There was an idea. An idea for a game that would let you play as a group of remarkable characters. A combination of multiple genres in one title to see if they could become something more. Marvel’s Avengers is not quite that game.
Singular in intent and action, Carrion sees the monster of the story take revenge on so many men. An interesting take on the idea of reverse horror, if not an entirely successful one.
An experimental spin off of the XCOM series, Chimera Squad definitely lives up to its name. Small scale tactical battles in a counter terrorist themed version of the core XCOM 2 game. But with a few key changes to keep things interesting.
Developed by studio Brave at Night, and published by No More Robots. Yes, Your Grace is a linear Narrative strategy game. Emphasis more on the narrative than the strategy in this instance. Be the king, make decisions, keep your throne under you and your people away from the pitchforks.
I thought I didn’t really like isometric RPGs. It turns out what I really didn’t like was how most isometric RPGs played. An endless slog of grids and turn based combat getting in the way of enjoying the roleplaying. Disco Elysium is an Isometric RPG. I love Disco Elysium.
Violence in an alley, a city on the brink and a vigilante to bring fear to those in power. For a film that was supposed to be a fresh spin on the superhero mythos, Joker is certainly wrapped up in aping Batman’s. (Spoilers Beyond)
There are certain games that just immediately sell the core concept. They tap into an ideal or truth that is universally known and make a fun game from it. House House have managed to accomplish this in Untitled Goose Game. Known Truth: Geese are Horrible. Known Truth: Being a Horrible Goose for a few hours is a hilarious exercise.
Control might not represent the most average day for Jesse Faden. Finding the secretive government organisation that took your brother all those years ago could be cause for celebration. Finding a dead man, picking up his weird gun and finding that you’re now the paranormally appointed Director of that same organisation could be a point of concern. And that’s before you find out about all of those horrifying mind warping horrors they’ve been studying for decades now. So a rough day then.
You’re never more than ten feet away from a rat. This is a well known aphorism about city life. God I wish the rats in A Plague Tale Innocence were ten feet away. Instead they’re clustering around, seemingly mere inches from my character. I can hear their chittering and squeaking as they wait for my meagre torch to go out. I could move out of the shadows to the safety of a brazier, but then I’d be seen by the guard. Instead I time my movement wrong, step too close to the and as the music swells, I am devoured by clambering rats in a verminous maelstrom of teeth and claws. A Plague Tale Innocence is wonderfully unpleasant and exhilaratingly tense.
The best games in the city building genre are time machines. A player should be able to run the game, begin building their metropolis and suddenly realise that they’ve lost an evening and gained an urban sprawl. Islanders manages to do this in a way most city builders don’t. It turns the whole process of building your city into a puzzle in and of itself.
