sarahlee123

Short and sweet, Year Walk is a beautiful game with a chilling atmosphere and engaging story. It packs plenty of scares and kept me on the edge of my seat, leading me to finish it in a single sitting. I don't have much patience for puzzles but Year Walk's puzzles are well designed for the most part, particularly the musical puzzle near the beginning of the game. I found some of the others overly complicated and relied on a walkthrough rather than traipsing around the map looking for clues, but more diligent players may be able to solve all of the puzzles on their own. The creepy music, basis in Swedish folklore, and gorgeous artwork make for a unique experience that stays with you even after you finish the game.

If you’re the type of person who enjoys gratuitous and highly stylized gore, much of it involving the mutilated corpses of small children (and I know I am such a person, whatever that says about me), you’ll probably get a kick out of Fran Bow. The game’s aesthetic is one of its strong points, and its painterly visuals are as gorgeous as they are (oftentimes) disturbing. Clearly inspired by Alice in Wonderland (or perhaps some of its darker reimaginings), at times playing Fran Bow felt almost like reading a children’s storybook, although there is way more gore in this game than you’ll find in anything targeted at actual children. Perhaps adding to that feeling is the innocence and sense of whimsy that the titular Fran brings to the game. Indefatigable in her quest to find her beloved kitty, her optimism in the face of hardship and pep make you want things to go well for her. Creepy sound design adds to the effectiveness of the visuals, particularly when the shadow creatures known as kamalas are onscreen. Those are the good parts, but Fran Bow isn’t without its flaws. While it has all of the elements **** mystery, the story has too many loose ends, which are never tied up in a satisfying conclusion. While I can appreciate ambiguity in a story’s conclusion, Fran Bow left too many questions unanswered. Even after building an expansive world inhabited by all kinds of unique creatures and characters each with their own lore, the game’s ending makes it all feel a bit inconsequential. Another one of Fran Bow’s weaknesses is the dialogue. Judging by the awkwardness of some of the sentences, it seems that the conversations were written by non-native speakers of English. Awkward syntax aside, many of the conversations just aren’t very engaging, but I still skimmed through them rather than clicking the, “Okay, bye,” option because I wanted to make sure I didn’t miss any nuggets of information that might advance the story or provide clues as to how to solve the puzzles. The branching dialogue choices also felt pretty arbitrary, considering that most of the options were quite similar and didn’t seem to have much impact on the conversation. As far as actual gameplay goes, the puzzles are well designed—challenging enough so the answers aren’t immediately obvious, yet intuitive enough to have you kicking yourself after figuring out the solution (or if you’re like me, consulting a walkthrough because you’re too lazy/impatient to actually figure out puzzles on your own). The level design is a little convoluted, and I sometimes found myself running in circles looking for a specific item required to advance., but at least that gave me plenty of opportunity to admire the pretty backdrops. All in all, Fran Bow is an imperfect but enjoyable game. If you’re into the gothic style and think you might enjoy this specific combination of cuteness and horror, it’s probably worth playing just for the aesthetic alone. Also, the cat is very cute.

This cute, heartwarming little game lets you step into the shoes of Haru, a 19-year-old transgender woman in Japan, during her friend Manami's birthday trip to the hot springs. It took me about an hour to play out all of the scenarios, unlocking the game's seven endings, and by the end of it I felt that I'd gained some understanding of Haru's background and struggle living as a young trans woman in Japan. The art style is simple but charming, and the melodic, retro music fits the meditative pace of this slice of life. The hot springs with their gender-segregated baths prove daunting for Haru, but the support and understanding of the other characters ensures a positive outcome in most cases, especially if you choose to have Haru overcome her social anxiety and open up.

