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Chicory is special. It accepts you just the way you are, because you are special. It’s in the DNA of this game, to make you feel understood and welcome. In that sense it’s one of the most coherent experiences I had in a video game or in any medium period.
It deals with so many REAL topics, that have followed me around for as long as I think and dictate my thoughts and the way I see myself in this world. I’ve recently started a new career as a developer and went through some dark patches to get where I am now, but still, imposter syndrome and the feeling not being good enough or skilled enough is a constant companion. So I was able to feel the journey of Falafel (yeah that was me) from the get-go. But the game doesn’t just provide a story and characters to relate to, that already would’ve been great. But it follows that idea, that ‘you are good enough’ so thoroughly, it’s ingrained in every aspect of the game. Just take a look at the accessibility options. It’s not following some outdated artificial and gatekeepey gamer codex, but it allows (and encourages you) to play the game just as you want and need it. You can turn off complete game sequences like boss fights (which are actually super creative and fun, if you chose to do them), but also just turn off something seemingly trivial as wet noises, that might trigger you. They give you a multitude of tools, to create a safe and enjoyable gaming environment for almost anyone.
The premise of the game continues with that: the world has lost all its color and it’s up to you to return it. Or is it? You can color everything as much and as little as you want, you can paint it colorful or wander through a black and white environment. It doesn’t change anything about the ability to enjoy the game. You can collect stuff, but you absolutely don’t have to, because it doesn’t change anything about the game you will experience. The game doesn’t force you to be quick about anything, to be resourceful, or to work hard to get something. Getting new abilities is not a reward, it happens naturally, because you spend time with the game. It switches up so many of decades old gaming tropes, that It felt really refreshing just to be there.
It’s also so beautiful and important how mental health is a topic the inhabitants of the world speak about, without sensationalizing it. It’s normal, because we all endure these things in one way or another and it’s important to acknowledge that. It’s ok to say no to things and say that you can’t do other things now, or maybe ever. It brought tears to my eyes, when I read NPCs speak out some of the things, I constantly think.
It’s also beautiful how everyone around you encourages you to go on, even if you paint horrendous portraits (as I did), everyone cheers for you. And that’s what’s most important irl. If I didn’t have the cheering and the believing in me, from people close and distant, I wouldn’t be where I am now. It’s okay to ask and look for that, maybe even depend on that.
All of these emotions are intensified by another masterpiece of a soundtrack by Lena Raine.
Chicory shows yet again how impactful video games can be, because they are interactive and give you the chance to digest in your own way and tempo. What a time to be a gamer, when I can fill my time between entertainment blockbusters with gems like this
It deals with so many REAL topics, that have followed me around for as long as I think and dictate my thoughts and the way I see myself in this world. I’ve recently started a new career as a developer and went through some dark patches to get where I am now, but still, imposter syndrome and the feeling not being good enough or skilled enough is a constant companion. So I was able to feel the journey of Falafel (yeah that was me) from the get-go. But the game doesn’t just provide a story and characters to relate to, that already would’ve been great. But it follows that idea, that ‘you are good enough’ so thoroughly, it’s ingrained in every aspect of the game. Just take a look at the accessibility options. It’s not following some outdated artificial and gatekeepey gamer codex, but it allows (and encourages you) to play the game just as you want and need it. You can turn off complete game sequences like boss fights (which are actually super creative and fun, if you chose to do them), but also just turn off something seemingly trivial as wet noises, that might trigger you. They give you a multitude of tools, to create a safe and enjoyable gaming environment for almost anyone.
The premise of the game continues with that: the world has lost all its color and it’s up to you to return it. Or is it? You can color everything as much and as little as you want, you can paint it colorful or wander through a black and white environment. It doesn’t change anything about the ability to enjoy the game. You can collect stuff, but you absolutely don’t have to, because it doesn’t change anything about the game you will experience. The game doesn’t force you to be quick about anything, to be resourceful, or to work hard to get something. Getting new abilities is not a reward, it happens naturally, because you spend time with the game. It switches up so many of decades old gaming tropes, that It felt really refreshing just to be there.
It’s also so beautiful and important how mental health is a topic the inhabitants of the world speak about, without sensationalizing it. It’s normal, because we all endure these things in one way or another and it’s important to acknowledge that. It’s ok to say no to things and say that you can’t do other things now, or maybe ever. It brought tears to my eyes, when I read NPCs speak out some of the things, I constantly think.
