i've really been enjoying playing Dreamwild lately despite its harsh difficulty curve and unfriendly beginner experience, and was really happy today to find another title from the developer dropped just a few days ago, and for free.
a grungy linear dungeon crawler where our embittered protagonist becomes privy to a great truth of the world with her special helmet, revealing a writhing and filthy undercurrent which lurks below everyday society. it could be said to be excessively crass or dark in some lines of text, but to see developer Fading Club explore these grimy visual and narrative stylings further that were present in Dreamwild (albeit in an arguably non-horror setting) as well as surreal moe anime girl forms is just an aesthetic delight.
i currently have a shitty flu and my job hunt remains sisyphean, i think i needed something cynical and moody and edgy to get me through the anger. my recent growing fondness for webcore horror and clashing organic vs technological imagery really made this title a match made in heaven. updates are planned, don't miss this one if you enjoy neat atmospheric horror and unique entity design.

incredible foley production and original piano arrangements for a small yet amazing jam release. developer ENDYSIS has a large following on social media platforms yet receives underwhelming engagement contrary to his incredible multitalented skill in not just visual art, but also prose and aforementioned musical skill; another victim of the dreaded algorithm of course. i am warmly anticipating his upcoming gothic living armor title.
ENDYSIS commands an incredible aesthetic sense and sticks to his guns when it comes to what he loves, and his work shines because of it. this artist finds the work to be a joy and inspiration in a time of creative starvation.

-static HP checkpoint and upgrade hub
-stamina management
-dodge button
-themes of rebirth/resurrection

this is a soulslike

the disclaimer prior to play claiming "exaggerated depictions" does not prepare you for the ham-fisted caricatures within which results in nonsensical social exchanges and a questionable conclusion. while a 6x speed toggle is available upon replay you cannot choose to skip entire mirages, padding attempts for other endings and routes into absolute drudgery and ultimately killing my enjoyment entirely before getting my final third.

its cheeky engagement with sexual and queer imagery turns away and blushes when it comes to actually depicting any genitalia where it would be acceptable to include. every nude doll body is of the exact same proportion and i often struggled to tell Claudio and Andrea apart due to their only visual differences being a slight hair part, something i feel is a massive flaw of the artistic style which personally isn't to my tastes. i'm not desperate for illustrated nudity, i just wish it was genuine about its subject matter.

i also second the criticism that Mediterranea borrows just a bit too much from We Know the Devil, a similar game of social exclusion with its supernatural influence on a circle of friends which realises its narrative far more succinctly. to throw them a rope and say something positive, the way the 2d artwork organically navigates the 3d spaces is impressive and the sheer amount of illustration assets is staggering. there's a strong visual aesthetic sense, the style of the artwork just pairs poorly with it.

"wow cool symbolism!" [gundam shooting overhead] "transfems always dispense the best advice"

Planet Laika has inspired lofty trains of thought this past week regarding the transient nature of daily life, the miraculous circumstances that lead to a pair of people meeting each other, and how easily trauma can take away everything from you. while the vehicle it chooses is as fantastical as "dog people in space", between the nonsensical eccentricities of Mars' colony dwellers are heart-stopping moments of clarity through which Laika communicates its core ethos.

while there is no regaining lost time, you are not a slave to the events which brought you here today. while there might exist a darkness in you that cannot be illuminated, living alongside it and accepting it is possible. you are not leaves that fall at autumn's beckon. you must will yourself to fall.

look, it's snowing. merry christmas.