While I'm not sure if it qualifies for the tag of "love/horror story", Missed Messages is a short and (bitter)sweet romp which can easily be completed in less than an hour. Beautiful to look at, I found myself getting lost in the charmingly rendered dorm room in which most of the game takes place and staring at the gorgeous illustrations. The chilled-out soundtrack perfectly matches the cute, pastel-colored world created by the artwork. As the trigger warnings indicate, the game's cute appearance masks some darker themes. While I found the handling of issues like self-harm and suicide a tad overt, the message it sends is an important one. Despite its short run-time, Missed Messages manages to pack in some frank discussions about heavy topics including depression and family problems, along with a good dose of humor to keep things from getting overly grim. Oh, and there are memes.

A meditative walking simulator in the vein of Gone Home, What Remains of Edith Finch plays like an interactive storybook, full of captivating tales centered on the various ill-fated members of the Finch family. But for a game so focused on death, What Remains of Edith Finch is surprisingly full of life. It packs just as many uplifting and touching moments as it does sad ones. Each story allows you to get to know the family member it focuses on just enough to miss them when you remember they're gone, and is told a way uniquely befitting the person—whether that be through the pages of a comic book or the lens of a vintage camera. Many of the stories employ some degree of magical realism, leaving the player—and Edith herself—to speculate as to how grounded in reality the tales might be. The beautifully rendered rooms of the house provide just as many clues as to what kind of lives the Finches led as do the individual stories. Littered with small details like newspaper clippings, photographs, and plenty of books, the rooms of the labyrinthine Finch mansion feel lived-in, and the house's hidden passageways, branching structures, and other little quirks make it a delight to explore. The simple controls are intuitive and there are no tricky puzzles or other gameplay mechanics to interfere with story progression. The whole thing only takes a few hours to complete, but its heart-wrenching conclusion will leave you thinking about What Remains of Edith Finch long after the credits roll.

While you might not expect it from a game with such a cute aesthetic, Night in the Woods isn't afraid to tackle heavy issues, such as mental health, existential dread, and the decay of America's rural towns. Some of the game's highlights include its entertainingly witty dialogue, delightful art style, and believable characters. Even if your own background differs from that of the protagonist Mae, you may find yourself relating to her if you've ever struggled with social anxiety or low self-worth, or simply felt lost. Her signature snarkiness is also welcome as it brings some comic relief to some of the game's darker moments. Scenes with Mae's colorful cast of friends make for some of Night in the Woods' best moments. It's difficult to choose between wild child Gregg and sarcastic, down-to-earth Bea. If you want to experience all of the scenes with each character, you'll have to go back for a second playthrough. For all its charms, Night in the Woods isn't without flaws. For a game with an already slow pace, some of the platforming can get a little tedious, particularly in the dream sequences, which, while beautifully rendered, can start to feel like a bit of a chore, particularly toward the end of the game. Gameplay also involves a lot of wandering around the world. This can feel aimless at times due to the lack of a clear goal or path to take, but does make sense considering the game's story and themes. There's also plenty to see in Possom Springs, and completionists will enjoy chatting with the many periphery characters inhabiting the game's world and powering through plentiful mini-games, including the challenging yet strangely addictive game-within-a-game Demon Tower. Night in the Woods will take you for an emotional ride, and its anthropomorphic characters can sometimes feel more human than real people. It's one of those games that stays with you long after you've finished playing it.

