I... I don't even know where to begin. I guess I can start by saying that every complaint about how bullshit or obtuse the puzzles are is a MAJOR self-report that you got held back in elementary school. If puzzle games just aren't your thing that's fine, but God forbid a game actually makes you figure stuff out for once. If you think these puzzles are obtuse YOU AINT SEEN OBTUSE PUZZLES. Your average old school point and click is significantly more obtuse than this. Yes, Scorn doesn't give you notifications, jingles, or XP increases to signify when you're doing the right thing, but that would be fucking stupid if it did. To me, being thrown into the deep end with no form of guidance is a major factor in what makes the game so enjoyable. This is a truly rotten, desolate, hostile, hellscape of a world, and having to experience it from the POV of a nameless lost soul fits perfectly. Neither you nor the protagonist truly knows what you're doing or why you're doing it; you just know that you need to keep going. This is where the gameplay and world design are at their most harmonious. The atmosphere is almost suffocatingly bleak, and it feels like every function of the world is just a cycle of cruelty, death, and rebirth. It's a fairly gruesome game, and the H.R. Giger inspired world design is both hauntingly beautiful and utterly repulsive in all the best ways. It makes for a truly unique experience that was engaging from start to finish. I'm still unsure how I feel about the ending, but the journey was certainly a memorable one nonetheless. For those aspects alone, the game is probably worth checking out for many people.

Unfortunately Scorn isn't always smooth sailing, and as many others have pointed out, this game has some less than stellar combat. Now truthfully I don't despise the combat (and I actually think it works well in some aspects) but its not great. It is a survival horror game, so going guns blazing is definitely not the right way to approach this and the game actually presents a few clever ways to skirt around some of the combat encounters. But you can't avoid everything so at one point or the other you'll be forced to fight head on and it's... jank. It's definitely not the worst survival horror combat I've seen (looking at you Sinking City) but it ain't Resident Evil either. For the most part, I think the game gets around combat fairly well, with the more exploration heavy sections usually having ways to avoid it. The scenarios that are built around unavoidable direct combat however, just end up feeling rough and occasionally frustrating, as one late game encounter in particular drags on forever. Though I will admit, part of me thinks that maybe that's the point. Maybe it's fitting that a world so oppressive would have combat that really puts you at a disadvantage and makes it a struggle. However I do think there is a distinct difference between making combat you dread because its challenging/has consequences and making combat you dread because its just simply annoying and not very fun, and unfortunately I think Scorn may tip the scale in the latter direction.

The game also has its fair share of general roughness with a few bugs that pop up here and there. It's mainly just small glitches in the audio and visual departments but I did have one bug where an interaction stopped working and I had to reload the game. No progress was ever lost though, so everything was pretty minor.

I have many other conflicting thoughts about this game that I'm having trouble putting into words, so I walk away a bit unsure of how to rate the game. Regardless of that, Im still very happy this finally got released and that I was able to experience it. If you have gamepass, I think it's 100% worth giving this a shot. Even if it doesn't end up being your thing, there's enough cool shit in here that warrants at least giving it a look.

I always found myself rushing through games to finish them, but it's surprising how I took my time with Kentucky Route Zero -- absorbing the imagery, architecture, atmosphere, and the journey to Dogwood Drive. Despite watching and experiencing many surreal media and attempting to understand it, Kentucky Route Zero is a strange one since it's without a doubt an experience that wants you to absorb the amazing art direction (the developers of the game being art majors). Moments of the game strangely felt nostalgic, melancholic, and sad despite not understanding what was happening which felt perfect for the type of story Zero is; and will remain one of my favorite experiences in gaming.

Future Tips:
- Watching a playthrough of the game will cheapen the experience of Zero.
- If you have a Netflix subscription, it's free via a mobile app. If Steam & Switch & home consoles, it's usually on sale for an affordable deal.
- Take your time with each Act + Interlude and immerse yourself in its journey.
- No need to rush the journey to Dogwood Drive since it'll tell you where to go.
- Waiting for long intervals to play each Act helps to fully reflect about the experience.
- Enjoy the journey in a dim-light room, with earphones, and fall into the depths of the road to Zero.