It’s also beautiful how everyone around you encourages you to go on, even if you paint horrendous portraits (as I did), everyone cheers for you. And that’s what’s most important irl. If I didn’t have the cheering and the believing in me, from people close and distant, I wouldn’t be where I am now. It’s okay to ask and look for that, maybe even depend on that.
All of these emotions are intensified by another masterpiece of a soundtrack by Lena Raine.
Chicory shows yet again how impactful video games can be, because they are interactive and give you the chance to digest in your own way and tempo. What a time to be a gamer, when I can fill my time between entertainment blockbusters with gems like this
Review for Mario Galaxy:
Let me say this first: I am probably one of the only gamers, who never owned a Nintendo Wii, therefore I missed some classics of which I knew I'd love them. I was really happy to get the 3D Mario All Stars Collection, so I could finally play Super Mario Galaxy after all these years.
Playing it with a decade worth of games that came after it in mind, it's very obvious that Galaxy was as influential as most of the games from Nintendo are. It is unbelievable to me, how this game is still the absolute best in its genre. It's full of creative ideas that drive every single galaxy and its worlds to be nothing but an absolute joy. I stated that already for Odyssey, there is just nothing in those games that is not a blast to do. While Odyssey is also a perfect game that manages to smoothly transition into an open world structure, the specific galaxy/world structure here is absolutely genius. All worlds are unique and evolve around sometimes single or multiple ideas and gameplay mechanics and because of that, they can go absolutely wild with creating the environments. I consistently had the urge to find every star in every area. What I also truly love about the 3d Mario games are the boss fights. While not being too hard of course, they still offer a good enough variety and beautifully animated patterns. I can't overstate how much I love the Mario games and especially the 3d ones. If there is a series that managed to stay relevant and immensely influential over the course of multiple decades, it's this. It speaks to the 5 year old kid in me getting started with video games the same way, as it speaks to me now, a 32 year old gamer who's played close to a thousand games since then. It's the magic that sucked me into the world of gaming and will keep me there forever.
Let me say this first: I am probably one of the only gamers, who never owned a Nintendo Wii, therefore I missed some classics of which I knew I'd love them. I was really happy to get the 3D Mario All Stars Collection, so I could finally play Super Mario Galaxy after all these years.
Playing it with a decade worth of games that came after it in mind, it's very obvious that Galaxy was as influential as most of the games from Nintendo are. It is unbelievable to me, how this game is still the absolute best in its genre. It's full of creative ideas that drive every single galaxy and its worlds to be nothing but an absolute joy. I stated that already for Odyssey, there is just nothing in those games that is not a blast to do. While Odyssey is also a perfect game that manages to smoothly transition into an open world structure, the specific galaxy/world structure here is absolutely genius. All worlds are unique and evolve around sometimes single or multiple ideas and gameplay mechanics and because of that, they can go absolutely wild with creating the environments. I consistently had the urge to find every star in every area. What I also truly love about the 3d Mario games are the boss fights. While not being too hard of course, they still offer a good enough variety and beautifully animated patterns. I can't overstate how much I love the Mario games and especially the 3d ones. If there is a series that managed to stay relevant and immensely influential over the course of multiple decades, it's this. It speaks to the 5 year old kid in me getting started with video games the same way, as it speaks to me now, a 32 year old gamer who's played close to a thousand games since then. It's the magic that sucked me into the world of gaming and will keep me there forever.
Guardians of the galaxy was a surprise hit for me. It’s absolutely beautiful and full of wonderfully creative and crazy environments (even though experiencing the highest fidelity means you’ve got to deal with 30fps), it feels cinematic and manages to capture the essence of why the guardians are so popular. It’s packed to the rim with top notch voice acting, the characters basically never stop talking. There is so much good and sometimes funny writing in there too. The basic game loop and setup reminded me of mass effect sometimes (which is the highest compliment I can give): you visit a place, experience stuff and then meet up in your spaceship to talk to your crew and reflect on the mission. There is a nice dynamic in the team, as every character has a lot of background lore and it influences visibly how they treat and interact with each other. I genuinely enjoyed the fighting mechanics too, even though there is not much depth to it. But hitting the hordes of enemies with a super stylish combo after huddling to buff your crew doesn’t get old up until the end.
