Every so often someone comes onto a game dev forum to be like "hey guys, I wanna make a game that messes with the player's computer! how do I do it?" and then every reply is like No Don't Fucking Do That, You're Basically Making A Virus

Well, KinitoPET goes ahead and does it anyway, and you know what? It's a lot of fun. KinitoPET isn't flawless or particularly deep - it's pretty short and ends when you think the game is just getting going. Plus the scares that don't fall into meta PC fuckery like asking you to open command prompt to give Kinito special privileges, are pretty much generic creepypasta stuff you can find any Itchio horror game. THAT BEING SAID, I still absolutely think it's worth checking out and there's clear passion here, even if the idea isn't used to its full potential

I got recommended to play Super before Zero Mission, which I would suggest against. ZM it's pretty much on par, but more accessible, less clunky, and shorter. And in terms of gameplay, I think it's just as fun, even though easier. But what I'm missing is the unique atmosphere of Super and the little moments that added to the story and overall impact of the game (like Crocomire and a certain cute interaction at the end). So overall, I don't have much to say about ZM. It's a decent Metroid, but not as memorable for me.

TraumaCore Violence is completely unashamed of what it is, from its on the nose title, to its almost exactly what you'd expect narrative and gameplay premise. Yet, there's nothing else really quite like it. You can throw comparison after comparison at it from either its game specific inspirations or non-game aesthetic and cultural inspirations, but I'd say most don't quite stick once you really dig into the game -- TraumaCore Violence is beautifully unique in its own right. The entire experience is this chaotic flowstate of just barely comprehensible noise and inputs that manages to cozily wrap itself around a visual narrative that's both ambiguous enough for its intended audience to easily relate, while also giving off the vibe that the creator is conveying a deeply personal story to the player. I def wouldn't recommend it to everybody, but if you're an edgy trans femme and believe irony is dead and subtlety is for cowards, this might be exactly your shit.

Long Version: Exists at the intersection of simultaneous insane visual, game, and narrative design. Every inch of this project feels completely effortless and authentic, in a way that I would’ve never been able to predict going in. I think it’d be a disservice to Heisei Pistol Show to compare it against other games, especially with the level of transparency there is for its message and development within its text. I don’t think you end up making something like this without having some sort of deep connection to the subject matter, and so I think it’d be disrespectful for me to approach it with a coldly analytical review. So, let me just urge anyone reading this to play the game and see it through. It’s like, around two hours. Someone even made an excellent playthrough you can follow. This is the most a video game has resonated with me in a really long time, I think it’s a special thing that I got to play this.

https://patchy-illusion-team.itch.io/heisei-pistol-show

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTvwlBeNzxs

Short Version: I Get It

Don't get tricked by the cute exterior, this is one of the most infuriating games ever conceived.
Essentially a slot machine that tricks you into thinking it's more skill than luck because you'll see the community throwing around fancy words like "current meta" and "viable build".

Trying to have fun with the billion different pets the game provides you with? Get fucked nerd, "The Wet Aunties" summon a 50/50 Rhinoceros that one-shots your entire squad. Back to the mosquito dimension with you.
It doesn't even feel good to win, since it usually ends just before you finally manage to create a satisfying team.

File under "Games that are actually just fidget toys for when you want to listen to a podcast" along with Vampire Survivors and all that other brain slop.

A brilliantly addictive detective game which makes you feel like a genius. Methodically going through each scenario and deducing exactly what happened was so delightful. Every single case in the game (especially including the DLCs) sunk their mystery hooks into me, and I was more than happy to be reeled in for the 10 hours-and-change it took to complete.

I don't rave that often, but, if you have any passing interest in detective games, I would press this into your hands immediately, no question. And, to those of you who played Obra Dinn and wondered, "Why don't they make more games like this?" THIS GAME IS ONE OF THOSE GAMES THAT THEY DON'T MAKE MORE OF LIKE THIS! A MUST PLAY!

