2004
I watched my dad play this when I was maybe 7 or 8 and Cave Story+ was in some humble bundle or something. He got the bad end and was like "uhh i guess that's it" and never played it again to my knowledge.
shockingly similar to Eva, by the way. I mean I guess a lot of Japanese indie sci-fi stuff is really Eva influenced but the use of such a simple structure to tell so many intertwined stories is really reminiscent of the show. beautiful game
shockingly similar to Eva, by the way. I mean I guess a lot of Japanese indie sci-fi stuff is really Eva influenced but the use of such a simple structure to tell so many intertwined stories is really reminiscent of the show. beautiful game
This review contains spoilers
i got the cloud star on my first save file during my first playthrough and then forgot to get the missable world 3 house star so i had to start over and now i gotta sit on that fucking cloud for another hour and a half again
fuck my stupid puzzler life
other than that great game, i've been submitting bugs i've come across on the steam forums and basedgod jon blow has been fixing them
fuck my stupid puzzler life
other than that great game, i've been submitting bugs i've come across on the steam forums and basedgod jon blow has been fixing them
soulja boy was wrong this time
anyway it might be one of the best games ever made. goes from an already amazing experience into a meditation on the process of making games as a whole. even if blow is a dork on twitter he's very insightful when it comes to game design, and the bonus levels are literally the same length as the original game with much cooler mechanics. great shit
anyway it might be one of the best games ever made. goes from an already amazing experience into a meditation on the process of making games as a whole. even if blow is a dork on twitter he's very insightful when it comes to game design, and the bonus levels are literally the same length as the original game with much cooler mechanics. great shit
2015
2024
2015
2010
Alan Wake takes place in 3 layers - the story Wake writes, the events Wake lives through, and the game the player plays. This game similarly feels like it was written and designed for 3 different mediums and stories at the same time. On one level it wants to be a survival horror game - the mechanics for that are where the majority of the gameplay takes foot, and it's a fine core gameplay loop. On another, it wants to be a typical stage-based third person action game - there's a ton of collectibles and rewards for wandering around and quirky dialogue with satisfying gunplay, and no real penalty for using too much ammo or batteries (every chapter resets your ammo anyway). At its core, however, this game wants to be an indie arthouse game. This core is the most interesting layer because it is smothered to death by the presentation and gameplay of the other two.
Arguably the most interesting mechanic in the game (the manuscript pages) are a series of collectibles that require replaying the game on a higher difficulty to fully find. This really de-incentivizes caring about them at all, which is a shame, because they are a really unique and cool part of the game. Actively spoiling the game for the player as you go is a really wonderful concept, and I looked forward to finding more, but the existence of the nightmare mode exclusive pages made me realize they were insignificant enough to be locked behind new game+.
Similarly, Alan Wake puts a lot of effort into seeming like a Twin Peaks-style episodic thriller, but the payoff for that is not really there. It's almost comical to see "PREVIOUSLY ON ALAN WAKE" with a dramatic highlight reel pop up before you start a map. It takes away drastically from the tone the rest of the game tries to establish.
This might sound odd, but it genuinely feels like the game would benefit from being a visual novel or a walking simulator more than anything else. The walking sim metanarrative idea would later be nailed in Edith Finch, and visual novels provide the perfect framing for the deeply unsettling written portions of the game that feel completely out of place in a game with such over-the-top TV drama moments. I don't know. I want to like this game but it's just so boring gameplay-wise and directionless that I can't bring myself to call it more than a 5/10 at max.
Arguably the most interesting mechanic in the game (the manuscript pages) are a series of collectibles that require replaying the game on a higher difficulty to fully find. This really de-incentivizes caring about them at all, which is a shame, because they are a really unique and cool part of the game. Actively spoiling the game for the player as you go is a really wonderful concept, and I looked forward to finding more, but the existence of the nightmare mode exclusive pages made me realize they were insignificant enough to be locked behind new game+.
Similarly, Alan Wake puts a lot of effort into seeming like a Twin Peaks-style episodic thriller, but the payoff for that is not really there. It's almost comical to see "PREVIOUSLY ON ALAN WAKE" with a dramatic highlight reel pop up before you start a map. It takes away drastically from the tone the rest of the game tries to establish.
This might sound odd, but it genuinely feels like the game would benefit from being a visual novel or a walking simulator more than anything else. The walking sim metanarrative idea would later be nailed in Edith Finch, and visual novels provide the perfect framing for the deeply unsettling written portions of the game that feel completely out of place in a game with such over-the-top TV drama moments. I don't know. I want to like this game but it's just so boring gameplay-wise and directionless that I can't bring myself to call it more than a 5/10 at max.
2016
2022
Incredible game. Picks up where Obra Dinn left off in terms of ease of navigation but is significantly easier. Breezed through it in one sitting in a day using a single hint (which I immediately felt dumb for not figuring out myself.)
Unfortunately, it is extraordinarily short, and the overall narrative, while not outright bad, isn't as incredible as the typical Sierra point-and-click adventure game. It's just kind of there to pad out the (very well thought out) whodunnit scenes.
Also has hideous box art for a generally great looking game which is unfortunate lol
Unfortunately, it is extraordinarily short, and the overall narrative, while not outright bad, isn't as incredible as the typical Sierra point-and-click adventure game. It's just kind of there to pad out the (very well thought out) whodunnit scenes.
Also has hideous box art for a generally great looking game which is unfortunate lol
2013