As the first FMV game I've played (discounting Netflix's Bandersnatch as that was so long ago I genuinely don't remember what it was like), I mostly enjoyed this!

Something that somehow took me by surprise was just how well-executed the whole thing was on a cinematic level. The scenes were lit and shot beautifully, the actors all put out very believable performances, and the story's central mystery was fairly enjoyable - if not particularly surprising - to unravel. I also thought the music was a treat: it knew when to be darkly oppressive and when to recede to a feather-light touch that enhanced the dialogue.

The interactive aspect of the game also took me by surprise. Almost all interaction was done through the Playstation controller's touchpad, from selecting dialogue options to more mundane actions like flicking open a lighter. Just the act of using my finger to trace the path of the action - aided by beautiful light trail indicators that blended perfectly with the cinematography - made it feel more immersive and tactile, although I'll admit that occasionally it could be a little finicky.

Where the game ran into some trouble was in its branching paths. I think there was a good degree of variability and by the end of my first playthrough, I felt like I had made some concrete decisions. But the second playthrough was made a touch tedious simply because there was no way to skip scenes I'd already seen. Thankfully, there was enough of it that was different to make it worthwhile, but I can only imagine the issue getting worse with further playthroughs. If chapter selection would have been unfeasible due to the cascading consequences of the player's choices, perhaps the ability to fast-forward through scenes could have been added? As it is, I probably won't be doing another playthrough despite having only seen about 70% (by my estimate) of the game.

Nevertheless, playing this has got me interested in trying more FMV games - which I'd say is a point in Erica's favour and shows that, regardless of my gripes, I enjoyed my time with it on the whole.

The premise of this game (pilot a steam-powered vehicle and see the sights!) had me worried that the experience of actually playing it would be fairly dull, but I was glad to be proven wrong.

A big part of this is because piloting the vehicle doesn't just involve pushing the left stick forward. You have to manage your fuel resources, prevent the engine from overheating, and keep your foot on the gas - none of which is very difficult, but together they compose a pleasing rhythm. This is helped by some great sound design that makes the pushing of buttons and the blasting of steam all feel very tactile.

The game also knows how to switch up the pace to keep the experience fresh throughout. There'll be sections where you can unfurl your sails and let the wind push you forward, allowing you to sit back and take in the beautifully rendered vistas. Sometimes, you'll run into an obstacle that requires some puzzle-solving (nothing too difficult). And then there are the set pieces: moments when the camera pulls back and the music swells, and you get to marvel at how far the long-gone inhabitants of this world have fallen.

All this is packed into a two-hour runtime that some might consider short. But it was this shortness that helped maximize the impact of my journey, and I left the ruined expanse thoroughly satisfied.

My first experience with Silent Hill, but unfortunately I didn't enjoy this much.

The game is largely a walking simulator, with you following a linear path through the level and interacting with objects to observe the story. I say "observe" because the story unfolds entirely in letters, pre-written phone texts, and cutscenes; none of the interactions help elevate the story like they do in some other walking simulators. This is made worse by the voice acting being hit-and-miss, meaning some moments that should have felt impactful just felt awkward instead.

The walking is occasionally broken up by sequences where you get chased by a monster. Said monster's beautifully unnerving visual design, the way it stumbles toward you, and the sounds it makes collectively form the best part of the game. But this is all let down by the chase sequences themselves: it's never difficult to escape so the tension just isn't there. That is until the final chase sequence, which sends you on a collectible hunt in a half-lit maze while the monster breathes down your neck. Here, the tension comes from the fact that getting caught will force you to restart the entire laborious process over again. It doesn't help that the monster sometimes seems to teleport to catch up to you, rather than cleverly stalking you through the maze.

Personally, I could actually look past these issues if I had enjoyed the story itself. That was sadly not the case. There are some heavy themes being dealt with, and while I think the writers might have been well-intentioned, the way these topics were handled wasn't great. It felt like the imagery associated with these topics was being used as a means to an end: the game is at its most horrifying when it shows someone preparing to self-harm, but that's because self-harm is horrifying in real life. I would find a moment like that far more meaningful and terrifying if they had let you inhabit the character's psyche for a time first, so that you could see all the small moments leading up to - and thus building a mounting sense of dread towards - such an act. Instead, the game throws it in your face almost right out the gate. It just felt cheap. This, coupled with some unconvincing character work, led to an ending that felt more undeserved than cathartic.

All in all this wasn't a great introduction to the series. Nevertheless, the previous entries must have become classics for a reason, so I will probably still check them out at some point.