My read on Norco, is that, in some places more than others, we live in such a fallen world that extreme psychosis is the only vector we have to make sense of existence.
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I hope no one takes offense to this, I say this with love and sympathy but: boy is the southeastern corner of the United States a flaming hell climate. People who live there are built different.

- Im gonna lead with my most negative thought: I think pure blood adventure games really really struggle to bring the fun. Norco tends to have good pacing, and my penchant to go off-critical path saved me some grief - but boy is it just sort of not fun to do arbitrary puzzles. Idk, maybe this sounds like bad advice but I would have been fine if Norco was just a VN front to back. I dont think you need to make gameplay if you dont have good gameplay in mind. Idk, idk.

- I think everyone knows this, but Norcos got great writing. I was expecting a more non-fictional romp of some kind and was surprised to find (in the games own words) “some Da Vinci Code” shit. There is a slight “magic realism” thing going on a la Kentucky Route Zero but what this really is, is a mystery thriller in a, ahem, ”swamppunk” alternate near-future setting.

- Whats also unexpected, is that Norcos pretty funny. The game ostensibly takes place in a very dour world in a region thats fairly ready to just give up - but in that blase mindspace there is permission to get silly. The world around them is already absurd, why not start a cult where everyone is called Garrett? Why not do some after hours clowning? An honest world is a rotten long-expired dream, whats left to do but channel some levity?

- I dont want to labor this thought too much, but Norco also depicts some moments of genuine sadness. A melancholy sky hangs over everything that happens in Norco and once and awhile someone says a few words that blow the clouds away to give you a brief glimpse into the void behind it.

Cyberpunk 2077 has always held a special place in my heart. When I first experienced it in September 2022, over a year ago, the game transformed my perception of narratives, lore, and world-building in the realm of video games. The recently released expansion, Phantom Liberty, continues this tradition by delivering an unforgettable 20-hour narrative that left me profoundly moved and prompted a deep introspection of my own moral compass.

The expansion also introduces two new amazing characters. Solomon Reed, a new character brought to life by the masterful Idris Elba, is a formidable FIA agent wrestling with internal demons. Idris Elba's portrayal is nothing short of extraordinary, and as a huge fan of his past works, I thought his performance in this role stood out as one of his most compelling acting achievements. Songbird, on the other hand, is a character of profound complexity and an enigmatic backstory. Minji Chang's portrayal breathes life into Songbird's entrancing aura and presence, and the level of detail in her chromed up character design is truly awe-inspiring. Every encounter with Songbird is a testament to the exceptional hard work invested in crafting her character.

While the majority of Phantom Liberty takes place outside the familiar confines of Night City, Dogtown, a mini-city in its own right, holds its own unique allure. Despite its relatively compact size, Dogtown pulsates with life and tension, marked by frequent confrontations between rival gangs and the formidable Barghest. Upon close inspection, the remnants of what was meant to be a resplendent Pacifica are now reduced to rubble and unfinished architecture. Dogtown's aura is distinctly unforgiving and rotten, to the extent that even the NCPD and Trauma Team hesitate to venture within its boundaries.

Gameplay enhancements in Phantom Liberty are nothing short of exceptional. The skill trees have been meticulously revamped to eliminate redundant abilities that merely bolstered statistics, making room for meaningful additions. Melee combat, now refined to perfection, has become my preferred style of engagement. The ability to hurl adversaries with guerilla hands or execute brutal decapitations with a katana exemplifies the level of refinement. Even throwing knives have been reinvented, rewarding players with an immediate recovery upon a headshot kill, leading to thrilling moments of unstoppable precision. These gameplay changes not only invigorate the expansion but also breathe new life into the base game for those contemplating a replay.

Without venturing into spoiler territory, Phantom Liberty introduces a critical narrative juncture where the plot diverges into two distinct routes, each culminating in two separate endings. After experiencing these four conclusions, players are treated to a fifth ending that pertains to the base game itself. The enigmatic quality of each ending left me deeply conflicted, unable to definitively pinpoint the "best" outcome. This expansion perpetuates the haunting thematic undercurrents of the main game, where happiness remains elusive, and every character harbors a fractured and broken facet of their being by the story's conclusion.

Phantom Liberty is a testament to the true narrative essence of the Cyberpunk universe, and it leaves me eager to explore further depths in the forthcoming Project Orion. To this day, Cyberpunk's universe stands as my favorite place to be.