Unpacking Review : Effortlessly Economical Storytelling
Unpacking combines artfully simplistic puzzle gameplay with a narrative so confidently delivered that it accomplishes in four hours what some games can’t do with dozens.
Wildermyth Review: Relatably Random Roleplaying
Wildermyth is the latest attempt to capture the spontaneity and creativity of tabletop RPGs in video game form. And thanks to a few mechanical tricks, it succeeds pretty well.
Sable Review: Serenely Satisfying Exploration
Sable is one of the most introspective, beautiful and captivatingly written games I’ve played all year.
Deathloop Review: Dawn of the First Day
Deathloop is a classic timeloop game, expertly refined through the lense of Arkane Lyon’s effortlessly cool writing and game design. A must play.
LiS: True Colors Review – Dramatically Distilled Decision Making
Life is Strange is one of my Favourite series. I was a little worried that True Colors would drop beneath a very high bar. I’m so very happy to be wrong.
Lake Review: Methodically Mellow Mail Delivery
It would be easy to dismiss Lake as another example of the “Pastoral Saviour” genre, akin to Animal Crossing/Stardew Valley. A stressed city slicker takes a break and goes out to the country to find themselves, their love and reset their life. They fix their life, and bring a little modern culture back to the boonies. You know this plot, because it’s also every other Hallmark movie. But that would be doing Lake a disservice. Because it is sort of that, but presented so beautifully and interrogated in such a meaningful way that it’s hard not to fall for the quiet pines and placid Lake.
Townscaper Review: Thoughtfully Tiny Town Planning
Townscaper is a thoughtful small scale city builder that understands the small details are the most important thing to get right.
Twelve Minutes Review: Tragically Terrible Time Loop Thriller
Twelve Minutes is a time loop thriller that doesn’t hold together as a mystery, a narrative or in some ways as a game.
Road 96 Review – Randomly Generated Road Trip
Road 96 is a structurally interesting road trip indie game, with a deeply political narrative, slightly muddied by trying to do too much.
Last Stop Review: Celebratory Cinematic Sci-Fi
Last Stop is almost everything I want from narrative games. An anthology of well presented short stories, each with a solid thematic throughline. It falters slightly with the wrapper story that the whole game comes in, but the experience is a delight for the most part.