If you’re into the guardians, this is a must play anyway, but even if you’re not, I’m pretty sure almost anyone (who is fine with linear cinematic games without much else to do) can find something to enjoy here. Don’t skip :)
If you’re into the guardians, this is a must play anyway, but even if you’re not, I’m pretty sure almost anyone (who is fine with linear cinematic games without much else to do) can find something to enjoy here. Don’t skip :)
2021
Sadly Unpacking didn’t do much for me. Maybe because we just moved IRL and it was one of the most tedious things I’ve done in my life. I absolutely adore how they managed to convey a story only by unpacking boxes, letting you follow along a life of an invisible character. You are able to extract so much personality from the details. Things that she keeps with her from the beginning, things that disappear. I really love the idea behind this, sadly the actual playing part gave me the exact opposite feeling of what many people wrote talking about it: I was stressed by just looking at the boxes and felt a mild anxiety while looking for places to stash the belongings in a tiny two room apartment.
Ratchet and Clank is a true next gen experience. Insomniac by now are a guarantee for visually striking and wonderfully crafted action games. If you are into scripted action events, the first party Sony studios are the uncontested champions. May that be Naughty Dog‘s insane set pieces with Uncharted or the tense and raw moments of The Last of Us. Santa Monicas extended battle sequences in God of War and beautifully animated enemies in Guerilla Games‘ Horizon. While Ratchet and Clank is not on the same level story-wise, it sure knows how to up the ante with the action sequences and the visual fidelity of the worlds you visit. In the center of it all, are the rifts, that add layers of literal dimensions for you to explore. From the ability to teleport through rifts as shortcuts, within the area, to the ability to hit a crystal and change the entire world around you within a blink, to one of a kind scripted sequences that hurl you through a multitude of detailed surroundings in the shortest amount of time - it’s unbelievable that all of this happens with a steady 60fps on a 400 bucks console, considering it’s one of the most beautiful games that has ever been released.
Gameplay-wise it plays it safe, besides the aforementioned rift mechanics there is not much that differentiates it from its predecessors. It’s still full of wonderful environments, full of crazy characters, even crazier guns to use and a bunch of cool platforming mechanics. The moment to moment gameplay is pure joy, there is nothing that gets tedious because everything is polished to the maximum. It’s not as innovative as the best of Nintendo, not as wildly creative as ‚It takes two‘ was this year, but it’s still a showcase game for PlayStation in general, for the next generation of games and for a studio that’s at its prime.
Gameplay-wise it plays it safe, besides the aforementioned rift mechanics there is not much that differentiates it from its predecessors. It’s still full of wonderful environments, full of crazy characters, even crazier guns to use and a bunch of cool platforming mechanics. The moment to moment gameplay is pure joy, there is nothing that gets tedious because everything is polished to the maximum. It’s not as innovative as the best of Nintendo, not as wildly creative as ‚It takes two‘ was this year, but it’s still a showcase game for PlayStation in general, for the next generation of games and for a studio that’s at its prime.
2021
I'm in a weird spot writing about a game, that made me speechless. But also its so special and unique and so full of wonderful, crazy, terrifying, funny ideas, that I just don't want to take any of this away for anyone who is still to play this absolute gem of a video game. Inscryption is the game, I will reference from now on, when talking about why videogames as a medium are so free of any boundaries and therefore can get so absolutely wild. Videogames are a gift for creatives and storytellers, that are free to go to the craziest places, combine seemingly incompatible things with ease and still not lose their audience. And the best part of it is, as inscryption shows, you don't need the biggest budget for it. Inscryption managed to evoke many emotions, managed to keep me tense, invested and challenged at all times. It bursts with unsettling atmosphere but doesn't shy away from loosening a little by throwing in funny ideas that will make you grin at your screen. It's the work of someone who clearly loves the videogames of at least the past decade, understands how to transcend genres and distill great mechanics from various inspirations. It's a game for anyone who wants to take part in a wild ride, where you won't know where you'll be in half an hour. It denies any basis for expectations, it just toys with you, but not in a mean and disrespectful way. It's masterfully crafted and I'm in absolute awe of this game. The only thing I would want to make clear for anyone who is now intrigued after reading this, is, that you have to like or be willing to spend a lot of time with a card game and deckbuilding. It's not easy, so you won't be able to brute force through the game. But if you're willing to make that sacrifice, you will enjoy a smorgasbord of the weird and wild and something that won't leave you for a while. (Just try not to read about or watch anything of the game beforehand.) What an absolute blast, to finish one of the best games of 2021 right on the last day of the year.