Oxenfree's suspenseful storyline had me powering through it over a single weekend. While brief, multiple endings to unlock encourage players to come back for more. One of Oxenfree's strengths is its branching dialogue, which uses a combination of speech bubbles and voice acting. There is an astounding number of dialogue choices. However, many of the options are similar to one another and have little influence on the story, which can make the choices feel somewhat empty. I enjoyed getting to know the characters—who are all interesting and well written, with great voice acting to boot—but Oxenfree's brevity left me wishing I'd had more time with them, even after a second playthrough. Sound and visual effects really emphasize the creepiness of the supernatural entities, and Oxenfree succeeds in creating an eerie atmosphere with its moody soundtrack and environment. The art is beautiful, with the photographs you take throughout the game making a nice added touch. My only complaint about the visuals is that the camera stays zoomed out quite far. This makes the character sprites look pretty tiny, although it does allow the player to better take in their surroundings. One of my problems with Oxenfree is the sheer amount of walking in the game. While Edwards Island is a beautiful environment to explore, some areas are awkward to navigate and Alex's walking speed is quite slow, particularly when walking up or down steps or scaling walls or ladders. If I accidentally took a wrong turn, it took me a while to get back on course, leading to some frustrating interruptions to the flow of the game. Additionally, while Oxenfree is designed for multiple playthroughs, there isn't really enough variation to make the repeat feel satisfying. Maybe I would feel differently if I came back to it after a break (I started my second playthrough immediately after finishing my first), but I felt that much of what happens in Oxenfree remains essentially the same, even if you make slightly different choices. Despite these criticisms, I still loved this game. With a riveting story, charming art style, likable characters, and wonderfully creepy atmosphere, it has enough to offer to more than make up for its flaws, and is well worth investing the few hours it takes to complete.

As soon as I heard the theme song for this game, I knew I had to buy it, and I wasn't disappointed. While they might be no more than archetypes at first glance, all of the Daddies have an unexpected depth of character with their own quirks and flaws. After romancing all of the Daddies, it's hard to pick one favorite. While I found some of the storylines better than others, I genuinely enjoyed getting to know each of the seven dads. Although each route is quite short—consisting of just three dates—the Daddies also make appearances in each other's stories, so you can gain a little more insight into their personalities with each playthrough. There is also a lively cast of supporting characters populating the game's small community of Maple Bay. Of course, there's also your daughter Amanda, the real heart of the game. While Dream Daddy is a dating simulator, your most important relationship is with her. At times she can seem almost too perfect—almost like a "manic pixie dream daughter", if you will—but it's hard to escape Amanda's charm. The player character and Amanda spend a lot of time joking around, but there are also some heartwarming moments where it's made clear how much they care about each other. The exchanges with Amanda and the Dream Daddies are sentimental without being sappy, and the emotion always feels genuine. That said, you'll have to suspend your disbelief to accept the witty dialogue and abundance of dad puns as normal. That's easy enough to do, since the game doesn't take itself too seriously. It had me laughing out loud on multiple occasions, but it never turns its **** dads into a punchline. Most of the humor comes from smart pop culture references and jabs at typical dad culture, with fun mini-games such as a Pokemon battle style "brag-off" with a rival dad breaking up the visual novel structure. Some have criticized Dream Daddy for skirting around **** issues, and indeed homophobia and other problems faced by LGBT individuals seem to be entirely absent from its narrative. I don't really see this as a bad thing though, because the game isn't trying to be dark or edgy; instead it provides players with an escapist universe to explore. For example, the player character's cul-de-sac just happens to be populated with ridiculously attractive **** dads. Things aren't perfect, and there are some dads who won't give you the happily-ever-after you want, but the game's world is largely an idealistically wholesome one. Even the art backs this up with its beautiful pastel toned backgrounds and cute, comic-like characters. All of the main characters are well drawn and have their own sets of expressions and gestures, adding another layer to their personalities. Unfortunately, the player created "dadsona" is not as well rendered as the other character sprites, but there are plenty of fun and diverse customization options. Another small complaint is the voice lines. While the voice acting isn't bad, each character has a limited selection of lines, so you hear the same things a lot. Unfortunately, one character's voice lines are of noticeably lower quality than the others. It sounds like they were recorded in a gymnasium or something. Aside from that, I don't have anything bad to say about Dream Daddy. I'm just sad that I'm finally finished with it after playing through pretty much every possible route! This is a happy, fun game that packs plenty of feels, a borderline excessive amount of dad humor, and an underlying positive message about of caring for others

