While I’m a big fan of everything zombies and have a great appreciation for how The Walking Dead franchise approaches the post-apocalyptic rise of the dead, there are only so many stories that you can tell. Part of what’s made Robert Kirkman’s zombie epic so popular has been its focus on the people that populate it. While Michonne marks the first time Telltale has borrowed directly from Kirkman’...[Read More]
Unravel was an interesting game before I even pressed “start”, before I even downloaded it, and before it was even release. After stealing the EA E3 stage show for about 10 minutes and charming the pants of off a national audience, Unravel looked like an indie game that had gotten lost in Los Angeles and accidentally stumbled into the spotlight. After years of making games that look like they’d b...[Read More]
Well… Here’s a game I wouldn’t shake a screwdriver at. The cocktail that is. When it comes to point and click adventures, darkness works. With a genre that features such simple gameplay, a strong narrative is hugely important, and the interplay between light and darkness is a narrative theme that has been explored throughout the history of storytelling. Grim Fandango, Dropsy, The Charnel House Tri...[Read More]
In our lives, we all run away from things, relationships, commitments, giant flesh-eating crabs. To run away from a situation is one of the most natural things. On an instinctive level, we know when it’s best to stand our ground and when it’s prudent to run and Firewatch is a game all about that instinct. At times funny, heart wrenching and thoughtful, Firewatch understands human nature in a way s...[Read More]
There’s been a lot of navel gazing going on in video games lately. Many recent titles have explored the role of the player, their relationship with developers, and subverted the conventions we’ve come to expect from games. The term meta is often used as a way of describing this type of self aware experience. Calendula, the new game from Blooming Bud Studios, ticks all the necessary boxes for the t...[Read More]
Usually games are in a hurry to get you to the good stuff: the superpowers, the shootouts, the platforming. It’s rare that a game takes a long time with setting up their world or gameplay before getting into the meat of it. The Elder Scrolls usually have a quick action sequence to teach you the basics before shoving you out in the world, Ori and the Blind Forest probably has one of the longest i...[Read More]
Reveal the Deep, by Scottish developers Lazy Monday Games, is a genuinely terrifying exploration game where you take the place of a deep-sea diver exploring the sunken wreck of the SS Euridice all the way at the bottom of the ocean. This game is dark, claustrophobic, and one of the best horror experiences I’ve played on steam in quite a while. This review contains a few minor spoilers that might r...[Read More]
It’s no secret that Steam Greenlight, for all its benefits, has opened a sewer floodgate onto Steam. As awesome as the service is for indie developers, for every Clicker Heroes or Five Nights at Freddy’s, there are a dozen half-baked, hack jobs. But without further ado, from the brilliant minds at One Game Studio (or at least we hope they are), comes What’s Under Your Blanket!?. You play as a youn...[Read More]
Super Ubie Land is a fun, CHALLENGING platformer inspired by the classics, ‘Super Mario World’, ‘Kirby’s Dreamland’ and ‘Donkey Kong Country.’ It is a love letter to fans who wish to continue to play 2D based platformers similar to the ones we all loved to play during the NES and SNES era.” There’s little that can be expanded on it, apart from what your concept of something being fun and/or challe...[Read More]