2021
I did not like this game. To be fair, I have not played the last couple of Halo games, but Halo CE was and is one of my favorite games - so I wanted to go into this liking it after seeing the reviews. But I was bored mindless after a couple of hours. The story didn't do anything for me, the "open world" is empty and devoid of meaningful things to do. It's one of the most boring open world game designs I have encountered in the last couple of years, I don't even know why they didn't stick to a more linear cinematic game. The sad part is, the mechanical foundation of this game, specifically being a shooter game are absolute excellent. Adding the grappling hook to the already proven movement is an absolute joy, fighting for the first couple fights was great - until you realize its basically all you do in this game. It's fine, because it's Halo, but the nostalgic factor didn't suffice. Not even with some gorgeous sci-fi porn in here. If that's the first party system seller for Xbox, I'm actually happy I'm a Sony guy. I'm happy though, a lot of Halo fans seem to be liking it. It's just not for me.
Wow, this game is ridiculously good. To me this is peak AAA entertainment , where you won't have time to breath from the first until the last second. It's masterfully crafted, because within the boundaries of horror games in general or the resi series in particular, it's as versatile as it gets and does so many things back to back - it's unbelievable how they pull it all off. The insane production value, from the beautiful and coherent visuals, to the intricately detailed and effective sound design, everything supports the game to be what it wants to be in certain situations. Whether it's the realistically crooked village that serves as a hub of the world and is a precursor to what you might find in the different areas, the awe-inspiring architecture of castle dimitrescu, where you'll find yourself in an intense cat and mouse game that feels like a mixture of vintage resi with a little bit of alien isolation in it. When the game wants to make you shit your pants, it flawlessly succeeds by adding THE best haunted house experience, since I've played PT. House Beneviento is impeccable and a masterclass in horror game desgin. The sheer scale hidden in Heisenbergs Factory made me speechless, even after experiencing most of the game before I went there . You're looking for cod-style action shootouts? In there. Intense close-quarter battles where movement is as crucial as your eye on remaining ammunition? In there. A lot of bossfights that all have their own fun mechanics and are gorgeous to look at? In there. B-Movie bonkers story with cheesy lines, but a kick-ass ensemble of villains that are all unique and fun to battle? In there. Great feeling shooting mechanics and feedback without the aim assist to make it all the more challenging? In there. At some point I was asking myself where this game might still take me, it's a rollercoaster ride and I wanted it to never end. I already loved Biohazard, but I absolutely adored Village. I didn't expect it to take one of the top spots for 2021 for me and now it sits in my all-time favs list. Don't miss out!
I’m just a sucker for tech demos, I can’t do anything about it. And this is just one of the craziest things I’ve seen in a while. Whenever I imagined what rockstar would be able to do with the new console generations, having the new ssd speeds and data streaming rates that directly influence how detailed open worlds can get, I was thinking about this. Of course, this is on a small scale and without any gameplay, but we’re going to get there and that’s just absolutely insane. You don’t even have to be a matrix shill, like I am, to have to check this out. It’s crazy.
Echoes of the Eye comes along as a DLC, that cements Outer Wilds as the most astonishing gaming experience you can have. Those, who have played the main game, my favorite game of all time, will know what to expect, but let me tell you: this is a one of a kind DLC, that’s basically an entire game within the game and designed at the same level we’re used to by Outer Wilds standards. It pushed the exact same buttons for me - it will leave you in awe of the mind-bending world that it puts you in and it will challenge you to solve a mystery that has the same emotional background story.
Outer Wilds is absolutely special. Special because of the way it’s world was built and special because of the way the game-loop is designed.
The solar system in which you’ll find yourself, is fully realized. It’s living. Everything and everyone is moving in the endless blackness that surrounds it. You can watch the planets and the sun do their dance from anywhere in the game. It’s just crazy, when you find all the little details the devs have thought of, to make it feel ‘whole’.
The second part of what makes this game so special is, that you could basically beat the game in the first loop you ever play. Because the only progress you make in this game, is getting information. You don’t develop new abilities, you don’t get new equipment, all you get, is bite-sized snippets of information that slowly completes the puzzle and finally shows you how to ‘end the game’. The big problem this brings with itself is then, how do you hide all of that information in plain sight and at least good enough that it’s not easy to find it. And oh boy some of the mysteries are hard to solve, but the payoff is almost always resulting in a dropped jaw. If you progressed to a later stage in the game or even finished it, you’ll still wonder how they hid all of it and how it all makes sense in retrospect. It’s a masterclass in game design, how they give you the exact amount of info you need and how it included all the places you can visit. I can’t stress this enough, I have never ever seen a game that is built so cleverly.
And all of this is true for both the main game and the dlc.