There is a series of dialogue early on in NFS: Unbound in which right after weaving in and out of traffic at 160 mph and putting hundreds of virtual civilians lives in danger on my way to winning an illegal street race and then forcing a cop to smash into concrete barrier at high speeds to escape his pursuit, a radio host comments on government corruption by noting that the mayor recently got a speeding ticket for going 45 in a school zone to which my protagonist responds by calling the mayor a hypocrite for trying to crack down on illegal street racing while speeding herself. This clumsy attempt at social awareness clashes severely with the fact that we are playing a game centered around illegal street racing and if you try to bring in any real sense of ethics or morality into the game, we are the clearly the bad guys as we endanger many a civilian for nothing more than money and a quick thrill. Social commentary is fine in gaming, but it's hard to make comments about the criminal justice system while the protagonist is doing blatantly reprehensible things. This is no Robin Hood-esque tale, we are not stealing bread to feed our family - we are just racing for money and because we like it - and being an orphan doesn't give you carte blanche to break the law. Sadly a large chunk of the dialogue in this game suffers from this same dissonance which prompted me to turn the dialogue volume down to where it wouldn't distract me from the main attraction which is the racing. And just as it should be, this is where the game shines. I'd also like to add that the street art style effects that burst out of your car when you drift, use nitrous, or generally do anything cool are surprisingly effective and add a kineticism and punchiness to the already action packed gameplay. The truth is though that the racing game market is pretty saturated and while this game is fun, it doesn't hold a candle to Forza Horizon 4 which came out 4 years earlier.

compared to thecatamites' newer work, especially ...Of the Killer, i think this really just isn't for me. there's some funny/ charming moments, such as with dracula, some moments with other npcs, and silly items and attack descriptions. that being said, it really wasn't as constantly funny or charming as i hoped it would be, especially with something this short. i can, however, appreciate just going out there and MAKING something like this. videogames can just be little short things like this, and that's great.

i'm generally not a turn-based rpg girl and i honestly don't really know why this had to actually play as a tbrpg at all. it didn't add much if anything to the experience for me. you get so many use items and level ups and new gear frequently. so frequently, in fact, that there were a couple times where i got better gear before i even got the chance to really use my previous gear in the battles that mostly felt like fluff. nothing was really funny about the battles thematically or otherwise, and spamming attacks works perfectly fine on everything.

is that the point? is it supposed to just be a mockery of sorts of tbrpgs and their tropes? the ending definitely plays off of this in a mildly funny way, so maybe that's the intention. if that is the case, i don't think it's all that successful regardless. the game feels a little bit too eager to go along with its rpg elements with a progression scheme that is wholly mismatched with the scope of the game. i wish that there was more focus placed on its humorous elements, and would have honestly preferred a simple walk-n-talk rpgmaker game here, though that would probably go fully against the intentions of Space Funeral in the first place.

i could totally be missing something that makes this great to other people. maybe it was really neat back in 2010 or something, but i'm not going to sit here in 2024 and pretend like i really enjoyed it when i didn't.

if you really want what i consider non-stop charm and fun from thecatamites without unnecessary "gameplay" overhead, go play ...Of the Killer and 10 Beautiful Postcards.

fumbling in the dark

The bunker is a smaller, narratively unambitious left-turn for Frictional. While they tinker away with what I assume is a larger, SOMA-like project, here they've shed much of the weight they’ve accumulated over the years, weight that really dragged Rebirth down, and turned their attention back to the moment-to-moment mechanics. They’ve finally confronted the minimalistic hide-and-seek gameplay that has become increasingly tired, and re-embraced tools & limited weapons (last seen in their Penumbra series).

The immersive sim approach to puzzles allows for multiple solutions & is simple and direct: every tool is a key, a distraction or a temporary defense. Combined with the tight, claustrophobic map, the Bunker asks you to build a mental model of the spaces so that you may eventually navigate them with your eyes closed (& with the lights out). Much of the horror is suggested, a threat conjured in the dark.

Another strength of Frictional’s is their HPL engine and its tactile physics system (surprisingly uncommon in a post-half-life 2 world). Pulling at a loose board clumsily, the creaking drawing the creature, has a weight to it that a pre-canned animation couldn’t carry. Like many im-sims, it is the abysmal failures and inexplicable systemic outcomes that stay with you (especially if you survive them), rather than the authored story.

Some may find it a little too stripped-down (along with a rather abrupt, clumsy ending), but after Rebirth’s incessant narration, I’m happy they had the confidence to just leave you in a desolate space of worn concrete and tangled wire and simply ask you to escape alive.