Scoretwo
2020
Beautifully crafted indiegame. The story is rather standard Lovecraft but it shakes things up by putting it in a tropical setting and adding a romance story that never felt forced. The puzzles are the meat of the game and are mostly well constructed. Some of them can be though to crack but in the end with some patience and logical thinking you should be able to overcome them without having to look them up online.
2021
Onz of the best co-op games I played in a long time. A bittersweet story of divorcing couple serves as the backdrop for an action platformer high on fantasy. The developers succeeded in providing a lot of variety in gameplay elements and situations. I had the luck to play this game with my girlfriend adding to the charme of the concept. Highly recommended!
2022
The base game was already a masterclass in gameplay and storytelling. This DLC cleverly expands on the concept with neverending tower of challenging battles. Each time you die, you start back at the ground floor. The allegory of Sysiphus and his boulder integrates perfectly in the Returnal lore.
2022
Norco is above all an experience, more so than a videogame. It marries soundscapes, (abstract) impressions, emotions and it thoughtprovoking. You could classify this under a heavily textualized point&click but it is so much more. It's not for everyone, that's for sure. But if the atmosphere and theme sticks, it pulls you easily through it's 5-6 hours length and you'll leave the game baffled.
2021
It’s immediately obvious this is an Arkane Lyon title. It carries the Dishonored DNA in it being a game offering a lot of creative ways to tackle it’s challenges. It’s very creative. However, this is not a stealth game at it’s core, so fans of the studio might have to watch their expectations. The story is rather convoluted at times and the start of the game can feel a bit rocky between the amount of explanations, menu’s etc. But once you powered through the first 2-3 hours the gameplay opens up and the possibilities show themselves.
2012
This has been the definitive pinball experience for years. I have it installed permanently on my iPad for years and come back to it regularly. The huge amount of well conceived tables keep the game fun and fresh.
This ghost story won’t break the mould but thanks to its production values it’s a fun experience to be had together with some friends. Quite a few jumpscares too! Looking forward to the other episodes in the anthology.
The second episode in the Dark Pictures anthology focuses on a small time village lost in the woods. There’s more than one obvious nod to Silent Hill 2 to be found here. The story mixes witchcraft and personal trauma but never really succeeds in delivering the gutpunch we want from such themes. The acting here is in my opinion worse than the previous episode. Some characters seem oblivious to the danger at hand while others in the same situation are overacting. All in all a pleasant 6hour ride played in co-op on the couch with my girlfriend.
2016
There’s something ominous about this game and I can’t quite put my finger on it. The hypnotic soundtrack that can’t even be defined as music yet is strangely rythmic, the Cthulhu-like shapes moving about, the endless track speeding about at an insane tempo. There’s a real sense of dread present in this game. Thumper is a real gem. Once you get the mechanics it becomes something quite visceral akin to a drug induced trip. You find yourself losing track of time and just living in the moment, especially in VR.
House of Ashes is clearly the best episode in The Dark Pictures Anthology up to that point. The character development is great and the story is much more cohesive than it’s more ethereal predecessors. Mix some Lovecraft, Predator and the Descent and you got this gem of an interactive horror movie. I’m looking forward to the last episode of season 1!
A surpisingly deep strategy game disguised in lollypop colors. I had a great time with it but I could not get over the very exuberant world dressing. The mazelike levels are all over the place and the story is terrible. The only reason I gave this game 4 stars and kept on playing was the very solid gameplay.
2020
I’m a sucker for all things Lovecraft and thus I had to try this “choose your own adventure”. The premise is simple enough: you’re a detective looking for a lost girl in the town of Innsmouth. The game’s writing is often funny and translates the Lovecraftian atmosphere well. However it couldn’t hold my interest for long. There seem to be more than 20 possible endings but I completed only 2 of them, each one taking me about one hour. The branches in the storyline are multiple but I rapidly grew tired of replaying/reading passages.
2019
Grindstone was the reason I subscribed to Apple Arcade and I didn’t regret it. This is the ideal pick up and play game. A great mix of puzzling and matching with a serious lifespan. It took me several months to clear the base campaign.
The last episode of season 1 is a classic tale about a serial killer horror house based on the myth of H H Holmes. The games are becoming more effective throughout the season. This last one perfects the formula further. The game relies this time less on QTE’s which is a good thing.
2019
A great game for short sessions, What the Golf is a game that relies heavily on it’s surprising twists on the classic golf concept. The physics based challenges can be enjoyed in short bursts and will regularly put a smile on your face.