As usual I don’t talk about the specifics of the story, but it will hit you as hard as it hit me, when you are interested in the existential questions of a civilization and the future of our universe. It will give you goose bumps if the questions the most intelligent people on our planet deal with every day, interest you. And it will make you speechless when exploring other planets and space sounds like something you want to do.
Andrew Prahlow even delivers the best game soundtrack I heard on top of it, making Outer Wilds the best game or 2019, the DLC the best game of 2021 and the whole package my favorite game of all time.
Outer Wilds is absolutely special. Special because of the way it’s world was built and special because of the way the game-loop is designed.
The solar system in which you’ll find yourself, is fully realized. It’s living. Everything and everyone is moving in the endless blackness that surrounds it. You can watch the planets and the sun do their dance from anywhere in the game. It’s just crazy, when you find all the little details the devs have thought of, to make it feel ‘whole’.
The second part of what makes this game so special is, that you could basically beat the game in the first loop you ever play. Because the only progress you make in this game, is getting information. You don’t develop new abilities, you don’t get new equipment, all you get, is bite-sized snippets of information that slowly completes the puzzle and finally shows you how to ‘end the game’. The big problem this brings with itself is then, how do you hide all of that information in plain sight and at least good enough that it’s not easy to find it. And oh boy some of the mysteries are hard to solve, but the payoff is almost always resulting in a dropped jaw. If you progressed to a later stage in the game or even finished it, you’ll still wonder how they hid all of it and how it all makes sense in retrospect. It’s a masterclass in game design, how they give you the exact amount of info you need and how it included all the places you can visit. I can’t stress this enough, I have never ever seen a game that is built so cleverly.
And all of this is true for both the main game and the dlc.
As usual I don’t talk about the specifics of the story, but it will hit you as hard as it hit me, when you are interested in the existential questions of a civilization and the future of our universe. It will give you goose bumps if the questions the most intelligent people on our planet deal with every day, interest you. And it will make you speechless when exploring other planets and space sounds like something you want to do.
Andrew Prahlow even delivers the best game soundtrack I heard on top of it, making Outer Wilds the best game or 2019, the DLC the best game of 2021 and the whole package my favorite game of all time.
2021
The idea of exploring other worlds, more specifically other planets, has always been my biggest dream. Science fiction has been a constant companion since my childhood and especially in video gaming that dream came true on multiple occasions. Star Wars, Mass Effect, Freelancer etc. - just to name a few, fed right into that urge to explore other places. But not just other places, more so other places that have not been ‘claimed’ by anyone.
With having migrated to Germany, I’ve had parents who were not able financially to travel a lot with us kids, so I’ve barely seen anything that didn’t resemble the same’ish landscape of Germany, other than on screen and in virtual worlds. We’ve also never owned any piece of land or a house, so I never understood the concept of that really neither. While people I grew up with told stories of places they had visited and were really familiar with the feeling of being entitled to places, for me it was always rather borrowed and temporary. My interest in the universe and space also made me see things a lot more abstractly and with larger context. It’s extremely superficial that we believe we own anything, on this earth or anywhere else. We have no control over it, it’s borrowed. Just like the places I’ve called home. And I think that’s why I love the idea of exploring exoplanets that are uncharted so much. Not only I know that these places belong to no one, but everyone else does too. It’s a baseline that gives me comfort and blurs the lines of the classism I’ve grown into. No wonder I loved spending time in No Mans Sky so much, a game that gives you the chance to literally visit places no one else has ever seen before, for as long as you’ll play it, you won’t run out of places where everyone would be the same. Start out the same. Exo One feeds into that as well, but on a different level. The places you explore here are absolutely awe-inspiring, they are from a technical standpoint as well as an artistic one. I couldn’t believe my eyes most of the time. But what made it so special to me, was, that those places really felt alien but at the same time kinda weirdly welcoming (as exoplanets per definition should be, duh!). Completely different from one another, but mostly based on very possible variations of planets.
Of course I had to love this game, so I was able to overlook some of its shortcomings: the gameplay could be described as a marble-version of a journey-esque exploration game with tiny wings mechanics. That’s a lot, I know, but these things came to my mind while playing it. The mechanics are juuuuuuuuust good enough to get you over the runtime of roughly 2 hours, the monotony of it (even though very fitting, because the sheer size of these places makes sense) might prove to be too boring for many. The mystery that’s thrown in in very tiny bits serves the game and atmosphere well, but doesn’t do anything drastic to elevate it further.