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter offers a compelling story, as well as plenty of atmosphere and a stunningly beautiful world that I thoroughly enjoyed exploring, stopping multiple times just to take in the view. While you aren't given much in the way of backstory, the game slowly reveals clues that allow you to piece the events of its Lovecraftian mystery together. The brilliant story is constructed from several smaller stories, and once you collect all of the clues, the game rewards you with a conclusion that is as moving as it is unexpected. One of the biggest reasons to play The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is its gorgeous and highly detailed world. Inspired by the Polish Karkonosze mountains, the developers have taken picturesque scenes from the real world and somehow made them look even better in game. I found myself stopping frequently to admire sweeping views of the game's scenery or examine small details like the bark on the trees or the leaf litter underfoot. The Vanishing of Ethan Carter warns you before the game even begins that it "does not hold your hand" and this aspect of the game may prove frustrating for some players. Unsure of where to go or what to do, I personally ended up getting lost and quickly resorting to a walkthrough for some much needed guidance. More patient players may be able to figure things out for themselves, but I needed a little more direction myself. The game's puzzles, too, while not particularly complicated, are another potential source of frustration, as it is often unclear at first what the object of the puzzle is. Most players probably won't have any problem solving the puzzles, but if, like me, you're not a huge puzzle fan, you might find them somewhat bothersome. Overall, The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is worth playing if only for its beautiful environments and rich story. I personally did not enjoy the puzzles and found the lack of guidance vexing at times, but others may enjoy having the freedom to explore the game's world at their own pace and complete the puzzles in whatever order they like. While you may not like everything about The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, if you think you may enjoy even some aspects of the game, it's probably worth picking up, as there's nothing else quite like it.

I don't know what I was expecting when I started playing this game. The trigger warning displayed at the beginning and the "Psychological Horror" tag on Steam hint that Doki Doki Literature Club is hiding something darker than its saccharine exterior lets on, but it's hard to imagine what, especially when you're two hours in and the game has still presented you with nothing but light and bouncy music and flirty dialogue typical of the visual novel genre. I won't reveal Doki Doki Literature Club's secret here, because it's best to go into this one blind. However, I will say this: Doki Doki Literature Club is not what it seems. And yet, in some ways, it is also exactly what it seems. It is somehow a critique of and an homage to the conventional visual novel/dating sim. It makes perfect sense for lead developer Dan Salvato to cite his "love-hate relationship with anime" as inspiration for creating the game. The cutesy characters and backgrounds are lovingly crafted. Even the name of the game itself is delightfully twee. Doki Doki Literature Club also subverts these kinds of genre conventions, but it's clear that the developers have some affection for the very thing they're lampooning. While at first glance, the cute female characters are nothing but standard anime tropes, I found each of them gradually growing on me thanks to the excellent writing—one of the game's strong points. Of course, this only made the game's dark turns even more disturbing. While there are other subversive visual novels out there, I doubt there's anything quite like Doki Doki Literature Club. A unique mix of kawaii and creepy with creative use of breaking the fourth wall, it's a game you won't forget easily.

A simple but well made game, One Night Stand shouldn't take much more than a couple of hours even for completionists, and it's well worth the time investment and small cover price. The distinctive art style is attractive and the use of rotoscoping makes the girl's expressions and gestures surprisingly realistic, which gives interactions with her a human touch, but can be a little jarring when you end up offending her with your choices. With 12 possible endings, One Night Stand is much like an animated Choose-Your-Own-Adventure story. Gameplay mostly consists of selecting choices from branching dialogue trees and scavenging the room for clues whilst the girl is away. Despite its simplicity, the game had me coming back for multiple playthroughs until I had investigated every item and unlocked every ending. The girl herself is an interesting and well written character, and I found myself wanting to learn more about her. While the game never completely satisfied my curiosity, the items strewn about the room and the information the girl offered in her conversations with the player character helped me imagine what kind of person she might be. Because much of the dialogue remains the same regardless of your choices, after playing the game through a few times, it can become tedious clicking through the same conversations over and over again, although the fast forward feature mitigates this problem. It's interesting to see the diverse ways in which the situation can play out, and unlocking all the endings will reveal a secret message that may change the way you see the characters. However, some mysteries remain unsolved, and if you're looking for a tidy resolution, this game isn't going to give it to you. Short, sweet, surprisingly heartwarming, and pretty funny at times, One Night Stand is much more than just its unique premise. While not without its flaws, it's definitely worth checking out.

