Walking the line between esoteric art and nonsensical elitism can often be the downfall of a good idea, as the latter prevents large parts of the audience from connecting with your message. In narrative-heavy games, there is always a need for the player to understand what's happening along the way, but being too obvious is boring, while complete abstraction tends to be confusing and pointless. Suffice to say that there's an art to telling a story that pulls in the player, but doesn’t beat them over the head with a bland message.
I've always been sceptical about real-world escape rooms for a number of reasons, not least because it would mean trying to gather a suitable group of people to go with. Then there's the chance that the whole ordeal would be far too easy, or ridiculously difficult, wasting whatever money you spent on the entry fee. Plus, the cost has always been a barrier to escape rooms in my local area, as they seem to always be on the higher end of what seems affordable. It's nice to know then, that there are other options available to people like me, who probably aren't going to get to a real world escape room anytime soon.
I'm pretty sure I've mentioned before how much I'm a fan of Annapurna Interactive as a publisher, as they seem to consistently put out interesting and unique narrative heavy games that are usually right up my alley. I love it when a publisher has a kind of theme to the games they release, and as a fan of those games, I always feel pretty confident when Annapurna Interactive are in the credits. At least, I used to feel that way, but now I'm a little less certain.
There are times that wonder if anticipation ever really pays off in a satisfying way, as it often feels better to anticipate something than actually experience it. I suppose that might sound like a relatively ominous way to open a post about a game, but I can't help thinking about all the anticipation that was built up inside me, and whether or not it hindered my overall enjoyment.
After experiencing the match-three phenomenon that was the original HuniePop, its sequel ended up being one of my most anticipated game releases of 2021. All I wanted was more of the same and that's ultimately what I ended up getting, but there have been a few tweaks and improvements made along the way. Strap yourself in, because this one may be a little NSFW.
I've always been a fan of publishers and developers who work with a theme and focus on their own little niche. Not only does it mean you know what you're going to get from them, but it creates an identity for something that would otherwise be a faceless company. Lately, I've been seeing Annapurna Interactive's name come up in the credits for a number of neat little games with a quirky twist, so when I checked out I Am Dead, I was pleased to discover more of the same.
I'm usually quite sceptical of subscription services of any form, as it usually benefits the service a lot more than the subscriber. However, since I entered the world of Xbox and Microsoft GamePass, I have to admit that I've been pleasantly surprised with the rotations of games on offer. Not least because I've ended up playing a bunch of new little indie games that I might have missed if I weren't paying attention to the GamePass library.
In recent times, Bithell Games have been making a name for themselves as an indie developer to watch. Of course Mike Bithell is someone that's been on my radar since I first played the brilliant Thomas Was Alone, and I suspect I'm not the only one. However, what's really excited me about his company's recent work, is that they've released a series of "Bithell Shorts". These are short, but high quality games, that explore a unique mechanic or system and tell a succinct story. Needless to say, this is a winning combination for me, as I often prefer to play smaller games with nothing but quality content, as opposed to bloated hundred hour grinds that never truly satisfy.
Something I never like reading about in relation to video games is whether or not a particular title is "no different from a book" or "the same as a movie". It's nothing new, because it's often the argument that's made against walking-simulators and visual novels. Although when I read these kind of perspectives, I'm left wondering if the writer has ever actually read a book or watched a movie.
Does every game need to be pushing the limits of the medium and creating original and innovative experiences? Clearly the answer is: no. In a world where the big budget games show up every year with the latest and greatest in technical fidelity, and countless little indie projects are released every single day with weird and wonderful takes on what a video game can actually become. I now attempt to answer the question, whether or not there's still room for a game that doesn't do a whole lot of anything at all.
I know a lot of people out there like to tick a lot of boxes with their games. It's why we have games that shove in as many collectables and modes as possible, with no regard to their quality. On the other hand, it's why I've often heard people complain about games that focus too much on a single element, even if they pull it off superbly. Why then, does everyone love Gorogoa so much?
These days there seems to be a regular turnover of silly little games that end up doing the rounds on every YouTube and Twitch channel you can find. Most of the time they're just thoughtless meme games that allow whatever personality to act like a bit of an idiot for the entertainment of others, so I tend to avoid paying attention when these kind of games surface. I never felt compelled to play Goat Simulator, and I doubt I ever will. So why did a short little game about a goose catch my eye?
Sometimes it's worth remembering that when you've created something excellent, it needs to speak for itself. When you have a core set of compelling mechanics presented beautifully, there's no need to inflate the facts. Countless little indie treasures could learn from this, and She Remembered Caterpillars could as well.
Welcome back to the land of beautifully realised, small-scale, narrative gaming excellence. I'll never ceased to be amazed at how a great little game can stick with you far beyond an average big game. Then again, we all know that sometimes good things really do come in small packages.
It never ceases to amaze me just how many terrible ports are made of mobile games onto other systems. There are so many aspects of mobile design that differ immensely from desktop or console requirements, which rarely get adapted along with a port. Every now and then though, a game keeps it simple and gets it right.
Sometimes a game comes along that defies all expectations, but not in the way that will blow your mind. Instead it's the circumstances surrounding a game's existence that brings hope and potential to an otherwise ordinary experience.
Straight up, I've never played the first Azkend and I only gave this one a go because it was a Playstation Plus game at some point. It's easy to try something that just shows up in your library unexpectedly, but I like this match-three adventure enough to write something about it.
I really like the way that Zachtronics have carved out a niche for themselves as the golden child of programming games. In fact, I almost didn't play Opus Magnum, as I had previously attempted their earlier title Shenzhen I/O. The latter focused heavily on programming and electronics in a way that made my head spin. Thankfully though, Opus Magnum is kind of Zachtronics's offering to the more casual flow-chart designers out there.
As time goes on, the difference between PC and console hardware has grown smaller and smaller. While technologies continue to improve and iterate, they lower in cost and general accessibility. I think it's fair to say that even though PC technologies will always surpass the locked-down console capabilities, it's becoming much more difficult to find a noticeable difference in the quality of games made for those systems.
One of the coolest things about any form of art, is that it often defies any rational justification for why we like it. Sure we can point to likely culprits, such as quality and detail, but sometimes something hits you harder than expected. I often think that these odd connections with creativity are all the more powerful, as they defy logic and rationale.