I’m pretty sure reception for this will be rather mediocre, people will like the visuals and then drop off after a while. I get that too, but I won’t ever skip a chance to explore other planets, no matter how limited my interactions are. It will always give me goosebumps and leave me in awe. And specifically now, in this period, also offers a great escapism, away from one of the most special places in an unthinkably big universe, that we collectively shit on every day.
With having migrated to Germany, I’ve had parents who were not able financially to travel a lot with us kids, so I’ve barely seen anything that didn’t resemble the same’ish landscape of Germany, other than on screen and in virtual worlds. We’ve also never owned any piece of land or a house, so I never understood the concept of that really neither. While people I grew up with told stories of places they had visited and were really familiar with the feeling of being entitled to places, for me it was always rather borrowed and temporary. My interest in the universe and space also made me see things a lot more abstractly and with larger context. It’s extremely superficial that we believe we own anything, on this earth or anywhere else. We have no control over it, it’s borrowed. Just like the places I’ve called home. And I think that’s why I love the idea of exploring exoplanets that are uncharted so much. Not only I know that these places belong to no one, but everyone else does too. It’s a baseline that gives me comfort and blurs the lines of the classism I’ve grown into. No wonder I loved spending time in No Mans Sky so much, a game that gives you the chance to literally visit places no one else has ever seen before, for as long as you’ll play it, you won’t run out of places where everyone would be the same. Start out the same. Exo One feeds into that as well, but on a different level. The places you explore here are absolutely awe-inspiring, they are from a technical standpoint as well as an artistic one. I couldn’t believe my eyes most of the time. But what made it so special to me, was, that those places really felt alien but at the same time kinda weirdly welcoming (as exoplanets per definition should be, duh!). Completely different from one another, but mostly based on very possible variations of planets.
Of course I had to love this game, so I was able to overlook some of its shortcomings: the gameplay could be described as a marble-version of a journey-esque exploration game with tiny wings mechanics. That’s a lot, I know, but these things came to my mind while playing it. The mechanics are juuuuuuuuust good enough to get you over the runtime of roughly 2 hours, the monotony of it (even though very fitting, because the sheer size of these places makes sense) might prove to be too boring for many. The mystery that’s thrown in in very tiny bits serves the game and atmosphere well, but doesn’t do anything drastic to elevate it further.
I’m pretty sure reception for this will be rather mediocre, people will like the visuals and then drop off after a while. I get that too, but I won’t ever skip a chance to explore other planets, no matter how limited my interactions are. It will always give me goosebumps and leave me in awe. And specifically now, in this period, also offers a great escapism, away from one of the most special places in an unthinkably big universe, that we collectively shit on every day.
Kena is exactly as good as I expected it to be.
It’s absolutely stunningly unbelievably gorgeous, with all the vibes you would get from an animated movie. I just recently got an OLED screen to play on and this was the perfect showcase game.
Gameplay-wise I didn’t expect it to be challenging or deep. But the boss fights and even some of the normal mob battles can get very unforgiving, especially if you play on harder difficulties. To get the platinum I played through the game on master difficulty and even though it’s not as good or expertly crafted as a souls game, it definitely felt like it was trying at that. And for a debut title of an indie game studio, that was certainly successful. The few abilities you get while progressing are all nothing particularly fresh or new, but they work well enough to keep you engaged. Exploring the rather linear “open world” is fun enough to keep you engaged. The story follows a very average formula, but the characters (especially the rot) are cute or are charming enough to keep you engaged. What stood out as much as the visual presentation however, is the beautiful soundtrack. I found myself humming the melodies even after I stopped playing, which doesn’t happen too often.
Kena is good. It’s not a masterpiece, or anything new, or anything you NEED to play. It’s just good. It’s a combination of proven elements we all have seen somewhere else. Put together with very high production values and the world building standard of animation movies. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with this game.
It’s absolutely stunningly unbelievably gorgeous, with all the vibes you would get from an animated movie. I just recently got an OLED screen to play on and this was the perfect showcase game.
Gameplay-wise I didn’t expect it to be challenging or deep. But the boss fights and even some of the normal mob battles can get very unforgiving, especially if you play on harder difficulties. To get the platinum I played through the game on master difficulty and even though it’s not as good or expertly crafted as a souls game, it definitely felt like it was trying at that. And for a debut title of an indie game studio, that was certainly successful. The few abilities you get while progressing are all nothing particularly fresh or new, but they work well enough to keep you engaged. Exploring the rather linear “open world” is fun enough to keep you engaged. The story follows a very average formula, but the characters (especially the rot) are cute or are charming enough to keep you engaged. What stood out as much as the visual presentation however, is the beautiful soundtrack. I found myself humming the melodies even after I stopped playing, which doesn’t happen too often.
