and amazing games. I can easily, without a doubt, call A Machine for Pigs one of the best games I have ever played. If we let it tell its story I think that many others might agree.
The first Asemblance was a brilliant short story ****, and Oversight is just as wonderful. One can consider this series a collection of short, Sci-Fi, Psychological Thriller styled experiences. The puzzle work at play here is a mixture of collecting evidence in your own head and knowing what to look for in the game. Anyone looking for something fresh and original would likely enjoy what these have on offer, and at under 10$ it’s a safe bet for the curious.
Fe is an incredibly impressive game. At first glance it is beautiful, whimsical and mysterious. Through the "Singing" mechanic you get to interact with various animals and plants as you explore the world. What's most exciting about this game is how it uses these mechanics. Hideo Kojima has commented on the ideas of the "Stick" (to keep people away) and the "Rope" (to bring people together) when talking about the upcoming Death Stranding, and while this game bears no resemblance to a Kojima Production, the gameplay is beautifully built around the idea of the "Rope". By learning languages and interacting with the various wildlife the main mechanics become friendship, communication and cooperation. Playing this with a friend is especially fun, as it's very nature revolves around friendship.
So often games talk about allowing players to change the world, and very rarely does it happen in a unique way. Much like Hyper Light Drifter, Hob gives you a mysterious, wordless world to explore with systems so intuitive that exposition and tutorials become unnecessary. When you succeed at your goals you find the world literally changing around you. While some may scoff at the idea of minimalist adventure games, much like Rime and ICO, Hob is brimming with magic for those willing to lose themselves in the world Runic has masterfully built.
Night in the Woods is a surprising behemoth ****. A lot of games lately have tried to focus on narrative and often end up sacrificing gameplay to do it, while of course there are many games that are fun to play with insipid stories. Somehow Night in the Woods has some of the best dialogue in its wonderful story and is also chock full of all kinds of great gameplay. Here it bucks another trend, often games with multifaceted gameplay tend to focus on quantity over quality, with many things to do that aren't all that terribly well put together. Fortunately all of the different gameplay mechanics in this game are solid and fun. Within the first couple of hours you'll find platforming, dialogue-driven gameplay, dungeon crawling, rhythm gameplay and puzzle solving all placed naturally and with finesse. The characters are unique and well written, and the story also manages to perfectly balance humor and depth. If at all possible it is highly recommended to download and play the two supplementary games on **** called "Lost Constellation" and "Longest Night". They're free, short, well made and give a fantastic introduction to the world and characters. They are not necessary but are fantastic and make parts of the main game more interesting. Also, on a side note, I've been having a blast playing with other people having everyone pick characters and read the dialogue out loud. It sounds silly, but we've been having a blast and laughing out loud constantly. This game is an absolute steal at 20$ and will appeal to all but the most cynical of gamers, and even maybe a few of them. I know it's a cliche line, but you truly owe it to yourself to experience this game. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll smash some cars, play some bass and electrocute yourself. What more can you ask for?
The Odd Gentleman have created a very special game here that is a departure from the original "point n click" style gameplay, yet retains the charm of the originals in spades. The production value is top notch, and having Christopher Lloyd and Wallace Shawn just seals the deal. Gameplay is slower paced but controls excellently and there are not only multiple narrative paths, but multiple solutions to many puzzles. A fantastic first chapter, coming from someone who grew up on the originals. Also, to the people who give "zero" for a score, you know that's dumb, right? Like, zero means it doesn't exist. You can hate a game but no one is gonna take a zero seriously. A zero would be you bought the game and it was just a post it note saying "you win". I guess you must feel very edgy with your big round red number. But admit it, that's not an opinion. That's just dumb.
Made by the developers behind the wonderful "Oddworld" remake, Lumo is a simple yet fun puzzle platformer that appeals to all ages. I found some minor frustration in the controls, but the overall charm and level design more than made up for it. If you're a **** gamer who grew up on simpler games, or a new gamer looking for a fun, simple challenge, it's not a bad way to spend 20 bucks. Make sure to adjust the control scheme to one that works best for you. And explore, there's secrets everywhere.
