bellwoods
2020
This is essentially a book of nonogram puzzles skinned in a flimsy detective story, set to a banger soundtrack by the same composer as Ace Attorney. You probably already know from that description if you'll like this game. Personally, I wished there had been more puzzles larger that 15 x 15 (there are only three, by my count). They were on the small side for nonograms, and often not totally legible.
Must a game be 'good'. Is it not enough to watch a bisexual man descend into madness while a bunch of girls kick ass.
2015
Fascinating piece, funny while also considerably darker/more serious than I expected for a game about Sherlock Holmes's dog that references Great Mouse Detective. (Violent human and animal deaths, sex work, drug use, among other things. Also, the dog says fuck.) I initially struggled with how smelling worked, and was very grateful for "sharpened" (easy) mode and the various quality-of-life mechanics, because even with it on I often missed nouns that had been implemented. And what a staggering amount there are! It's impressive how far you can explore. Great example of what can be accomplished with conceptual-map style IF.
A few of the clues are tantamount to verbal pixel hunting--you really are expected to investigate EVERY noun, and there is one place in particular where several crucial clues are gated by a noun where there is no indication it leads to what it leads to. On the bright side, Holmes has already solved the case, so you can always brute-force a solution and then play again to try and ferret out some of those details (as I did).
A few of the clues are tantamount to verbal pixel hunting--you really are expected to investigate EVERY noun, and there is one place in particular where several crucial clues are gated by a noun where there is no indication it leads to what it leads to. On the bright side, Holmes has already solved the case, so you can always brute-force a solution and then play again to try and ferret out some of those details (as I did).
2017
Poking little guys game. You could imagine this as a beautiful search-and-find book, but they made excellent use of the game medium, turning it into a fun and very tactile puzzle experience. Basically my ideal game, and some of the interactions were quite clever. Though I wished the minimalist lines looked a little more crisp on my monitor (tried many aspect ratios).
I had to give up on this, unfortunately. The world was pretty, but you couldn't interact with any of it, which made it feel like a paper diorama.
2014
Played this because (a) it's a murder mystery and (b) I heard it was an influence for 999, and it certainly has a similar spirit. The game relies on being replayed. I made an incorrect deduction about who the murderer was and stumbled into a slasher horror piece. A replay knowing who they were meant that everyone was unharmed and I came out looking like a genius. There is an idea of drawing deductions from information you gained in 'bad routes' that the Zero Escape series draws on to its literal extreme. A fun, not particularly long investigation.
The iOS release makes some very odd localization choices, starting with changing kamaitachi to banshee and ending with changing the graphics/photos and setting to a ski lodge in Canada. Seems another thing it has in common with 999 is the Ship of Theseus problem--at what point does it become a different game?
The iOS release makes some very odd localization choices, starting with changing kamaitachi to banshee and ending with changing the graphics/photos and setting to a ski lodge in Canada. Seems another thing it has in common with 999 is the Ship of Theseus problem--at what point does it become a different game?
2011
Pulls off some impressive slight of hand to make a linear adventure game feel like an open world. The writing and humour are top-notch, blending quotidian melancholy, crime thriller tension, and some truly laugh-out-loud moments. My closest comparison for the vibe would be Night in the Woods.
2000
A practical joke in game form, but a good one. So short that it doesn't overstay its welcome, and you can easily replay it to see what you missed.
I enjoyed having Sebastian in the party and found his perspective as a Chantry character helpful in giving that conflict some weight, but he's poorly integrated into the game. Hawke is sitting there wondering why he couldn't be bothered to show up to the love interest scene.