sleepy_nice
2023
#2 of 2023
Simply the most fun I had with a controller in my hand this year. To me, this is the worlds first Yakuza-lite. Almost too much game is packed in here, but it's balanced so perfectly that it just works, never getting in the way of itself.
Simply the most fun I had with a controller in my hand this year. To me, this is the worlds first Yakuza-lite. Almost too much game is packed in here, but it's balanced so perfectly that it just works, never getting in the way of itself.
2023
#3 of 2023
A delicious meal of a game that gently teaches you how to eat it. This is a puzzle game, sure, but the puzzles aren't in the individual levels. They're in the signals it projects out to you from the moment you boot it up for the first time. Pay attention.
A delicious meal of a game that gently teaches you how to eat it. This is a puzzle game, sure, but the puzzles aren't in the individual levels. They're in the signals it projects out to you from the moment you boot it up for the first time. Pay attention.
#4 of 2023
An exercise in refamiliarisation.
Tears of the Kingdom says yes, you do know this world well. However, the important parts - the way you learn your role in the space, the way you negotiate with your surroundings, the way you PLAY (and by God do you play this game) - have been transformed.
There's a feeling I try and describe to people when I want to talk about this game
Think of a time in your life when you first visited a location you would come to know intimately (a workplace, a school, a friends house) and think about the way you perceived it when you arrived. Which door did you enter through? What route did you take as you explored? Where did you ultimately settle when it was time to rest? What does that place look like?
Now, think about how it looks to you today. Think about how alien that place was compared to how you now know it. You realised there was a more convenient entrance for you, the friends you made tucked themselves in some corner or another that you didn't notice at first.
Tears of the Kingdom does that to Breath of the Wild. By subtly changing your perception of the space by the way you enter it, and by the locations of the towers, somehow - suddenly - the space changes. You arrive at landmarks from unique angles, rivers and hills you've seen a thousand times before are mistaken for others.
A game has never before given me that ultra specific feeling. For all the flaws here (many) I have to give the game credit for that.
An exercise in refamiliarisation.
Tears of the Kingdom says yes, you do know this world well. However, the important parts - the way you learn your role in the space, the way you negotiate with your surroundings, the way you PLAY (and by God do you play this game) - have been transformed.
There's a feeling I try and describe to people when I want to talk about this game
Think of a time in your life when you first visited a location you would come to know intimately (a workplace, a school, a friends house) and think about the way you perceived it when you arrived. Which door did you enter through? What route did you take as you explored? Where did you ultimately settle when it was time to rest? What does that place look like?
Now, think about how it looks to you today. Think about how alien that place was compared to how you now know it. You realised there was a more convenient entrance for you, the friends you made tucked themselves in some corner or another that you didn't notice at first.
Tears of the Kingdom does that to Breath of the Wild. By subtly changing your perception of the space by the way you enter it, and by the locations of the towers, somehow - suddenly - the space changes. You arrive at landmarks from unique angles, rivers and hills you've seen a thousand times before are mistaken for others.
A game has never before given me that ultra specific feeling. For all the flaws here (many) I have to give the game credit for that.
2023
#5 of 2023
Absolutely delightful. A holistic vision of a familiar and psychedelic world. I felt immense amounts of intent and love poured into Knuckle Sandwich, and cackled at the way it revealed itself. Even the flaws are interesting!
Also, Dolus is my boyfriend.
Absolutely delightful. A holistic vision of a familiar and psychedelic world. I felt immense amounts of intent and love poured into Knuckle Sandwich, and cackled at the way it revealed itself. Even the flaws are interesting!
Also, Dolus is my boyfriend.
#6 of 2023
A non-linear, unravelling tapestry that takes simple movement, combines it with an arsenal of unique items (all available from the beginning!) and lets you explore. I basically don't want anything else from a game. Gorgeous and mysterious.
A non-linear, unravelling tapestry that takes simple movement, combines it with an arsenal of unique items (all available from the beginning!) and lets you explore. I basically don't want anything else from a game. Gorgeous and mysterious.
#7 of 2023
God I was so sceptical when I saw the trailer for this, but the mad men over at Nintendo actually did it. They made a truly excellent 2D Mario game that learned genuine lessons from the best parts of Mario Maker.
Next time, take out all the talking 🙏
God I was so sceptical when I saw the trailer for this, but the mad men over at Nintendo actually did it. They made a truly excellent 2D Mario game that learned genuine lessons from the best parts of Mario Maker.
Next time, take out all the talking 🙏
2023
#8 of 2023
I couldn't have been more captured by the scope of possibilities than I was with MOONRING. Aesthetically humble, conceptually confident. This is a Fine Thing to behold, really astounding, and completely free to play. Fantastic music too, an inspiration all-round
I couldn't have been more captured by the scope of possibilities than I was with MOONRING. Aesthetically humble, conceptually confident. This is a Fine Thing to behold, really astounding, and completely free to play. Fantastic music too, an inspiration all-round
2023
#9 of 2023
Infectiously sincere, and far deeper than simply a tribute to it's influences. This game puts trust in the player and their ability to navigate the strange rules of it's world. Dense with character, both loving and lovely.
Infectiously sincere, and far deeper than simply a tribute to it's influences. This game puts trust in the player and their ability to navigate the strange rules of it's world. Dense with character, both loving and lovely.
2023
#10 of 2023
Enough ingenuity, atmosphere and vibe to stand apart from other indie metroidvanias, coupled with enough physics jank and handfeel to make it extremely interesting to move around in. Surprising from start to finish, and I adore how different each playthrough is.
Enough ingenuity, atmosphere and vibe to stand apart from other indie metroidvanias, coupled with enough physics jank and handfeel to make it extremely interesting to move around in. Surprising from start to finish, and I adore how different each playthrough is.