So passionate, confident, and uncompromising in its pop-album vision that it's hard not to immediately fall in love (THAT MAIN MENU THEME ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?).

Just like Game Score Fanfare explains in his wonderful video, the entire game is designed around the conventions of pop music, not just copying but integrating what makes pop so darn infectious into the very fabric of the game.

A short but infinitely re-playable joyride that I don't think I will ever get enough of.

In ways Haven is the yang to Furi's yin. While Furi focused on visceral combat with light character development, Haven is all about the romance between its two lead characters with combat as a supplementary element.

The chemistry between the two leads is definitely the strong point for me. Yu and Kay are such fleshed-out and lovable characters that it's easy to understand and care about these people as they struggle to maintain their relationship against all odds. Additionally, the combat being easier when properly using both characters in sync only further reinforce their connection and need for each other.

With most of the gameplay being light exploration, I feel that there was room to tighten up the game and make it feel less like filler. Additionally, I wish they challenged Yu and Kay's relationship more, as the best moments of the game involved their relationships struggles. It feels like wasted potential.

In the end, a solid if unbalanced entry that I see myself replaying.

One of the best visually appealing games I've ever played, an 1 of 1 unique experience of going through a persons grief, regret and comeback.
The color palette used for this game was relaxing and calm to look at.

Music was very fitting with the peaceful atmosphere and I will definitely use the BGM from this game to listen to as background music.

The gameplay was okay. I loved the way the game taught all the mechanics right in the world, no tutorials needed. Puzzles and exploration were not hard to navigate through, mostly one way traffic. Movement was smooth, except the clunky jumpsout of water

I highly recommend this game for whoever wants to go on a emotional journey with a lot of abstract pieces of story to put together.

i'm not sure how your average fast-paced fps player or even the most methodical turn-based rpg player would be into this game. disco elysium is one of the most non-game games that i've played in a while and i say this with absolute respect and love for this game. it still boggles my mind how this got so much attention and buzz from the media considering how dense in political, social e economical frameworks this game is. i assume the only people buying this game KNOWS to some extent what it is about. or watches too much breadtube.

anyway with this out of my way, disco elysium is and will forever be one of my favorite games of all time. it is a masterclass in narrative, a masterpiece in terms of art and design and hm, a reliable car when it comes to its gameplay, which is where most people buying this game blind will definitely have issues. i don't necessarily hate it nor love it, it does what it's supposed to do like an old car you bought just to drive you to work on a daily basis. if the narrative is not engaging you, it's not the gameplay that will and you should drop it. it's basically a book, either you like what you're reading or you don't and you just go read something else.

i got fully engaged in disco's world. i tried my best to get every single piece of trivia i could find and learn as much as i could about the pale, mundi, graad, insulinde, revachol, samara, etc. the intention is obvious, the world is a reflection of ours, a reflection of a post-cold war world where any semblance of revolution is gone and the people in it are too busy daydreaming about their own worlds. as for the protagonist, lost in a drunken stupor where the previous life he led is no more than just a myth where uncontrollable synaptic reflexes are somehow still intact and all you can do is follow along, trying to ignore what once was to the best of your ability. a tabula rasa that is constantly trying to write itself and take over control. a true state of terror.

and somehow you manage to solve a mystery, or many mysteries, and perhaps a case or two. or you die the first minute trying not to stare at the light of your room for too long. that's disco, dude.

finally we can all agree that giraffes were always real and the true holographic creatures are the scheming politicians hidden behind their illegally-logged wooden tables full of memorabilia of times long past where authorities and monarchies "made the world better" according to their crooked ideals and words.

'the sea will claim everything' is not even trying to hide the politics in its narrative, it is overtly leftist and revolutionaire. it is not trying to say that the only way forward is a specific leftist revolution, but it is saying that for us to get through the constant degradation of society and the world, we all need to unite and trust each other through kindness and collaboration. the final message is not one of certainty of victory against the system, but one of revolution against it, and hope that if we get through it, we can make a better world.

as for the game, it has very cute aesthetics and quirky and clever writing, the characters are more than just quest-givers and have fun personas, the gameplay is typical of a point & click so there's not much to add, i just wish it had more puzzles related to the UI and more interesting ways to complete quests instead of just finding ingredients, brewing potions and handing it over.

if you played disco elysium, this game will certainly be right up your alley. and remember, we are the sea. ✊

inscryption thrives at conveying a sense of foreboding tranquillity despite its dark ambience and sound design. everything production-wise for this game is aligned perfectly with its fun gameplay and puzzling narrative, there's not a single choice i could point out that would've been better if they made any changes.

but! there's always a but. i can't shake the feeling that the overall mystery of the game (including the ARG) did not conclude satisfyingly. feels like it should have had an extra hour or two exploring the themes of the cursed game/overpowered script/malevolent company, and of course some more exploration of the character we are playing as throughout the game.

despite my gripe, i absolutely recommend this game.