Snake Pass was a fun game that felt unique in its control scheme. The worlds are bright and colorful and the character designs really brought me back to early Rare titles. The levels were tricky and well thought out but very little was introduced outside of the normal snake and ladder gameplay. Pretty steep difficulty spike in the final three levels but nothing impossible. The highlight of it all was the soundtrack (David Wise Wins Again). Overall loved the game and would recommend playing just to feel like a snake while listening to smooth jazz.

Hellblade is a complicated game for me personally. I loved the environments and the unique puzzles found scattered throughout however, I felt that the camera placement was oppressive and inhibited the combat from being enjoyable. The narrative is deep and full of examples of the struggle faced daily by people who suffer from mental health issues. That being said the story is also very vague and did not land with me personally. I also missed out on the sound design in the game which I’m sure colors my impression of it a good deal. Overall the game is good and atmospheric but falls just shy of being great for me.

Red Dead Redemption 2 was a visually stunning game that embraces the idea of exploring the Wild West. Though playing through this game in 2023 made the controls and some linear mission objectives feel dated, it is abundantly clear that the game was ahead of its time. There were several “gaming moments” I will never forget found in this play through (i.e the governors mansion, Arthur climbing after Micah etc.) Overall the game does a good job of telling its story despite some overused motivations (NEED MORE MONEY) and John’s prologue was also a great bit of narrative to lead into the initial game’s beginning.