Kena is good. It’s not a masterpiece, or anything new, or anything you NEED to play. It’s just good. It’s a combination of proven elements we all have seen somewhere else. Put together with very high production values and the world building standard of animation movies. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with this game.
2020
Umurangi Generation is a game that was made for me. I love every single thing about it. It's masterful.
I love the chill and creative aspects of photography games. I love every single piece of music that was put into this game. I love the cyberpunk aesthetics and how the genre presents a shitty future that's a grim result of our actions today.
I love how these kind of indie games play around and test so well, what games as a medium can be. The impact this had on me was a lot bigger than many games that have "real storytelling". It's genius how well it transports you to very limited space one by one and gives you so much detail still. If you ever had a doubt environmental storytelling can hit you as hard as on the nose storytelling, give this a try. Not only how the environments are built and the atmosphere are great, but also how well the photography game aspect of it ties into everything. The tasks you have, the dna of this game, makes you explore every inch of the areas and feeds you with tidbits without making any of it tedious. I could've spent even more time in every area, just out of curiosity what information I might find still.
Photographing urban youth and their reality, their culture and creativity still flourishing in the face of an inevitable end, is eerie and a reminder, that the resistance we all get to see nowadays by youth and even kids, needs the support of every single one of us.
I love the chill and creative aspects of photography games. I love every single piece of music that was put into this game. I love the cyberpunk aesthetics and how the genre presents a shitty future that's a grim result of our actions today.
I love how these kind of indie games play around and test so well, what games as a medium can be. The impact this had on me was a lot bigger than many games that have "real storytelling". It's genius how well it transports you to very limited space one by one and gives you so much detail still. If you ever had a doubt environmental storytelling can hit you as hard as on the nose storytelling, give this a try. Not only how the environments are built and the atmosphere are great, but also how well the photography game aspect of it ties into everything. The tasks you have, the dna of this game, makes you explore every inch of the areas and feeds you with tidbits without making any of it tedious. I could've spent even more time in every area, just out of curiosity what information I might find still.
Photographing urban youth and their reality, their culture and creativity still flourishing in the face of an inevitable end, is eerie and a reminder, that the resistance we all get to see nowadays by youth and even kids, needs the support of every single one of us.
2021
Deathloop is testament to what Arkane as a studio has developed into in the past decade or so - an intelligent game maker that understands the immersive sim like no other and refines it with their own formula in the most creative ways, borrowing multiple game ideas that have been successful in recent years and streamline it into a triple a quality experience, that makes you think one thing on so many occasions: it just works so well.
I have played and rated all but one Arkane Game with at least 4 stars, multiple times with 4,5 stars. You could say I’m a fan of their work, and so it was mind-boggling to me how bad their marketing for this game was, because up until I read the reviews I had no interest at all in this game. They did such a good job of underselling this, it’s borderline criminal. I did not expect Deathloop to be my favorite loop-centric game this year, but 12 minutes was an utter disappointment so I’ll take what I can get.
Deathloop has got to have one of the best first few hours in a game, it’s a well made tutorial for a multitude of complex systems interwoven into the very core of the narrative, it makes a lot of sense and doesn’t feel like something you want to skip - the pacing is just one of those things: it works so well. They are able to set up a great mystery, which will keep you engaged with every single tidbit of information you find. Audio logs and text chats convey the general mood as well as the cutscenes and conversations the main characters have: It has a jazzy spy thriller atmosphere and the game doesn’t take itself too seriously.
One of the big strengths of Arkane‘s formula has always been how smooth the actual gameplay feels. Using your powers and traversing the map is another one of these things: it just works so well. But what makes this so much better (for me personally) as in their previous games, is the fact that you don’t just replay levels for the heck of indulging in the mechanics, but that it’s necessary to progress with the story. Which is fine, because every area has different things going on depending on which time you arrive there. The rougelike repetition gives you the chance to try out different possibilities and perfect your playstyle. It is however far too easy, because as soon as you‘ve found your groove with shift and some of the weapons and especially hacking the turrets, you basically become a god and there is no real danger there any more. Sometimes I just ran and jumped through an entire level not even caring for the enemies, because they are just not fast enough. This definitely takes away the necessity of experimenting with the different play styles, but also makes it a lot more accessible for people who want to enjoy the story.