Firewatch is a truly memorable experience. During the few hours I played it, I felt almost as if I really was wandering through the wilderness of Wyoming, stopping for a moment to enjoy the sunlight trickling through the trees or watch a sunset dye the sky a brilliant shade of crimson. What it lacks in traditional gameplay, Firewatch more than makes up for in its beautiful environments, superb voice acting, and great storytelling. I enjoyed exploring Firewatch's world, with all of its beautiful scenery, and found navigation with its compass and map to be mostly straightforward—although I did get lost occasionally, leading to a few moments of frustration. Henry's conversations with Delilah were a major highlight for me. The well-written dialogue made for uniquely human moments and the clever humor had me cracking a smile on more than one occasion. A lot of other reviewers have cited issues with the game's brevity and less-than-satisfying ending. I wasn't bothered by the game's short length as I felt that it had plenty offer despite it, but the ending did feel a little rushed. The game's opening scenes do a good job of gradually building a sense of unease, but once things begin to come to a head, the game quickly reveals its secret and wraps things up. Without giving away any spoilers, the ending does feel a little anti-climactic after all of the suspense the game builds leading up to it, but in my opinion, Firewatch is still well worth playing despite that. Firewatch is an excellent example of what a game can be. I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good story.

This was a game that I really wanted to like. It's an exciting time for gaming; we're starting to see a lot of indie titles like this that challenge the conventional idea of what a game is. While such titles tend to have little actual gameplay and may not be what you could call "entertaining", they often use the medium in interesting ways to tell stories or evoke some sort of emotional response from the player that's different from what might be possible with more traditional forms of media like film or literature. Like Gone Home, Depression Quest, or To the Moon, That Dragon, Cancer, is one such game. If you have an interest in unique, narrative-focused games and are thinking about testing this one out, I'd suggest you pick up one of the other titles I just mentioned instead. I was drawn to That Dragon, Cancer by glowing reviews from critics and testaments from players that the game could reduce even the most hardened of men to bawling wrecks. Now I'm a susceptible to certain films starring Anne Hathaway or any story featuring a dead dog plotline as the next person, but I was surprised to find myself completely dry-eyed at the end of this. So maybe I'm cold and heartless for failing to be moved by this story about the tragic death of a five-year-old from cancer, or maybe this game is just hugely overrated. Before I get into what specifically I disliked about That Dragon, Cancer, I want to say that I'm grateful that games like this exist, and I respect the Greens' using a game as a way of sharing their painful experience with the world. Despite all that, personally, it just wasn't worth my Saturday afternoon. I did try to engage with That Dragon, Cancer, but something always kept throwing me off, whether it be the game's clunky mechanics, which left me wondering what exactly I had to do to progress to the next level, or slightly hackneyed monologues that expressed the characters' thoughts and feelings a little too overtly for my liking. The biggest thing that threw me was That Dragon, Cancer's preoccupation with Christianity. While I understand that faith is important to the Greens and their in-game counterparts, the Christian elements of the game were so overwhelming that they drowned out pretty much everything else. I feel like the developers made the story relatable only to those who share their beliefs. From the soundtrack to the letters written by loved ones of those who have passed away from cancer scattered throughout the game, almost everything had a Christian element, making this game feel like two parts religious allegory and only one part personal tragedy. I'd rather not end on a sour note, so I won't sign off without first mentioning a few things that I did like about That Dragon, Cancer. The game's most subtle moments are it's best. Snippets of conversations with the family's elder children, and the messages left from Amy on Ryan's phone, which offer a glimpse at the couple's everyday life caring for a sick child, but also carry an undercurrent of hope and love. As gaming continues to evolve, I hope that other developers will be inspired by games like this to tell stories in a creative way. Even if the execution isn't great, That Dragon, Cancer offers a glimpse at what a game can be.