Another thing, that kind of looses its magic along the hours you play the game, is the unraveling of the mystery. I don’t know if it’s just me, but by the end I did not really care that much anymore and the ending kind of confirmed this hunch, it fell flat for me. It’s a bummer, because the setup was so good, but it’s also fine, because the gameplay itself is more than enough to make this game worth your while.
Immersive sims are predestined for trophy hunters like me, because some of the most fun I had while playing Deathloop, was trying to get some of the more difficult trophies like killing all visionaries without being seen in the entire loop, or not killing a single eternalist, using specific weapons or traps to kill someone and many more things that forces you to experience every single thing this game has to offer. You find secrets, Easter eggs, use guns that don’t fit you regular playstyle etc. So close to when I got the platinum I was breezing through the game like it was a playground specifically designed to be taken apart like that. It was a perfect trophy hunt.
I wouldn’t say Deathloop is the best Arkane Game to date, I preferred the atmosphere of Prey and the cinematically scripted missions of Dishonored 2. But Deathloop is definitely the most meticulously crafted one, especially considering to have a multitude of different ideas merged to one great product. It shows just how good they are as developers and I’m sure the next game will continue to prove this.
I have played and rated all but one Arkane Game with at least 4 stars, multiple times with 4,5 stars. You could say I’m a fan of their work, and so it was mind-boggling to me how bad their marketing for this game was, because up until I read the reviews I had no interest at all in this game. They did such a good job of underselling this, it’s borderline criminal. I did not expect Deathloop to be my favorite loop-centric game this year, but 12 minutes was an utter disappointment so I’ll take what I can get.
Deathloop has got to have one of the best first few hours in a game, it’s a well made tutorial for a multitude of complex systems interwoven into the very core of the narrative, it makes a lot of sense and doesn’t feel like something you want to skip - the pacing is just one of those things: it works so well. They are able to set up a great mystery, which will keep you engaged with every single tidbit of information you find. Audio logs and text chats convey the general mood as well as the cutscenes and conversations the main characters have: It has a jazzy spy thriller atmosphere and the game doesn’t take itself too seriously.
One of the big strengths of Arkane‘s formula has always been how smooth the actual gameplay feels. Using your powers and traversing the map is another one of these things: it just works so well. But what makes this so much better (for me personally) as in their previous games, is the fact that you don’t just replay levels for the heck of indulging in the mechanics, but that it’s necessary to progress with the story. Which is fine, because every area has different things going on depending on which time you arrive there. The rougelike repetition gives you the chance to try out different possibilities and perfect your playstyle. It is however far too easy, because as soon as you‘ve found your groove with shift and some of the weapons and especially hacking the turrets, you basically become a god and there is no real danger there any more. Sometimes I just ran and jumped through an entire level not even caring for the enemies, because they are just not fast enough. This definitely takes away the necessity of experimenting with the different play styles, but also makes it a lot more accessible for people who want to enjoy the story.
Another thing, that kind of looses its magic along the hours you play the game, is the unraveling of the mystery. I don’t know if it’s just me, but by the end I did not really care that much anymore and the ending kind of confirmed this hunch, it fell flat for me. It’s a bummer, because the setup was so good, but it’s also fine, because the gameplay itself is more than enough to make this game worth your while.
Immersive sims are predestined for trophy hunters like me, because some of the most fun I had while playing Deathloop, was trying to get some of the more difficult trophies like killing all visionaries without being seen in the entire loop, or not killing a single eternalist, using specific weapons or traps to kill someone and many more things that forces you to experience every single thing this game has to offer. You find secrets, Easter eggs, use guns that don’t fit you regular playstyle etc. So close to when I got the platinum I was breezing through the game like it was a playground specifically designed to be taken apart like that. It was a perfect trophy hunt.
I wouldn’t say Deathloop is the best Arkane Game to date, I preferred the atmosphere of Prey and the cinematically scripted missions of Dishonored 2. But Deathloop is definitely the most meticulously crafted one, especially considering to have a multitude of different ideas merged to one great product. It shows just how good they are as developers and I’m sure the next game will continue to prove this.
Iki island is more of Ghost of Tsushima, in the best AND worst way possible. The game still is absolutely gorgeous, the combat is fun and the collectibles are well made and stylish. But I still don’t care for the inhabitants of this world, npcs and world building are still terrible, the open world feels empty no matter how many samey mongol camps you put on the map to fight through. Mission design is uninspired and straight up boring. I platinumed the main game and I hated the latter half of doing it, I guess that’s why I burnt out on iki island so fast. It just feels tedious and boring to play this game and that’s a shame, because I won’t get to see all the beautiful places the island probably had to offer.